"So for you people, the useless ones should be eliminated?"
Ray Lin let out a dry chuckle. Nightshade Yu nodded, her eyes colder than death—gone was the warmth and curiosity from before. Now, only icy calculation remained, and a wall of sharpened blades leveled at us.
Felix Zhou had already been seized by two Yakshas. He shouted loudly.
"Hurry up and think of something, hey, if you don't, I'm going to get eaten!"
"Stop yelling, it's embarrassing."
Deathcurse shouted angrily.
"Yu, I have a proposal. Want to hear it?"
Nightshade Yu looked at me.
Talk. If you’re worth anything, maybe I’ll let you live.
I’ll trade you a Swamp Behemoth for each person. One Behemoth for one life. It’s a bargain, isn’t it? I’m the only one here who can hunt these monsters—just give me a few days, and you’ll have your feast. You know you need it.
Instantly, every Yaksha around me snapped to attention—their eyes wide, hunger and desperation etched on their faces. For them, this was salvation: a single Swamp Behemoth could keep all these Yakshas alive for a month. And we were ten.
"So, nine Behemoths?"
Nightshade Yu asked, and I shook my head.
Ten. Including Kane. He’s Blackfang now—whether he wants it or not.
As soon as I finished, Nightshade Yu’s hand shot up. Felix Zhou hit the ground hard, scrambling backwards, terror twisting his face.
"Hmph, useless. What's with all the panic?"
Screw you. You’ve already died once—maybe that’s why you don’t care. But I do. I’m not ready to die.
With a boom, I saw a streak of green light pierce the black swamp, swallowing the darkness whole. The earth trembled as the Swamp Behemoth emerged, its roar shaking the air. Ray Lin seized me, and in a blur, we hurtled straight toward the monster.
You barely survived killing one—and that was only because Kane helped you. Now his body’s ruined, he’s no use to you. And don’t count on us. We won’t lift a finger.
I nodded, then glanced at the people behind me and smiled.
"Who among you is willing to help me hunt those monsters?"
"I'll go first, Blackfang."
Ray Lin stood up, but Nightshade Yu immediately stopped him.
"What are you plotting? Trying to escape...?"
"We’re not escaping. There are still eight hostages here, right? I need help to hunt those monsters. Let’s do it before tomorrow night, okay? If I fail, you can eat Felix Zhou first."
As soon as I finished, Felix Zhou shot to his feet, and laughter echoed around us.
A swarm of Yakshas flew toward the swamp.
But now, all the Yakshas were staring at Felix Zhou. Nightshade Yu extended her pointed, lizard-like tongue and licked her lips.
"A good deal. Heh, we accept completely."
"If I succeed—if I hunt ten multi-armed monsters—you’ll let us leave, right?"
"Of course."
Leaving the spiked fortress behind, Ray Lin and I headed toward the vast swamp in the northwest.
"Do you really think that if we catch ten of those things, the Yakshas will actually let us go?"
Ray Lin muttered, and I laughed, shaking my head.
"Impossible. Every word out of their mouths is a lie. As long as we make it through today and succeed in the hunt, we’ll find a way out. It’s just that..."
"Alright, I get it. Ethan, did you ask for us to come out alone because you have an idea?"
I nodded.
"Let’s move farther away—someone’s trailing us."
We nodded. In the sky behind us and among the trees, some Yakshas were following. Ray Lin and I didn’t head straight for the northwest swamp, but turned east instead, hoping to shake them off.
Sure enough, as we neared the eastern woods, the Yakshas behind us didn’t dare follow any further. Once we lost them, we climbed up a tall tree.
Walking through the forest had one advantage: we could fully compress and conceal our Ghost Aura, using our Specter Webs to seal our Ghost Gates. Most of the wild beasts here hunted by sensing the strength of Ghost Aura, so we faced less danger.
"So, Ethan, what's the plan?"
"Here's my idea: through the connection of Specter Webs, I can channel Deathbane Aura into your bodies. Then, by coexisting—merging your Ghost Aura with mine, and then with the dense Ghost Aura in the air—you might be able to use your powers."
"Not bad, Ethan. Looks like you came up with this yourself."
I shook my head.
"It wasn’t my idea. I just remembered what The Engineer did to my corpse before, and thought of it."
Ray Lin nodded, then sat down facing me. The Specter Webs could be used, but they were extremely limited—only about ten centimeters in range—so Ray Lin and I had to sit close, facing each other. I couldn’t help but feel awkward.
