I stared in disbelief at Lord Shenyan, who held a black dragon in his hand. On the dragon's head was a bright red mark, and in Lord Shenyan's other hand was a piece of sealing stone, covered in interlocking red ripples and tadpole-like script—it was the Soulbinding Seal.
"I never expected those guys would actually give this to you. It seems they've abandoned even the dignity of being rulers of Hell!"
Emperor God glared at John Chou before him, while Yuna Ji stood behind Emperor God, brandishing her long spear, her body radiating black energy and her eyes turning blood-red.
A pink stream of energy traced along Emperor God's body, gradually covering him entirely, leaving only his head exposed.
"In the world of shadows, when you fought my foolish sister, I saw too much. Emperor God, it's true your souls are so powerful we can't destroy you, but trapping you isn't hard. Now your soul has been marked, and if you try to fragment your ghost soul into particles to attack us, it's impossible."
I watched John Chou in amazement as Lord Shenyan suddenly produced the Sinblade, and with a crisp clang, pierced the black dragon and pinned it in midair, where it continued to writhe and struggle.
After quietly watching for a while, I glanced at Emperor God behind me, astonished to realize that the power in the black dragon was identical to Emperor God's. I quickly gripped the Soulreaper Blade, and immediately sensed it—two Emperor Gods, but in two forms: one human, one dragon.
"It's truly unbelievable. Even if the ghost soul splits, its power should be halved. So why is this guy..."
"Brother, these three were at least rulers of Old Hell. Their ghost souls aren't fewer than those of the Yama Kings, and his method is to turn his ghost soul into breath—it's countless. That's why he can attack us from any direction at any time. It's a bit like shifting with shadow energy in the world of shadows, but fundamentally different. It's as if we're surrounded by this old guy's presence, and he could appear anywhere. But now, he can't. I've already sealed his connection to the ghost souls in the air around us."
I swallowed, but when I saw Belle in John Chou's hand, I began to understand. That weapon was always mesmerizing, and it's likely John Chou used Emperor God's soul to block his connection to the ghost soul. The so-called soul is actually the union of soul and spirit, and the ghost soul is similar—a combination of a ghost's soul and spirit.
"You truly are clever, John Chou. But time's almost up. It's about time for us to exit the stage as well."
My eyes widened as John Chou immediately released Belle from his grip.
"If you want to leave, don't blame me for being ruthless."
In an instant, John Chou looked downward and then shouted.
"Redmond, there's no need to persist any longer. Destroy Divine Law before the enemy steals it."
As he spoke, a rushing sound echoed. I watched in shock as jets of black water erupted below—Basil Bertram's doing. The water instantly surged onto the black sludge covering Divine Law. In a flash, Lord Shenyan and Yuna Ji flew toward Divine Law.
"John Chou, you..."
The immobilized Emperor God glared furiously at John Chou, who simply smiled and shook his head.
"Better shattered jade than intact tile. The reason you want to take Divine Law must be for yourselves. The dead cannot enter this world—dead as humans, dead as ghosts. The laws of Yin and Yang reject your entry. The only way is to use Divine Law's power to let you three enter reincarnation, be reborn as humans, and thus be allowed by those laws. It's like water trying to seep into solid rock—no matter how it crashes, only the surface is worn away."
As John Chou spoke, he turned, his gaze resolute as he looked at me. I was already flying toward Divine Law, Endbringer gripped tightly in my hand.
"Earthly Soul, lend me all your strength."
In an instant, an apocalyptic vision flashed through my mind. With a sharp swoosh, the Endbringer Blade in my hand shot toward Divine Law. The black sludge was already cleaved open by Yuna Ji and Lord Shenyan. With a metallic clang, Endbringer pierced Divine Law's surface, black lightning crackling incessantly.
"Instinct... Endbringer... World..."
With a resonant hum, everything around me instantly transformed into an apocalyptic scene. I moved directly before Endbringer, grasped it tight, and twisted. Black lightning instantly spread across Divine Law's surface.
"Wait, Ethan Zhang, if you really destroy me, everything will end."
I hesitated not at all. My mind recalled only what the Ghost Ancestor told me in the Land of Darkness—it was wrong. In my understanding, I wasn't unable to comprehend what he showed me or said, but all of it came at the cost of the laws of Yin and Yang.
