"How did you move over here?"
Damien stared at me in shock, completely stunned.
"Since you can use Yin energy as a foundation for spatial movement techniques, I can naturally rely on Deathbane Aura to move myself over."
Damien fixed his gaze on my feet. All around us, I had already used the Specter Web to generate a massive amount of Deathbane Aura.
"Hmph, I told you, Ethan Zhang. The 879 souls here are the crystallization of thousands of years of our efforts. There's no way I'll let them go. Those two over there are already starting to stabilize."
With a swift motion, Belle in my hand sliced toward Damien's neck. He vanished from right in front of me, and Deathbane Aura began to surge from my body.
In an instant, I sensed a faint fluctuation of Yin energy above me. Roaring, I unleashed a torrent of Deathbane Aura through the Specter Web and moved in, Belle slashing out with a sharp sound.
Damien twisted in surprise—a ripping sound as his clothes were torn open. Suddenly, a black snake emerged from my chest. Damien hadn’t expected it; the snake bit into his neck.
"Don't get cocky, Ethan Zhang."
Damien roared, and his body began to transform—becoming a dragon-headed humanoid. With a loud snap, the Deathbane Aura snake I created instantly collapsed.
The dragon's tail whipped toward me with full force. Raising Belle, I blocked the blow with a clang, then was flung rapidly backward.
Damien appeared on my left, his dragon claws raised, trying to tear me apart. I gave him no chance—instantly, threads of Deathbane Aura sprayed from within me. He vanished again, and with a boom, as I landed, I turned to mist and surged upward.
I'm getting more familiar with their movement techniques. As long as I have the Specter Web, I can see through their actions.
Suddenly, Damien's speed became ruthless and sharp. He attacked relentlessly, but I dodged by relying on my eyes. The quality of the air around us changed again. With a whoosh, I moved to a distant spot, and with a rumble, the place I'd just been began to twist.
With a bang, a powerful shockwave appeared in front of me. They can use the Yin energy here to fight, manipulating its density for combat.
Now I understand what's going on. It looks simple, but in reality, it requires extremely rigorous control and training. That's what suddenly struck me.
As soon as I saw Damien raise his hands, I began to dodge. Small explosions erupted around me, their force strong enough to leave marks on the huge trees. I twisted and turned in midair, sensing the changes in Yin energy around me—only by dodging like this could I look for another chance to attack.
The distance between me and Damien grew greater. He's no fool; his strategy now is to drive me away. He's already figured out the range of my Specter Web.
Explosions grew more frequent around me. He's strong—he figured out the limits of my power in just an instant.
Raising Hell's Sentinel, I slashed twice, sending out waves of Deathbane Aura. As expected, it was useless—the Aura was blocked by Yin energy after just ten meters, quickly dissipating in the air. Everything here works against me.
Once again, I tried to break through, but Damien immediately saw through my intentions. He swung his arms fiercely, and the density of Yin energy on the path I wanted to charge down changed drastically. For Damien, this environment is a natural shield; for me, it's an impenetrable barrier.
Bang! Unable to dodge in time, a chunk of my shoulder was blown away. I ducked behind a tree, and Damien vanished from sight.
"Stop playing around, Ethan Zhang. It's pointless—just like before. Come over quickly, I'll take you out of here. As for the things in this forest, forget about them. There's no way I'll let you take them."
"It's still too early to say who's won."
I shouted loudly.
"Not so sure about that."
My eyes widened—Damien was suddenly right in front of me, pressing both hands against my forehead.
My body creaked instantly as an overwhelming surge of Yin energy pressed down on me. My form began to twist and deform, and my hand holding Hell's Sentinel dropped helplessly.
"You lost, Ethan Zhang."
With a thunderous boom, everything before my eyes began to shake violently. My mind buzzed, going completely blank.
I looked down at the ground. Lily Wu was still crying, her eyes filled with worry as she gazed at me.
My consciousness was collapsing. After such a heavy blow, my Ghost Soul had been attacked and wounded. I was close to losing consciousness.
