"We're here. This is the place."
Everyone stared in surprise. The spot before us was about a kilometer from the circular wall in the center—a cylindrical pedestal, nearly a meter tall. We'd seen these pedestals before, densely packed, countless in number.
Ethan Zhang couldn't explain it, but suddenly, he knew in his mind—he understood exactly where the gate was.
There was a small hole in the center of the pedestal. I held the Creator's Key in my hand and stared at it, as did everyone else.
"Ethan, insert the key."
Isabelle Frost said softly. I nodded, glanced at everyone, and inserted the key into the small hole. With a click, I heard a sound—the grinding of machinery.
About a minute passed with no reaction. Just as we began to doubt whether this was really the right keyhole, a rumbling sound came from the ground, and the wind picked up. Suddenly, a golden beam of light shot straight up from the pedestal into the sky.
We all looked up. Instantly, wind and clouds surged across the world. The sky, once a clear blue, was now bathed in golden light. Gradually, multicolored rays shot out in every direction.
Colors burst across the sky—beautiful, as if a giant canvas had been splashed with paint. Then, slowly, we saw a streak of black. The darkness seemed to be forming a shape.
The grinding noise grew louder. I swallowed hard—it was the sound of gears scraping together. Gradually, I saw countless gears appear in the sky, colliding and spinning, filling the air with a deafening screech.
Before our eyes, a massive gate stretching to the sky slowly took shape. Its outline became visible, and as the gears turned, a door shimmering with soft white light creaked open.
"The gate has appeared."
Isabelle Frost spoke, already floating upward. We hurried after her. Inside was a thick white mist—nothing could be seen. Only through the slowly widening crack in the door could we glimpse something green within.
The sky turned golden, filled with huge black gears. The door kept opening, and a powerful rush of air poured out. I swallowed hard. In that instant, we all felt the force emanating from within—pure, intense power. I’d felt this once before, when the Ghost Monk was reborn.
Felix Zhou sniffed deeply, inhaling some of the white mist. Everything before us was a vast, blinding whiteness—nothing could be seen.
"Should we go in together?"
Deathcurse asked again, and Felix Zhou immediately shook his head.
"I really mean it. Have you forgotten? More than once, I’ve refused to risk my life as a joke."
"It’s about time. We can go in now."
Ray Lin spoke, and we all nodded. I turned into a streak of black light and flew inside. Behind me, all the Blackfang members followed—except for Felix Zhou.
All around us was a vast, blinding white world—nothing could be seen. Once inside the gate, I felt a force pulling us, slowly drifting us deeper within.
Looking back, James Grant had his hand on the key, waving at us. I nodded. He pulled out the key, and the gate behind us began to slowly close.
"It's beautiful."
Isabelle Frost cried out with excitement. The white faded away, revealing a tranquil forest. I swallowed hard—towering ancient trees rose all around, birds flitting overhead.
The giant trees grew on small islands, each only a few dozen square meters. The islands were connected only by waterways. Beneath the clear water, fish darted among the tree roots.
Brightly colored flowers bloomed everywhere, butterflies fluttering above them. It felt like paradise—spotless, the air comfortable. Even as ghosts, we felt free here. The oppressive Yin energy was gone.
"Over there. Let's go."
Isabelle Frost pointed into the distance. Amid the clouds stood a pillar whose top was lost to sight. I swallowed and looked—it was a massive, pale blue pillar covered in green. We drifted quickly toward it.
Gradually, I saw clearly—green vines had climbed all over the pillar, its surface covered in moss. The pillar looked weathered. Everything around us made it clear: this place must be thousands of years old.
We drew closer. From afar, it looked like a pillar, but up close, it was at least dozens of meters thick—truly colossal, like a tower reaching the sky. At its base was a door, completely overgrown with plants.
But as I looked at the pillar before me, I felt as if I’d seen it somewhere before. It was covered in inscriptions I couldn’t read, written in an unknown script.
Suddenly, a massive fist slammed forward. With a thunderous crash, Kane punched open the door, which was overgrown with white plants.
We all stepped inside—a vast, empty space with a domed ceiling. It was a hall, barren and silent.
"There are no stairs going up."
Ray Lin spoke. Kane spread his wings and flew upward, raising his fist and roaring. With a thunderous blow, he struck the ceiling—but it didn’t budge. The force was immense, sending fierce gusts swirling around us.
Kane beat his wings and raised his fist again. But just then, I saw a shadow—there was a sharp tearing sound, and we all turned, alert.
Kane slowly descended, his body drenched in blood. As he landed, we all stared at him.
"Who is that?"
I stared in shock. Before us stood a Nightshade, two pairs of golden horns atop his head, blue wings flaring, limbs thick and powerful, claws sharp, his face twisted in rage. He was a full size larger than Kane.
"Impossible—Xavier, you’re dead. You can’t exist here."
Kane suddenly roared. This Nightshade was incredibly powerful. Instantly, we all sensed it—using ghost tendrils to probe his body, feeling the dense Yin energy. With a crackling sound, ghost tendrils froze in midair, quickly filling the entire space.
The sound of shattering echoed—white and black shards of ice fell from above, sparkling in the air.
"Answer me—who are you, really?"
Normally silent, Kane's face now showed anger and frustration—his emotions were raw. His wounds had healed, and he beat his wings, flying toward Xavier, the Nightshade above.
Suddenly, I couldn’t see clearly—Xavier gripped Kane’s neck in one hand and slammed him to the ground.
With a thunderous crash, a violent gust swept through. I saw Kane’s body twisted from the impact, bones snapping audibly. Kane spat blood, and instantly, I prepared to fly over.
"None of you come any closer!"
Kane roared, and with a boom, launched himself at Xavier, fist swinging. With a thud, Xavier easily blocked the powerful blow with his palm.
"Answer me—why are you still here, Xavier? You were supposed to be dead, long dead!"
But Xavier remained expressionless. With a crack, Kane screamed in agony—his arm twisted like a rope, a gaping hole appeared in his chest. He spat blood, wings fluttering weakly, while Xavier’s foot smashed down on his shoulder with a heavy thud.
I couldn’t sit still any longer. With a whoosh, I rushed forward, a surge of Deathbane Aura spilling out. With a thunderous crash, I caught Kane, but the massive force still drove us toward the ground.
The ground beneath was soft, absorbing the impact. I glanced down—it was a huge, white, glowing sphere, conjured by Black Moon. I looked at him and nodded.
"Fang, let me go."
Kane spoke, struggling, still wanting to charge forward. He was no match for Xavier.
Though I didn’t understand everything that had happened, up above, that cold-colored Xavier was the king of the Nightshades—he died at the hands of Yama during the Underworld rebellion.
Kane pushed me away. Worried, I looked at him, but then a hand landed on my shoulder—it was Ray Lin. He shook his head at me, and I understood, letting Kane go.
"Be careful, Kane."
His wounds had healed. Kane beat his wings, his breathing now calm, his eyes locked on Xavier above.
"The two of us have fought since birth. You were always the stronger one. Back then, you took everything from me. Now, you can still stand before me—why is that?"
Kane spoke each word with force, drifting to Xavier’s side. Suddenly, Xavier, who had been expressionless, burst out laughing.
"You’re nothing but a weakling, Kane. You’ve always been weaker than me. If you want to know why I’m still alive, ask the Emperor God. All that sentimental nonsense has always held you back. In this world, only power matters. We lost because we weren’t strong enough."
"That’s not true. It’s because we have no heart."