"Stop yelling, Ethan Zhang."
I immediately fell silent, staring in surprise. I was on the back of a giant black serpent—Spirit Snake.
"Why did you come out?"
"If I hadn’t come out, would you have found me? Fine, I’ll take you wandering around the streets. You just rest for a while."
It was true. The snakes I had sent out before were almost beyond my perception, but with the appearance of this giant black serpent, the connection to those Deathbane Aura Snakes that had strayed from me was restored, and now it was extremely clear.
"Thank you."
I quickly said, then lay back comfortably on the serpent’s back. Spirit Snake carried me, weaving through the streets, wandering without pause.
"By the way, Spirit Snake, what exactly are your abilities? There must be something special about you, right?"
Spirit Snake stopped, its neck twisting around. Those rhombus-shaped eyes stared at me, then it seemed to sigh.
"Let’s talk about that later. I’ve carefully examined your body."
Spirit Snake spoke, and I quickly felt over my body, then clutched my chest, looking shocked—and a little nauseated.
"Sigh, Ethan Zhang, you’re even worse than Mason Yu. Damn, did I bet on the wrong person?"
"You’re the one who insisted on becoming my ghostly spirit."
I muttered, while Spirit Snake opened its mouth and flicked its tongue, surveying the surroundings. The streets were almost deserted. I was deep in thought—why would the Immortality Society mobilize on such a large scale?
It definitely couldn’t be just because I refused their offer. All of this must have been premeditated. In Redmond’s ghost domain, those photographs had been set up months ago.
If the Immortality Society really wanted to capture me, they could just send a few Blue-Faced Men—it would be easy. Then there’s the matter of the traitor in the Ghost Burial Squad, and Hugh Thompson. He’s not the traitor, but there’s so much we don’t know.
"Ha! You think about so many things, but with your brain, do you really understand any of it?" Spirit Snake actually mocked me.
"Mind your own business."
I didn’t have time to bicker with it. Still, I was growing curious about what it really was.
"By the way, you still haven’t told me—what exactly are you?"
Spirit Snake stopped. Its triangular head turned, and those golden rhombus eyes stared straight at me. I couldn’t see a trace of emotion within them—cold and unfeeling.
"Ever since the twelve zodiac signs came into being, I have always existed. I am the leader of all snakes. You can consider me a spiritual entity. So-called spiritual entities are something between humans and ghosts."
I stared blankly at Spirit Snake, my curiosity about this creature growing. There were still so many things in this world I didn’t know.
"I have witnessed much between humans and ghosts. For thousands of years, all their deeds have turned to dust before my eyes. You’re searching for something, Ethan Zhang—for answers about humans and ghosts."
I nodded. At this moment, it felt as if Spirit Snake could see right through me—through everything I hoped to pursue in my heart.
"You think too much, Ethan Zhang. These things—you can only keep seeking them. Even if you drown in what you chase, so what? Humans are strange. But that’s why you’ve made countless changes over the centuries—just like those people in the Immortality Society."
"Do you know something?"
At that moment, Spirit Snake stopped and nodded.
"Indeed. Those people have existed since long ago. But they’re just people—chasing what they desire. Even if they do things the world calls evil, it’s all for themselves. And you, Ethan Zhang—what are you after?"
I sat up, and just then, Spirit Snake suddenly twisted its head to look ahead. I sensed it too—something was approaching.
A scent kept wafting over—the chemical smell from the Photo Studio, from the liquid used to develop photographs. It was getting stronger. I saw the Deathbane Aura Snakes I’d sent out rushing toward me, quickly merging into Spirit Snake’s body.
I felt my expended power slowly filling up again. Clenching my fist, I stood atop Spirit Snake’s head.
That Photo Studio smell was now right in front of me.
"Come out—I know you’re there."
I was certain now. Even though I couldn’t see anything, the overwhelming scent was right before me—yet I couldn’t sense a thing.
"Come out—what do you want?"
Suddenly, about seven or eight meters in front of me, a flash of light. I immediately shut my eyes, and when I opened them again, the Blue Wraith from the Photo Studio was floating silently before me. I unleashed a torrent of Specter Web—but still couldn’t sense anything.
