Familiar and beloved faces, words full of care and warmth, kept appearing in my mind. Gradually, I began to remember—bit by bit—my heart became completely wrapped in fear. Trembling, gritting my teeth, I screamed.
"I don't want to die, I don't want to die... Ah..."
I cried out in terror and opened my eyes. In that instant, I saw that my body was perfectly fine—except for my right leg, which was still like stone. All around me, a crimson glow radiated.
As my vision cleared, I realized I was being gripped by a giant hand—a hand made of stone. My whole body trembled uncontrollably. Where was I?
Turning my head, I saw a pair of enormous, crimson eyes staring right at me.
"Who are you?" I asked.
The grinding sound of stone echoed, loud and jarring. I felt whatever was gripping me begin to move, slowly lifting me up. Under the crimson glow, my eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness.
I screamed. Before me was a stone monster—like a giant gorilla, massive and terrifying. Its huge stone head gaped open, producing an endless grinding noise. It was slowly lifting me toward its mouth.
"No, help! Somebody save me, please!" I shouted, struggling frantically as I was drawn ever closer to the monster's mouth. Shaking, my whole body was consumed by fear.
"I don't want to die, I don't want to die, I don't want to die..."
With a thunderous crash, a giant golden Buddha Sigil descended from the sky. It was as if hope had appeared before me. I looked up and saw Vincent Swallow, making a Buddhist gesture, standing atop the golden Buddha Sigil, staring blankly at me.
I reached out a hand, and he gave me a slight smile.
"Honestly, I didn't plan to save you. But seeing you finally conquer your own desires at the last moment... Listen, Ethan Zhang: there are no true 'strong ones' in this world. No matter if someone has ten, a hundred, or a thousand times more power than others, no matter how dazzling they are, there is no one who will never make mistakes in their life—such a person simply doesn't exist..."
Tears streamed down my face again. Gratefully, I looked at Vincent Swallow. Suddenly, he shouted loudly.
"Buddhist Chant: Buddha Sigil... Ha!" As I watched, the golden Buddha Sigil beneath Vincent Swallow's feet shot toward the Desire Fiend. With a deafening boom, golden light flashed everywhere, and then—crash!
"Six Spirits No Self, Formless No Self, Luminous Bead..."
One by one, golden-glowing prayer beads began to multiply, forming a vast cluster that surged toward the Desire Fiend. Amid furious howls, I saw Vincent Swallow leap to my side. With a roar, he punched the monster's wrist. The sound of grinding stone echoed, and with a crack, the hand gripping me shattered.
"Let's go—time to get out, Ethan." I nodded. Vincent Swallow grabbed me with one hand, and the golden prayer beads formed a staircase. He stepped precisely on each bead, using them to leap upward.
The furious howls below grew louder—the Desire Fiend seemed to be enraged. Thunderous roars echoed from below as its massive, shadowy figure devoured the sparkling prayer beads beneath us.
I saw Vincent Swallow's face grow stern. At last, I could see it clearly—the tranquil, silver-lit sky outside.
"Ha..."
Vincent Swallow roared, carrying me as he leaped out of the massive pit. I could see the outside world again—everyone was there.
"Vincent, watch out!" Old Eccentric shouted. I sensed something looming over us. Looking up, I saw a giant stone hand descending toward us.
Vincent immediately prepared to throw me toward the others.
"Don't get cocky, Vincent! This Desire Fiend isn't easy to handle!"
Tammy Blade's voice rang out beside us. She raised her Hidden Saber, her whole body creaking as she shouted. I turned to see the Desire Fiend leap from the pit—only to be instantly sliced in two.
We landed safely. Vincent tossed me to the ground and immediately turned, his profile radiating an air of defiance.
A hand helped me up from the ground—it was Old Eccentric. He looked at me kindly, placing a hand on my head as he spoke gently.
"Only when people understand their own weakness and fear can they move forward, Ethan. All this time, you've simply been seeking death—throwing yourself recklessly at your enemies again and again..."
"If you can't win, just run. As long as you're alive, there's always a chance to turn things around. Kid, that's how I survived back in my day—when I couldn't beat the Ghost Sovereign, at least I could run!" Tammy Blade laughed heartily, her Hidden Saber resting on her shoulder, her dark face breaking into a bright, toothy grin.
