"What's wrong with you all?" I squatted in front of my shadow. They all looked listless, as if they had no energy at all. I watched them remain motionless, reached out, and shook them, but both the Resentful Ghost and the Tong Ghost had empty, lifeless eyes. I could only get up and run toward the Vermilion Bird.
"What exactly is going on?" I asked.
The Vermilion Bird stared at me blankly for a moment, then simply lay down, unmoving. I circled around to face him and looked at him closely.
"Anyway, it feels awful. This is all your fault, Ethan Zhang."
Suddenly, the Vermilion Bird sat up and glared at me.
I let out a startled cry, looking at the Vermilion Bird, not knowing what had happened.
"It's that guy."
I turned my head. In the darkness, I seemed to see a pair of diamond-shaped golden eyes. I looked closer and suddenly saw the Spirit Snake. It was only a few meters long and as thick as a bowl, but right now, the Spirit Snake looked very lively, constantly flicking its tongue, its eyes brimming with excitement.
"Didn't we agree on this?" I said immediately. The Spirit Snake opened its mouth, then coiled its body upward. Gradually, its skin shed, revealing a mass of sticky, white substance. Then, with a crack, the Spirit Snake split open, and out came another me. Although it looked like me, its body was much longer, and its face was pointed like an awl, making it extremely unsettling to look at.
"We did agree, Ethan Zhang. Heh, but this time, Mason Yu is doomed. I'm just here ahead of time, waiting on your side for his death. The moment he dies, I'll bring all the power over."
"You..."
I pointed at the Spirit Snake. He opened his mouth wide, flicked his tongue, and burst out laughing.
"We agreed—you can't..."
"We did agree. I'm going to do my best to help Mason Yu, and not just in an ordinary way. But as a spirit beast, I can sense it—Mason Yu's death is near. Heh, don't worry, Ethan Zhang. Since I made an agreement with you, I won't break it lightly. After all, I'm not human, not as cunning and treacherous as you people."
I listened to the Spirit Snake, unwilling to trust him. After all, he was a snake—surely sly and venomous. But just then, the Spirit Snake seemed to read my thoughts, walked over step by step, and placed his soft hand on my shoulder.
"What good would it do me to lie to you, Ethan Zhang? Heh. Anyway, aren't you looking for something? Trying to find where those Blue Wraiths came from outside? I can help you locate them."
I let out a cry, looking at the Spirit Snake, hesitating, but then reconsidered.
"Our agreement isn't fulfilled yet, so I'll look myself. I don't need you."
As soon as I finished speaking, the Spirit Snake sat down on the ground and pointed behind me.
"Do you know why those three are so listless?"
I shook my head, and the Spirit Snake began to speak.
"The three of them are like this because your will is wavering. A part of the darkness within you has already been released. You're caught between light and darkness, so take a good look at this instinctual space of yours."
I lifted my head and looked around. At this moment, I realized that the once harmonious place where black and white intertwined now felt off, as if both sides were fighting for territory. The black-and-white area kept shifting its colors.
"Also, the power isn't balanced, you know? Ethan Zhang, the Vermilion Bird represents the light within your body, while those others are ghosts—the darkness. One against three is tough. Although at first the Vermilion Bird's power was dominant, now that darkness has emerged within you, its strength is fading. That's why I'm indispensable. I can help you stabilize your power. What do you say?"
As the Spirit Snake spoke, I looked over at the Vermilion Bird. At that moment, the Vermilion Bird raised a black wing and actually made an OK gesture. I stared at him in disbelief.
"Forget it, Ethan Zhang. For now, just manifest the Fourth Ghost Soul. I can't hold on any longer. Soon, I'll be completely tainted by darkness. My body feels terrible."
"What about Mason Yu?" I asked immediately. The Spirit Snake flicked its tongue, brushing my cheek, and I couldn't help but get goosebumps.
"What are you doing? Can you not be so disgusting?" I covered my cheek, which was wet, and quickly wiped it with my sleeve.
