"You can't possibly still possess such power, Ethan Zhang."
Martin Ouyang shouted. My body gradually dissolved into a mass of black mist, a shadowy expanse surging toward him.
Those Specter Webs, scattered across the world like black spider silk, were frantically siphoning every ounce of power from this realm, transforming it into Deathbane Aura, endlessly and wildly surging into my body.
With a thought, I dispersed the black Specter Webs immediately. I had reached my limit—any more absorption and my body would collapse.
Besides, this power wasn’t truly mine. It was dangerous. My body kept sending warning signals. Though I was a ghost, the energy I’d absorbed was beginning to pierce through my Ghost Soul, leaving me unable to control the sudden changes brought on by instinct.
At this moment, my only option was to awaken Vivian Ouyang. That was all I could do now—not defeat Martin Ouyang. I still couldn’t beat him.
Though Martin Ouyang panicked for a moment, he quickly regained his composure. His whole body emitted a violet glow—brighter than before. I grew anxious; he seemed desperate to deal with Vivian Ouyang.
The instant I reached Martin Ouyang, two violet walls of light sprang up all around me. Countless purple hands reached out from within. I sensed something was terribly wrong.
"Dream Slaying Technique."
Martin Ouyang shouted. I immediately controlled my mist-like form, scattering into the air. The streams of black energy drifted upward, trying to evade the dense, grasping purple hands.
With a crash, I felt myself slam into something solid—a wall. My movement stopped. I was stunned, completely trapped inside a violet, box-like space.
Those purple hands kept stirring the black mist, searching for my Ghost Soul. I saw Mona Ouyang with her mouth agape, her surroundings and lower body vanished completely.
Martin Ouyang raised the Nightmare Stone, muttering incantations. My anxiety deepened. Suddenly, with a bang, the violet light around him was blasted away by some force. He stared in shock at Mona Ouyang, floating in the air.
"No... Impossible."
"Nothing is impossible. Heh heh."
A seductive laugh echoed from the sky—I sensed it was Vivian Ouyang, along with Old Moe, emerging together from a fractured, multicolored Dream Passage.
I breathed a little easier, but I needed to find a way to break out of this trap. Though I tried to hide my Ghost Soul within the black mist, the number of purple hands kept growing, and they had already found it.
"Ethan Zhang, the weak point of this technique is beneath your feet."
Vivian Ouyang's voice rang out clearly from above. Just as I felt the purple hands grip my Ghost Soul, the surrounding black mist condensed. As I materialized, I raised my right hand—Deathbane Aura swirling madly—and punched straight down at the center beneath me.
With a crack, black light illuminated the space as the violet walls split open. I spread my wings and crashed through the opening, bursting out and charging straight at Martin Ouyang.
Black energy wrapped around my entire body. In my hands, Deathbane Aura was already condensing. I had to seize the Nightmare Stone from Martin Ouyang as soon as possible—that artifact was the key. Without it, Mona Ouyang would no longer be threatened.
"Who are you, really? What did you do—was it you?"
Martin Ouyang roared, staring up at Vivian Ouyang in the sky.
"Heh heh, don’t be like that! You’re my great-great-great-grandfather—why be so fierce to your own granddaughter?"
Vivian Ouyang muttered, and Martin Ouyang instantly appeared before her.
"If you’re a descendant of the Ouyang family, then do as I say. Don’t interfere. Otherwise, even if you are family, I won’t show mercy."
Martin Ouyang clenched his fists, the sound echoing harshly, his eyes glaring fiercely at Vivian Ouyang.
I rushed to Mona Ouyang’s side, reaching out to touch him. Yet my hand seemed to pass through thin air—I couldn’t make contact. I stared in disbelief.
"Ethan Zhang, don’t waste your energy. You can’t change anything—the outcome will be the same. I don’t know why Mona Ouyang hasn’t vanished yet, but it’s already begun. Watch closely. In this world, you can’t stop anything."
Martin Ouyang spoke in a piercing voice. I glanced around, and suddenly noticed that although the ground beneath me felt solid, when I looked closer, I was stunned.
