A deafening chorus of monstrous screams pressed in from all directions. Redmond remained suspended in midair, not approaching, while a massive horde of beasts charged toward us.
Clusters of black flames appeared on Redmond’s body, growing in number. These flames scattered outward in all directions like meteors.
"Looks like we won’t need to lift a finger this time."
Basil Bertram spoke as he sat down. I watched the black flames flying toward the beasts, noticing they were somewhat different from the Malice Wraith Fire I usually saw. The other Ghost Sovereigns also relaxed their guard. Even Yin Chou and the rest sat down.
Suddenly, I remembered—these flames were the same as the ones that appeared when the Ghost Syndicate tried to seize Basil Bertram’s instinct. When Redmond arrived, these flames erupted, controlling the Ghost Syndicate’s members and sending them into a frenzy against Dreadstar, completely losing control.
The beasts roared, drawing closer to us. Huge black waves rose on the sea, and clusters of black flames had already fused into their bodies. When the beasts were less than a hundred meters away, their howls suddenly ceased. The massive waves, halted by the beasts’ sudden stop, crashed into them and split apart. Though the ship rocked, it wasn’t too violent.
Sure enough, they could be controlled. I stared in disbelief as the beasts slowly turned and attacked the ships surrounding us. I heard terrified screams, some ships began to turn as if trying to escape, while others threw out chains again.
Some of the fastest beasts reached the ships and were chained, yet still crashed into them without hesitation. The air was filled with screams. I saw the Yinfolk aboard rise into the air, all hailing from the Shadow Realm and serving as subordinates to the three rulers of Old Hell.
The rumbling never ceased. In the distant sky, Redmond laughed arrogantly. Soon, the beasts devoured the fleet with overwhelming force. Not a single ship surrounding us remained intact. The Yinfolk who tried to escape into the sky were torn apart and devoured by flying beasts.
"I can feel it—the spell is beginning to falter."
Lady Meng spoke, immediately raising her staff as strands of orange Specter Web rapidly spread out in all directions. I watched in astonishment—this was the fourth type of Specter Web I’d ever seen, and the first time I’d encountered orange.
Before I could process it, Lady Meng was already controlling the ship beneath our feet, making it float and race off at incredible speed in a single direction.
"Redmond, that’s enough. Come back now!"
Lady Meng shouted. Redmond became a streak of black meteor and landed instantly on the ship. John Chou looked at Redmond in surprise.
"When did you get so fast?"
"Hmph, John Chou, did you think I’d be like you and do nothing? I know my weaknesses, so I’ve been training hard with Vivian Maple and Noah Grimm whenever they’re free."
Roars from the beasts echoed behind us. The distance was too great for some, and a few were no longer under control, speeding toward us. Three flying beasts in the sky had already caught up.
"Should we bring one back with us?"
Basil Bertram asked, but John Chou shook his head.
"Even if we brought one back, it wouldn’t help."
I raised the Soulreaper Blade in my hand, quietly watching as the three monstrous beasts dove toward us.
"Hurry, do it now—we're almost out!"
Lady Meng shouted anxiously.
"None of you move! If you use too much power, the ship won't hold. The old woman can't protect the hull and steer at the same time right now."
Mona Ouyang spoke as she raised her hand, a streak of violet light slowly flowing out like mist.
With a sharp crack, I saw bursts of cold air appear in the air. The first beast to fly at us was instantly frozen, turning into a block of ice and dropping straight into the sea. The two beasts following it suffered the same fate; before they could even struggle, their bodies froze stiff and plunged into the water.
With a whoosh, it felt as if we had passed through something. The next thing I saw was the sky beneath the setting sun. Yuna Ji immediately took out the Abyssal Treasure Mirror, and we all walked over to take a look. The color of the sky was normal.
"I can't believe we've only traveled a short distance—even Yuna Ji, you haven't reached the Styx yet."
Lady Meng spoke, and I finally let out a sigh of relief. Redmond snorted coldly.
"What exactly are those guys trying to do? They know these things are nothing to us, not even ants—if we wanted to crush them, we could do it anytime. If they really want to deal with us, they should come out themselves."
