I glared at the Wraithlord in utter displeasure, but what he said was true—it was something that existed within Ethan Zhang, and within myself as well. Both Ethan and I have, in moments of lacking ability, made choices that exceeded our capabilities, and in the end, those choices led to many consequences.
“Great tragedies are always the result of repeated choices, and at the root of tragedy lies good and evil. In the first story, the different lifetimes of the same soul were fused together, and all their choices were almost identical.”
I gasped, and the Wraithlord laughed.
When the Era of Destiny arrived, the Dockmaster thought only of gaining more, so he chose to do what every other dockmaster did—he began to exploit the boatmen, and that led to tragedy.
And in the lifetime where he was the eldest son, it was the same. The eldest son grew up following his father, and after his father died, he took over the work on the boat. But in truth, the eldest son never took over his father's job as a boatman. In this life, he was an only child. He took all the family's savings, sold the boat, and went straight after the fame and fortune he dreamed of. After years of hard study, he actually achieved success, and the ending was just as I had heard.
The reason the eldest son died was because he knew that being an official meant having money, so after taking office, he started amassing wealth, caring nothing for the lives of others. He was caught and soon died. If he had really taken over his father's boat and continued to work earnestly, following in the footsteps of his kind father, his old age would have been happy. But unfortunately, his evil intent dominated his life.
And in the third lifetime, the youngest son was also the only child of a boatman. After making a fortune in business, he chose a life of constant pleasure. He had a loving wife at home, but ignored her tears and still visited brothels every few days. This was the birth of evil in that life, because as a child, he had witnessed how the wealthy and powerful indulged themselves. He forgot who he was.
“People are foolish, repeating the same mistakes again and again, even after reincarnation. That’s the kind of person I wanted to tell you about. And ghosts, they’re just as foolish.”
“You’ve said all this just to show where you stand, haven’t you?”
I laughed. The Wraithlord looked at me, surprised, then nodded.
"Indeed, I found so many stories to use as examples just to show you that whether human or ghost, they're both the same. Again and again, driven by their desires, they choose a path that leads to destruction. The Storyteller was the same—he only cared about making money, never about whether what he spoke was good or evil, as long as it attracted listeners. That's why I want to destroy all of this and create a new, reasonable kind of person."
I stared at the Wraithlord in shock, and he laughed.
"No matter what choices people make, a person's good and evil, their luck and misfortune, are equal throughout their life. Neither humans nor ghosts can control any of this, because in the Yin-Yang Realm, humans and ghosts have existed for too long. The immense, tangled web of connections has led to tragedy repeating over and over. If you want to break the chain, you must create new people."
"I think you need medicine, Wraithlord. Everything in this world isn’t decided by you, but by nature..."
The Wraithlord suddenly burst out laughing, then shook his head repeatedly.
"Think carefully about everything you've experienced, and the two stories I just told. If both humans and ghosts could always choose the right path, what do you think would happen?"
"That wouldn't be the life those people or ghosts wanted, right?"
I murmured, and the Wraithlord immediately shook his head.
"But then there would be no tragedy, no anger or jealousy. What I want is to reorganize everything in the Yin-Yang Realm—not just humans and ghosts, but all living things. Because in this world, it's not only humans and ghosts who live here: plants, trees, insects, fish, birds, and beasts—why should they be trampled on, eaten, or killed by people?"
"That's just what naturally happens—survival of the fittest."
Sure enough, I couldn't keep talking to the Wraithlord. His ideas were far too extreme. Even though some of what he said was logically sound, I just couldn't accept it.
"The person in the first story is still trapped in reincarnation. In his most recent life, he's come to another moment of choice, but he'll still end up just like his previous lives—destroyed in the end. The Storyteller from the second story is the same. His obsession will lead him to self-destruction. Now I'll tell you one more story—my own."
I looked at the Wraithlord in surprise, and he laughed.
Long ago, when the Earth Soul of the Wraithlord escaped from hell, he didn’t immediately unleash slaughter upon the Yang Realm. Instead, he restrained his power and began to travel through the Yang Realm.
What the Wraithlord saw then was war—vast, sweeping war. People started wars for their own selfish desires, and the whole world suffered in flames. The kings of each nation claimed they fought for their people, but in reality, they sent their own citizens to die on the battlefield, while enjoying fame for themselves. And everyone was expected to be grateful to these kings.
So the Wraithlord went to a small city that was preparing for a major war. He asked many people there, and none of them wanted to fight—they were all honest about it. The Wraithlord kept observing, and found that most people knew that, as subjects of their country, they couldn’t refuse orders.
But soon, the war turned in favor of the people in that city. When the Wraithlord asked again, many said they should kill the enemy and seize everything from them. This wasn’t driven by hatred, but by pure desire. Because of the war, they were certain that once it ended, they could take over others’ land and claim their own profit.
Everyone fears war, but when war breaks out, many who survive and win are all smiles, because they get everything they wanted from it. The defeated are miserable, and those who gain nothing from war spend their days cursing how it ruins lives.
So the Wraithlord understood at once—humans really are creatures driven by profit. Long ago, when the Wraithlord struck out at the remnants of humanity, unless they had no choice, those people would keep fighting each other, just to win a patch of forest or hunting ground.
"So afterward, I started with that city. Before they could even begin the war, I killed everyone inside."
I swallowed, and the Wraithlord's expression grew harsh.
"I didn’t kill them because they chased after profit, but because they kept repeating the same things, over and over, for so many years. The second batch of humans created by Mother Goddess Nuwa was a failure—far more so than Loraine Locke and myself—because they were too weak. So weak that if they didn’t fight among themselves, they couldn’t survive."
I stared at the Wraithlord in astonishment. His expression was serious, and I sighed.
"Even if you create new people, maybe things won’t be any different from now."
"You don’t need to worry about that. This time, I’ll construct a world where everyone can be happy, just like the inner world created by this magical technique. Every path in their lives will cross in this interwoven world of time and space—they’ll experience every facet of life, then die, and enter a new cycle of reincarnation."
I still couldn’t accept or understand the Wraithlord’s approach, because I always believed that the future should be decided by the people living now—not by ghosts or people who have been alive for countless years.
"Your idea is right too, Rachel Lan. But your rightness is only your own, not mine. So I have to find a way to resolve everything, and then start creating new people."
I sighed and stood up. The Wraithlord gazed at the rainbow-colored barrier before us and smiled.
"Maybe soon we’ll be able to enter the Illusory Realm. I’ll give you one last chance to choose, Rachel Lan. Once you step into the Illusory Realm, you may never return, because you are not Ethan Zhang. Once you enter, your consciousness will be forever severed from your body in the Yang Realm, cut off by the laws that cross several worlds."
I looked at the Wraithlord in surprise. He reached out a hand and pressed it to my head. Instantly, the world spun, and when my senses returned, I was in a small town by Snowridge Springs.
I was shocked to see countless Underworld Denizens wandering the town, looking utterly exhausted. There were more of them than ever. Suddenly, I heard the sound of quiet sobbing. I hurried to the hotel at the foot of the mountain and saw my mother, crying as she wiped my body. My father sat silently nearby.
My mother kept blaming my father, but he just smiled quietly.
All the Underworld Denizens in town, along with members of the Daoist Order and Zen Order, were busy trying to wake me. It looked like they’d tried everything, but nothing worked.
In a daze, I found myself back before the Wraithlord. He gazed at me intently.
"Whatever you choose, I won’t say anything. Whether you go to the Illusory Realm or stay here and wait, Rachel Lan, answer me—the time is short."
I shook my head and silently looked at the Wraithlord.