I sat quietly on the outstretched arm of Ethan's Spectral Juggernaut, watching these Nether Syndicate operatives before me. In that moment, I vaguely sensed what John Chou's Verity Incantation truly was.
The confusion in my mind was clearing up, growing sharper and clearer as scenes of each event flashed through my thoughts.
"I’m counting on you. I need some time—to deal with these people."
With a creak, Ethan's Spectral Juggernaut mechanically twisted its head toward me. With a beep, both eyes turned red.
Confirmation received. Combat mode activated.
Black spectral tendrils began to thread into Ethan's Spectral Juggernaut. In an instant, I felt all the baleful energy in my body being drained—leaving nothing behind.
Filling complete.
With a swish, I drew Belle and swung her to the side.
"Two seals, Divine Light... the Spear of Ruin..."
With a swish, Master Autumn dodged Belle in my hand, reaching out to press his palm against the Spectral Juggernaut’s head.
Suddenly, my eyes widened as the Revenant's right hand shot up. A piercing roar filled the air—it was Deathbane Aura, gathering entirely in his right fist. The space around him began to distort.
With a thunderous boom, Yin Qiu in front of me was instantly blasted into dust by the concentrated Deathbane Aura.
A powerful shockwave surged toward me—I nearly went flying, but a steel-like arm clamped tightly around my body. The Revenant, however, showed no reaction at all to the massive force unleashed by his own blow.
Rays of light in strange colors shot toward us, accompanied by bursts and bangs. A faint layer of black Corpse Barrier appeared around us. After a series of explosions, none of the Nether Syndicate goons rushed in.
My ghostly essence was already starting to recover, but once again, all the Deathbane Aura inside me was drained by Zhang Qingyuan, the Revenant. The move he just used had consumed an immense amount of Deathbane Aura—the amount needed to obliterate Yin Qiu could have kept me fighting for a long time.
At that moment, I noticed that over twenty of the Nether Syndicate's men had vanished from my Shadow Realm. Just how were they able to freely enter and exit my domain? The only explanation I could think of was the fake Celestial Soul Zhang Qingyuan from the very beginning.
Suddenly, an impulse flashed through my mind—a new attack pattern. Instantly, I sheathed Belle, planted my feet on the Revenant's shoulders, and gripped his head tightly.
With a deafening crash, the Revenant Zhang Qingyuan, carrying me, charged straight down toward the spot where the Nether Syndicate's goons were clustered.
There was a loud bang—shards of stone flew, the ground split open, and we smashed into the earth. On the Revenant Zhang Qingyuan's skin, tiny pitch-black openings appeared. In an instant, I understood what was happening.
A streak of black light erupted with a thunderous roar, sending a violent shockwave blasting outward. The entire Shadow Realm was swallowed in darkness. The Nether Syndicate goons scrambled to react, but it was already too late.
There was nothing left inside the apartment block—just a pile of rubble. Both my hands gripped the Gatling gun. As the dust settled, I pulled the trigger, standing atop the Revenant's shoulders, unleashing a wild barrage in every direction.
Black bullets sprayed out in rapid fire—I heard shrieks of agony all around.
Just then, the ground behind me suddenly swelled upward.
"Earthen Confinement..."
A rumble echoed as I stared wide-eyed—several thick, pillar-like black tendrils, veined with green roots inside and out, came crashing down toward me and the Revenant.
With a heavy thud, the two of us were ensnared at once—a crushing pressure pinned both me and the Revenant, leaving us unable to move.
I could see clearly—only three of them remained, while the rest of the Nether Syndicate's men had vanished.
"No, there are four of them."
There was another one lurking in my Shadow Realm, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
"Hmph, numbers are meaningless. Too many obstacles just get in the way. You two can leave now—let me, Drake Kwan, handle the mess at hand."
It was the same technique that had just blasted through my ghostly essence—the hand I'd lost earlier was restored to normal, and now he stood bare-chested, revealing slabs of solid white muscle. On his body, I saw the tattoo of Nine Dragons and Pearl.
"Nine Dragons and Pearl, heh... Old Dragon, are you finally willing to show your true power?"
Among those left was a woman called Little Fang, who belonged to the Rooster branch, and another member—Luo Wu.
"We're not planning to interfere—it's just been a long time since we've seen Old Dragon's techniques in action. We wanted to broaden our horizons, and besides, we can act as a backup in case things go wrong. Horses stumble, people slip..."
Drake Kwan gave a cold snort, glancing sidelong at Luo Wu.
"Kid, back when I was running wild in the occult world, you hadn't even been born yet!"
