"Ethan Zhang, hurry up."
I forced a smile, watching Rachel Lan's face light up with joy atop the barren mountain peak. My steps were slow, deliberate—Eugenia and Blueflame Warden had already lost patience and retreated to the shadows. When the time comes, Eugenia will come for me without warning.
Where is the master of the Illusory Realm? The question gnawed at my mind, leaving me hollow. Every clue we'd dissected dissolved into nothingness. Now, atop this desolate summit, we sought the rare beast said to dwell here. Other creatures whispered that it had witnessed the one who found the Realm Keeper and escaped the Illusory Realm.
We finally reached the lifeless summit. Rachel Lan prowled the emptiness, searching for any trace of the beast, but there was nothing. I extended my supernatural senses—still, nothing. I sat at the peak, staring into the suffocating forest below. My search was not only for the Realm Keeper, but also for the artifact Mother Goddess Nuwa demanded. Yet hope was a corpse here; not a single clue remained.
"Seems those creatures deceived us, Ethan Zhang."
I let out a hollow laugh. Jiawen curled in on herself, her silver hair flickering with spectral light in the gloom.
"Ethan Zhang, maybe it's time we leave this place behind."
I shook my head, letting my Seven Spirits stir uneasily within me, searching for any sign of the beast.
"No. We wait. My Three Souls and Seven Spirits sense something—something is about to change."
Rachel Lan moved restlessly, circling the barren summit, but apart from the mountain and its oppressive silence, there was nothing—nothing but the suffocating emptiness pressing in from all sides.
I sat in silence, letting the darkness coil around me. The power within me kept growing—an unnatural surge that twisted deeper every day I lingered in the Illusory Realm. I couldn't explain it, but the change was relentless, and I could feel its weight in my bones.
The power of causality now perfectly balanced the other three forces within me. Recently, I could wield my abilities with a new, sinister ease. I thought, if I ever return, perhaps I could finally defeat the Nine-Tailed Fox—a rival I'd never bested before.
"What thoughts are haunting you, Ethan Zhang? Share them with me."
I replied, my voice echoing with the tension of the Illusory Realm.
"When I return, I think I can finally defeat the Nine-Tailed Fox."
Rachel Lan nodded, a flicker of hope crossing her face—a rare light in the suffocating gloom.
"Of course you can. That beast is a menace, always threatening to devour the children of our tribe."
"She won't do it. Her threats are just words—her hunger is only for fear."
"By the way, didn't you glimpse your wife in the Living World a few days ago?"
I murmured in response, unable to name the feeling. Rachel Lan—her sorrow was overwhelming, a grief so deep that my own soul trembled when she saw me.
"What if you never return? Is your wife doomed to wait for you until the end of her days, trapped between worlds?"
I stood, the tension of the Illusory Realm pressing against my skin, and forced a smile.
"That's why I must find the Realm Keeper of the Illusory Realm—and escape this place before it devours me."
"You will succeed. You're kind, Ethan Zhang. Kindness is rare here—and fate favors the rare."
I murmured my agreement, a flicker of unease crossing my face as the oppressive silence closed in.
"It's true. Since you arrived in the Illusory Realm, the higher beasts have kept to their own layers, and the ones nearby no longer dare threaten our tribe."
After a long silence, I rose, my frustration simmering beneath the surface. The legendary beast was nowhere to be found. Focusing my will, I sent out a telepathic summons to Eugenia.
But something felt wrong—Eugenia did not appear. My confusion grew, uncertainty gnawing at my resolve.
"Maybe she's fallen asleep, or something's happened to her?"
Rachel Lan muttered. I managed a tense smile. After half an hour of waiting, Eugenia finally materialized, panic etched across her face.
"Someone's stirring chaos in Nuwa's Mirage. A swarm of beasts have gone to witness the spectacle—I sent many myself. Mother Goddess Nuwa may be insufferable, but her power is undeniable. Everyone wants to see how the challenger survives her wrath."
Shock widened my eyes as I vaulted onto Zephyr's back. My first order was for Eugenia to return Rachel Lan safely to her tribe.
In a blink, Rachel Lan and I materialized within the Merfolk Tribe, the air thick with latent energy.
"Let me go with you, Ethan Zhang. I won't stand by and do nothing."
I shook my head, the weight of the upper realm bearing down on my decision.
"It's too dangerous. The power of the upper realm would crush you."
I glanced at the village—Merfolk rejoiced, finally free from the Nine-Tailed Fox and Chaos Fiend, whose gluttony and idleness had plagued them for days. The air pulsed with celebration.
"Be careful, Ethan Zhang. The Illusory Realm twists even the strongest."
"Don't worry. She's formidable, and you, Ethan Zhang, have grown stronger."
Eugenia spoke as I nodded and settled onto Zephyr's back. Blue light shimmered past, and a surge of evil force slammed into my senses. I stared, wide-eyed, at the figure before me—a human, yet disturbingly angular, as if chiseled from stone by some infernal hand.
