Streams of black energy swept freely through the Bone Realm. John Chou floated quietly in the air, holding the Rage Blood sword in one hand. Of all the Ghost Sovereigns present, only Redmond seemed relatively unharmed; Lord Shenyan remained unconscious, while Yvonne May and Mona Ouyang sat silently on the ground. Yuna Ji crouched, a smile in her eyes, and soon she rose to her feet.
"It's unfortunate. Your choices have made you who you are now."
The Wraithlord sat cross-legged on the ground, resting his chin on one hand, while the other held a small piece of black matter, resembling a stone, floating above his left palm.
"I wonder why you chose to stand against me. If Basil Bertram were still alive, perhaps you'd have a sliver of hope. But now, you have none. Even if I do nothing, you will soon perish."
As the Wraithlord spoke, he crushed the black matter in his hand. A small jet of black flame burst forth. The Wraithlord stood, twisting his neck with a creak, then burst into laughter.
"Half-dead wretches can't block my path. If you had withdrawn and gone into hiding, I would have left you be. But now, things are different."
John Chou shook his head without speaking, simply raising the Rage Blood sword. Yuna Ji drifted to his side. Redmond tidied his hair and grinned.
"This time, you bet on the wrong side, Tan Tian."
The Wraithlord glanced coldly at Tan Tian behind him, sneering as he bent low and clenched his fists.
"At the final moment, I'll show you what my instincts can do. Do you really think I can't break through this Bone Realm?"
I stood up, eyes wide, fists clenched. In a blink, the Wraithlord vanished. When he reappeared, he was behind Tan Tian, pressing a hand to Tan Tian's back.
A streak of red light flashed by as John Chou raised the Rage Blood sword to strike at the Wraithlord. But as the Wraithlord willed it, Tan Tian's body began to twist, and the entire Bone Realm trembled and shattered. I saw the Wraithlord clutching a brown stone, and John Chou's Rage Blood struck his shoulder but couldn't break through. Yuna Ji's spear followed, stabbing the Wraithlord's chest, but still couldn't penetrate.
Redmond once again turned into a ball of flame, falling to the ground at the Wraithlord's feet. But now, the Bone Realm was collapsing. I stared in shock at everything before me, feeling the roar all around.
The Wraithlord suddenly stepped forward, instantly passing by Yuna Ji. Yuna Ji stood still, her green spear broken. I saw the Wraithlord pull out a nine-colored humanoid and a black-green humanoid.
With a buzz, John Chou was knocked back again. I clenched my fists.
"Jiu Chen, wait a bit longer."
I shouted, and the rumbling stopped. A purple stream of energy slowly wrapped around the Wraithlord's wrist.
"I told you, follow the order."
With a thunderous crash, John Chou got up, and the two instinctual humanoids in the Wraithlord's grasp shattered instantly. Yuna Ji turned her head slightly; her green spear was already broken.
The mud surging from the ground was about to entangle the Wraithlord when Redmond flew out from the mud. As the purple energy dissipated, the Wraithlord looked at Mona Ouyang and made a grabbing motion. With a hum, the space shattered, and a purple humanoid exploded instantly.
With a roar, a giant mouth engulfed in black flames surged from behind the Wraithlord. Suddenly, John Chou blocked the mouth about to bite the Wraithlord. The flames dissipated, John Chou glanced back, and instantly Redmond began to move.
A scarlet glow lit up. Lord Shenyan, who had been unconscious on the ground, suddenly rose. Two intertwined red flames shot toward the Wraithlord. The Wraithlord vanished and reappeared before Lord Shenyan, with John Chou close behind, angrily stabbing the Rage Blood sword at the Wraithlord.
A buzzing sound echoed as Lord Shenyan's body began to shatter in midair, then was stripped away. Amid fierce cries, a giant blue firebird appeared behind Lord Shenyan and lunged at the Wraithlord.
"It's over!"
With a crack, the black chains on Lord Shenyan broke. The Wraithlord grabbed the blue bird's neck, instantly tearing it apart. A blue stream drifted in the air, Lord Shenyan's body ignited, scattering embers. In the flames, I saw a red glow flash past the Wraithlord—it was Zhong Kui.
