A thunderous rumble echoed as the Basilisk’s massive body crashed to the ground. Its midsection kept swelling, with waves of intense ghostly energy violently colliding inside it. The Basilisk’s body began to shrink, little by little.
The Blueflame Warden landed atop the Basilisk's massive head and shouted.
"Idiot, let that guy out! You’ll never be able to digest him."
The Basilisk didn’t answer. It clamped its jaws shut. Strands of black ghostly energy seeped from its mouth. The Wraithlord seemed trapped inside the Basilisk’s body. Heavy breathing echoed; ghostly energy surged from the Basilisk’s nostrils, mouth, and eyes, instantly gathering like smoke. As soon as the Wraithlord appeared, the Blueflame Warden attacked.
With two heavy thuds, the Wraithlord deflected the Blueflame Warden’s claws. The ground screeched sharply. Chaos Fiend struck, and flaming meteors shot toward the Wraithlord. I glimpsed black shadows as the Wraithlord dodged instead of blocking the meteors. I sensed a peculiar power from those meteors. The Wraithlord sensed it too.
The roaring never stopped as meteors crashed above the Wraithlord. Suddenly, they clustered together, accompanied by a bizarre screech. A streak of blue-gray light flashed past the Wraithlord—almost too fast to see. Wounds appeared across his body.
But as blood splattered, the Wraithlord spun around and grabbed a human-like foot. Instantly, I saw a beast with an eagle's head and human-like legs, its body covered in elliptical feathers of gray, blue, and black. This beast was called Suss. I’d visited his Mirage not long ago. Suss was one of the more silent Chimera Beasts—rarely spoke, a bit clumsy, but incredibly fast. I’d fought him several times and never could adapt to his speed.
With a loud bang, the Wraithlord hurled Suss forward, smashing him toward the attacking Blueflame Warden. At that moment, the meteors released by Chaos Fiend creaked and compressed together, transforming into a lava monster with a mouth, limbs, and a massive body pressing down above the Wraithlord. The Wraithlord raised his fist, his eyes showing not a hint of fear.
With a thunderous crash, the Wraithlord punched the lava monster pressing down from above, sending a violent ring of ghostly energy rippling outward.
"Stay out of this."
Separated from Suss, the Blueflame Warden shouted. The Chimera Beasts around me seemed restless, ready to pounce. I called out.
"Hold on, everyone. If we all attack at once, that guy will find an opening. Just subdue him."
I stopped the Chimera Beasts from rushing in. At that moment, the Basilisk opened its mouth and sprayed a layer of gray mist. The Wraithlord was instantly engulfed, his skin began to corrode. He quickly retreated from its range. Then a pale blue wind swept past his eyes. The Wraithlord seemed to realize something, and, shocked, darted back into the mist.
"You really do react quickly."
At some point, Eugenia had reached the edge of the gray mist, her body glowing with pale blue light.
Most of the Wraithlord’s body had already been eroded, and his ghostly energy couldn’t condense effectively within the gray mist. He laughed coldly.
"If your wind got inside me, I’d lose instantly, little girl."
"You idiot, your toxic mist actually protected that guy."
The Blueflame Warden couldn’t get close, clearly unwilling to rush into the gray mist. The Basilisk kept its mouth open.
"Everyone stand back. Let me handle this one."
As the Basilisk spoke, a layer of black, viscous fluid began to ooze from the sharp horn at the tip of its nose. I saw the gray mist that was corroding the Wraithlord’s body gradually darken; the Wraithlord looked to be in agony.
"Everyone, get back!"
At the sound of the command, azure flames instantly ignited the world. All the Chimera Beasts retreated in unison. A fierce, fox-shaped blaze surged into the darkening mist.
A rumble echoed as ribbons of flame danced wildly through the world. Zephyr had already carried me to the edge of the Mirage, while the Chimera Beasts retreated, all aware of the foxfire’s power. I knew it too—such potent flames, if swallowed, would burn you to ashes. Even if you could resist, your strength would drain rapidly.
The azure flames didn’t spread outward—this is what makes foxfire so troublesome. The fire gathers and intensifies, growing stronger over time instead of weakening. The Nine-Tailed Fox laughed wildly, standing atop the flames and channeling them toward the center. I could still sense the Wraithlord’s ghostly energy, though it was much weaker than before.
