"Mr. Tan Tian, please don't joke around." (Note: 'Tan Tian' is the Americanized form of the name per glossary.)
The Undertaker stared at Tan Tian, his gaze grave and unwavering.
"I'm not joking."
Wraithshade walked over slowly.
"Undertaker, Sleeper, Mr. Tan Tian never jokes. I may not know what you're really thinking, Mr. Tan Tian, but that doesn't affect our cooperation. Yuna Ji is still waiting outside. We can't keep her waiting too long. Don't you agree, Mr. Tan Tian?"
As Wraithshade spoke, he walked toward me, eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Who do you think will win? Ethan Zhang. Or who do you hope will win?"
I didn't know what Wraithshade intended. He raised a hand and pressed it against the massive door behind me.
"Please, everyone, stay out of this. Just watch quietly. It's time to put an end to this grudge that's lasted thousands of years."
With a creak and a thunderous roar, the door burst open. I was flung outside, landing on a large stone not far from the entrance. Across from me, Yuna Ji sat clutching her long spear, her eyes bright with excitement as she watched me.
Now I finally understood why the Saint of the Underworld wanted me to seek the Way and ask for its help—he must have sensed danger ahead of time.
"Yuna Ji, let me confirm one last time. Do you really want to be buried in this darkness?"
Yuna Ji let out a low chuckle, her eyes flashing with anger. But this time I noticed her eyes—one golden-red, the other black-green.
"It's not that I want to die in this darkness—it's that I want to kill you. The grudge between us, my parents, my elder brother, my sister, my friends—their will has always been buried deep in my heart. Wraithshade, everything between us, it's time to end it. Show your true power, or... you'll die..."
Yuna Ji stood up. I stared in surprise as the ghostly green aura on her body deepened, then gradually turned fiery red, until she looked like she was burning in flames.
"Battle Instinct... Final Duel..."
In an instant, my eyes widened. The Sleeper and the Undertaker, who had just come out behind me, were both stunned. It was willpower, mixed in with the ghostly aura—an incredibly strong will to kill Wraithshade, and a deep, profound sadness.
"You've already unleashed your Battle Instinct. That means you're ready, just like back then."
Wraithshade sneered, slowly rising into the air. Suddenly, a series of images flooded into my mind—I clutched my head, staring in disbelief at Yuna Ji. Nine multi-colored, ribbon-like tail feathers floated gently from her back.
"That's right, I can feel your surging fighting spirit, Yuna Ji. Back then, I had other plans, and taking your soul was just incidental. But I never expected you would escape Old Hell's judgment and remain in the living world. Instead, your protection allowed the Ji family to rise again—Ji Fa destroyed the Shang dynasty and founded the Zhou dynasty. Ha, I suppose that's something to celebrate, isn't it?"
I swallowed hard. Yuna Ji chuckled again, slowly rising to her feet.
"Are you talking about Ji Fa, that kid? It's true, I helped him quite a bit in secret, but none of it really matters. Are you trying to win my favor with that?"
Wraithshade nodded.
"Your Ji family really did turn misfortune into a blessing. To build a dynasty in human society is a rare thing. Honestly, if I hadn't pushed things along, none of this would have succeeded. Can we postpone this? Our fight?"
Yuna Ji shook her head.
"Fine. Sleeper, Undertaker, please take the intel back, especially you, Sleeper. Get everything I told you ready, then come back here. This is a personal grudge—I don't want anyone else involved."
"No. What if you..."
The Sleeper's eyes widened, and he immediately drifted to Wraithshade's side.
"Do you think I'll lose?"
The Sleeper looked troubled. He neither nodded nor shook his head, but was clearly conflicted.
Yuna Ji's condition now was completely different from before. That high-density ghostly aura was the manifestation of her instincts, and such power had blocked out the darkness, leaving her unaffected by its influence.
"Don't worry. I won't lose. The one who dies today will be Yuna Ji."
"I'll stay here. Sleeper, hurry back and prepare everything. If something goes wrong, I'll figure something out."
I immediately fixed my gaze on the Undertaker.
"If you try to interfere, I won't stand aside either."