With a clang, the Wraithlord grabbed the Rage Blood sword from John Chou, then stared at Yvonne May. Yvonne May lay on the ground, slowly turning to ash, her eyes bitter but her face relieved.
With a loud bang, the entire Bone Realm shattered.
John Chou gripped the sword hilt tightly. The shattered Bone Realm did not disappear immediately, and I could no longer see Yuna Ji. The entire Soul Guest Inn began to rumble.
"No time, Roxie Lan—head for the final station of the past!"
When I turned back, my face was already covered in tears. Jiu Chen turned into wisps of energy, the inn flickered in and out, and I felt the instincts within my body trembling.
Looking again, the Wraithlord hunched over, grabbed John Chou's throat with one hand, then raised the other to make a grabbing motion.
"Since it's come to this, I'll oblige and destroy you all!"
With a thunderous crash, I felt myself moving rapidly. In an instant, I saw the nine guides of the Yellow Springs standing at the foot of the cliff, and the Buddhist monks had already taken their positions. The cliff split open, the Wraithlord dragged John Chou, and I noticed Jiu Chen had vanished.
Looking again, Jiu Chen was already in the Wraithlord's grasp.
"No one can leave until I allow it!"
I climbed out the window and was stunned by everything around me. I was clearly within the Pu Tian Temple's grounds, yet the temple was right next to me, and Jiulong Square, which should be dozens of kilometers away in H City, had been moved here. It wasn't just moved—the Wraithlord dragged everything he wanted to Gourd Village.
All around, only large areas of falling rocks and dust could be seen; the terrain had completely changed.
There was no speech, only the intense rumbling around. Huge chunks of mountain broke apart and rose from the earth. The Wraithlord looked up quietly, as if savoring something.
"What are you smiling at, John Chou?"
The Wraithlord looked at John Chou, whom he was holding. At this moment, John Chou was smiling joyfully.
"Do you really think you've won? The only ones who can defeat you are not us, but... humans!"
The Wraithlord looked toward us, then slightly loosened his grip on John Chou's hand.
"Goodbye, John Chou!"
"I'm looking forward to it! This time, you may never have another chance!"
As John Chou spoke, his body turned to drifting ash in the breeze. The Wraithlord stared coldly at us.
"A new world is about to be born. Soon, everything will end."
As the Wraithlord spoke, he threw the brown stone in his hand into the completely ruined Bone Realm behind him.
With a burst of brown-yellow light, Tan Tian awoke, transforming into a monster with long mouths. The mouths bit into the Wraithlord, seemingly trying to drag him back into the Bone Realm.
At this moment, I felt a powerful ghostly energy. With a flash of green light, Zhuang Bo appeared before the Wraithlord, punching with six fists. Yet, the Wraithlord remained unmoved by their combined strength.
"How unfortunate!"
With a buzz, the shattered Bone Realm behind began to emit a powerful suction. Tan Tian and Zhuang Bo were instantly swept in, and as the Wraithlord clenched his fist, the void behind him vanished.
"Only humans can defeat me? John Chou, you really know how to joke. If we're talking about humans, I was once one too. But none of this matters anymore."
As the Wraithlord spoke, he slowly descended from the cliff. The eight Daoist disciples gathered toward us. I stared quietly at everything, knowing it was over, but my hands still instinctively drew my bow and nocked a golden flame arrow, shooting it at the Wraithlord.
With a swoosh, the Wraithlord raised a hand but let it fall, glaring at me wickedly.
With a rumble, golden flames ignited. The Wraithlord widened his eyes in shock as the arrow pierced his body, and golden fire engulfed him. He roared in pain, and the guides of the Yellow Springs landed. The ground rumbled, and four giant pillars rose from the dust, with Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise seated atop them.
The golden flames on the Wraithlord dissipated. He gripped the arrow and pulled it out, glaring furiously at the Buddhist monks still fighting. Zhang Hao raised a monk's staff, his shirt torn off.
"Damn Ksitigarbha!"
"Namo Amitabha!"
With a burst of Buddhist chanting, I saw eleven points of light appear before the Wraithlord. A monk in blue robes, riding a strange beast, landed before him with a crash.