"Thank you for your hard work, everyone."
A gentle, utterly emotionless voice drifted over. I stared wide-eyed—it was Xu Fu, with Tan Tian beside him, as well as Luna Quay, Lance Quinn, Luo Yichen, and Luo Yu following behind. Then, another figure, Shade, stepped out from within.
"Looks like it's about done, Xu Fu."
Shade grinned happily, mouth agape, and in an instant, Phantom Sage moved to stand before them.
"Tan Tian, it's been tens of thousands of years since we last met. Why have you come here..."
With a buzzing sound, I saw a layer of ashen-white aura. In an instant, it knocked Phantom Sage away, then the airflow expanded outward in a circle.
The wave also knocked back Sylvia Yan and Emperor God, but when it passed through my body, nothing happened.
"Corpse Elephant, Boundary Arrival..."
I collapsed to the ground, eyes wide, staring at Xu Fu. A wicked, twisted smile hung on his face.
"What exactly are you trying to do?"
With a bang, Emperor God slammed his fist against the gray barrier that kept us trapped inside, but it didn’t budge. I stared in shock as the space outside twisted, yet inside, I felt nothing—there wasn’t even a loud noise.
"You..."
I stood up, fists clenched, glaring angrily at Xu Fu. His body flickered, half-present—he was a ghost now. I had no idea what had happened. In one hand, he held the Crystal Cat, grinning at me.
"This time, it’s John Chou who lost."
Xu Fu raised the Crystal Cat. With a crack, it shattered, dissolving into wisps of pale blue aura that vanished in his hand.
In that instant, I realized Grandpa Cat hadn’t sealed Xu Fu—he’d helped him.
"When did you...?"
"When? From the very beginning."
Xu Fu stepped onto the coffin, glancing at Tan Tian.
"Old man, I’ll leave it to you to pull this out. Next, I’m going to start merging with this body—becoming human again. Brother Owen’s reincarnation technique is still quite effective, especially after some improvements."
I roared, drawing Belle and charging forward. Savage death energy surged from my body, gathering entirely into Belle.
Belle’s edge flashed, the blade already at Xu Fu’s neck. A calloused hand gripped Belle in an instant, hurling me aside with brutal force. With a thud, I crashed into the gray barrier. Tan Tian stared at me coldly.
"Tens of thousands of years ago, I visited you three in Hell. Now, after all these millennia, I’m surprised you still remember me."
"Bastards, you bunch of..."
Emperor God’s face twisted with rage.
"Let me tell you something, Emperor God. In this world, cooperating with losers is the stupidest thing you can do. Take back Hell? Ha! Hearing that from a loser is laughable. Only the victor is king—the defeated are dogs. If you’ve already lost, stop barking."
Emperor God kept pounding the gray barrier outside, roaring in fury. Phantom Sage and Sylvia Yan looked pale. Slowly, I got back on my feet.
"So that’s it? Years ago you mentioned a strange presence in the Living World, wanted to lure him here for us to use. But really, it was for yourself, wasn’t it?"
Sylvia Yan grabbed Emperor God. Phantom Sage sat quietly to the side, watching Xu Fu.
"Thank you, Ethan Zhang. Because you came, these guys were completely drawn in by your instincts. That gave us the chance we needed."
I said nothing. In an instant, my murderous intent boiled over, transforming into death energy that wrapped around my body.
"Don’t get worked up, Ethan Zhang. Do you really think you have a chance? The three outside can’t get in anymore. It’s as if they’re watching from another unreachable world."
Shade burst out laughing, striding toward me step by step.
"Zhang..."
With a few sharp swishes, black wind blades sliced him into several pieces in an instant.
"Enough, Tan Tian. Don’t create a medium for those guys to come over just yet. Wait until the time is right."
As Xu Fu spoke, he floated up, settling atop the Black Shroud Coffin. He sat on the black corpse, and with a series of dull thuds, a black, beating heart appeared in his hand.
I held my forehead, recalling everything Xu Fu had done. I didn’t know when it started, but he’d helped me a few times—and deep down, I’d developed a faint liking for him.
