I kept letting my Deathbane Aura spill out, condensing on the surface of my body again and again. I considered every possible escape—was there any way to slip out from under Marshal Leopard’s grasp, to reach the end of the Underworld Path? If I did, I could return to the world of the living.
Spirits at Marshal Leopard’s level can’t just come and go from the Underworld Court as they please; they need a Judge’s Medallion to pass through. I’ve seen it before in my memories of the Underworld Path—even Quentin Kue couldn’t leave for the world of the living without a Judge’s Medallion.
“Stop trying to be clever, Ethan Zhang. You can’t escape. You must come with me to the Hall of Equality in the Ninth Tribunal and report in.”
I considered every possibility. This wall before me felt like something from my primal instincts, a question my very nature asked: how do I cross it? Marshal Leopard now stood before me, an insurmountable wall blocking my path.
This wall stretched endlessly, its height unknowable. Its thickness was something I could never penetrate.
I stared at Marshal Leopard, speaking each word with deliberate clarity.
“The difference between humans and birds, beasts, flowers, or insects is that humans possess emotions—love and hate, joy and sorrow, all the tangled passions of existence...”
“Wrong.”
Before I could finish, Marshal Leopard barked out a sharp retort. He strode toward me, while I clenched my fists, gathering all my Deathbane Aura into them. I had to go all out from the start—maybe, just maybe, I’d have the slightest chance to escape from his grasp.
“Plants, trees, insects, fish, birds, and beasts have emotions too. It’s just that, as a human, you don’t understand. Humans are insignificant in this world. And you, Ethan Zhang—what are you?”
I kept gathering Deathbane Aura, determined to seize even the faintest chance. No matter what, I had to bring Lady Meng’s Elixir back.
I... am human, and also... a ghost. Drink...
Suddenly, I let out a roar. The Deathbane Aura behind me exploded, launching me like a black meteor toward Marshal Leopard. I had already unleashed my Specter Web, and I was certain—the figure before me was Marshal Leopard’s true form.
My fists, packed with Deathbane Aura, smashed toward Marshal Leopard’s chest. Just as I expected, he caught both my wrists and tore them apart. The Deathbane Aura I’d gathered instantly shattered.
“Trying to boost your power with speed, strength, and rotation? Not a bad idea, but your strength is far too weak.”
“I’m not finished yet.”
I roared, and with a snap, Marshal Leopard’s eyes flashed with surprise. My hands dissolved into mist, and in the next instant, they appeared behind him, emerging from the black fog—each hand gripped a Deathbane Aura Sword, slashing down at his shoulders.
This move was born from desperate thought—a surprise attack, though it drained me immensely and I was far from skilled at it.
“Too slow,” Marshal Leopard said, raising his hands to catch my Deathbane Aura Swords from behind. With two crisp snaps, the swords turned into wisps of black smoke and disappeared.
My body rapidly turned to mist, but I felt a heavy blow to my chest—sending me flying backward. I roared, and behind me lay the end of Yellow Springs Road; if I crashed through, I would reach the Styx Gate.
In that instant, Deathbane Aura surged from my hands and feet, swirling violently and stabbing into the ground. With a crack, the aura condensed into black ice pillars. I grabbed the pillars, as thick as my arms, stopping my backward slide. My foot struck the ground so hard that it split and caved in.
Just one blow, and I felt my ghost soul already damaged, my body almost collapsing. I coughed and gasped violently as Marshal Leopard approached, unhurried.
"Ethan Zhang, I'll say it again—come report to the Ninth Court of Hell with me."
"I'd rather die than go."
I roared, then spread my wings. Raising my hands high, I unleashed a barrage of black ice spikes, formed from the Deathbane Aura swirling around my hands, hurling them at Marshal Leopard.
In the next instant, I beat my wings and lunged at Marshal Leopard—this time, I was even faster than the ice spikes.
I reached Marshal Leopard, and just as I was about to close in, the Deathbane Aura I had woven into the ground with the Specter Web transformed into sharp spikes, stabbing toward him. Sensing the incoming ice spikes, I snapped into mist.
The sound of ice spikes shattering echoed as they struck Marshal Leopard's body. The Deathbane Aura spikes from the ground dispersed uselessly, but I seemed to have bought a moment—I turned into black mist and drifted past him.
