Ghost Immortal Altar

"[Listen to Me] Kill yourself, lancer!"

As Cheese's cherry lips parted, she issued a strange, unquestionable command.

The Lancer Knight, whose spear Li Yèlái had severed and whose armor he had pierced, came to a halt.

His body stiffened as if he were caught in some fierce inner struggle.

Then, under Wang De's stunned gaze, he raised the two broken halves of his spear and drove them into the cracked breastplate over his chest.

The broken spear pierced his chest, and phantom blood poured out.

"What are you doing?" Wang De cried in terror, shaking the Silver Bell again. "Stop! Stop! Come back!"

But the Lancer Knight kept forcing the broken spear deeper into his chest until it pierced his heart.

The next moment, several halos formed from Golden Incantations appeared around the knight, then shattered with a crash.

The Lancer Knight dropped to his knees, helpless, and let out one final, unwilling roar.

Then he died, scattering into ashes.

Wang De stared blankly at the scene. "How is this possible?"

The powerful Lancer Knight had killed himself just because this girl said so?

That was a powerful knight's ashes he had obtained from a certain being, after going to great lengths and paying a steep price.

According to the being with the black umbrella, it was a fine specimen from a Calamity Forbidden Zone. It had the strength of a second-Awakening psychic.

And now it was dead?

Everyone else stared in stunned silence, too.

The Lancer Knight had only been badly wounded in his bloody fight with Li Yèlái. He still had plenty of fight left in him.

And now, one sentence had killed him?

"Is the Whisper Path really this overpowered? Can I switch to another path?" Li Yèlái glanced at his bloodied palm and felt as though all his fighting had been for nothing.

At the same time, he felt a strange chill in his chest.

Perhaps because he was a fellow lancer and had seen the Lancer Knight die so miserably, Li Yèlái felt a little shaken.

The knight had died just like that. Li Yèlái had fought him for ages and only managed to break his armor. Yet Cheese had taken him down with one sentence?

That Lancer Knight had been incredibly unlucky.

Remembering how brutal the fight had been, Li Yèlái felt conflicted.

But in truth, without the damage Li Yèlái had dealt and the armor he had broken, Cheese's ability probably wouldn't have worked. Li Yèlái's attack had drastically lowered the Lancer Knight's psychic resistance. That was the main reason Cheese had succeeded so easily.

Even so, what had just happened was shocking. The Whisper Path might not seem suited for combat, and most of its abilities were supportive, like hypnosis and suggestion.

Yet its effect in a real fight was terrifying.

With nothing but the power of words, it could eliminate anything. Who knew how frightening its commands would become after a high-level Awakening?

Li Yèlái was still marveling at it in his mind, but his hands kept moving. Seeing that the Lancer Knight was dead, he rushed forward with his Crimson Longsword raised and slashed at Wang De.

At the same time, Detective grabbed a rifle from one of the corpses and opened fire on Wang De.

The Dual Blade Knight had no choice but to step in front of Wang De and block the attacks with his blades.

His blades swept in fluid arcs, easily parrying Li Yèlái's charge. He also activated a Psychic Barrier to deflect the hail of bullets.

After just one exchange, Li Yèlái realized that the Dual Blade Knight was even stronger than the Lancer Knight.

But he had to protect Wang De, so he couldn't dodge freely or create distance. That severely limited his strength.

He could only defend himself against Li Yèlái's assault.

Taking advantage of the opening, Wang De turned and ran toward the Blue Brick House.

Cheese quickly swallowed the sugar she had been holding in her mouth to suppress the curse. Then she immediately spoke again. "[Listen to Me] Your heart stops!"

The Dual Blade Knight was unaffected. He didn't even have a heart. He was nothing more than ashes summoned by the Silver Bell.

Wang De, however, was another matter. When he heard her, his body lurched and his vision went black. He crashed heavily to the ground.

He hit his head hard enough to draw blood, but still struggled toward the Blue Brick House's threshold and forced the door shut.

He had hidden one thing from Li Yèlái and the others from the start.

The Blue Brick House could indeed accept a sacrifice and grant the user's wish. But there was no time limit.

