I hesitated, torn and anxious, constantly scanning my surroundings. Clusters of green light began to glow, and with a thunderous roar, the book Horror Stories appeared on the surface of the river—a massive tome. On its pages, I saw John Chou; his image seemed painted onto the book, as if he were part of a drawing.
"Go, Ethan Zhang! Why are you just standing there?"
Quinn Ji kept urging me on, clutching two mirrors. I clenched my fists, staring off into the distance.
"I have to find a way to save him," I said, just as I was about to step forward, Rachel Lan screamed.
"Ethan, go first. Stop acting on impulse. He's a Ghost Sovereign—he's John Chou. He won't be caught by those ghosts so easily."
"Brother, hurry and go. I don't have much strength left. Heh, don't worry about me. As long as my Deathstone remains, I can't die. They can't do anything to me. It took me a lot of effort to get here, and I don't want to see all my hard work go to waste, right? Aren't you my friend? If you are, leave first and think of another way later. It's the same either way."
My heart was heavy with sorrow, waves of bitterness rising within me. Then I looked at Ken Wang.
"Let's go, Ethan. You don't have to worry about my father's business. One day, I'll personally put an end to this damned Horror Stories book."
Ken Wang and I followed Quinn Ji and slipped into the golden light.
As soon as we got out, I saw Master Zachary Wu, his whole body radiating golden light, sitting cross-legged on the ground, drenched in sweat.
"Oh, Young Ethan, you finally made it out."
Just as Master Zachary Wu finished speaking, he sprang to his feet, sweeping his duster at something behind us.
With a bang, I was knocked to the ground. Turning my head, I saw The Emerald Mask—missing one hand, but still looking vigorous and fierce.
"Old Taoist, you'd better step aside. You may have some skill, but with our numbers, do you really think you stand a chance?"
Seven or eight clusters of green light, along with more than a dozen members of the Ghost Syndicate, appeared from all directions. Only then did I realize we were at a crossroads.
"The Great Dao is simple—Stormfire Meteor Seal..."
With a thunderous boom, Master Zachary Wu was instantly surrounded by golden light, floating into the air. The sky was filled with waves of golden radiance, and a massive golden talisman appeared above. The Blue Wraiths that had shown up revealed clear fear.
"Old Taoist, what now? Planning to fight us to the death?"
"Bah! You evil lot, if you want to take Ethan Zhang, I'd rather shed my blood here than let you succeed."
With a whoosh, The Emerald Mask flashed right in front of Master Zachary Wu.
"Stormfire Array..."
With a crackling sound, violet and fiery red lights flared up around Master Zachary Wu, forming a ring. The instant The Emerald Mask stepped in, he thrust out a fist but couldn't advance another step. He was instantly hurled backward.
"Hmph, old Taoist, you're cunning. If I'd been a moment slower, I'd have fallen for your trick."
Suddenly, the wailing of a baby echoed. Behind Master Zachary Wu, a massive black vortex appeared.
"The Dao may be high, but evil is higher. You so-called righteous types are all cowards. Voidspawn Grub—devour!"
A sharp screech pierced the air. I saw the massive golden talisman in the sky being gnawed away by something, slowly disappearing.
"Hmph, I didn't expect the Ghost Syndicate's wailing to show up too. Bah! Northern Star Ritual, Thirty-Six Grandmaster Seal Array..."
Just as Master Zachary Wu finished speaking, I saw the Ghost Syndicate members all crouch down, pressing their palms together and chanting something under their breath.
Golden talismans shot out from Master Zachary Wu, tracing golden marks in every direction. Blue Wraiths flew toward him.
"Young Ethan, be careful."
Master Zachary Wu shouted, and the sound of explosions filled the air. Every Blue Wraith that touched the golden talismans burst apart.
"Old Taoist, let's see how long you can last." The Emerald Mask charged again.
A chorus of squeals erupted. In the sky, fat black grubs—each as thick as an arm—fell down. The moment they touched the golden talismans, they devoured them instantly.
"Divine Channeling, Star Duel... Celestial Palace... By law, let it be done! Ha..."
Master Zachary Wu shouted, his ash-gray robe billowing, his long beard fluttering in the wind.
Suddenly, in the golden light, I saw a ferocious-faced figure enter Master Zachary Wu's body.
"Everyone, be careful!" shouted the Howling Elder from the black vortex.
A barrage of explosions—every Voidspawn Grub that tried to attack Master Zachary Wu burst apart. The black fluid splattered in front of him, instantly turning to smoke and dust.
