"It's alright."
I stood up, drifted over to Zephyr's head, and lay down comfortably. To my surprise, I actually felt a kind of mental exhaustion. It was unbelievable—perhaps because after entering the karmic world named Ethan Zhang, I'd witnessed far, far too much.
Countless strands of Ethan Zhang's karma, all those layered memories—I had seen them all. At the end of each karmic thread, there was only emptiness and ruin; everything was shattered and broken.
"Hey, are you alright, Ethan?"
Eugenia crouched in front of me, puzzled. I hummed in response, feeling my mental fatigue gradually fade. I couldn't wait any longer—I had to hurry back to the Living World. Only by returning could I use all the power I'd gained to shatter the source that led to this emptiness and ruin: the Wraithlord.
"Let's head back first, Eugenia. I need to quickly find the Realm Keeper."
Eugenia hummed in agreement. Then, we were enveloped in a blue glow. When I opened my eyes, we had already arrived in the territory ruled by Chaos—the nearest entrance to the middle layer of the Illusory Realm.
After passing through the fireball, we instantly returned to the Merfolk village.
"Back so soon, Ethan?"
Just as I returned, Jade May approached with a look of delight. But when she saw my troubled expression, she quickly hid her smile.
"Was it that friend of yours who couldn't be saved?"
I shook my head.
"No, it should work out. It's just... never mind, let's not talk about it now."
After a while, I found an empty conch house and sat quietly, a cup of wine in hand. I took a sip and sighed.
"What am I supposed to do?"
Right now, although the Wraithlord's soul is sealed in the Illusory Realm, and all six pieces of the Wraithlord's Blood Jade are trapped here, unable to escape, after gaining the power of karma, I've repeatedly probed the countless karmic threads of Ethan Zhang created at the divergence points. No matter which thread, they all end in emptiness and ruin.
The reason is clear: I can't kill the Wraithlord, can't truly destroy him. Sometimes, when I do kill him, all the power in his body is released, destroying the Yin-Yang World, and he himself becomes part of the shattered, empty world. Or, I lose to the Wraithlord.
The outcome is obvious. The weapon crafted for me by Mother Goddess Nuwa is, at best, incapable of taking the Wraithlord's life. In every karmic world I've seen, every Ethan Zhang born of a divergence point, all that's left is sorrow and pain—never a single smile.
The third most common rumor was that many supernatural beasts had seen the Realm Keeper, but none could describe what he looked like.
I can see the karma of everything, and as this power grows stronger, I see it more and more clearly. It's precisely because there's no way to retreat, no way to escape, that she's going to die.
My heart began to ripple. I didn't know why—it was like the surface of wine in a cup, trembling ever so slightly. Anxiety and helplessness filled me.
"Can we talk for a bit, Ethan?"
"Does anyone here know any rumors about the Realm Keeper?"
"Can you tell me, Ethan? What's really troubling you? You weren't like this before you left, but now it looks like you're completely weighed down by worry."
"Mm, maybe it's just a harsh reality. How should I put it... A lot of people have pinned their hopes on me, but so far, I haven't been able to live up to those hopes."
Jade May blinked, then set down the wine, filled my cup, and took a sip herself.
"I know. I heard someone once saw him."
I sighed helplessly. The more I saw, the more troubled I became. I knew Jade May was trying to tell me not to worry about outcomes that hadn't happened yet—maybe they were in the future, maybe they'd never happen at all.
"Once, when I was passing by a nearby desert, I heard that Old Sand Monster used to play hide-and-seek with the Realm Keeper."
I stood up, finished the wine in my cup, and then managed a smile.
"If it's the desert, just go that way—once you cross that ridge, you'll see it."
"That's more like it. What's the point of worrying? My parents used to tell me—even if you're afraid of being eaten, one day you might still get eaten. But does that mean you should just hand yourself over and let the other beasts devour you?"
I laughed as Jade May pulled me out of the conch house. The whole Merfolk Tribe was busy—thanks to the few companions I brought, whose appetites were enormous. Although they prepared food quickly, it was never fast enough for how much they ate.
After a while, we gathered together and began to organize the information we'd collected about the master of the illusion over the past few days.
"Many supernatural beasts claim they've seen the master of the illusion, but none can describe what he looks like. That's the main issue—so the beasts from the upper layers don't believe it."
The Elder Merman spoke, and the Nine-Tailed Fox let out a giggle.
