"You think such a childish trick can defeat me?"
Deathcurse sank his jaws into Phantom Sage and slammed him to the ground with a loud bang.
Cao Wanzhi held up his camera, as if waiting for something. Phantom Sage's expression was full of confusion, clearly unaware of what had just happened. The illusions in the air had completely vanished.
I saw a faint layer of white covering Phantom Sage's body. If you didn't look closely, you wouldn't notice it—it was a film of electricity, enveloping him entirely.
"I can't move."
Phantom Sage was bleeding profusely, yet his face remained eerily calm, showing not a hint of anxiety. Deathcurse never released his grip, while Cao Wanzhi slowly floated toward them.
"Let me take a proper picture of you."
Cao Wanzhi spoke in a low voice. Suddenly, Deathcurse let go and jumped aside. With a sharp click and a burst of light, a photo fluttered down through the air.
I moved closer. The photo hovered in midair as Cao Wanzhi raised a hand. Deathcurse gradually reverted to human form, staring at the image and beginning to laugh.
"It won't be that easy, Deathcurse."
"Ah, of course I know that. If our little trick could seal you so easily, we wouldn't deserve to be called creators of this world."
Deathcurse spoke, his gaze sharp as he stared at the photo. Jiang Tianci zoomed in, and I finally saw clearly—it was Phantom Sage, now trapped inside the photo, lying in a blank space. His body had recovered, and he sat up.
"So this is your plan? Using light projection—heh, a camera. What an interesting ghostly tool."
Deathcurse clapped his hands together with a sharp smack, and a surge of black energy streamed from his body.
"Continuous spiral projection..."
Suddenly, Cao Wanzhi floated upward, camera in hand, striking a photographer's pose. The rapid clicks echoed as photo after photo appeared in midair.
"My curse killing isn't limited to beasts alone."
As Deathcurse spoke, a thunderous roar erupted. Flames blazed across his body, enveloping him entirely except for two crimson eyes.
The flames covering Deathcurse's body looked like mud at first, darting and flickering, but now they seemed like magma, coating his skin. The air twisted, the ground blackened, stones cracked, and wisps of blue smoke curled upward.
Cao Wanzhi had already retreated far away, his body shrouded in green ghostly energy, but he didn't look to be in good shape.
With a thunderous roar, the photos swirling in the air burst into flames, while Cao Wanzhi kept pressing the shutter from afar. Phantom Sage was nowhere to be seen.
"This trick is troublesome. Better deal with the weaker ones first."
In an instant, Phantom Sage appeared above Cao Wanzhi, his hand transforming into a spike, stabbing downward.
"Devour it, Celestial Hound."
A burst of barking echoed. In a flash, the attack missed. I stared in shock at Phantom Sage, who hovered in the air, confused, looking at Cao Wanzhi dozens of meters away.
With a gulping sound, a silvery gleam appeared at Phantom Sage's flank—a full moon. Black Moon emerged from that moon.
"What just happened?"
Phantom Sage looked utterly baffled at Black Moon, who was grinning. Just then, a fireball hurtled over—it was Deathcurse, his fists wrapped in molten rock, slamming hard into Phantom Sage's back.
With a sizzling sound, Phantom Sage was engulfed in a sea of fire. He remained calm, while Deathcurse hammered him relentlessly, and Phantom Sage's body gradually vanished in the flames.
"Getting out of here is pretty much impossible. Devour, Celestial Hound..."
I couldn't tell what Black Moon did. Nothing seemed to change. After Deathcurse landed, he seemed to be searching for Phantom Sage's next possible appearance.
"Is it just a sensation? Interesting. So this trick devoured my senses. That's what happened just now, wasn't it?"
A barrage of spikes instantly riddled Black Moon with holes.
"New Moon is about to emerge."
As Black Moon spoke, he popped like a bursting balloon, vanishing before Phantom Sage. Now Phantom Sage's body was covered in protruding spikes.
With a thunderous crash, Deathcurse, wrapped in flames, rammed into Phantom Sage again.
"You planted a seed in my consciousness, so you could predict where I'd appear. Too bad, it won't work. Not with this method."
