After flying a certain distance, I looked back. The situation over there was still grim. But through the Specter Web, I sensed that those three weren't daring to approach for now, while Master Zachary Wu and Vivian Maple sat on the ground with their eyes closed.
Luo Yichen, in particular, was in bad shape. He couldn't even maintain his form anymore, clearly suffering from severe injuries.
I tried to fly as far as I could, until the street where the fight was happening was completely out of sight. At that moment, a voice sounded in my mind.
"Qingyuan, that's enough. Find a place for now and have a proper conversation with the three human forces inside your body. Tell them what I'm about to do next."
I nodded, glanced around, found an office in a tall building, and flew straight in. After checking my surroundings, I sat down in the center of the desk, closed my eyes, and began regulating my breath, entering my instinctual world.
As my mind settled, I gradually entered my instinctual space.
"Damn it, Ethan Zhang, how could you be this weak? Seriously, I'm speechless. We were finally starting to see some hope."
My shadow started complaining as soon as it saw me, clearly dissatisfied. At that moment, I saw Zhang Jizheng on the white side, talking with the Vermilion Bird and the Spirit Snake.
Zhang Jizheng looked frail now, his figure translucent, and the golden radiance that once emanated from his body had vanished.
The Wailing Ghost and the Grieving Ghost came running over, crying and tugging at me. I angrily shook them off.
"Go play somewhere else. I don't have time for the three of you."
Without waiting for my shadow to speak, I rushed over, lowered my head, and thanked Zhang Jizheng.
"Sigh, no need to thank me. I never thought I'd see someone in this world still able to use golden talismans. That's not easy. Too bad he doesn't have a powerful magical artifact—otherwise, he'd be even stronger."
Zhang Jizheng said this, and I nodded.
"Master, you already know what happened, right? Master Zachary Wu wants to borrow my body to summon a deity."
Zhang Jizheng glanced at me and shook his head.
"This Taoist summoning ritual is quite different from the Maoshan Sect's. Ethan, you need to think carefully. Summoning a deity is easy, but sending it away is hard. Besides, your body is weak. My disciple is smart enough to rely on our help—only then can you withstand divine power."
I nodded. There was no other way now. This was all I could do. Both Master Zachary Wu and Vivian Maple were in bad shape.
"I've seen plenty of people try to summon deities, only to be devoured by the backlash. Ethan Zhang, my connection to you is barely a thread now—I can't give you my full strength."
Spirit Snake said this, lounging comfortably against the Vermilion Bird. The Vermilion Bird shot him a sideways glance, then flapped its wings and shoved the Spirit Snake—who had taken on my form—away.