I began to sense my surroundings, sitting quietly on the ground. The Specter Web easily pierced through the Pillar of Light—there was no sensation at all. It was nothing more than a beam of light, projected by some Daoist, shining upward. I glanced at the base, where the light originated, and saw only a pitch-black surface.
I gently drove the Specter Web into the ground and began to sense further. Beneath the surface, aside from a vast amount of Yin Energy, there was nothing else. The guy beside me grew impatient.
"Kid, did you sense anything? Hurry up and tell me."
I responded with a simple "Oh," and gradually, my Specter Web touched something inside—a large mass of bright red blood. I sensed it: blood, human blood. There was nothing else. I stared in surprise; the amount of blood here was about what you'd expect from a normal adult.
I looked at the Pillar of Light, which stretched all the way to the top of the sky, then floated upward, drifting higher and higher. Gradually, I reached the top—only about a hundred meters above the ground.
I couldn't tell what material the top was made of. Then I returned to the ground, where the guy in front of me glared, his face twisted in anger.
"Did you sense anything? Kid?"
I shook my head and said,
"This is just an ordinary column formed by light. Even if you beat on it forever, you'll never break it."
Suddenly, the guy in front of me erupted. Deathbane Aura surged from his body like a stream of mud, pouring out endlessly. Even my Specter Web trembled slightly—the danger was palpable. That was the feeling this guy gave me.
"Impossible. That guy would never lie to me. Kid, did you really do it properly?"
The guy in front of me stepped closer, one step at a time. I nodded.
"No matter how many times you sense it, it's the same. This column is just formed by light. You'll never break it."
"Impossible. Impossible..."
With a whoosh, I floated upward. The guy before me was mumbling to himself, his expression dazed. He clutched his forehead, clearly in pain. Then suddenly, that thick Deathbane Aura—like mud—began surging from his body, flowing down the mountain.
It was the first time I'd seen Deathbane Aura on such a scale. It was even denser than the Deathbane Aura swirling in the lake beneath my apartment building.
I started to distance myself from him. He threw his head back, roaring furiously, his fists clenched so tight they cracked.
Suddenly, with a thunderous boom, he threw a punch. I stared in shock as the Deathbane Aura all around us surged upward like a flood in reverse, sweeping up from the ground. The whole mountain was filled with Deathbane Aura. I hurriedly pulled on the Spirit Snake Shedding Skin, curling my body up, but my feet touched the massive, rising Deathbane Aura.
In an instant, I was submerged in the black Deathbane Aura. Its density made me feel like I was drowning.
"Don't inhale too much, Ethan. Your body won't be able to handle it."
Zhu Tang immediately shouted. I drew my Specter Web back into my body, then sealed my Thirteen Ghost Gates with seven threads from within. The Deathbane Aura frantically tried to surge through the Thirteen Ghost Gates into my body.
Even after absorbing just a tiny bit, my Ghost Soul kept swelling, as if it might burst and tear me apart.
I could only endure it. The Deathbane Aura felt like tiny, invasive insects, trying to break through the outer layer of my Ghost Soul and get inside. The sensation was unbearable.
After a while, the Deathbane Aura finally dissipated. I was stunned—cracks had appeared in the sky and along the four walls of Mount Immeasurable. But soon, the cracks faded, and everything returned to normal.
"Impossible. Still not enough. My strength still isn't enough."
He crouched on the ground, muttering to himself, then lay down and closed his eyes. The sheer amount of Deathbane Aura was unlike anything I'd ever seen. This guy's body—neither human nor ghost—could somehow contain it all.
I moved a little closer, curiosity piqued by this weirdo who reminded me of the one beneath the Lake of Desire.
"Brother, find a way to get that blood and put it into your Spirit Snake Shedding Skin."
In my mind, John Chou's voice rang out. I responded with an "Oh," feeling a bit puzzled.
I floated in front of the Pillar of Light, reaching out to touch the mass of red blood. Strangely, the blood felt soft, but I couldn't pierce it. I tried pulling at one corner of the blood.
