"Don't mind me, it's just that my anger made my head feel hot."
Wraithshade removed his bamboo hat. Earthly Soul and I stared in shock at his head as his hair poured down like water, cascading to the floor. His hair was astonishingly long, now completely unbound and spread out, wild and eerie. He pressed both hands to the sides of his hair and flung it back.
"Don't try any tricks."
"Of course, Earthly Soul. Right now, the initiative is in your hands."
Wraithshade sat down. I stared in silence at the long hair trailing behind him, fanned out like a mat—its presence uncanny and unsettling.
Ask me anything, I can tell you all.
"Tell us, what is the true purpose of The Dark Banquet? I fear it's not as simple as entering the Unreal and obtaining the power of the Fourth Darkness, is it?"
Even if you enter the Unreal Covenant, you'll be torn to shreds.
"Naturally, it's not that simple. I can tell you first, all these years, what The Dark Banquet has been striving for is nothing but nonsense."
"What do you mean?"
I asked a question, and Wraithshade nodded. Earthly Soul was glaring at him, visibly annoyed.
"Don't try to stall for time."
"First, let me ask you two a question: Why do you think people desire power?"
Earthly Soul let out a dry laugh.
"Isn't it obvious? Of course it's to keep climbing higher, to eventually reach the top."
Wraithshade turned his head and glanced at me.
"To protect those we love."
"As expected, our opinions differ, Ethan Zhang."
A round of applause sounded, and Wraithshade smiled and nodded.
"Both of your answers are correct, because this question has no answer. Alright, time's almost up, I should..."
"Don't move."
Earthly Soul roared, gripping the Covenant Key even tighter. Black lightning crawled over his left hand—he could destroy the key in an instant.
"The time I mentioned is the time you can remain here. Haven't you noticed, Earthly Soul?"
"What's happening?"
Earthly Soul's eyes widened in shock. Just then, the distant Covenant Spire split open again—a hand reached out. I watched in astonishment as Earthly Soul immediately let go, but his neck was grabbed at once.
"Don't come over, Ethan Zhang."
As he spoke, Earthly Soul was slowly dragged forward, half his body already swallowed by the space before him, still clutching the key with all his might.
"If you don't want to die, drop the key, Earthly Soul. Even if you enter the Unreal Covenant, you'll be shattered to pieces."
"Hmph, dream on, Wraithshade! You want to take this key back for yourself."
As he spoke, Earthly Soul raised the key, intending to throw it into the Unreal Covenant. Instantly, Wraithshade's eyes widened. With a crack, the ground split open, and a tuft of hair shot out, transforming into a blade and slicing toward Earthly Soul's hand.
"I knew your tricks, you liar."
With a gulp, before his hand could be cut off, Earthly Soul swallowed the key. In an instant, he was sucked inside.
"Earthly Soul!"
I rushed over and grabbed his ankles, pulling with all my strength. Suddenly, I felt a tremendous force drawing me in, as if my own power was being drained away.
"Damn bastard."
"Idiot, Ethan Zhang, don't worry about me. Be careful."
Earthly Soul kicked his legs. My hands went numb, electricity crackling as I was flung backward, slamming into the cold wall of the circular chamber behind me.
"Damn it, damn it, Earthly Soul, you..."
Wraithshade let out a series of furious roars. Earthly Soul was completely pulled into the Unreal Covenant. At that moment, a head poked out from the crack, grinning wickedly.
"The promise is fulfilled. The Unreal will no longer open for you."
With a sharp snap, the Covenant Spire clamped shut. Wraithshade's eyes went wide as he raised a hand—Earthly Soul was gone. Fury surged through me. I slammed my fist into the wall, stunned by its unyielding, almost unnatural hardness.
The Wraithshade before me seemed transformed—a wildness overtook him, his composure shattered. He roared and hammered the ground, as if driven to madness by some unbearable shock.
After a while, Wraithshade calmed down. I leaned quietly against the wall, smiling.
"I don't know what just happened, but your plan failed, Wraithshade."
"Ethan Zhang..."
As Wraithshade glared at me, I stood up. My strength hadn't fully returned, but I had no choice but to fight. I gripped the Deathbane Aura Blade tightly.
