When I returned to the shop, it was already morning. I still went out to buy groceries, planning to prepare the food so I could head straight to Emperor Blaze's Domain. I'd come back in the evening to reopen the shop, but my mood was far from good.
As for the actions of those malevolent spirits, Elder Peach will keep working to complete the ritual array. Poison Dreadstar should have already emerged, and when Elder Peach finishes, he will die, the malevolent spirits will be revived, and I am powerless to stop any of it.
All I can do is watch as the malevolent spirits are resurrected once again. Thought Ghost is completely sealed inside the Lake of Deathbane; in his current state, he cannot break free or do anything. With Zhu Tang's help, he can no longer use his own power to stir up trouble.
I decided to set these things aside for now, and instead focus on everything inside the Twin Emperors' Domains. The things in there are extremely dangerous, and I fear they've already slipped completely beyond the control of Emperor Blaze and Emperor Huang. When those weapons were created, it was probably just to defeat their enemies, but neither of them ever considered the consequences.
This is the dilemma facing us now. With the amount of weapons in both domains, they could destroy this darkness in an instant. If this darkness disappears, Rachel Lan and I will also be in danger, and we might lose our chance to return to the Living World.
When I got to the morning market to buy food, quite a few people greeted me, and I smiled back at them.
If this place is destroyed, the bustle within this darkness will vanish too, and the people living here will become dust within the darkness.
After living in one place for a long time, even such a boring life becomes hard to leave behind. I feel like I've completely blended into this darkness now.
I bought some food and went back to the shop. After taking care of everything, I drifted quickly eastward. Soon, I sensed it—the three of them really did leave Emperor Huang's Domain in the west and started moving.
Along the way, I thought about many things. I don't know when Rachel Lan will return. Right now, all I can do is steadily strengthen myself, find a way to help those three, and deal with the weapons in the Twin Emperors' Domains. That's what I need to do right now.
Gradually, I saw a massive gate, tightly shut, with flame patterns carved onto both doors. I landed in the center, found a spot to sit down, and watched as the three of them kept speeding up, quickly heading this way.
They would arrive in about ten minutes. I closed my eyes, and gradually, gray currents of energy naturally began to flow out of my body. I sensed the key was inside me, and the gate behind me resonated with it.
After maintaining this state for more than ten minutes, my body was already covered in a layer of gray death energy, humming softly. The Undertaker arrived first, followed by the Artisan and the Sleeper, who showed up two minutes later.
"We can begin now, Ethan Zhang."
I nodded, stood up, opened my eyes, and placed one hand on the gate to Emperor Blaze's Domain.
"Instinct... coexistence..."
With a creak, the massive doors slowly moved backward, opening bit by bit. When a gap appeared wide enough to enter, I stopped. A splash of green was the first thing that caught my eye.
I stared in surprise at everything inside. The three behind me also looked astonished as they gazed at what lay beyond the gate—a vast stretch of emerald grassland that extended all the way to a towering mountain. I sensed a strange aura coming from the grassland before us.
"Don't rush in just yet."
The Undertaker spoke, taking out a glass orb. He held it in his hand and came to my side, reaching out, but the glass orb didn't react at all.