At that moment, Walter Cao pulled a sharp emerald-green spike from his back and hurled it at me with deadly force.
With a sharp hiss, the needle pierced my right shoulder—I screamed in agony. The instant it struck, my whole body throbbed with stabbing pain. I gripped the needle embedded in my shoulder, hovering in midair while still controlling the black mud below.
From the Black Mud Swamp on the ground, a massive black mud snake surged out, jaws wide open. With a snap, it swallowed Walter Cao whole and dragged him into the swamp.
I kept channeling Deathbane Aura and Yin Energy into the Black Mud Swamp. I had to find a way to trap Walter Cao. The emerald-green spike was incredibly tough—my Deathbane Dagger nearly shattered against it, unable to resist at all.
Gritting my teeth, I pulled the needle out with a sharp hiss and immediately tossed it away. Just touching it—even holding it—sent waves of stabbing pain through my hand.
Walter Cao was still trapped in the Black Mud Swamp—I could feel him struggling inside. But by deepening the swamp with my powers, I forced him to sink further, keeping him from escaping for now.
Staring at the hole in my shoulder, I watched black blood pour out endlessly. Enduring the pain, I cried out.
Resentful Ghost, Tong Ghost—hold Walter Cao down!
As soon as I finished speaking, Resentful Ghost and Tong Ghost appeared beside the Black Mud Swamp. I flew upward. The dozen emerald-green spikes frozen in black ice were still under Walter Cao's control. Though I'd trapped him for now, he could still see me.
I stared in shock as the emerald-green spikes spun through the air, shattering the black ice that sealed them, and shot toward me at incredible speed.
I quickly waved my hand, conjuring layer after layer of thick Black Ice in front of me. As I tried to pull away, just as I expected, my Black Ice wall shattered instantly.
I had to dodge, but even after putting distance between us, the green spikes relentlessly pursued me, stabbing toward me without mercy. I steadied myself and focused on everything unfolding before me.
Immediately, a pair of Deathbane Blades formed in my hands. I poured a surge of Deathbane Aura into them, and soon, a thin layer of ice appeared on their edges, making them even sharper.
The first spike reached me—clang! I blocked it precisely, my Deathbane Dagger holding firm. But a notch appeared on the blade, and the thin layer of ice shattered completely.
I couldn't just sit and wait for death—I knew I couldn't block these attacks for long. I transformed into a thousand Deathbane Aura Snakes. My Ghost Soul was being depleted by the emerald spikes flying overhead. I began to strategize: how could I defeat Walter Cao in his current state?
Just as my shadow warned, crossing this barrier was extremely difficult. Walter Cao had lost all self-awareness—his body radiated only a chilling murderous intent.
I had to quickly come up with an effective plan. Waves of stabbing pain surged through me as the spikes kept attacking the Deathbane Aura Snakes. I moved toward the Black Mud Swamp, where Resentful Ghost and Tong Ghost continued suppressing Walter Cao, preventing him from surfacing.
"Idiot, Ethan Zhang, pay close attention—figure out what attribute these things have!"
My shadow immediately shouted, and I calmed myself, unleashing Specter Web repeatedly. But the spikes were too fast—I couldn't attach the Specter Web to them.
Helpless, I quickly gathered myself. Sure enough, another volley of spikes shot toward me. Twisting my body, I dodged, but as I grabbed a spike, it tore a deep gash in my hand with a sharp hiss.
I gripped the emerald-green spike tightly—it writhed in my hand, trying to break free. My right hand overflowed with Deathbane Aura as I wrapped the spike completely with Specter Web.
Gradually, I sensed the hardness of the emerald-green spike—it was earth, definitely earth. But my powers lacked wood; both Resentful Ghost and Tong Ghost belonged to water, which was sharply countered.
With a bang, the mud swamp exploded, black sludge splattering everywhere. Resentful Ghost and Tong Ghost rushed to my side, merging into my body. In moments like these, I couldn't afford to split my power—otherwise, I'd be finished.
Walter Cao spun out from the mud, leaping up. Instantly, a volley of emerald-green spikes launched from his back, firing at me one after another.
I kept pouring Deathbane Aura into the Deathbane Blades in my hands, wrapping them with Specter Web. Stronger power meant I needed even greater restraint—otherwise, I couldn't maintain their form.
This was just a makeshift solution—at best, it could only hold for a while. I kept deflecting spike after spike, their impacts thundering around me.
There was nowhere left to retreat. Walter Cao gripped two spikes and charged at me—no time to think. I transformed into mist, rapidly condensing clusters of Black Ice in the surrounding space.
With a bang, the Black Ice shattered—a green spike was already stabbing toward my heart. I blocked it with my Deathbane Dagger, then beat my wings and flew toward the ground.
I immediately released my left-hand Deathbane Dagger. Behind me, spikes flew and Walter Cao chased relentlessly. I had to think fast—Walter Cao was in peak condition. To my surprise, the buildings in the Shadow Realm instantly replenished his ghost energy. I'd never seen this phenomenon before.
He was almost upon me. I halted midair, spun around, and blocked two spikes. Instantly, my Deathbane Dagger transformed into a black Phoenix Blade. With a roar, I unleashed waves of black flames at Walter Cao.
Amid the explosions, I moved quickly through the chaos, aiming for the only remaining photo studio in Walter Cao's Shadow Realm.
I was no match for him head-on. As I flew halfway, Walter Cao suddenly burst out from the lingering mist, appearing above me and kicking down.
I craned my neck, hovering in the air, trying to dodge. His kick landed squarely on my chest, sending waves of pain through me and punching a cluster of holes in my torso. I crashed to the ground and raised my hand.
Thick ice spikes erupted from the ground beneath Walter Cao. With a crash, one impaled him, shattering the ice and sending Walter Cao flying from the impact.
I kept conjuring ice spikes from the ground, but I knew I couldn't pierce Walter Cao or even harm him. My Deathbane Aura, though earth-based, wasn't nearly as hard as his—so I couldn't injure him.
Then an idea struck me. The spikes shot from Walter Cao's body had returned to his back, and his ghost energy had dropped. I could only keep wearing him down.
Walter Cao paused in midair, then charged at me. I transformed into black mist, merging into the clusters of ice spikes—he couldn't find me for now.
Walter Cao stood in front of the photo studio, clearly blocking my approach. I kept conjuring ice spikes in the air, sending them flying toward him.
With crashing sounds, Walter Cao swung two emerald-green spikes in midair, shattering every ice spike that came his way.
I kept conjuring ice spikes, but suddenly, one collided with another. Walter Cao rushed at me, splitting an ice pillar with his two spikes, clearly intent on giving me no chance.
"Heh, Ethan Zhang, let me lend you my eyes for a while."
At that moment, the Spirit Snake appeared on my back. My vision shifted—I could only see red and black, everything divided into precise grids.
In a flash, I dodged Walter Cao's attacks. Before, I could only rely on reflexes, but now I saw everything clearly.
Walter Cao paused, then, after a moment, stabbed at me repeatedly with two emerald-green spikes.
As always, my body was agile and light, dodging Walter Cao's attacks again and again. But now, it felt as if my body wasn't my own—the Spirit Snake was controlling me, helping me evade.
"Remember this feeling, Ethan Zhang. Now your eyes should be able to see much more."
At that moment, I noticed a small cluster of fiery red energy inside Walter Cao's body.