"Don't worry about that kid, Ethan Zhang. Like I said, my power inside your body isn't complete—just a small part. Most of my power is still in Mason Yu's body. As long as he doesn't die, I won't make you the successor. After all, he and I have a blood contract that can't be broken. If it's violated, we'll both die."
I kept watching the Vermilion Bird, and he nodded.
"Hurry up, Ethan Zhang. I really don't feel well—it's a last-ditch effort."
I looked at the Spirit Snake. He seemed overjoyed, flicking his tongue, looking very excited.
"You know how to do it, Ethan Zhang, hurry up. Mason Yu doesn't like me, since someone forcibly injected me into his body. Of all the Zodiac Twelve successors, he's the weakest."
I let out a cry, staring blankly at the Spirit Snake. The truth I heard was shocking—why choose the weakest?
"I don't know the specifics. That's why in the Nether Pit, he's always looked down on by his peers. He can't even wield one percent of my power. Normally, a Zodiac Twelve successor can handle an ordinary Blue Wraith alone, like that Damian Chen you met. Heh, how much do you think he went easy on you?"
This chapter isn't over ^.^, please click next page to continue reading!
My heart skipped a beat as I looked at the Spirit Snake.
"That kid went easy on you by at least a third. So, Ethan Zhang, every time you made it through, it was just luck. Enough with the nonsense—hurry up, I can't wait any longer."
I looked at the Spirit Snake with resentment. Helpless, I released strands of black ghost threads to connect with him. My power was unstable, and my body was in poor condition. Unable to find the source of these fake Blue Wraiths, I could only rely on this guy. I was very worried about Mason Yu.
"That's the feeling—haha, that's how it should be, Ethan Zhang. You're mediocre, practically crap, but that's exactly why you have such strong instincts. Those smart people, though impressive, are too rational to ever reach your level. Ethan Zhang, hahahahaha..."
Suddenly, I felt a strange new power, gentle as it entered my body. At the same time, the Spirit Snake's appearance started to change, gradually becoming identical to me—except for those diamond-shaped golden eyes and the flickering tongue. Its face had returned to normal.
I stared in astonishment as snake scales grew on my skin. A chill ran down my spine, and my scalp tingled.
"What are you scared of?"
The Spirit Snake cursed, and then gradually, both of us began to rise slowly. We drew closer, merging little by little. Suddenly, I landed hard on the ground, while the Spirit Snake laughed excitedly.
"Had enough fun? If so, hurry over here and help me devour this darkness, damn it."
The Vermilion Bird cursed loudly.
"Brother, sorry, sorry."
Then the Spirit Snake landed on the ground. At that moment, I saw the Resentful Ghost, the Tong Ghost, and my shadow all stand up. The Spirit Snake clasped its fists together.
"Brothers, I'm new here, so please take care of me. Heh, let's all get along from now on."
I looked at the Spirit Snake's smile—sly yet polite. Then the Spirit Snake ran to the Vermilion Bird's side, extended its right hand, and instantly, that hand turned into a small black snake. Gradually, the little black snake split into more and more smaller snakes, a whole swarm coiling tightly around the Vermilion Bird's wing and then began to bite.
Gradually, I saw the blackened parts on the Vermilion Bird's right side disappear bit by bit as the tiny snakes gnawed away. In the end, red flames burst forth, and this instinctual space quickly returned to normal.
"Oh yeah, what a relief."
At that moment, the Resentful Ghost stood up, as if letting out a sigh of relief, and began to jump around excitedly.
I looked at the Spirit Snake. For a moment, I felt as if there was still a part of my body that was empty, with nothing inside. My power began to flow into that vast, vacant space.
I began to lose consciousness, little by little, within this instinctual space.
"Fourth Ghost Soul, release..."
The moment I regained consciousness, I was half-crouched on the ground, roaring in anger. Instantly, waves of baleful energy surged from within me, dripping onto the ground like mud. My body felt endlessly empty, as if there was a giant hollow that needed to be filled with power.
"Snake swarm..."
I growled deeply, and in an instant, those clumps of baleful energy mud began to spawn countless little black snakes, which crawled in all directions. In a flash, the ground around me was covered in black snakes.