Seven silver swords of light pinned me to the ground—my hands, feet, chest, abdomen, and head—rendering me completely immobile.
"It's over, Ethan Zhang. Heh, do you know how many ghosts—including some Specter Ghosts—have died within this Seven-Star Sword Formation? Countless. You don't have the ability to break this formation yet."
The old Taoist continued speaking, but despite the pain in my body, I didn't feel as helpless as I should. I was merely pinned down; my ghostly essence seemed unharmed.
I began to struggle—it was very secure, and I was nailed to the ground. If I tried to use Deathbane Aura, it would immediately be burned away by the silver light. I tried using Yin Energy, but the result was the same.
At that moment, I remembered what Zhang Jizheng once told me: when setting up powerful formations, Taoists often bury ritual implements in specific places as the formation's core, then use spells to activate the array. I looked around—this place was far too open.
There was no sign that any ritual implements had been buried here beforehand.
"Tell me, what exactly do you want with Rufina Howard?"
I shouted, and a burst of laughter answered me.
"I won't do anything to her, don't worry, Ethan Zhang. Once I take her back, she'll be well cared for—three meals a day, proper treatment. Besides, the Immortality Society has decided to bring in some people to teach her things. Where else could you find such a good deal? Of course, her freedom will be somewhat restricted."
I said nothing more. Except for the areas sealed by the silver swords, my ghostly threads could still be released elsewhere. I began to investigate my surroundings.
"Ethan Zhang, you'd better stop struggling. When those Immortality Society people return, at least you'll have some strength left to resist. For now, I just want some peace and quiet."
The Taoist spoke as I grew anxious. I still hadn't found where any ritual implements were buried. But then I realized—the seven beams of light had been released from somewhere not far from me. I had tried to run, but collided with seven or eight swords of light.
Had I crossed into some other space? I wondered, but quickly dismissed the idea—my ghostly threads hadn't detected anything unusual.
It must have been some trick by the Taoist. I kept releasing Deathbane Aura, trying to break free from the seven swords of light, but it was useless—my ghostly essence was firmly pinned down.
"All of you, come help me!"
I shouted. In an instant, the Resentful Ghost and Wailing Ghost appeared about seven or eight meters in front of me. My shadow stretched away from my body, and the seven swords of light pinning me down became even more secure.
Just then, suddenly, red light flared around the Resentful Ghost and Wailing Ghost. Next, I saw an Eight Trigram Formation light up around them, trapping them instantly.
Through my ghostly threads, I felt a powerful suppressive force. With my strength divided, the two of them couldn't escape the Eight Trigram Formation.
"Hmph, don't try any tricks with me, Ethan Zhang."
Where was it? I desperately wanted to know the location of the ritual implement. Looking around, I saw nothing special except for some concrete pillars and the cement floor.
Regardless, I decided to give it a try. With a whoosh, my shadow sprang up and stabbed a barrage of Deathbane Aura spikes toward the spot where the seven beams of silver light had landed.
With a bang, stones flew everywhere, riddling the area with small holes and causing a large section to collapse. I rushed to look—there was nothing there.
"Hmph, trying to find my buried ritual implement, Ethan Zhang? I don't know who told you, but you'll never find it."
The Taoist shouted. Just as Zhang Jizheng said, this Taoist had indeed buried a ritual implement.
At that moment, I thought of a solution and began to struggle, gradually transforming my body back to human form. Sure enough, the pain began to fade. With a crack, I sat up—except for my mouth and right hand, the silver swords still pinned me down, but the rest of my body was free.
Once I was up, I forced myself forward and fell to the ground.
Instantly, the seven silver swords behind me rose from the ground. With only one functioning leg, I couldn't stand. In a flash, I transformed into thousands of tiny Deathbane Aura snakes, scattering across the floor.
But at that moment, the ground suddenly turned swampy—I could barely move. Blue light began to glow around me as my thousands of Deathbane Aura snakes started sinking downward.
