My Shadow Realm was shrinking, while Isabelle Frost was now completely enveloped by clusters of vivid red spider lily petals. The red marks that had stained the ground vanished, replaced by enormous red spider lily leaves unfurling beneath me.
These leaves were constantly devouring the power from my Shadow Realm. Red chains now covered my entire body, exerting a powerful suppressive force that locked my Ghost Soul in place. I had no idea what Isabelle Frost intended, but her ghost energy was wildly unstable.
I had never seen ghost energy so chaotic before. It seemed to crash against itself with no direction or purpose, violently antagonistic. For someone like Isabelle Frost, who was known for precise control over ghost energy, this was almost impossible.
"This spell is a fusion of surface and essence—extremely dangerous."
The voice of the Curse Ghost echoed in my mind. I swallowed hard; what I saw was just like these red spider lilies—their petals and leaves were never meant to meet.
Thunderous booms erupted as the ground shook violently. Outside, two figures were still struggling with all their might to tear open the leaves that encased us.
I sensed Isabelle Frost's ghost energy gradually calming. What was once wild and uncontrollable now flowed with the gentle steadiness of water—an utterly unbelievable transformation.
A memory flashed in my mind—a scene from the Shadow Side, where Xu Fu once demonstrated the fusion of fire and water, within the mirrored lake space.
Now, the sensation coming from Isabelle Frost was exactly the same as Xu Fu's back then—two utterly incompatible forces now fully fused together.
Gradually, the red spider lily petals surrounding Isabelle Frost began to scatter. I stared in shock—her face was covered in red and green floral marks, her eyes blood-red, and the vertical black eye on her forehead snapped open. In that instant, I felt an unprecedented power stirring restlessly inside her.
The rumbling outside stopped. The two figures began moving quickly, as if they'd sensed danger.
A creaking sound echoed as the green leaves slowly unfurled. Red and green light flickered over Isabelle Frost, then gradually spread out. The colors blended into a strange, eerie red-green hue.
Isabelle Frost slowly floated upward, gazing silently into the distance—toward Fiona Fox and Dominic Bixby, who were preparing to break through my Shadow Realm.
A rustling sound swept through the air. The ground of my Shadow Realm cracked open, and towering red spider lilies with broad leaves began to sprout—a strange and uncanny sight. Isabelle Frost glared coldly into the distance.
Suddenly, a beam of red light shot down from the sky. With a crack, my entire body was pulled upward into the air.
With a thunderous boom, my Shadow Realm split open. Dominic Bixby looked panicked; his body swelled, and his black fists hammered relentlessly at my Shadow Realm. But now, Isabelle Frost had taken complete control of it.
"It's time to end this."
Isabelle Frost spoke coldly. In an instant, vast clusters of red spider lilies with leaves burst into bloom. Tiny petals danced through the air, and Isabelle Frost's figure gradually faded, transforming into a bundle of red spider lilies—then vanished completely. I couldn't find any trace of her.
"Damn it, don't even think about it!"
Dominic Bixby roared, his body creaking as it swelled even larger.
My eyes widened in shock. Above the two figures, a black eye appeared in the sky. Dominic Bixby had just raised his hand to attack, but his body began to sink, and the red spider lilies started to sway wildly.
Cracks formed in the chains on my body, and I suddenly felt myself fading away. In disbelief, I stared at my ten vanished fingers.
With a sharp snap, I gritted my teeth. The curse shackles binding my Ghost Soul tightened, and my head spun, as if my consciousness was slipping away.
I shook my head repeatedly. Fiona Fox and Dominic Bixby were immobilized, still struggling to resist, but their bodies had already sunk into the petals of the red spider lilies on the ground.
The sensation was strangely familiar—a sweet fragrance that made me feel perfectly at ease, so much so that I wanted to drift off to sleep.
"Stay awake, Ethan Zhang. Hold on to your consciousness, or you'll be dragged into the River of Forgetfulness to await reincarnation."
With a bang, I punched myself in the forehead and cleared my mind a bit. Fiona Fox and Dominic Bixby were now reduced to just their heads, both desperately struggling.
The black eye in the sky was slowly closing.
"Using dirty tricks like this—pathetic."
Dominic Bixby roared, his face twisted with rage. Fiona Fox struggled in silence.
I was reaching my limit. The intoxicating, soothing power kept stabbing at my nerves, and my eyelids fought to stay open.
"Impressive aptitude—you've mastered the Devouring Form."
Suddenly, I snapped awake. The black eye in the sky began to bleed dark blood and gradually vanished. In a daze, all the red spider lilies before me disappeared in an instant.
With a gasp, Isabelle Frost appeared before me, coughing up blood. She clutched her chest, her face pale, and with one weak hand, she propped herself up on the ground.
"Devouring Form..."
Sharp white fangs appeared all around me, Isabelle Frost's power came to an abrupt halt, and the chains on my body shattered instantly. I shot down to the ground, catching Isabelle Frost with one hand.
"Tan Tian, get out here."
I roared, wind whipping around me. Two figures sped toward us, and a flash of green light appeared before us.
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With two heavy thuds, Mr. Brown hunched over, his face twisted in anger, and struck out with both fists—blocking Fiona Fox's kick and Dominic Bixby's punch.