A furious roar erupted before my eyes. Suddenly, I saw the two behind me, their faces filled with astonishment.
"Get out of the way, Ethan Zhang."
Gus Sage spoke, grabbing me and hurling me aside. Tyson Starr looked at the girl inside with a knowing gaze, and I became even more certain—she was indeed a Ghost Sovereign.
"John Chou... John Chou..."
The Ghost Sovereign kept muttering under her breath.
"Hey, how did you end up here?" Gus Sage walked over, raised his hand, and asked, but the Ghost Sovereign still acted as if she had no intention of responding.
"Wait a moment, Mr. Sage," Tyson Starr said as Gus Sage reached out toward the Ghost Sovereign.
"I'm talking to you, didn't you hear?"
Just as Gus Sage was about to strike the Ghost Sovereign, an old woman's voice rang out.
"Don't touch our king with your filthy hands."
It was Granny Specter from the front desk, appearing at the far end of the cell, slowly drifting closer. Her gaze was gentle as she looked at the Ghost Sovereign inside.
"How did you get up here, dressed all in white?" Gus Sage and Tyson Starr both looked at Granny Specter in confusion.
I hurriedly shrank away to the side, inching farther from the scene.
"The antidote—give me the antidote!"
Suddenly, I remembered my cousin was still hanging over there. I knew something big was about to happen, so I decided to run farther away first.
"We had a deal." I walked up to Tyson Starr's side. He glanced at me.
"Can't you hear me, old woman?" Gus Sage raised his hand, hissing as he drove it straight through Granny Specter's torso.
Immediately, several large holes appeared in Granny Specter's body, but she remained unmoved, still gazing at the Ghost Sovereign.
A mist of water steamed up from my cousin’s body, his skin gradually returning to its normal color. I breathed a sigh of relief—the antidote was real.
Suddenly, I saw Granny Specter look at me, her eyes pleading for help, just before Gus Sage hurled her toward the cell door, where she lay motionless.
"Six Gates Mystic Armor, knowledge beyond fate, whip the mountains, move the stones, revive the dead, ghost spirits emerge, possess my body..."
With a whoosh, a faint blue wisp flew out of Tyson Starr's small pouch. He sniffed it in, the cold spreading wildly, and layers of ice formed around his body like armor.
"What are you doing, Tyson Starr?" Gus Sage turned his head and asked.
"Mr. Sage, the situation is unclear right now. Better to be cautious."
"Granny Specter, why aren’t you minding the front desk? What are you doing up here?"
Granny Specter’s gaze never left the Ghost Sovereign as she walked closer, step by step. Suddenly, Gus Sage floated over.
"John Chou... John Chou..."
The Ghost Sovereign kept mumbling, repeating the name John Chou.
"My lord, please wake up. It’s been nearly 400 years. I finally managed to remember a little. My lord, you can’t live in the past. Please remember, it’s been more than 400 years since any of us have seen daylight."
"It's John Chou, he's coming!" I suddenly shouted. Gus Sage was startled, let go of the Ghost Sovereign, and spun around, looking about in terror.
Gus Sage burst out laughing.
"Tyson Starr, you’re way too paranoid. If there really was a Ghost Sovereign here, would the three of us be able to run the place like kings?"
"It hurts... it hurts so much... John Chou, why are you doing this to me? It hurts..."
"This old woman must have lost her mind."
With that, Gus Sage walked over to the Ghost Sovereign in the cell, grabbed her by the neck, and lifted her up.
"Tell me, why are you able to heal ghosts or humans?"
"Yin hatred... Yin hatred..."
The Ghost Sovereign kept mumbling, repeating the name Yin hatred.
"John Chou... ah... I want your life..."
"It’s Yin hatred, he’s coming!" I suddenly shouted. Gus Sage was startled, let go of the Ghost Sovereign, and turned around, looking around in terror.
"Damn, Ethan Zhang, who are you trying to scare?"
A sudden flash of green light burst from Granny Specter. She shot into the midst of the three Blue Wraiths, kicking Quinn Lee aside, then slammed Mason Kee and Gus Sage's heads to the ground with a heavy thud, forcing them to their knees.
"It hurts... it hurts so much... Yin hatred, why are you doing this to me? It hurts..."
"My lord, look closely, it doesn’t hurt, not at all. It’s all in the past, try to remember. Everyone’s waiting. Just one word from you and we’ll follow you through fire and water, no matter who stands in our way—kill..."
"Old woman, what are you muttering about now?"
With a whoosh, the two Blue Wraiths—Quinn Lee and Mason Kee—appeared, having just left.
"Damn it, Gus Sage, you really were lying to us. You even grabbed Ethan Zhang!"
Mason Kee spoke, clenching his fists until his knuckles cracked, while Quinn Lee straightened up.
The Ghost Sovereign let out a wild, bitter laugh, clutching her stomach.
"So ruthless, John Chou. I helped him again and again, yet I never imagined there could be such a cruel man in this world. I was truly blind."
"So noisy..."
Suddenly, a flash of green light erupted from Granny Specter. She flew into the midst of the three Blue Wraiths, kicked Quinn Lee away, and slammed Mason Kee and Gus Sage’s heads into the ground with a bang, kneeling halfway down.
I looked up again at the Ghost Sovereign. Her eyes were golden-red, her whole body radiating a cold aura. She scanned the room, then fixed her gaze on me.
"Are you Ethan Zhang?"
I quickly nodded, holding my cousin and retreating a little. That glance just now made me feel as if I were in a freezing cave, chills crawling up my spine.
"Granny, where is everyone else?"
"My lord, I’ve only just remembered myself. Everyone else may be trapped on the 21st floor and unable to get out."
"Hehehe, has it really been hundreds of years? Time flies. As soon as I woke up, I felt such pain here."
The Ghost Sovereign laughed loudly, clutching her stomach.
"So ruthless, Yin hatred. I helped him again and again, yet I never imagined there could be such a cruel man in this world. I was truly blind."