"That’s human nature, Ethan Zhang. Whoever gets help will always feel a bit of gratitude toward the helper. It’s perfectly normal. The thing is, this ghost corpse can’t be used because its powers conflict. It needs your instincts to function. But what if it was alive?"
My eyes widened as black aura began to surface, swirling around Xu Fu’s body.
"Humans are contradictions made flesh—Yin and Yang, the Five Elements. This time, I have to thank you three for preparing me a near-perfect body. Centuries ago, I lost to John Chou, but I did it on purpose. He knows he didn’t actually beat me—the body I had couldn’t contain my power. I needed a vessel strong enough to bear it. The research in this world caught my eye, and as a powerful ghost, my death naturally drew your attention. Sure enough, after I died, you three pieced me together and revived me in this world."
A chill rose from deep within me. Xu Fu slowly raised a hand, excitement and evil radiating from his face.
"Tan Tian, your Nether Syndicate’s alliance with us was the right move. Thank you."
Xu Fu reached out to Tan Tian, but with a slap, Tan Tian brushed his hand away.
"Whether it’s the Immortal Society or the Dark Banquet, once you’re no longer useful to us, you’re just like those guys outside—and like Ethan Zhang sitting on the ground."
"Tan Tian."
I roared, staring at him. I never imagined such an utterly cold, zombie-like existence—there wasn’t a shred of humanity in him.
Recalling Zhuang Bo’s memories, that Ashura from the Ashura Path who manifested in the Living World called these guys filth, disgusting things. Now I finally understood what Ashura meant—like attracts like, only someone like Xu Fu could work with these corpses. In their hearts, they trust no one but themselves.
"Ethan Zhang, come closer—if you want to beat these bastards."
Suddenly, a booming voice rang out behind me—it was Emperor God. Without thinking, I rushed to the edge.
"Let's finish this quickly. Don't drag it out."
As Xu Fu spoke, Luna Quay drifted over, his entire body radiating a silvery light.
"Boss, let me do it. There's a connection between me and this kid. I want to sever this cursed bond myself."
Lance Quinn spoke, and Luna Quay nodded in response.
"Ethan Zhang, unless you intend to kill us, you might not survive today."
I knew all too well—I had no chance of winning. Not even against Lance Quinn. Even if it was just a feeling, Lance Quinn was the strongest revenant outside the three clan leaders.
"Aim for the lower left. Strike with everything you've got."
In that instant, Emperor God's voice echoed in my mind. Without hesitation, Belle in my hand thrust toward the lower left.
With a metallic clang, I hit something impossibly hard—it was Lance Quinn. He'd been right in front of me a moment ago, but now he'd moved, raising an arm to block Belle.
I raised my foot, a surge of violent ghostly energy crashing into Lance Quinn's rock-solid body, sending him flying.
"Don't hesitate. Go for his brow—stab it!"
I became a stream of black energy, rushing to Lance Quinn. With a roar, I gripped Belle with both hands, thrusting at his brow. The sword tip pierced in, hitting something hard.
It was the Golden Soulstone. My eyes widened in shock as Lance Quinn flashed a wicked grin.
"Any ordinary revenant would be dead by now. Even if you know where my Golden Soulstone is, you still can't defeat me."
With a creak, Lance Quinn's body twisted at the abdomen, knotting up. My heart lurched—his body spun violently. In a flash, my own body was riddled with holes, tossed like a leaf in the wind, flipping through the air before crashing to the ground.
Blood spurted from my mouth.
"Ethan Zhang, check your Ghost Soul carefully. There's something inside."
Alarmed, I drew my Ghost Web back and began to search. Soon, I felt something hard I'd never noticed before—wrapped in black ghostly energy near my chest, a translucent, fingernail-sized object. I held it up and stared. It was a Golden Soulstone.
"What now, Clan Chief? It's exposed."
Lance Quinn shrugged helplessly and turned away. Tan Tian looked at him with a grave expression.
"No matter. Come back to me, my fang."
I stared in astonishment as the small object in my hand gradually shifted into a black fang, then transformed into a streak of black light, instantly flying back into Tan Tian's hand.
"I've gathered enough. Ethan Zhang, you're useless now. Kill him, Quinn. Otherwise, he'll be a problem later. And stop grinning like an idiot."
"Fine, I understand, Chief. I'll go all out."