"Earthly Soul, do you really think I can't deal with you?"
Master Lucian's voice echoed from behind Grandmaster Mingde, low and ominous. The cave around him began to pulse with an unsettling golden radiance, and in the distance, shimmering layers of golden barriers rose, each swirling with spectral white Sanskrit runes. The monks who had gathered earlier had dispersed—perched like silent sentinels atop boulders, tree branches, or the earth itself, each sitting in rigid meditation, their chanting weaving a suffocating web of Brahma sounds that pressed relentlessly against my mind.
A cold sneer twisted my lips as I watched the cave behind Mingde—its passage to the mountaintop warping grotesquely before my eyes. With a thunderous crash, the Golden Howler's colossal jaws materialized from the void, snapping shut and swallowing Master Lucian whole. In the next instant, a towering, golden-furred beast loomed behind him, its presence radiating a primal, suffocating menace.
"Go back, Earthly Soul. There's still time. I don't want to fight you."
My gaze locked onto the Golden Howler, muscles tensed, every instinct screaming caution. He was the true threat lurking here. Mingde’s power was formidable—unrivaled among spellcasters—but I was no longer the man I used to be. The air itself seemed charged with anticipation, every heartbeat echoing with the promise of violence.
Right now, the only shadow over me was the Golden Howler. When I first faced him at the mountain gate, an overwhelming, almost monstrous force had radiated from his core. Mingde had already conjured the barrier—a shimmering, spiritual wall separating realms—and the monks outside chanted on, pouring their energy into strengthening its oppressive hold.
Crowds still lingered at the mountain’s base—the monks were desperate to keep the carnage contained, shielding the innocents below. Mingde approached, his steps deliberate and heavy. I stumbled, golden light flickering beneath my feet. My spiritual domain—the mystical realm I commanded—remained intact, yet the luminous energy swirling around me felt alien, impenetrable.
The ground began to swell, and everything around me dissolved into drifting golden motes. My eyes widened in shock as Brahma chants reverberated, the world morphing into a desolate wilderness in an instant. I spun, searching—Mingde had wrenched me into another dimension, dragging my spiritual domain with me. I floated upward, a bitter sneer twisting my face, the air thick with supernatural dread.
"Grandmaster Mingde, I'll say it one more time—move aside."
After floating into the air, Mingde sat cross-legged. Golden prayer beads drifted around him, his face still gentle as he looked at me.
"Benefactor Zhang, the past is severed from Leo Yuan now. I urge you—let go of the violence festering in your heart. We..." Mingde’s words hung in the air, heavy with unspoken warning, every syllable thickening the tension between us.
I had no intention of continuing the conversation with Mingde. This barrier was clearly forged using the Golden Howler's power, and it had transported us directly from Universal Temple to this space. I could still sense Ghostworm's presence—if I could pinpoint his exact location, that would be enough. I quietly stared at the five- or six-meter-tall Golden Howler standing behind Mingde. He had helped both me and Ethan Zhang several times, and I was grateful for that. But now, our positions were different. I wasn't going to debate whether Master Lucian should be spared.
With a rush of wind, I bent space itself—my domain shifting me beneath the Golden Howler. The Endbringer Blade in my grip pointed at his belly, hungry for violence. Suddenly, a hand flashed before my eyes, its wrist adorned with prayer beads glinting ominously. I stared in disbelief—Grandmaster Mingde had stripped off his robe, his body swollen with unnatural muscle, an ivory-white strand of prayer beads slung across his neck, one bead pressing hard against my jaw.
A thunderous impact hurled me across the air. Instinct took over—I steadied myself mid-flight, choking back the surge of power that threatened to explode from within. My eyes locked on Mingde, who now towered nearly two meters tall. I’d witnessed this transformation before—the Buddha Aspect, a forbidden technique that twisted flesh and spirit for raw strength. But I’d never seen it amplify someone so grotesquely, nor allow an old man to move with such predatory speed.
"Amitabha, Benefactor Zhang."
Mingde pressed his palms together with a kind expression, half-squatting on the ground. But I could see it now—the Golden Howler had infused his power into Mingde's body. Otherwise, the Buddha Aspect wouldn't be so greatly enhanced, and Mingde, already elderly, wouldn't move so fast.
"Interesting, Grandmaster Mingde. Don't blame me for what comes next."
Raising the Endbringer Blade, my body became a streak of black lightning—a living weapon hurtling toward Mingde. The world exploded with sound as Mingde twisted aside, his form blurring into a golden stream of light. His elbow slammed into my sword’s tip, and the air itself seemed to collapse inward, a crushing force catapulting me away, every nerve screaming with the violence of impact.
