—
"Ethan Zhang, you..."
I looked at Lord Shenyan, smiling as I shook my head. Blood-red crystalline veins crept over my face and body, relentlessly invading me. What began as a bright red glow soon hardened, scabbing over my skin.
Scarlet chains reached out to every corner of the sky. Gradually, a blood-red, grotesque symbol appeared above, as if it were dripping blood. At the edges, the red diffused outward like ink in water.
A cracking sound echoed. A glossy red crystal layer formed on Lord Shenyan's body, slowly encasing him.
"It's meaningless. This is merely borrowed power, gained temporarily at the cost of something else."
Xu Fu muttered from afar. Tantan watched the transformation in silence. My body was numb, unable to feel anything, but this sensation was different from the usual curse energy. I had no idea what kind of sorcery the curse ghost had used.
"Ethan Zhang, you don't have to do this for me..."
"Do you have any other way?"
I looked at Lord Shenyan and asked in return.
"You need power, don't you? Power enough to change all of this. I can't change what stands before us now, but you can. So I have to entrust everything to you, do all I can to give you everything. The others feel the same way."
Lord Shenyan stared at me, the resistance in his body vanishing.
"One last time, Ethan Zhang—are you sure? The price is enormous."
The blood-red Ritual Array in the sky began to darken, slowly shifting from red to black.
I nodded and closed my eyes. In a daze, I saw my apartment building.
"The deal is struck."
A cracking sound echoed. My apartment building collapsed, crumbling into black fragments. Above it, a circular halo appeared, drawing everything from inside the building into its light.
The price was my Shadow Realm—the one I'd struggled so hard to create—now destined for oblivion.
Xu Fu seemed to notice something, eyes wide as he watched us. The red crystal completely encased Lord Shenyan, who was recovering, his power steadily growing. I could sense a surge of ghostly energy emanating from the crystal.
Darkness gradually enveloped the sky. The black Ritual Array seemed to melt, turning viscous before vanishing. A cracking sound echoed as fissures appeared in the red crystal, and a chilling ghostly energy seeped out.
"Thank you, Ethan Zhang."
Lord Shenyan's voice echoed in my mind. Suddenly, a biting wind swept down to the ground. In a haze, I saw black shadows slowly merging into the red crystal, its cracks widening.
A surge of ghostly energy burst forth. My eyes snapped open as Tan Tian suddenly lunged at Lord Shenyan, his hand morphing into a beast's maw—jet black, with white fangs—snapping toward Lord Shenyan.
With a crack, a hand emerged. A flicker of green flame appeared in Lord Shenyan's palm. Tan Tian stared in shock; his beastly maw could advance no further.
A low hum sounded. Silvery light shimmered, and Luna Quay's white hair danced in the wind. In an instant, she appeared above Lord Shenyan, both palms raised, sending streams of transparent energy toward him.
A sharp buzzing rang out. The green flames surrounding Lord Shenyan seemed struck by something, caving in deeply.
A metallic clang. Xu Fu stabbed Lord Shenyan in the chest with Zhanlu, the blade glowing pale blue. The red crystal on Lord Shenyan shattered.
In an instant, all three attacked Lord Shenyan. With a bang, the red crystal covering him disintegrated to ash. He blocked Tan Tian with his right hand, gripped Zhanlu with his left, green flames flickering on his body. Luna Quay seemed drawn in, inching closer above his head.
What amazed me most was that, in the instant they attacked Lord Shenyan, the immense power in the air felt exactly the same from all three.
"Boss, attack from a distance! The range is about six meters—I’m watching!"
In the distance, Lan Jiuqing muttered something. Lord Shenyan instantly spread his right hand, and with a swift motion, Sinblade flew into his grasp. In a flash, he sliced off Tan Tian's extended right arm, and the conjured black beast dissolved into mud, falling to the ground.
Immediately, Lord Shenyan twisted his left hand. Xu Fu grinned, and with a slap, Tan Tian turned into mud, enveloping Xu Fu. With a boom, blue light exploded, and I shut my eyes—the world washed over in blue.
Stunned, I watched. Luna Quay had retreated far away, her body showing deep dents. Tan Tian had recovered, but his right arm was still missing, mud gushing from the stump. Xu Fu seemed unharmed, but his face was grim.
A cracking sound rang out as the Blue Wraiths were freed. They flew toward Lord Shenyan, who scooped up Carrie in one arm, channeling green ghostly energy into her. The wound in her chest slowly healed.
Yvette Chao and Madam Gongsun each took one of my arms, floating behind Lord Shenyan. The Blue Wraiths struggled to recover from the intense damage—they couldn't heal right away.
What shocked me most was how powerful all three attackers were, especially Tan Tian. The only time I'd seen his strength was in the Nether Syndicate, when Yuna Ji had unleashed her instincts but still couldn't withstand a single blow. Only Luna Quay's desperate defense let Yuna Ji escape.
(This chapter is not finished ^.^ Please click next page to continue reading!)
Both are top-tier beings in the Nether Syndicate, and with Xu Fu's dire situation, Lord Shenyan still managed to gain the upper hand in a three-way duel.
"What exactly was that?"
I watched as the blue flames on Lord Shenyan's body receded within him.