I pressed one hand on the Revenant Zhang Qingyuan's shoulder—he was about to charge out, but my forced intent kept him still.
"You all went to such lengths, luring me close again and again, just to seize the three Sanzu Seal Relics. Is it really just about sealing away some things?"
"Hmph, you don't need to know. Since John Chou left those three Sanzu Seal Relics behind, he'll find a way to tell you where they are. Only you can bear those items, so he'll make sure you know where to find them. If you want them, you need the Verity Incantation. As long as you submit, we'll have our ways to learn the truth."
I gave a cold laugh and looked at Drake Kwan, shaking my head.
"You're so desperate to use the Ancestor of Man—time is running out, isn't it? In the world of the living, no matter how powerful you are, you'll have to face the other six Ghost Lords and the Green Ghosts. You can't get what you want, so you've set up a situation where I'm isolated and unsupported. You're getting anxious."
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As I spoke, Drake Kwan's brows furrowed. He clapped his hands together with a sharp smack, then half-crouched.
With a boom, the black earthen pillars trapping me and the Revenant exploded. In an instant, I saw the nine dragons on Drake Kwan's body come alive, roaring—the nine golden dragons lunged toward us.
With a whoosh, I leapt away from the Revenant's side and watched as the nine dragons surged toward him, striking.
"Only seven..."
"Here it comes—the Dragon Metamorphosis Ritual..."
Three golden rays flared up beside me.
A silver glow lit up above my head. Just as I tried to react, a beam of silver light pierced through my body. I cried out in pain, completely immobilized.
With a roar, one of the dragons before me let out a deafening cry. In a daze, I saw Drake Kwan's form overlapping with the dragons. He raised his two fingers—suddenly, he stabbed at me, and with a crackling sound, thirteen holes appeared in my body, the positions of the Thirteen Ghost Gates. As the Ghost Gates were shattered, the Deathbane Aura inside me went into chaos.
With a sharp clap, Drake Kwan's hands came together, and two golden talismans appeared.
"Return to life, come and go, dust to dust, earth to earth, funeral ghost fire..."
With a thunderous roar, golden flames completely engulfed my body. The sizzling sound echoed—I screamed in agony as my body began to turn to ash.
Beside me, the Revenant Zhang Qingyuan was also completely bound by seven golden dragons, unable to move.
"Devour all this corpse energy..."
As Drake Kwan spoke, he pointed—red light faded from the Revenant's eyes, and his clenched hands dropped limply.
I couldn't escape. All I could do was stare at the ground as images flickered through my mind—my consciousness slowly fading away.
With a scream, accompanied by another agonized cry, I lost consciousness.
"So, you're about to wake up, aren't you?"
I stared wide-eyed, lying on the ground. My body felt utterly powerless.
"Three Heavens Prostrate Ghost Ritual."
The technique Drake Kwan just used—I’d seen it several times before. The first time was when Blind Mother and Old Man used it against John Chou, and John Chou suffered severe spiritual damage because of it. Later, when the Ghost Lords tried to capture my soul, he was powerless, and I was missing one soul fragment.
"Impressive, Old Dragon. I never thought you could use the Three Heavens Prostrate Ghost Ritual to this extent. I’m impressed..."
Luo Wu sneered, strolling over slowly.
"Hmph, kid, it’s not about how impressive I am, but how powerful this ritual is. Cat Boss truly was a genius—the three moves he created are absolute nemeses for ghosts. Whether the Nether Syndicate can stand on its own depends on mastering the basic ghost-destroying arts behind these three moves."
I didn’t need Drake Kwan to explain—I already understood how terrifying the Three Heavens Prostrate Ghost Ritual was. The first move completely nailed my ghostly essence, making it impossible to manifest other powers. The second shattered the Thirteen Ghost Gates, severing any chance of breaking free. The third was purification—it didn’t burn, but instantly cleansed my ghost energy. For weaker ghosts, the first move alone could be fatal.
"Enough. It’s over. Zhang Qingyuan, as for this kind of corpse, do you know why it can move?"
I quietly watched Drake Kwan.
"It’s because of corpse energy. Zhang Qingyuan, the reason a corpse can stand and transform is because of the long-accumulated corpse energy. Once the quantity limit is broken and the quality elevated, the corpse transforms. All revenant actions rely on corpse energy. My ritual devours all the corpse energy inside, turning him into an ordinary corpse."
I quietly watched the Revenant Zhang Qingyuan. With a groan, a drawn-out note echoed in my mind.
Purge mode activated... 1%...
A smile crept onto my lips as I looked at Drake Kwan.
"What if it’s not a corpse, but a human?"