"Of course! If you can't even describe what he looks like, yet claim to have seen him, how is anyone supposed to believe you?"
The Nine-Tailed Fox was right.
"That's why I think there must be a catalyst. Only if both conditions are met can we hope to glimpse the master of the illusion."
As Elder Merman finished, Eugenia burst out laughing.
"How is that possible? You say you've seen him, but don't know what he looks like—are you fools or what? Plenty of supernatural beasts claim they've seen the Realm Keeper, but none can describe him. It's all just hearsay. Besides, did that Felix Fan guy really come to the Illusory Realm?"
Eugenia said, and I nodded. I'd asked Mona Ouyang about Felix Fan, but she wasn't sure either. The only one who knew for certain was John Chou.
(This chapter is not finished yet~.~ Please click next page to continue reading!)
Suddenly, everything we'd collected about the Realm Keeper started to blur again. We were back to square one.
"I think you should just give up, Ethan. You won't find anything if you keep searching."
The Blueflame Warden said, and suddenly I remembered something. I hurriedly stood up, swallowing hard.
"The Realm Keeper really does exist."
Suddenly, all the supernatural beasts looked at me. Jade May came closer.
"Did you notice something, Ethan?"
I smiled with joy and nodded.
"I possess the power of karma, but in the karmic world, I've never seen the master of the illusion. Why is that? If he truly didn't exist, then when I returned, there shouldn't have been any rumors about him in the karmic world. But the rumors do exist—even in the karmic world. If they were false, then when I entered my own karmic world here, the rumors about the master of the illusion should have disappeared. Yet I can still see them. This rumor exists. There must be a catalyst—only then can I glimpse the master of the illusion."
For a moment, it felt like I saw hope. Because of the power of karma, I began to worry about everything that lay ahead. But thanks to that same power, I knew the master of the illusion really did exist—a blessing in disguise.
"I possess the power of karma, but in the karmic world, I've never seen the Realm Keeper. Why is that? If he truly didn't exist, then when I returned, there shouldn't have been any rumors about him in the karmic world. But the rumors do exist—even in the karmic world. If they were false, then when I entered my own karmic world here, the rumors about the Realm Keeper should have disappeared. Yet I can still see them. This rumor exists. There must be a catalyst—only then can I glimpse the Realm Keeper."
I looked at a sheet of paper covered in rumors about the master of the illusion. The most common said that he could grant passage to the Living World to those who found him. The next most common claimed he loved playing hide-and-seek, often appearing throughout the illusion and playing with the supernatural beasts.
For a moment, it felt like I saw hope. Because of the power of karma, I began to worry about everything that lay ahead. But thanks to that same power, I knew the Realm Keeper really did exist—a blessing in disguise.
"Alright, I understand. I'll go notify the upper-level beasts for you."
I looked at a sheet of paper covered in rumors about the Realm Keeper. The most common said that he could grant passage to the Living World to those who found him. The next most common claimed he loved playing hide-and-seek, often appearing throughout the Illusory Realm and playing with the supernatural beasts.
I also planned to personally search for rumors about the master of the illusion in the nearby forest and waters—as long as I didn't go too far, I could make it back.
"I'll go with you, Ethan."
Jade May swam over as she spoke. I nodded, then grabbed her hand and shot up out of the water. Jade May pointed at a vast forest in the distance.
"There are some rocky hills over there. The beasts in that area might know something too."
I hummed in response, used my power to drag Jade May with me, and instantly crossed the forest, arriving among a cluster of rocky hills. There, I saw many pale, gecko-like supernatural beasts, most of them quite small, crawling on the rocks. As soon as I landed, the beasts suddenly swelled up, but my released power quickly subdued them, and they quieted down.
"Does anyone here know any rumors about the master of the illusion?"
No sooner had I asked than some small beasts squeezed out from the cracks in the rocks, all chattering at once.
"Hasn't anyone here ever seen what he looks like?"
I asked, but all the beasts in front of me shook their heads—they didn't know.
"I know. I heard someone once saw him."
I looked at a beast no bigger than a fingernail, resembling an ant.
"Once, when I was passing by a nearby desert, I heard that Old Sand Monster used to play hide-and-seek with the master of the illusion."
I blinked, and Jade May excitedly pointed into the distance.
"If it's the desert, just go that way—once you cross that ridge, you'll see it."
I gazed into the distance at the mountain, whose full shape was almost impossible to make out. I'd seen this mountain before—it was strange, its peak completely hidden from view.