I stared in astonishment at everything around me. It was exactly the same as the Grimhill Cemetery I had seen before, the way I arrived here, every detail identical—except for one thing: the surrounding trees were not as tall as in Wu Rong's memories.
The Red Mask Agent walked up step by step, but was stopped by Cao Wanzhi.
"Better stay alert. That old man up there doesn't have any obvious aura, but even though he looks like an ordinary man in white, we should still be cautious—after all, this is the infamous Yin Choujian."
The Red Mask Agent halted, clenching his fists and staring blankly at Mr. Brown. I couldn’t help but feel worried, but then I reminded myself that what I was seeing was only a memory from more than a century ago. Mr. Brown is still alive today—stronger than ever—so there shouldn’t be a problem.
"Please, both of you, leave."
Mr. Brown repeated himself with solemn gravity. With his hands clasped behind his back, he took a slight step forward. There was a buzzing sound—as if something invisible in the air was vibrating. In that instant, I sensed a surging ghostly energy that affected everything around us.
In the next moment, both the Red Mask Agent and Cao Wanzhi were utterly stunned, as if petrified. Then I noticed the surrounding trees beginning to wither one by one.
In an instant, that vast, overwhelming ghostly energy vanished completely, and once again, there was nothing discernible about Mr. Brown. The Red Mask Agent still had one foot raised in midair, while Cao Wanzhi’s face grew extremely serious and deeply fearful—he began to tremble.
"Please leave..."
Mr. Brown spoke as he slowly turned around, then suddenly whipped his head back, glaring at Cao Wanzhi and the Red Mask Agent.
Cao Wanzhi collapsed onto the ground, while the Red Mask Agent slowly lowered his lifted foot.
"Is that the Six Fists Hundred Hits, Mr. Brown?"
The Red Mask Agent asked respectfully, and Mr. Brown smiled before replying.
"Do not step any closer, or in an instant..."
The smile vanished from Mr. Brown’s face, replaced instantly by a look of intense seriousness.
"You will die..."
Then Cao Wanzhi began to float, drifting downward toward the base of Grimhill Cemetery. The Red Mask Agent looked as if he wanted to say something, but remained standing where he was.
"Mr. Brown, I am with the Immortality Society. If possible, I’d like to discuss this matter with you."
The Red Mask Agent continued, but suddenly the air vibrated with a thunderous roar. I saw a pale, nearly transparent fist shoot toward the Red Mask Agent in an instant.
With a crack, the Red Mask Agent vanished instantly, and the scene around me shifted as well. We were back in the Shadow Realm—at the critical moment, Cao Wanzhi used his camera to save the Red Mask Agent.
The Red Mask Agent looked a bit embarrassed.
"Good thing you didn’t take that punch just now. If you had, you’d have been reduced to ashes. You..."
Before Cao Wanzhi could finish his sentence, I suddenly heard a bang, and then, with a loud crash, a massive rift split open in the Shadow Realm. In an instant, every photo studio within Cao Wanzhi’s Shadow Realm was obliterated.
After a while, things finally quieted down. With a splutter, Cao Wanzhi clutched his chest and spat out a mouthful of bright green blood. He looked pained as the Red Mask Agent supported him. Both stared in astonishment—the majority of the Shadow Realm had vanished, and outside, only Mr. Brown’s silhouette remained as he slowly disappeared into Grimhill Cemetery.
"No matter how many people we send, it probably won’t make a difference."
The Red Mask Agent helped Cao Wanzhi to sit at the base of the mountain where Grimhill Cemetery was located. The mist above had thickened, and the cemetery itself was no longer visible.
The Red Mask Agent nodded.
"He didn’t even use his Shadow Realm, yet his power was overwhelming. And how exactly did he attack? My Specter Web couldn’t detect anything at all."
"That’s true. The Six Fists Hundred Hits technique has been at the very top of the Blue Wraith’s domain for centuries. Back when the Seven Ghost Lords hadn’t claimed supremacy, he was already a major figure in the ghost world. But from what I’ve heard, he never caused much trouble—until Yin Choujian emerged from Avici Hell, and only then did he begin to act."
The Red Mask Agent sat on a roadside stone, looking utterly dejected.
"Looks like we need a new plan. That guy’s ghostly power is immense—even the Blue-Faced Man wouldn’t stand a chance."
"I say we forget it. Let’s not get involved in this mess. Let’s keep looking for what you need and avoid getting mixed up with those Ghost Mound people—otherwise, we might end up dead."