After making several offerings, Wang De had discovered a dangerous hidden feature of the house.

If someone made a wish with the door shut but offered no sacrifice, the Blue Brick House would undergo a strange change. A mysterious being would leave the house and forcibly take the flesh and life of someone near the person who had made the wish.

It would take even more flesh and blood than a normal sacrifice. A wish that should have required only a live cow would instead cost a person their life and flesh.

It seemed to be punishment for trying to get something for nothing.

Now, would Wang De care about that kind of punishment?

So, after shutting the door, he roared, "Great and just Ghost Immortal, I make a wish to you. I offer you a sacrifice! Let me escape the giant city!"

Li Yèlái and Detective stared in shock. They hadn't seen Wang De offer anything.

But the next moment, the Blue Brick House shuddered. Its doors swung open again, and a tide of shadows poured out.

Before anyone could react, the shadows covered the entire basement.

In an instant, countless black human arms reached out of the shadows and grabbed at everyone!

Li Yèlái, Cheese, Detective, the other members of the Wang family, and even the Dual Blade Knight were seized by the sudden grasping hands.

The corpses of the armed men who had died were grabbed too, and quickly sank into the shadows, as if another world lay beneath them.

Seven hands seized Li Yèlái's lower legs, keeping him from moving. He could even feel them pulling him down with tremendous force.

"Foot fetishists, huh?" Li Yèlái roared, swinging his sword to cut through the hands. But more and more arms reached out from the shadows.

He had barely severed the hands gripping him when even more appeared.

Looking back, he saw that Detective had been dragged to the ground. His rifle roared, but it did no good.

The others were in even worse shape, screaming and struggling in agony.

On the stairs, several hands had also wrapped around Cheese, gripping her arm and shoulder. Struggling, she shouted, "[Listen to Me] Kill yourself now!"

The sudden turn of events had made her realize that the Forbidden Item had clearly gone out of control.

The only option was to kill the person who had made the wish and hope that it would stop the rampage.

At her words, Wang De began to struggle, but the so-called "Ghost Immortal" was protecting him, and he managed to resist the urge to kill himself.

He also dodged backward. The black hands hadn't caught him, so he was the one with the most freedom to move. He quickly retreated to the far end of the basement.

He laughed as he looked at everyone. Against all odds, he had turned the tables!

After shouting, Cheese was dragged down onto the stairs. The black hands were pulling her into another world.

Struggling, she looked at Li Yèlái and shouted, "[Listen to Me] Run!"

"You're supposed to use your ability like that?" Li Yèlái roared anxiously, fighting the urge to run. He forced himself to calm down.

He quickly looked at Wang De in the distance, then at the Blue Brick House, only ten steps away.

He made his decision at once.

If the Forbidden Item had gone out of control, then he would destroy it!

In truth, it was an extremely risky move. Forbidden Items were physical manifestations of certain powers from the Void Realm. Destroying one could lead to some terrible disaster.

But Li Yèlái couldn't worry about that now. If they waited any longer, everyone would die!

"Then Mr. Shadow can foot the bill!"

Thinking this, Li Yèlái gathered his courage.

He swung his sword swiftly, cutting through the arms reaching for him.

Then he leaped up and used Sky Stepping. In midair, he sprang over the ensnared Dual Blade Knight and crashed headfirst into the Blue Brick House.

Fortunately, no black hands reached out from inside the house. Instead, a vague, strange shadow floated behind the golden altar.

It seemed to sense Li Yèlái's intentions. It stared at him impassively and spoke in an ancient tongue. "How dare you!"

Its voice echoed around the small Blue Brick House, turning into palpable pressure that bore down on Li Yèlái. Blood poured from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, and his knees nearly buckled as an urge to kneel seized him.

Was this the true form of the Blue Brick House?

Was this the being from the Void Realm that could grant almost any wish?

Li Yèlái didn't stop to think about it. He pressed on against the crushing pressure, advancing with his sword in hand.

With every step, he wanted to turn and flee. But when he thought of his teammates outside and the threat of death, his courage overcame his fear once more.

Li Yèlái gritted his teeth and kept moving forward, the Double Pupils in his eyes bloodshot.