Suddenly, Phantom Sage burst into wild laughter, waved his hand, and with a gurgle, black smoke billowed. The flames on Deathcurse were extinguished, and he was enveloped entirely in water.
"Imaging."
With a click, Cao Wanzhi pressed the shutter from afar, and Deathcurse, who had been submerged in water, vanished.
Suddenly, a photo appeared before Cao Wanzhi. He raised his hand and sprinkled a bit of green liquid over it. Deathcurse emerged from the photo, coughing violently, while the water in the air gradually coalesced into Phantom Sage.
"I've decided. Your ghost soul—I'm taking it."
As Phantom Sage spoke, he lunged at Cao Wanzhi. Deathcurse sprang to his feet, but suddenly, crescent moons—like blades—shot toward Phantom Sage.
"I won't fall for the same trick twice."
Blood splattered through the air. At Phantom Sage's side, in empty space, Black Moon's shoulder was pierced by a long spike, leaving his flesh mangled. He clutched his shoulder, his crescent-moon eyes squeezed shut in pain.
"So, you're human after all."
"Direct kill..."
Deathcurse suddenly struck the empty air in front of him. With a splat, a wound opened up on Phantom Sage's body.
"I told you already."
I had no idea what was happening. Phantom Sage suddenly emerged from the empty space before Deathcurse, and with a swish, Deathcurse's head flew high into the air.
Cao Wanzhi immediately raised his camera, but its lens was pierced by a spike. The spike then whipped around his neck like a lash, stabbing into his skull.
"Do you know the true origin of curses? Even if you are the top curse users in the ghost path, I doubt you know as much as I do."
"What... what is that?"
I stared in terror at Phantom Sage's body as incomprehensible symbols floated across his skin. He turned black, and his eyes glowed red.
"Your strategy might work against the other two, but not me. Because I am the curse itself."
A buzzing sound filled the air. Cao Wanzhi's eyes widened, mouth agape in agony, while Deathcurse's severed head lay far away, still unhealed.
The entire space was awash with rippling waves. Even Black Moon clutched his ears, unable to move.
"I'm taking your ghost soul. Your energy is almost fully deciphered."
The ghostly energy around Cao Wanzhi grew weaker and weaker.
Suddenly, a black figure—Kane—appeared just in time. His body was smaller and more muscular than before, wielding a crescent blade. With a slash, he severed the thing connecting Cao Wanzhi, then decapitated Phantom Sage.
"Old Cao, I'll go on ahead."
As he spoke, Kane spread his wings, grabbed Cao Wanzhi, and threw him out through the still-open door.
"Oh my, isn't this my adorable creation, Yaksha? Why do you turn your blade against your master like this? Is that really wise?"
"Everyone listen up! Don't let yourself believe any of this is real—it's all an illusion. You must recognize it for what it is. This guy's tricks are fake."
Kane shouted suddenly, flying at Phantom Sage, his crescent blade slashing rapidly, but Phantom Sage dodged every strike.
"Submit, my creation."
Suddenly, Phantom Sage raised a finger and roared just as Kane was about to strike. Kane instantly froze, his body bending uncontrollably as he slowly knelt down.
"It's over. This farce ends now. Where did you hide Emperor God? Where is Zhang Qingyuan?"
Phantom Sage stared coldly at Kane, who was still resisting.
"Why did you create us?"
Kane asked, word by word, struggling to speak.
"For a great purpose. But you all disappointed me. I built your forms myself, hoping to create beings with supreme intelligence, resilient bodies, and immense strength. Unfortunately, I failed."
"There's no such thing as perfection in this world."
Just then, Black Moon's voice rang out.
Phantom Sage looked around, but couldn't see Black Moon's shadow.
"I'm right here."
With a ripping sound, Kane suddenly struck, his crescent blade piercing Phantom Sage's body. A violent gust swept the air, and Deathcurse's severed corpse transformed into black mist, re-forming on the ground.
"How is that possible?"
Phantom Sage clutched his chest as the black symbols on his body slowly peeled away.
"If you can control others' minds, then so can I. That's how the world works—similar things are everywhere."
It was Black Moon—I saw a silver crescent mark appear on Kane's forehead.
"Thank you, Black Moon."
Kane said, raising his crescent blade and charging at Phantom Sage.