The chaotic air currents around me suddenly stilled. My right hand was pitch black, fused with this ghostly weapon. I touched it with my left hand—it was hard, as if something had wrapped around it.
I stood up and walked over to Howard Lee, crouching in front of him and quietly watching. Howard Lee had stopped breathing; his pupils were dilated.
"Detective Stone, I won't let those bastards get away with this."
I reached out with my left hand, gently covering Howard Lee's cheek and closing his eyes. Although we had only spent a few days together, I felt that Howard Lee was an exceptional squad leader.
Watching Howard Lee and his team, it was clear they weren't just coworkers—they were like friends. The Ghost Burial Squad even called Howard Lee 'Old Rock,' but everyone respected him deeply, even though he lacked formal credentials.
I stood up, lifted my head, and looked above. The elevator was broken now—I couldn't get up.
"Son-in-law, don't look so gloomy."
Suddenly, a voice came from behind me. I turned around in surprise—it was Rachel Lan's father, Old Moe. A pungent stench hit me, mixed with the strong smell of alcohol.
"Old Moe..." I stared at the man behind me—Old Moe, who had suddenly appeared. He was hiccuping, his face flushed.
As Old Moe spoke, he reached a hand toward Howard Lee's chest.
I looked at him with a sense of grievance.
I was about to say something when Old Moe closed his eyes. Suddenly, an orange light flared up—like smoke, yet also like flowing water. An orange substance streamed from Old Moe's body, gradually covering Howard Lee.
Then, an unbelievable scene unfolded before my eyes: the dried blood on the ground slowly turned crimson and wet again. It was as if time had reversed—Howard Lee's wounds gradually disappeared, and his severed arm reattached itself.
"Ethan, when you get up there later, be careful. The one above is not easy to deal with—don't hesitate, even if you have to kill Vivian Ouyang."
"Hades Power—we, the Hades Circle, call it that. Impressive, isn't it?"
I swallowed and nodded. 'Impressive' didn't even begin to describe it—it was practically miraculous. The orange glow faded, and I saw Howard Lee's chest rise and fall again.
"In the past, there were members of the Hades Circle who couldn't handle the pressure of soul collection and tried to commit suicide. Even if their bodies were smashed to pulp after jumping from dozens of stories, they'd recover—unless a powerful ghost devoured them, there was no other way. You can't even die if you want to. Ironic, isn't it?"
I looked at Old Moe, only half understanding, as he crouched beside Howard Lee and sighed.
"Who exactly is he?"
I gasped, and in a flash, a Crimson Veil shot out from Uncle Mo's hand, wrapped around me, and sent me upward.
In just an instant, I found myself standing outside the elevator on the first floor. When I looked back, the Crimson Veil had already vanished.
A faint tremor seemed to alert me. Suddenly, my right hand—the Soulreaper Blade—moved on its own, swinging to the left.
"Scared just because you heard 'Ghost Sovereign'?"
I shook my head.
"Remember—aim for his heart. Don't hesitate. Stab."
Vivian Ouyang appeared in front of me, and my right hand—the Soulreaper Blade—moved again, slashing horizontally.
With a clang, Vivian Ouyang blocked my Soulreaper Blade with one hand.
"I don't want to expose myself just yet. It took a lot to escape the underworld—if I'm exposed, it'll be big trouble. If it weren't for this mess with Stone, I wouldn't have come out at all."
I gasped.
Something was behind me—a feeling surged again. I swung my Soulreaper Blade behind me. With a clang, it struck a whip. The whole space seemed to warp, and the person holding the whip appeared.
"I haven't fulfilled my duties as a father. It was Stone who really looked after my daughter—more like a father than I ever was. So, I can't just ignore my benefactor."
"Strange strength, chaotic spirits, summoning clouds, drawing the moon... mist..." The Ghost Syndicate member chanted. I was about to strike, but she vanished into a dense white fog.
I looked around—sure enough, a thick, white fog surrounded me. I couldn't see anything. Alert, I gripped my Soulreaper Blade tightly.
I was about to say something when Old Moe closed his eyes. Suddenly, an orange light flared up—like smoke, yet also like flowing water. Orange substance streamed from Old Moe's body, gradually covering Howard Lee.
With a swish, the fog split open. It was the Ghost Syndicate member with the corroded cheek, muttering something. Suddenly, he retreated, and I twisted my wrist, slashing upward.
With a clang, Vivian Ouyang grabbed my blade. I shouted, and black mist surged from the blade—Vivian Ouyang looked shocked.
"Hades Power—we, of the Hades Circle, call it that. Impressive, isn't it?"
Then, with a boom, black mist erupted from the Soulreaper Blade, blasting away the fog. Vivian Ouyang disappeared, but I knew exactly where the other two Ghost Syndicate members were.