"It's The Wraithlord!"
I realized instantly. In a blur of supernatural speed, my hand plunged into The Wraithlord's body—seven shards of Blood Jade ripped free from within.
The Wraithlord turned slowly, his gaze locking onto mine.
"So quick to arrive, Ethan Zhang."
A chill crept into my heart. The weapon Mother Goddess Nuwa forged for me to battle The Wraithlord was still unfinished—yet The Wraithlord had already fused his Seven Spirits.
I stared at the cracked Blood Jade fragments in my hand—empty of The Wraithlord's spirits. He had completed the fusion of all Seven Spirits.
"Surprised, Ethan Zhang?"
I said nothing, my gaze fixed on The Wraithlord. Mother Goddess Nuwa stepped forward, standing before him. All around, upper realm beasts gathered, murmuring—wondering who was stronger: The Wraithlord or Mother Goddess Nuwa.
"I no longer have the power to defeat you now that your Seven Spirits have fused."
Mother Goddess Nuwa's voice was ice. The Wraithlord merely shook his head.
"My purpose here is Ethan Zhang, not you. As for you, Mother, your presence is now irrelevant—your plans will fail ahead of schedule. Past, present, and future have already converged. That's why I came before the fusion was complete. Seven Spirits are enough to destroy Ethan Zhang as he is now."
(Irrelevant system message skipped.)
I clenched my fists, cold fury in my eyes as I stared down The Wraithlord. Eugenia retreated to the shadows.
"You can do it, Ethan Zhang."
Eugenia's voice rang out, and other supernatural beasts within the Illusory Realm joined in, rallying behind me. The Wraithlord glanced around, calculating.
"If I tried to kill you, these powerful beings would intervene. It seems you've made allies in the Illusory Realm."
I shook my head, refusing to let fear take root.
"Is your only purpose here to destroy me—the threat you cannot tolerate?"
The Wraithlord nodded, his intent clear and chilling.
"Indeed, I came only to kill you, Ethan Zhang. It seems you remain ignorant. Allow me to deliver your wife Rachel Lan's final farewell."
The Wraithlord spoke, and I responded with a cold, bitter laugh.
"Do you truly believe your power is enough to kill me?"
I asked, and The Wraithlord simply shook his head.
"It's difficult to kill you as you are now, but not impossible. I am far stronger than you realize. Before your power matures, I will end you—and claim the world as mine."
"Never."
A surge of nameless rage erupted from deep within me. In an instant, my hand pressed against The Wraithlord's forehead.
"Causality Reversal..."
With my cry, seven beams of colored light burst in all directions. The Seven Spirits—manifestations of The Wraithlord's essence—stood at my side. I stared at him in silence.
"Impressive. You've mastered the power of causality with remarkable skill. If given more time, even my fusion of Three Souls and Seven Spirits would be no match for you."
My eyes widened in shock. Suddenly, a monstrous, grinning face materialized before me. Before I could react, a gaping wound was torn through my chest—The Wraithlord, fully fused, had pierced me and emerged from the other side.
"Killing you is nearly impossible. The power of Buddha and Dao has become the foundation of your form; causality shields and guides you, and human strength is your weapon. You're a formidable challenge, Ethan Zhang."
I hovered in the sky, my gaze locked on The Wraithlord. As my consciousness blurred, I used the power of causality to slip away—splitting my awareness, leaving a fragment behind to lure him. This technique, I learned in battle with the Nine-Tailed Fox.
The Ethan Zhang below, pierced by The Wraithlord's power, dissolved into a swirling stream of black and white energy—returning to my true self.
"Wait."
At last, Mother Goddess Nuwa spoke, drifting forward to confront The Wraithlord.
"Are you truly serious?"
Mother Goddess Nuwa asked The Wraithlord. He smiled and nodded.
"You are powerless to stop this calamity. Delaying him only allows him to grow stronger—until even the laws of the world fail to bind him, and he unites past, present, and future. I refuse to surrender the world, so I will fight. Anyone who stands against me, I will destroy. It's that simple, Mother!"
Mother Goddess Nuwa was silent, her face unreadable. She drifted to the distant place where two mountains intertwined.
"It seems I must unleash my full strength to shatter you, The Wraithlord."
My voice was heavy as I raised my hand. A brilliant white light gathered, crackling, until an irregular, crystalline sword formed in my grasp.
"Radiant Starblade—impressive. To manifest such a weapon, and in reverse, bringing it into the Illusory Realm, is effective against me. After all, I am a wraith, and you are human, Ethan Zhang!"
Without another word, I lunged—driving the sword through The Wraithlord's body. I couldn't fathom the source of this power, but its edge was pure and lethal. Against evil like him, this force was my best hope.
The Wraithlord's wild laughter echoed behind me as he clutched his pierced chest, black blood flowing back into the wound.
"Don't blame me, Ethan Zhang. I had no choice. You helped me once, but I still must kill—"
"—you!"
Anger flared in my reply.
"Then come and try!"