I returned to my body once again. As soon as I got up, I saw Marshal Leopard clutching his severed arm, his face twisted in pain.
Heaven above, earth below, east, west, south, north, Gate of Life, Place of Death, past, future... all ten directions obliterated...
I heard a low chant from Ray Lin, and in that instant, the tigers biting him were engulfed by an overwhelming green light and turned to ashes.
Ray Lin slowly rose into the air, and I saw that he seemed to be holding something in his hand.
"Old man, how does it feel? Took a hit, didn't you? Bet those last few blows hurt a lot."
As the green light faded, I saw Ray Lin holding a weapon shaped like a ring. It had a horizontal grip in the center, and the edges were jagged like flames. The entire ring was an ashen gray, gleaming coldly.
"Death Gate."
Ray Lin roared, transformed into a streak of green light, and appeared before Marshal Leopard, raising the ring weapon and striking straight at him.
With a loud bang, Marshal Leopard blocked the attack with both arms, but in that instant, I saw a huge hole appear in his body. Then Ray Lin kicked him toward the left side of the city gate, toward the checkpoint.
With a thunderous crash, half the building was destroyed.
With a sharp snap, Marshal Leopard rose from the ruins. His left hand, which he'd just severed himself, hadn't regenerated. He looked utterly shocked, but only for a moment—then understanding seemed to dawn on him.
"Heh, your ghost soul is certainly unique, but in front of me, you don't stand a chance."
As Marshal Leopard spoke, he suddenly vanished, turning into mist. Ray Lin spun in midair, brandishing his weapon. Green currents spread around him, forming pathways like roads.
"Ethan, hurry! Things are getting bad. That old man wants to seal this place off completely."
Startled, I raised both hands and bit into my palms, letting blood drip steadily. Earthly energy surged into my body, and I gradually began to regain my strength.
With a flood of baleful energy pouring out of my body, I began transforming myself into a ghostly form.
Green currents spread around Ray Lin, forming pathways like roads. "Go, Ethan. I've got things covered here!"
Ray Lin struggled painfully in the air, both hands gripping his weapon as if barely holding on.
Ray Lin hurled his weapon toward me. With a clang, the ring struck the wall.
A mournful wailing arose. On the stone wall, strange animal patterns appeared, then the animals whimpered and turned into wisps of smoke, vanishing. Green light spread across the wall before me.
The green pathways Ray Lin had released, stretching in all directions, began to shatter and disappear.
I knew things were dire. With a snap, I fully transformed into a ghost, turning into mist and slipping toward the wall where the ring was embedded.
"Don't think you can escape from here."
A hand appeared, along with Marshal Leopard's voice. He emerged from the wall, grabbed my neck, and forced me back. A flash of green light streaked by—Ray Lin appeared before me, raising a hand. The ring embedded in the wall flew back, spinning toward Marshal Leopard.
"Hmph, I saw that coming. Don't think you'll succeed again."
Marshal Leopard roared. With a crack, I saw his head twist completely around. With a ferocious snarl, his face transformed into a demonic visage, and he bit down on the ring. Ray Lin screamed as his body was instantly torn apart.
With a splatter, Ray Lin's body turned into chunks of flesh. Then, with a crisp snap, I saw the ring shatter—crushed by Marshal Leopard's bite.
"Ray Lin..."
I cried out in alarm. Just then, a gust of wind swept past.
"Old man, did you forget something?"
It was Soren Black. The hem of his black robe appeared, and then Soren Black materialized above Marshal Leopard's head. His mouth was covered by a black veil, and with one hand, he gripped Marshal Leopard's forehead. With a crack, he twisted off Marshal Leopard's entire head, then kicked the body aside and tossed the head far away.
"Go, Ethan Zhang. I've got things covered here!"
With a flash of green light, I saw Ray Lin, who had been reduced to chunks, restore his form. He sat on the ground, panting and pale-faced.
"Your ghost weapon was crushed by that old man. Must've hurt, huh? Heh, since Ethan Zhang paid me, I guess I'll help you out."
In an instant, two streaks of green light shot off into the distance—Ray Lin and Soren Black. Instinctively, I glanced at the wall still glowing with green light, then looked at the two Soul-Grasping Ghosts. In my heart, I silently thanked them before slipping into the wall.
With a startled cry, I felt myself lose my footing and landed hard on the ground. All around were clawing, twisted trees, and there was only a narrow path paved with white stone slabs stretching into the mist ahead.
Gritting my teeth, I stood up and, without thinking, spread my wings and tried to fly overhead, hoping to quickly get across.
With a thud, I managed to fly three or four meters before hitting something above and falling back to the ground. I could feel the baleful energy inside me suddenly diminish.
Puzzled, I looked up at the gray-white sky, then got up again, spread my wings, and floated along the path, flying forward.
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I desperately wanted to catch up with the two registrars, ignoring everything else around me. But just then, sinister laughter echoed from all directions, sending chills down my spine.
I sensed something lurking in the woods. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught glimpses of shadows darting past. I didn't have time to care—just kept flying along the path. I don't know how long I flew, but I was drained, my wings vanished, and I had to break into a run.
I don't know how much time passed before I stopped, unable to run any further. Yet the scenery around me remained unchanged. Ahead, the path seemed endless; behind, everything was shrouded in mist.
"Did I lose them, or take a wrong turn?"
"Ethan, what are you doing?"
"You'll never get out of here."
"Who?"
I looked to the right. The laughter was coming from that direction, drifting from far away. Then, the woods all around erupted in a cacophony of shrill laughter.
"Who are you? Show yourself."
Clenching my fists, baleful energy surged from my body. I felt something strange—walking this path, some force was continuously helping my body recover.
I hadn't noticed it before, but now, here, I could feel it clearly. Ignoring the shrill laughter around me, I manifested my wings again and soared forward.
The path remained unchanged, and the woods were filled with grotesque, grinning faces. The eerie laughter continued to echo.
"What the hell is going on?"
No matter how far I flew, the scenery never changed. I stopped again.
"You can't get out, ever."
Then, a voice came from behind—filled with resentment. I was about to turn around, but suddenly remembered many stories and warnings.
"Don't look back."
I said, and kept flying forward. Suddenly, a shadow leapt out in front of me, blocking my path.
I immediately raised my Baleful Sword and slashed at the shadow before I could even see it clearly.
"Qingyuan, what are you doing?"
My Baleful Sword halted right in front of the head of the person who appeared—it was Rachel Lan. She stared at me with a look of deep resentment.
"Ethan, what are you doing?"
Without hesitation, I swept through Rachel Lan's body. Her form dissolved into white mist and disappeared.
I stopped again, certain something was messing with me. I must be circling in place. I tried to recall how, in the past, whenever I left the Underworld Path, the scenery would change. This time, though, everything remained the same. The unchanging mist and twisted trees had left me utterly lost on this foggy, haunted Underworld Path.
"Who are you, really? If you don't show yourself, I won't hold back."
"You'll never get out."
That strange voice came again, this time from the left. I immediately turned my baleful energy into arrows and shot them into the woods.
A series of cracks rang out as the trees were pierced, leaving gaping holes. Amid agonized screams, the scene suddenly shifted. In the distance, I saw a small slope leading downward.
I hurried toward the slope, but just as I reached it, it vanished before my eyes.
Stunned, I looked to the left and realized I'd returned to the spot where I'd shot through the trees. In that instant, something clicked in my mind.
"Show yourself!"
I shouted, and again, that strange voice echoed.
"You'll never get out."
This time, it came from the right. I unleashed a rain of baleful arrows in that direction. Amid the wailing, the slope appeared again. I turned into mist and swept down the slope.