"I'm ready."
Future Ethan Zhang spoke as he approached us. Just as Qi was leaving, Tan Tian suddenly spoke up.
"There's still time to regret this."
Future Ethan Zhang sneered and shook his head.
"Don't you know? A person named Ethan Zhang never regrets once he's made up his mind, right!"
I smiled and nodded, letting out a soft "ah."
"Of course. I won't regret it."
"Listen carefully, Ethan Zhang. Once you take half of your innate power, you may feel unwell for a while. The new fusion of human and ghost powers—the gray baleful aura—won't appear again. But I'll seal all your memories of this in here, so when you lose consciousness, just silently trust your Ghost Souls. Got it?"
I responded with a quiet "mm." At that moment, a baleful ghost whooshed out of my body, followed by each of the Ghost Souls emerging one after another.
"At last, I can fulfill my long-cherished wish. Hahaha."
Yin Ghost laughed coldly. Tong Ghost and Resentful Ghost both looked excited, while Spirit Snake and Zhu Tang seemed somewhat unwilling. Curse Ghost and Desire Ghost showed no reaction.
"Qingyuan, tell us—what would it take for you to trust what we're saying?"
"I'll believe whatever you say. After all, you've never lied to me. You're my friends."
As I spoke, the Baleful Ghost nodded.
"Then that's what we'll say: your human powers will be completely sealed, to make your strength more stable and better prepared for the upcoming war in the living world. How does that sound? We need your consent. Except for Zhu Tang and Spirit Snake, the rest of us belong to the Yin aspect. Once you become a ghost, our connection with you will grow stronger, and all your ghost powers—as well as your evil thoughts—will be fully unleashed."
I swallowed and nodded.
"Leave it to me, Qingyuan. Evil thoughts are just part of being a ghost—no big deal. I'll help you keep them under control."
Desire Ghost patted his chest and declared solemnly.
"Can you promise me one thing? Until I find a way, don't tell me anything—even if I die. I don't want to know, because knowing might affect Roxie."
The Ghost Souls all nodded. I looked over at Future Ethan Zhang.
"We can begin."
The Ghost Souls exchanged glances for a moment, then nodded.
"We'll go prepare first. You need to summon your instinct to coexist, Qingyuan."
I replied with a soft "mm." The Ghost Souls entered my body one by one. I glanced at Seven and gave a gentle smile.
"Trust me, Seven."
"I will. No matter what happens, I'll always trust you, Ethan Zhang. You're someone I can rely on."
Seven said this and turned away, glancing at Future Ethan Zhang. He looked aside, his expression growing somber.
"Let's begin."
In an instant, Future Ethan Zhang's expression changed. He twisted the sword hilt, and a powerful current of air began to swirl. My consciousness vanished in a flash, and Seven lost consciousness as well.
"What are you trying to do? Are you planning to betray Ethan Zhang?"
The moment I woke up, my eyes flew open. Coexistence—a half-white, half-black humanoid—was already bound by a black chain. Curse Ghost, Yin Ghost, and Baleful Ghost were holding Coexistence down tightly.
"Your Ghost Souls..."
"This is my will, Coexistence."
I spoke, walking slowly forward. Coexistence's black and white eyes looked at me, full of confusion.
"I'm going to give half of your human power to the person behind me."
As I said this, Seven was already standing behind me. Coexistence stared at me in a daze, silent. Everyone was quiet. Meanwhile, black pillars kept falling from the sky. Gradually, I saw the surface of some pillars begin to peel away, and the demon, bound by a red chain, with pointed white fangs and a slowly transforming head, kept spitting white mist, its crimson eyes glaring at us, letting out deep howls.
In an instant, the bound Coexistence on the ground turned into two streams of white and black energy, merging and scattering into nothing.
"As you wish, Ethan Zhang. There is no confusion in your heart. Coexistence is willing to live for you, and also willing to die for you."
"I'm sorry."