A figure suddenly rushed in front of Master Zachary Wu, accompanied by the piercing cries of infants. A massive black claw stretched out from the black vortex behind—The Emerald Mask and the Howling Elder.
With a huge bang, I saw The Emerald Mask punch Master Zachary Wu. The sound was deafening, but Master Zachary Wu remained unmoved, raising his duster and striking back at The Emerald Mask.
With a creaking sound, a massive black claw seized Master Zachary Wu.
"Do it, my children..."
"Ghosts and wraiths, howling fills the land, let none descend to hell—ghosts weep, mourn, cries echo..."
A chorus of wailing erupted, growing louder and louder. My head felt like it was about to explode; Ken Wang, Rufina Howard, and I clutched our heads, writhing on the ground in agony.
Suddenly, I stared in shock at the air—Master Zachary Wu spat out a mouthful of blood.
Then, with a crash, he fell to the ground. The earth split open, forming a deep pit. The Emerald Mask stood there, eyes glinting with a sinister smile.
[Irrelevant system message skipped.]
"Hmph, old Taoist, today is the day you die."
Suddenly, Master Zachary Wu leapt up, swinging his horsetail whisk, blood frothing from his lips.
"Hmph, you won't succeed. Evil spirits, heretics, today this old Taoist will perish with you all!"
A swarm of Blue Wraiths flew toward us, brandishing giant blades, hacking down with murderous force.
"Aren't you all getting a little too reckless?"
A familiar voice rang out, accompanied by the childish tone of a little girl.
"Qingyuan, we've come to save you. Don't worry."
With a thunderous roar, the Blue Wraith before me was engulfed in black flames, instantly reduced to a pile of white bones. The bones then shattered, scattering into ash.
All around, screams echoed as the Ghost Burial Squad members were wrapped in black fire, writhing in agony on the ground.
I looked up and saw Redmond, with Rufina Howard perched on his shoulder, glaring furiously down at the scene below.
"Oh, Lord Yan, what brings you here today?"
"I said, I'm furious." With a thunderous crash, Rufina Howard glowed faintly blue as she flew toward us. Redmond appeared at the edge of the black vortex, stretching out a hand and plunging it in.
A bloodcurdling scream rang out from the Crying Grandfather. I saw a hand covered in tiny, writhing human heads yanked out of the vortex.
"What now? Old bastard, come out! Damn it, all of you, get out here, fuck!" Redmond roared viciously. Instantly, the black space closed in from all directions.
Clusters of green light began to glow.
"Ha! Zhang Qingyuan, you deserve that miserable fate!" It was Rotface, appearing first, wielding a massive meat hook. He snared a Blue Wraith from the story, dragging it close, his bloated chest splitting open to reveal a gaping maw.
"I'll eat you! Ha!"
With a swish, a purple figure appeared—it was Vivian Maple, floating behind Rotface. She had already sheathed her blade, and the captured Blue Wraith was reduced to ashes.
"Vivian, that's not fair! That one's mine!"
The Blue Wraiths that emerged from the story fled in terror, flying toward the tiny Horror Stories book on the ground.
Suddenly, tongues flickering with green light pierced them through, and in an instant, all the Blue Wraiths turned to ash.
"Young Master Qingyuan, are you alright?" Cherry blossoms swirled around—it was Samantha Simons, appearing beside me. All the Blue Wraiths in the courtyard were drawn in.
"Lanterns, haha, lanterns."
I looked over—the one who had just destroyed the Blue Wraiths was the simple-minded, lantern-chanting Blue Wraith in the courtyard. I stared, bewildered, at the scene.
The Emerald Mask looked around in shock, eyes full of resignation. In a flash, he darted to the Horror Stories book, about to dive in, but his feet were suddenly ensnared by black fire.
With two swift strokes, the Emerald Mask unhesitatingly turned his remaining hand into a blade, severing both legs. Black blood spurted as he plunged into the Horror Stories book.
With a snap, the hand Redmond had been holding—the Crying Grandfather's—was torn off, and the black vortex gradually faded away.
"Goddammit, are you all useless? You just let them escape like that?"
"Boss, we couldn't help it. They're so fast... Forget it, let's not make a scene. If this keeps up, things will get ugly, boss."
The Blue Wraith called Nameless stepped forward, eyes wide with terror as he looked at Redmond. I could feel Redmond's rage—pure, burning fury.