Beneath my feet was a vast, pitch-black void. In that space lay a gigantic book, already open. Everything around—the colors that represented this world—was slowly being drawn into its pages.
"What’s going on? What are you trying to do?"
"This is just a contingency plan. I don’t need to fight you for victory—especially with Ironmask interfering. His presence has completely disrupted my plans. Now, I’m simply moving up my original timeline, dragging the dream world into the story, writing a new chapter in Horror Stories called ‘Dream’—a terrifying tale. Hahaha…"
Martin Ouyang laughed maniacally. All around, the colors were being sucked into the void beneath me—drawn into the limitless expanse of Horror Stories.
A chill ran through me. I flew toward Martin Ouyang, who was laughing in the sky, beating my wings furiously. I had to defeat him—there was no other way. Suddenly, a massive violet sphere hurtled toward me.
(This chapter is not finished~.~ Please click Next Page to continue reading!)
The sphere grew larger, instantly blocking my path. With a thought, I burst into smoke, following the dense Specter Webs, whooshing toward Martin Ouyang’s location.
Now I finally understood how the Blue Wraiths moved so swiftly. They transformed their bodies into mist, using the Specter Webs as pathways, locking onto positions in the air and moving across the void.
"It’s useless, Ethan Zhang. Crossing this Nightmare Sphere will bring punishment."
Martin Ouyang spoke in a ghostly tone. Suddenly, I sensed something strange—my body appeared in midair, colliding with a sphere. The instant I entered, I screamed. A wave of terror exploded in my mind.
That sensation left me utterly drained. Eyes wide, I screamed, paralyzed. My whole body was overwhelmed by a terror so intense it made me powerless—like seeing something so horrifying that all strength left me.
"Ethan Zhang, sleep forever in this endless nightmare. Heh heh."
That feeling reminded me of my childhood, the first time I saw a ghost—goosebumps, powerless, sitting on the floor, unable to do anything.
"But you’re a ghost, Ethan Zhang."
Just then, a mass of black energy erupted behind me. My golden-eyed self, shrouded in dark mist, appeared before me.
"For ghosts, this is the best kind of feast, Ethan Zhang. Don’t you think? Devour it—nightmare, fear, all of it."
I began to understand what the golden-eyed self meant—the part of me marked as ghost was awakening. The terror faded from my body. Suddenly, I opened my mouth and bit into the violet sphere, devouring it. The fear transformed bit by bit into excitement.
After consuming those violet energies, I instantly felt power stirring within me. With a whoosh, Martin Ouyang appeared before me, reaching out a hand.
"Almost forgot, Ethan Zhang—you’re a fiend now! In that case, let the dream realm collapse. I’ll see you annihilated."
A wave of warmth surged from the sphere. Suddenly, my golden-eyed self opened its mouth, baring fangs, and bit into Martin Ouyang’s shoulder. He screamed.
I roared, pulling out both hands—now gnarled and clawed like dead branches, tipped with sharp black nails. I thrust them toward Martin Ouyang’s chest.
With a bang, the violet sphere exploded in a burst of purple light. Instantly, I willed myself into black mist, drifting through the blast toward Martin Ouyang—I had to catch him.
As the explosion faded, I used the Specter Web to pinpoint Martin Ouyang’s location, transforming into black mist and wrapping around his body. Instinctively, I knew Martin Ouyang wasn’t a ghost, but a consciousness—a human consciousness constructed in this world.
"What are you trying to do, Ethan Zhang?"
I manipulated the Specter Web—fine, dense threads of black energy seeped into Martin Ouyang’s skin. I intended to possess him, to enter his body directly.
In an instant, I sensed a powerful force blocking my attempt to enter Martin Ouyang’s body—the power of the Nightmare Stone. It was stopping me.
"Don’t even think about it, Ethan Zhang. You’ll never enter my body."
I roared, focusing my entire consciousness into the Specter Web. Even now, I knew Martin Ouyang’s power remained formidable—but my instinct was coexistence.