"What are you doing?"
The guy on the ground suddenly opened his eyes and glared at me.
"You don't want this thing, do you?"
I asked, and he stared blankly at the mass of blood, then asked back,
"What thing?"
I let out a confused sound, but on second thought, since I could touch this blood, and that huge surge of Deathbane Aura hadn't harmed it at all, I was deeply surprised.
I pointed at the mass of blood and asked,
"Can't you see it? This huge mass of red blood."
He got up and focused his gaze on my right hand, but after staring for a long time, he shook his head.
"Kid, what thing? I can't see it. Useless brat, all instinct and nothing else. Hmph."
Saying that, he lay down on the ground, turned on his side with his back to me, and ignored me completely.
I was furious. Though I was angry, I had to admit this guy was much stronger than me—but he was completely brainless.
I started pulling the mass of blood out. It was easy—I drew it out of the Pillar of Light with a simple tug. With a wave of my hand, the Spirit Snake Shedding Skin fluttered, and I stowed the blood inside.
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Everything went smoothly, and I breathed a sigh of relief. But then I wondered how to get out. I circled the area for a long time but found no exit. Even that massive surge of Deathbane Aura only caused cracks in the walls here—I could forget about breaking out.
"Brother, you got it, right?"
I answered with a grunt. John Chou laughed and said,
"I'm negotiating with the Nine Sons right now. Once it's over, I'll figure out how to get you out. Hang in there for now."
I replied with a surprised sound, mouth agape. John Chou told me to hang in there, but I had no idea how long it would be. Helpless, I returned to the Pillar of Light. That guy was sound asleep, snoring—and then I saw him smile, maybe dreaming something nice.
He was even drooling. I swallowed and landed beside him, using my Specter Web to sense his body.
"What are you doing?"
Suddenly, he woke up, glaring at me in anger. I quickly pulled back my Specter Web.
"By the way, who was it that told you to come break the pillar?"
"That guy is just that guy. No one else. Don't ask me—I don't know either. It's just a bet. I have to win, have to win with strength."
The guy clenched his fists and got up again, glaring fiercely at the Pillar of Light. With a whoosh, he punched it—his whole body passed right through the pillar. With a boom, a surge of fierce Deathbane Aura blasted out, shaking the entire mountain.
"No good. Looks like I have to touch the pillar first if I want a chance to break it."
He muttered to himself, thinking for a long while before finally standing up.
"Only by getting stronger can I do it."
I let out a surprised sound and flew over to him.
"Since you can understand me, can you calm down first?"
Then he sat down.
"You got any ideas? You have instincts, but you never do anything with them."
I wanted to retort—he had such powerful strength, so why was his brain just a mess?
"My brain isn't a mess, kid. Watch yourself—someone at your level, I could wipe you out with one punch."
I swallowed, then glared fiercely at him.
"Maybe that guy you mentioned tricked you."
As soon as I said that, the guy who'd been sitting shot to his feet and angrily argued,
"No way. That guy is wonderful—she'd never trick me. What she says is truth, is right. She'd never lie to me."
I was a bit surprised. For a moment, the guy's expression was like a baby looking at its mother—just like the one beneath the Lake of Desire.
"How long have you been here?"
I asked, but he said he didn't know. I sighed.
"By the way, do you know how to get out of here?"
"You can't leave until the pillar is broken."
I made a sound of realization, blinked, and glanced around. That meant I couldn't get out either.
In my mind, I kept calling for John Chou, but after a long while, there was no response. I grew anxious—if I stayed with this guy, whose mind was so abnormal, his overwhelming power might swallow me up someday.
I floated down to the mountain wall, searching and probing. After an hour or two, I still couldn't find any way out. I used my Ghost Blade to scrape the wall—no mark at all. The mountain wall was incredibly hard.
I tried using the Deathbane Pistol, but still nothing. Now I was really panicking.
"It's useless. Unless you break the pillar, you can't get out. Give up, kid. I've been here at least ten thousand years."