I was flying through the air, completely unaware of what was happening. My head was spinning and my vision blurred. At that moment, a hand caught me.
"Ethan, Ethan..."
After a long while, I regained a bit of consciousness. It was Lan Ruoxi—she had caught me. I struggled to open my eyes and cried out in pain. My bones were shattered; in an instant, most of the bones in my body had broken. Blood streamed from my nose, eyes, and ears.
I watched Lan Ruoxi shouting my name over and over, but I couldn't hear her voice. My head buzzed loudly, and in front of me, a thick cloud of dust rose, covering the area from the Ghost Burial Squad's cafeteria to the front gate. I couldn't see anything.
I coughed and gasped violently, blood spurting from my mouth. Just moments ago, only Lan Yin, Hugh Thompson, and I were standing there. It was exactly nine o'clock. Now, a horrifying image flashed in my mind—Hugh Thompson was reduced to a pile of flesh. I screamed.
A wave of terror crashed over me, overwhelming and unstoppable. Finally, I could hear again. Lan Ruoxi kept calling my name.
"Ethan, Ethan, hang in there..."
"Hugh... Hugh is dead, he's dead..."
The shock of it all left me speechless. Suddenly, my eyes turned red, and flames erupted across my skin. In a flash, I spread my wings, broke free from Lan Ruoxi's arms, and rushed forward.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed me, pulling me from the air down to the ground. I kept screaming, rage surging through every nerve. No matter who it was—I wanted to kill them. That thought consumed my mind; my eyes burned red, filled with murderous intent.
Smack—a slap landed on my face. It was Lan Yin. Only then did I notice that half of Lan Yin's body was mangled and bloody. His clothes were torn in large patches, and the flesh looked as though scraped by an iron brush—horrifying to behold.
A wave of heat blasted toward me, accompanied by a rumbling sound. As the dust cleared, I finally saw it clearly—a Golden Mask Man floated leisurely about two meters above the ground. Beneath him, the stones had melted into a bubbling pool of lava, with steam rising incessantly.
The Golden Mask Man held a black Phoenix Blade, pinched between two fingers. With a snap, the blade shattered completely, dissolving into a wisp of black smoke and disappearing.
Lan Yin said nothing, his face grim as he stared at the Golden Mask Man. The left side of the man's mask resembled a bird's head—sharp, indistinct as to what kind of bird. He wore a white suit and raised his right hand in a clenched fist. His gaze was so intense it was impossible to meet; just one look sent chills down my spine.
Escape. That was the only thought in my mind. In front of me, the Golden Mask Man was like a towering, endless mountain. We were utterly insignificant before him.
But then, Lan Yin shook his head and let go of me. Only then did I notice shadows all around—suddenly, I was stunned. They were all men in black suits: many Masked Men, dozens of Red Mask Agents, and more than ten Blue-Faced Men. What shocked me most—all the members of the Ghost Burial Squad had been captured.
"Heh, another crisis—huge as ever."
Lan Yin smiled. There was no trace of fear in his eyes; instead, black flames surged from his body, slowly rising.
"You are the first person to withstand a blow from me."
The Golden Mask Man spoke, his voice rough yet commanding. At that moment, a Blue-Faced Man appeared beside us, holding Huang Mingfa. He tossed Huang Mingfa to the ground, bowed respectfully, and vanished—reappearing instantly at a distance.