I quietly stared at Granny Nina lying on the ground. Her eyes were filled with helplessness and desolation—she didn’t seem willing to fight me.
Looking around, the sky was black, dotted occasionally with gem-like flickers of light. Everything here felt strange—this was the Nether Pit.
I’d witnessed the day Granny Nina died—the sudden opening of the Nether Pit, and her body and soul tumbling into its depths together.
Now Granny Nina hung her head, like a fallen leaf in autumn wind. I kept wondering what exactly had knocked me away just now.
I didn’t attack recklessly. The techniques used by the Nether Syndicate were designed to target the souls of ghosts directly—troublesome for me.
And what was that technique that dodged my first strike? I’m confident in my speed—even among experts in the occult, it’s rare for someone to evade my slash so easily, and attack me without a sound.
I raised my hand—a Desert Eagle appeared in my grip. I aimed at Granny Nina and pulled the trigger.
Bullet after bullet shot toward Granny Nina. For a moment, I saw a strange distortion in the air—a blur. I blinked. I didn’t feel anything, but it wasn’t an illusion.
I stopped shooting and drew Hell’s Sentinel. Thinking wouldn’t solve anything. Deathbane Aura began to wrap around my body. In an instant, I appeared behind Granny Nina, swinging Belle at her.
A piercing squeak—like a rat—rang out. I saw a golden net closing in around me from all sides.
I screamed in agony as black smoke billowed from my body. Like a cage, the golden net trapped me completely inside.
Soul Capture, Moon Extraction, Transference... Soul Cage Ritual...
My heart jolted. In the distance, I saw Granny Zinian riding on the back of a pitch-black giant rat, palms pressed together, chanting under her breath.
It was a ritual array and some kind of attack technique. I floated inside the cage, watching as golden beams crisscrossed toward me from the ground. The moment one touched me, I screamed again—the burning pain shot through my entire body.
The scorching pain from this occult technique was different from fighting ghosts or those Immortality Society freaks—this hurt down to the bone. My soul was struck directly, making me writhe in torment.
The moment my Deathbane Aura appeared, it was instantly neutralized by the golden cage.
The stronger I became, the clearer it was: when a ghost faces a power that absolutely counters it, defeating the opponent is nearly impossible.
Pierced by a thousand arrows...
With an aged shout, my heart lurched—golden beams shot through my body, and the Deathbane Aura I kept releasing was devoured by the cage.
The beams piercing my body felt like unbreakable spears. I grabbed one in front of my chest; blue smoke instantly curled up from my hand.
Stay still, young man.
Granny Zinian stopped, as if she had no intention of doing anything more.
Granny Zinian, tell me—how do I get out of this place?
Granny Zinian slowly opened her mouth. I swallowed hard—there was no tongue. Her mouth was completely empty.
I can't say anything. Only this creature can mimic my voice to speak with you.
Only then did I realize—the one speaking was the giant rat beneath Granny Zinian.
Tell that old man to come see me himself. If he wants to trap me here, then let him do it himself—even if I have to die, I’ll die by his hand.
I shouted, but Granny Zinian just shook her head.
The Master will not come here, and you cannot leave.
Suddenly, a flash of light crossed my mind. I realized Granny Zinian was watching my left and right sides—the left was west, the right was east: Ghost Gates and Mortal Way.