I became light in American comics.

Chapter 661 The Spirit of Existence

In the endless darkness, in the long night, light appeared.

As if awakened amidst the clash of light and darkness, the confrontation of two immense forces on Earth awakened something buried deep underground. It manifested in the form of light, endless white rays seemingly emerging from the depths of the Earth's core, gaining substance beneath the pitch-black sky, and transforming into an ethereal form.

Its spherical shape resembles a cocoon, enveloping a curled-up entity. Its radiance is so dazzling, yet so sacred, a pure white glow that almost makes one afraid to look directly at it.

It floated there quietly, without moving, as if it were hibernating.

The spirit of existence.

The embodiment of the white lamp remains a mystery to Shen You, who has never been able to pinpoint its origin. According to Ou'a's records, it has been buried deep within the Earth's center since the origin of life, but based on Shen You's past explorations, he is convinced that the spirit of existence does not have a physical form.

It's said to be at the center of the Earth, but it's actually an abstract concept. Although it's there, it's invisible and intangible. After Shen You obtained the power of the White Lamp, he seemed to sense it a few times through this connection, but every time he tried to find it, he still found nothing.

It's like you can only ever catch a glimpse of the tip of an iceberg, but it disappears whenever you try to get closer, like a mirage of life.

After reviewing a large number of European and American literature and conducting experimental tests, Shen You began to draw a conclusion.

In the original manga, since the beginning of the universe, so many crises and major events have occurred over the years. Logically, the spirit of existence should always be there, but it has never shown itself.

His first appearance was on the darkest night, when he faced the Black Death Emperor and his army of the undead.

Then, recalling what Ganser had told him before about the balance between life and death, and the theory that white and black lights should be mutually reinforcing and mutually restraining, he suddenly realized that perhaps this was the key.

Perhaps the reason he couldn't invoke the embodiment of birth was because there was no corresponding death. He could never awaken the spirit of existence; what he lacked was precisely its nemesis, the Black Death Emperor.

So he temporarily shelved this research and began to focus on finding the whereabouts of death. Now that he finally had the opportunity, he conducted this daring test.

He dragged the Black Death Emperor back to reality and fought him using the power of the White Lantern. The life-or-death conflict indeed triggered a self-balancing reaction in the emotional spectrum. When he realized during the battle that the life spectrum he was connected to had never been so active, he knew he was right.

The spirit, which has always been elusive and rarely seen, has finally appeared.

"What is this?"

Zero looked up at the enormous white light and murmured.

"I can feel the warmth, and the surge of power. So strong, yet so gentle, it's just like..."

"It feels like light, yes," Shen You said. "This is the Spirit of Existence, the embodiment of the entire concept of life in the universe. In short, all life in this universe is connected to it; it is the origin of all things."

The amount of information was overwhelming; even the rabbit was a bit stunned by it.

For a mere second.

He quickly adapted to the situation thanks to his amazing adaptability.

"Wow, your universe has some really amazing settings."

He considered himself quite knowledgeable, having seen all sorts of powerful aliens and abstract beings that were the embodiment of concepts. But even so, he never imagined that one day he would actually see a living being with his own eyes.

He could sense the sacredness in it.

"But in its current state, it is merely a materialized form of energy. Like other Lamp Beasts, it needs a host, a medium, or a rider."

Shen You stepped forward and slowly extended his hand.

He could sense that the white light was intentionally moving closer to him.

"The only way to fight death is through life."

The light touched him. He could feel the surging power, containing the rhythm of life, flowing along his arm into his body, like the confluence of two rushing rivers, forming a swirling vortex within him.

All emotions were stirred to their fullest extent, and all the spectrum began to surge rapidly. A rainbow of light bloomed all over his body, the seven colors of light, the surge of seven emotions, like a transparent, colorful battle robe covering his entire body, with crystalline light spots scattering all over the sky.

The life spectrum gave him a feeling that was different from before.

It is wider and more magnificent.

In contrast, it's as if he had always used a pipe to access the river of the spectrum, borrowing the power of life.

And now, he has become the river itself.

He could truly feel with his body that "connecting all life in the universe" was not just empty talk. Now he could really feel it—all life, the entire Earth, the entire Milky Way, the entire sector, and even the universe. In his perception, it was as if countless points of light were flickering in the endless void, each representing a living being breathing, each seemingly within reach.

He is now the embodiment of life.

"You! Are you using me!?"

The Black Death Emperor was furious upon seeing this.

"You used my power to awaken this intruder? Something that shouldn't exist in this universe? Clever, very well, but you've also done me a favor!"

The Black Death Emperor raised his scythe once more. His heavy footsteps struck like an earthquake, the scythe's blade dragging a trail of rolling darkness as it slashed, accompanied by the howls of the dead.

It was more ferocious and more all-out than any of his previous attacks.

But it's even less useful.

Shen You's awakening of the Black Death Emperor was not a spur-of-the-moment decision. He had assessed the Black Death Emperor's potential strength to ensure the situation wouldn't spiral out of control. Moreover, before doing so, he resurrected the Black Hand, bringing him back to life and seizing this crucial pawn from the Black Death Emperor's camp.

Without Black Hand, the Black Lantern messenger, the Black Death Emperor has lost his most powerful medium in the mortal realm. Even if he were to be brought back, the power he could unleash would be diminished.

He was already struggling against Shen You, and now that the Spirit of Existence has appeared, there's no suspense left.

Normally, even in their normal state, the Black Death Emperor couldn't afford to offend either of them. Now, with the two merged into one, a fusion of wills greater than the sum of its parts, the fact that he could still charge forward wielding his scythe was at least commendable in its courage.

Of course, at least he is a rare and high-quality punching bag, and can be used by Shen You to test the capabilities of this new form.

Before the sickle could even reach him, Shen You had already struck out with his left palm.

He spread his five fingers in the air and made a slight feint towards the direction of the sharp blade.

A burst of white light erupted from his palm, a transparent aura enveloping a white sphere of light. The domineering, invisible power was released, and the Black Death Emperor's strike missed completely; he was abruptly thrown back, his head tilted back as he flew through the air.

(End of this chapter)