"Ha ha, how are you feeling, Ethan Zhang? Stop suppressing yourself, right? Beating others is much better than holding back your own power. Where did all that ambition go?"
Suddenly, a voice appeared in my mind. My eyes widened.
"Even without you, I’ll do it. Get out of my head. You’re just my power—how I use it is up to me… Ethan Zhang decides."
In an instant, I snapped awake. Deathbane Aura erupted violently from every corner of my body. My hand, which had fallen, now swung Hell's Sentinel at Damien, pushing back the crushing Yin energy.
Damien dodged. I roared, transforming into a stream of black energy and surging backward. My right hand aimed the Ghost Eagle at the empty space ahead and pulled the trigger.
(This chapter is not finished yet~.~ Please click next page to continue reading the exciting content!)
Bang! A spray of red blood burst out, accompanied by a whimper. Gasping for breath, I stared at Damien—there was a hole in his forehead from the Ghost Eagle.
"No... way..."
Damien’s body slowly began to change, reverting to its original form. He collapsed to the ground, barely alive, blood streaming from the corner of his mouth. He still seemed conscious, and I landed right in front of him.
"I won."
Since Deathbane Aura can block Yin energy, my bullets can pierce through anything. Long range doesn’t work, but at close range, it’s possible.
Suddenly, a mass of mud appeared on the ground—it was Luo Yichen. As soon as he emerged, the mud engulfed the dying Damien.
"But it’s a grave sin, Ethan Zhang, to kill the creator’s messenger in this world."
I said nothing. Luo Yichen glanced at his feet.
"That guy’s finished. Even though the people here are strong, a fatal wound is still a fatal wound."
Suddenly, I widened my eyes and leapt back, landing beside Lily Wu and Nathan Li. Two streams of Deathbane Aura wrapped around them both.
"I’ve already told you, Ethan Zhang, and given you several chances. Now, I’m starting to get a little angry."
It was the Emperor God. His robe billowed, his face twisted with rage. I stared at him quietly—there’s almost zero chance of beating him head-on, but I had to try.
"Qingyuan..."
Lily Wu immediately called out. I smiled and nodded at her.
"Don’t worry, it’s alright."
"Turn to dust here."
My eyes widened—there was no time. A hand was already reaching for my chest, but at that moment, a slender, delicate hand grasped the Emperor God’s wrist.
"Wait a moment. Don’t be impulsive."
"Xiaoyan, what are you trying to do? Are you planning to betray us?"
Suddenly, Xiaoyan appeared by my side.
"I’ll take these two away."
It was Jiang Tianci’s voice. As I turned, Lily Wu and Nathan Li vanished.
"Xiaoyan..."
I heard the Emperor God’s furious roar, but then a breeze swept by. To my surprise, I was back atop the circular building where we’d been before. Lily Wu and Nathan Li were safe—they were there too.
"Why did you save me? I won’t join you..."
"I don’t know why. My heart just told me to."
As Xiaoyan spoke, she looked at me. Her eyes were cold, even helpless—perhaps she herself couldn’t explain why she’d saved me.
"Thank you..."
I lowered my head and murmured, then glanced over—tears were streaming down Lily Wu’s face.
"We’ll make it back. I promise."
"Xiaoyan, by doing this, you’re completely turning against the Emperor God."
Jiang Tianci said, and I looked at him.
"Do you know Luo Yichen?"
I asked, and Jiang Tianci shook his head, looking at me with uncertainty.
"It’s true—some strange people helped me escape before, but I don’t really know what they want."
"Ethan Zhang, it’s impossible to take anything from here with you. There’s only one place—where this world connects to the living realm. It’s at the center of three regions, a pillar that rises straight into the clouds. It’s stood there since the beginning, but they’ve tampered with it so it’s usually invisible."
"So the only possibility is hidden in that pillar?"
Xiaoyan nodded. To be sure, I asked again.
"Why did you want to save me?"
"I don’t know. In that moment, I felt you were about to die, and inside, I heard three voices telling me not to let you fall here."