I quietly watched the Wraithlord behind me. The childishness that once lingered on his face had completely vanished, replaced by an aura of authority and menace. He radiated an overwhelming power, utterly intimidating—he seemed like a different person from the Wraithlord I had known before.
Looking at the Wraithlord now, I couldn't help but feel confused. His eyes were sharp and cunning, glinting with slyness, and his lips curled into a faint, knowing smile.
"You seem like a completely different person."
The Wraithlord slowly approached me. Suddenly, I felt an immense force rush toward me, shadow lightning crackling over his body. The oppressive power was so overwhelming that my own strength felt like it was drowning in a vast ocean—I couldn't resist at all. My entire body was paralyzed, held in place by nothing but his gaze and presence. I stared at the Wraithlord in shock.
"This is what’s recorded on page 46."
I bared my teeth in a cold, mocking smile and asked.
"What do you want?"
"Nothing in particular. I just want you to see the difference."
I swallowed and let out a nervous laugh.
"There’s no need. I already know how powerful you are—deep down, I’m fully aware of it."
The Wraithlord raised a finger and shook his head.
"You don’t understand. You always think you can surpass my Human Soul, but this isn’t the difference between heaven and earth—it’s a difference of dimensions, of realities, of worlds and dust."
With a thunderous crash, I spat blood and was hurled straight off the water’s surface. The moment I steadied myself, the Wraithlord was already standing before me. Clutching my chest, I tried to make sense of the force that hit me—my boundaries had instantly shattered.
Threads of lightning shot toward the Wraithlord, but in an instant, they seemed to recoil in fear. As they neared within two meters of him, they abruptly stopped, and my power dissipated.
"There’s truly no way to bridge this gap. I understand now—the difference between us is clear enough, isn’t it?"
I said this, but the Wraithlord only shook his head.
"Your power has grown again because of the obstacles within your body. Try it."
The Wraithlord beckoned me with a crooked finger. Instantly, a surge of fury erupted from deep within me. My eyes widened and, grinning wickedly, I gripped the Endbringer.
"Go ahead, use whatever power you like. Your instinct—what is it really? Even now, you still don’t understand. Lightning is just one form of Endbringer’s power. What you’ve been chasing all this time isn’t strength. If you don’t believe me, try it for yourself."
With a whoosh and a burst of crackling noise, I swung the Endbringer at the Wraithlord. He raised a finger and blocked my Endbringer Blade. With a shattering sound, my blade was instantly crushed.
My eyes widened as a surge of overwhelming pressure slammed into me, sending me flying backward. With a thunderous crash, shadow lightning exploded in all directions.
I stared quietly at the Wraithlord across from me, watching the smile on his face. My anger grew, but there was nothing I could do—I was no match for him, and hurting him was impossible. Still, his attitude was infuriating.
"Go on, what’s wrong? Or are you..."
Before the Wraithlord could finish speaking, I had already moved to his side. Shadow lightning gathered in my hands like flowing water, distorting the space around us. Columns of shadow lightning erupted from the air, and the world itself began to twist violently. My eyes glared blood-red at the Wraithlord, but even at full strength, I couldn’t touch him—my power kept growing.
"Keep going. Not bad."
My power kept rising, until the world around me was nothing but shadow lightning. The bolts intertwined, rumbling constantly. Everything on the ground turned to scorched earth, cracks split the sky, and the entire world trembled.
But my hands couldn’t move forward at all. Less than a meter separated me from the Wraithlord, yet that distance felt like a chasm of ten thousand miles. I couldn’t move any closer—the air itself twisted, and wisps of black energy seeped in from the warped space.
The world was collapsing on a massive scale. This world of desire was decaying, driven toward ruin by the influence of my Endbringer’s power.
The Wraithlord looked at me with a smug smile. My power had reached its limit, yet I still couldn’t break through and get close to him.
"Your power still has plenty of room to grow. Do you really think you’ve reached the ultimate limit? Even if you do, can you break through this meter between us?"
My eyes widened. The place where the Wraithlord stood was like an impenetrable stone—nothing could pierce it. I gasped for breath, my power still rising, but I had reached my limit.
The Wraithlord glanced around at the world, then laughed.
"That’s enough. If we keep going, this place will be affected."
As soon as the Wraithlord finished speaking, he waved his hand. My power instantly dissipated into black mist, and the world snapped back to normal. I stared wide-eyed, collapsed into a sitting position, panting and overwhelmed by exhaustion and a creeping sense of fear.
The Wraithlord reached out a hand, smiling warmly at me as if to help me up. I brushed his hand aside.
"You bastard. All this time, you’ve been pretending to be crazy, but you’ve always known who you are, Wraithlord."
"Of course I know who I am. The pity is, you people don’t. Hahaha."
Looking at the Wraithlord now, I felt utterly devastated. He’d already recovered all his memories, knew exactly who he was, and had been playing dumb to deceive everyone—even me. The power he wielded was astonishing.
"What’s the truth about that book?"
"What do you think?"
I got to my feet, furious at being played like a fool. The Wraithlord turned away, then glanced back at me.
"Come with me."
I followed the Wraithlord back to the house in the center of the lake. He lounged on the bed, smiling with relaxed satisfaction.
"That Nuwa really thought she could seal me with this method. But that’s just what she believed—or rather, what I let her believe. I remembered everything centuries ago."
I stared at the Wraithlord, who looked quite pleased with himself.
"Weren’t you planning to destroy the world? Why haven’t you done it—since you’ve remembered everything?"
The Wraithlord shook his head, a wicked look flashing across his face.
"Destroying everything directly would be boring. Besides, I haven’t mastered the contents of this book yet. There’s a formation in it—once I fully comprehend it, my three souls and seven spirits will merge."
"Just as I thought."
I gazed quietly at the Wraithlord. He tilted his head, pointing at the book on the table.
"Do you think you saw the contents of this book just because you believed in it?"
"You bastard."
I cursed, and the Wraithlord burst out laughing.
"It’s because I found you interesting that I let you see it. This book was written when I was not in my right mind. It records the essential core of all power in this world, and the ultimate effects when reaching the extreme. I developed it long ago while fighting the gods, but I’ve never reached the ultimate myself."
Right now, my heart was trembling, as if electricity was coursing through my body. I stared at the Wraithlord in shock.
"If I said I wanted to see it all, would you let me?"
I spoke each word slowly. The Wraithlord nodded.
"Of course I’ll let you see it. But do you really think you can comprehend it all? The details about instinctual power are on page 76. It explains everything that can be achieved at the extreme. After all, only seven people in this world have reached the ultimate—the extreme of instinct."
I stared in shock. The Wraithlord laughed and then spoke.
"You should know who those seven are."