"In ancient times, 'Mutual Love' referred to women who were fond of each other. You should know what it means, Ethan Zhang. She was one of those people—she fell in love with her own sister. But in the end, it was all for nothing, like drawing water with a bamboo basket: empty hands and empty dreams."
A cold voice echoed—it was Isabelle Frost. I swallowed nervously, turned to look at her, and remembered the book she had been reading, Polishing Mirror Garden. Suddenly, a chill crept down my spine.
Yvonne Yang was already starting to float, her gaze fixed on Isabelle Frost.
"You can never understand... what my love truly is."
Isabelle Frost smiled, floated up, and nodded slightly.
"As I thought, I still can't comprehend the kind of love you speak of."
With a sharp crack, I saw Isabelle Frost pull out the Polishing Mirror Garden and slam it to the ground.
"This book contains your story—including your so-called sister. If you can defeat Ethan Zhang, I'll give it to you."
As Isabelle Frost spoke, I glanced back at her.
"She's fierce, Ethan Zhang. She's been in the Forest of Desire for many years—her ability to control desire is stronger than yours. You'll see for yourself soon enough."
At that moment, the green glow inside Yvonne Yang’s body began to retract, drawing inward. Even without Isabelle Frost’s warning, I could sense the vast, surging ghost aura pouring out of Yvonne Yang. What shocked me even more was how quickly her ghost soul was multiplying—its growth was astonishing.
"Ah, the transformation into a Blue Wraith—I’ve seen it countless times. But this time, it’s different."
I watched Yvonne Yang in silence. Her white robe began to change, morphing into the costume of a martial opera dan. I swallowed hard as three small flags—black, yellow, and blue, each inscribed with a golden character—appeared on her back. In her hands, she now held two gleaming Deathbane Twin Blades. She spun gracefully through the air, performing as if on stage, her voice rising in a clear operatic chant.
"Snow falls thick as faces, the north wind chills to the bone... Crimson clouds lock the mountains in darkness, sparse woods wither in the cold... Memories linger, hard to dispel, a lonely village and wine soothe my sorrow..."
Her pure, melodious voice carried a sorrowful undertone, yet it was gentle as water. The song enchanted me; I couldn’t help but fall under its spell. I thought to myself, if she lived in modern times, she could be a remarkable singer.
Suddenly, a gust of heavy snow swept toward me, and Yvonne Yang’s figure faded. I snapped back to reality and instantly released my black Specter Web.
The five ghost souls within me sensed it immediately. The falling snow blanketed my vision, and I knew Yvonne Yang was attacking.
I raised both hands, feeling a heavy weight. In my grip were two Deathbane Twin Blades, which I used to block the assault. With a loud crash, a tremendous force drove me downward. In the blizzard, Yvonne Yang wielded her twin blades, moving with theatrical grace—each strike was elegant, but devastatingly powerful.
I couldn’t keep up at all; her speed was overwhelming. In this blinding snow that had covered the Forest of Desire in silver, Yvonne Yang attacked relentlessly. I could only rely on my Specter Web to sense and defend.
"Of course, she’s nothing like you—a ghost who stumbled into this world, Ethan Zhang. She’s mastered everything about being a ghost."
Isabelle Frost spoke coldly, then broke into a smile.
This blizzard was conjured from Yvonne Yang’s ghost aura, meant to numb my Specter Web so she could strike at me. If I hadn’t trained so hard these past days, I’d have already fallen.
Suddenly, Yvonne Yang attacked again, her twin blades spinning awkwardly through the air—yet in a flash, she was right in front of me. I roared, and a black whirlwind erupted around my body.
A metallic clang rang out—Yvonne Yang’s twin blades struck the wind blades swirling around me but couldn’t break through. Gradually, black winds began to stream from my body, and the snowflakes around me turned into black crystals, drifting through the air.
A strange scene unfolded in the sky: on Yvonne Yang’s side, white snowflakes floated; on mine, they were black.
My ghost aura was steadily growing stronger, and I was finally taking the initiative instead of letting Yvonne Yang lead me by the nose.
