“Amitabha, Benefactor Zhang, this old monk has something to say. I hope you will hear me out.” Brother Owen, the spectral monk of ghostly insects, slowly descended before me from the sky.
“What do you want?” I gripped the Duskmourn Twinblades tightly, and everyone behind me drew closer.
“The corpse behind you must be someone important to you, Benefactor Zhang. But the person is dead. No matter how much you grieve, it is futile. The Buddha Statue of Visions is one of the Twelve Buddha Dream Relics, manifestations bestowed upon monks with profound Buddhist affinity. It is a product of the Buddha’s dream, and this old monk only wishes to reclaim the Buddha Statue of Visions, so that...”“
I shook my head.
“I want to take my cousin home.”
I said firmly. Brother Owen just smiled without replying.
“It seems the young monk behind you also has a deep Buddhist affinity, which is why the Buddha Statue of Visions has attached itself to him. This old monk only wishes to retrieve the Buddha Statue of Visions; then, you may take his corpse away.”
“Hahaha, Brother Owen, you make it sound so easy. Now that it has attached itself, the only way is to crush the corpse and extract the Buddha Statue of Visions. By then, I’m afraid you won’t even recognize the body, Ethan Zhang.”
Quinn Lee laughed loudly, then suddenly transformed into a flash of green light. In the blink of an eye, Quinn Lee was beside my cousin’s corpse, reaching out to grab him.
“Damn...” I shouted, instantly raising the Duskmourn Twinblades and slashing at Quinn Lee. With a clang, Quinn Lee blocked my airborne strike with the twin swords.
"Enough of this, Ethan Zhang. You’ve done enough. All I want is the Buddha Statue of Visions. It’s just a corpse—what’s there to be afraid of?"
As Ye Guyun spoke, I realized that his Specter-Green Ghosts had already surrounded us, holding everyone hostage.
"You..." My fists clenched so hard that my knuckles cracked.
"It seems, Lord Ye, that today we are destined to compete for the Buddha Statue of Visions."
The Ghostworm Monk spoke, and a swarm of Specter-Green Ghosts gathered behind him, each releasing a strange mist.
"Ghostworm Monk, Ye Guyun, since you’re here, don’t think about leaving."
Just then, Ghost Rakshasa’s voice echoed from the sky. The ground erupted with a thunderous roar as thick roots burst forth. Black roots, with purple, branch-like hands, shot out, grabbing a Specter-Green Ghost and draining it dry in an instant, leaving nothing but smoke.
"Heh, Lord Ghost Rakshasa, I’m just here for the excitement."
Ghostworm Monk waved his hand, and all the Specter-Green Ghosts vanished into his robe. He deftly dodged the grasping hands and flew out of the city, disappearing from sight.
"Hmph, Ghost Rakshasa, I’ve already got what I came for."
Ye Guyun grabbed my cousin’s corpse and flew out of the city. His men released the others, and Ghost Rakshasa burst into wild laughter.
At that moment, I saw the massive Rakshasa Tree looming before me.
In a flash, just as Ye Guyun was about to escape, purple vines shot out from the Rakshasa Tree, wrapping around my cousin’s body. With a vicious snap, one vine tore off his arm and dragged him back. The others were ensnared and pulled toward the tree as well.
I roared, raising both blades, hacking through countless vines.
"Ethan Zhang, what will you do now? Hahaha... Those fools, dreaming of getting the Buddha Statue of Visions. When they come back, I’ll deal with them one by one."
I charged down the street, roaring, drawing closer. Everyone was entangled by purple vines, dragged toward the Rakshasa Tree. In the distance, I saw a shadow—it was Dalton Fang.
"Hmph, damned monk, you dared mess with my heart. You’d better think about how you’ll die."
With a crash, I collapsed to the ground, unable to move, my limbs weak. Ghost Rakshasa’s furious laughter echoed above the city.
Suddenly, amidst the laughter, cries of women rang out across the sky. I looked up and saw the Rakshasa Tree covered in hanging female ghosts, each dangling like fruit, with a purple vine sprouting from their heads.
Thunder rumbled, clouds churned, and darkness swallowed the sky.
