I stared intently at everything in the scene and realized the woman looked familiar. She was beaming with happiness. Suddenly, it struck me—this woman was Loraine Locke, the mother of Emperor God and his two siblings.
Confused, I watched as the scene shifted. In the blink of an eye, I saw Emperor God and his siblings in their youth, standing atop a mountain, gazing into the distance. Below them was a primitive tribe, bustling with activity and large in number.
Loraine Locke soon climbed up the mountain as well, and, like a mother comforting her children, she extended her arms and drew the three of them close. Smiles appeared on their faces.
The lake’s surface rippled violently again. When the scene shifted once more, it became a scorched wasteland—corpses everywhere, burned forests, and cries of anguish. A tribe was fleeing, their numbers greatly diminished. I noticed a mass of black, menacing ghosts swirling in the air, shrieking and baring their teeth. At their head, the Wraithlord laughed heartily, as if mocking the survivors, his eyes filled with amusement, not intent on killing them outright.
But then I saw the Wraithlord’s three children—their eyes filled with disappointment, pain, and fury. Loraine Locke once again tried to comfort them, smiling and speaking softly, but this time all three pushed her away in unison, seemingly blaming her for something.
Loraine Locke’s smile vanished, replaced by fear. The water’s surface trembled again, and the next scene showed people gathered in a small village with many round buildings. Only a few thousand remained, most crying out in pain and sorrow. Surrounding the village were countless ghosts and a massive floating black island.
This must have been an image from before the Wraithlord’s downfall, but I still didn’t understand what the world’s consciousness was trying to show me. I kept watching closely.
Many young people from the village rushed out to search for food. Outside the village, there was a patch of untouched green land. I immediately realized this was left on purpose by the Wraithlord. Sure enough, as soon as the villagers stepped into the forest, hordes of ghosts surged in, hunting them down.
Those who died quickly turned into ghosts and became the Wraithlord’s minions. Few returned, and many children remained in the village, everyone suffering greatly. I noticed Tan Tian was also among the tribe, his face grim as he tapped his forehead, deep in thought. Loraine Locke’s face was blank, and the Wraithlord’s three children mirrored her expression.
“What is all this? What are you trying to show me?”
I shouted, and the water’s surface shook violently. The vision vanished, leaving only a pool of clear water. I swallowed, surrounded by utter silence.
"Make your choice, Rachel Lan. I can no longer resist their power. The only way is to drive them out of this world—hurry!"
A heavy voice rang out. I lifted my head slightly, then lowered it again, staring at my own reflection in the pool—a face tinged with sadness. I shook my head, and the words Emperor God had said before I entered resurfaced in my mind.
I knew very well that if I did this, things would turn out just as Emperor God and the others predicted. It’s not that I can’t do it—I just want to think a bit more. But I’m lost as to what exactly I should be thinking about. Even knowing everything about Emperor God and his siblings, I’m powerless to change anything.
Lowering my head, I raised a finger, and a black flame ignited. I began drawing around the Clear Pool, leaving black marks on the ground. When I finished inscribing the Hell Imprint, I would be able to activate it and destroy the threshold ritual Emperor God and his siblings had set up.
I had already made up my mind and wouldn’t regret it. I truly wouldn’t regret it. But at this moment, I froze. I lifted my head as the lake’s surface trembled again. My eyes widened as my first meeting with Ethan Zhang appeared in the water. I walked to the edge of the pool, quietly gazing at the surface.
I realized Emperor God and his siblings’ power had seeped in again. They still hoped to influence me this way, while earlier I wanted to know everything about them—but they seemed determined to keep me in the dark.
I took one last look at Ethan Zhang, sitting foolishly on the ground in the vision, wiped away the tears at the corner of my eyes, and continued drawing. Gradually, the scene behind me faded, replaced by images I knew all too well. As I drew, I couldn’t help but break down in tears.
It seemed everything was settled. Once I finished, I would never see Ethan Zhang again. Maybe there would be brief chances in the future, but nothing lasting.
I wiped away my tears, my heart aching, but I knew I had to do this.
Half an hour later, the Hell Imprint was complete. I stood quietly at the edge of the Clear Pool. Suddenly, I found myself on a peaceful, bustling street at night, outside a Li’s Barbecue shop. I was tidying up dishes while Ethan Zhang, smiling, grilled food. I looked up, a black flame burning in my hand, gradually intensifying.
"Do what you believe in, Rachel Lan. Don’t compromise, and don’t lose heart."
I nodded, already knowing what would happen next. In the pool’s vision, Ethan Zhang’s face appeared, grinning fiercely as he looked at me, giving a thumbs-up in praise. I gazed quietly at the water.
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"Did you really think you succeeded? Hell."
I shook my head and then smiled. A black flame fell into the Hell Imprint, and instantly, seductive red light spread along the etched lines. I closed my eyes, and one thought filled my mind: sunrise.
In a flash, I was in the sky, astonished to see the city shrouded in night beneath me, its lights blazing. But I knew dawn was near.
The city was empty, not a soul in sight. I gazed toward the horizon, quietly waiting for sunrise.
Gradually, the first rays pierced the mountains, inching forward. I closed my eyes in silence, knowing everything was about to end. Emperor God and his siblings’ plan to attack the underworld had lost its power source—it would fail.
The light grew brighter and brighter. I felt a rush of warmth and red glow across my closed eyelids, spreading through my whole body. When I opened my eyes again, the world before me was flooded with light, pouring from the mountains over the entire city.
Dawn broke. I sighed as the city beneath me dissolved into dust under the intensifying light. Everything faded away in silence as the laws of the world took hold.
The light devoured everything, turning the world to sand at a rapid pace. Beneath me was now a vast, white desert. I slowly descended to the sand, still at the center of the Yin Aspect world. I felt a sharp pain as grains of sand poured out of my body. Stunned, I watched as the white sand in front of me slowly formed into a humanoid shape—my own likeness.
"Farewell. I was born of this world, and if it returns to silence, so will I. As your other consciousness, you’ve done well."
I didn’t answer, just crouched in the sea of sand, scooping up a handful of white grains. Sunlight now bathed the entire world, every corner flooded with dazzling light that sparkled off the endless white desert.
Suddenly, I felt something wrong with my body. I raised a hand and watched as my skin began to peel away and cracks appeared. My body started to break apart, and the white desert world before me drifted farther and farther away. My eyes widened in shock.
Darkness surrounded me as I plunged into a raging, black ocean below. Suddenly, a hand grabbed me. I looked up in fear, then quickly smiled with relief. Luo Yu’s body was half mud-like, his strength clearly unstable.
"Time to go back, Rachel Lan. We’re in the Styx Sea now."
Luo Yu pulled me out of the icy water. He raised a hand, and a boat surfaced from the depths—it was the one Tan Tian and I had ridden before. We climbed aboard. Luo Yu’s body, like a puddle of mud, struggled to hold its shape. He gazed at me quietly as I walked over.
"Goodbye, Rachel Lan. I think I’ve done everything I could. Maybe, for once, I did the right thing, though I’m no longer sure what ‘right’ truly feels like."
My eyes widened, but then I smiled. Tears streamed down my cheeks as Luo Yu dissolved into a mass of mud. A small, bright red stone soared into the air, shattered, and its fragments drifted down into the sea.
I stood up; the boat drifted on slowly. Lightning flashed and thunder roared all around, red bolts striking the sea. I shouted at the top of my lungs, venting everything within me, but my voice was soon swallowed by the wind, the waves, and the thunder. Looking toward the bow, I could faintly see a sea of blood-red flowers. I had been driven out of the Yin Aspect world. I lowered my head.
"It’s all over!"