The Deathshade had left my spectral domain some time ago. Now, I could distinctly sense the chilling aura of more than fifty Blue Wraiths drifting this way.
Anxiety gnawed at me, but John Chou seemed perfectly at ease. His wolfish head tilted and his mane bristled, radiating a menacing presence.
"Don’t worry, brother. Just relax. Soon, they’ll be at a loss for what to do."
I sat in stillness, eyes shut, sensing the world outside through the Deathshade. The Blue Wraiths approaching suddenly halted, their presence thick and suffocating.
"What kind of insect did Brother Owen give you?"
I asked, but John Chou said nothing. Instead, he comfortably lay down and closed his eyes.
Suddenly, visions from outside flooded my mind, the air thick with frantic shouts and spectral echoes.
In the heart of the warehouse complex, the pig-faced Blue Wraiths scrambled in and out of rooms. Where food once overflowed, swarms of red, black, and green insects writhed. One Blue Wraith, its face twisted with rage, smashed its hammer down on the mass.
The hammer struck with a sickening thud, crushing countless insects. Yet as their fluids splattered, new larvae erupted at impossible speed, multiplying, writhing, and flooding the warehouse, devouring everything. The infestation was relentless, splitting and spreading with grotesque urgency.
"Don’t try to fight—use your ghost aura to lure the insects. These creatures are infused with curse energy, multiplying rapidly and feeding off the aura, converting it into more curse, growing endlessly."
It was the Blue Wraith who had earlier sensed someone sneaking in. He stood quietly in midair, raising one hand, and strands of green ghost threads drifted down like silk, spreading around. The insects on the ground began to gather toward him.
More and more insects poured out of the warehouses, heading toward the Blue Wraith. Soon, beneath him, it looked like an ocean of insects, piling up and wriggling upward in waves.
"Don’t rush to attack. First, gather these insects together, then wipe them out all at once."
I opened my eyes and looked at John Chou.
"What’s really going on? These insects, John Chou."
The glint in John Chou’s eyes told me these insects were far from ordinary. Why had Brother Owen entrusted him with such creatures? I suspected some shadowy bargain had been struck between them.
"Insects crawl through both the living and the dead realms. Brother Owen once used them to gnaw away a ghost’s corruption, bathing them in scripture until their souls transformed, yielding pure power. When enough was harvested, he reincarnated in a single breath. These three-colored insects are among the most volatile—if their power is shattered, the resulting explosion is catastrophic. With so many swarming here…"
My eyes flew open, then squeezed shut again. In the center of the warehouses, a writhing pillar of red, black, and green twisted skyward—an abomination built from insects. The Blue Wraith continued to lure them with ghost aura, while the others readied themselves, poised to unleash their power and eradicate the swarm.
"Isn’t this brilliant?"
I spoke, and John Chou broke into a low, unsettling laugh.
"Given the current situation, we wouldn’t stand a chance even if we went out there. So this is all we can do. I don’t like it either, but there’s really no other way."
"Now! Do it!"
Each Blue Wraith raised its hand, and in an instant, thick beams of green light shot at the insect swarm. Powerful ghost aura crushed the swarm, and the insects were instantly pulverized by the intense concentration of ghost power.
But at that moment, the Blue Wraith overhead widened its eyes in shock.
"Scatter!"
With a thunderous boom, a violent explosion erupted. I immediately felt the shockwave—John Chou and I sprang to our feet as cracks appeared throughout my ghost domain. Powerful currents of air surged in through the fissures.
"Move your ghost domain, quick!"
John Chou urged me. I closed my eyes and immediately sensed my ghost domain being violently shaken by the explosion. Huge cracks split the ground and sky, and the raging currents swept through my domain. The apartment building was already smashed to rubble. John Chou and I floated upward as I moved my ghost domain, trying to get as far from the blast as possible.
