The figure before me completely ignored me, his entire body shrouded in Dark Essence. He paid me no attention at all, even as I called out again. But just then, he tilted his head back and began shouting once more.
The shout—a loud, piercing cry—was indeed coming from him. I was startled, nearly losing my grip and almost falling. At that moment, he turned his head; only then did I see his eyes clearly—they were golden.
Those Golden Eyes held a trace of confusion. After a moment, he stretched out a hand, first pointing downward, then upward—repeatedly gesturing toward the top.
"You don't want me to go down there?"
I asked, and he nodded—he understood human speech.
"What's down below?"
I asked again, but he ignored me, continuing to climb upward. I swallowed nervously, feeling uneasy. It seemed this guy had struggled up from below with great difficulty.
Thinking back carefully, that shouting had started as a faint sound, barely audible at first. But once the mist cleared, it became clear—and then grew louder and louder.
But I didn't hesitate. I trusted my instincts—Endbringer would not deceive me. I continued to climb downward. Within minutes, I heard that guy's shouting again from above, but he was already out of sight, the distance between us growing.
After that, I kept climbing. I had no idea how much time had passed—how many days. I was still descending the mountain wall. I didn't feel tired or hungry, but I was already growing weary of it all.
I almost wanted to let go—maybe just fall and be done with it. After all, I'm a ghost; I shouldn't die from a fall.
But just then, I sensed a faint, chilling aura rising from below. I was terrified, but I had no choice but to keep descending—and the deeper I went, the stronger that aura became.
My heart was pounding in my throat, sweat beading on my forehead.
Suddenly, I heard a long, drawn-out shout from above. Surprised, I looked up—it was that guy, and he was getting closer. I stared wide-eyed as he fell; maybe he lost his grip while climbing.
But as I thought this, he stared at me with hopeful eyes. Then, with a rush, a black tendril shot out and wrapped around my neck—it was Deathbane Aura, I realized instantly.
A powerful force yanked me off the mountain wall, and I fell together with him. I screamed as the world blurred past us, both of us plummeting downward.
But I had no idea where the bottom was, or how tall this mountain truly was. I was completely in the dark.
We'd been falling for ages. The Deathbane Wraith gripping me seemed to be trying to use Deathbane Aura to grab the mountainside again, but failed repeatedly. Whenever the aura touched the wall, it slipped right off, unable to hold on.
Gradually, I sensed a tremendous power below. Suddenly, we hit the ground with a thud. It didn't hurt—the surface was soft, like a mass of mud wrapping around me. I scrambled to my feet; it was that guy.
Eyes wide with shock, I quickly apologized. The guy was writhing on the ground, like a lump of flesh and mud, making guttural noises. Slowly, he reverted to his original form, then roared, looking up with bitter frustration.
But then I realized—the vast black stream before me wasn't water at all. As I got closer, I saw it was Deathbane Aura, flowing upward like a river. It reminded me of the silvery waterfall I'd seen before, surging against gravity.
At that moment, the Deathbane Wraith started climbing the mountain wall again, determined to go back up. I watched in shock, then approached the waterfall myself. I thought maybe if I submerged myself in it, I could recover and regain my strength.
But just then, I spotted a flash of red within the black stream. As I hesitated, two massive claws shot out—someone grabbed my collar and yanked me away.
With a crash, Deathbane Aura erupted and a furious roar echoed—I stared in disbelief. It was a Deathbane Fiend, black and monstrous, with powerful pincers, four legs, two eyes, and a mouth full of jagged teeth atop its head.
With a thunderous charge, the creature lunged at me and I screamed. But suddenly, the Deathbane Wraith beside me leapt forward, swinging its arms—two black swords materialized in its hands.
With two swift strikes, the fiend's pincers were severed. Then I saw streaks of black blade light—moments later, the Deathbane Fiend was torn apart, exploding into streams of Deathbane Aura that splashed over me, engulfing me completely. I swallowed nervously.
The creature loosened its grip, and with a clang, the two swords stabbed into the ground. I stared at the slightly curved swords, amazed—they were made of Deathbane Aura. I found it strange that this being could forge weapons from aura.
I've seen this phenomenon before—Zhang Qingyuan could do it too. But his Deathbane Swords would dissipate as soon as he let go, never as solid or powerful as those forged by this creature. I approached, reaching out hesitantly, and he nodded at me.
I smiled and gripped one of the Deathbane Swords—it was heavy, almost too heavy for me to lift.
Suddenly, I recoiled in fright—the creature glared fiercely, but I quickly realized it wasn't angry at me, but at the black waterfall before us.
Another flash of red appeared—I swallowed hard as the upward-flowing waterfall began to churn. This time, the Deathbane Fiend that emerged was serpent-like.
The humanoid creature immediately grabbed the Deathbane Swords from the ground and slashed at the long, coiling serpent. I thought it would be cut apart like the last fiend, but with two ringing clangs—
A roar erupted, and with a crash, the humanoid's Deathbane Swords shattered. He was hurled against the mountainside. I was stunned—the serpent fiend opened its lion-like maw, lunging to devour me.
Its jaws snapped right in front of me. Eyes wide, I froze—then, suddenly, thick black Deathbane Pillars shot up at my feet. With a thunderous crash, the fiend bit down on the pillars instead, sparing me.
But the serpent fiend was incredibly strong—the pillars began to crack and break. With a crash, the humanoid grabbed my collar and dragged me to the right, running as the fiend roared and chased us.
Wind howled through the mountain pass as I stared in shock—the fiend was almost upon us. Suddenly, the humanoid flung me behind him, then gripped the monster's gaping jaws with both hands, pushing it back as it slid along the ground.
A thick pillar of Deathbane Aura shot up, pounding the serpent fiend's body with heavy clangs. Its skin seemed impenetrable, invulnerable to blade or bullet. The humanoid's aura was powerful, but couldn't pierce its hide.
I screamed—the humanoid was nearly overwhelmed. I had to do something. Looking around, I spotted some black stones on the other side of the mountain. I rushed over, sensing they were condensed Deathbane Aura, and threw them at the fiend pinning the humanoid to the wall.
With a series of thuds, the fiend's eyes froze, staring at me. Just then, the humanoid released its grip, and with a crash, the fiend swallowed him whole. I screamed.
But in that split second, the fiend's belly swelled—then, with a squelch and a rip, the humanoid burst out from inside, wielding a curved blade. The fiend whimpered, gradually dissolving into a stream of black Deathbane Aura, vanishing with a rush.
Without a word, the humanoid pointed further to the right, signaling me to follow. I hurried after him, as the Deathbane Waterfall behind us spawned new fiends. We dashed through the mountain strewn with black pebbles, the new monsters seemingly oblivious to us.
After a while, I saw a cavern with a bed and a table inside, both black, made from Deathbane Aura. I swallowed, watching the creature.
"Please, teach me how to use Deathbane Aura."
I spoke, head lowered, and walked over. The creature sat on the bed, its golden eyes glancing at me in confusion. Then it lay down, closed its eyes, and soon its even breathing turned into snores.