The venue for the piano competition was a large hall that had stood for nineteen years in Central City, considered one of the city’s landmark buildings.
Whenever a grand celebration was held, this place was always the first choice.
And now, it had literally exploded.
Thick, tree-trunk-like pale arms burst through the walls, twisting like tentacles, tearing apart everything they touched.
The walls and ceiling of the venue were as fragile as paper before those pale arms, crumbling at the slightest contact.
The pedestrians who had been watching the commotion from the street were instantly terrified.
Those with strong enough legs turned and ran; those too weak to stand collapsed to the ground.
Soon, the Hundred Ghosts Apostle emerged slowly from the dust kicked up by the collapsed venue, his gaze sweeping casually over the crowd on the street.
The shadow beneath his feet began to boil, spreading rapidly in all directions, as if it had become a living monster.
A homeless man who had been sleeping on the street opposite the venue for a long time was already frozen in fear, watching helplessly as the shadow crept toward his feet.
The world around him grew dim and lifeless.
Countless incomprehensible whispers crammed into his ears, nearly piercing his eardrums, then madly lashing at his brain.
It wasn’t just his hearing.
The homeless man also felt someone tugging at his shoulder from behind.
He turned his head to see a hideous face without skin, constantly dripping blood, right behind him.
The moment he screamed, a twisted monster pounced on him, biting again and again until his flesh was completely devoured, then returned to the shadow.
When the spreading shadow receded back beneath the Hundred Ghosts Apostle’s feet, his complexion was noticeably rosier than before, and his once-withered body had grown more robust.
Yet the Hundred Ghosts Apostle still wore a disappointed expression.
“Still not good enough.”
“As expected, ordinary people don’t have much effect. No matter how many I eat, I can’t be satisfied.”
“What I really need are those special ones—especially the one I marked…”
“Speaking of which, where did he go? After I blasted him out of the venue, I haven’t seen him.”
Just as the Hundred Ghosts Apostle stepped down from the rubble.
A sudden explosion erupted from the pile of broken stones behind him, sending fragments flying in all directions.
Lu Yunze, who had been lying in ambush, raised his heavy sword and struck down hard at the Hundred Ghosts Apostle’s back.
The Hundred Ghosts Apostle didn’t even turn around.
Pale arms burst from the ground one after another, not only blocking Lu Yunze’s attack but also entangling his sword.
Before Lu Yunze could figure out how to pull his sword free, the pale arms exerted force and hurled him away violently. He crashed onto the road twice before being flung far off.
The Hundred Ghosts Apostle had a terrifying smile on his lips at first.
But when he saw Lu Yunze climb back to his feet, the smile gradually faded.
Through the torn clothes, he saw black scales on Lu Yunze’s skin.
The injuries that would have shattered an ordinary person’s bones had only caused Lu Yunze pain and dizziness.
“I knew it. Someone who could attract me couldn’t be simple.”
The Hundred Ghosts Apostle didn’t get angry; instead, he laughed.
“I’m getting more and more curious about what will happen after I absorb you.”
Before the words faded.
The shadow beneath his feet spread again.
But this time, instead of spreading aimlessly, it shot straight toward Lu Yunze.
Lu Yunze tried to retreat.
But yet another pale arm burst from the ground, seizing his ankle tightly and climbing up his legs.
Its sharp claws, not even fully blocked by the black scales, pierced into his flesh.
Anyone who touched the shadow would feel a chill throughout their body, begin to hear incomprehensible whispers, and even see twisted monsters.
If killed by those monsters, they would be dragged into the shadow and become nourishment for the Hundred Ghosts Apostle.
Lu Yunze finally understood the nature of his Secret Art.
Dodging the shadow wasn’t difficult.
But he was still trapped by the pale arms.
If he didn’t get rid of them first—
It would be too late!
At that moment.
A fierce whirlwind suddenly swept in, enveloping the Hundred Ghosts Apostle.
The strong gust made it hard for him to maintain balance, and the speed of the spreading shadow slowed significantly.
At the same time, several Wind Blades flew over, cutting off the pale arms around Lu Yunze’s legs, allowing him to escape the shadow’s reach and retreat to a safe area.
“Why did you come back? I told you to run!” Lu Yunze demanded directly, looking at Luo Yao beside him.