I steadied myself midair as black lightning crackled across the ground below, fine threads snaking outward like a living curse. I was holding back—I didn’t want to truly harm Mingde. He was a savior to Ethan Zhang, after all. My true aim was clear: to hunt down Master Lucian, hidden deep within the Golden Howler’s monstrous form. Urgency gnawed at me, every second thick with dread.
Mingde showed no intent to fight—just to bar my path. I watched him closely. The Golden Howler’s eyes flickered with helplessness, a silent plea buried beneath their feral glare. What bound him so tightly to the Buddhist Order? Then I remembered: legend said he once served as the Bodhisattva’s mount, his fate shackled to their will.
"Benefactor Zhang, let it go. Amitabha. The Buddha said..."
I didn't wait for Mingde to finish. With a thought, two massive pillars of lightning erupted from either side, bearing down on Mingde and the Golden Howler in the center. This time, the power I used was different from my usual Endbringer force—it was mixed with spell power. As expected, Mingde and the Golden Howler noticed quickly. The Golden Howler roared and leapt up, Mingde instantly standing on his back. The two escaped the crisscrossing lightning, moving far away. I seized the chance, shifting over and aiming the Endbringer at the Golden Howler's flank, stabbing out with my sword.
With a snap, Mingde reacted instantly, clamping both hands around my Endbringer. The sword began to crumble. Mingde retreated with a boom, and a violent explosion of lightning erupted, black bolts radiating outward with a sizzling sound. Mingde's hands were burned, black smoke rising. Meanwhile, my hand had pierced the Golden Howler's flank—sure enough, inside his abdomen...
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Amid agonized howls, I kept my head down, widening the hole in the Golden Howler's ribs. Just then, with a boom, Mingde, face twisted in pain, grabbed my hand and pressed it against my chest.
"Amitabha, Benefactor Zhang. Forgive me."
My eyes widened as a golden swastika grew across my body. Instantly, Mingde struck me with his palm, then took off the ivory-white string of prayer beads and flung them at me. The beads wrapped around me, forming a figure-eight. Suddenly, I couldn't use my power. With a crash, I hit the ground. My realm hadn't dissipated, but Mingde had restrained me. He calmly sat cross-legged, chanting sutras. The burns on his hands began to heal in golden light, and the hole I'd made in the Golden Howler's ribs gradually vanished—he was back to normal.
I glared quietly at Mingde, who had stood up and now slowly landed in front of me, bowing and making a Buddhist gesture.
"Amitabha, Benefactor Zhang. Even through flesh and bone, one's nature can be seen. I sense no great evil in your heart. What happened is long past—why cling to it..."
"Easy for you to say, Grandmaster Mingde. Are you really unaware of what Ghostworm did in the past? And now he's secretly manipulating the Renegade Order. Ha! Are you only going to question him after something terrible happens?"
At that moment, the Golden Howler walked over, mouth open, a stream of golden energy pouring out. Master Lucian emerged from the Golden Howler's mouth, smiling at me. His face was childlike and innocent—I couldn't see any evil in him, but no matter what, I had to eliminate him. Sealing my power was tricky, but not enough to fully restrain me.
I planned to wait for the right moment—a chance to kill in one strike. They hadn't noticed that my realm hadn't been withdrawn. Part of my consciousness had already separated from my body, letting me clearly observe below. I intended to use that awareness to gradually approach Master Lucian and, when the time was right, finish him off.
"Earthly Soul, I have no grudge against you. As for what I've done in the past, I won't defend it—evil is evil, there's no excuse. The reason I became like that is because of everything that happened before. You may have heard from Ethan Zhang: back then, my junior and I went to the place where you three were born. If not for us, you wouldn't have come into existence."
I snorted coldly.
"Then I really ought to thank you, Ghostworm."
Master Lucian looked uncomfortable, shaking his head.
"Back then, my junior risked his life to save me, triggering the Buddha Aspect's power. That's what made that patch of land so unique, allowing the three of you to be born. Earthly Soul, I don't want to be entangled with you anymore. I mean well—after all, you know about Rachel Lan's problem, and you urgently need..."
"You're full of crap, Ghostworm."
I cursed. Anger flashed across Master Lucian's face. I thought of someone else—Swallowing Wine, who was also ruined by Ghostworm, left neither human nor ghost.
"Master Lucian, don't give in to anger. Calm your heart."
Mingde turned and spoke. Master Lucian quietly sat cross-legged on the ground.
I didn't know how the Ten Ferrymen of Hades handled the Renegade Order back then, but I could imagine it wasn't easy.
I quietly watched as Mingde and Master Lucian both sat down, closing their eyes in meditation. It seemed Mingde wanted to keep me here and resolve everything. The Golden Howler watched from the side, eyes alert and fixed on me. I sneered coldly.
Suddenly, I found an opportunity. As my consciousness approached Master Lucian, I appeared behind him, reaching for his neck.