"Hmph, a human?"
Drake Kwan stared at Ethan's Spectral Juggernaut, now completely motionless. In my mind, a red panel appeared—the percentage had reached fifty, but the progress was agonizingly slow.
"Phoebe, take Ethan's Spectral Juggernaut outside first. If we want to uncover the Verity Incantation, aside from directly asking someone who knows it, there's another way. When the Celestial Hound returns, we'll extract every memory from this ghost domain. We'll definitely find John Chou's Verity Incantation."
Phoebe Fang looked at me in confusion, then glanced around.
"Don't you all think the Celestial Hound is taking too long? The devouring outside should have been finished by now."
Maya Yin laughed.
"Phoebe, after all, Ethan's Spectral Juggernaut obtained the essence of that place. Devouring the essence should take quite a while, since it's something from the Heavenly Dao..."
Drake Kwan shot Maya Yin a glare, and she immediately fell silent.
Five multicolored ropes stretched toward me—one for each limb and my head—binding me tightly and slowly lifting me upward.
Unlimited energy link initiated. Beginning fill...
Another mechanical voice echoed in my head. I glanced at Ethan's Spectral Juggernaut and gave a faint smile.
At the mention of something from the Heavenly Dao, my senses sharpened instantly.
"Let's get Ethan's Spectral Juggernaut out of here first."
As soon as Drake Kwan finished speaking, I was yanked down to the ground. With a squelch, the earth turned to soft mud—I sank, dropping deeper and deeper.
A red haze of particles began to swirl around my body.
"Careful..."
Maya Yin shouted. My head buzzed—heat surged through my body, and I was sent flying, the ropes snapping with sharp cracks. I felt a hand grip the back of my collar. I turned. It was Slaughter.
"John Chou..."
Drake Kwan looked stunned, about to shout—then stopped, quickly correcting himself.
"So it's John Chou's instinct—Slaughter!"
Slaughter carried me dozens of meters away from the others and set me down.
"With your current strength, saving Ethan's Spectral Juggernaut is impossible. Just give up..."
Slaughter raised a hand, pointing toward where Ethan's Spectral Juggernaut lay.
"It isn't me. That monster over there isn't so easy to handle, especially in this ghost domain. Haven't you noticed anything strange?"
Slaughter sneered. Drake Kwan's face darkened and he rushed toward Ethan's Spectral Juggernaut, forming a hand seal.
"You two, get out of here—now!"
Drake Kwan shouted frantically. The other two immediately bolted into the distance.
A bright sphere hovered above Ethan's Spectral Juggernaut as Drake Kwan began chanting. Thunderous rumbles echoed all around.
"Well, I didn't expect you'd know the Dragon Plaza Binding Circle. Where did you learn it? That's clearly a Daoist technique."
As Slaughter spoke, nine pillars rose from the ground, each adorned with distinct golden reliefs—nine dragon sons. I'd seen these outside Yuna Ji's fortress before.
"Nine dragons appear... Ten thousand ghosts perish..."
With a sharp clap, Drake Kwan brought his palms together—the nine pillars locked into place. The dragons on the reliefs opened their mouths, and golden cords instantly bound Ethan's Spectral Juggernaut.
An immense force erupted, shaking my ghost domain.
"What's happening, Old Dragon?"
Maya Yin asked.
"Can't you feel it? Such massive Deathbane Aura, all gathering inside that thing's body."
In my head, the red number had already reached 99%, but now it stalled.
"The power of the nine dragons may not be enough to seal it. After all, that monster isn't a zombie or a ghost."
Slaughter seemed to know my corpse inside out, speaking with a relaxed, almost casual air.
"Think carefully, Ethan Zhang. What is John Chou really trying to tell you? It's hidden in his Verity Incantation—something only you can understand."
I stared quietly at Slaughter. By now, everything in the ghost domain was starting to fragment. Massive amounts of Deathbane Aura were being purified, vanishing rapidly. Just the presence of this formation unleashed such overwhelming power.
"Even if we can't trap that thing, all we need to do is sever its source of power."
As Drake Kwan spoke, he floated upward, sitting cross-legged above Ethan's Spectral Juggernaut. The nine pillars seemed to be moving, slowly converging on Ethan's Spectral Juggernaut.
The immense force was tearing my ghost domain apart. But one thing calmed me—the red number hit one hundred percent, then vanished from my mind.
Ethan's Spectral Juggernaut began to move. Drake Kwan opened his eyes and raised a hand.
"Heaven-Earth..."
With a thunderous boom, a pillar of Deathbane Aura shot skyward from the ground. To my shock, the nine pillars vanished in the glow of Deathbane Aura.