"I told you, Ethan Zhang—will you come willingly, or do I have to carry you?"
I felt a powerful hand grab my neck, dragging me out of the mist and seizing my ghost soul. With a thud, Marshal Leopard slammed me to the ground. Blood spurted from my mouth.
"If you won't come willingly, I'll carry you myself."
"Absolute Tiger, deal with the Malice Wraith fire first."
Marshal Leopard seemed to be talking to someone. He raised his right hand and, with a roar, a white-browed, striped tiger leapt from his palm, howling powerfully. Its body was covered in white and yellow stripes. As soon as Absolute Tiger appeared, it opened its mouth wide, aiming at me.
I stared wide-eyed as Absolute Tiger roared and began to inhale. I felt a powerful suction, as if my soul was being ripped away. At that moment, a small cluster of black flames leaked from my body and was sucked into Absolute Tiger’s mouth.
With a bang, Absolute Tiger let out a miserable howl and exploded into dust.
"Absolute Tiger..."
Marshal Leopard gazed worriedly at the black flames floating in the air.
A burst of applause rang out, followed by hearty laughter.
"Getting smarter, Marshal Leopard. Heh, but still a bit slow."
"Redmond, you..."
Marshal Leopard, furious, pointed at the growing flames, where Redmond’s image appeared seated at a desk.
"You should address me as Eleventh Judge, you ill-mannered brat."
"Bah! You, a wicked ghost, dare to call yourself Yama? Ridiculous."
Marshal Leopard glared at Redmond, who suddenly pulled out a medallion—the Judge’s Medallion I’d seen at his Banquet of Ten Thousand Ghosts.
"So, seeing the medallion, shouldn’t officials below Yama offer their sincere thanks?"
Redmond’s tone was aggressive, and I watched Marshal Leopard’s face turn blue, then purple, and finally green with rage.
Redmond continued to flaunt the Judge’s Medallion, waving it around. Finally, Marshal Leopard released me, knelt on one knee, and muttered quietly.
"Judge Yama."
Redmond kept clapping, laughing aloud.
"Judge Yama, this is an order from King Pingdeng of the Ninth Court, requiring his subordinate to be brought back. Are you trying to use your position to pressure a subordinate?"
"Heh, I’m just here to warn you. Underestimating Ethan Zhang will cost you dearly, Marshal Leopard. Do you really think he can’t beat you?"
I blinked, climbed up from the ground, and stared blankly at Redmond. Calling this a fight was a joke—I was just getting beaten, unable to strike back.
"In that case, Judge Yama, farewell."
Marshal Leopard straightened up, placed a hand on the black Malice Wraith fire, and as the flames shrank, the image disappeared.
"Ethan, think carefully about what you can use right now. What is your instinct? Let him see it—don’t forget what you’re here to do!"
"My instinct is called coexistence."
I roared and, in an instant, dove into the nearby Wailing Forest.
"Are you trying to die, Ethan Zhang?"
With a crash, I fell into the Wailing Forest, grabbed a tree, and stood up. Marshal Leopard watched me, puzzled.
At first, he was confused, but suddenly, Marshal Leopard seemed to understand. He turned into a red flash and lunged at me.
"It's not about dying—it's about defeating you."
Fueled by my anger, countless Specter Web threads rooted themselves in the Wailing Forest. With a thunderous crash, Marshal Leopard reached for me again, but this time, the overwhelming resentment—my fury—burst forth like a spring, surging at him.
With a bang, the surging resentment blocked Marshal Leopard’s attack.
"Instinct—coexistence—synchronization..."
At this moment, I felt as if I was walking a razor’s edge. The resentment could destroy me at any time, but right now, it was my only way to escape Marshal Leopard and reach the world of the living.
With a thunderous crash, Marshal Leopard landed on Yellow Springs Road, sending rocks flying. Without hesitation, I willed myself toward the path leading to the living world.
"Don’t even think about running, Ethan Zhang!"
Marshal Leopard sprang up and gave chase. Accompanied by the howls of wolves, a whole pack appeared beside him, lunging at me. I kept trying to control the resentment to block them, but the wolves opened their jaws wide, devouring every trace of resentment I summoned.