With a thunderous crash, flames shot skyward. In an instant, Lan Yin pierced my chest. I stared quietly at Lan Yin, his face twisted with anger and his entire body radiating a fierce killing intent.
I looked at the black Phoenix Blade that had already pierced my chest, but this time, no flames erupted. Lan Yin hesitated for a moment. I raised a hand and pressed it against Lan Yin's chest.
"Thank you, Lan Yin."
Then I shouted, and a burst of fire ignited. In an instant, Lan Yin was blasted away by the explosion, sent flying into the distance. My body immediately ignited, and I became a blazing inferno. Without hesitation, I charged straight into the wall of fire.
I was no match for Lan Yin at all. Here, the fire I just summoned was only meant to create a chance to escape.
I was almost at the wall of fire. Inside my body, the Tong Ghost and Resentful Ghost were in worsening condition. I had to get out of here.
But suddenly, Lan Yin appeared from within the wall of fire, still gripping the Phoenix Blade.
The black Phoenix Blade slashed toward me. With a boom, I was forced out of the burning flames and landed hard on the ground, as if all my strength had been drained in an instant.
"Since you have the skill to create something like this, I have the power to take it away."
My heart skipped a beat. But in that moment, I smiled. The ghostly threads drifting around me turned fiery red, binding themselves to the wall of fire.
With the cry of the Vermilion Bird ringing out, a Vermilion Bird appeared on the wall of fire. Without thinking, in an instant, Lan Yin was already attacking me.
"I'm getting out of here."
As soon as I finished speaking, I swapped places with the flaming Vermilion Bird on the wall. Lan Yin struck at empty air, while I slipped into the wall of fire. With a thunderous crash, I broke through the barrier—surrounded by a sea of flames. The wall seemed to have real thickness. Shocked, I could only keep moving through the fire, rushing toward the outside.
Behind me, I could sense Lan Yin already chasing after me. I dashed desperately toward the edge.
But Lan Yin caught up. Just as I felt his attack closing in, a glint of gold flashed through the flames—it was Jason Su's golden veil. The veil wrapped around me and, in an instant, pulled me out of the sea of fire. Lan Yin's black Phoenix Blade immediately followed, stabbing toward me.
Only now did I see the area burning with flames was enormous—almost the entire place was engulfed.
It really was Jason Su who saved me. Lan Yin's black Phoenix Blade thrust straight toward me, but Jason Su, standing on the platform, raised his hand. Dragged by the golden veil, I crashed down to the ground.
With a thud, I landed hard on the ground. It hurt, but thanks to Jason Su, I managed to dodge the blow.
Lan Yin hovered slowly in the air, and the burning Vermilion Bird Sacred Realm finally faded away.
Breathless, I sat on the ground. Just then, my eyes widened—I saw Rachel Lan, trapped inside the Trial Marriage Stone, as if frozen in ice. The outer color of the Trial Marriage Stone faded, revealing the scene inside.
"Rachel..."
I shouted in shock, my heart leaping into my throat. Inside the Trial Marriage Stone, Rachel Lan looked as if she were sleeping—her body already missing parts, and still fading away.
"Old Tom, what should I do?" I yelled.
"Ethan, don't panic. I'm still suppressing this guy. Take care of yourself."
Lan Yin dropped from the air again. This time, a howling wind greeted me, and a black Tiger Roar appeared in Lan Yin's hand. He swung it at me several times.
I jumped up and tried to dodge, but I was a step too slow. With a slicing sound, my entire right hand was cut off. I screamed in agony, clutching my bleeding stump. Afterward, the three ghost souls within me seemed to fall silent, and my strength was spent.
At this moment, Lan Yin seemed to have lost all consciousness. His face was twisted with killing intent, holding the Tiger Roar, he descended from above and stabbed straight at me. I couldn't move at all—my mind was a blank.
What now? What now? My spirit had sunk to rock bottom. In an instant, the Tiger Roar in Lan Yin's hand was already at my face. But just then, a hand grabbed the blade, stopping its tip just millimeters from my nose.
Suddenly, a wild surge of energy burst out, leaving deep gashes all over the ground.
