Baron Lin stood far off, not daring to come closer, while Master Benler walked step by step toward Howard Zhang. I watched as my cousin vomited mouthfuls of black blood, his face twisted in agony, then began coughing violently. I clenched my fists, a wave of bitterness welling up inside me.
I think I understand now why my cousin ended up like this. He did it for my niece and nephew, Diana Zhang and Mark Zhang. The two infant spirits had long been corrupted from spiritually feeding on each other, steeped in malign energy. Looking back, even during the incident with the Immortality Society, those people tried to capture my cousin and brought Diana Zhang along.
Back then, Diana Zhang was shrouded completely in spiritual darkness. Over the past two years, I have no idea what happened, but it seems all the evil from those two infant spirits has been transferred onto my cousin.
"Junior Brother, let Senior Brother relieve your pain for now. After all, this Karmic Poison has seeped deep into your bones and organs."
As he spoke, I saw Master Benler take out a long row of silver needles. He helped my cousin onto a long table at the side and had him lie down. My cousin looked to be in terrible pain, beads of sweat gathering densely on his forehead.
Master Benler inserted silver needles into my cousin’s body, each one connecting to his Specter Web. In no time, his body was covered with needles. Gradually, I saw streams of black substance flow through the needles, from Howard Zhang’s Specter Web, and onto the ground nearby.
A sizzling sound filled the air as the black liquid burned the floor, gradually forming a pit before evaporating completely.
From that black liquid, I could sense an abyssal darkness.
"Why fight it, Junior Brother? Why resist your own heart? There’s no need. Humans and ghosts are two sides of the same coin—extreme Yin leads to decline, extreme Yang leads to weakness. Your body is suffering because you refuse to accept these things. Listen to me, Junior Brother. Our master only wants what’s best for us."
"Pah! I’m not your Junior Brother. I’m only here to negotiate—you took my woman, and I’ve come to get her back. My wife’s waiting for me at home for dinner. Hurry up and bring out your dead master if you want to talk. I, Howard Zhang, am ready to negotiate."