Suddenly, I felt a powerful force coming from behind me. In an instant—snap—I was completely transformed into a mist-like form.
It was Marshal Leopard. He moved swiftly toward me, reaching out a hand, trying to grab my neck. My Specter Web could sense it clearly.
"Brother Ethan, hurry over here."
I rushed toward Ray Lin. He hadn't yet regained his true form, so I quickly condensed my shape. Instantly, the ghost officers all around drew their weapons and converged on us.
"What exactly are you trying to do?"
Marshal Leopard stood before Ray Lin and me, hands clasped behind his back. His presence was intimidating without anger—a powerful ghostly force. Instantly, I felt as if Marshal Leopard standing before me was a vast ocean, and now the surface was starting to stir. Soon, a violent storm would break.
"You must be Ethan Zhang."
Marshal Leopard asked. I looked at him and nodded.
"Yesterday, I sensed something—I couldn't divine your past or future. Even though your birth and death dates are clear, something just feels off. I knew you weren't Lewis Si. And these past few days, you and your brother—except for Li Nian—haven't changed much, but you, you're completely different from before.",
As Marshal Leopard spoke, I suddenly remembered—in that horror story, my golden-eyed self had said my acting skills were terrible.
Ray Lin's form gradually began to change. Then, his entire body glowed with a green light as he returned to his original appearance.
"No other way, Brother Ethan. We've been exposed. Here."
Ray Lin spoke as he walked up to me, handing me the slip of paper Marshal Leopard had given him yesterday.
"This is..."
"Brother Ethan, we don't have much time. In a moment, I'll create an opportunity for you. When you see your chance, get onto the Underworld Path. If you move quickly, you should be able to catch up to those two Hell's Registrars."
I stared blankly at Ray Lin, but I couldn't just leave him behind like this.
"No need to worry about me. Even though I'm not a match for that old man, it's still not easy for him to deal with me. Don't forget, my Ghost Soul is special. If I want to slip away, he won't be able to stop me."
As soon as Ray Lin finished speaking, a chorus of howls from the Starving Wraiths echoed around us. The Hell's Registrars reacted as if they'd seen a ghost—some flew off, others bolted, scattering in all directions.
A series of low growls from the Starving Wraiths caught our attention. At some point, we found ourselves surrounded by these spectral wolves, each half as tall as a person, baring their fangs and glowing red. Their bodies seemed made of vapor, and their numbers were overwhelming, encircling us with a readiness to pounce at any moment.
"Animal spirits. Heh, that old man really is impressive."
As soon as Ray Lin spoke, I saw Marshal Leopard floating in the air, glaring at us.
"Last time, Yin Choujian caused chaos here in Halfway Crossing. Ethan Zhang, what are you trying to do in the underworld?"
I stared straight at Marshal Leopard and spoke, word by word.
"I'm only here to find something."
No sooner had I finished speaking than Ray Lin grabbed me with one hand. Wolf howls rang out, and a pack of Starving Wraiths lunged at us, jaws wide, revealing sharp fangs and blade-like claws.
"Don't let them bite or scratch you, or it'll be a big problem."
Ray Lin spoke as I floated above the ground. I immediately summoned Deathbane Aura, conjuring arrow after arrow of black energy and firing them into the surging pack of Starving Wraiths.
The barrage of arrows struck the Starving Wraiths, dissolving them into mist and scattering them. But as more of the spectral wolves charged, Ray Lin grabbed me and hurled me forcefully into the air.
"Brother Ethan, look for an opening!"
Ray Lin shouted, raising both hands, his body radiating green light. As the pack of wolves lunged, he thrust his hands forward.
"Passage, open..."
The hungry wolves dove into the green light, as if entering some kind of tunnel, and vanished one after another.
I stared blankly at my feet—a whole pack of vicious wolves had disappeared just like that. It was strange.
Marshal Leopard seemed to notice something too. He actually smiled—a stiff grin appeared on his usually meticulous face.
"Smart. You didn't fight head-on. Swallow..."
As Marshal Leopard spoke, he raised a hand. Instantly, swallows made of blue light appeared in the sky, chirping as they circled above my head.
With a crack, one of the swallows crashed into me. Suddenly, ice formed on my body, coming from within. I cried out, trying to turn into mist, but the freezing was so fast—starting from my chest, it spread outward in an instant.
