With a thunderous crash, clouds of dust billowed into the night sky after the heavy rain, stark and visible. Cries of alarm erupted from the villagers as many earthen houses collapsed. Those who had been sleeping rushed outside in panic.
Beams of yellow light shot toward us, as countless yellow talismans whirled through the air, relentlessly striking at the sudden appearance of the massive black Spirit Snake.
"What exactly are you trying to do?"
I shouted, watching the series of actions by the Spirit Snake. It roared furiously, then opened its enormous jaws and struck at the villagers fleeing across the ground.
The Spirit Snake snapped up the fleeing villagers in one bite. Instantly, those caught by the tremendous force were either killed or gravely injured.
It lashed its massive tail, destroying house after house and swallowing villager after villager. The scene was gruesome and terrifying. I stared in shock, my mouth agape.
Leo Liu and the others unleashed all sorts of magical artifacts, chanting incantations as they cast spells from a distance, trying to stop the Spirit Snake. But it was futile—their meager power stood no chance against the Spirit Snake.
My mind went blank. I didn't understand what the Spirit Snake wanted. Suddenly, with a whoosh, it turned into a wisp of black smoke and rushed toward me. Leo Liu and the others noticed and hurried over.
With a whoosh, the black mist rushing toward me transformed into a small black snake that coiled tightly around my neck. I stared coldly at Leo Liu and the others beneath the ruined houses, their faces twisted in anger as they glared at me.
"Is it you? Are you the one behind the Man-Eating Outcast Village, you evil ghost?"
Leo Liu brandished a peachwood sword. Li Hu and Zhao Mancheng were nowhere to be seen, but through my Specter Web, I clearly sensed their movements—they were setting up a formation, planning a surprise attack to capture me all at once.
A wicked smile crept onto my face as I stared coldly at Leo Liu, my eyes fixed on him. In an instant, waves of dense black malevolent energy emanated from my body, so thick that the surrounding houses seemed affected.
"That's right. Another boring person has come—care to play with me?"
I enunciated each word slowly. Leo Liu glared at me with hatred, then suddenly gave a cold smile.
"We're from the Ghost Burial Squad. Did you take the others somewhere else?"
"Take a guess."
I replied with utter contempt, then let out a chilling laugh. With a wave of my hand, a nearby house instantly crumbled into black dust, as thick waves of ghostly energy surged forth.
A ghostly woman sneered and slowly appeared in front of me. Her black cloak billowed as she leaned close, sitting beside me and resting her hands on my shoulders.
Zhao Mancheng stood pale with fear behind the ruined house, staring at me without moving.
Gradually, ghost souls emerged from my body—some sitting, some lying down—all exuding an intensely chilling aura as they gathered on the rooftops.
"Who exactly are you people?"
Leo Liu asked. I raised my head to gaze at the sky. At this moment, my Seven Ghost Souls and I all wore veils, revealing only our eyes.
Every ghost soul possessed gold-red eyes.
"We are... Blackfang..."
I spoke each word coldly. Then, slowly, my Seven Ghost Souls and I all began to float upward.
"Do your best. Let me see just how far you humans can go."
As I spoke, I led my ghost souls and flew off into the distance, crossing the river and landing atop a barren mountain. From this vantage point, we could overlook everything below—the distant village was still clearly visible.
The moment the Spirit Snake moved, something clicked in my mind, and my other ghost souls understood as well.
"Hidden in plain sight... You are all evil ghosts, and so am I."
I gazed at them silently.
With a whoosh, my shadow rose in the cold moonlight, its golden eyes fixed on me. At that moment, my mind felt at ease, while a sensation like my whole body was dissolving swept through me. Ominous black energy began to seep from my body.
Everything around me began to change. Wisps of white vapor rose continuously, and the whole world seemed to be undergoing a transformation—something new was emerging.
"Have you made your decision?"
The veil covering half my face dissolved into a wisp of black smoke. I revealed a mouthful of black, gradually sharpening teeth. With a swift motion, I drew Belle from my back. Moonlight glinted coldly off Belle’s blade, which seemed to stir restlessly, black currents swirling along its surface.
"Yes, it’s decided. Blackfang bares its fangs in the night—as pure, absolute evil ghosts."
My shadow burst into laughter, then stared at me.
"This path is not so easily walked. For centuries, even John Chou couldn’t make it through. What about you?"
I smiled. My mind was filled with thoughts of John Chou; from the moment I met him, it seemed everything was already destined.
I stood up. My hair slowly lengthened until it touched my shoulders. The tear-shaped scar on my left cheek glowed faint red, as did those of the other ghost souls.
"Maybe so. This path was shown to me by John Chou. He’s always tried to tell me, but only now do I understand. Thank you, Spirit Snake."
I turned to look at the Spirit Snake. It gave a cold, sinister smile and flicked out its crimson tongue.
"What is the meaning of all this? There’s no purpose, no hope—forever repeating January 1, 2000. The hope of life is stripped away, the wish for death cannot be fulfilled. So, as their strongest and greatest enemy, as leader of Blackfang, I will put an end to this stagnant world."
Clenching my fists, I gazed slowly toward the village. The New Year’s festivities had vanished, and faint cries could be heard in the distance.
"Ethan Zhang, it looks like we’ve truly entered the Man-Eating Outcast Village."
Zhu Tang said, and I nodded. Something had changed ever since the world shifted just moments ago.
My ghost souls began to change. The evil ghost within my instincts was completely unleashed. An itch gnawed at my heart, urging me on—an overwhelming urge to destroy and kill stained my mind blood-red.
"When dawn comes, it will be over. Give them a reason to survive."
"Heh, only then can those guys ignite the fighting spirit within, find themselves, and maybe even change everything here."
The Spirit Snake smiled and spoke.
The Spirit Snake caused all this tragedy because humans are such creatures—without sacrifice, they live in dull comfort, becoming numb, like livestock, eventually turning into walking corpses. In this world, nothing ever changes, no waves disturb the peace. As Jonas Darong said, the Outcast Village needs silence.