My body is failing. I know very well that my consciousness is about to vanish. As I prepare to open the Gods' Departure Path before me, both Infernal Hell and the Wraithlord attack me simultaneously, attempting to corrupt me.
My vision blurs, and my mind grows hazy. I struggle to keep myself conscious, but I know I can't hold on much longer.
Behind me, violent pounding echoes relentlessly. The Hell Imprint has appeared, clinging to the barrier outside the Gods' Departure Path. The woman who arrived with the Heavenly Soul is using her power to strike at the Hell Imprint, trying to break it. Her power is unlike anything I've ever seen.
"Zhang Qingyuan, find a way to suppress those two!"
The Heavenly Soul blocking my way is especially anxious. I lift my head in a daze, forcing a faint, twisted smile.
"Take her and leave this place, Heavenly Soul. The Wraithlord and Infernal Hell set up layers of seals to block the Gods' Departure Path long ago. I didn't realize it at first, but when I tried to break through this barrier, I felt their power woven into it."
I clutch my chest in agony, nearly unable to withstand the pressure. My consciousness feels like it's about to shatter. My body moves on its own, and suddenly, my fist swings at the Heavenly Soul before I even realize it.
With a thunderous crash and bursts of white energy, the Heavenly Soul catches my attack but is sent flying backward.
Cracks begin to form across the Heavenly Soul's body. Black flames engulf me, and I gasp for breath, my consciousness wracked with pain and on the verge of collapse. Still, I grit my teeth and endure.
"It's no use, Heavenly Soul. Take the woman behind you and get out of here."
As I spoke, pain tore through me and I roared in agony, slamming my fist into my chest. For a moment, my consciousness held together. The Heavenly Soul flew toward the woman behind him, while I crouched on the ground, silently watching the two before me.
Long ago, the Gods' Departure Path was completely sealed off to prevent the destruction of this world. Many things in this world exist only because of the gods' power, and that power slowly flows into the Path.
Though the gods took precautions when they left, the things born from their power kept multiplying. Now, that power threatens to break through the barrier. That's why, ages ago, the Wraithlord came here and tampered with it.
The Dark Banquet did the same, and later the Emperor God and his followers came, along with Infernal Hell. Thinking back, I once lost a piece of memory here in this void—Future Zhang Qingyuan was present too. With the Wraithlord and Infernal Hell constantly pressing on my consciousness, I now remember: it was Infernal Will that tampered with this barrier.
If I break the barrier, the things created by the gods' power will follow the Gods' Departure Path, bringing disaster to this world again. So, this barrier cannot be broken.
The woman still attacking the Hell Imprint possesses unique power, but it's impossible to break through the layered barriers. She radiates the same power as the original barrier the gods constructed.
The Heavenly Soul reached the woman's side, trying to take her away, but she kept attacking the barrier. The Hell Imprint has fully spread, and most of my consciousness has been devoured; even my memories are starting to blur.
My body moves uncontrollably again. In an instant, I charge at the Heavenly Soul and the woman. The Heavenly Soul blocks my way once more.
With a deafening crash, the Heavenly Soul slams into the Hell Imprint. My eyes widen—I already have my hand around the woman's throat.
"Yolanda, I've told you before—even gods are powerless before me. You cannot escape my grasp."
I press a hand to my head. On my left shoulder, the Wraithlord's head emerges. The Heavenly Soul's body is slowly being absorbed into the Hell Imprint—if this continues, he'll be devoured.
At that moment, the woman stops attacking and transforms into a streak of colored light, landing before the Heavenly Soul. She grabs his hand, trying to pull him out of the Hell Imprint. I watch everything unfold in silence.
"Sever his assimilation with Infernal Hell's power—hurry!"
I shouted through gritted teeth. The woman seemed to understand instantly and began channeling her power into the reddish Hell Imprint surrounding the Earth Soul. Once the assimilation was cut off, the Heavenly Soul recovered. I saw him look at the woman with emotion, as if something had dawned on him.
