Gradually, I began to feel a trace of warmth—real heat. I wiped the sweat from my forehead. Such heat is something a ghost should never sense, yet I could clearly feel it.
With a whoosh, the car burst out of the crimson air current in an instant. My eyes widened as I saw a massive canyon filled with flowing, roaring lava. The ground all around was scorched black, embers drifting through the air. I swallowed hard as I watched a gigantic city standing alone beside the lava canyon.
This is Blazing Fields. At the city gate, a long convoy is transporting large quantities of weapons and equipment into the city.
The city had massive walls hundreds of meters tall, and all the buildings inside were ancient. Across the lava canyon stood a long platform, and our car was flying toward it, gently landing. After I got out, I saw Lord Shenyan sitting at the edge of the platform, one hand gripping Sin, his long hair dancing in the wind.
"You're back, Ethan."
I responded, got out of the car, and floated over to Lord Shenyan, who sat cross-legged, his aura steady.
Are you waiting for the war to begin?
I asked. Lord Shenyan smiled and nodded.
Across the canyon, I saw a city that had been razed to the ground. Severed limbs lay everywhere, and I could see a few ghosts skulking about, up to something.
Only now did I notice the immense canyon before me, almost splitting Blazing Fields in two. Looking east to west, I couldn’t see the end of it. If war broke out, the enemy would likely advance from the far side of the canyon. And as I examined it, I realized something was off—some parts looked brand new, with sharp, angular edges.
"I was the one who split it open. This canyon—beneath Blazing Fields was once a massive gathering place for scorching ghostly energy. After tens of thousands of years, that ghost energy transformed into magma. If a ghost fell in, it would be instantly dissolved by the blazing force."
I swallowed hard.
"Didn’t you know? Ghost energy, beyond its basic form, has many attributes. You’ve seen them before, Ethan."
I hummed in agreement. Indeed, the ghost energy Lord Shenyan wielded radiated intense heat. I understood this phenomenon well—my own Ghost Souls use the ghost energy in my body to manifest their original powers: Resentful Energy, Curse Power, Deathbane Aura, and Yin Energy, among others.
Ethan, remember this: ghost energy’s attributes are mainly divided into two categories—heat and cold. Yours is heat.
I let out a confused sound, unable to grasp what Lord Shenyan meant.
Once your ghost energy accumulates enough, you’ll understand. Go, Ethan—John Chou should have been waiting for you a long time.
Just as Lord Shenyan finished speaking, a streak of green light shot out from the city, instantly landing in the ruins of the city opposite. I immediately felt a surge of powerful ghost energy, and soon, the ghosts in the ruins started dying one after another.
"Why did you do that?"
I looked at Lord Shenyan. The war hadn’t started yet, and those ghosts were just ordinary spirits. Lord Shenyan pointed ahead.
"Go and see for yourself."
Without hesitation, I turned into a streak of green light and flew over, landing quickly in the ruins of the city. A whimper caught my attention—it was Perry Min. He raised a finger, pinning an old ghost in midair, who begged for mercy as its body began to swell.
"Wait..."
Just as I spoke, with a crack, the ordinary ghost in Perry Min’s grip exploded, turning to ash.
"Why kill them? They might just be here looking for something to eat. You—"
"Watch closely, Ethan Zhang."
Suddenly, I saw that the ashes didn’t scatter and disappear. Instead, they clustered together, gradually sinking into the ground and vanishing.
"That’s the third time I’ve killed him."
My eyes widened as Perry Min explained: These ghosts, for some unknown reason, revive after being killed. A few days later, they come back. Everywhere except the cities they fully occupy, the ghosts are like this—death doesn’t stick. Normally, a ghost’s ashes would drift to the underworld and gradually dissipate, but now, something is wrong. The ash gathers and sinks into the ground.
"If you’re heading over, make sure to hide your ghost energy. Otherwise, if you run into someone strong, you won’t stand a chance as you are now."
I murmured in acknowledgment as Perry Min took to the air.
"Move quickly. I’ve already cleared out all the ghosts nearby—no one will see you."
Only after Perry Min left did I realize he’d cleared out the ghosts so my movements wouldn’t be exposed. But they don’t truly die.
I began to alter my appearance, turning into an old man. Then I floated up, flying with minimal energy toward the northwest. I needed to find the mountains that divided Blazing Fields from The Barrens, and then follow them to reach the road to Purelands.
Within me, the special Specter Web belonging to John Chou kept guiding me northwest.
Gradually, I slowed down and began walking briskly on the ground. In the distance, I saw a cluster of buildings, including a city. I didn’t plan to approach the city, but instead skirted the deserted wasteland. Whenever I encountered columns of cavalry, I immediately burrowed underground and waited until they passed.
Everything I saw felt strangely out of place. From afar, I could only see ghosts going about their business, but it seemed like life here was normal, with no sign of war.
I kept moving, stopping and starting, always skirting cities and towns. The situation here was completely different from what I’d seen at the Underworld Court—there was no hint of war.
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Finally, I reached the foot of the mountains. After releasing some Specter Webs to ensure no ghosts were nearby for several kilometers, I flew low along the mountain edge.