I sat quietly in the darkness. The World—Wraithlord’s primordial instinct—stared at me, unmoving. The Ghost Souls still hadn’t found the Wraithlord, and more than an hour had passed. I had only four hours left to wait.
I had to seize this last chance. If I failed, everything would truly be over. Even if I couldn’t destroy the Wraithlord, I could at least force his instinct to relinquish control over the Yin-Yang Realm and let Rachel Lan reach the terminus of the past unhindered.
I stared at The World. For the first time, I saw a power aggregate without consciousness—cold as stone. The coexistence was no longer within my body; I couldn’t harmonize human and ghost powers. Now, the only way to deal with the Wraithlord was to devour, so I had to abandon my human strength.
"Is there really no consciousness?"
I muttered, once again closing the distance between myself and The World. Now, we were less than three meters apart. I tried to steady my emotions, suppressing any hostility, inching closer. But the moment I took a step, The World moved—striking out with a punch instantly.
I dodged, but my body was still gravely injured. After reconstituting myself, I stopped three meters away from The World. I’d tried countless methods, but still couldn’t communicate with it.
Maybe The World’s self-awareness had already been eliminated by the Wraithlord through some means, so his instinct acted like an extension of his own limbs—completely devoid of consciousness.
"No, that’s not right!"
I said, trying again. If I could just communicate with this instinct, maybe there was still a way. Instinct is like another self in the mirror, with a different mind. The relationship between oneself and instinct is acceptance, not domination, because instinct fiercely resists enslavement—a truth I know deeply.
But the Wraithlord’s instinct truly had no consciousness. I tried approaching it again, but the result was the same—once I crossed the three-meter threshold, The World would strike.
After reconstituting myself, I moved to stand before The World.
"Is this truly your wish?"
I asked, but The World remained completely unresponsive.
"Is the Wraithlord’s wish really your own?"
I asked again, and this time I noticed a faint change in the power on The World's surface—subtle, but present. I kept asking.
"If the Wraithlord goes against your will, and you can’t speak out, forced only to obey him... Or maybe you’re not even the Wraithlord’s instinct at all!"
I raised my voice. Sure enough, the power on The World's surface fluctuated—a clear disturbance I could feel. Just then, a stream of prismatic energy drifted past behind me, and I saw a petite, feminine figure.
"We’ve found the Wraithlord, Qingyuan. We’ve already started the attack. Whenever you’re ready, we’ll do everything we can to restrain him for you."
I acknowledged with a sound, then glanced at The World again.
"Is this truly your will?"
This time, the power on The World’s surface didn’t fluctuate at all. I kept thinking, but now there was only one chance left. Waiting any longer was pointless. I raised my hand, already linked to the Hell Imprint. All it would take was a thought, and the Hell Imprint would instantly stop expanding and contract to surround me. What I needed was that split-second opportunity to devour the Wraithlord.
I raised my hand, ghost energy already gathering wildly. I looked at Desire Ghost—she gripped my hand with her small fingers, and I pressed my palm to her head.
"Thank you all. No matter what happens, please help me thank everyone."
Desire Ghost acknowledged with a sound, her golden-red eyes gazing at me, helpless and a little sad. I smiled faintly and shook my head.
"We can begin."
In an instant, beams of red light swept out in all directions, linking the red sections of the labyrinth.
"Release!"
The moment I uttered the word, I lunged at The World. Instantly, I sensed the Wraithlord’s aura—not far from me in a maze passage, battling the Ghost Souls. The Wraithlord seemed exhausted, his body barely able to withstand the strain of his power.
Black winds swirled in the air, crystalline black ice shards mixed within. The Wraithlord kept scattering the attacking Ghost Souls. This time, I withstood The World’s assault—cracks appeared on my body, but the Hell Imprint instantly repaired me. I charged again, wielding a weapon forged from condensed ghost energy, attacking The World.
"I’m sorry, Qingyuan, but I have to leave."
With a whoosh, I was frozen in midair, unable to move. Time seemed to stop—even the Ghost Souls attacking the Wraithlord were immobilized. The World had returned to the Wraithlord’s body, and he was running through the labyrinth. My eyes widened as he neared the edge.
With a crackling sound, red chains suddenly rose up, instantly binding the Ghost Souls. They surged forward, blocking the Wraithlord’s path at the labyrinth’s edge.
With booming crashes, Spirit Snake and Zhu Tang grew gigantic, closing in from both sides. The Wraithlord deflected their attacks, and the ground turned to sludge, billowing with black mist.
Streams of prismatic energy swept around the Wraithlord’s body. I could move again—instantly, I plunged into the labyrinth, quickly reaching the Wraithlord from behind. I opened my mouth and lunged at him.
"If you are part of The World, then submit to it!"
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The Wraithlord’s voice boomed like a bell. Instantly, the Hell Imprint began to tremble violently. All Ghost Souls except Zhu Tang and Spirit Snake seemed to lose consciousness. Red chains snapped, and the Wraithlord glanced back at me. It felt like I’d hit a solid wall—I couldn’t break through. The Wraithlord raised his hands, and Zhu Tang and Spirit Snake grabbed him, struggling desperately.
"A good plan, Qingyuan, but no matter what you try, you’ll never break through."
The Wraithlord burst forward. Suddenly, I could move again, chasing after him and lunging with my mouth wide. Everything outside remained unchanged, but a fist smashed into my cheek, and a wave of weakness swept through my body.
My form instantly regenerated under the Hell Imprint’s power. I lunged again, biting down as the massive block behind me was absorbed into my body.
My fist struck the Wraithlord weakly, and the moment I touched him, the hellish power I’d unleashed vanished. I was knocked back again, but quickly regained my stance, roaring as I lunged at him. Zhu Tang and Spirit Snake had already fallen into the pitch-black pit below, their bodies disintegrating into fragments, and the other Ghost Souls were fading away in the breeze as well.
With a thunderous crash, my body shattered into dust. The Wraithlord watched me silently, clenching his fist. As my body regenerated, the Wraithlord suddenly seemed to lose consciousness, and his form began to swell. My eyes widened as he sped toward the apartment building.
Blackness instantly consumed everything before me—ghost energy surged like a tidal wave. I stood at the apartment building as beams of red light flared, dissolving the torrent of ghost energy. When calm returned, the Wraithlord, who had self-destructed, reappeared before me, now inhabiting a new ghost body. This one was stronger than before, but I noticed that the spot I’d bitten instantly turned to ash. The Wraithlord raised his left hand—two fingers crumbled to dust as he glared at me coldly.
"We failed, Rachel!"
I said heavily. Rachel Lan and the Earthly Soul came to my side. I stood at the apartment entrance, clenching my fists. Now, not only had I failed to find a way for Rachel Lan to leave this world, but I would soon vanish from it myself. The supernatural beasts, having spent their strength, were sent back.
"This is the end, Qingyuan. Though what you devoured can’t recover quickly, given time, I’ll reclaim it from Hell."
The Wraithlord drifted slowly toward us, coming to a stop in front of us.
"I’ll just wait for you to leave this world, then deal with those two behind you."
My eyes widened, wanting to rush forward. Even though the power within me could still grow, I couldn’t act at all—no matter what I did, it was meaningless against the Wraithlord.
A gentle hand pressed against my back from behind. I glanced at Rachel Lan—her face still wore a smile.
"It’s all right, Qingyuan."
I didn’t know what to say to Rachel Lan, but her expression suddenly grew serious.
"Over there, Qingyuan."
Rachel Lan pointed to the right. I looked east, where a beam of intense light pierced the dark sky. I felt a powerful force approaching—spellcraft, and it was from the Hades Circle.