"Go fuck yourself!"

Seeing the black threads extending from the altar, Li Yèlái raised his sword without hesitation and brought it down! Weak Point Break!

The next moment, a terrifying scream and roar shook the manor!

At the same time, every psychic in Border City No. 3 heard the enraged roar.

"Shit, something's happened!" At the eastern city branch, Moon Shadow activated her ability and transformed into lightning, shooting into the sky.

Yáng Chén, who had been rushing toward another battlefield, changed expression too and leaped into the air.

His skin turned crimson, and he kicked off so hard that he created a sonic boom.

Nearly every psychic had been roused.

In a certain corner of the giant city, a young man holding a black umbrella looked toward New City District and murmured, "Attacking the Ghost Immortal Altar? Looks like something happened to that kid, Wang De. How could a knight with the strength of a second Awakening still lose?"

At that very moment, Li Yèlái knew nothing of the commotion outside. He was still striking the altar with all his might.

The altar had an incredibly powerful Psychic Barrier.

Even Li Yèlái's full-force strike couldn't cut through it immediately!

His blade left a slight wound on the altar. The wound widened, but he couldn't force the blade any farther. It was even starting to push him back!

He didn't have enough strength!

It was so frustrating. He had reached it. He had even found the thing's weak point!

And yet the Psychic Barrier blocked him, keeping him from smashing it to pieces!

"Too bad. The times have changed!"

Li Yèlái roared and pulled his Jet Steel Axe from behind him with his left hand.

Then he slammed it against the back of his Crimson Longsword.

At the same time, he pressed the button on the axe handle. A flame nearly a meter long shot from the jet nozzle.

Shit, what had the Equipment Department put inside this thing? Li Yèlái felt his left hand lose control and slam down in an instant. It felt like his arm had dislocated.

The axe sent the sword surging forward, smashing hard into the back of the blade!

With a sharp crack, the accelerated blade cut through the golden altar, cleaving it cleanly in two!

Outside the Blue Brick House, the arms reaching from the shadows vanished along with the shadows in an instant, leaving a group of battered people behind.

But this had completely enraged some terrifying being.

The moment Li Yèlái cut through the altar, he vaguely saw a colossal shadow like a mountain appear before his Soul Well.

He wore a black-and-white Daoist robe and had the bearing of an immortal, yet countless vengeful spirits swirled around him.

Was that the Ghost Immortal? A human?

He had found Li Yèlái's Soul Well directly from the Void Realm!

His gigantic body even blotted out the sky as he looked down at Li Yèlái.

"Do you dare?" The Ghost Immortal lowered his head to glare at Li Yèlái and reached toward him with his right hand, seeming furious.

But the Ghost Immortal quickly sensed something. He abandoned Li Yèlái and looked up ahead instead.

All he saw was darkness. No, where had the starry Void Realm gone?

The Ghost Immortal's gaze slowly lifted, but still he couldn't see the stars. Then he saw a gigantic eyeball that blotted out the sky.

No wonder he couldn't see the stars. He was standing before some enormous being powerful enough to obscure them, like an ant that had wandered onto a human's dining table.

And that being was watching him from the table, with amused interest.

As if asking, What the fuck gave you the nerve?

"I... I meant no offense. I didn't know this human was someone you had invited—" The Ghost Immortal's voice trembled, but before he could finish, a tentacle as huge as a mountain range wrapped around him and dragged him into the darkness.

Then came a chilling scream and the sound of chewing.

Seeing this, Li Yèlái was utterly stunned. Was that... Mr. Shadow?

He had actually swallowed the Ghost Immortal? The being who could grant any wish!

He was far more terrifying than Li Yèlái had imagined!

But Li Yèlái hadn't even made a deal with him yet. He'd taken care of everything himself.

So... maybe Li Yèlái just wouldn't make a deal with him. That didn't count as getting something for nothing, right? The Ghost Immortal hadn't said anything!

Thinking this, Li Yèlái's consciousness returned to reality.

"Phew, that's finally—" Li Yèlái sighed in relief.

But soon, his expression changed again.

The entire ceiling of the Blue Brick House suddenly collapsed over his head.

"Shit!"