Black smoke drifted slowly upward from the surface of both Deathbane Ghosts. I stared at them in silence, feeling my power steadily rising.
My Specter Web began to pierce the ground strand by strand. The Deathbane Aura here was overwhelmingly abundant, but it was rigid and unyielding; I couldn't absorb too much. If I did, my body might even be assimilated, because there was no Vitality present in this Deathbane Aura.
Everything depends on the balance of yin and yang. Deathbane Aura and the Vitality stripped from the living are like software and hardware: Deathbane Aura is the hardware, and Vitality is the software. The Vitality here has long been purified, leaving only this stubborn Deathbane Aura.
Deathbane Aura cannot be sent to the Western Paradise—there is no medium. The gentle light falling from the distant sky has no effect on it. This Deathbane Aura is like the filth that accumulates and solidifies in the depths of a sewer over the years. I understood Master Frank Yuan’s method: perhaps gathering the Twelve Buddha Dream Relics is meant to guide the Vitality to the Western Paradise, while the only solution for Deathbane Aura is destruction. In an instant, the immense power generated by the Buddha Statue of Visions would annihilate the accumulated Deathbane Aura, and the Deathbane Ghosts would not escape destruction either.
"It seems you understand a little now, Ethan Zhang. You guessed right—Buddha can only save similar energies or those with faith. These Deathbane Auras have nothing, and they certainly don’t believe in gods or Buddha; they are already part of the dead, just like the Remnants of those murderers you saw—stubborn and unyielding. Do you think reasoning with them would work? Even if you kill them, the malice that gathers into Deathbane Aura still remains and cannot be purified."
I nodded. The Deathbane Ghost on the left slowly drifted toward me, stopping about ten meters away, then pointed at the Shadow Falls outside, which continued to surge upward.
"Fate really likes to play tricks sometimes, or maybe all this is inevitable, Ethan Zhang. Have you ever wondered, if Heaven made you human, what was the purpose?"
I nodded slightly, and a phrase my father once said to me surfaced in my mind.
"Those blessed by Heaven must act on Heaven’s behalf..."
The Deathbane Ghost nodded gently.
"Perhaps that's true in idealist terms, but I believe all of this is inevitable. You, and the Ghost Souls within you, were born from illusion. Whether it's Deathbane Aura, Resentful Energy, Curse Power—these are all breaths that exist in the world, most often created because of ghosts, and ghosts are what humans become after death. The true cause of these breaths comes down to a single word... Essence of Faith..."
The Deathbane Ghost chuckled, then his expression turned utterly serious. He spoke in a grave tone.
"As the saying goes, a single thought can create a Buddha, or a demon. Deathbane Aura is born from human Essence of Faith, and to resolve it, you need both humans and ghosts. That's why you exist—between human and ghost, a being of nature. I don't know why, but from the day we were born, we were given a certain mission. Before our existence, these breaths could easily harm humans or even devour ghosts. After we came into being, we became these breaths—they are us. Ethan Zhang, have you ever considered that your own mission might also be born from illusion?"
I shook my head slightly, then raised Belle in my hand.
"I've never thought about that. All I've ever wanted is to move forward with the ones I love, never asking for much. Like Earthly Soul once told me—I'm not a savior, and no one can ever truly be a savior."
"Good..."
With a whoosh, a tremendous force crashed toward me. Particles of Deathbane Aura swirled around my body, and with a clang, Belle in my hand clashed with the Deathbane Aura Blade wielded by the Deathbane Ghost.
Grinning, I bent my body, skidding backward several meters before stopping. Black particles of Deathbane Aura rose from the ground, resonating with the fight between me and the Deathbane Ghost. In an instant, black Deathbane Aura particles filled the air, echoing with the faint white light overhead.
There was no intent to fight in the Deathbane Ghost’s eyes, but he kept swinging his Deathbane Aura Blade, and I kept parrying his attacks. Neither of us stopped.
My power was gradually increasing. It still couldn’t match the Deathbane Ghost, but at least now I could withstand his attacks head-on.
"Answer me, Ethan Zhang—why are you standing here?"
With a clang, black light burst forth. The blade groaned, and surging, violent Deathbane Aura intertwined around me and the Deathbane Ghost. What started as thin threads quickly became streams, weaving together.
"To gain power."
