With a thunderous boom, I moved by sheer will and drove my fist into Hades' palm. I located him precisely, and to my shock, he caught my punch with a single upraised hand—the same force I used to blast apart his head just moments ago.
"What's wrong? Surprised? I caught your fist—your full-strength blow."
Hades lifted his head as he spoke, gazing up at Hell's Eye in the sky.
"So quickly, it's already begun to follow your will. Heh, interesting. I'll play along with you, Ethan Zhang."
With a resonant hum, my vision spun rapidly. I shoved Hades away, but in an instant, he appeared before me, raising a single hand and slapping down hard.
"Do you really think you've gained invincible power, Ethan Zhang? It's just the fusion of your three souls. You're still ten thousand years too early to take me on."
With a sharp crack, I extended a single finger, stopping Hades' descending palm. He stared at me in disbelief.
"It's true—if it were just me, I wouldn't be your match. But now, I'm not quite the same as the three souls you once knew, Hades. I'll say it again: bring Lan Yin back, unless you want to be utterly humiliated."
I glared at Hades in fury. He burst out laughing, and in that instant, my eyes turned one black and one white, black-green energy swirling around me. Hades froze for a split second, then was sent flying backward. I stared motionless at Hades, now sprawled on the ground—his every move was crystal clear in my mind. He couldn't escape.
"It's just too unfair, Hell."
As Hades spoke, his expression grew serious.
A crackling sound echoed. Sensing Hades' trajectory, I was already upon him, bringing down the Endslash in my hand. With a swift slash, I severed Hades' raised arms. He immediately retreated, turning into a stream of yellow energy, but I darted forward, grabbed him from the flow, and slammed him onto the black ground with a thunderous crash.
"I came here in good spirits, but it seems you're not joking, Ethan Zhang. Very well, let me respond with my true power."
A rumble filled the air as a streak of orange appeared on Hades' body. In an instant, the hand I gripped dissolved away. He stood before me, fist raised—before I could even lift my head, his fist struck my cheek. I was hurled away by immense force, my body beginning to dissolve in the orange energy stream. I didn't know what kind of power this was, but it shattered the high-density baleful aura surrounding me.
With a heavy thud, I skidded a long way before coming to a stop. Hades was in front of me again, fist raised, swinging at me.
Crackling filled the air as black lightning crawled across my body. With a thunderous burst, black lightning erupted—this time, I wasn't sent flying. Instead, the now-corporeal Hades was blasted backward. I shot after him as a streak of black lightning, with green light mingling within it. Without hesitation, I drove my sword through Hades' body. He glared at me in rage, wanting to escape but finding himself unable to move.
With a roar, a pitch-black evil ghost appeared above my head, its hands clamping down on Hades' shoulders. His eyes widened in shock.
"I'll say it again—bring Lan Yin back."
"And what if I refuse?"
Hades spat out the words viciously.
"Destroy you."
My eyes widened, the sound of grinding filled the air. Hades screamed in terror as my power slowly began to draw him into my body.
"Don't even think about it, Ethan Zhang! Don't you dare!"
Hades roared in fury, and suddenly his body exploded with a bang. I withdrew my manifested instinct, instantly sensing Hades' location. I moved in and slashed at him with my sword.
A black bolt of lightning swept across in an instant, charring Hades' body in its wake. He landed on the ground, gasping for breath as he looked at me.
"You're no match for me, Hades."
I landed in front of Hades, my heart filled with a strange emotion. The figure before me was dangerous—though I couldn't say why, that feeling surged within me. As my killing intent grew, I noticed the entire black ground was writhing, undulating like waves beneath us.
"What are you trying to do, Ethan Zhang?"
Hades stared at me in panic, his body slowly rising into the air. My eyes widened—I sensed something. As I looked up, I saw that the massive eye in the sky was now very close to us.
"If you destroy me, everyone in Hades will die—including Lan Ruoxi."
My eyes widened, but at that moment, Hades was already being pulled toward the massive eye in the sky. I rushed to his side and grabbed hold of him.