The Sleeper stared at me silently, without a smile. His gaze turned icy. Now, to the Dark Banquet, Wraithshade was like a rare jade that could never be allowed to break.
If Wraithshade died, the great door to Emperor Huang's Domain behind us would never open again.
"Over thousands of years, I've been through countless ordeals. Even at death's door, I survived. Now, I intend to answer Yuna Ji's fighting spirit—as her enemy, this duel will be glorious."
As Wraithshade spoke, he tore off his cloak, reached into his pocket, and his hair instantly fluffed out. But then I saw his hair slowly shrink until it only reached his waist. Wraithshade pressed a hand to his mouth, preparing to remove his veil. My eyes widened.
In that instant, my jaw dropped as I stared at Wraithshade's face in disbelief. Except for his eyes, there were no other features—no nose, no mouth—just a blank, eerie visage that sent chills down my spine.
"So this is your true face? Hahaha..."
Yuna Ji burst out laughing. Wraithshade's eyes glinted with amusement as his voice sounded.
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"Of course. I've looked like this for a very long time."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wraithshade's two hands let go, and his conical hat and cloak instantly dissolved into a wisp of black smoke. With a creaking sound, Wraithshade twisted all his bones.
"Life return..."
In an instant, Wraithshade crouched in midair, his hands flickering as he rapidly formed seals. Strange red symbols appeared on his tight black clothes. His body swelled slightly, and with a crack, the place where his mouth should be split open. A black mass emerged, and soon the mouth became a small round hole, pitch black inside. Immediately, I felt a suffocating chill.
"Ghost transformation... Illusory form..."
With a crack, Wraithshade's knees split open, revealing a wailing human face. Gradually, all over his body, round, wailing human faces appeared—on his arms, neck, and even cheeks.
All the faces were wailing, their expressions twisted in unbearable pain.
"It's true. You don't look human at all anymore."
Yuna Ji covered her mouth, gagged, then spat, raising her spear and aiming it at Wraithshade.
"That's only natural, Yuna Ji. Since you're burning with fighting spirit, I have to respond—with this form, I'll fight you."
With a swish, Wraithshade gripped two long awls in his hands.
At that moment, I sensed something strange about Wraithshade's power—ghostly energy mixed within. He was planning to go head-to-head, to decide victory or defeat with Yuna Ji by force.
"Well then, do you two think I'll lose now?"
The Sleeper shook his head.
"With things like this, there's no way you'll lose."
The Undertaker muttered, and the two of them quickly turned into black shadows, heading toward the ring-shaped city. Yuna Ji spun her spear and slowly flew toward Wraithshade.
"It's about to begin. All these years of grudges—it's time to end them. Now, in this darkness, you have nowhere left to run, Wraithshade."
"Of course, Yuna Ji. I have nowhere left to run, and neither do you."
With a boom, a surge of red and black energy collided. Wraithshade crossed his awls to block Yuna Ji's spear. Sizzling sounds erupted as the surface of Yuna Ji's body began to corrode, the wailing faces on Wraithshade intensifying the effect.
With a bang, the two separated. Yuna Ji flipped in midair, landing nimbly in a crouch. The corroded parts of her body quickly regenerated. Wraithshade was already before her; she roared and thrust her spear at him in fury.
With a boom, a fiery red beam shot out, striking Wraithshade head-on. Yet he was completely unharmed—instead, his awls pierced Yuna Ji's shoulders.
I noticed two round faces on Wraithshade's chest shrivel and vanish, replaced by new ones amidst agonized wailing.
"After manifesting, your power has multiplied so many times that I can't counter you with sorcery alone. When things reach their limit, they reverse—so I can only use ghostly power. Yuna Ji, my fighting style isn't just about sorcery. When I'm alone, I often practice ghost combat methods."
"Are you trying to say I don't stand a chance?"
With a wicked grin, Yuna Ji suddenly let go of her spear. Scarlet light flared in her hands, and in an instant, she held two long swords—the twin blades of General Red Plume. My eyes widened.
With a swish, Wraithshade retreated, two faces on his chest vanishing.
A surge of scarlet light erupted as Yuna Ji raised the twin crimson swords and charged forward.
"Scarlet Storm..."