A white figure burst from the Deathbane Aura—it was Drake Kwan, his body scorched and smoking. With a roar, Ethan's Spectral Juggernaut raised its arms, wielding the glowing swords I'd seen before, and charged after him.
Drake Kwan didn't dare let his guard down, retreating quickly to widen the gap between himself and Ethan's Spectral Juggernaut.
"Need help, Old Dragon?"
Maya Yin shouted from the side. Suddenly, Drake Kwan roared, and with a wave of his hand, a golden dragon flew out, instantly devouring the two Deathbane Energy Blades in Ethan's Spectral Juggernaut's hands.
A mechanical creak sounded. Ethan's Spectral Juggernaut raised its arms, and in an instant, the golden dragon was obliterated by a hail of black Deathbane Rounds.
Drake Kwan had managed to widen the distance, pressing both hands to the ground, seemingly preparing another spell, completely ignoring Ethan's Spectral Juggernaut charging at him.
"Looks like this Dragon Plaza Binding Circle isn't fully mastered. That guy must've just learned it recently."
Slaughter muttered beside me. Suddenly, I thought of someone—Victor Wu. Only he would know that technique. Could he have taught it to those Nether Syndicate operatives?
Questions flooded my mind. Ethan's Spectral Juggernaut closed in on Drake Kwan, raising a fist. Suddenly, the long pillar in its hand began to swell like a balloon. I'd seen this move before—rapidly absorbing air, compressing it, then releasing it in a punch. But this time, it was absorbing Deathbane Aura.
With a deafening boom, Ethan's Spectral Juggernaut punched Drake Kwan as he tried to escape. Blood sprayed from Drake Kwan's mouth as he was sent flying. A flash of light—my eyes narrowed. Something glittered on Drake Kwan's skin.
With a roar, Ethan's Spectral Juggernaut gained on Drake Kwan, then hammered down with both fists.
A barrage of impacts shook the air, wild currents whipping up debris from the ruins.
However, I sensed something was wrong and immediately shouted.
"Fall back and defend!"
Ethan's Spectral Juggernaut instantly ceased its assault and moved toward me. Just then, a figure rose from the ground—not quite human. It was Drake Kwan, his body covered in layers of golden hexagonal scales like dragon scales. His hands had turned into dragon claws with only four fingers, and dragon whiskers sprouted from his cheeks.
Despite the Spectral Juggernaut's ferocious strikes just moments ago, they hadn't caused him any harm.
"Old Dragon, you're even using the Dragon Transformation technique. Do you really not need our help?"
Maya Yin asked again, but Rufina Howard pressed a hand on his shoulder and shook her head.
Dragon Transformation technique—instantly, I remembered. During that raid when Chen Jun and the others stormed the foreign ghost's mansion to capture Lan Ruoxi, they almost used this technique in their clash with Yin Choujian.
"Looks like I'll have to die one more time."
As Drake Kwan spoke, I saw wisps of ethereal white clouds swirling around his body, lifting him gently into the air.
This is bad. I sensed the power of the technique and immediately scrambled to my feet.
"This is the last and most powerful technique of a Naraku inheritor. In an instant, the holy spirit fuses with their soul and manifests physically, unleashing immense strength. Throughout history, some famous Soul-Consuming Ghosts have fallen to this very technique."
As Slaughter spoke, I immediately issued a command to Ethan's Spectral Juggernaut: delay. This technique looks formidable, but like the Daoist Transformation technique, it probably has a time limit.
At that moment, I noticed Ethan's Spectral Juggernaut's body changing. Small black lumps began to bulge all over its surface, giving me goosebumps. It looked like a toad, with countless swollen bumps covering its body.
"Thunderous Wrath..."
With a deafening crash, a bolt of golden lightning flashed before my eyes. In that instant, I saw Drake Kwan raise his right hand, his claws clenched like a fist, and strike the Spectral Juggernaut's body.
"What is this...?"
Drake Kwan, stunned, slid sideways and crashed to the ground, skidding backward.
"What on earth is that?"
I stared at Ethan's Spectral Juggernaut in disbelief. Just before that devastating blow landed, the bulging lumps on its body began to vibrate.
"Old Luban's creations are quite something."
Slaughter made an enigmatic remark. I had recovered a bit and could stand. I intended to draw Belle, but Slaughter pressed a hand on me.
"Back to the main point—think fast and understand Yin Choujian's Verity Incantation. You're not a match for these guys yet. In the Naraku Pit, there are beings far stronger than the ones before you. There's no time, Ethan Zhang, hurry!"