"Heh, Ethan Zhang, you think I don't know? You've gained the Spirit Snake's power, letting you evenly distribute your ghostly essence among these little snakes. I've already prepared a countermeasure."
My heart skipped a beat—this wasn't working. I had to regroup, or I'd be trapped for good. The thousands of little snakes began to merge, condensing into human form. The moment I spread my wings, the seven silver swords behind me flew at me again.
Without hesitation, I shot into the air, black ice rapidly forming around me and shattering with loud bangs as I flew backward.
But before the ice had fully broken, I crashed into the seven silver swords again. This time, I didn't let them pierce my body.
"Mirror Shadow!"
I roared. With a whoosh, I escaped the range of the silver swords' attack. My shadow was instantly shredded by the seven silver swords.
At that moment, the swamp-like blue substance on the ground vanished with a gurgle, sealing off the area completely. I couldn't access the second underground level, and landing would likely trigger more formations. Above, the seven silver swords were in pursuit.
I roared in anger, swinging my arms as violent Deathbane Aura surged in all directions.
"What are you trying to do, Ethan Zhang?"
The Taoist exclaimed in shock. With a bang, a concrete pillar was destroyed by a swirling Deathbane Aura spike, followed by a second and third.
"If I can't find it, I'll just destroy everything. After all, you're human, and I—right now—am a ghost."
I shouted as the seven silver swords attacked me again. Without hesitation, I raised ice pillars as I moved, destroying more than ten of the dozens of pillars in the building.
"Don't even think about it, Ethan Zhang!"
Dodging the seven silver swords at lightning speed, I immediately reversed direction and flew toward where the Resentful Ghost and Wailing Ghost were trapped.
With a bang, I crashed into the red Eight Trigram Formation. My body felt like it was burning, but I ignored the pain. The formation was strong, but my power could break through. Roaring, I channeled Deathbane Aura into my right hand and struck the formation.
With a crack and a burst of red light, the formation began to dissipate.
"You two, help me—bring this whole building down."
I shouted. The Resentful Ghost and Wailing Ghost immediately understood, flying to the remaining pillars. The Wailing Ghost bit through the concrete pillars, while the Resentful Ghost, wrapped in ice, smashed into them.
Just then, I saw a flash of silver light from a broken pillar in the distance. Roaring, I raised my twin Deathbane Aura blades, deflecting the silver swords with a series of clangs. At that moment, I realized there were only six silver swords left.
"Withdraw..."
In an instant, the six silver swords vanished into the ground. Then a glowing circle appeared, followed by the silhouette of the Taoist.
"Stop."
I shouted, seeing that half the outer pillars supporting the building remained, but the ones inside had all been destroyed.
"Hmph, you finally decided to show yourself."
I landed, glaring furiously at the Taoist before me.
"Hmph, Ethan Zhang, do you really want to kill the girl below as well?" the old Taoist said. I shook my head.
"You're out now, aren't you?"
Just as I finished speaking, the Resentful Ghost appeared behind the old Taoist. With a snap, a cloud of black mist tried to envelop him, but he flicked his horsetail whisk and slapped a silver talisman behind him.
With a shriek, the Resentful Ghost was engulfed in black mist, black smoke billowing from its body. Pain shot through my chest. I raised my hand in a panic, and the Resentful Ghost returned to my side, a silver talisman stuck to its forehead. Soon, it turned to ash, and the pain faded.
The Resentful Ghost and Wailing Ghost returned to my body, and my shadow came back as well.
"Round two begins. No matter how many ritual implements or formations you have, I'll deal with you."
Clenching my fists, I slowly raised my twin Deathbane Aura blades, spread my wings, and whooshed forward like a black meteor, crashing toward the Taoist.
"Limitless Two Forms, transform..."
Suddenly, the Taoist flicked his horsetail whisk, drawing in front of himself. The moment I charged, I felt as if I crashed into cotton—soft and powerless. I was bounced back as the Taoist began forming hand signs.
"Warriors, array of battle..."
Suddenly, the Taoist radiated an intense silver light.