"Since you already know why I'm here, come back with me, Miss."
Zane Zhuang kept shouting, the wraiths behind him were getting closer and closer.
With a cackling sound, the little girl in front of him started laughing, but her smile was purely wicked.
"I'm not the Miss you're looking for. I was born with that infant, existing only in her illusions—a being called Instinct. Haha..."
The little girl kept laughing. Without hesitation, Zane Zhuang grabbed her hand, hoisted her onto his back, and took off running. The wraiths behind them suddenly seemed to go wild, wailing as their speed increased, closing in.
Zane Zhuang was running as fast as he could, but it still looked like he was about to be surrounded by the wraiths.
"We've found it."
Ghost Painting Book Immortal muttered, and Three-Eyed nodded beside him.
"That should be it. The leaf is glowing like this—let's quickly pull out the Specter Web. Once his vitality returns, he should be able to come back."
Ghost Painting Book Immortal hurriedly began pulling out strands of Specter Web from Zane Zhuang, whose face had turned pale. Three-Eyed immediately pressed down on Ghost Painting Book Immortal's hand.
"Don't be so hasty. Vitality needs to recover slowly. If you pull it out too fast, you'll damage the boy's soul."
So, the two carefully withdrew the strands of Specter Web from Zane Zhuang's body, one by one.
At this moment, Zane Zhuang could barely run anymore. He kept dodging through the forest, trying to escape the wraiths that wanted to devour him, exhaustion creeping in.
"Kid, if you see light later, run toward it."
At that moment, an old voice drifted down from above—it was Ghost Painting Book Immortal. Zane Zhuang nodded, the little girl on his back still cackling.
"Why do you bother with all this pointless trouble? What's in it for you?"
"Miss, I have to take you back."
Zane Zhuang spoke hurriedly, but suddenly, two wraiths grabbed his feet. He roared, kicking one of them away.
"Get away from me!"
With a furious howl, Zane Zhuang kicked several wraiths aside, but he was nearly surrounded. All around him was darkness—there was no light.
"Get away! Get away!"
Zane Zhuang, face twisted with rage, kept shouting as he kicked at the wraiths. The pent-up anger inside him finally erupted.
As a child, he had witnessed his mother tortured to death, powerless and trembling in the corner. His rage—hysterical, overwhelming—had been buried in his heart all these years, never released.
And again, after his father had a son, Zane still held a sliver of hope for him. Yet, that night when his father sent him to Fan Li, there wasn't a word—only helplessness. Zane's heart was filled with nothing but rage, extreme rage.
And then, seeing his closest friend, Yin Youchen—he knew exactly what would happen to him, tried to stop it but couldn't, powerless. That sense of loss made Zane furious at his own helplessness.
"This time, I'll make it happen. I swear, Youchen..."
With a crash, Zane Zhuang roared and kicked aside a whole swath of wraiths. Finally, he saw a bright white light in the distance—like hope. He charged toward it with the little girl on his back.
Closer and closer, Zane felt fatigue, hunger, and drowsiness. He knew time was running out, but if he reached the white light, he could go back.
The wraiths chasing him had fallen far behind. At last, Zane reached the white light and, without hesitation, rushed in with the little girl on his back.
A warm current began to pull Zane upward, bit by bit. Just then, the little girl on his back suddenly broke free, her cackling laughter echoing as she floated outside the white light, grinning wickedly.
"I told you, I don't want to go back. If you want to return, go by yourself."
Zane Zhuang's body was slowly fading away. Eyes wide, he watched as the wraiths began to lunge at the little girl.
Suddenly, Zane broke free from the white light's grip and leapt to the girl's side in an instant. The white light behind him was slowly disappearing.
The hunger, exhaustion, and drowsiness in his body vanished instantly. Instead, Zane felt light as air.
"Oh, you're really foolish. Now you can't go back."
Zane Zhuang raised his fists in fury, watching the wraiths rush toward him. He roared and charged, black mist boiling off his skin.