"That guy really is strong. Facing so many Chimera Beasts and still unharmed."
Hayden Orion spoke, stepping onto Zephyr’s head. He raised one hand, and a bow shimmering with golden light appeared, marked with nine suns. He crouched, drew the bow, and burning flames formed suns behind him. His right hand gripped an arrow, and the fire of nine suns poured into it.
"Let’s finish this quickly. It’s a bit underhanded, but we have no choice."
I saw a faintly helpless smile on Hayden Orion’s face. As the flames faded, black smoke rose. Suddenly, the Nine-Tailed Fox crossed her arms—boom! With a burst of dust, the Wraithlord appeared before her. His body was shattered like broken stone, but his fists were still powerful. He struck the Nine-Tailed Fox with a single blow.
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With a whoosh and a blaze of fire, a flaming arrow pierced the Wraithlord’s neck. He turned, roaring in fury—a visible bloody hole gaped in his throat, impossible to heal. Flames burst from it, preventing his recovery. He slowly collapsed to the ground, clutching his neck in agony.
"Good, very good. Just like before. This feeling—I can get even stronger."
Clenching his fists, the Wraithlord suddenly had bubbles rising beneath him. A turtle with a bird’s head emerged from the water, its sharp beak slashing the Wraithlord’s eyes. He clutched his bleeding eyes in pain as more bubbles appeared, forming a shallow stream. The beast with a turtle’s body, bird’s head, and snake’s tail was called Spiral Turtle—a rather devious creature.
"Truly devious."
Hayden Orion commented, as nearby chimera beasts glanced at him. Hayden quickly sat back down. The Wraithlord kept trying to retreat but couldn’t move—his feet stuck in the pool. Spiral Turtle crawled out slowly, then let out a piercing laugh.
"If you want to restrain someone, you don’t have to go to such lengths. I’ve destroyed his eyes and immobilized him. Next, just finish him off!"
As Spiral Turtle spoke, its snake-like tail stabbed into the ground. Sharp, barbed black tails slowly rose from the pool, instantly wrapping around the Wraithlord. Spiral Turtle’s laughter grew shriller and more piercing. Many Chimera Beasts covered their ears.
"I don’t need your meddling, you filthy turtle!"
The Nine-Tailed Fox grew furious. Her tails increased from three to nine, swaying behind her like tentacles—their tips transformed into burning fox faces.
"You lot!"
The Wraithlord lowered his hands, gritting his teeth. His eyes looked as if they’d been pierced by countless needles—full of tiny holes, black blood streaming down. He gave a cold, twisted smile.
After a moment, the Wraithlord laughed again and shook his head.
"Indeed, I’m no match for you. But my goal is already achieved. In the end, I’ve won—Zhang Qingyuan is beyond saving."
All the Chimera Beasts roared in fury. I stood up with a faint smile. I knew the last island bearing my memories still existed only because the Celestial Hound used its power.
With a swish, the Wraithlord’s head flew off, and his body shattered like stone, piece by piece. Seven faint, transparent Wraithlords appeared in the air—his seven souls had been completely scattered.
Each of the Wraithlord’s souls slowly returned to the seven floating Ghostblood Jades, settling quietly to the ground. The Chimera Beasts angrily surrounded Mother Goddess Nuwa, whose expression stayed unchanged. I said nothing, letting Zephyr carry me to the last island, where I landed.
A shadow slowly emerged from the ground—the Celestial Hound appeared before me.
"You have nothing left to anchor your consciousness, Zhang Qingyuan. Your mind could vanish from this world at any moment."
I nodded.
"Please—just hold on a little longer."
The Wraithlord gave me no chance of survival. He knew perfectly well that Mother Goddess Nuwa’s tactics for delaying the Chimera Beasts’ rescue were only temporary. So he let those purple monsters devour every fragment that carried my memories without hesitation.
"We need to find a way to separate the Wraithlord’s seven Ghostblood Jades again. Only then might the Yin-Yang world know brief peace."
As I spoke, the Celestial Hound nodded.