"I will never allow such a thing to happen."
A rumbling echoed as Divine Law's surface cracked open before me. Endbringer's power was pouring in—I just needed to keep channeling its destructive force.
"Instinct... Endbringer..."
With a low hum, a black, transparent vortex appeared on my back, growing larger and gradually taking form.
"I will never allow you to do this."
A furious roar erupted. With a thunderous crash, my eyes widened as John Chou coughed blood and plummeted downward. The enraged Emperor God appeared behind us, and Lord Shenyan and Yuna Ji rushed to block him.
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With two sharp clangs, the two enemies were instantly subdued. Behind me, Emperor God surged forward with overwhelming force like a boundless sea, pressing down so hard I could barely hold on.
A tremendous rumble echoed as Divine Law shattered, exploding again and again. Emperor God reached out a hand toward me.
"You bastard."
Yuna Ji screamed in fury, raising her hand as a multicolored light instantly slashed across Emperor God's body.
"Instinct... Expansion..."
Like glazed glass, the surface of Yuna Ji's body hardened to an incredible degree. She shielded me from behind.
"Instinct... Justice..."
Streams of bluish energy instantly swirled around me. I could feel Endbringer's power continuing to surge toward the core of Divine Law.
Back when we were still on the ship, John Chou had quietly told me—the final resort was to destroy Divine Law with Endbringer's power. Lady Meng had no idea.
Clashes rang out behind me as Yuna Ji and Lord Shenyan blocked Emperor God's attacks, constantly holding him back.
"Xiaoyan, Phantom Sage, you two hurry over and help!"
Emperor God shouted urgently. With a rush, Xiaoyan appeared at my side. My eyes widened as she stared at me coldly, slowly raising a hand.
My heart jolted, but the feeling of dread vanished instantly. I saw intelligence and a trace of gentleness in Xiaoyan's eyes as she placed her hand on my head.
"Do you want to betray us, Xiaoyan?"
Emperor God roared. Xiaoyan turned her head and shook it.
"The world is no longer the one we once knew. Waging war, reviving Father—it won't change anything, it may even end this world sooner. So what are we truly seeking? Ethan Zhang, what do you think we're after?"
"Recognition!"
I spoke in a muffled voice, then my eyes widened.
"I'm sorry for what you've been through. I know all too well what it's like not to be recognized by the one you love. But I have someone I love too, and I will never let your plan succeed."
As I spoke, my eyes widened, my teeth clenched, and I was already kneeling on the ground.
"Instinct... Coexistence..."
With a wet splatter, I spat out a mouthful of green blood. In the vortex, a snarling black fiend crawled out, and I instantly felt my strength surge again. I needed to use coexistence, to completely transfer all my power to Earthly Soul, so he could keep unleashing even stronger Endbringer force.
A rumbling echoed as Yuna Ji and Lord Shenyan kept blocking Emperor God. I endured the pain, Xiaoyan reached out and pressed her hand to my cheek. My eyes widened in astonishment—she was smiling at me.
"You're a strange one, Ethan Zhang. Recognition, huh? Maybe. We need Father's recognition, but what is Father really like? I don't know. Since the day we were born, we've been different from everyone else, and we've never seen Father. The first time we met him, we were excited—but he was already dead."
"Xiaoyan, have you... have you forgotten why we exist? Have you forgotten? Forgotten Father's..."
With a rush, my heart jolted. Instantly, I stopped channeling Endbringer's power, and the battle froze.
"What are you trying to do, Lady Meng?"
Lord Shenyan spoke coldly. My eyes widened in terror—I didn't dare turn around.
Orange ghost tendrils had pierced into John Chou's body. He endured the agony, unable to move.
"You Ghost Sovereigns may be hard to kill, but that doesn't mean you can't die. Stop, Ethan Zhang, or Bloodbane Ghost Sovereign John Chou will vanish here today."
My heart jolted—Lady Meng wasn't joking. My hand started to tremble. Emperor God turned his head coldly.
"What do you mean, old woman?"
"Divine Law cannot be destroyed. I've said it from the start—if Divine Law is destroyed, everything ends."
I trembled, slowly turning my head.
"Brother, don't worry about me. She can't kill me."
I whimpered, unsure what to do. My mind buzzed, and everything before me began to spin—a new, enormous choice lay before me.