"Feeling a bit more clear-headed now, Ethan Zhang?"
I sat on the cold ground, my body numb and spirit hollow. The oppressive silence pressed in from all sides, suffocating me. I stared, dazed and uneasy, at the Earthly Soul crouching before me, his presence unsettling in the heavy air.
"Sorry, I thought..."
"I don't know exactly what you've done, but the world as we knew it has been twisted beyond recognition—and it's only going to get worse. Let's go to Exile Town. That place may have changed, but we might uncover some remnants; after all, it was once a refuge for both humans and ghosts. Quentin Kue set powerful formations there, so it shouldn't have been so easily corrupted. Still, nothing is certain now."
I responded with a hum and stood up. The Heavenly Soul was already floating in the air. After not seeing him for a few days, I noticed a faint sense of oppression emanating from him, something truly uncanny.
"Let's go."
Earthly Soul spoke and began to float up, but his aura was so faint it was almost undetectable—a strange thing. In this world of the living, for a powerful ghost to hide its aura is nearly impossible unless it's in the ghost realm. Now my body was unconsciously releasing ghostly energy to resist the blazing sun and the forces of the living world, though the amount was minimal.
I drifted upward after the two figures, the sensation both unnatural and chilling. The memory of Exile Town—its cursed northern shadow beyond Haven City—seemed etched into their minds, as if the place itself summoned us through the gloom.
Our progress was slow, the heavy air dragging at us, as if the world itself resisted our passage.
"Let's hurry over!"
Just as I was about to speed up, Earthly Soul stopped me.
"Don't rush. It's only midday. We can take our time. If we arrive at the moment of day and night exchanging, it might be just right."
I hummed in agreement. That was true—the exchange of day and night is when yin and yang shift. Maybe we could see something different then.
"By the way, Ethan Zhang, did anyone from the Underworld Court ever show you anything?"
I looked at Earthly Soul in confusion and shook my head.
"That's good. Seems they don't really trust you."
I stared at Earthly Soul in surprise.
"What do you mean?"
"I'll say no more, Ethan Zhang. Before the war begins, do everything you can to strengthen yourself. Your Specter Domain still doesn't have a name."
I looked at Earthly Soul. Indeed, most Specter Domains I'd encountered had names, but I still didn't know what mine was. Once a Specter Domain reaches a certain level, it can develop its own awareness. I witnessed this in the Animal Realm—Oscar Knox's Specter Domain.
"Now, you and I are completely different beings. I'm neither a ghost nor a human, and neither is he."
Earthly Soul said this while pointing at Heavenly Soul, who was flying ahead. I nodded. We were drifting slowly, still within Haven City. Looking down at everything below, I felt uneasy. There were quite a few ghosts and spirits—I sensed them as soon as we arrived. Suddenly, I dove rapidly toward the ground.
With a whoosh, I grabbed the shoulder of a shadowy figure. He was standing behind a pedestrian about to cross the street, the traffic light flashing. The pedestrian was completely unaware, while the shadow was reaching out, ready to push him into the street just as the cars sped by. It was a large intersection and the vehicles were moving fast.
"What do you think you're doing?"
The shadow turned its head, staring in terror at the faint green ghostly energy flickering around me.
"Brother, I just want to find a substitute, that's all. I don't mean any harm, heh."
The shadow wanted to pass its suffering onto the pedestrian. I yanked him back just as the cars started moving.
"Get lost."
I said roughly, tossing the shadow back into the alley behind me. He passed through the wall, whimpering as he ran off. To find a substitute, you need certain conditions. The man at the crosswalk had a layer of black aura above his head—his luck had been bad lately, haunted by misfortune. But the aura was so thin it wouldn't kill him; after a while, he'd be fine.
Suddenly, I sensed a ghostly presence in the building across the street. I flew straight in, and the moment I entered, I pinpointed the ghost—in the men's restroom.
The lighting in the building was poor, and the bathroom lights were flickering. Before me was a man, possessed by a ghost. He was standing at the sink, eating something. As I got closer, I saw it was raw meat.
"Come out."
I spat out the words harshly. Suddenly, the man collapsed to the floor with a thud. A long-haired female ghost emerged, shrouded in heavy black aura, almost a vengeful ghost. She howled at me, then quickly retreated and fled.
I looked at the man lying on the ground—he'd wake up after a while. Waves of ghostly energy kept prickling my skin. There were several ghosts nearby whose aura could actually harm people.
