I rose slowly, my gaze fixed on Huang Mingfa in eerie silence. At last, I understood—over more than a century, why Cao Wanzhi had truly lost his heart. A cold, twisted smile curled at the corner of my mouth.
So he abandoned his own heart, just to find you.
Huang Mingfa looked at me with confusion.
"You mean Cao Wanzhi? Heh... That young master hasn't changed one bit, even after all these years. But me? Heh... I chose evil—pure, absolute evil."
Huang Mingfa pointed at his own heart and laughed.
"Once, I couldn’t understand you all—everything you did, your evil, how you could hurt, kill, and toy with others just for yourselves..."
I paused. Flames began to spill from my body; the temperature shifted. The overwhelming power, the strength of the Second Phoenix Rebirth, was leaking out bit by bit. I had to control it. The flames grew hotter, and the air around me seemed to ignite, sending up wisps of white smoke.
The wounds on my body kept healing, and I started to laugh.
I let out a wild, reckless laugh, then shook my head, pointing at my own heart.
I laughed wildly, then shook my head and pointed at my heart.
"What I have is a human heart, but you don’t. None of you do. In the end, I still can’t understand you..."
As I spoke, I slowly raised both hands. Flames burst out, more than half a meter long. What I’d been thinking about was how to shape the Vermilion Bird’s power into a tangible sword to ease the strain this immense power put on my body.
"Just like always, Ethan Zhang, use your power freely—whether you’re human or ghost, your power is free. Under the instinct called coexistence... All right, say my name."
I slowly bent down, half-squatting on the ground, raising both hands behind me. The flickering flames surged excitedly.
"All this time, thank you." My mind was full of myself as a ghost—my shadow, the Wailing Ghosts and Vengeful Spirits. It was their power that kept me going, helping me cross over again and again.
The once restless flames, which seemed about to melt and burn me away, began to calm and cool. Huang Mingfa’s eyes widened in surprise.
The flames on my body now flowed like water, dripping onto the ground. Scarlet flames swirled around me, and gradually, I felt the power that once tried to destroy me becoming obedient.
"Ethan Zhang, you little..."
Huang Mingfa roared, his fist clenched so tightly it cracked, his body leaning forward. In an instant, he charged at me—fast.
"Double... Extreme..."
As the flames flowed, my senses expanded a thousandfold in an instant. I saw it clearly—though still fast, I could truly see it: two punches, thrown so quickly they nearly overlapped, striking out with power beyond human strength.
Instinct, called... coexistence...
With a swish, I gripped two tangible, scarlet short swords in my hands, crossing them together. Bang! Huang Mingfa’s fists slammed into my swords. I slid back for a distance before stopping, then roared, raising both swords and slashing toward Huang Mingfa.
Two crossed flames shot toward Huang Mingfa in an instant. His eyes flashed with surprise, and he immediately stomped the ground, his body twisting several times to dodge the fire.
By now, I was already charging at Huang Mingfa, swords raised, roaring as the scarlet blades slashed at him.
Huang Mingfa shifted into a defensive stance. After several impacts, his clothes caught fire, and he screamed. Then he kicked at my abdomen—bang! I felt a violent shock, but this time, I didn’t get knocked away.
"My flames aren’t what they used to be, Huang Mingfa..."
I roared, raising the short sword in my right hand and slashing at Huang Mingfa’s left leg, which was completely engulfed by my flames.
"Don’t get cocky, Ethan Zhang."
Suddenly, Huang Mingfa raised his hand, aiming at my forehead. His right hand stretched back, and the sound of creaking bones echoed.
Triple... Extreme...
A tremendous force rushed toward me, but I didn’t retreat. I absolutely couldn’t miss this chance.
"Your left leg—I'll take it."
I roared. Huang Mingfa’s fist was already in front of me, and I slashed at his left leg with my scarlet broken sword.
A tearing sound, then a bang—my consciousness vanished in an instant as I was sent flying. But my sword had definitely struck Huang Mingfa’s left leg.