With a soft thud, Mia Lin landed before me, wrapped in a red cloth, her face pale and pained.
"Ethan Zhang, think of something—bring Mr. Dalton Fang back!"
I shook my head at Mia Lin.
"He’s not the Dalton Fang you knew anymore. Nothing affects him now. He’s just a ghost obsessed with becoming the Ghost Sovereign, the evil spirit known as Ghost Rakshasa. There’s no trace of you left in his eyes."
Mia Lin gave a faint smile and shook her head.
"Mr. Dalton is still Mr. Dalton. There’s only one Dalton Fang in this world. Maybe you little ghosts don’t understand what love is..."
My eyes widened as tears streamed down Mia Lin’s face.
"Why? You..."
"Why do you think, Ethan Zhang? In this world, there are humans and ghosts..."
I stared blankly at Mia Lin.
"Because we’re human. Only humans can kill evil spirits. Ethan Zhang, remember this—no matter now or in the future—only humans..."
I nodded, half-understanding, slowly supporting myself to stand. Above, purple lightning crackled, thunder deafening.
A torrential downpour began, black raindrops as big as beans pelting me, mingling with tears of resentment and sorrow.
I looked up and saw Rachel Lan, still struggling.
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"Maybe so. I don’t understand what love is, but right now, I just want to protect her, protect everyone. That feeling is enough..."
"Want to go up, Ethan Zhang?" It was the Iron Masked Man, appearing behind me. I turned and nodded at him.
In an instant, the Iron Masked Man’s black wings unfurled. I crouched, leapt skyward, and landed steadily on his back, gripping the Duskmourn Twinblades tightly.
"You’ve come, Ethan Zhang? Ha! Let’s see how you fight me. More sorrow, more resentment, hahahaha..."
The female ghosts hanging from the tree wailed louder, as if tormented, their cries turning into agonized screams.
Purple beams of light shot from all sides of the Rakshasa Tree as the Iron Masked Man swiftly carried me through the air.
With a creak, I saw two massive hands formed from countless purple vines emerge from the trunk. One hand clenched into a fist and smashed toward us, the force so intense that the skin on my face rippled.
The Iron Masked Man radiated killing intent, darting like a black meteor through the web of purple beams. Just as the giant fist was about to strike, he accelerated, a burst of black light flaring as he whisked me out of danger.
"Now, Ethan Zhang! That thing’s main ghost soul is in its mouth. Let’s go!"
With a roar, I charged as the Iron Masked Man carried me toward the giant mouth on the Rakshasa Tree’s trunk.
"We’re going in."
As the Iron Masked Man spoke, a sea of purple fire erupted before us, blocking our path.
"Don’t even think about it, Ethan Zhang..."
With a clang, a vast space split open to our side. A giant purple fist burst forth. The Iron Masked Man stopped abruptly, raising both hands to shield us.
"Go, Ethan Zhang!"
As the fist struck the Iron Masked Man, black light flared, and he hurled me backward.
Then, with a crash, the Iron Masked Man vanished. In the distance, shattered houses were reduced to rubble.
"I had a dream, cousin..."
As I fell, my cousin’s gentle voice echoed through the sky, clear and soft.
"Cousin..." I shouted, eyes wide.
"In my dream, I saw fairies and Buddha. But I prefer the fairies—they’re beautiful. Still, a woman’s tears fell on my heart, and I couldn’t bear to leave..."
As I fell, tears of joy streamed down my face. I stared at the sky, where a crack opened and a blinding golden light descended, shining on my cousin’s body.
A sizzling sound rang out as the branches around the golden light on the Rakshasa Tree burst into flames and crumbled to ash.
"Ah..." Ghost Rakshasa screamed as the tree trembled violently.
"It’s Buddhist power..." The Rakshasa Tree began to flee from the golden light.
I was still falling when, suddenly, a hand caught me—it was the Iron Masked Man, holding me tightly.
"Heh, that kid Howard Zhang is something else..." The Iron Masked Man, battered and dusty, smiled.
Bathed in golden light, my cousin’s body floated in midair. All around, chants of Buddhist scripture echoed, gradually drowning out the women’s cries.