The Undertaker loomed behind Wraithshade, his stare cold and unyielding. Wraithshade, helpless, waved a hand—his silence broken only by a faint, unsettling smile as he shook his head.
"I never planned to run, Undertaker. I sensed your presence just now, which is why I sent Yuna Ji away—I was waiting for you to show up."
I clenched my fist. Daniel Tanner seemed lost in thought, his silence heavy in the suffocating air.
"How long have you and the Sleeper been scheming? You truly went through with such a brazen betrayal. Where is the Dark Mirror? Speak."
The Undertaker's face contorted with rage, dark power churning beneath his skin. Yet Wraithshade remained disturbingly at ease, his demeanor almost mocking.
"It's inside Ancestor Emperor Huang's Domain."
In an instant, the anger vanished from the Undertaker's face. Daniel Tanner watched him, confusion shadowing his features.
"You opened Ancestor Emperor Huang's Domain?"
"Naturally, Mr. Tanner, Undertaker. Otherwise, we would never have dared to seize the Dark Mirror so recklessly."
As Wraithshade spoke, he slowly floated upward. With a whoosh, the Undertaker blocked his way.
"What are you trying to do?"
"Naturally, I'm taking you to Emperor Huang's Domain. The troublesome one is already heading this way."
Suddenly, I sensed it—Yuna Ji was speeding toward us. Though still far away, her ghostly aura pierced through the darkness, immense and potent.
"What about Ethan Zhang?"
Wraithshade asked, glancing at Tan Tian.
"No problem."
Led by Wraithshade, I followed them toward the distant field of scattered rocks. Uneasy, but compelled to see what Emperor Huang's Domain truly was.
Opportunities like this are rare, and whatever they're planning—I should soon find out.
Wraithshade picked up speed, and I did my best to keep up, but he was moving faster and faster. The battle with Yuna Ji had only lasted a short while, but now I understood—he was strong. His grasp of ghosts surpassed even the ghosts themselves.
During their fight, Wraithshade always avoided Yuna Ji whenever her ghostly aura was at its peak, only attacking when her energy was scattered. Forced into defense, Yuna Ji could only dodge again and again, rarely landing a successful blow. Defeating Wraithshade was nearly impossible.
We were moving so fast I could barely keep my eyes open. Everything below was swallowed by blackness—I could hardly see anything but darkness, struggling to keep up.
"You're still not used to this darkness, Ethan Zhang. Don't try to reject it—embrace it instead."
Tan Tian suddenly spoke, catching me off guard. I didn't think much of it, just kept following.
Suddenly, my eyes widened. Wraithshade slowed down, and there was no forest in sight—just two enormous doors reaching into the sky, so massive I couldn't see the top. The black doors were tightly shut.
Someone stood at the base of the doors—it was The Sleeper.
"You bastard old man, you..."
As soon as he arrived, the Undertaker cursed. The Sleeper looked genuinely startled.
"Why is the Undertaker here?"
"You'd better explain everything to me. If you can't, don't blame me for what happens next, Wraithshade."
Tan Tian silently stared at the enormous doors, placing one hand against them and giving a push.
"What's inside?"
"The Founding Emperors have battled for thousands of years, all their blood and sweat crystallized within their domains. We've already tried using the Dark Mirror to copy a few things, but it hasn't gone well."
The Undertaker glared furiously at Wraithshade.
"Open it? Don't be ridiculous. The domains of the Founding Emperors are far beyond our reach—just like Mr. Tan Tian, their power defies all understanding."
"Then you'll witness something you can't comprehend right now."
As Wraithshade spoke, he raised a hand. Suddenly, I saw a string of golden characters—my eyes widened. Weren't these the same unreadable golden letters we'd found in that box, on black paper?
With a creak, the doors slowly opened a crack.
Suddenly, I sensed Yuna Ji nearby. Wraithshade had already gone inside, the Undertaker entered with excitement in his eyes, and The Sleeper followed.
"Aren't you coming, Ethan Zhang?"
Wraithshade asked as the doors slowly closed. I saw the amusement in his eyes—there was no time to hesitate. I had to follow.
With a rush, I slipped through the doorway. The massive doors slammed shut behind me.
A colossal city appeared before me, leaving me stunned. It stood hundreds of meters away, flanked by two towering spires with thick pillars. At their tips were brilliant, glowing spheres.
"What is that, exactly?"
The Undertaker asked.
"Weapons."
I was deeply puzzled by how Wraithshade could use those golden characters.
"Strange, isn't it? No one can understand these characters. The originators are the Founding Emperors. Ethan Zhang, you should've asked them—they never told you? The words on the paper are Wordcraft, used to unlock domains. Seems they didn't tell you."
My eyes widened. We had asked the Founding Emperors about those characters, but they claimed not to know, or simply refused to tell us.
"Naturally. Everything in these two domains is the world's greatest treasure—the product of all their power and effort, created to oppose and destroy each other. Industrial weapons and bioweapons. Emperor Huang focused on industrial weapons, Emperor Yan on bioweapons. Artificial souls are just one of Emperor Yan's creations. We've only improved on them."
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The Sleeper began to speak rapidly. Tan Tian tried to approach, but Wraithshade stopped him immediately.
"Don't get close to that city. Everything here is a weapon. Just getting near those two towers nearly killed us both. Mr. Tan Tian, you may be strong, but if you damage those crystals, it's our loss."
"You people..."
Wraithshade burst out laughing.
"You spoke to me about greatness before, didn't you? The greatness of the Founding Emperors—I know it well. What we're doing is great too. All of this is the crystallization of greatness, and what we need to do is take it out of this iron box. Only when the world recognizes it can it truly be called great."
"Why can you use Wordcraft?"
I asked again about Wordcraft. All I knew was that the strange old man could do it. Wraithshade smiled, and a wisp of black mist floated from his shoulder.
"It's not me—it's this creature."
I saw a tormented, twisted-faced soul.