"Alright, you guys stop picking on him and leave him to me. The five of you—aren't you supposed to show us what you've got?"
Old Ray said as he hurried over. I turned and suddenly noticed Old Ray's body growing larger and larger, the ground trembling beneath him. Soon, he was as big as a horse, with sturdy limbs and a huge dog's head.
Old Eccentric grabbed me with one hand. Suddenly, I felt as light as paper, floating in the air. I cried out in surprise as my whole body was lifted and gently placed onto Old Ray's back.
The moment I landed on Old Ray's back, my body regained its weight.
The earth shook and cracks split the ground as Old Ray, carrying me, dashed forward.
A deafening, earth-shaking roar rang out as a massive creature gripped the edge of the pit and leaped out—it was the Desire Fiend.
This line is irrelevant to the novel and can be skipped.
Its crimson eyes glared at us viciously. With a thunderous rumble, its massive body charged straight toward us.
"Go, Mr. Blackmask!"
Vincent Swallow shouted. Suddenly, I saw Mr. Blackmask turn into a shadow, darting forward. The Desire Fiend roared, swinging its massive fist at Mr. Blackmask.
Bang! I cried out in shock. Mr. Blackmask caught the giant stone fist with one hand, but the ground behind him collapsed under the impact.
A fierce gust of wind swept past. All the trees near the pit were flattened. Old Ray crouched down, shielding me from the flying sand and stones. The wind pushed us steadily backward.
When the wind died down, the Desire Fiend howled madly, straightening up and clenching its fists, then slammed them hard into the ground.
Each punch shook the earth and echoed to the heavens. The forceful gusts from its fists kept pushing Old Ray and me farther back.
"Had enough? Too bad—you can't hit me." It was Mr. Blackmask. The ground was riddled with huge craters, but he stood calmly beneath the Desire Fiend. Suddenly, he tore off his gray jacket and white shirt, revealing dark green skin and bulging veins.
"My turn now!" Mr. Blackmask roared. With a stomp, he kicked up a cloud of dust, and the ground collapsed beneath him.
With a roar, the Desire Fiend let out a startled screech.
Bang! The roar stopped. I stared in shock—Mr. Blackmask had punched the Desire Fiend right on its massive head. There was no visible commotion, but the monster froze in place.
Then Mr. Blackmask stepped off the monster's head and leaped lightly backward.
"Oddball Moe, give me a hand."
With a whoosh, a wild gust of wind swept by, and suddenly, Mr. Blackmask vanished into thin air.
"There he is—so fast," Old Ray said. I looked over and saw Oddball Moe and Mr. Blackmask standing about twenty meters ahead of us.
With a crack, the Desire Fiend's body seemed packed with explosives, shattering with thunderous booms. Huge cracks split its form, and it burst apart into countless chunks of stone.
Shattered stones rained down on the ground like a torrential storm.
"Put your clothes back on—your body looks a little strange to me,"
Old Eccentric floated down like a piece of paper, and as soon as he touched the ground, he swelled back to his normal size, handing Mr. Blackmask his jacket.
"Looks like I didn't need to step in after all. I'm a bit slow anyway—I was planning to have Mr. Blackmask grab its hands while I chopped it to pieces." Tammy Blade smiled, walking over.
Standing nearby was Vincent Swallow, drinking and smiling.
"Looks like it's not over yet. This time, we've really pissed it off. We should take turns resting, or we won't last until dawn."
Vincent said, and Oddball Moe burst out laughing, dashing away in a flash.
"About five hours until dawn. You guys hang in there—the last hour and a half is mine. I'm the fastest, so I'll go get some sleep first."
I gasped and turned my head, only to realize Oddball Moe had vanished.
"So what now? Who's going first? I want to lie down for a bit too—I'm really tired," Vincent Swallow said.
Tammy Blade was about to step forward when Mr. Blackmask darted ahead.
"I'll do it. You all get some rest."
As soon as he finished speaking, I saw the scattered stones on the ground rise rapidly, merging together like clay being molded. With a furious roar, the massive Desire Fiend reformed before our eyes.
Mr. Blackmask sprang forward, moving lightly on his feet.
"Round two begins, huh," someone chuckled.