As Cao Wanzhi spoke, he began to cough. His face turned pale, and he seemed very uncomfortable, gasping for breath. That last attack had nearly halved his ghostly energy in an instant.
"You two got here so quickly. I suppose the Immortality Society must have gotten word ahead of time?"
Just then, someone emerged from the woods—One-Eyed Grandpa. He carried a pitch-black jar on his back and walked with a cane, slowly approaching the Red Mask Agent and Cao Wanzhi.
"One-Eyed Grandpa, I’m afraid we’ll have to change the plan this time. We might need to give up, at least for now."
The Red Mask Agent had barely finished speaking when One-Eyed Grandpa chuckled and shook his head.
"What’s wrong? Since when did the Immortality Society become so timid? That old man up there is indeed formidable, but we have a way to buy ourselves more than twenty seconds. When the time comes, we’ll pour this black blood, specially prepared by Lord Poison Star, into the seal. That way, Yin Choujian will never escape—it’s as good as killing him."
My heart skipped a beat. I watched as One-Eyed Grandpa took the large jar off his back and set it on the ground. I saw two red talismans stuck to the mouth of the jar, inscribed with black runes.
"But the real issue is, who’s going to withstand the first strike? I doubt anyone here could survive that old man’s attack."
The Red Mask Agent said, and One-Eyed Grandpa just smiled.
"No matter how strong he is, he’s still a ghost—sacrifice is inevitable. I set things up around here months ago. This time, Ghost Mound will send over fifty people, plus more than ten Blue Wraiths. They’ll be here soon. All I need is for you to lend a hand and help block him, especially you, kid."
One-Eyed Grandpa looked at Cao Wanzhi, who now wore a look of utter disgust.
"If this is a collaboration, you should at least show some sincerity. That’s all I’ll say—I need to get ready."
As One-Eyed Grandpa spoke, he raised his hand and the black jar flew onto his back. He circled Grimhill Cemetery and vanished into the distant woods.
"You saw it for yourself, didn’t you?"
Cao Wanzhi sighed as he spoke, then continued.
"My power can’t withstand that attack at all. Half of my Shadow Realm has already been wiped out."
"Let’s just wait and see. This time, our mission is only to assist the Ghost Mound people—we’re not required to succeed. If things go wrong, we can still get out. Old friend, don’t dwell on it."
As the Red Mask Agent spoke, Cao Wanzhi nodded. For a long time, neither of them said a word, both lost in thought as they gazed up at the mist-shrouded Grimhill Cemetery.
At that moment, a rustling came from the woods. Soon, I saw a large group of hooded figures and clusters of green light flying toward us.
In no time, the Ghost Mound people spread out in all directions in an orderly fashion, leaving behind more than ten Blue Wraiths. Just then, I spotted a familiar figure—Lin Rui, the old driver. He wore coarse clothes and had a relaxed smile on his face, grinning at Cao Wanzhi and the Red Mask Agent.
"Alright, I’ve done my duty and brought you here. My job’s finished, and I’ve already been paid. I’m leaving now."
As Lin Rui spoke, he raised his hand and the space split open.
"Brother Lin, since you’re here, why not lend a hand? After all, we’re dealing with Yin Choujian. Aren’t you interested...?"
"A person should know their place, and so should a ghost. I’m just a driver—this kind of fighting and killing, you’ll have to find someone else."
With that, Lin Rui jumped into his own Shadow Realm and left. I blinked and smiled, while Cao Wanzhi looked at the spot where Lin Rui had vanished, puzzled. I counted—there were thirteen Blue Wraiths.
"That guy is really something."
The Red Mask Agent muttered, and Cao Wanzhi nodded.
"So, what are we supposed to do? I really don’t want to get mixed up in this mess."
Cao Wanzhi added.
"Since we’re here, let’s just go with it, old friend."
After a long while, it looked like everything was ready. One-Eyed Grandpa, accompanied by two subordinates, walked over slowly.
"Everything’s set. Kid, in a moment, you’ll need to keep using your camera to create things and increase the numbers—just stir up some chaos, that’s enough. Red Mask, protect the kid. As long as we buy some time, even if a few people die, it’ll be worth it."
"Let’s go. Up we go."
With that, One-Eyed Grandpa headed up to Grimhill Cemetery, while the dozen or so Blue Wraiths immediately circled the burial ground and soared upward.
"I’ve already warned you—if you don’t listen, don’t blame me for being ruthless. Even if the Three Evil Stars of Ghost Mound show up, I won’t be afraid."
Suddenly, a dazzling green light shot into the sky—it was Zhuang Bo. An immense ghostly power erupted forth.