"I don't know what you're talking about."
I answered, and right now this is the only thing I can say to counter the Wraithlord.
"What are you running from again, Rachel Lan? If you keep avoiding things, you'll never accomplish anything, never gain anything. You’ve seen both the past and future incarnations of Ethan Justice—do you know why they were able to defeat me?"
I swallowed, watching as the Wraithlord began to pace slowly back and forth in front of me.
"I know everything that happened to Ethan Justice in the illusion. Right now, he’s mastered powers that no human or ghost could possibly control—human and ghost powers, Buddhist and Daoist powers, and even the power of karma. And he did it without his Coexistence Instinct. Do you know why?"
I swallowed again, staring at the Wraithlord in shock.
"Tell me, what exactly happened in the illusion?"
"My mother, Nuwa, told Ethan Justice to search for three things in the illusion. But it doesn’t matter—the truth is, those three things are impossible to find. And then there’s the rumor spreading in the illusion: if you find the master of the illusion, you can return to the living world. My mother said she would use the Heaven-Mending Stone—the same stone that killed me—to forge a weapon for Ethan Justice. But I can tell you for certain: the Heaven-Mending Stone cannot be made into a weapon."
I stared at the Wraithlord in utter shock as he burst into manic laughter.
Suddenly, the Wraithlord reached out his hand toward me. In an instant, I saw Rachel's Instinct ripped from my body as the Wraithlord laughed wildly.
"Instincts always have a tangible form. Whether it's Coexistence, Finality, or Origin, the purpose behind these three instincts is self-evident. The Heaven-Mending Stone is called that because it's the material that repairs the connection between the Yin-Yang world and The Unreal. That's why it can't be used as a weapon. Because of the Heaven-Mending Stone, the gods' powers began to flow into the Shattered Unreal Realm. Are you wondering why I don't have an instinct?"
I swallowed hard. The Ghost Ancestor held Coexistence in his hand, silent and unmoving. It struck me as strange—there was no trace of Coexistence's power at all.
"The end point of time where you've seen Ethan Justice in the past and future—there's no flow of time, no boundaries of space, because the Yin-Yang world has already collapsed. So what have you really witnessed? Why did those two keep helping you, even sending Ethan Justice into The Unreal, a world woven from countless lies? Ethan Justice is probably still searching for the truth, for the master of The Unreal, just as Nuwa commanded. But he finds nothing. The rumor that Felix Fan returned from The Unreal—who made that up?"
A streak of fiery red aura was pulled from my body by the Ghost Ancestor's hand. He spoke, voice burning with anger.
"The Bloodbane Power has evolved. Coexistence hasn't faded because your own strength is weakening—it's been silenced by the Bloodbane Power John Chou placed in you. That power has always suppressed Coexistence, trying to return to its original host."
"The only difference between me and you is this: I was created by my mother alone, while humans are born of both parents. That's why we have past and future—we can live in the past or step into the future. But Ethan Justice had no parents. Was his birth really a miracle of nature itself?"
"I, too, have a future—whether as a person or a ghost. So I must create a new world. Even if I don't destroy this Yin-Yang world myself, it will collapse on its own. The answer is obvious, Rachel Lan. Why won't you admit what you already know?"
I sat back down on the grass, my mind swirling with confusion and regret. I had no idea what to do next.
"The answer has always been in your heart—you just refuse to admit it. The immense power Ethan Justice gained before he died—do you really think a mere mortal could wield it? That power, even Yan Luo, the Ghost Sovereign, or my three children would need time to bear it. But Ethan Justice took it on instantly, and used it. In the end, what killed him wasn't that overwhelming power—it was his own self. The self that was still human. So, Rachel Lan, make your choice. Will you go into The Unreal and kill Ethan Justice, or wait for him to return to the living world and destroy everything?"
My ears buzzed, my head growing hotter and hotter.
"Let me tell you more. Where does the power of the Heaven Soul come from? It can suppress my Human Soul—it's unimaginably strong. I believe I'm not the only one who warned you to stop seeing Ethan Justice, and there are more than a few who want him gone for good. Not just those lunatics in the Immortality Society."