“If I ran, what would happen to you?” Luo Yao shot him a glare.
“Leaving Brother Lu to survive alone—do you think I could bear that shame?”
Was this really the time to worry about saving face?
Lu Yunze took a deep breath.
Luo Yao spoke again: “Brother Lu, do you know this person? It seems like he’s after you.”
“…No, I don’t know him.”
Lu Yunze didn’t understand why the enemy was targeting him either.
But that wasn’t the main issue now.
“If you came back but don’t have a way to deal with him, don’t blame me if I send you away again.”
Luo Yao’s words had just landed.
A third voice sounded behind them both.
“I have a way, but it’s not on me.”
It was Luo Heng.
A rotating magic array appeared beneath his feet.
“At times like this, it’s my turn to shine.”
A red glow illuminated his face.
Even Lu Yunze was stunned by this scene.
Because he had never seen Luo Heng actually use a Secret Art before.
Whenever he asked, the other would only say, “The trump card has to be saved for the last moment.”
Luo Yao had once revealed to him.
Luo Heng’s Secret Art was an ability with a very severe imbalance.
Both its destructive power and damage output were so strong that even Luo Yao admitted she couldn’t match it.
But this Secret Art required an extremely long preparation time.
During that time, Luo Heng couldn’t be disturbed.
Otherwise, all his efforts would be wasted.
Luo Yao’s plan was simple.
She and Lu Yunze would hold off the enemy to buy Luo Heng time.
Since even working together couldn’t defeat the Hundred Ghosts Apostle, they would bet everything on the one with the highest damage output and deliver a single lethal strike.
“That’s a crazy plan.”
“But it’s practical, isn’t it?”
Lu Yunze hadn’t expected Luo Yao to be so reckless too.
But he was willing to trust them.
While they talked, Luo Yao kept reinforcing the Wind Cage.
But each time, it only lasted two seconds before the Hundred Ghosts Apostle broke through.
Watching his arrogant expression, Luo Yao took a deep breath and summoned the fierce wind again.
“Again?” The Hundred Ghosts Apostle had just opened his mouth when he sensed something was off.
This time, the wind whipped up a massive amount of dust from the ruins, forming an opaque tornado that trapped him once more.
“Playing with sand? What a bunch of childish fools.”
The Wind Cage couldn’t stop the shadow from spreading.
The Hundred Ghosts Apostle just stood there and slowly dismantled Luo Yao’s efforts.
And he could feel that the man at the very back was condensing something extremely dangerous.
He had to stop him!
Just as the Hundred Ghosts Apostle raised his hand.
Among the clatter of shifting rubble, an abnormal noise mixed in.
Bang!
Lu Yunze’s figure suddenly leaped from behind the Wind Cage, smashing his fist hard into the Hundred Ghosts Apostle’s face.
The stunned Hundred Ghosts Apostle was about to counterattack.
But Lu Yunze had already jumped back out of the Wind Cage.
Because of the dust, his movement trajectory was completely invisible.
And this was just the beginning.
Lu Yunze kept running, using Force Accumulation Anchor for high-speed dashes, launching consecutive attacks from different directions, then quickly disengaging.
The effect was excellent.
The Hundred Ghosts Apostle took several hits in a row but had no chance to retaliate.
He couldn’t react in time.
The shadow couldn’t spread.
The Wind Cage couldn’t be broken.
This was enough to stall.
Finally, Lu Yunze landed a punch on the Hundred Ghosts Apostle’s jaw. When he got up again, he spat out two bloody teeth.
Realizing he had been toyed with like a clown, the Hundred Ghosts Apostle erupted in rage.
This time, he steadied himself and simply closed his eyes.
When Lu Yunze charged in again.
His punch suddenly turned into a leg sweep, aiming for the Hundred Ghosts Apostle’s lower body.
Bang!
Can’t move him?
Lu Yunze was stunned.
He realized he hadn’t hit the Hundred Ghosts Apostle at all—instead, he had hit a tall figure.
It was a twisted monster that had emerged from the shadow.
They surrounded their master, using their bodies to block all possible attacks from different directions.
“Hah, I wasn’t planning to use this so soon, but you forced my hand.”
The Hundred Ghosts Apostle’s cheeks were hollow, and his eyes grew even more vicious.
The tall monster grabbed Lu Yunze’s calf and hurled him with full force in one direction.
