"Am I really just useless? I can't do anything!"
I quietly stared at the towering white Divine Tree before me. It was left behind by the Heavenly Soul to seal the Wraithlord's power. I panted as I looked at the tree; no matter how I struck its surface, I couldn't even leave a single crack.
I've already lost track of how many days it's been. All I know is, I don't want to leave this place—because I know, even if I did, I wouldn't be able to do anything, wouldn't be able to change anything.
"Earth Soul, aren't you tired? You keep trying every day, but it's useless. You can't surpass this power."
Desire Ghost muttered in my ear. I glared at her in anger.
"Get lost."
"Why so fierce? I'm just reminding you out of kindness. And besides, all these days, have you thought about who stayed by your side? And who told you how to break this power?"
I was momentarily speechless, not knowing what to say. My expression softened, and I plopped down on the ground. Desire Ghost grew a bit angry, pouting and kicking me several times. I couldn't be bothered to respond.
The power Heavenly Soul used to seal the Wraithlord is the power of Divine Law. This power has a unique property: after the Human Soul of the Wraithlord was scattered by Heavenly Soul, it was directly infused into the Divine Law. And Divine Law is evenly distributed—every towering Divine Tree I see contains a fragment of the Wraithlord's Human Soul.
Because of the balance within Divine Law, what I need to do is break that equilibrium. And to do that, the only way is to inject my own power into the Divine Law, triggering its imbalance—only then can I hope to liberate the Wraithlord.
But my power can't penetrate the surface of these trees. The only power I have left is Deathbane Aura—it's all I can rely on. The power of Endbringer has left my body; I don't know what to do, and I'm deeply frustrated and anxious. All I want is to regain my strength and return to the Living World.
I desperately want to take part in this war, and war is the only way to test my strength. But now, let alone joining the war, I've already lost my power. The only person I can depend on now is the Wraithlord—he can grant me power. I don't care what happens next; I just want strength, the strength to influence this war.
I stood up again, clenching my fist as Deathbane Aura began to gather on it. In an instant, the black aura reached its peak—I punched the trunk, and a thunderous boom echoed as the Deathbane Aura wildly danced through the forest. I swallowed and stared at the unmoving trunk; the result was the same as before. No matter how I tried, I couldn't leave even a single mark on its surface.
Bang after bang, my fists frantically pounded the trunk, faster and faster. The chaotic Deathbane Aura surged across my body, but the result remained the same—once the aura struck the trunk, it was bounced away and scattered.
I started using the Deathbane Aura to form swords and blades. Clangs rang out as each Deathbane sword and blade struck the trunk, only to shatter one after another. I'd already tried forging swords with the highest-quality Deathbane Aura, but the result was always the same.
"It's useless. Why not just play a game with me, Earth Soul? Or I could send you back to the Living World."
"Shut up."
I shouted, and Desire Ghost stuck out her tongue at me, rolling her eyes and kicking me again. I ignored her, still pondering how I could possibly increase my strength. Right now, I don't even have a single ghost soul left. If the Wraith Messenger were here, maybe I'd have a way, but as things stand, I'm at a complete loss.
I clenched my fist in anger and punched the trunk again, but the result was unchanged. I didn't understand why—clearly, I could sense that if I just broke through the trunk's surface and kept injecting power, then with the vast Deathbane Aura in my body, I could disrupt the balance of Divine Law.
With tangible Deathbane Aura, it's possible to affect the balance of Divine Law. Desire Ghost sighed helplessly, walked over, and patted me on the shoulder.
"Earth Soul, the war has already begun."
"What did you say?"
I stared wide-eyed at Desire Ghost in disbelief.
"Old Hell has already launched its attack."
Seeing my skeptical expression, Desire Ghost pursed her lips and kicked me again.
"Believe it or not, Earth Soul—the war has started. If you keep dragging your feet here, the war might end before you even know it. I think you should hurry back."
A wave of sorrow welled up from deep inside me. I looked at my hands, feeling my strength fading again. All I could do was rest, wait for my power to recover, and then continue striking the trunks.
I've thought about it before—the primal instinct of Endbringer, which never truly belonged to me, gave me an exhilarating sense of trust, because I did gain immense power from it. But then doubts crept in. As my endurance and restraint grew, Endbringer granted me even more power. Yet what I couldn't understand was that Endbringer never acknowledged me—I could never truly communicate with it.