Gradually, the tremors faded away. As my killing intent subsided, everything returned to normal. I looked down—the eye on the ground had opened a thin slit, but was no longer moving.
"What on earth is going on?"
I asked, while black smoke still billowed from Hades. He stared at me in disbelief.
"Now it's almost certain—Hell has truly chosen you. So when your will moves, Hell follows. Just now, Hell wanted to devour me, to kill me according to your intent."
I crouched down in front of Hades.
"Please, take me down there. I have to find Lan Yin and bring him back."
"Why are you so obsessed with a dead man?"
I shook my head, then replied.
"Maybe to you, Lan Yin is dead. Maybe to himself, he's dead too. But to me and my wife, he's still alive. The people of Hades need Lan Yin."
Hades chuckled and struggled to his feet, his body still charred. The power of Endslash was still affecting him.
"Even if he returns, it won't solve anything. Back when the people of Hades could still reincarnate, things were much better. But now, they can't reincarnate—most can only eke out an existence in the Animal Realm. I've already foreseen the destruction of Hades."
I shook my head and pulled Hades up from the ground.
"Why did you try to stop the people of Hades from marrying outsiders before? Was it to prevent the spread of tragedy?"
"There's no point talking about it now, Ethan Zhang. Things in this world never go exactly as you wish. Sometimes, to maintain stability, you have to make hard choices—even if they're cruel, you must choose. There's no such thing as absolute perfection."
I said nothing, just watched Hades quietly. His eyes were heavy with concern.
"So, Ethan Zhang, all this tragedy is the result of those ten people's choices. Their descendants must bear it, until they're wiped out. There's no way to change it."
I smiled faintly and shook my head.
"Take me down there."
Hades stared at me blankly for a long while, then shook his head.
"Come with me."
I followed Hades, floating toward Hell's Eye. When we reached the top of the eye, Hades raised a hand, and a well appeared beneath our feet, filled with yellow energy. I swallowed nervously.
"Below is Hades. Go down. If Lan Yin is willing to return with you, you can take him, but it won't change anything. Even if he comes back, the root of the problem remains."
"Thank you."
With a whoosh, I dove into the well. In an instant, I arrived in a place shrouded in white mist, gray rubble below, the air thick with despair. I looked around.
"Lan Yin!"
I shouted, but got no response. Expanding my consciousness, I was surprised to find the area only about the size of a soccer field. I flew up, but no matter how far I went, I couldn't find an edge—yet my mind could sense the boundaries. It was a very strange place.
"Is that you, Qingyuan?"
A voice drifted over from the other side of the mist. I rushed over, but didn't see Lan Yin—though I definitely heard his voice.
"Lan Yin, come back with me."
I called out again, but laughter echoed from all directions. I was sure—it was Lan Yin's voice.
"Go back, Qingyuan. None of this matters anymore. I once thought that regaining my lost faith and gaining great power could change everything—even the fate of the people of Hades. But it was all futile. Now that I'm here, nothing matters."
"Lan Yin, come back with me."
I kept calling out, but after a long time, Lan Yin's voice was gone.
"I don't know what Hades was like at the beginning, or how things got this bad. But I do know that now, Hades is leaderless and in chaos. You know, Ruoxi has shattered the hopes of the people of Hades—she's told everyone that even if they complete their tasks, they can't reincarnate."
A burst of hearty laughter rang out.
"That girl really is something. Who would've thought she'd do that as soon as she became head of the Lan family."
I smiled and replied.
"It's true—Ruoxi's actions surprised me completely. So, Lan Yin, you have to come back with me."
"What can I do if I go back? The people of Hades are already..."
I shook my head. By now, I could sense Lan Yin's presence, but still couldn't find him in the mist.
"Because for so long, you've watched over the people of Hades—from birth to death. And now, so many of them are still alive, all born under your watch. So take responsibility, Lan Yin. As the patriarch of Hades, you have both the duty and the obligation to see them through to the end. Come back with me, Lan Yin—I'll say it again. If you refuse, I'll drag you back by force if I have to."