With a forceful push, I sent the Deathbane Ghost flying. I noticed that the newly split Deathbane Ghost in the center remained still, sitting quietly on the ground. I realized the Deathbane Ghost was stabilizing the Deathbane Aura here; otherwise, such a violent clash of Deathbane Aura could easily cause serious problems.
"Good. Gaining power is a decent reason, but can you bear the weight of that power?"
With a rush, Deathbane Aura swirled around the Deathbane Ghost’s body, sweeping toward me like a vortex. I roared, raising Belle to block, while the Specter Web piercing the ground instantly absorbed a massive amount of Deathbane Aura.
With my swing, a torrent of Deathbane Aura surged toward the Deathbane Ghost. With a thunderous boom, the solidified Lake of Desire began to shake. I slid backward, while the Deathbane Ghost’s sword emerged amid the overwhelming, river-like Deathbane Aura before me.
(Irrelevant system message—skip translation.)
With a clang, our swords clashed again. Suddenly, black light burst from the ground, enveloping us both.
It felt like drowning in a current. My whole body grew heavy as Deathbane Aura raged inside me. I struggled to keep the high-density Deathbane Aura outside from invading, while also holding off the Deathbane Ghost’s attacks. My strength was draining fast; the Deathbane Aura I could easily control—thanks to the Vitality inside—was nearly depleted.
Bit by bit, my knees buckled, and my body slumped to the left. I was reaching my limit—the crushing pressure from above, from the Deathbane Ghost, left me almost powerless.
"Show me, Ethan Zhang—what’s inside you? Do you have the strength to bear all this?"
"Ah..."
I raised my head, my eyes burning. Belle in my hand was still holding strong, but Deathbane Aura was nearly flooding my body.
"Instinct... coexistence..."
With a roar, my Genesis Instinct manifested—a pale gray Evil Ghost appeared instantly from my spine, arms outstretched. I felt a flicker of strength return, and the left knee that was about to collapse slowly straightened.
The Deathbane Aura, nearly assimilating me, slowly poured into my Ghost Soul. I felt my Specter Web growing thicker, nearly bursting from the pressure of the Deathbane Aura.
"Not enough. This kind of manifestation is no manifestation at all..."
The Deathbane Ghost kept roaring, pressing harder. Suddenly, Belle overhead was forced down, and the Deathbane Ghost’s sword pressed onto my shoulder. A heavy weight landed on my right shoulder, followed by a splash of black blood—instantly absorbed and assimilated by the Deathbane Aura.
I was almost at my breaking point, crushed by this power. My Genesis Instinct kept resisting, and suddenly, a streak of white flashed in my mind.
My eyes widened as I slowly turned my head. It was as if I saw a beam of light.
"Come on..."
Suddenly, I roared—Rachel Lan’s image filled my mind. In that instant, I felt her power: rebirth.
Deathbane Aura on my skin began to turn gray. Instantly, the surrounding Deathbane Aura surged into my body, and the crushing pressure from the Deathbane Ghost vanished.
With a swish, the Deathbane Ghost’s sword shattered. The Deathbane Aura all around seemed to freeze; black and white merged into gray, sweeping upward at an angle. Half-crouched, I raised Belle high in my hand.
A gray gash appeared on the Deathbane Ghost’s body, and a smile flickered in his crimson-gold eyes.
"It’s about time."
Suddenly, the Deathbane Ghost gripped his right hand and made a sword-thrusting motion at me. A gray Deathbane Aura Blade pierced my chest in an instant. I stared wide-eyed at the Deathbane Ghost’s cold, handsome face.
My head buzzed—I had no idea what was happening, only that I felt terrible. My Ghost Soul was pierced straight through.
"Still not planning to come out?"
The Deathbane Ghost said coldly. My mind went blank, my consciousness blurred. Yet gradually, I realized I wasn’t in pain. But when I looked down, the gray Deathbane Aura Blade had pierced my heart and Ghost Soul—yet, strangely, there was no pain at all.
"I told you—get out here."
Suddenly, the Deathbane Ghost roared. A surge of Deathbane Aura instantly pierced my heart. With a splatter, I coughed up black blood, and Belle clattered to the ground as my body began to collapse.
As I hit the ground, my eyes widened. Behind me, a mass of black energy swirled—not Deathbane Aura, but within it glinted two indifferent golden eyes. It was my Shadow.