"Why are you here?"
"What's the point of bullying Ethan Zhang?"
It was Ironmask. At the critical moment, he saved me, gripping Lan Yin's Tiger Roar tightly. His crimson eyes burned with fury.
"As you wished, I'm here. Are you afraid of me, Hades' Will?"
Suddenly, Ironmask roared, and I saw Lan Yin's Tiger Roar shatter bit by bit. With a loud crack, it broke completely in Ironmask's hand.
"This is how you use Deathbane Aura, Ethan Zhang. Watch closely."
As Ironmask roared, he raised his hand. A stream of black Deathbane Aura whipped toward Lan Yin, striking him and sending him flying into the air. Ironmask crouched low, black aura pouring from his back, condensing into bat-like wings.
With a thunderous stomp, Ironmask raised both hands, swinging the Deathbane Aura like a whip and attacking Lan Yin.
(Irrelevant passage about continuing to read—skip translation.)
In an instant, I saw Lan Yin's body covered in wounds, blood pouring everywhere.
Lan Yin immediately raised both hands, and a black shell appeared on his skin like a turtle's shell. Ironmask flicked his hand, dispersing the Deathbane Aura, then charged at Lan Yin with his fists raised.
"Before my instinct, everything is futile."
In an instant, I saw the black shell forming around Lan Yin's body freeze. Lan Yin's shocked expression was locked in place—as if time itself had stopped.
Ironmask approached Lan Yin, raising a hand. A thin strand of Deathbane Aura appeared in his palm. With a swift motion, Lan Yin's hand, along with the black shell, was severed. Ironmask kicked Lan Yin in the chest, sending him crashing to the ground.
"What do you want?"
Jason Su shouted. At that moment, I saw eight Soul Collectors appear around Ironmask, who was preparing a second wave of attacks on Lan Yin.
"Everything will end in oblivion. No one can stop it. Let's begin with you, Hades Circle."
Ironmask spoke. Suddenly, a round of applause broke the unbearable tension.
"Fine, let everything end in oblivion. Heh... If you don't hurry, Rachel Lan will disappear."
It was John Chou. He spoke with a sly smile. I immediately looked over. My strength was slowly returning. The hand Lan Yin severed reformed from strands of Deathbane Aura, reconnecting. I shouted—half of Rachel Lan's body was already gone.
"What are you, really? Show yourself!"
Roaring, I charged at the Trial Marriage Stone, fists raised, and struck it with all my might. With a bang, it didn't budge. I kept pounding at it until my hands were bloody and mangled.
A thunderous crash sounded behind me. I turned—Lan Yin had punched Ironmask in the chest, sending him flying toward me, crashing to the ground. Lan Yin, like a madman, rushed at Ironmask at full speed.
"Eliminate you..."
Suddenly, I saw the Four Sacred Beasts appear faintly around Lan Yin—each one black, roaring with fury. A world-shattering force surged toward Ironmask.
"I told you, it's useless before the End."
Suddenly, everything around us turned black. Ironmask drew a sword—plain and black, but strange, with swirling black vortexes flowing along the blade and a round hilt.
"Return to the End, Hades' Will."
Ironmask swung his sword lightly at Lan Yin. Instantly, I heard a bang, then a cracking sound—Lan Yin cried out in pain.
Then I saw streams of yellow energy flow from Lan Yin's body, slowly gathering into a twisted human shape, whimpering in agony, and gradually fading away.
Lan Yin returned to normal, landing on the ground in surprise—one normal eye, one black.
Ironmask then raised his hand, and the sword dissolved into mist and vanished. He turned to me and reached out a hand.
"Thank you."
I took his hand and stood up. He pointed at the Trial Marriage Stone behind me.
"I told you, Ethan Zhang, if you want to save Rachel Lan, you must break that thing. Hades' Will wants to use you and Rachel Lan to lure me here."
"What is going on? Why is it you and me..."
I was about to ask when Ironmask shook his head.
"One day you'll know, Ethan Zhang. And for the record, there's nothing between me and Rachel Lan—don't get any wrong ideas."