John Chou chuckled.
"We've been inside the Styx Sea for two hours. In two hours, we could do countless things. Do you think it's really necessary for them to make contact with us?"
Redmond's expression stiffened as he looked at John Chou. I was surprised by the power Mona Ouyang just used; it seemed different from her usual abilities. The violet stream she released was ghost aura, but it froze monsters with such high ghost aura density in an instant. I couldn't figure it out—maybe it had something to do with the Illusory Domain bordering the Dreamworld.
"Could it be that while we weren't here, they've already tampered with the Heavenly Law?"
Yuna Ji said coldly. Lady Meng's expression immediately grew tense. Redmond seemed to realize something and exclaimed in shock.
"That's actually possible. If they've already managed to return from the shadow world, it's very likely. After all, Tan Tian's corpse road isn't simple—it can't be bound by anything and can enter any space at will."
With a splash, the waters of the River of Forgetfulness surged. I stumbled and fell onto the deck. Lady Meng began to accelerate, and the ship sped wildly across the river.
[Skip: Navigation prompt, irrelevant to novel content.]
My head felt dizzy, and the other Ghost Sovereigns clutched their heads as well. The space around us seemed to grow chaotic, our bodies as if being torn apart. I stared in disbelief at my hands, which had begun to blur—just like the others.
"Old woman, are you trying to kill us?"
Mona Ouyang muttered immediately, then retched. I felt waves of nausea too. Everything in front of me looked strange, as if I could see left, right, up, and down—all directions were crystal clear. The dizziness in my head grew even stronger.
"We're here. Get ready."
With a gasp, I couldn't help but vomit. Black water poured from my mouth. After a while, I felt a little better, though my head was still spinning. In just a few minutes, we had arrived at the Sanzu. I wiped my mouth and looked at the enormous waterfall behind us. The waters of the River of Forgetfulness flowed ceaselessly, and I could clearly sense these soul-laden currents entering the Sanzu.
"Old woman, do you sense anything different?"
John Chou asked. We drifted slowly behind Lady Meng. The Hell Realm was just as we'd seen before—tubular, worm-like things scurried constantly across its surface. The Hungry Ghost Realm was still a muddy expanse, with the faces of starved ghosts occasionally breaking through. The Animal Realm hadn't changed much, but now the Hungry Ghost Realm and Animal Realm were only a few hundred meters from colliding. I could feel their forces clashing, as if war was breaking out.
"Stay close to me. We're heading up now—the Divine Law is right above us. Be careful. If the Asura Realm stirs, deal with it calmly. Ethan Zhang, find a way to draw the Divine Law's attention. Move to the front."
I drifted ahead of Lady Meng, a force pulling me upward. Soon, the Three Evil Realms were far behind us. I felt a gentle, pure power from the sky. Gradually, I saw a multicolored sphere, its hues weaving like streams of water, blending and flowing but never merging into one.
"That's the Human Realm."
I sensed it immediately. As I continued upward, a powerful pressure descended from above. With a thought, white currents swirled around my body like ribbons, gradually expanding outward. Lady Meng and the Ghost Sovereigns behind me seemed to relax as the pressure faded away.
"Get ready—we're about to see the Asura Realm."
In the bright white sky, a streak of violet appeared. I swallowed hard. Before me was a massive sphere, violet in color, radiating gray currents all around it. Suddenly, I felt a presence—as if something was watching me.
We drew closer and closer. I reached the center of the Asura Realm, and above us was a huge sphere radiating soft, bright white light. Now, the Divine Law was in sight.
"Careful, Ethan Zhang."
With a boom, a fierce current slashed across my vision. In an instant, my cheek felt as though it had been cut by a knife; wounds opened up, and green blood flowed out. I gasped for breath, staring at the scene before me—the current had taken the shape of a fist.
"Young master, what are you all doing here?"
I stared in shock. Before me stood a figure, red and blue interwoven across his body, three faces and six arms, eyes blazing with fury. Red and blue light danced across his skin, flames and frost streaming from the cracks.
"Mr. Brown—is that you?"
I cried out in astonishment, and our group came to a halt.