Zane's rage turned into fierce punches. As the wraiths swarmed, he struck them again and again, the little girl's disdainful laughter echoing behind him.
"So many of them—how can you handle it alone? Soon you'll be just like them, once they've devoured you."
"I won't fall—not until I've saved Miss."
Zane Zhuang roared, fists flying. The wraiths gathered in a thick, white mass all around, but Zane stood at the center with the girl, blocking their attacks. His eyes blazed with fury, but held no confusion.
Gradually, more and more wraiths turned to ash, but Zane Zhuang still hadn't fallen. He vented his fury, and the little girl's look of disdain vanished, replaced by surprise.
Surprise turned to shock. The number of wraiths in the forest dwindled. Zane lost track of how many punches he'd thrown, how many wraiths he'd slain. His eyes were bloodshot, still swinging. Time no longer mattered.
"You... you actually..."
The little girl was stunned. She watched as Zane Zhuang fought for seven days straight, killing every wraith that came near without falling once. She was utterly shocked.
"Miss, it's over now. You're safe."
Finally exhausted, Zane Zhuang plopped down on the ground, his arms too heavy to lift.
The little girl giggled and sat down beside him.
"You're really something. Still, there's no going back now. You and I are both already dead."
Suddenly, Zane Zhuang stood up, looking around, and stretched out a hand.
"Come on, Miss. I'll get you home—I promise."
The little girl's face showed hesitation.
"Go back? How? You can't go back from here."
"If you can come in, you can get out."
Zane Zhuang said firmly. Finally, the little girl placed her hand in his.
Meanwhile, in the world of the living, Ghost Painting Book Immortal, Three-Eyed, and Zane Zhuang's mother were all shocked. Zane had lain still for seven days, yet his Quinn's Vital Essence hadn't leaked away. Aside from being pale and weak, his body showed no abnormal signs. His breathing was faint, but he was still alive. The infant girl beside him was the same.
"Hey, don't go that way—there are lots of wraiths."
The little girl clung to Zane's back. The two wandered through the forest, searching for a way out. Hours passed. Along the way, they dealt with many wraiths.
"See? There are so many again. No matter how many you fight, you'll never finish. Let's go around."
Zane nodded. Strangely, the wraiths were much quieter now when they saw them. Only a few would suddenly rush forward, but Zane dealt with them quickly.
"Well, I don't really care. But you—you're in trouble this time. There's no way you're getting back."
Zane Zhuang smiled faintly, though inside he was furious at the helplessness of it all.
He had no idea how long they'd been walking. Now, the wraiths didn't attack him at all. Just then, the little girl climbed down from Zane's back and started giggling.
"Alright, I'll show you a way. If you can make it, maybe there's hope. Here, take this—it's Quinn's Vital Essence."
As she spoke, the little girl handed Zane a bright, white mass. He stared at her in surprise as she floated upward, pointing to the distance. Zane saw a pitch-black path ahead.
"Go on."
"What about you?"
Zane looked at the little girl, astonished.
"When the infant girl grows up, maybe we'll meet again. Whether she awakens or not, I can't say. I'm just a part of her, something unreal—something that doesn't truly exist."
"What do you mean?"
Zane Zhuang looked at the little girl. She gently took his large hand in hers.
"Promise me, when you grow up, you'll come see me."
Zane nodded. Suddenly, the little girl burst into scattered red particles of light, vanishing before him.
Staring at the black path ahead, Zane swallowed hard. As soon as he stepped onto it, his once-quiet anger surged up from deep inside, a powerful force seeming to suppress him.
"If I take this path, I can go back, right?"
Zane said, then started running down the black path.
Roaring voices flooded Zane's ears, splitting his head with pain. He kept moving forward, though the road seemed endless.
"Oh, haha, it's the first time I've seen someone step onto the Path of Asura. What a rare sight!"
Just then, a playful laugh echoed from afar. In the distance, Zane saw pitch-black mountains. Startled, he clenched his fists and stepped forward.