"Luantian Xuekui, that's enough. Everything here is over."
I stared blankly, watching Luna Quay stand before the half-crouched Luantian Xuekui, who still seemed intent on doing something.
At this moment, Luantian Xuekui was in a terrible state as well. It seemed these people had anticipated our plan from the very beginning and had already set everything in motion.
I wasn't fooled by Xu Fu's words. From the start, I'd planned how to deal with the Immortality Society. Those endless days and nights in the Forest of Desire had honed my strength completely. As long as Xu Fu remained human, still chasing after power, still possessed by... desire.
"What's going on? Wang Qi, explain yourself."
"We recovered Gregory Wu's corpse at the time. He died from exhaustion of power, and that same force appeared in Thousand Hands' monster lab. This is the third occurrence."
I sneered, staring at Wang Qi as he stepped toward me.
"You’ve made some progress, Ethan Zhang."
"Heh, not everything is part of your plan, is it?"
I slowly climbed to my feet. Deep inside, I had no thought of giving up resistance. I wouldn’t stop. To break through the sealed Thirteen Ghost Gates, I just needed a little more time.
"Kill him, Wang Qi."
Xu Fu roared in anger, glaring at me, but Wang Qi only shook his head.
"This is a rare power, you know. There may be domains within Ethan Zhang's body we haven't discovered yet. I warned you before—even if the warning was meant to be ignored—everyone here should understand this. No matter where you are, no matter who you are, strong or weak, those who treat this as a game, from ancient times to now, have never met a good end. In these two thousand years, how many times have we driven others to desperation, how many tragedies have we caused, how many angry corpses have we brushed past, just to survive till now."
I sneered, looking at Xu Fu. He quieted down, not refuting Wang Qi’s words, closing his eyes, and placed a hand on his own chest.
"Fine, I’ll admit what you said, Wang Qi. Do it—kill Ethan Zhang. I don’t want any more mistakes. It’s just a body. If it’s gone, there are plenty of replacements. Perfection is impossible anyway, so it doesn’t matter anymore."
Isabelle Frost looked at me coldly. I gave her a faint smile, then looked at Wang Qi.
"Killing someone twice is truly ironic. The last time Ethan Zhang died, he became a monster, and this time, it seems he’ll really die for good."
I raised Belle, pointing it at Wang Qi.
"You're next."
Wang Qi grinned wickedly, bending forward slightly.
A massive amount of Deathbane Aura had already accumulated in my Ghost Soul, and the thing used to seal my Thirteen Ghost Gates was beginning to loosen.
Suddenly, Wang Qi struck. I couldn’t track his fist at all, but the crushing force coming at me made me react instinctively.
I roared, swinging Belle at Wang Qi.
With a bang, a blinding black light engulfed me, and a rope yanked me back.
In an instant, I was dragged back. Luna Quay flew toward Wang Qi—it was Luantian Xuekui.
A chorus of screams rang out. I turned my head, eyes wide—it was Wraithshade. He was now beside Isabelle Frost, who was struggling to resist.
"You..."
I roared as two black spikes pierced Isabelle Frost’s eyes, her four arms and legs pinned to the ground. Wraithshade pressed a hand against the black eye on her forehead.
"Don’t panic, Ethan Zhang. Survive."
Luantian Xuekui extended her red threads, pinning me down. I kept coughing up blood as the Deathbane Aura grew chaotic, my Ghost Soul reaching its limit.
"Heavenly Soul, help me. Help me."
I roared, white liquid dripping from my mouth.
"You’re at your limit, Ethan Zhang. If you keep going, your Ghost Soul will explode."
Half-crouched, fists clenched and teeth gritted, I stared at the enemies before me. Xu Fu stood up, a wicked smile on his face.
"I already know your trump card. Desire... hahahaha..."
Xu Fu laughed maniacally, stepping forward.
"For those of us consumed by desire, it’s the greatest trump card. But keeping a desireless mindset isn’t hard—just give it time. The power that destroys the self through desire can be restrained."
I silently watched Xu Fu. His body was no longer as immobilized as before.
"Looks like this will take some time."
Wang Qi spoke, advancing toward us step by step.