At first, I thought this was just Endbringer testing me, like the trial Heavenly Soul once gave Ethan Zhang before coexistence. But now I realize this instinct never belonged to me.
Gritting my teeth, I kicked the trunk—and suddenly, it cracked. I stared in astonishment, and even Desire Ghost blinked in surprise.
"Wow, that's impossible, Earth Soul, how..."
Even Desire Ghost was at a loss for words, but I saw the Divine Trees begin to crack, one by one, then dissolve into white motes of light and vanish. I swallowed, sensing a strange aura—it was clear that my kick hadn't caused the Divine Trees to collapse, but rather, they were self-destructing and disappearing on their own.
Gradually, the towering trees that once blanketed the Forest of Desire began to vanish. I felt the power of Heavenly Soul slowly leaving this world.
Desire Ghost grabbed my arm in disbelief.
"You really are lucky, Earth Soul. Just one kick and it worked."
I shot Desire Ghost a sidelong glance.
"Shut up."
I'm getting more and more fed up with this girl-like Desire Ghost. She's so annoying—always dragging me into games, and only after a long time did she finally tell me how to break through. But what frustrates me even more is that everything I've done so far has turned out to be pointless.
At that moment, I noticed that among the dissolving trees, clusters of brighter motes of light were gathering toward me. Gradually, they coalesced into the form of the Wraithlord. I looked at the astonished Wraithlord in confusion—he seemed petrified. After a long while, the Wraithlord finally laughed, patting me on the shoulder.
"You really are lucky, Earth Soul."
"Cut it out."
I shoved Wraithlord's hand away and saw the Blank Desire Tome at his waist—I snatched it immediately.
"Still so impatient. You must've been through quite a shock. But now isn't the time to read—the time has come for me to tell you some things. About the three of you, and about Ethan Zhang and Hell."
I immediately opened the Blank Desire Tome and began flipping through it, but the Wraithlord raised a finger—and in an instant, the book vanished from my hands.
"What are you doing?"
I glared furiously at the Wraithlord. He placed both hands on my shoulders, forcing me to sit down. We were still in the Forest of Desire, surrounded by Desire Trees that had regrown. The Wraithlord pointed at a stone table nearby.
"Go over there and have a drink. I'll explain everything slowly. As for the war, it's just a bit of early skirmishing—you really don't need to rush to join in."
"So when do I go?"
I retorted, and the Wraithlord smiled and replied.
"When I'm resurrected, that's when the real war will begin. Just wait patiently for that moment."
"Hmph, your resurrection won't be that simple, will it?"
The Wraithlord sat down at the table, and some wine appeared on it. I walked over, grabbed a jug, and started drinking, feeling deeply agitated.
"First, I have to tell you, Earth Soul—both you and Heavenly Soul have been abandoned by Ethan Zhang."
"What do you mean?"
The Wraithlord began to speak slowly. I shot to my feet, eyes wide, but as he continued, I quieted down. I even felt like laughing, but deep down, a part of me was filled with sorrow.
"So you and Heavenly Soul are merely consciousnesses created by Infernal Hell. In the end, you couldn't become Hell itself, so you were cast aside. The Endbringer and the Origin have already been taken by that guy from Hell—or rather, by Ethan Zhang. That's why the power sealing me disappeared, and I was able to break free."
I burst out laughing, gulped down a bottle of wine, and wiped my mouth.
"Doesn't sound like much of a joke to me."
The Wraithlord simply took a silent sip of wine.
"If you think it's a joke, then treat it as one, Earth Soul. What I need to tell you now is that Ethan Zhang is the greatest threat, not me. I'm just a stumbling block in this world. This world is like a flowing stream, and I'm the rock trying to divert its course—to make it flow where I want it to go."
I swallowed, uncertain of what the Wraithlord was trying to say.
"You don't need to think about yourself, Heavenly Soul, or Ethan Zhang. It's pointless to dwell on these things now. All you need to know is how to walk your own path—and I'll help you do that."
I set down the wine jug, staring at the Wraithlord in surprise.
"You're really that generous?"
"Of course. My perspective has changed now. Destroying the world is meaningless—it only helps Hell. Instead, why not create a world I truly desire? Wouldn't that be better? And you can help me. What do you say, Earth Soul?"
I nodded.
"I need power!"