"Two grown men, sitting face to face—come on, Ethan, hurry up and get it over with."
Ray Lin voiced exactly what I was thinking. I began to release my Specter Webs, gradually connecting with Ray Lin’s. My Deathbane Aura started to flow through the Ghost Gates he had opened.
Immediately, I felt a fierce rejection. I closed my eyes and tried to sense it, calling on my instincts.
The process was painfully slow, with many failed attempts. Ray Lin tried to compress his Ghost Aura deep within his Ghost Soul, but the rejection was still intense.
"Ethan, can you really control your instincts now?"
Another failure. I sighed helplessly. I still couldn’t fully control my instincts. Just then, with a whoosh, my shadow rose up, golden eyes staring at me.
"Ethan Zhang, ask that guy for help—his instincts are a great asset."
As soon as the words left my mouth, my shadow whooshed back to the ground.
Ray Lin just smiled, saying nothing. I closed my eyes, preparing to seek help from Ethan Zhang, Heavenly Soul.
Entering my instinctual space, I heard the sound of mahjong tiles. Looking over, I saw two tables—one with four players, the other with three, missing a seat.
"Seriously, don’t you have anything better to do? Shouldn’t you be trying to find a way out?"
"Hey, there’s nothing we can do. The Ghost Aura outside is so dense that if we left, we might never get back. You’re on your own, Ethan."
A Wraith muttered. I sighed and floated upward, heading to the upper level.
"Coexistence. I need to see Ethan Zhang, Heavenly Soul. Can you sense him? Tell him I need his help."
As soon as I spoke, a hand landed on my shoulder. I turned—Heavenly Soul was there, smiling.
"Let me help you. All you need to do is merge your Ghost Aura with theirs, inject your instinctive power into their bodies, and through you, I’ll use the power of Origin to return the dense Ghost Aura around us to its source. Let’s give it a try."
I made a sound of acknowledgment and snapped back to consciousness. Ray Lin’s face was right in front of me, startling me.
"What?"
"That was quick—less than a minute."
"Let’s keep going."
I calmed myself and gradually sensed Ray Lin’s Ghost Aura softening. Behind him, a white glow spread. Suddenly, Ray Lin was enveloped in green light, and a fierce Ghost Aura surged toward me.
"That’s the feeling! Let’s go, Ethan—it looks like it worked."
I opened my eyes. Ray Lin released a torrent of Ghost Aura, wrapping around me and lifting me up. Instantly, the beasts and small animals in the forest scattered, as if Ray Lin’s Ghost Aura made them uneasy.
"If this works, we can bring one person out each day for the next ten days. That way, we’ll be able to use your instinctive power to fight."
We reached the edge of the swamp. Miraculously, the trees that had been destroyed earlier were already sprouting new growth and recovering quickly.
"There are a lot of big ones in there—not just dozens, but hundreds."
Ray Lin spoke, raising his hand. A green glow appeared in his palm, and then his Wraith Armament—Ten Directions Annihilation—manifested.
"Just need to take out one, right?"
I let out a sound of surprise. For Ray Lin, who could wield such power, it was effortless.
"Ten Directions Annihilation—Death Gate, open..."
With a boom, I saw a streak of green light pierce the black swamp, completely overtaking the darkness. Thunder rumbled as the multi-armed monster emerged, roaring. Ray Lin grabbed me and, with a whoosh, flew straight at it.
Ten Directions Annihilation flew from Ray Lin’s hand, nearly dissipating in an instant. But with a crack, a gash opened on the monster’s head. It wailed and the ground shook as it collapsed beside the swamp.
Ray Lin couldn’t sustain it for long. He let go of me, and we both tumbled into the muddy ground beside the swamp.
"Let’s rest for a bit, then head back."
I smiled. At least, over these ten days, we’d have the means to fight. Within a ten-meter radius, we could use Ghost Aura, but any further and the dense Ghost Aura would consume it.
A green glow appeared overhead, and we returned to the fortress.
"You finished? How are you completely unscathed?"
Yu stared at me in shock. I just smiled.
"Hurry up and get people over there. If you wait too long, that huge body will get eaten by the wild beasts."
A swarm of Wraith Enforcers flew toward the swamp.
"Looks like my little life is safe."
Zhou Fulai laughed. I flashed a victory sign at the others.