Wraithshade glared at me with a vicious intensity.
"You’ve gotten smarter, Ethan Zhang."
"Now that you've lost the ability to open the Unreal Covenant, how will you explain yourself to that group when you return—especially during the next experiment?"
Wraithshade stood up.
"That's none of your concern, Ethan Zhang. That guy won’t last much longer in the Unreal."
Wraithshade stared quietly at the long staff, his expression tinged with impatience.
"That guy is still holding on—heh, it won’t be long before he comes back."
Time ticked by, second by second. I carefully examined my body, unable to sense any ghostly aura. What exactly was that black worm? It had stripped me of all my power in an instant, yet I couldn't even feel its presence.
I had no idea how many hours had passed—still, there were no results. Wraithshade paced beside the long staff.
"What exactly is that thing? Why are there these buildings here?"
I asked, but Wraithshade glanced at me, clearly unwilling to answer.
Finally, Wraithshade grew restless and looked off into the distance.
"Annoying flies. Hmph."
With a cold snort, Wraithshade shot into the air, transforming into a streak of black light that sped off into the distance. It seemed the Dark Banquet was urging him to return.
I tried to get up but couldn’t move. Clearly, Wraithshade was confident in his ability to suppress me and keep me immobilized. I stared quietly at the long staff, wondering how Earthly Soul was doing now.
I closed my eyes, focusing quietly. I felt much better than before, sensing a trace of strength—only for it to vanish instantly. Strictly speaking, my body was now a ghost, and the worm released by Wraithshade should be able to suppress all ghostly power.
The worm gnawed at me from within. Now I could feel it completely, feeding on every trace of ghostly energy, growing larger and stronger. My body itched, and a chilling sensation rose from deep inside my ghostly soul.
My chest began to swell bit by bit. I swallowed hard, some feeling returning to my body—I could use Ghost Threads again. But as soon as I tried to direct the Ghost Threads toward the giant worm inside me, it devoured them instantly. My chest kept expanding.
Hours passed, all in that bone-chilling state. My chest now felt like a balloon on the verge of bursting, my whole body wracked with tearing pain.
It felt as if my body would explode at any moment—the discomfort was unbearable. I wanted to get up, but had no strength left; any attempt to use power was instantly consumed by the giant worm inside.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a shadow—Wraithshade. After several hours, he had returned, carrying a large black cloth bag that looked like it held experimental subjects. He tossed the bag aside and stared coldly at the long staff.
"Earthly Soul, if you don't want Ethan Zhang to die, you'd better come back quickly."
"What do you mean?"
I managed to force out four words from my mouth.
"This worm feeds on the ghostly power inside you. It will devour relentlessly, without rest, until it exceeds its own limits—then it will explode."
A bomb?
The word sprang to my mind, and Wraithshade burst out laughing.
"That's right—a bomb, made from your own power. If he doesn't come out, I'll kill you. It's that simple, Ethan Zhang. I won't let you keep growing stronger."
"You..."
Wraithshade sat down, staring at me in silence.
"A long time ago, when your future self came to this darkness, I witnessed that terrifying, unmatched power. The three members of the Dark Banquet defeated it with ease. The battle was secret, glimpsed by me through the darkness by chance. But those three didn’t want me to know, so I pretended ignorance. From that moment, I decided—I would kill you."
"Heh, hasn’t the future still not happened yet?"
Wraithshade shook his head.
"It’s not that it hasn’t happened—it’s already happening. Your power is undergoing unprecedented changes: Vital energy and death energy—two things that should never be intertwined—have fused completely into your Deathbane Aura, each with its own effect. To balance them so perfectly, to twist them into a single thread, is nearly impossible. And your coexistence with instinct can’t be taken away. I tried last time in the Shadow Realm."
"So that’s when you decided to kill me."
Wraithshade nodded.
"Your instinct isn’t like others—it’s endless, like a giant spiral. Something so unreasonable shouldn’t exist in this world. If you keep going, you’ll break the balance and plunge everything into chaos. You know what that leads to—nothing left. No one wants that. Yet they want to exploit your instinct to peer into the Unreal. When your future self left, it was from here—into the Unreal."