Cold air poured out from me, and instantly, I lost all sensation—my whole body was freezing solid.
I couldn't react in time. Ray Lin flashed over in a streak of green light, appeared before me, and slammed a hand onto my chest, shouting.
With a crack, heat began to radiate from my frozen body, and then I started to recover.
"Go."
I nodded. Instantly, Ray Lin raised his hand, and the blue swallows flying in from all directions vanished around us.
Ray Lin grabbed me again and brought me back to the ground. Then, in a flash, he hurled me toward the city wall—there was no gate, only stone.
I looked gratefully at Ray Lin. In this situation, I was helpless. If I didn't follow quickly, I'd lose track of those two Hell's Registrars. I steadied myself in the air, spread my wings, and shot toward the stone wall.
With a roar, a green wolf appeared before me. The moment I saw it, the wolf lunged, passing right through me. My mind buzzed, my limbs wouldn't obey, and the Deathbane Aura vanished instantly.
Bang—I slammed into the hard stone. My body felt empty; I couldn't feel anything. Now, I was just human.
"Looks like I have to handle this myself. Your tricks are troublesome."
Marshal Leopard took off his shirt and tossed it behind him. Ray Lin looked at me anxiously.
I had no strength left at all. In that moment, I felt as if all the ghostly power inside me had been completely devoured.
I'd never experienced anything like this before.
With a thunderous boom, I stared in shock as a powerful fist struck Ray Lin's face. It was Marshal Leopard—his body had transformed, his legs now like those of a strong leopard, his whole form swelling to several times its size.
The hand that had just hit Ray Lin was now covered in thick fur, resembling a bear's paw. I saw Ray Lin's entire head get knocked off. In the next instant, I saw another hand—Marshal Leopard's other hand had turned into a tiger's maw, which bit off half of Ray Lin's body and began to chew.
"Ray Lin!"
I screamed. Then, with a flash of green light, Ray Lin crouched on the ground, looking up at Marshal Leopard in the sky.
"Old man, don't go too far. You took out two of my Ghost Souls in one blow. Looks like I'll have to use my real skills, or you might actually finish me off."
As soon as Ray Lin finished speaking, Marshal Leopard's body snapped back to normal and charged at him.
With a crash, dust flew everywhere. I scrambled to get my hands and feet on the ground—I had to figure out a way to recover and get through this stone wall, or Ray Lin would be in grave danger.
But I was completely human now, couldn't feel a thing. As the dust cleared, I saw Marshal Leopard gripping Ray Lin's neck tightly, and Ray Lin looked to be in pain.
Suddenly, I saw tiger jaws sprout from Marshal Leopard's body, biting Ray Lin's arms, legs, and neck. Then, massive tigers with gray backs emerged from Marshal Leopard, pinning Ray Lin to the ground. He seemed to be subdued.
The gap in strength was overwhelming. Just as I realized this, Marshal Leopard began to slowly walk toward me.
Desperate, I raised my hand and bit into my palm, letting blood drip onto the ground. Instantly, I felt earth energy surging into me, Deathbane Aura spilling out—I could feel my ghostly strength returning.
"It's useless, Ethan Zhang. You can't escape."
As Marshal Leopard spoke, he suddenly appeared before me.
"Three souls and seven spirits, come forth..."
I screamed in agony. Marshal Leopard's hand, like an eagle's claw, pierced into my body. In an instant, I lost consciousness. When I came to, I was shocked to see my body lying on the ground like a corpse.
My first reaction was that my soul had been pulled from my body. Marshal Leopard gripped my neck tightly. I screamed, staring blankly as I was dragged out of my body bit by bit.
I struggled desperately. Suddenly, I saw Hell's Registrars all around, flying toward us with batons raised, their faces expressionless. Their target was Marshal Leopard.
"What are you doing?"
Marshal Leopard roared. The Hell's Registrars attacking him were repelled by a blast of red light.
Suddenly, I saw a black flame ignite on my corpse. Instantly, the fire leapt onto Marshal Leopard's hand—the one gripping me.
"Malice Flame..."
As soon as Marshal Leopard saw his hand wrapped in black flame, he cut off the hand that was holding me.