Tang Xiangyin turned her head. Yao Ranran's eyes were still open, pure as a mountain spring. Her long lashes cast delicate shadows across her jade-like face, and her gaze was as bright as melting snow beneath the sun, soft yet entrancing, like a gentle breeze.
Suddenly, a hand swung down, shattering that fragile calm.
"Forgive me. No matter how beautiful these eyes are, they cannot be allowed to see the light right now!" Tang Xiangyin pressed her hand over Yao Ranran's eyes and pulled her carefully toward the back door, every sense alert.
…
The night was unnervingly silent.
Without warning, thick fog surged, roiling as if something unseen moved within it.
A cold gleam flickered under the pale moonlight.
From Tang Manor, the mist spread outward, devouring everything in its path: resting cultivators, wandering beasts, even petty quarrels. All of it was swallowed whole.
Companions scattered. Strange apparitions appeared. The secret realm trembled.
…
Outside the ancestral hall of Tang Manor.
Pei Xianqiao had been meditating when the Treasure-Seeking Mouse on her shoulder suddenly squeaked and woke her.
A chill crawled up her spine. Around her, the white fog twisted and spun wildly.
"What is happening?" She immediately activated her defensive barrier and swept the mouse into her spirit beast pouch.
A streak of piercing light tore across the mist. Pei Xianqiao drew her sword, only to freeze when she saw the object that appeared.
"A copper mirror?"
But the reflection inside was not her own face.
Pei Xianqiao's pupils contracted. "Yao Ranran? Why are you here?"
The woman in the mirror smiled faintly, ripples spreading across the surface, and then stepped out of the mirror itself.
"Pei Xianqiao, what is it you fear? Are you afraid I will steal Shen Zhēnjūn's affection? Afraid I will win the trust of everyone in Wuxiang Sect?"
Pei Xianqiao cast a sharp glance around. No one.
This figure had come straight from the mirror.
But why had it taken Yao Ranran's form?
She froze.
Fear?
Had she truly always been afraid of Yao Ranran?
Even after Yao Ranran was punished to the Eastern Wilderness, even after her cultivation was stripped away, had she still feared that she might one day return to kill her?
"Zhi—!"
In the instant of her daze, the mirrored Yao Ranran lunged forward and clawed at her throat. The Treasure-Seeking Mouse poked its head from the pouch, then shot out and bit down hard.
"Ah!" Yao Ranran yelped and spun away, retreating into the fog.
Pei Xianqiao came back to herself. The mouse leapt into her arms, and together they gave chase.
This could not be the real Yao Ranran. It was only her heart demon!
Her eyes sharpened with resolve. She understood now. Only by shattering that mirror could she break free of this illusion.
…
Inside the ancestral hall.
A graceful silhouette flickered past Tang Xiangyin's vision, slipping swiftly through the back door.
Tang Xiangyin's eyes widened in shock. She pointed with a trembling hand. "She, she, she…"
Yao Ranran heard the fear in her tone. She suddenly tore Tang Xiangyin's hand away from her eyes and looked around. "What is it? Has she come?"
"You should not have opened your eyes!" Tang Xiangyin cried out.
A cold beam shot down through the roof, aimed at Tang Xiangyin. Yao Ranran shoved her aside, and a bright copper mirror manifested before her.
[Mirror Wraith: A divine power of the Mirror Spirit. Anyone who looks into the Mirror Wraith will see the person they most fear.]
With the Ancient Appraisal Mirror, Yao Ranran discerned its true nature at once. She decided to destroy it before it could act further.
As long as her Nine Lotus Ring was fast enough, no one could harm her.
"Zhi—!" The Treasure-Seeking Mouse cried again, sending a signal toward Pei Xianqiao.
Pei Xianqiao's eyes flashed. Her toes tapped the ground and the Cangling Snow Sword sang free from its sheath. A sharp sword aura ripped through the fog, striking directly at her foe.
The Nine Lotus Ring flared in dazzling white brilliance, brighter than moonlight itself.
Yao Ranran raised her gaze. A gleaming sword hung above her, and in her mind flickered descriptions from a book.
Three feet three in length, glowing with radiant blue light, silver fire patterns etched along its body, the words "Cangling" carved on the hilt.
This was the heroine Pei Xianqiao's Cangling Snow Sword.
So, her Nine Lotus Ring had not been fast enough. The Mirror Wraith had assumed the form of her deepest fear.
Their eyes met for a heartbeat. To Pei Xianqiao, it felt like an eternity. In that moment, she saw something almost redeeming in the apparition, blurred white light dazzling her vision, tears sliding down her cheeks. She licked the corner of her lips. It tasted like happiness.
"Pei Xianqiao, let me test my strength on you first!" Perhaps one day, she would face the real heroine.
Yao Ranran stepped back, Nine Lotus Ring in hand. Pei Xianqiao snapped awake, her Cangling Snow Sword flashing upward. She spun, creating distance, then gathered a storm of blue sword energy at its tip.
Yao Ranran admired her beauty even as she hurled the Nine Lotus Ring with ruthless force.
Nine lotus apparitions bloomed in the air, crisp chimes ringing as they trapped Pei Xianqiao where she floated. With a twist of Yao Ranran's hands, the nine lotus blossoms dragged her upward, smashing through the roof of the ancestral hall.
Pei Xianqiao stifled the nausea rising within her and flung her dispersing sword aura at one of the blossoms.
Yao Ranran streaked forward like lightning, black-gold Demon Staff in hand. The best way to face a heart demon was to kill it in a single strike. She could not slay the true heroine with her fate-protected destiny, but this false image had no such luck.
The Demon Staff swelled before Pei Xianqiao's eyes. Shock gripped her. This Mirror Wraith's version of Yao Ranran wielded powers even the real one did not. And the Nine Lotus Ring—it was several times stronger than the weapon Yao Ranran had ever wielded.
No time to think. Blows rained down. Spinning inside the Nine Lotus Ring, Pei Xianqiao hurled talismans in every direction.
Yao Ranran's advance slowed, but only slightly. With a flick of her wrist, she summoned back one lotus blossom. Pei Xianqiao seized the moment to slip free.
Her feet touched the ground. Without a glance back, she darted into the fog.
The true Yao Ranran could never be this formidable. This Mirror Wraith was too powerful. At this moment, she was no match for it.
Her sharpened senses made the decision instantly. She had to flee, use the mist to lay a killing formation. Even if she had little time, the array could increase her chances of victory by thirty percent.
"Where do you think you're going!"
Since her arrival, Yao Ranran had never met an enemy who survived more than a strike.
Battle lust surged within her. This was her chance to test her true strength.
Pei Xianqiao's figure flitted like the wind, the world growing quiet around her.
She looked back once. That single glance froze her blood.
A blinding radiance bloomed. Yao Ranran stood atop a lotus, divine and overwhelming, her Demon Staff descending like judgment itself. One strike nearly obliterated her.
…
Central Continent, Wuxiang Sect.
"Si—" In mid-conversation, Han Huijun pressed his brow. "Why do I feel… something is about to happen tonight?"