A chill swept over me. I opened my eyes, my head heavy and dazed, my body utterly drained of strength. I had no idea how long I'd been asleep. Suddenly, I stared in shock—two blurry figures appeared before me, pale and indistinct.
"Are you alright, Ethan?"
Slowly, I lifted my head. It was Hu Tianshuo and Huang Jun, but something about them seemed off.
"You two..." I said weakly. Everything was coming into focus now—Hu Tianshuo and Huang Jun were dead. I stared at them in disbelief, then glanced to the side. Sure enough, their bodies lay on the ground, riddled with holes. Mine was the same.
At that moment, I noticed an emerald-green chain binding the souls of both men. The chain snaked up from the earth itself.
Anger surged in my heart, but I was too weak to move. Waves of sorrow welled up from deep inside me, a sour ache twisting through my chest, stirring my emotions again and again.
"It's alright, Ethan. It's been two or three hours already. Hang on—a bit longer, and the Ghost Burial Squad will come." Gradually, I began to hear it clearly: a chorus of rasping, unnatural voices echoed all around. It was the Ghost Syndicate.
I raised my head in a daze. On the Execution Altar, Leah King was bound at every blind spot, red streams of energy swirling wildly around her. That Syndicate guy—the one in the crimson cloak—floated behind Leah, his eyes anxious, fixed on her.
All the Ghost Syndicate members were half-crouched, hands pressed together in prayer, chanting incantations in unison. Old One-Eye stood just behind the Execution Altar.
"Dreadstar, something's wrong. It's been three full hours. We should've broken Basil Bertram's Wooden Contract Seal by now..."
"Don't rush, Old One-Eye. Our Ghost Syndicate's Earth Incantation requires patience and gradual progress. You're always too impatient—that's why you've been stuck for a century. This technique takes time. Wait for it—ten days, half a month, it will come. Once we get the Wooden Contract Stone, it'll be a blessing for us all."
"Yes, Dreadstar. We'll do everything we can."
I stared at them in confusion—they'd mentioned Basil Bertram by name. When I was half-unconscious, Yin Choujian warned me that I'd been used as a pawn by Bertram. What was really going on?
But now, there was no time to think about it. I looked at the souls of Hu Tianshuo and Huang Jun, already pulled out of their bodies. Both were clearly bound by the Ghost Syndicate.
If this kept up, both of them would be doomed.
"Don't worry, Ethan. Things will turn around." Hu Tianshuo whispered, voice barely audible.
Huang Jun looked completely unconcerned, laughing loudly.
"Sorry, I..."
"It's alright, Ethan. Life and death—it's fate. But you, the Syndicate seems to want you alive. The two of us? We're about to be turned into ghosts."
Huang Jun said lightly, smiling.
I looked around, thinking about the Wooden Contract Stone they'd mentioned. The only thing that came to mind was Bertram's stone—just like Yin Choujian's Deathstone, Yuna Ji's Netherstone, and Mona Ouyang's Nightmare Stone.
I glanced at Leah King again, wondering why she would have Bertram's Wooden Contract Stone.
Suddenly, Dreadstar descended, landing right in front of me. I slowly floated upward as he gazed at me, a smile in his eyes.
"Ethan Zhang, our first meeting. Heh, you really know how to show up. None of us were looking for you, yet you found your way here yourself. Hmph, aren't you a bit too arrogant, just because Yin Choujian is backing you?"
I smiled and shook my head.
"It's not arrogance. It's just that people like you are worse than ghosts. I can't stand it. Let them go. If you want something, come for me."
I said sharply, having regained a bit of strength.
Dreadstar burst out laughing, wagging his finger at me.
"I've seen plenty like you—meddlers who think they're righteous, convinced they can fix the world..."
"That's not it. I just follow my own convictions. Let my friends go!" I roared, and suddenly, flames burst to life in my hand—I hurled them at Dreadstar.
But the flames fizzled out before they could even touch Dreadstar.
"Just stay put, Ethan Zhang. You may be useless to me, but someone in the Ghost Syndicate wants you. We're not exactly on good terms lately, so I'll send you as a gift. She likes your type—fiery and stubborn..."
