"They're here, brother. Looks like they're getting desperate." As John Chou spoke, I saw that vast swath of crimson light drawing closer and closer, moving at incredible speed.
"Let's add some insurance. Qingyuan, hold the line for now." As Old Moe spoke, he quickly ran toward the depths of the western part of the city.
"Xiao Tian, you'd better head somewhere safe." Victor Duan said, clenching his fists and slowly floating upward.
"Boss, I can't do that. I can feel it—those guys are strong. I'm going with you."
"Let's go. Don't force a direct fight yet. Sigh, we still have to clean up the mess for that dead she-demon."
As John Chou spoke, the four of us drifted toward the east side of the city and stopped. Before we arrived, dozens of crimson, human-shaped Ember Wraiths were already floating outside the eastern city wall—a dense crowd, easily over a hundred.
Each of them, in the living world, was a Blue Wraith. Although they could only appear in this form within the Dream Realm, their strength remained formidable.
I looked over them. Aside from the leader, a three-eyed Blue Wraith—Wraith Zero, who stood out—the rest were nearly identical, all crimson humanoids.
"Boss John, where's Dream? Where is she?"
Wraith Zero bowed first, then asked about Mona Ouyang's whereabouts.
John Chou smiled wryly and waved his hand dismissively.
"I have no idea. If you want to find that dead she-demon, look for her yourselves. Is it really worth making such a fuss?"
As John Chou spoke, he glanced at the Hundred Ghosts Wraith Zero had brought—once loyal to Mona Ouyang—and clapped his hands sharply.
"You lot really are something, huh? No matter what, that dead she-demon treated you well. Now you all gang up on her—do you really think that's honorable?"
"Boss John, you don't need to point that out. From the moment we decided to rebel against Dream, we became a band of unrighteous ghosts."
A few Blue Wraiths behind him looked restless, but Wraith Zero raised his hand to stop them.
"Boss John, there's no need to say more. This is between us and Dream—it's not your place to interfere. Please don't get in our way."
With a whoosh, I drifted over, clenching my fists as I looked at Wraith Zero. In that story, when I first saw his three eyes, he and Mona Ouyang seemed to become close friends at first sight. Now, he's leading the Hundred Ghosts in rebellion—I just can't understand it.
"Is power really that important?" I asked. Wraith Zero floated up to me, the vertical eye on his forehead opening. In an instant, I felt as if I were being bound by an overwhelming force.
"It's not everything," he replied, "but without power, you can't survive in this ghostly path. Dream has changed—ever since the Ghost Sovereign War, she's completely changed. A weak and helpless king has no right to lead us."
I didn't want to agree with Wraith Zero, but I couldn't argue either. I remembered Old Moe—it was him who incited their rebellion.
"Even if Martin Lane hadn't pushed us, we would have walked this path anyway. Zhang Qingyuan, Dream is in the city, right? Although we've suddenly lost our sense of him, I'm sure he'll only come here."
"If you're going to fight, fight. Enough talk."
Victor Duan suddenly roared. In a flash, I watched in shock as seven or eight Blue Wraiths were sliced in half. Instantly, I felt the deathly aura surge, forcing me to retreat a bit.
"Oh, Victor Duan, is that you? It's been centuries, hasn't it? But it seems you're injured now. Your mirror reflection—while fast—isn't without its weaknesses."
As Wraith Zero spoke, Victor Duan, who had just returned to our side, vanished again.
"I told you, you can't escape my eyes." Wraith Zero stretched out his hand and grabbed Victor Duan by the throat. Then, I saw mirrors—like transparent panes—all around Wraith Zero crack and shatter.
"Stay put, Victor Duan. You've been running for centuries, and now you want to show your loyalty?"
As soon as Wraith Zero finished speaking, a beam of red light flashed—bang! I saw Wraith Zero punch Victor Duan in the chest, and another huge surge of red light swept toward us.
"Brother, get out of the way!"
John Chou shouted urgently. I quickly beat my wings and flew upward. With a thunderous crash, the entire east gate vanished. In the red glow, I looked down—everything beyond the gate was destroyed, reduced to rubble. Victor Duan lay motionless hundreds of meters away.
"Boss!" Little Victor called out, then whooshed over to Victor Duan.
