The Wraithlord's words left me utterly shocked, but also filled with doubt.
"Essence? What do you mean?"
Earth Soul of the Wraithlord, do you know why I possess intelligence—why I can distinguish a tree from a flower, an insect from a beast?
My confusion deepened as I followed the Wraithlord to the edge of the forest.
"How do you know the difference between the tree behind you and the barren wilderness ahead?"
"Of course, it's when I possess intelligence."
The Wraithlord crouched down, pressing a hand to the boundary between forest and wasteland. Suddenly, with a thought, the forest and wasteland on either side swapped places in an instant—I hadn't even had time to react.
"Strange, isn't it?"
So this world truly was created by you.
I could only mutter a few words, but the Wraithlord laughed and shook his head.
"Indeed, this world of desire was once manifested from my intense and overwhelming longing, but it is nothing more than an empty shell. When my yearning for a mother's love reached its peak, this forest of desire came into being. Yet the birth of this world consumed all my desires. Without human longing to replenish it, this place would have vanished long ago."
At that moment, the Wraithlord stopped, his cold gaze fixed on the distant space. I watched in surprise as the space ahead slowly opened like a mouth. The Wraithlord's expression darkened, and Desire Ghost clutched her head in agony, as if it were about to explode. I hurriedly crouched down to support her.
"Have you already made up your mind?!"
I didn't know who the Wraithlord was speaking to, but Desire Ghost looked to be in severe pain. Gradually, the distant space closed up again, and Desire Ghost's eyes widened as she relaxed and smiled faintly.
"What's going on?"
I looked at the Wraithlord in confusion; he seemed extremely annoyed, then gave a bitter smile.
"Tan Tian has already made his choice. He chose Roxie Lane."
"What happened? How did Roxie Lane get involved in this?"
The Wraithlord shook his head.
"The only one in this world capable of restraining the power of hell is Roxie Lane. Now it seems Tan Tian intends to use her to eliminate me."
The Wraithlord looked irritated, his eyes wide with anger. Suddenly, I felt a crushing pressure—before I could react, the shifted forest before me turned to dust, and the ground split open into a vast, bottomless pit. I swallowed hard; in just an instant, the power the Wraithlord unleashed was staggering.
"I'm getting a bit angry, Earth Soul of the Wraithlord. If that's the case, I'll find a way to break Roxie Lane's power."
I was about to speak, but the Wraithlord suddenly burst into laughter.
"What's wrong now?"
"Forget it. What you need to understand now is the essence of power. Tan Tian seems to be doing something similar—he wants Roxie Lane to grasp the essence of power. In the future, she might become my greatest enemy."
I looked at the Wraithlord in confusion. In my memory, Roxie Lane's power was nothing special, aside from her innate rebirth, the power of the Yellow Springs she possessed as one of its people, and the Four Saints power born of faith. These abilities were strong for a human, but compared to more powerful ghosts or other beings, they seemed insignificant.
"I'll tell you more later, Earth Soul of the Wraithlord. Now, back to the earlier question. The reason I can know all things is because Nuwa granted me an essence. Everything in the world has an essence, and the one Nuwa gave me allows all things to know me, and I, in turn, can know all things. By my essence, I connect to the essence of all things. Simply put, it's like a mirror—I reflect the true nature of everything, and everything reflects my image as well."
"Coexistence?"
Something occurred to me. The Wraithlord smiled and shook his head.
"Not coexistence, but mutual awareness. Coexistence is a different concept—I'll explain it to you in time. Currently, Roxie Lane is the holder of coexistence, which is why Hell has never succeeded. Zhang Qingyuan can't reclaim coexistence, which benefits me but is a major setback for Hell. Zhang Qingyuan was outmaneuvered by Yin Choujian."