"Sylvia..."
I shouted, but my voice was instantly drowned out by the violent explosion overhead. Brilliant white light was breaking apart the massive island above us—the Four Sacred Realm had completely vanished.
The blasts continued. I kept shouting, but Sylvia was nowhere to be seen. Shards of stone rained down, glowing silver like a dazzling meteor shower. Yet, as soon as the stones touched the black water below, they were dissolved by curse power.
"What are you trying to do?"
I stood up—I had to save Sylvia. Four hands grabbed me at once.
"If you go down there, it's pointless. That girl probably won't..."
"She won't be alright, will she?"
Xiao Ai hadn't finished speaking before I shouted again—I had to go down, even if I couldn't stay in the Four Sacred Realm any longer.
"If you go down, what about Roxie?"
I turned and glanced at Rachel Lan, lying quietly in Xiao Run's arms. The curse lake below had already swallowed the Four Sacred Realm—and Sylvia too. If she hadn't been taken, it would have been us instead.
"I'll come back—no matter what. Please, protect Roxie for me."
With a snap, I took the purple pendant off my arm and handed it to Xiao Ai. She stared at me in shock.
"Is that woman really so important to you? Down there is enough curse power to destroy the Four Sacred Realm. What can you do? You can't do anything, can you?"
Xiao Ai was emotional, yelling at me. I shook my head, looked up, and took a deep breath.
"She needs me, and I have to go."
I didn't know why I said that, but I was certain—I had to find her.
"Go, Qingyuan. I'll find a way to get everyone to safety."
Spirit Snake called out. I took a deep breath, looked again at the Four Sacred Spirits and Rachel Lan, then closed my eyes, turned, and leapt off Spirit Snake's back.
I was falling toward the curse lake. I had to endure, resist the curse power. I’d lost count how many times it had happened—maybe this would be even harder than the time at the Lake of Desire. But it didn’t matter anymore. All I could rely on was the power of the Curse Ghost inside me. I just needed to unleash that power for a moment when I found Sylvia, awaken the Curse Ghost, and get her out.
With a splash, I hit the water and sank instantly into the black current. A wave of biting cold and savage gnawing swept over me—I couldn’t move, couldn’t even scream. The curse power invaded my body, taking over my mind.
Where? Where is she? I kept searching, feeling for something different in the curse lake—that feeling was Sylvia’s presence.
Suddenly, I opened my mouth, forcing my eyes open to look down. A flash of silver—Sylvia had already sunk to the bottom of the lake.
"Instinct... coexistence..."
With a rush, my limbs moved. Enduring the unbearable pain, I swam bit by bit toward that silver light at the lake’s bottom. The curse power tore at my body—but I’d felt this soul-rending agony many times before.
Just a little further—wait for me, Sylvia.
My vision started to blur, my consciousness fading. Not yet—there’s still a distance. I have to reach Sylvia before unleashing my power. Just for a moment, I could erase myself from this world.
I stopped. Pain robbed my limbs of feeling, and my brain couldn’t send signals to them. I stretched out my claws—just a little more, but the distance felt like a thousand miles. Every inch was a struggle.
The last of my strength resisting the curse power was fading. I had to hurry. In an instant, I unleashed all my remaining power—feeling returned to my limbs, and I clawed my way toward Sylvia bit by bit.
Getting closer—but something was wrong. Suddenly, I opened my eyes wide. Around Sylvia, a deeper curse power was swirling rapidly. I couldn’t even swim—I was instantly pulled in.
I stretched out both claws and saw Sylvia, curled up tightly, still resisting the overwhelming curse power.
With a gulp, I couldn’t hold on any longer. The raging curse power flooded into me in an instant. I reached Sylvia, stretching out both claws, trying to hold her. A flash of deep blue—Sylvia opened her eyes slightly and looked at me, her gaze full of pleading, a melting tenderness that poured into me.
Sylvia moved her lips, as if saying something, but I couldn’t hear. My claws touched her hand—I tried with all my strength to hold her.
But in an instant, I was pulled downward. I stared—Sylvia’s eyes were full of sorrow, as if she’d been in darkness too long to see the light. Her pain was written on her face. I reached out, shouting.
"Sylvia..."
I sank deeper and deeper. My body couldn’t move, my consciousness was completely overtaken. I was entirely consumed by curse power. I’d failed—my awareness began to fade, the silver light growing ever more distant. I didn’t know where I was going, or what would happen next.
"How can anyone be so stupid, jumping into pure curse power like this? It’s a death wish—and there are two idiots! Haha, people really are funny."
A playful voice rang in my head as my consciousness blurred. I felt like something was holding me up—the sinking stopped.
"We’ve met before, Ethan Zhang—just in the world of Fear."
A dazzling fiery red light and that mischievous voice washed over me. It was the Wraithlord. I opened my eyes wide—my body had returned to normal. I looked around in disbelief. On the black ground, flames burned in small clusters, swaying like flowers.
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I shook my head. Not far away, on a charred boulder, sat a figure I’d seen before—his features looked sculpted like a clay doll, with a scruffy beard and messy hair, dressed in rags, his whole body stiff, like a child’s crude handiwork.
"Are you the Wraithlord?"
I asked. The figure nodded. I saw a flash of purple light beside the Wraithlord as he beckoned to me.
"Thank you—for what you did last time."
The Wraithlord waved his hand and said.
"No need to mention it. All seven souls are the same person—our minds are connected, but split into seven parts, or rather, our feelings are divided into seven. And this is the world of Rage."
I looked around, then at my own body—it had indeed returned to its original form.
"Did you do something?"
The Wraithlord smiled and nodded.
"I didn’t expect anyone could change the quality of a soul and thus alter the exterior of a soul-bearing being. For me, such a small matter is nothing. But what is it you’re after, entering this enormous curse vortex?"
A wave of emotion welled up inside me. I felt my feelings returning, a rush of mixed emotions gathering in my heart. I pressed my hand to my chest—the Wraithlord smiled.
"It’s wonderful, isn’t it? For humans to have feelings—complete feelings. Compared to animals or plants, it’s an incredible gift. My mother, Nüwa, gave this perfect gift when she created humans. But for people, it’s not always so perfect."
I thanked him again, preparing to answer the Wraithlord’s question.
"It’s because people have feelings that they keep evolving. Countless people throughout history have done seemingly impossible things because of their emotions—miracles, you could say. You’re the same, aren’t you? Doing what can’t be done, without fear?"
I shook my head, then sat down with a sigh.
"I’m terrified... always afraid—afraid I won’t save Roxie, afraid of losing those around me, afraid of death. But if I don’t act, Roxie will never come back, and those I care about will leave, and I’ll die too."
The Wraithlord nodded thoughtfully.
"Humans really are fascinating. Your reckless act just now was basically suicide. You couldn’t save the girl underwater and nearly lost yourself too. That’s this world’s curse. So you wonder why powers meant for ghosts can’t expel this curse, right?"
I stared at the Wraithlord. It was true—this had been nagging at my subconscious.
"Because curse power was never meant for ghosts. It’s been misunderstood over history, mixed with ghost power until it became a necessary weapon for ghosts. You’re lucky! Yesterday, I sensed you, wondering who could make me feel so clearly. When I saw you, memories from another part of me came through, so I helped you out for a bit. But nothing’s changed—I can’t help you escape this immense curse power now."
I nodded. The Wraithlord looked pleased, but memories of his desire to wipe out all humans created by Nüwa surfaced in my mind.
"What are you really after?"
"The same as you—what I believe in, unwavering."