A twisted smile crept onto my lips, and then—bang—numbness overtook my body as I smashed into something unyielding. All I saw was a spray of black blood, dark and endless, and I closed my eyes, finally satisfied.
I can’t pass out. I absolutely can’t. I kept telling myself this, but my body wouldn’t obey. After taking such a heavy blow at close range, the flames on my body and the scarlet short swords in my hands were almost gone.
This chapter isn’t finished yet~.~ Click next page to continue reading the rest!
"Move... Move, damn it, my body..."
I shouted, and in an instant, my mind buzzed. I threw my head back, my legs trembling, as streams of heat poured from my eyes, nose, and mouth. I kept screaming.
I refused to surrender—every fiber of my being screamed in defiance. I remembered with agonizing clarity how Huang Mingfa had, step by step, driven Cao Wanzhi, their disciples, and Hu Xiaohui into utter collapse. The memory stabbed deep into my nerves, fueling my rage.
"Unforgivable. I will never forgive you, Huang Mingfa... ah..."
I screamed, my consciousness finally returning. I stood, and the flames that had begun to fade flared up again—fiery on the outside, but inside, I was calm and cold. A shiver ran through me as my vision cleared. Huang Mingfa clutched his bleeding left leg, which was nearly severed.
I braced myself, brandishing my twin scarlet swords, soaring toward Huang Mingfa. The infernal wings on my back dragged a blazing, blood-red trail through the suffocating air.
"Wait, Ethan Zhang... let me tell you a secret—a secret that festers at the heart of the Immortality Society. Listen..."
There was pleading in Huang Mingfa’s eyes. I smiled.
"Go to hell, Huang Mingfa."
In a flash, Huang Mingfa’s face turned ashen. I was less than two meters away from him when his body suddenly swelled, standing on one leg, fists clenched, ready to fight me to the death. I was the same—I had to finish him, no matter what it took.
But just then, a humanoid figure bubbled up from the ground, instantly taking the form of Rachel Lan.
"Ethan..."
I roared, my twin swords piercing through this Rachel Lan. Nothing could affect me anymore.
Two swift strikes—my attack missed. Huang Mingfa was completely gone.
"Where?"
I roared, scanning everything around me. I quickly turned my head and saw Huang Mingfa to my left, at the edge of the Corpse Barrier. A flowing black mass squatted beside him, clutching his severed left leg.
I charged at them without hesitation. Black water bubbled up from the ground, and I raised my legs, hacking all these familiar human-shaped things into two pieces.
Finally, I got close to Huang Mingfa again. But just then, the black water humanoid squatting beside him appeared in front of me. I raised my twin swords and slashed—splash! Black water sprayed everywhere, splattering onto my body as I lunged at Huang Mingfa.
But in an instant, my head buzzed, and suddenly my body felt heavy. Waves of nausea invaded my mind, and in that moment, I spat out a mouthful of black water.
"Corrupted Corpse Water..."
A heavy, hollow voice echoed behind me. I collapsed to my knees, the world spinning violently, everything around me dissolving into a blur of shadows and confusion.
"Don’t move, or you’ll lose that leg. The Vermilion Bird’s power has already invaded your body."
Clutching my head, I lay on the ground, but my gaze never left Huang Mingfa. He tried to get up, then gave up, smiling as he looked at me.
"I survived again, Ethan Zhang..."
Waves of nausea kept me retching, my head buzzing as I vomited mouthful after mouthful of black water.
"Ethan Zhang, your Vermilion Mantle is incomplete—it’s only external, but inside, there’s nothing. Rest easy and sleep now."
Then a pitch-black hand appeared in front of my eyes. My eyelids grew heavy and trembled. Gradually, I closed my eyes and lost consciousness.
Suddenly, I jolted awake, finding myself suspended in midair, surrounded by a mass of black water. Before me stood a figure, back turned, speaking to Huang Mingfa.