"In the past, there were members of the Hades Circle who couldn't handle the pressure of soul collection and tried to commit suicide. Even if their bodies were smashed to pulp after jumping from dozens of stories, they'd recover—unless a powerful ghost devoured them, there was no other way. You can't even die if you want to. Ironic, isn't it?"
I was about to ask something, but Uncle Mo stood up, looking like he was about to leave.
"Son-in-law, treat my daughter well."
I gasped, and in a flash, a Crimson Veil shot out from Uncle Mo's hand, wrapped around me, and sent me upward.
In just an instant, I found myself standing outside the elevator on the first floor. When I looked back, the Crimson Veil had already vanished.
A faint tremor seemed to alert me. Suddenly, my right hand—the Soulreaper Blade—moved on its own, swinging to the left.
With a swish, accompanied by a mournful wail, a ghost instantly turned to ash.
I stared in surprise as the tremor in my right hand grew stronger.
"You actually managed to suppress it, Ethan Zhang."
Mona Ouyang appeared in front of me, and my right hand—the Soulreaper Blade—moved again, slashing horizontally.
With a clang, Mona Ouyang blocked my Soulreaper Blade with one hand.
A feeling surged in my heart—I knew I had to dodge. Immediately, I rolled to the side.
With a thunderous boom, chunks of stone flew everywhere. I saw the elevator doors behind me explode, and a huge chunk of the adjacent wall was blown away.
Something was behind me—a feeling surged again. I swung my Soulreaper Blade behind me. With a clang, it struck a whip. The whole space seemed to warp, and the person holding the whip appeared.
"Strange strength, chaotic spirits, summoning clouds, drawing the moon... mist..." The Ghost Syndicate member chanted. I was about to strike, but she vanished into a dense white fog.
I looked around—sure enough, a thick, white fog surrounded me. I couldn't see anything. Alert, I gripped my Soulreaper Blade tightly.
That feeling surged again in my heart. I dashed forward, raising my Soulreaper Blade and slashing ahead.
With a swish, the fog split open. It was the Ghost Syndicate member with the corroded cheek, muttering something. Suddenly, he retreated, and I twisted my wrist, slashing upward.
With a clang, Mona Ouyang grabbed my blade. I shouted, and black mist surged from the blade—Mona Ouyang looked shocked.
"Get outside first."
Then, with a boom, black mist erupted from the Soulreaper Blade, blasting away the fog. Mona Ouyang disappeared, but I knew exactly where the other two Ghost Syndicate members were.
I gripped the Soulreaper Blade and dashed to the right, plunging into the fog. I swung my blade into the white mist.
With a scream, the fog instantly dispersed. The man with the whip stared at me in disbelief, then quickly lashed his whip around a pillar outside the main door and swung himself away at high speed.
"Obey my command..."
Suddenly, three ghosts lunged at me, faces twisted in rage. The one I had just cut had already turned to ash, but the Ghost Syndicate members treated their controlled ghosts as mere shields.
Anger surged inside me, and black mist poured out from my body. The three ghosts froze, looking terrified.
"Get out of my way if you want to live."
With that, I charged forward.
"It's Ghost Web—be careful! Ordinary methods won't work on this guy," Mona Ouyang shouted.
The two Ghost Syndicate members noticed too. The one with the whip rushed at me, chanting something under his breath as he lashed out.
I raised the Soulreaper Blade to strike, but suddenly felt something grab my leg. Looking down, I saw two ghosts emerging from the ground, clinging to my thighs, mouths open to bite.
A sudden force yanked my Soulreaper Blade—it was caught by the whip.
"Damn it..." I cursed, then, with a flash of steel, the two ghosts clutching my legs were sliced to ash.
A stream of black mist flowed quickly along the Ghost Syndicate member's whip.
"Let go—now!" Mona Ouyang shouted, but it was too late. As soon as the black mist touched the Ghost Syndicate member, his skin began to char and burn away, leaving only bare bone.
With a sickening crunch, the Ghost Syndicate member didn't hesitate—he commanded one of his ghosts to bite off his own arm that was turning to bone.
The Ghost Syndicate member screamed in agony.
"Golden Light of the Earth, Six Gates of Strange Armor, Upright Shadowless, Nine Qi Subdued, Concealed Light Chronicles, Heavenly Gang Spike... Nail..."
A barrage of yellow-glowing spikes shot up around me. My left hand brushed one, and I screamed in pain.
Suddenly, the whip-wielding Ghost Syndicate member, though missing both arms, charged at me. I saw his cheeks bulge.
I realized the situation was dire and quickly swung the Soulreaper Blade at the yellow light.
With a splatter, something green sprayed from the Ghost Syndicate member's mouth, splashing onto me. I screamed as writhing white maggots crawled all over my body, each with a tiny mouth full of sharp teeth.