My mouth hung open as I raised my hand. In the distance, the black tornado was already close—soon, it would reach us.
"I will save you, Ethan."
Rachel Lan's voice sounded strained, as if she was on the verge of collapse. Her words were low and heavy, while Lao Chongyuan began to laugh.
"This plan may not be perfect, but at least it is done. This is our victory. Instinct has been successfully seized. Heh, and I too will die. Everything built upon countless sacrifices—desire, power, money—it is worth it. Soon, our great plan, called Immortality, will be realized."
Lao Chongyuan roared, raising his fist. The flesh that had been burned away began to regrow.
Rachel Lan shouted, lifting the Phoenix Blade, and charged at Lao Chongyuan.
With a thunderous crash, the two collided again. Rachel Lan was thrown to the ground, while Lao Chongyuan was engulfed in flames, large portions of his body burning away as he struggled within the fire.
Gradually, Lao Chongyuan began to fall toward the ground, bit by bit. With a thud, he hit the earth and lay motionless. Purple flames ignited, consuming his body as it slowly disintegrated. Even his heart slowed, then stopped beating altogether.
My body had turned completely black, growing harder and harder. The sound of cracking echoed as my rigid form began to split and collapse.
Rachel Lan also landed, collapsing on the ground. She looked at me, reaching out, crawling toward me inch by inch.
"Enough, Rachel. You need to find a way out—go to the passage, hurry."
I looked up. The passage out was closed, but a small hole remained at the top, letting in a faint glimmer of light. Rachel Lan smiled gently and shook her head.
Gradually, I lost the strength to speak. The lower half of my body had completely crumbled and vanished.
"It's alright, Ethan. Everything will be fine..."
Rachel Lan's body was now entirely purple, crystalline fragments falling away from her. She reached my side, extending a hand.
"Ethan, my wish..."
Rachel Lan spoke, closing her left eye and showing a warm smile.
"My wish is for you to survive, Ethan..."
I whimpered, looking at Rachel Lan as she slowly raised her left hand.
"Help me, I pray with all my heart—Power of the Four Sacred Beasts, help me..."
Gradually, a mass of purple flames emerged from Rachel Lan's body, slowly transforming into a purple Vermilion Bird.
"Do you truly wish to save him?"
The purple Vermilion Bird spoke in a woman's voice.
Rachel Lan kept her eyes closed and nodded. The left side of her face and eye had vanished, leaving deep cracks and a large missing chunk.
After a moment of silence, the purple Vermilion Bird nodded.
"Rachel Lan, follow your faith. All will be as you wish. The power of the Four Sacred Beasts is yours. Remember, Ethan Zhang—this woman used her life to protect you. Never forget this obsession, this longing for you, poured deep into her soul, a thing called love..."
Suddenly, a burst of golden light flared. Weakly, I gazed at Rachel Lan. For an instant, I saw golden Four Sacred Beasts surrounding me. Gradually, I felt a wave of warmth.
A warm current surged inside my body, my mind growing clearer. Meanwhile, Rachel Lan's figure became more and more indistinct.
"Rachel..."
I shouted, then suddenly sensed something behind me. I snapped my head up—it was Lao Chongyuan, fist raised, a black vortex rushing toward us.
"After all the effort to obtain Instinct, I can't let you take it back. Ethan Zhang, die!"
"I'll protect you..." Suddenly, Rachel Lan roared, leaping to her feet. Instantly, she shielded me. I looked up at her determined profile as she hurled herself at Lao Chongyuan without hesitation.
"Rachel..."
I shouted, a streak of purple light sweeping over my head. Shimmering purple particles drifted before my eyes as Rachel Lan's form fully transformed into a purple phoenix. In an instant, radiant light burst forth behind me. I propped myself up and screamed.
"Ethan, I...love you..."
Rachel Lan turned her head, smiling gently at me as she spoke each word with care.
In that instant, my eyes widened. Everything inside me seemed to die in a single moment. I let out a scream.
With a thunderous crash, the purple light devoured everything. All around, everything was swallowed by the purple glow.
Gradually, all returned to silence. I sobbed, crawling toward that spot. The grief inside me burst its banks, and tears flowed uncontrollably.
"Rachel, Rachel, Rachel..."
I sobbed and screamed, crawling toward that spot. There, I saw Lao Chongyuan lying still on the ground, half his body already gone, dissolving in the purple flames.
Supporting myself with trembling hands, I slowly pushed myself up.