I pressed my aching forehead as the Ghost Ancestor kept talking, weaving past and future together.
"The end point of time where you've seen Ethan Justice in the past and future—there's no flow of time, no boundaries of space, because the Yin-Yang world has already collapsed. So what have you really witnessed? Why did those two keep helping you, even sending Ethan into The Unreal, a world woven from countless lies? Ethan is probably still searching for the truth, for the master of The Unreal, just as Nuwa commanded. But he finds nothing. The rumor that Fan Xiaoran returned from The Unreal—who made that up?"
"I don't know what you're talking about!"
I repeated myself, unable to find any reason to argue with the Ghost Ancestor anymore.
"The only difference between me and you is this: I was created by my mother alone, while humans are born of both parents. That's why we have past and future—we can live in the past or step into the future. But Ethan Justice had no parents. Was his birth really a miracle of nature itself?"
"Enough! Stop your endless rambling!"
I couldn't hold back any longer. I shouted in anger. The Ghost Ancestor just smiled, unbothered.
"The answer has always been in your heart—you just refuse to admit it. The immense power Ethan Justice gained before he died—do you really think a mere mortal could wield it? That power, even Yan Luo, the Ghost Sovereign, or my three children would need time to bear it. But Ethan took it on instantly, and used it. In the end, what killed him wasn't that overwhelming power—it was his own self. The self that was still human. So, Rachel Lan, make your choice. Will you go into The Unreal and kill Ethan Justice, or wait for him to return to the living world and destroy everything?"
I stared in shock, eyes wide, my whole body trembling with emotion and rage.
"I've tried to probe Ethan Justice's heart—not just me, Xu Fu did, and John Chou as well. But none of us could reach the depths or breadth of his soul. I sensed danger and started planning ahead. There's no time left for you to hesitate. Only the power in your hands can end someone who has neither past nor future, who never truly existed. The Founding Emperors have already given you the method. You've always refused to use it, always hidden it. And the thing they gave Ethan Justice—you remember, don't you? There isn't just one key. The other is with you."
As he spoke, my eyes widened. I was about to shout, but the Ghost Ancestor raised his hand. A black key, shimmering with light, appeared at my chest. Its surface was edged in faint, visible white mist.
"Since you have the key, I'll say no more. Rachel Lan, you've been ready for this moment all along—just a little sooner than expected. If you act now, Ethan Justice will understand, he'll accept it. He'll do as you wish. But if you miss this chance, you may never get another."
I smiled faintly and shook my head, pressing my hand to the key at my chest. It sank into my body.
"I still believe in Ethan Justice."
The Ghost Ancestor shook his head.
"The Ethan Justice you believe in—the one who could trust, who had infinite possibilities—is gone. He knows it, too. In his final moment, what I saw was a pure, flawless beach and an endless sea. His story ended there, frozen in that instant. What Ethan Justice could do in the past and future—that was probably the last time. This world, conjured by a spell that shouldn't exist, feels familiar because its owner is Ethan Justice."
I stared, my body trembling. The Ghost Ancestor came over and placed a hand on mine.
"If you can't bear all this, Rachel Lan, I promise you—when it's over, I'll let you live forever in the memories of the past. In that darkness where you and Ethan Justice once lived ordinary days together. I swear it."
"Enough!"
I tore my hand away from the Ghost Ancestor, head drooping, my emotions sinking to rock bottom. I had no idea what to do.
"Your past was real. As long as you remember, you can go back. You can live forever in those memories—just you and him, in the sweetness that belonged only to you two."
I kept my head down, unable to move forward or turn back. I knew, even if I did nothing, one day Ethan Justice would stand before me, expressionless, passing by and destroying everything.
"Looks like you're finally starting to accept yourself, Rachel Lan. The reason you're attached to this place, the reason you came here, isn't for anything else—it's because some part of it belonged to Ethan Justice. One day, the worst future will come, and I won't even need to act. Right now, Ethan Justice is living in The Unreal, a world spun from lies, but those fragile illusions won't last much longer."
The Ghost Ancestor looked at me again.
"I'll ask you one more time—what is your choice, Rachel Lan?"