John Chou remained calm, floating in front of the east gate, smiling as he watched Wraith Zero.
"Go search! I'll keep Boss John occupied—you all find Dream and bring him out."
While I was distracted, a swarm of Blue Wraiths rushed past me into the city.
"Let me play with you, Zhang Qingyuan."
The voice was full of mockery. As I turned, I saw a Blue Wraith, entirely crimson and utterly irreverent—Wraith Thirteen. Instantly, I beat my wings and retreated, dodging his punch.
Immediately, I gathered deathly energy in my right hand, spinning it rapidly, hoping to increase its density and speed enough to take down Wraith Thirteen.
"Nice idea, but too slow."
Just as I tried to dodge, I felt a blow to my shoulder and plummeted toward the ground—bang! I crashed inside the city. At that moment, I saw two crimson figures weaving through the sky at incredible speed.
It was John Chou and Wraith Zero, locked in fierce combat. John Chou drew the Soulreaper Blade, launching rapid, crimson attacks at Wraith Zero. To my shock, Wraith Zero blocked every slash with his bare hands.
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"No time for distractions, Zhang Qingyuan."
Wraith Thirteen appeared before me again. This time, I was smarter—I didn't meet him head-on. I rolled on the ground, raising barriers of deathly energy to block his attack route. As soon as I regained my footing, I beat my wings and shot into the air.
The deathly energy I summoned was instantly shattered by Wraith Thirteen, who charged straight at me.
"It's useless, Zhang Qingyuan."
I clenched my right hand over my chest, recalling that Mona Ouyang clearly knew the Blue Wraiths' weakness in dreams, but she never told us.
"He cared so much about all of you—why do this to him?"
I roared, and a fiery red flame burst from my chest. I drew the Phoenix Blade and slashed hard at the oncoming Wraith Thirteen.
Boom! Flames erupted, swallowing Wraith Thirteen in an instant. But I immediately flew into the city—I knew he'd dodged it.
"Didn't expect you had that trick up your sleeve, Zhang Qingyuan."
Wraith Thirteen, already catching up, was covered in cracks and missing pieces, but slowly, he was recovering bit by bit.
Though I could hurt him, I quickly sheathed the Phoenix Blade, sensing its power draining fast—just that one strike had consumed a lot. I had to keep running, looking for a way to finish Wraith Thirteen for good.
Inside the city, the Blue Wraiths were already wreaking havoc, toppling buildings as they searched every inch for Mona Ouyang.
I flew quickly toward the west side of the city, Wraith Thirteen close behind. From the east, thunderous booms echoed, the sky shrouded in red light. I couldn't worry about that now—the Blue Wraiths hadn't searched the west yet. I landed fast, darted into an alley, and caught my breath.
From that Phoenix Blade strike, I realized these Blue Wraiths can't use ghostly powers in this world—they only have speed and strength, no ghost threads. Wraith Thirteen saw my attack but didn't sense it coming.
In other words, Wraith Thirteen can't predict my attacks. I can see his moves, but I can't react in time. When he kicked me to the ground earlier, it looked like a simple blow, but it was devastating. He dodged my ghost threads and struck in an instant—I only felt it after the fact.
"What's wrong, Zhang Qingyuan? Too scared to come out?" Wraith Thirteen roared. The house across from my hiding alley collapsed with a crash. I dashed deeper into the alley, kicked open a door, and entered a courtyard.
I've always found it strange that Mona Ouyang's Hundred Ghosts would rebel. Just now, I saw it in Wraith Zero's cold, ruthless eyes—a hint of reluctance. I remembered what John Chou said: he asked Mona Ouyang how long she'd keep holding on.
"Maybe this whole fight is pointless," I muttered to myself.
Bang! The courtyard wall burst open—Wraith Thirteen charged at me, fist raised, aiming for my face.
"Found you."
A tremendous force sent me flying, crashing through several houses before I stopped. As I regained consciousness, a powerful force surged toward me—dust and stones flew everywhere. Wraith Thirteen kept attacking, scattering debris in his path.
Just as I tried to get up, pain shot through my chest and I spat blood. Wraith Thirteen's fist had pierced my chest. He stared at me, silent.
"This fight is meaningless, isn't it?"