"Ethan, you understand now, don't you?"
Mr. Brown said, and I nodded.
"I'm counting on you, Mr. Brown. Everything inside the apartment building."
Mr. Brown nodded. Isabelle Frost stared at me coldly.
"Ethan Zhang, bring John Chou out."
I looked at Isabelle Frost in surprise. I had just tried, but nothing worked at all.
"Add him in. With the two of you, you should be able to break the power of the Underworld Court."
Lance Quinn said, and I looked at Ironmask in surprise. He sat motionless on the ground, staring blankly at John Chou.
Suddenly, Ironmask sprang to his feet, raising his fist with a sizzling sound. He swung at the red spike.
The barrier appeared again. Ironmask's fist struck it.
"No need for Ethan Zhang. I can do it alone."
All of us immediately stepped back. Ironmask raised his fist, and his body was gradually drawn toward it.
"Better do it with Ethan Zhang. Alone, you..."
Lance Quinn spoke, but suddenly Ironmask roared.
"Instinct, named... Endbringer..."
With a thunderous crash, a chaotic black vortex appeared beneath Ironmask's feet. In an instant, black lightning surged in his hand, crackling. With a snap, I stared in shock at the red barrier as it splintered with cracks.
"All things will return to Endbringer..."
With a crash, the barrier shattered completely. Ironmask grabbed the Red Spike with one hand, and instantly, red light flared. Ironmask roared, pulling at the spike again and again.
Gradually, I saw the Red Spike loosen. But just then, a blood-red command character suddenly appeared.
With a snap, blinding red light shot skyward. Ironmask was flung back, and in an instant, everything around us was drowned in red.
A tingling sensation swept over me, followed by a surge of heat. Every Specter Web I tried to connect to the Red Spike was burned away.
I kept releasing more Specter Webs, trying to link to the Red Spike, but failed again and again.
"Sigh, Ethan, your control over the Specter Web is too rough. Be more delicate—take it slow, don't rush."
Mr. Brown coached me from the side. I nodded. Everyone waited patiently. The process lasted a long time, and I used up a lot of ghost energy, but in this Extreme Yin Land, I didn’t have to worry about running out.
"Come on, Ethan Zhang, it’s been two hours! Can you do this or not?"
Lance Quinn grumbled impatiently beside me, but I ignored him, focusing quietly. Even after so many failures, I felt the resistance was starting to ease a little.
Just then, I sensed the force blocking me was becoming more pliant, less hostile. I sped up the release of my Specter Web.
"That's enough, Ethan."
Mr. Brown spoke up. In an instant, my Specter Web connected with the Red Spike, and I started to lose consciousness.
Suddenly, I snapped awake, finding myself in my Instinctive Space.
"Hey, Ethan, what kind of trouble did you drag in this time?"
Zhu Tang spoke beside my ear. A shrill scream pierced the air as Yin Ghost charged at the massive Red Spike before us.
With a swish, blade-like gusts of netherwind whipped around the spike, but were instantly scattered by the red light.
"Hmph, this thing is tough. Looks like I’ll have to go all out."
Yin Ghost said, while Resentful Ghost and Tong Ghost whistled and jeered from the side.
"Show us what you've got, big sis..."
"Knock it off."
I barked sternly. Yin Ghost pouted after coming back, and I shivered. Staring at my own face—except it was a woman—no matter how many times I saw it, I never got used to it.
"Look, Ethan."
Zhu Tang said, and I looked over. On the spike before us, a character began to appear, gradually becoming visible.
"Not good, everyone, give it your all!"
Spirit Snake shouted anxiously. My Instinctive Space buzzed. Suddenly, my body felt unbearably heavy—I couldn't breathe, and my legs buckled.
A vivid red 'seven' appeared on the spike, then gradually, the character for 'Yama' emerged. I stared in shock.
"Hmph, you little brat. What do you think you're doing with this king's pardon?"
A voice full of authority and roughness thundered. With a crash, I felt even heavier—flattened to the ground, unable to move. My five Ghost Souls gathered around, reaching out their hands.
Cracks split the blackness of my Instinctive Space, leaking strands of red light.
"It's the Seventh Tribunal Yama, Lord Tai Shan. Be careful!"
Spirit Snake shouted, and the crushing weight eased a little. The five Ghost Souls looked pale, straining with effort.
"Hmph, Underworld Enforcer Bao dares meddle in my affairs? Ethan Zhang, this king orders you to leave John Chou's prison, or you'll regret it."
In an instant, my five Ghost Souls collapsed to the ground. Everyone was crushed by the weight, pinned down and unable to move.
"Newborn Ghost Souls are fragile. If I wished, I could destroy them in a heartbeat."
As he spoke, Resentful Ghost screamed and floated up, then its body was squeezed by immense force and burst into a splash of black blood.
My chest tightened, but soon the blood reformed. Resentful Ghost lay on the ground, glaring hatefully at the spike.
"I'll say it again, Ethan Zhang. This king orders you to leave John Chou."
I ignored Lord Tai Shan's harsh tone and pondered other matters instead.
I didn't know how Lord Tai Shan managed to project his power into my Instinctive Space, but it must be because of the spike.
I quickly checked my Specter Web. When I first connected, I sensed something red in the spike. Without thinking, I touched it—then realized I should pull my Specter Web back.
Sure enough, I felt the crushing pressure ease a bit.
"Don't even think about it, Ethan Zhang."
Suddenly, a red beam shot from the spike, piercing my hands and feet and pinning me to the ground.
"Don't try any tricks in front of this king."
"Oh, big words. Heh."
Just then, a familiar voice rang out—it was John Chou. I looked up in surprise as he walked over, Ironmask following close behind.
"John Chou, you dare treat this king's words as a joke? Today, I won't let you off so easily."
In a flash, I saw Ironmask fly toward the Red Spike, wielding a black sword covered in swirling dark vortexes.
"Shut up, you old bastard! If Lan Ruoxi dies, you'll bear much of the blame."
A tearing sound, then a crack—suddenly, I could move again. The Red Spike blazed with intense red light. I roared, and the anger sleeping deep inside me erupted all at once.
It was the Seventh Tribunal Yama who gave the Immortality Society this spike to seal John Chou.
Roaring, all five Ghost Souls surged back into my body.
"Instinct... named Coexistence..."
"Instinct... named Endbringer..."
I pressed my hand to Ironmask's Endbringer. Our roars merged as cracks split the Red Spike, and the invisible pressure began to fade.
"Ethan Zhang, you dare defy this king? I won't forgive you."
I glared fiercely at the angry face in the red light, fists clenched.
"That's my line."
Then Ironmask roared, raised Endbringer, and struck the Red Spike. With a thunderous crash, the spike shattered into drifting red particles, slowly fading from my Instinctive Space.