A wave of desolation swept through my heart, spreading to every part of my body. Overwhelmed by grief and rage, I threw my head back and screamed into the sky. With a furious beat of my wings, I dove down toward the ruins below.
Fortunately, the chaos on the road had put everyone on alert. Many people had already fled. I landed in a place still thick with dust. Hearing shouts, I hurried over. Beneath some rubble lay several people—dead bodies, and among them, one man was whimpering in pain.
I rushed over, my mind focused, and quickly moved the stones off the trapped man. He whimpered in agony, his abdomen crushed and bloodied by the debris. I tried to pick him up, but his screams grew weaker and weaker until finally, his voice faded away.
I watched him silently. He raised a trembling hand, desperate not to die, but in the end, his strength failed and the hand dropped lifelessly.
"Find the survivors."
Immediately, I released the Tong Ghost and the Resentful Ghost, extending the ghostly network in all directions. The night was filled with the blaring sirens of ambulances and the thunder of helicopters flying overhead.
I kept moving the injured out onto the street as fast as I could. My mind was blank; all I could think about was saving lives. Lost in the ruins, I searched relentlessly.
Just then, I sensed someone at the center of the rubble—a Red Mask Agent. The urge to crush him surged inside me, my anger boiling over once more.
"That's right, Ethan Zhang. Crush him."
With a whoosh, my shadow sprang out from my body and stood beside me.
"To defeat someone like him, you have to be even more ruthless. Ethan Zhang, don't hesitate—become a ghost completely. Only a ghost can..."
Suddenly, with a rush, Mona Ouyang appeared beside me, half crouched on the ground, completely naked, gasping for breath and covered in wounds. I stared in shock, then quickly realized this was still Ouyang Wei's body. I hurriedly took off my coat and wrapped it around him.
"He's coming."
Mona Ouyang spoke. I looked out at the night sky in the distance—there, a Red Mask Agent was walking toward me, step by step. My eyes widened in shock; my two Deathbane Blades were still stuck in his chest.
"Why is this happening? It hurts so much, Ethan Zhang, tell me, why?"
The Red Mask Agent roared, a buzzing filling my head. Mona Ouyang glanced at me.
"So, do you want to blame all this tragedy on yourself, Ethan Zhang?"
I said nothing and walked toward the Red Mask Agent. Inside, all my anger and sorrow were pushed down, but I felt like I was about to faint. My consciousness was wracked with pain. Clenching my fists, I swung my arm; black flames condensed, forming a black Phoenix Blade.
"It was you, Ethan Zhang. It's because of you, isn't it? I caused all this, but you made it happen."
"How can someone be so cruel?"
I asked, word by word. The Red Mask Agent spread his arms wide and burst into wild laughter, madness flickering in his eyes.
"Because we're human. That's why we can be so cruel. Cruelty is human nature..."
With a hiss, the Red Mask Agent yanked out the two Deathbane Blades stuck in his chest and hurled them toward me. With two metallic clangs, the blades hit the ground, sounding like steel.
Black blood streamed from the Red Mask Agent's torn chest, staining his black suit dark red. He shed his jacket, then unbuttoned his white shirt, now soaked in black blood, revealing a body veined and shrouded in black energy.
I saw his black heart, beating quietly and rhythmically in his chest.
"Do you want to kill me, Ethan Zhang? Do you want to blame your own failure on me?"
The Red Mask Agent kept talking. I shook my head. Behind me, Mona Ouyang was already at her limit. That last strike was so powerful, it showed me just how strong the Immortality Society truly was. This was only a Red Mask Agent—if I faced a Blue Mask, I couldn’t even imagine it.
If it had been me, that last blow would have shattered my soul and body in an instant, leaving nothing behind.
"Do you want this tragedy to continue, Ethan Zhang? If you don't, then let me ask you one last time: surrender, or resist?"
A smile crept onto my lips, and I took a deep breath.
Who would ever surrender to monsters like you, who treat taking lives as a joke...
I roared, unfurled my wings, and charged at the Red Mask Agent, raising the Phoenix Blade high. Flames surged as I slashed down at him.
Deep down, I knew all my attacks were useless against the Red Mask Agent.
With a thunderous crash, the flames vanished. The Red Mask Agent appeared before me, fist raised, and struck my face with a heavy blow. I was knocked backward, crashing into the ruins with shattered stones flying everywhere. My nose and mouth were filled with black blood.
I spat out a mouthful of blood. Against such overwhelming power, I was helpless. Still, I forced myself to stand, to fly. Instantly, everything around the Red Mask Agent froze—ice spreading toward him.
With a grinding sound, the Red Mask Agent casually lifted his hand, and my black ice shattered into crystals.
Gripping the Phoenix Blade, I slashed at the Red Mask Agent. With just his left hand, he caught the blade and kicked me away. In midair, I struggled to steady myself, panting, watching as he crushed the Phoenix Blade in his grip.
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"Now!"
I suddenly shouted, and with a thunderous boom, the Phoenix Blade in the Red Mask Agent's hand exploded violently. Black flames erupted, and I charged in, swinging the twin Deathbane Blades at his head.
In that instant, before I could strike, I felt a hand grip my head and slam me to the ground.
"Is this all, Ethan Zhang? Come with me to the Immortality Society. You'll become stronger. Everything you know is just a drop in the ocean. Living only in the light, you'll never truly understand the darkness. You'll come to understand—the will of the Immortality Society."
Then the Red Mask Agent gripped my neck tightly. I struggled and roared, swinging both swords at his body, but my Deathbane Blades couldn't pierce his steel-like skin.
"Earlier, when Mona Ouyang gave you that one chance, I couldn't control my body, so you pierced my chest. Did you really think your current Deathbane power could match me? You wasted your only opportunity. My heart is not some cheap imitation like those of the Black Masks."
Powerless, the Red Mask Agent dragged me by the throat, carrying me out of the ruins. Helplessness, weakness, and defeat flooded my heart.
Suddenly, with a thunderous boom, the Red Mask Agent leapt aside while holding me. A raging fireball descended from the sky. Black strands of hair floated, and a tattered cyan robe danced in the wind.
It was Lord Shen Yan. My mouth dropped open in shock as he descended from above. The Red Mask Agent kicked me aside and glared at Lord Shen Yan, fists clenched in caution.
"Waya-ya, this is the first time I've seen someone like this—human, ghost, or something else? Hundreds of years have passed, and I've heard stories of a group secretly hunting the Immortality Seekers."
It was Zhong Kui. Lord Shen Yan revealed the image of Zhong Kui on his chest, and it began to move.
"So, all seven Ghost Sovereigns want to..." With a rush, Lord Shen Yan appeared at my side, his eyes resolute. The Red Mask Agent stood nearby, but Lord Shen Yan ignored him completely.
"Ethan Zhang, Yin Choujian asked me to tell you: follow your heart, do not fear. If you let fear consume you and cannot turn it into strength, then you are already dead."
Eyes wide, I stared at Lord Shen Yan. With a creak, I turned my head and was stunned—the Red Mask Agent's black heart was sprouting tangled, root-like things, slowly wrapping around his body.
"Lord Shen Yan, what took you so long?"
Mona Ouyang walked over step by step, looking exhausted. Lord Shen Yan greeted him politely upon seeing him.
"Mr. Ouyang, you'd better head back soon. This girl can't hold out much longer."
Then Mona Ouyang's eyes flashed purple. I saw his body sway, then collapse to the ground. The space beside me creaked, then began to glow green. It was Lin Rui, looking exhausted as he emerged from the Ghost Domain.