"Damn it..." I cursed, then felt a crushing pressure on my shoulders. With a crash, I fell to the ground. My body felt unbearably heavy, as if a hundred kilos were pressing down on me. I couldn't breathe, sinking inch by inch into the dirt.
"Stay down there, Ethan Zhang!" Dreadstar sneered, laughing wildly.
Dreadstar slowly rose into the air. At that moment, I noticed Leah King's body changing—a harsh creak, and a crust of brown, scab-like matter began to crawl across her skin.
"Dreadstar, it's working! There's a reaction—it must be Basil Bertram's Wooden Contract Seal."
"Yes, just a little longer. Once we break the Wooden Contract Seal, the Wooden Contract Stone will be ours. Bertram will likely vanish from this world as well."
A chill shot through me. I stared, frozen.
"Don't be afraid, Ethan. Sorry for getting you mixed up in all this."
A familiar voice came clearly from beneath the ground pressed against my ear. The crushing pressure on my body vanished—it was Bertram. I felt something pushing up against my abdomen.
Something soft pushed me upward, rolling me to the side. I saw it—a small green sprout, slowly growing larger, then transforming into a tiny tree. Its trunk thickened, and a human face appeared on the bark. It was Bertram.
"I've been waiting for you, Bertram. You really came, huh? Hahaha—do it!"
As Dreadstar shouted, a chorus of voices echoed all around.
"Pierce the veil, turn the wind and fire, command the five thunders, dive into the abyss, commune with spirits, drive away gods, master fortune, break open the moment, roam with spirits, command the air, sever the flow, disaster earth, six gates of armor, foresee the future, transform with a touch..."
Dreadstar floated upward. I saw the space around us shimmer—a transparent dome appeared, then gradually shifted into the five colors of wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Streams of colored energy wove together, forming a web.
With a rush, Bertram's face changed and he flew upward.
"Old One-Eye!"
Dreadstar called out, raising his hands. Old One-Eye floated up, his jar already open. Swarms of black ghosts poured out, filling the sky, attacking Bertram. Mouths and heads appeared, all surging toward him.
Bertram raised his hand. Giant green leaves appeared around him. The attacking ghosts hit the leaves and vanished instantly, like mist against a wall.
Bertram soared into the sky. The colored threads in the air wove tighter and tighter, forming an ever-denser net.
"Fivefold Annihilation Rite..."
With a thunderous crash, Bertram was slammed down by the net. All around, pillars shot up from the ground, standing tall.
I stared in shock. The pillars were carved with dragons, phoenixes, tigers, and tortoises. But they looked nothing like what I'd seen before—each one fierce and menacing.
With a heavy thud, Bertram landed beside me, looking worried. It was Leah King—he was anxiously watching her.
"Children, attack!" As soon as Dreadstar finished speaking, I saw the Syndicate members open their jars one after another. Dreadstar pointed both hands at Bertram.
"Infernal Ghost Chains—go!"
With a crackling sound, black chains wove together, shooting toward Leah King.
"Bertram!" I shouted, as he flew toward her.
I saw Bertram throw himself at Leah King without hesitation. The moment he touched the swirling red energy, his clothes ripped apart, his red robe torn to shreds. But Bertram stretched out his arms, holding Leah King tightly.
Black chains whipped into Bertram's body, one after another. His face twisted in pain, but he refused to let go—his arms and body shielded Leah King, holding her tight.
"Hahaha, Bertram, you really are the most prideful of the Seven Ghost Sovereigns. Always putting on a show—just like now."
Finally, all the chains had pierced Bertram's body. He held Leah King as they slowly sank to the ground, gasping for breath, glaring fiercely at the Syndicate members around him.
"Today is the day you die, Bertram. This place will be your grave. And this woman—she was your lover in a past life, wasn’t she? Bertram, you’d spend all your ghostly power, your life, your Wooden Contract Stone, just to put it in her body."
"Heh, being bitten by a rabid dog really does hurt."
"How long are you going to keep pretending, Bertram?" Dreadstar roared, suddenly flying at Bertram and kicking him in the face. I stared, stunned, as Bertram, still holding Leah King, twisted his body to shield her from the Execution Altar, his back slamming into it. Brown blood sprayed out.