I stared at the incredible golden radiance emanating from Miles Mao's body. Within that light was a surge of powerful energy. As the golden glow intensified, it dazzled my eyes so much that I could barely keep them open. Squinting, I saw a brilliant golden spirit talisman appear inside Miles Mao.
The talisman had different runes painted on both sides—red runes that glowed fiercely, standing out against the golden light. I watched in shock as Miles Mao's body began to recover, the sight astonishing me.
"What's going on?"
"Surviving a great disaster brings fortune."
Suddenly, the golden light faded. Miles Mao, who had been completely dead, sprang up full of life. The moment he saw me, he exclaimed in surprise.
"Ethan, you're here! Let's deal with that guy together."
I blinked at Miles Mao, wondering how he could act as if nothing had happened. Then I noticed the golden spirit talisman slowly dissolving into flecks of gold dust, drifting away in the air.
"Xiaowei, what are you doing? Hurry over here!"
Miles Mao shouted, and just as I was about to say she wasn't Vivian Ouyang, but Mona Ouyang, Mona called out in a strange, mocking tone.
"Shut up, brat. If you don't want to die, you'd better go home and sleep."
I shouted loudly.
"Got it, Ethan."
Miles Mao had already left, and at that moment, the Red Mask agent stood motionless. I saw a mocking smile in his eyes, a look of ridicule. Unable to help myself, I clenched my fists and glanced at Mona Ouyang. Thankfully, he was here—otherwise, I wouldn’t stand a chance against our enemy.
Just that brief exchange had shown me the true gap in strength. I couldn’t see his attacks at all, and whenever he struck, my ghost soul would take hit after hit.
"Mona Ouyang, we’ve lost interest in you. Your Hundred Ghosts now belong to us. If you want to live, stay out of Ethan Zhang’s affairs."
Suddenly, Mona Ouyang’s face changed drastically. In an instant, dozens of Mona Ouyangs appeared all around us, each holding a different mist-shrouded weapon—swords, spears, blades, staffs—each one glaring fiercely at the Red Mask agent.
I clenched my fists, half-squatted to the ground, and stabbed my ghost network into the floor, beginning to recover. Both the Wailing Ghost and the Grieving Ghost inside me were in bad shape, probably from earlier attacks by the Black Mask agent and the sudden appearance of the Specter of Azure.
"Ethan Zhang, I’ll say this once—gather all your strength. Otherwise, you’ll never defeat that guy."
I gasped, staring at Mona Ouyang. In the underground parking lot, hundreds of Mona Ouyangs spoke in unison—their voices crashed over me like a tidal wave. While I was still in shock, more than a hundred Mona Ouyangs sprang into action.
A sudden clatter of boots echoed—I saw the Red Mask agent approaching me at a steady, unhurried pace.
"Your power is far too weak now, Mona Ouyang. You can’t affect this world. The Eye of Observation…"
Suddenly, I saw the Red Mask agent’s eyes transform—black veins, like dark capillaries, bulged and spread across his eyeballs, covering them almost entirely. I stared in horror.
Then, as Mona Ouyang attacked the Red Mask agent, I heard a deafening boom. The Red Mask agent placed one hand in his pocket, the other held up like a blade, palm flat.
A sharp crackling rang out. In an instant, all the illusions Mona Ouyang had conjured shattered completely.
A chorus of bizarre, anguished screams followed. I saw blood splatter in the air—it was Mona Ouyang. His shoulder was torn open with a sickening rip, the bone gone, leaving a mess of bloody flesh exposed.
"Dodged, did you? So, if you want to save this girl, you’d better leave."
The Red Mask agent spoke as I spread my ghost network all around. I could no longer unleash my ghost soul in combat—this meant my strength was cut by two-thirds. One blow would shatter everything I had.
Mona Ouyang suddenly drifted over to me, glaring angrily.
"Thick-headed, aren’t you, Ethan Zhang?"
I gasped, staring at Mona Ouyang, unsure what he meant.
"Don’t you get it? When I attacked just now, you just stood there like an idiot. I gave you a chance, but you didn’t strike. What were you thinking, Ethan Zhang?"
Embarrassed, I looked at Mona Ouyang. True, everything around us seemed blurred and warped, but I could still sense we were in the underground parking lot.
"Before my Eye of Observation, nothing can remain hidden."
I stared at those terrifying eyes—the blood vessels bulged, black as pitch, like twisted roots covering the eyeballs, making them protrude grotesquely.
"What do we do now?"
I pressed on, and Mona Ouyang snapped back viciously.
"Who the hell knows? Run, Ethan Zhang!"
My jaw dropped in shock. I never expected Mona Ouyang to say something like that, but then I remembered—he’d lost his Hundred Ghosts.
"Let me be honest, Mona Ouyang: your Three-Eyed is quite useful. It’s been a huge help to our operation."
Just as the Red Mask agent finished speaking, the space around us gurgled and bubbled. Suddenly, streams of violet water surged forth, transforming into razor-toothed sharks that lunged at him.
But the Red Mask agent kept walking toward us, ignoring the oncoming attack. His left hand stayed in his pocket; with a casual sweep of his right, the sound of splattering echoed—all the sharks turned to droplets, spraying everywhere.
"I don’t have time to play with you, Mona Ouyang. My goal now is to take Ethan Zhang."
I got to my feet, almost fully recovered, glaring at the Red Mask agent with rage.
"Run, Ethan Zhang!"
Mona Ouyang urged me again, but at that moment, a dark aura began to seep from my skin as I stepped toward the Red Mask agent. Inside, a restless power surged within me.
I couldn’t just sit and wait for death. Raising my hand, I called out to the Vermilion Bird’s ghost soul within. At first, it refused to help, but as I moved, the aura on my skin began to ignite, turning into burning black flames.
The Red Mask agent stopped, looking at me in confusion. Then, the part of his face exposed beneath the mask twisted into a smile.
"Didn’t expect your instincts to make even the Four Sacred Beasts submit. Impressive. Yes, Ethan Zhang, your instincts are special."
A buzzing vibration sounded—it was my phone. A voice prompt appeared.
"Deathbane aura quality has reached breakthrough. Please maintain this state. Victory probability: fifty percent."
A jolt ran through me as I looked at the phone in my pocket. I actually had a fifty percent chance of winning. I couldn’t help but feel a surge of joy—last battle had really made me stronger.
Just then, my Deathbane aura began to change. The mist-like aura that once swirled around my body started to condense—dark smoke drifted around me, surging with a powerful energy.
"Oh? Ethan Zhang, what, you want to fight me?"
The Red Mask agent grinned. As soon as my ghost network locked onto him, I burst into a shadow, flashing right in front of him, both swords raised to strike.
In an instant, I struck only a lingering afterimage.
"Decent speed, but I’m faster."
I felt something on my forehead—it was the Red Mask agent. He pressed a hand atop my head, suspending me upside down in midair.
"Did you forget about me?"
Just then, Mona Ouyang’s voice rang out. As he appeared, a violet light flickered in his hand.