"Dust to dust, ashes to ashes, bury the ghost flames..."
I watched as Damian Chen's hands ignited with crimson flames. He charged toward Tina Yu with fierce intent.
A streak of fiery red light—I rushed forward, positioning myself between Tina Yu and Damian Chen. One of my hands, ablaze, grabbed Damian Chen's outstretched hand aimed at Tina Yu.
"What are you trying to do?" Damian Chen said coldly, lifting his head. His eyes brimmed with murderous intent, icy and inhuman. A chill ran down my spine, goosebumps prickling my skin.
A sizzling sound echoed—it was Damian Chen's hand. As I gripped his hand, the flames began to scorch his blackened skin, crackling and peeling away layer by layer. I stared in astonishment.
Damian Chen lifted his leg and kicked at me. I quickly raised my own leg—bang! I released his hand and was sent flying backward. As soon as I landed, I reached out to touch the fiery rope binding Tina Yu. A wave of chilling energy surged toward me.
My heart skipped a beat; my hand went numb. Suddenly, it felt as if my hand had been sliced open—blood spattered, fine wounds appearing all over. I sensed a powerful force repelling me.
"It's useless. The yang fire within you is strong, but it can't overcome the chill in my heart, Ethan Zhang. Third time we've met, isn't it?"
As Damian Chen spoke, he suddenly pulled out two red talismans. I'd seen these before—the old man and the blind woman both had them. The talismans bore the words 'Nether Pit.' With a roar, Damian Chen pressed the talismans together. Instantly, Tina Yu screamed as the crimson flames binding her engulfed her body.
I shouted, flames surging across my body. Then, reaching toward my chest, I plunged my hand into it.
"Phoenix Blade... burn away everything..."
Suddenly, the cry of a bird rang out. A massive, fiery red sword was drawn from my chest. I instantly turned and slashed at the red rope binding Tina Yu.
"Brace yourself!" I shouted, channeling my will into the flames, drawing them into the sword. With both hands raised, I swung the blade down in a single, swift motion.
A sizzling sound erupted. I saw black smoke billowing from the red rope binding Tina Yu, but the rope did not break. Astonished, I watched as wisps of black energy seeped out. Even through the Phoenix Blade, I could feel a bone-chilling cold.
"I told you, it's useless, Ethan Zhang. Only by defeating me can you break the spell—if you can do it."
As soon as I turned my head, Damian Chen lunged at me, both hands forming knife-like blades, raised high and chopping down.
I raised the Phoenix Blade to block him. But was this really a person? My heart raced. Still, my flames could hurt him. Though I didn't know what power Damian Chen was using, his whole body radiated a sinister energy.
A sizzling sound filled the air, accompanied by a burnt stench. I quickly withdrew the blade, but Damian Chen's eyes remained murderous as his hand-blades slashed down.
A sharp crack—I felt two deep gashes open across my chest. A massive force sent me flying, crashing into the cement wall on the rooftop. The impact broke off a chunk of concrete. Blood gushed from my mouth as I stared blankly at Damian Chen.
"Damn it, what the hell are you doing? Can't you just talk it out?"
Damian Chen's cloak billowed as he appeared before me, lifting his leg and kicking me in the cheek. I flew toward Don Howe, collapsing at his feet. Don Howe trembled, speechless, staring at me in terror.
I struggled to my feet and spat out a mouthful of blood. He truly wanted to kill me, showing no mercy at all.
Damian Chen charged at me again. This time, I was alert—I raised the Phoenix Blade and slashed at him. With a bang, Damian Chen caught the blade with one hand, while with the other, he pressed two fingers to his lips.
"Nether Pit..."
As he spoke, Damian Chen jabbed his fingers toward my chest, striking me several times.
"Seal—metal, fire, wood..."
Once again, I spat blood and fell back, cursing loudly.
"Damn it."
After hitting the ground, I immediately tried to ignite my flames, but something seemed to be stopping me. Even the Phoenix Blade in my hand began to fade away, dissolving into the air.
"It's useless, Ethan Zhang. You have brute strength, but you're no match for me. Die..."
Damian Chen leapt toward me. I glimpsed a cold glint on his hand—thinking of all the people he's killed, I quickly dodged to the side. With a whoosh, tufts of hair drifted down.