Sensing the nearest ghostly aura, I turned and swiftly passed through wall after wall, arriving instantly at the source. It was a Yellow Ghost, but its aura was turning black. I could still sense some yang energy inside—it must have absorbed it recently and hadn't digested it yet.
"What are you looking at?"
I asked coldly. The Yellow Ghost, already halfway into the wall, turned its head and laughed slyly.
"There are plenty of beautiful women here. Want to take a look together?"
I grabbed its head and dragged the Yellow Ghost out of the women's changing room. It stared at me in terror. I opened my mouth and suddenly bit into its neck.
"Spare me, don't eat me, boss, please..."
After biting once, I tossed the Yellow Ghost behind me.
"Get lost."
His ghostly energy would now drain rapidly, leaving him unable to operate in the world of the living during the daytime for quite a while.
I was baffled by why there were suddenly so many ghosts, and in broad daylight, too. The ghostly energy nearby was unusually dense. Especially not far away, the yin energy was thick. I closed my eyes, released my Specter Web, and in just a few seconds found the exact location. Turning into a streak of green light, I flew to the source—a dark, damp basement, reeking of blood and rot. I heard faint sobbing.
[Irrelevant reading prompt skipped.]
A swarm of ghosts—White Shirt Shades, Shade Ghosts, Yellow Ghosts, and Vengeful Ghosts—crowded around a man strapped to a wooden bed. He looked like a construction worker, his eyes bulging with raw, animal terror as the ghosts pressed closer, their forms flickering in the gloom.
One Vengeful Ghost brandished a blood-stained butcher's knife, its twisted grin stretching impossibly wide.
"Everyone gets to eat today."
With a rush of cold wind, I hurled myself into the heart of the ghost pack, unleashing a torrent of green ghostly energy. The ghosts were blasted aside, shrieking. Standing atop the bed, I surveyed the carnage—mud caked the floor, streaked with old, congealed blood and bones crawling with maggots. The stench of death was suffocating; they'd feasted here many times before.
"Get lost."
As I spoke, the ghosts bolted in panic. I lashed out with writhing strands of green ghostly energy, ensnaring five of the most dangerous. In a heartbeat, I ripped chunks from their limbs, grinding their spectral bodies into dust.
"If I catch you doing this again, I'll kill you."
The ghosts scattered. I left the basement and returned to the street. Looking around, I saw plenty of ghosts lurking in the shadows. The world of the living had changed drastically. Just then, I noticed several people running frantically down the street—they were Hades Circle Born, apparently rushing to collect souls.
"Are you done playing, Ethan Zhang? It's almost time—let's go. It's already 4 p.m. If we leave now, we'll catch the sunset."
I looked at Earthly Soul. Heavenly Soul was still floating above, not coming down.
"When did things get like this?"
"Ever since the ghost market was shut down, it's been like this. Even more ghosts come out at night."
Without thinking, I slipped through the walls and entered a house. In the courtyard, I saw many dead animals, and inside the house, the smell of blood was strong.
With a bang, someone flew out from inside. I caught the man—it was Walter Wu, a member of the Lanworths, from the Hades Circle.
"Ethan Zhang, it's lucky to run into you. There's a Green Wraith inside—just came up from hell and hasn't fully transformed yet. Could you take care of it for me?"
I nodded. Just then, a streak of green light shot out from inside. I rushed forward, landing a punch on the Green Wraith's head, knocking him to the ground.
"Hey, friend, we're both Green Wraiths—no need to fight like this!"
I clenched my fist, ready to subdue him first.
With a whoosh, a black shadow shot up from the ground, followed by a flash of black lightning. The Green Wraith exploded instantly, turning to ash.
Earthly Soul raised his fist and blew away the dust.
"It's better to be direct. What's the point of all that talking? Let's go—there are lots of ghosts, but the Hades Circle Born and plenty of people from the Spell World are on the move. Hurry up!"
I stared at Earthly Soul in surprise. The power he just used to kill the Green Wraith was terrifying. I could have taken him out too, but it would have taken me more time.
"Ethan Zhang, things are really bad for us now. If you go down, could you talk to the Judges for us? Our workload in the Hades Circle is dozens of times heavier than before. So many of our people have been eaten by Vengeful Ghosts brought up from below."
Earthly Soul came up to me and grabbed my hand.
"Let's go over there first. When we get back, you can do whatever you want."
I glanced at Walter Wu again and nodded.
"Got it. I'll figure something out."
We returned to the sky. The three of us continued flying toward Exile Town.
"You can't control this, Ethan Zhang. In times like these, chaos is just fine, isn't it? Heh."