My eyes widened. No wonder the Dark Banquet crowd isn’t as murderous toward me as Wraithshade is. Back in the Shadow Realm, those guys must’ve interfered, stopping Wraithshade from succeeding. Now that I think about it, the Wraithlord is strong, but with those three, subduing me wouldn’t be a problem—even with Old Cat around.
"Come out, Earthly Soul—if you don’t, Ethan Zhang is finished."
Not just my chest—my whole body began to swell, now four or five times its original size, almost at the breaking point. The pain was indescribable. I grimaced, staring blankly at Wraithshade. I had to do something. The only way out was to get rid of the ever-expanding worm inside me.
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"Don’t bother, Ethan Zhang. You can’t get rid of this worm. If you touch it, it explodes—and the host dies with it. If your ghostly soul is hit from within, not even gods can save you."
I didn’t need Wraithshade to tell me—I knew it well. I’d already experienced it once, on the Jialan Throne, in that final duel against Brother Owen the Ghostworm Monk. I nearly died, falling straight into hell, when I recklessly used power I couldn’t handle. My ghostly soul was almost destroyed. If not for Lady Cecilia, I’d be dead—she patched up my soul. But now, the beauty is in Yin Choujian’s hands.
My mind was already clouded. I struggled weakly, wanting to move, but didn’t dare.
"Looks like he still refuses to come out. Go die, Ethan Zhang."
Wraithshade said this and shot me a cold look. Just then, a faint blue stream of energy floated out from my body. Wraithshade suddenly whipped his cloak, and as it covered me, the Wraithlord’s aura vanished.
"You are indeed powerful, Wraithlord. But you’re just a fragment. I only need to seal you with the right method. After Ethan Zhang dies, I’ll hand you over to Xu Fu."
My eyes widened—I was out of options. I couldn’t take much more.
"Bastard."
"Is that your final words, Ethan Zhang?"
Wraithshade started laughing. Just then, with a click, the long staff opened and Earthly Soul flew out, collapsing on the ground, gasping for breath. He looked incredibly weak.
"Hand over the key, Earthly Soul. If you give it back, I’ll go easy on Ethan Zhang."
Suddenly, the swelling in my body vanished—the worm stopped devouring. Wraithshade pressed a finger to my chest. Earthly Soul was panting, letting out a cold laugh.
"Even if I give it to you, you won’t let Ethan Zhang go, will you?"
"Of course I will. I promise to let Ethan Zhang go."
Wraithshade reached out a hand. Earthly Soul staggered to his feet, covered in wounds.
"Hurry up."
Wraithshade spoke in a low voice. Earthly Soul turned and glanced at everything inside the Unreal Covenant, then began to smile.
"What do you think, Sylvia? I’m powerless now."
My eyes widened. Wraithshade looked curiously into the Unreal Covenant. A fragrant scent drifted out, followed by a flash of bright silver light—a slender, pale hand reached out, and Sylvia giggled.
"I still can’t sit still—it’s been over a year already."
"You are..."
With a whoosh, Sylvia leapt out of the Unreal Covenant, crouched beside me, and pressed a hand to my swollen belly.
With a swish, Wraithshade stabbed at Sylvia with his long awl. I watched in worry, but Sylvia just smiled and caught the awl with one hand.
"You’d better not move, little girl. Otherwise, Ethan Zhang..."
"I won’t listen to you."
Sylvia made a face at Wraithshade. Suddenly, I felt a strange sensation in my body—bang! Wraithshade was sent flying, crashing into a house, which collapsed instantly. My body began to shrink. Sylvia held a ball of black stuff and tossed it aside—a squeaking sound came from the worm. Then she waved her hand, sending a surge of black Deathbane Aura to the left.
"It’s over, Ethan Zhang."
I breathed a sigh of relief, my strength returning. Looking over, I saw Wraithshade struggling to get up, staring at Sylvia in disbelief.