I quietly watched Mother Goddess Nuwa before me, anxiety gnawing at my heart. The Wraithlord must have already been resurrected by now. I had traveled briefly into the future and obtained the corpse jade from Tan Tian, and many days have passed since then.
"Still can't begin yet?"
I asked, and Mother Goddess Nuwa shook her head.
"Don't be anxious, Ethan Zhang."
I stared at the Heaven-Mending Stone in the furnace, now completely melted into a pool of multicolored muddy water. Mother Goddess Nuwa kept extracting black substance from it.
The Chimera Beasts were still holding a banquet on a nearby floating island. Over the past few days, I sparred with various Chimera Beasts, learning quickly from them. But now that the Wraithlord has been resurrected, I am worried about what is happening in the Living World.
The Will of this world had promised to let me return to the Living World for a short time in the form of a phantom body. All the time I possess would be instantly drawn away by the laws of the Yin-Yang world. I must defeat the Wraithlord in that brief window, but as Ethan Zhang, I would be erased completely from everyone's memory, forever.
I am deeply grateful for the method provided by the Will of the Illusory Realm. The Infernal Will within me could threaten the entire world at any moment, so my disappearance is the best solution. Even Rachel Lan would forget me, as would everyone else. That is for the best.
"Have you truly decided, Ethan Zhang?"
Mother Goddess Nuwa asked again. I saw, on the surface of the multicolored muddy water, the black wooden stick—drawn from the dead Basil Bertram—float up, still pitch-black, utterly unaffected by the flames.
"Once I return to Infernal Hell, my first priority will be to find a way to remove the Hell Imprint from you."
As I spoke, Mother Goddess Nuwa nodded.
My only edge over the Wraithlord lay with Mother Goddess Nuwa. When forging the ghost body, she had already made subtle adjustments, ensuring that the sword we were about to create could destroy the ghost body. If the Wraithlord's ghost body was destroyed, his ghost soul would be damaged, and his three souls and seven spirits would separate again. I would seize that fleeting moment to bring all seven spirits of the Wraithlord into the Illusory Realm for imprisonment, guarded by the Chimera Beasts. I had already told them my plan, and they agreed. The Wraithlord's three souls and seven spirits, empowered by Nuwa, are indestructible, so I cannot destroy him—only imprison him. This time, I will use the Illusory Realm to completely seal the Wraithlord.
Mother Goddess Nuwa kept extracting black matter from the mixture. Rachel Lan's tears and the corpse jade lay on a small table nearby.
"Why did Tan Tian make such a choice? He wouldn't have died even if he kept going."
I muttered. The moment Tan Tian handed me the corpse jade, I understood—he would die. He used his own power to give me the corpse jade from the future, and the present corpse jade, over time, would gradually disappear to complete the future one.
"Maybe it's the same as me."
Mother Goddess Nuwa spoke, her face unchanged. Like Tan Tian, she felt nothing at all.
"After all these years, I've had enough. I want to leave, to escape this world we created with our own hands."
I nodded, looking intently at Mother Goddess Nuwa. The same scene, the same emotionless heart. If it were me, not to mention tens of thousands of years—even a few years, I might not endure it. Without a heart, the only pursuit left is power, but no matter how strong, power cannot make you feel anything.
At that moment, I saw the multicolored muddy water in the furnace begin to shift, radiating vibrant light. I was astonished; Mother Goddess Nuwa nodded.
"We can begin forging the sword now."
I responded. With a wave of her hand, Mother Goddess Nuwa summoned a forging platform beside us. She reached out, grasping the black wood. The multicolored muddy water started to coat the wooden staff, which was about one and a half meters long. Despite being enveloped, it did not grow thicker—remaining only as wide as three fingers.
I watched in silence as the muddy water completely coated the staff, transforming it into an irregular stone. I swallowed hard as Mother Goddess Nuwa placed the sword onto the forging platform.
The Chimera Beasts gathered around, sensing something new. I could feel an immense power emanating from the multicolored, elongated object before me, as if it could shatter the heavens themselves.
Mother Goddess Nuwa raised her hand, summoning black hammers into the air. Under her control, they began striking the irregular object, each blow ringing out crisply, yet no fragments fell.