"Miss, I know you want to leave, but if you open this place, the world will face another crisis. Leave with the Heavenly Soul."
As I spoke, my left hand began to move restlessly again. The Wraithlord erupted in wild laughter.
"This time is different, Yolanda. I will find a way to unravel the secret of your emotions."
"Shut up!"
I roared, and in an instant, the flame surging in my left hand was withdrawn. I smiled faintly at the Heavenly Soul and Yolanda before me.
"Zhang Qingyuan, there's no point in struggling anymore. Soon, you'll have nothing left. Your obsession is gone. If you leave, this world will be dragged into the abyss again. But if you stay, without your obsession, you won't be able to overcome me or Infernal Will."
I let out a cold, bitter laugh—I've reached my limit. Everything from my past is vanishing from my mind so quickly, I can't even remember what Rachel Lan looks like anymore. I clutch my chest with one hand.
"Hurry and get out of here. I'll find a way, even if I'm devoured. I'll make sure they can't return for a while."
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As I spoke, Yolanda forcefully pulled the Heavenly Soul out of the Hell Imprint. In an instant, the two of them swept past me. The Heavenly Soul nodded to me, and I smiled, closing my eyes.
"It's a shame I couldn't catch Yolanda, but once we return, it'll be fine. Infernal Hell, I suppose this time we've managed to cooperate peacefully, haven't we?"
On my right shoulder, Infernal Hell slowly emerged as a head. He nodded, and my body felt petrified, completely numb. My body was no longer my own, as if it were drifting away from me.
I glanced back at everything behind me—a streak of colored light faded into the darkness as my body slowly turned away.
"So, what's the plan?"
The Wraithlord asked, and Infernal Hell laughed.
"Let's clean out everything in that darkness first. There should be a way to construct your new body there—after all, this body belongs to me."
The Wraithlord nodded, but in the next instant, both Infernal Hell and the Wraithlord turned to look at me.
"I won't let any of you leave this place—not a single step."
By now, I'd fallen into unconsciousness. In my haze, I saw a humanoid figure with golden eyes—the instinctual world of the Wraithlord.
"As you wish!"
I smiled faintly, and suddenly everything around me began to change. Strange stones, like islands, pressed in toward me, rumbling and crashing together with flashes of lightning and thunder.
"At a time like this?"
The Wraithlord spat out bitterly, but I started to laugh.
"You've spent your existence enslaving the world, never once speaking to it. The world never recognized you, and you were never accepted. Now, the world is my instinct, not yours."
Black scabs began to form all over my body as the power flooding in from the Shattered Unreal Realm covered me, turning this body into part of the Unreal. That way, they can't escape. That darkness, except for the Unreal Covenant, is completely isolated from the Shattered Unreal Realm.
Without the key, they can't open the Unreal Covenant. Black flames slowly ignited across my body as the colliding giant islands around me began to take shape.
"What exactly are you trying to do?"
Infernal Hell looked at me in surprise as I lifted my head.
"Since you love seizing worlds so much, try taking this one. I'll use everything I have to create a world you'll never escape from."
Perhaps this is the last thing I can do. The two forces inside me keep erupting, trying to break through the pressure and the Unreal power flooding my body. But it's useless—the world is frantically absorbing these ancient powers, and it's impossible for them to break free now. The world will become part of these piled stones.
These stones have a power similar to instinct, though not as pure. I smiled faintly—my entire body had turned into black stone.
Countless stones collided like stars, flashing with bursts of light. The flames on my body gradually died out, wisps of black smoke rising.
"Don't worry—it won't take long if you want to devour me."
As I spoke, the last black flame on my body went out. I slowly closed my eyes.
If my obsession to take those two out of this world has vanished because the fate of the world is at stake, now I've ignited a new obsession—no one will leave this world, not even me.
Everything grew darker before my eyes. I remembered nothing, knew nothing.