"Sylvia, what are you..."
The wind continued to tear at the earth, with not a trace of light above us. The black Curse Tornado loomed dangerously close, its deafening, piercing shrieks relentlessly assaulting our nerves.
A tremendous suction filled the air. My body was drained of strength, and the Spirit Snake had coiled itself around both Rachel Lan and me. The house behind us was beginning to collapse, and I sensed something ominous as Sylvia, standing before us, began to change.
Black wisps of energy seeped from Sylvia's skin, and the silver-blue currents swirling around her slowly darkened to black. This power was unlike anything I had ever witnessed—silent as death itself, as if a colossal force of annihilation stood before me.
Sylvia's skin gradually turned black, spreading across her face. Her white hair drifted gently, and she crouched as if bearing some immense burden. Her blood-red eyes fixed calmly on the massive black tornado now looming before us.
"Obliterate... the world..."
In an instant, I saw Sylvia move. Suddenly, the black tornado halted right before us, and everything around seemed frozen in place. The immense suction vanished, and the tornado itself stopped spinning.
Sylvia had vanished from before me. Then, an extraordinary sight unfolded: the black tornado seemed to solidify in an instant, cracks appearing across its surface like a shattered work of art. As it broke apart, the falling black fragments turned to dust and dispersed into the air.
A flash of white caught my eye in the distance. Sylvia landed steadily on the ground, her back to us. The black tornado had almost completely vanished, the sky still heavy with gloom. Sylvia turned and began to walk slowly toward us.
A cracking sound rang out as the blackness covering Sylvia's body gradually faded, revealing her original fair, flawless skin. In her blood-red eyes, the crimson hue slowly receded, returning to their deep blue.
"Thank..."
Just as I was about to speak, Sylvia leapt in front of me, pressing a finger gently to my lips.
"I told you not to thank me."
At that moment, Sylvia looked at Rachel Lan beside me. Their eyes met, and both smiled. I glanced between them, closed my eyes, and raised my head—there was no need for words. Everything I wanted to tell Rachel Lan remained deep in my heart. Sylvia had already conveyed it through her actions.
The same sincerity, the same gentleness, the same stubbornness—I still didn't know Sylvia's origins, but I felt a warmth inside. My consciousness began to fade as exhaustion washed over me, and I drifted into sleep.
My body burned with discomfort. Half-awake, half-asleep, I felt myself being dragged toward a building. I wanted to wake up, but my body wouldn't obey.
"It's alright. A night's rest should fix you up."
In my dreams, I heard a voice and saw a pair of worried eyes.
Once again, darkness swallowed me. My body felt weightless. This Phoenix Rebirth had taxed me far too much—if not for the Wraithlord keeping my power in balance, the flames would have torn my body apart.
"Don't use your powers for a while, Ethan Zhang. Your body can't withstand the flames after Phoenix Rebirth."
I jolted awake. The Wraithlord sat across from me, quietly watching, his gaze fixed thoughtfully on my body.
"Understood."
I muttered and tried to get up, but found it difficult—my body refused to obey.
"It's best to use this power sparingly. If you rely on it too much, your body will eventually break down. Given your current state, recovery will take a long time."
I nodded. After all, I'm not one of the Underworld Denizens, nor do I have access to Hades Village. I can't restore my body without relying on the Four Sacred Spirits.
"Wraithlord, may I ask you something?"
I looked at the Wraithlord and asked.
"When you encounter an immense barrier and can't break through, what do you do?"
The Wraithlord rested his chin on his hand, pondering for a while before replying.
"I've faced many upheavals. Feeling powerless is the most honest description. Everyone experiences such moments. These are times for making big decisions, but many hesitate and miss the best opportunity. By the time you decide, circumstances have already shifted away from what you wanted."
What the Wraithlord said was true. I had hesitated before, and now, more than ever, I found myself wavering about my own future. But what made me hesitate most was Rachel Lan.
The sudden appearance of the massive black Curse Tornado today was just like the problems I now face—even if I gave everything, even my life, I couldn't change the fact that I was powerless before such overwhelming force.
"But..."
The Wraithlord smiled, as if recalling something long ago that brought him joy. His smile grew, and then he burst out laughing.
"What do you think is the most important thing my mother gave to humanity?"
"It's thought, isn't it?"
I answered quickly, but the Wraithlord shook his head.
"Actually, it's adaptability. Intelligence didn't exist at first, but just as all animals have curiosity, so do humans. Driven by curiosity, I remember being the same—wanting to understand what I saw before me, so I kept observing, struggling against the harsh environment. That's when intelligence was born. You could call it humanity's miracle."
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"But miracles don't happen every time. Just like with Sylvia—if it weren't for her, we would have faced danger again."
The Wraithlord nodded.
"That's true. But setting that girl aside, if it were just you, what would you do?"
"Keep going with Phoenix Rebirth."
The Wraithlord chuckled.
"Is there really no other way?"
I was stunned, pondering what the Wraithlord meant by 'another way.'
Because Rachel Lan's soul and body hadn't fully fused, even the slightest force could harm her. We were pinned in place, unable to move quickly or escape the black tornado. Facing it head-on was hopeless.
"What you're thinking is realistic. The reason you can't come up with a solution is a lack of knowledge, or maybe you're simply unable to handle these things. How did you make it this far? Tell me."
I bowed my head in thought for a moment before answering.
"I just muddled through, not worrying about anything."
"That's right. Wind belongs to Water in the Five Elements, and everything in this world follows the principle of mutual generation and restraint. What if you used the power of Earth? Fire creates Earth, remember? When you underwent Phoenix Rebirth, what happened to those flames?"
Suddenly, my eyes widened as I looked at the Wraithlord, who nodded with a smile.
"Back then, I was in the air. If I had been on the ground..."
The Wraithlord immediately nodded, then tapped his head and said,
"The principles of the world are actually very simple. They may seem complicated, but at their core, they're straightforward. To master them, you need vast knowledge and real experience. You're lacking in both, so when you can't find a solution, you resort to brute force. You said it yourself—miracles don't happen every time. That's only natural."
Immediately, I thought of Zhang Jizheng. He taught me about the mutual generation and restraint of the Five Elements long ago. I understood these principles, especially during my time in the Corpse Realm, but I just couldn't put them into practice.
"Of course, if your opponent's power far exceeds yours, then extremes meet and you can't rely on elemental restraint. That's why observation is crucial. If your observation skills are rated out of ten, you'd only score a three. You need to gauge the gap between you and your enemy through every move, every clash of energy. This is vital for developing tactics. Remember your fight with Xu Fu from the Immortality Society?"
I gave a quiet response, curiosity welling up inside me. I watched the Wraithlord, eager to hear what he had to say.
"It looks like your body won't recover for a while yet. There's still time, so let me share a few things."
I nodded, and the Wraithlord glanced around before continuing.
"When you fought Xu Fu that day, you only managed because I helped you. Your strength was nowhere near his, and he didn't even show his true power. If it had been a real fight, you'd have died a hundred times over."
I didn't need the Wraithlord to tell me that. Xu Fu toyed with me, constantly leading me by the nose.
"He has vast knowledge, combat experience, and honed strength. That's why you weren't his match. At this rate, you might never beat him, even in a thousand years. Power without skill is empty, because no matter how strong you are, there's always someone stronger."
"So, Wraithlord, I really have no clear direction. What should I do now..."
At that moment, a faint trace of blood-red particles appeared beside me. I looked over to see John Chou smiling at my side.
"Yo, things are lively here. Brother, who's this guy?"