Mother Goddess Nuwa had not yet used the tears or corpse jade. I could only wait patiently. At that moment, Taowu approached.
"Do you want us all to go with you?"
I looked at the Chimera Beasts around me and nodded. Glancing upward, I recalled the Will of the Illusory Realm had said to simply fly up to meet him—he would come to see me.
The hammering grew more rapid, each black hammer striking with precision. Now I could see the shape emerging—the black substance was beginning to resemble a sword, though it was still cylindrical.
Mother Goddess Nuwa kept controlling the black hammers, striking rapidly. The surface of the strange cylindrical sword was nearly finished. Some hammers continued to pound as Nuwa took the corpse jade from the stone platform. Under her power, the hexagonal corpse jade began to change shape, swelling and forming a sharply defined hexagonal sword hilt, brownish-yellow and odd-looking. Then Nuwa took out the tears.
A sizzling sound rang out. As the tears fell, the sword blade and hilt fused into one. I stared at the cylindrical sword as spiral engravings appeared on its surface, winding all the way to the tip.
I hadn't expected it to happen so quickly. In no time, the sword took shape—a multicolored, cylindrical blade with spiraling patterns twisting leftward. It looked more like a spike than a sword. Nuwa handed it to me, and as I gripped it, I felt its heavy weight. But after a few swings, it seemed to cooperate with me, gradually growing lighter. The sensation was uncanny—the sword radiated a primordial, world-splitting sharpness, as if a single swing could cleave through anything.
"Now comes the final step—infuse it with your power and awaken it."
I nodded, focusing on the fierce aura emanating from the sword. A white glow appeared on my skin—the power of humanity—flowing into the sword, which greedily absorbed it. Soon, I saw white threads, like drawn silk, weaving through the crystalline brown hilt.
Next, I channeled the powers of Buddha and Dao in sequence. The hilt filled with a tangled web of white, black, and gray threads, like spider silk.
"Now it's up to you—whether you can fully awaken it. It is a living thing, and it must accept you as you accept it."
I nodded, gazing at the sword in my hand before slinging it onto my back. I couldn't wait any longer—I had to reach the Living World as soon as possible. If the Wraithlord appeared, Tan Tian should be able to hold him off, but I needed to act quickly to prevent the disaster I had foreseen. Tan Tian's strength was nearly exhausted; he would lose to the Wraithlord.
"Don't rush, Ethan Zhang."
Mother Goddess Nuwa stopped me as I prepared to fly upward.
"How much time in the Yin-Yang world can you exchange with all the time you have?"
"About a day or so."
I replied, and Mother Goddess Nuwa nodded.
"That’s enough. So there’s no need to rush down yet. He is indeed powerful, but he can’t defeat that zombie in such a short time."
"Qingyuan, it’s fine. We’ll go with you. After you were taken away, we studied that guy’s strength. He’s strong, but we’re stronger."
I glanced at the nearby Chimera Beasts, now completely shrunken, and smiled. They truly were powerful, these beasts born from human imagination.
"Anxiety won’t help, Ethan Zhang. Remember, if you can’t defeat the Wraithlord, you know what you must do!"
I nodded. Mother Goddess Nuwa had told me before—the sword could destroy the Wraithlord’s ghost body, but if it failed, I’d have to use the final measure. I was reluctant, since I didn’t know if I could suppress the Infernal Will within me.
"I’ll go up and talk to him first."
I said, then flew upward. Instantly, I felt a glow radiate from the sword on my back, enveloping my body—a truly strange sensation.
When I reached the top of Nuwa's Mirage, a small opening appeared before me, and I slipped through it.
"Have you made up your mind?"
As soon as I entered, the Will of the Illusory Realm stared at me in silence.
"Wait a moment—I need to discuss the plan with the Chimera Beasts."
The Will of the Illusory Realm looked at me in confusion. I nodded and spoke.
"Can I bring the Chimera Beasts with me? Even with a weapon that can destroy the Wraithlord's body, I am no match for him alone."
The Will of the Illusory Realm seemed to hesitate, then finally nodded after a moment.
"I will make an exception and allow you to do this—just once. It will break the laws of the world."