"What did you say?" I glared angrily at Lan Yin, a cold smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
"Just as I said, Ethan Zhang. Hades' Will has already been activated. Something is coming, and it keeps urging me to destroy you. From now on, you’re on your own."
As Lan Yin spoke, he charged toward me. It was unbearably hot—the environment here was extremely unfavorable for me. At this moment, both the Resentful Ghost and Tong Ghost seemed to suddenly shrink back, completely unable to exert any strength.
Without a second thought, I raised the Deathbane Aura Blade, bracing for Lan Yin’s assault. His hands were empty. I flapped my wings and hurtled toward him.
At that instant, Lan Yin lifted his right hand as if clutching an invisible weapon, swinging down at me. I immediately brought the Deathbane Aura Blade up to shield my head. A mass of flames erupted—black as night. To my shock, Lan Yin drew a black Phoenix Blade and brought it crashing down.
With a thunderous bang and a burst of red fire, the overwhelming force slammed me to the ground. As I crashed down, Lan Yin was already bearing down on me.
I was paralyzed. In this hell of flames, the Tong Ghost and Resentful Ghost seemed to cower in terror, not daring to show themselves at all.
"Manifest... Reflection..."
At the critical moment, my shadow shouted. All around me, several black mirror surfaces appeared simultaneously. I quickly moved over, dodging a strike.
Lan Yin’s brows knit tightly, as if in extreme anger. He gritted his teeth, as if enduring something, and I could feel Lan Yin’s power growing stronger and stronger.
"Hurry up and defeat me, Ethan Zhang."
Lan Yin said in a low voice. Without hesitation, I quickly put some distance between us, raised my left hand, and conjured a barrage of black arrows, shooting them densely at Lan Yin. However, it was as if there was a protective membrane on his body—my Deathbane Aura Blade vanished the instant it struck.
Instinctively, I realized I absolutely couldn’t get close to Lan Yin—it was far too dangerous. The air around him was already distorting, and he flew toward me again.
"You two, do something! Damn it!" I barked, desperation clawing at my voice.
I shouted. In an instant, a burst of fire appeared before me. Lan Yin had already attacked—I struggled to deflect a blow, but the immense force hurled me toward the blazing wall of flames.
My heart lurched. Just as I was about to crash into the wall of fire, the Tong Ghost and Resentful Ghost appeared simultaneously, their four hands catching me.
A sizzling sound rang out as the immense force pushed the three of us against the wall of flames. The two ghosts screamed in agony, and I felt my back burning, a searing pain flaring up.
Lan Yin gave us no respite. At that moment, I saw the Tong Ghost and Resentful Ghost begin to melt away, like wax dripping from a burning candle.
"Find a way out, Ethan Zhang, or those two will die."
My shadow shouted from the ground.
"Come back."
I shouted. The Tong Ghost and Resentful Ghost returned to my body once again. The situation was dire—Lan Yin’s murderous intent was like the raging flames, eager to end my life immediately.
"What the hell are you, damn it!"
I roared, raising the Deathbane Aura Blade and charging at Lan Yin.
"Dodge quickly, Ethan Zhang!"
At that moment, a voice sounded in my mind. Instinctively, I changed my flight path—Lan Yin’s blade swept above me, and a surge of violent flames erupted. I was lucky to have dodged.
It was the voice of the Vermilion Bird. I remembered—even though we hadn’t spoken in ages, right now, it felt like clutching at a lifeline.
"What should I do, Vermilion Bird?"
"You can’t stay here too long. This is the first time I’ve seen someone summon the Vermilion Bird Sacred Realm directly."
I flew quickly, determined to keep my distance from Lan Yin. I absolutely couldn’t let him hit me again—next time, I might not be so lucky. At that moment, Lan Yin stopped moving, as if struggling against something, clutching his head in pain.
I landed on the ground immediately, feeling terrible. In here, even my consciousness and my ghost soul seemed to be gradually dissolving.
A blaze ignited on my shoulder—the head of the Vermilion Bird appeared.
Gasping for breath, I asked urgently.
"Vermilion Bird, how can I escape?"
I was burning with anxiety, especially after what Lan Yin had said earlier—if I didn’t defeat him, Rachel Lan would be in danger.
"With your abilities, it’s impossible. In this Sacred Realm, neither humans nor ghosts can last long. And that guy is truly formidable—you’re no match for him."