"Alright, Ethan Zhang, this is our third meeting. My name is Cao Wanzhi."
The Blue Wraith—Cao Wanzhi—spoke, removed his gray top hat, and bowed.
"What exactly do you want?" I shouted.
In my hands, two Deathbane Twin Blades gradually formed, condensed from lethal energy.
"Looks like you've gotten even stronger, Zhang Qingyuan. But you're still way too naive. This is already out of your league—this time, the Immortality Society’s top brass are all in play."
Cao Wanzhi said, putting his hat back on.
"What exactly are you after?"
I pressed on, gripping the twin blades in my hands. I kept using the Specter Web to probe Cao Wanzhi before me—he wasn’t here in the flesh.
Suddenly, a flurry of photographs appeared around Cao Wanzhi. More and more crowded together, and to my shock, every photo showed people and ghosts I knew.
"What are you really after?"
I roared, unfurled my wings, and swung both blades, slicing Cao Wanzhi into several pieces with a single slash. Sure enough, there was no sense of reality—he was just a phantom. The places I cut instantly fused back together. I retreated a few steps.
"Stop wasting your energy, Zhang Qingyuan. You’ll never find me. I—no, this ghost—is extremely cautious. Otherwise, years ago, before I even teamed up with the Immortality Society, I’d have been dead already."
"Do you sense anything? This guy—the entrance to the Shadow Realm, or something?"
I quietly asked in my heart, but Spirit Snake didn’t respond at all—just shook its head.
“I came because you were looking for me. I might be cautious, but since you’ve come knocking, I had no choice but to show up. I don’t like being hunted down. Besides, I’m so weak—any one of those three guys with you could finish me off. So I had to strike first.”
As he spoke, Cao Wanzhi pulled out three photos. I stared in surprise—they showed three black Deathbane Snakes. My heart skipped a beat. These must be the Deathbane Snakes I’d released to stay in touch with Ma Yongjie, Glutton, and Leprosy.
But my connection to them didn’t seem broken. Then, with a loud whoosh, Cao Wanzhi held up the three photos, and in a flash, they were burned to ashes by flames. Instantly, my link to the three was severed.
“Welcome to my Shadow Realm—the Photo Studio...”
Suddenly, everything around me changed. I stared in shock—colors swirling everywhere. All around, there were countless Cao Wanzhis, each holding a different camera, their lenses pointed right at me.
Without hesitation, I unleashed the Specter Web, probing my surroundings. That’s when I sensed a powerful ghostly energy—but I couldn’t tell which one was real.
“So? Pretty impressive, right? My Photo Studio, Zhang Qingyuan. Why don’t you stay here awhile—until you’ve come to your senses.”
As he spoke, suddenly—click!—a blinding flash went off. I squeezed my eyes shut and unleashed a barrage of Deathbane Arrows in every direction.
Bang! Bang! I looked around in shock. Now I was inside a cage, behind me a looming mountain, surrounded by forest. I gaped at the scene, but something was off—parts of the cage were impassable, as if it followed some strange pattern.
Cao Wanzhi had locked me inside a photo. I realized it instantly. Spirit Snake was gone too. Just then, with a roar, a tiger materialized beside me and lunged straight at me.
I quickly raised my Deathbane Blade and stabbed at the charging tiger, but in that instant, I let my lethal energy dissipate. The tiger’s jaws clamped down hard on my shoulder.
"What the hell do you want, huh? Damn it, you bastard!"
I shouted furiously.
"Oh, feels pretty good, doesn’t it, Zhang Qingyuan? Figured out it’s that little girl, huh? Heh."
The tiger’s fangs sank deep into my flesh, locking onto my shoulder and refusing to let go. I struggled to push its head away, staring at the beast. In that split second, I realized—this tiger was Zhang Qing transformed.
Suddenly, an image appeared before my eyes—a gigantic Cao Wanzhi, holding two photos. One was Boss Zhang, and the other, a newborn baby.