Blood poured into my nose and mouth, filling my lungs and stomach. The stench made me want to throw up, but I couldn't.
But it didn't affect my breathing.
The hand around my neck was squeezing my throat, making it incredibly difficult to breathe.
Through the murky, bloody water, I saw the Thin Man's twisted face.
But by now, I knew this wasn't the Thin Man. It was an illusion born of the side effects.
It was all fake.
The side effects were still in effect, continuing to affect my mind.
I knew it was fake, but I still felt the pain.
The hand gripping my neck pulled me upward.
I was lifted out of the water. My head broke the surface, and I immediately felt the fresh air.
The person holding me wasn't the Thin Man anymore. It was Ye Qing.
There was no face, only a vague figure. I couldn't even sense the familiar yin energy from Ye Qing, but my subconscious already knew the illusion had changed.
The surroundings changed, too.
I was now in a lake, surrounded by green trees, with an old castle not far away. From where I was, I could only see the tips of its towers, but I knew what kind of castle it was.
My body was gone, leaving only my soul.
My consciousness drifted into the castle, where I saw someone seated high on a throne.
It wasn't an ordinary throne, but a massive chair built from a pile of bones. The castle's interior was covered in skulls, too. Similar groans rose from the different skulls, while rustling sounds came from every direction.
My attention was drawn to the person on the throne.
That person was also a skeleton, more complete and taller than the others.
Two balls of green