As I spoke, a stream of black energy appeared. Future Ethan Zhang was already standing before the materialized Evil Ghost. A thunderous roar erupted—the Evil Ghost, bound by the red chain, seemed to sense something, roaring excitedly at me.
"This time, you are truly dead, Ethan Zhang. There is no more life, only death."
Future Ethan Zhang said this. I responded with a quiet "mm," then looked at Future Ethan Zhang as he pressed one hand against the red chain.
"First, we have to unleash all your ghostly power. Only then will your suppressed human power reveal itself. The eight of you—find a way to restrain Ethan Zhang. I'll wait for the right moment to separate the human and ghost powers directly."
My heart trembled. The eight Ghost Souls surrounded me. The clatter of chains sounded—a red and black chain, infused with curse power and baleful energy, bound me tightly.
"If you become a ghost, baleful energy will no longer be your main power. Instead, the powers of Spirit Snake and Zhu Tang may become burdens for you."
"What do you mean, 'burden,' you bastard?"
Zhu Tang immediately cursed, while Baleful Ghost hurriedly waved his hand and smiled.
"To avoid becoming a burden to Qingyuan, you must turn your will to the Yin aspect—completely accept that you are no longer a holy spirit, but an unclean thing, a shadowy existence as a ghost. Can you do that?"
Spirit Snake sighed.
"I've already been tainted, so I don't care anymore. Let's do it!"
The moment Zhu Tang finished speaking, Future Ethan Zhang shattered the red chain.
With a roar, the world spun around me. All I saw was a ghostly face—shriveled, wrinkled black skin, blood-red eyes, a pointed face, white fangs—and a foul stench hit me. I screamed, throwing my head back, a tingling sensation running through my body. The chain binding me began to crack. My consciousness felt like it would burst. I grinned as white fangs slowly extended from my mouth—my body was changing.
A furry sensation ran along my spine. Black hair sprouted all over my body. My eyeballs bulged. I could feel the chilling transformation. My hands grew sharp black claws.
Huff.
I exhaled a cloud of milky-white vapor. Instantly, the white stream shot out, and the surrounding white pillars gradually turned black.
I howled in rage, my heart filled with negative emotions. With a bang, I broke free of the chains, bursting past the eight Ghost Souls, flying toward the milky-white vapor. I wanted to devour it—my stomach was already starving, hunger flooding my mind and controlling my will. That white vapor was human power, a delicacy for ghosts. My mind was clear, but I couldn't control my ghostly instincts.
Black drool dripped constantly from my mouth. My crimson tongue stretched out. Just as I was about to reach the milky-white vapor, Future Ethan Zhang flew over, grabbed the vapor, and each Ghost Soul reached out a hand, forcing me down to the ground. The hunger was still driving me mad.
"Got it. The timing is perfect."
Future Ethan Zhang said, stepping toward Seven.
"I'm going to give half of your instinct to Seven now, Ethan Zhang. If you agree, blink your eyes!"
I struggled to control my face, finally managing to blink. My eyes felt like ping pong balls. The moment I succeeded, my body felt as if it were being torn apart. The pain drove me mad.
With a boom, the eight Ghost Souls flew outward. A green glow emerged from my body. I roared, tongue out, saliva flying, and rushed at Seven.
The tearing sensation grew stronger—I was almost losing consciousness from the pain. Green light blazed from my body. In an instant, I reached Seven, biting at the milky-white vapor Future Ethan Zhang was placing into Seven's body.
Bang—a hand struck my jaw. My mouth snapped shut, and the hunger vanished instantly. I felt in control of my body again, utterly astonished.
I immediately looked at my body—like old tree bark.
"What on earth..."
"You are now a complete ghost, Ethan Zhang. Of course, you'll need to learn to control your ghostly instincts. It won't be easy, but Isabelle Frost will teach you how."
Future Ethan Zhang said this. I raised my head in a daze and nodded.
At this moment, Seven smiled, turning into particles of light and disappearing into my Instinctive Space. I watched the fading light and nodded.