Outside, Luo Yao was still struggling to maintain the Wind Cage.
She couldn’t dodge in time as Lu Yunze came flying at her, and he slammed her to the ground.
Without the Secret Arts Practitioner maintaining it, the Wind Cage was instantly torn apart.
And what emerged was not just the Hundred Ghosts Apostle.
But also his massive army of ghosts.
More and more twisted monsters crawled out of the shadow.
Lu Yunze shook his head and shouted, “Not ready yet?!”
“Ready, ready!” Luo Heng shouted back.
“Find cover! I don’t want to accidentally hit you!”
Hearing this, Lu Yunze quickly pulled Luo Yao behind a nearby barricade.
The magic array under Luo Heng’s feet had started with just one layer.
But as the preparation progressed, it had now stacked to a full five layers.
And the glow had reached its limit, making him seem to radiate light.
The Hundred Ghosts Apostle’s ghost army had begun its advance.
They all lunged toward Luo Heng.
In an instant, they would engulf and tear him apart.
Luo Heng took a deep breath.
His Secret Art was called “Explosion Art.”
He named it himself.
Because he believed that if developed well enough, his Secret Art could become the most powerful move in the world.
Since that was the case, the name had to be cool.
Now.
All preparations were finally complete!
The sudden light in the sky made the Hundred Ghosts Apostle squint.
Without him noticing, a magic array of the same pattern had appeared in the sky.
And the same array lay beneath his feet.
Rather than an array.
It looked more like a targeting reticle.
The next second.
A massive pillar of fire descended from the sky, crashing violently into the ground.
Boom!!!
The entire earth trembled fiercely.
The blinding light from the impact of the pillar hit the ground so strongly that even Lu Yunze hiding behind the barrier could feel its terrifying power.
The barrier he and Luo Yao relied on was completely obliterated by the shockwave.
Only when the pillar subsided did everything fall silent again.
In the smoke and dust, the only one still standing was Luo Heng.
His face was pale, and he gave a thumbs-up to the two behind him.
But such a terrifying Secret Art came at a huge cost to himself.
As soon as Luo Heng finished his pose, he collapsed straight to the ground.
He had already contributed everything he could in this battle.
“Did it work?” Luo Yao had a smile on her face.
But Lu Yunze’s expression remained grim.
“I’m afraid… not yet.”
Lu Yunze paused, then suddenly shouted, “Quick! Pull Luo Heng back!”
Luo Yao was startled.
She immediately used the wind current to glide out.
But just as she was about to pick up Luo Heng, a pale shadow shot out from the smoke.
Luo Yao instinctively closed her eyes.
But the expected pain never came.
When she opened her eyes again.
Lu Yunze was standing in front of her.
“Go first.”
“What about you, Brother Lu?”
“Someone has to hold the rear.”
Lu Yunze pulled out the pale arm that had pierced through his scales, relieved that the wound wasn’t too deep.
Luo Yao gritted her teeth and finally used compressed wind to blow herself and Luo Heng away.
Turning back to face the front.
Lu Yunze listened to her fading footsteps and finally felt at ease.
On the other side.
The Hundred Ghosts Apostle finally reappeared.
Half of his body’s skin had been completely burned away by the pillar of fire.
He now looked like a terrifying monster.
“Perfect. It’s just you left.”
“After I eat you, I’ll absorb them.”
Lu Yunze said nothing.
But inside, waves crashed against his reason again and again.
How could he fight this?
They had already gone this far.
Even Luo Heng couldn’t kill him completely.
What else could he do?
The hand holding his heavy sword trembled slightly.
He barely had enough stamina left for even one charged slash.
Was his only option to buy time with his own death?
Lu Yunze let out a soft laugh.
If that was the case.
At least his death would be pretty manly.
But it was a pity.
He probably wouldn’t be able to keep his promise with that girl.
“You’ve worked hard.”
A gentle voice suddenly sounded by his ear.
Along with a familiar fragrant scent.
After accidentally inhaling some.
The last string of Lu Yunze’s consciousness snapped completely.
The fallen young master landed in the girl’s arms.
“Looks like I missed your spectacular performance.” She gently stroked Lu Yunze’s face.
“But I’m very satisfied.”
“What you didn’t finish—leave it to me.”