My Specter Web and Yvonne Yang’s collided, each trying to devour the other. She wanted to consume mine with hers, but instinctively, I resisted, and the sensation faded. Suddenly, Yvonne Yang charged at me again.
"It’s not that simple, Ethan Zhang. You’d better be careful."
I shouted, brandishing my Deathbane Twin Blades and clashing with Yvonne Yang. With a metallic ring, she deflected my swords. Suddenly, she dropped one blade, ran her hand across her face, and in an instant, a red opera mask appeared—Face Changing? I stared in astonishment.
In a flash, Yvonne Yang was holding a Red Tassel Spear, thrusting it at me with incredible speed.
I reacted instantly—a layer of black ice formed on my skin, crackling loudly. I stared in surprise, then raised my hands.
"Reflection..."
In a flash, I appeared above Yvonne Yang’s head. Still, her spear struck my chest. Gritting my teeth, I roared and swung my twin blades wildly, sending fierce wind blades slashing toward Yvonne Yang.
The clang of drums and gongs erupted around Yvonne Yang, like an opera troupe performing. She moved gracefully through the air, dodging each wind blade with ease.
"Not enough control, Qingyuan."
The Yin Ghost’s voice echoed in my mind. I nodded; the wind blades I’d unleashed quickly dissipated—I hadn’t controlled them with my Specter Web.
Suddenly, Yvonne Yang changed her opera mask again, appearing right in front of me. She pressed a hand to her cheek and called out in a clear voice.
"Sheng, Dan, Jing, Mo, Chou..."
Metallic clangs rang out again and again. Each time Yvonne Yang changed her mask, a different weapon attacked me—twin blades, spears, hammers, swords, halberds—all around me, weapons flashed and clashed, dazzling and overwhelming.
I could only keep defending with wind blades and black ice from within my body, but I was already covered in several wounds.
With a loud crack, Yvonne Yang flicked her spear—my sword was knocked from my right hand by the force, and a dagger stabbed at my chest while her twin blades came down at the same time.
I’d never seen an attack like this—Yvonne Yang seemed to move with a double body. Instinctively, my right hand transformed into a black serpent and swallowed the dagger, then coiled around Yvonne Yang’s left hand. Black flames ignited on my left Deathbane Aura Blade.
"Flowers in the mirror, moon in the water—all things are but longing for you..."
Suddenly, Yvonne Yang’s figure shimmered like a mirage in mist and vanished right in front of me.
I swung my left Deathbane Aura Blade, unleashing a torrent of black flames that turned the sky into a sea of fire.
Suddenly, a buzzing sound hit my head, leaving me dizzy for a moment.
With a tearing sound, I watched in shock as Yvonne Yang’s Red Tassel Spear pierced my chest. I coughed up a mouthful of black blood.
"How did you avoid my Specter Web?"
I stared at Yvonne Yang in surprise. With a crack, I split in midair into a swarm of flying black serpents. My ghost soul was damaged, but luckily, I possessed the Snake Spirit—able to divide my ghost soul and minimize the harm.
"Serpent Swarm Strangle..."
I roared, unleashing a horde of black serpents with gaping jaws and razor-sharp fangs. Locking onto the location of Yvonne Yang’s ghost soul, I sent the swarm surging across the sky to attack her.
But then, the three small flags on Yvonne Yang’s back flew off with a whoosh, transforming into three Yvonne Yangs in black, yellow, and blue costumes, each with a different opera mask.
A fierce burst of opera music erupted, and my serpents were instantly shredded by blades and swords. I stopped my attack and slowly gathered myself.
Drums and clashing opera instruments resounded as four Yvonne Yangs charged at me.
"It seems so."
It was only then that I realized just how powerful Yvonne Yang was—as a Blue Wraith.
"The real show’s just beginning, Ethan Zhang."
Isabelle Frost muttered with a smile. She sat atop a giant red spider lily, resting her chin in her hand, watching our battle with elegant amusement.
All I could do was raise my hands and conjure black flames, hurling them at Yvonne Yang.