Damian Chen kicked at me again. I hurriedly blocked with both arms, but he sent me flying with a single kick. Now, my biggest worry was Tina Yu—she showed no signs of struggling, lying motionless on the ground, her feet already fading away.
Footsteps echoed—Damian Chen attacked once more, clearly intent on using his deadly techniques. I saw his left hand behind his back, right hand in front, forming a blade and chopping at me.
Just as I tried to get up and dodge, Damian Chen suddenly extended the hand he'd kept behind his back.
"Earth gives birth to wood—fix!"
Suddenly, my feet felt frozen—I couldn't move at all. With a heavy thud, I stared wide-eyed at Damian Chen, clearly hearing the sound of my bones breaking. Without hesitation, Damian Chen struck my right shoulder with a crushing hand-blade.
It felt as if my consciousness was about to collapse—I couldn't tell if what I saw was a man or a ghost. If he was human, he was fiercer than any ghost; if he was a ghost, he was truly human.
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I roared, swinging my fist at Damian Chen, landing a blow to his abdomen. He stared at me expressionlessly, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
"You claim to be human, yet you side with ghosts? Ethan Zhang, you're just like them—human, but with no sense of responsibility. Trash. Die."
"Damn it!" I shouted, tilting my head as pain shot through my shoulder. Damian Chen withdrew his hand-blade, his five fingers curled like an eagle's talon—thumb and pinky tucked in, three fingers extended, resembling deadly claws.
"Dragon's Claw—crush..."
In an instant, Damian Chen's eyes glowed like flashlights, beams of white light shooting out. Veins bulged across his twisted face, and the air vibrated with a piercing hum, all emanating from his claw-like hand.
I'm going to die, I thought, panic flooding my mind.
"Since you refuse to sit down and talk, I'll beat you down and then we'll talk."
I roared as Damian Chen struck. In that instant, flames erupted from my body again. With a thunderous crash, rubble flew everywhere as I fell downward—the floor cracked open and a column of fire shot skyward.
With a bang, I hit the ground, wracked with pain. But as the flames surged, my wounds began to heal. I screamed as black energy radiated from my body—except for my chest, where Damian Chen's punch had left a sunken, blackened patch that refused to heal.
I glared up angrily. That blow sent me down to the 17th floor—three floors below.
"Damn it, that bastard is ruthless."
Wincing in pain, I slowly stood up, flames igniting at my feet. I could feel a wave of coldness from the rooftop above. I roared.
"Damian Chen..." With a roar, a pillar of fire erupted. I pushed off the ground with all my strength, shooting upward. As my head broke through, I saw Damian Chen sitting on the floor, pale and gasping for breath.
"My turn." I clenched my fist, flames bursting forth, and smashed it into Damian Chen's face. With a bang, sparks flew as he was sent flying backward. When he regained his footing, flames surged across my body, but the pain in my chest was unbearable, the wound refusing to heal. Gritting my teeth, I tightened my fist.
As soon as Damian Chen hit the ground, he flipped upright, reaching out with both hands. I threw a punch, but he pressed one hand to my forehead, gripped my fist with the other, and drove his knee into me.
I felt a heaviness in my chest as he hurled me away. Suspended in midair, I saw three talismans radiating black energy flying toward me.
Ignoring the pain, I drew the Phoenix Blade from my chest and swung it forward. Instantly, flames erupted in the air, incinerating the three blackened talismans.
I crashed to the ground, gasping for breath as I stared at Damian Chen. He remained expressionless, spat out a tooth, and charged at me.
I turned to look—Tina Yu's aura was growing weaker, her body turning pale, as if she were about to vanish.
Seeing Damian Chen charge at me, I raised the Phoenix Blade and slashed at him. A wave of flames instantly engulfed him. Turning, I remembered Tina Yu was restrained by the Ghost-Piercing Awl, so I reached out to pull it free. The moment I touched it, a surge of electricity-like pain swept through my body.
"It's useless, Ethan Zhang. Someone like you can't pull it out."
A voice sounded behind me—it was Damian Chen. As I turned, he was already raising both hands high, his face scorched in several places.
"Dragon-Elephant Fusion..."
With a roar, I saw a dragon—right behind Damian Chen, a spectral dragon soared and danced.