After a while, everything settled down. I breathed a sigh of relief as the cracks in my ghost domain began to heal. If we’d been at the center of the explosion, both John Chou and I would have been caught in it. That’s why Deathbane Ghost placed those insects in the middle. What puzzled me was how he knew. I glanced at John Chou, who waved his hand. Suddenly, his eyes sharpened—a flash of red appeared—and John Chou darted in front of me, kicking me hard in the stomach.
With a whoosh, I was sent flying, crashing into the apartment building that was still repairing itself.
"John Chou, what are you—"
With a thunderous boom, a huge crack appeared in my ghost domain, its form starting to fall apart. Before me floated the Wild Boar King, massive and burly, with long tusks, dressed in brown leather armor and a snow-white mink fur around his chest. He held a giant cleaver, his eyes glowing red as he glanced between John Chou and me. My ghost domain was crumbling away.
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With a splurt, I spat out a mouthful of green blood. Clutching my chest, my ghost domain faded away. I quickly covered my nose as a foul stench filled the air. I didn’t know what it was, but I knew the entire fortress had been obliterated. Most of the Blue Wraiths at the explosion’s center hadn’t survived, and those who did lay dying on the ground.
"Die here, both of you."
Suddenly, the Wild Boar King turned and looked at me, exhaling a cloud of green gas from his mouth. The giant blade in his hand, over three meters long, swung toward me. I glanced around, ready to dodge, but in an instant the blade was already at my head—so fast it was as if he’d teleported.
With a clang, it was Belle—John Chou gripped Belle with both hands and blocked the Wild Boar King’s attack instantly. He still looked like a wolf, and crucially, his hands were claws, perfectly able to grip Belle.
"As expected, you’re the stronger of the two. Your ghost aura isn’t as powerful as that fat cat’s, but your eyes are much sharper than his."
With a hum, two violent streams of green energy swept past me on both sides, instantly pulverizing the ground. The earth behind me seemed to be torn apart, crushed to black dust by the ghost aura.
"Can't we settle this without bloodshed?" John Chou asked, but his voice was edged with something cold and final.
John Chou asked, but I immediately retorted.
"Fat cat? I’m a panda."
As I spoke, the Wild Boar King struck with force. John Chou suddenly leapt backward, grabbed my ear, and yanked me up. With a crash, the Wild Boar King’s blade landed just centimeters from the ground, tearing the earth apart with raging green ghost aura. He glared coldly at us floating in midair.
"Brother, don’t think about anything except escaping. Don’t even consider attacking. This guy’s power is about the same as Suyuan’s—you’re no match for him."
My mind raced. Suyuan could fight Leopard Tail to a standstill—though injured, he also kept Leopard Tail from moving freely for a long time.
"You never know until you see it. Once you do, it’s terrifying. If there were more like this guy, the war would be in real trouble!"
With a whoosh, the Wild Boar King flew at us again. John Chou roughly kicked my round backside, sending me flying. I glowed with green light, landing dozens of meters away before stopping. John Chou barely blocked another strike from the Wild Boar King, then quickly parried the blade, instantly transforming into three red wolf shadows that passed through the Wild Boar King’s body.
A clanging sound rang out as John Chou landed. The three wolf shadows merged into one. He raised Belle in his hand, while the Wild Boar King turned away, panting heavily.
"Interesting fighting style. But us beasts from the Animal Realm are a bit different from you ghosts—especially in the strength of our ghost souls."
The Wild Boar King charged at John Chou again, but this time I saw a flash of green light shoot out from his body toward me—a miniature version of the Wild Boar King, about two meters tall. It was his ghost soul. I stared in shock as the giant blade swung at me. I was about to use ghost aura but remembered John Chou’s warning. Without thinking, I turned and fled, transforming into a streak of green light.
Only then did I see clearly: the ground was covered by a massive red, black, and green array, an enormous formation spanning the entire fortress. The Wild Boar King chased after me as I flew with all my strength. John Chou was locked in a bitter struggle, unable to withstand even a single blow, forced to parry and keep his distance.
With a sickening rush, the miniature Wild Boar King loomed before me, its blade descending in a blur. Escape was impossible—the horror pressed in, suffocating and absolute.