"I will never forgive you, Immortality Society. I will never forgive you—ah..."
I threw my head back and roared, tears streaming down my cheeks. I stood and charged at Lao Chongyuan.
Suddenly, with a wet sound, I spat out a mouthful of blood.
Then, with a thud, I fell to my knees, clutching my chest. Blood poured from my mouth, nose, eyes, and ears as I coughed it up again and again, staring at Lao Chongyuan.
"Heh, it's useless, Ethan Zhang. You don't need to do anything—I'll disappear soon. Heh, we've won. The Celestial Phenomena Array won't make any mistakes."
With a crash, I collapsed to the ground. The sky had gone completely dark. Lying there, I felt streams of golden energy leaving my body. My body grew cold again—the warmth was gone.
Blood began to seep from the surface of my skin. My breath grew weaker, slower, and my heartbeat was no longer audible.
"It's over, Ethan Zhang. This long journey has been hard, hasn't it? Heh."
Lao Chongyuan spoke, closing his eyes. His body was now just a head and half a chest, the flames still burning.
"Do you want to live, Ethan Zhang...?"
Suddenly, as my consciousness faded, a clear voice echoed in my mind.
"Live..." I jerked my head up and opened my eyes. Before me was a vast darkness, with only a pair of golden eyes staring at me—it was my Instinct.
"You, as a human with flesh, are inevitably dying, Ethan Zhang. Answer me: life or death...?"
For a moment, I smiled. Slowly, I began to rise, and gradually I saw my own body—tears still wet on my cheeks, a smile at the corner of my mouth.
"I promised Rachel I'd survive. I will live... I must live..."
I roared. Suddenly, a golden light burst before me—the golden heart, my Instinct, which had been stripped from my body, now returned to me.
In an instant, black Deathbane Aura surged out. The tornado behind me vanished, and raindrops fell like sweet dew. I floated upward, the black-and-white lines connecting my body to the one on the ground gradually snapping, one by one.
"E...than...Zhang..."
Lao Chongyuan opened his eyes and looked at me.
Slowly, I opened my eyes and reached out, gripping the golden heart tightly.
A sizzling sound rang out—some force resisted, refusing to let me touch the golden heart.
I smiled, but my face was full of sorrow.
"No... impossible... this can't be... could it be..."
Lao Chongyuan's expression turned to shock. He seemed to realize something. Then, with his half-remaining hand, he slowly propped himself up and stood.
A rush of heat—I felt something flowing from my left eye. Through the Specter Web, I saw clearly: at the connection on my left side, a streak of blood-red tears flowed out.
The tears branched across my left cheek, gradually solidifying, like tangled branches, etched onto my skin. Under my eye, a thick red line of tears remained.
"Could it be... could it be that person deceived us..."
After speaking, Lao Chongyuan rose, still struggling against the flames. I stared at him coldly, laughing—a wild, defiant laugh. Suddenly, with a whoosh, the Yin Ghost appeared beside me, black Specter Webs connecting to my body.
"Crush him, Ethan—tear the enemy to pieces, obliterate him! Hahahaha..."
The Yin Ghost beside me let out a shrill, chilling laugh.
"Brother..."
Suddenly, John Chou's voice echoed in my heart.
"Evil Ghost, stop crying..."
I laughed, the sound growing louder and louder.
"That's right, brother. It's because you didn't want to cry anymore that you became an Evil Ghost..."
Gradually, I landed on the ground as John Chou's voice echoed again.
"When humans dry their tears, they become Evil Ghosts and remain so until death. So laugh—laugh wildly and defiantly! Crush everything that stands in your way, brother—what does your heart look like...?"
With a thunderous crash, the Yin Ghost rushed into my body. I laughed wildly, the sound echoing in waves.
A pillar of black light shot skyward. The moon seemed to be swallowed, turning black.
"Fifth Ghost Soul... Unleashed..."
Shrill, piercing roars erupted. Black Deathbane Aura swirled around me, filling the air. Black raindrops fell, the aura dancing wildly with joy.
"Heh, Ethan Zhang—or rather, Evil Ghost Ethan Zhang. Another formidable being is born in this world. Heh... Too bad... I... can't see it..."
With Lao Chongyuan's final words, his body vanished into the purple flames. I stepped forward, reaching out a hand.
A crystal-clear, gem-like purple stone fell from the air, carrying Rachel Lan's aura. I gripped it tightly, threw my head back, and laughed—the corners of my mouth splitting wide to my ears, my laughter wild and defiant.