I felt increasingly powerless. Inside me, the Tong Ghost and Resentful Ghost were almost undetectable—their presence was growing weaker and weaker.
"Hmph, you’re lucky, kid. Lan Yin used the Vermilion Bird Sacred Realm, so I could awaken inside your body."
"Stupid bird, quit stalling! Hurry—help Ethan Zhang awaken his Third Ghost Soul if you want to help him!"
My shadow rose up before me, speaking anxiously. His golden eyes glimmered with helplessness.
"Hmph, I need to weigh my options. After all, turning such pure power of faith into ghostly energy—heh, if the others found out, I’d be in big trouble."
As the Vermilion Bird spoke, the heat had already blurred my consciousness—I could barely make out their conversation.
"Whether you help or not is up to you."
My shadow spoke again, then slowly returned to my body. My consciousness kept slipping away, and finally, everything went black—I lost consciousness.
This chapter isn’t finished yet~.~ Please click next page to continue reading!
A burst of fire blazed before my eyes, dazzlingly bright. That searing color—my senses gradually returned. As I came to, the sound of crying and shouting filled my ears.
"We’re doomed, we’re dead, brother."
"Ah, it’s so hot—I’m dying."
I turned my head and saw the Tong Ghost and Resentful Ghost clutching each other, utterly heartbroken. They seemed to be standing on something—on closer look, it was my shadow, half-crouched and bent, bearing the two on his back. At that moment, I realized the ground beneath me—once a tangled mass of black—had become a raging sea of fire.
"Brother, hang in there—don’t drop us! We’ll die if you do."
The Tong Ghost wailed, speaking to my shadow.
"You two are so heavy—damn it."
"Ethan Zhang."
A deep, powerful voice rang out. I looked over—it was the Vermilion Bird, sitting on the ground, its two wings resting on the earth like hands, gazing at me helplessly.
"What exactly should I do?"
"I really don’t want to help ghosts. Sigh, this is even worse than death for me."
"Damn it, is this really the time? Hurry up and tell me—how can I break out of Lan Yin’s Vermilion Bird Sacred Realm?"
"You two, don’t move! Damn it."
My shadow roared, his entire body quivering, hands and feet braced desperately on the ground. The Resentful Ghost and Tong Ghost clung to each other, staring in terror at the tongues of flame that lashed up beneath them—each time the fire touched them, their screams pierced the air.
"Unless you can promise me, Ethan Zhang."
The Vermilion Bird spoke, and I nodded.
"Let me put it this way—your instincts are actually quite useful, but you don’t know how to use them. Right now, both your ghost soul and spirit are too weak, so you can’t control those two crybabies at all."
"You’re the crybabies!" the Tong Ghost and Resentful Ghost shouted in unison. But then they jumped on my shadow’s back as tongues of flame leapt up again—tears streaming down their faces, they kept yelping in pain.
"Promise me—unless it’s absolutely necessary, you’re not allowed to use the ghost soul I created for you."
I nodded instantly. The Vermilion Bird flapped its wings and rose to its feet.
"This Vermilion Bird Sacred Realm is great, Ethan Zhang. I just had a feast, and now I’m fat."
"Hurry up!"
I shouted. The Vermilion Bird’s body was now much broader—almost bloated. It tried to take flight, but found itself completely grounded.
"Forget it, I won’t fly. Release your ghost threads and connect them to me."
I nodded, raised my hands, and sent my ghost threads toward the Vermilion Bird. Bit by bit, my ghost threads wrapped around its body, but suddenly there was a repulsive reaction—in an instant, my ghost threads were burned away.
"What are your instincts for, Ethan Zhang? Use your brain, will you?"
I gave a small sound of agreement, half-squatting on the ground, focusing on my instincts, quietly listening to their voice. I continued to release ghost threads toward the Vermilion Bird. At that moment, I felt a restless sensation.
I kept trying to soothe these restless forces—they were like wild flames, dancing madly, like wild horses. I had to approach them bit by bit and calm them down.
Gradually, sparks appeared in my once-blank mind. Then I saw blazing flames—they slowly became warm, no longer as fierce as before.
Gradually, I sensed something. I opened my eyes, and suddenly, another me appeared before my eyes—wearing the same expression as the Vermilion Bird across from me.
I regained consciousness again. At that moment, Lan Yin had returned to normal and was charging at me. I crouched on the ground, feeling everything.
"Third Ghost Soul—release..."