Gray Deathbane Aura spilled over my body.
"Trash."
Wraithshade spat out the word coldly and floated into the air. I stared at him in silence.
"Be careful, Qingyuan. That guy isn't someone you can handle. Find a way to escape."
Spirit Snake's voice echoed in my mind. I sneered, exhaling slowly. I didn't want to run anymore, nor let him control me.
"Do you know how many centuries I spent searching for that? The only key that can open the Unreal—and you, you actually dared..."
Wraithshade was so furious he seemed on the verge of madness. His long hair writhed across the ground, twisting through the air like a nest of serpents, circling and undulating in an eerie, unnatural dance.
My strength was nearly spent. I had to think of something. This power could sever Wraithshade's hair. I could clearly sense the resentment radiating from his hair—vast, deep, almost alive.
A swishing sound—masses of hair lunged at me. I floated up and slashed with the Deathbane Aura Blade.
It sliced through easily—something I'd never imagined before.
"Trash. Die."
In an instant, the hair I’d cut fused back together, whipping and swirling like a living storm. It coiled around me, and I felt the suffocating weight of resentment closing in—the crushing sense that I could be devoured at any moment.
[This chapter is not finished~.~ Please click next page for more!]
"Too bad, Mr. Wraithshade, your resentment can't threaten me at all."
As I spoke, black mist rose from my body. Resentful Ghost appeared beside me, laughing wildly. Instantly, the hair made of resentment stopped attacking and calmed down. Resentful Ghost raised both hands, as if soothing the resentment. With a whoosh, I flew up, slashing my Deathbane Aura Blade toward Wraithshade's head.
With a clang, my Deathbane Aura Blade struck the stiletto. Wraithshade's eyes were bloodshot, glaring at me.
I sensed it—the stiletto was made of condensed ghost energy. In an instant, I realized I could clearly feel the enemy's power, something I'd never imagined before.
"So what if you feel it, Ethan Zhang? Trash will always be trash."
I gripped the Deathbane Aura Blade with both hands and pressed down. Gray Deathbane Aura surged from my arms into the blade. With a creak, Wraithshade snapped awake, eyes wide—I severed his stiletto, then slashed at him without mercy.
With a swish, Wraithshade stared at me in disbelief. His left shoulder and chest were struck. He quickly gathered his long hair, spinning it on the ground, and black ripples spread beneath me like waves.
"Almost forgot, you're a ghost, Ethan Zhang. As long as you remain a ghost, you can't defeat me."
I couldn't move. The black ripples at my feet instantly reached me and closed in. A black halo gripped my arm with immense force. I struggled as Wraithshade picked up the hair and placed it on his head.
"I know far more about ghosts than you, Ethan Zhang. Surrender quietly. For now, I don't intend to kill you—hehe."
I sneered.
"But I don't want to be caught by you. Since you said I'm a ghost, then if I weren't a ghost, would this power be useless against me?"
In an instant, the gray Deathbane Aura turned white, and the restraint vanished. Roaring, I swung the now-white Deathbane Aura Blade at Wraithshade again. This time, he didn't dodge, but grabbed the blade with one hand.
"Such immense vitality... Interesting. The power you've mastered now is useless to me, though."
As he spoke, Wraithshade opened his mouth wide and inhaled sharply. I saw countless overlapping ghostly shadows. In an instant, the white on my blade vanished, returning to black.
With a creak, my Deathbane Aura Blade disappeared. Wraithshade's mouth buzzed, and suddenly a black insect flew out. He grabbed my neck, and the black insect flew into my mouth. Instantly, I felt icy cold, my connection to my power severed.
"It's over, Ethan Zhang."
Grinning, I looked at Wraithshade. He sneered as I slowly sank to the ground.
"As long as you're alive, Earthly Soul will appear—he has to, since he swallowed the Covenant Key. Heh."
Wraithshade sat beside me, smiling as he looked at me.
"Then why were you so furious just now?"
"I can still feel my connection to the key—it's not completely severed. That means Earthly Soul hasn't been shattered in the Unreal."
I let out a sigh of relief.
"You look pretty happy, Ethan Zhang."
"Of course. It's good that he's alright. But you're in trouble now, having lost the key."