Chapter 367 - 366: City of the Dead?

Chapter 367: Chapter 366: City of the Dead?

The tip of the Floating Life Blade was stuck fast to the mirror’s surface. Hee Lingchuan didn’t pull it out. He asked it, "Given up?"

"I submit, I submit! You’re incredible!" ’What in the world is this blade?’

Hee Lingchuan twisted the blade. "Who did you just call a filthy bug?"

"I..." The mirror was quick on the uptake. "I was talking about that kid, Gan the Third!"

"What exactly are you? Dare to tell me another lie, and I’ll twist you into knots."

"I was originally a Heart-Protecting Mirror bestowed by the Celestial Derivation Sect upon General Youu Shanming. I accompanied him into battle for many years. I awoke after absorbing too many Resentful Souls."

’So this thing was a Heart-Protecting Mirror? No wonder it was so hard to pierce; that’s literally what it was made to block.’

Hee Lingchuan remembered that the mirrors used by Qingxu and his people were of the same design. It seemed they were standard-issue products from the Celestial Derivation Sect.

Fortunately, he had stabbed it from back to front, which counted as striking a weak point.

The mirror continued, "Later, General Youu fell in battle. I was taken from his Battle Armor and passed through the hands of many masters. They all used me to kill humans and slay demons, which is how I’ve maintained my spiritual nature even as the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi has faded."

"What are you doing here?"

"I was sealed for a very long time, deep in slumber. A few days ago, I suddenly devoured a large piece of Emperor’s Liquid Paste, which woke me. I found myself in the wilderness, so I summoned my Mirror Slave to get me out of there." The mirror sounded vexed. "Even with my support, she was over two hundred years old and had reached the end of her lifespan. I had no choice but to find a new Mirror Slave nearby."

"Third Master Gan?" ’As the name implied, the mirror used living people as slaves.’

"Yes. The rule for claiming a Mirror Slave is that I must grant them three wishes. Of course, it’s best if they agree to become my slave outright."

’What an idiot.’ Hee Lingchuan shook his head inwardly. No wonder Uncle Gan had repeatedly warned his younger brother to stay away from the Divine Woman.

"Did Uncle Gan see how you handled Young Master Sha?"

"He was standing right there," the mirror said. "Did you think he didn’t know? I told him it would count as Gan the Third’s second wish, but he still insisted!"

Hee Lingchuan was silent. Uncle Gan knew the Divine Woman wouldn’t help the Gan Family for nothing and that the price would ultimately fall on Gan the Third. Yet for the sake of his business, he still demanded that the Divine Woman strike at Young Master Sha.

’Then again, from another perspective, Third Master Gan had been living the high life for seventeen or eighteen years solely because of his older brother. What was wrong with paying a small price for the family?’

As he was pondering this, a large, two-foot-long fish suddenly leaped from the lake and slammed directly into his wrist.

It was a masterstroke. While talking with the mirror, Hee Lingchuan had kept his Divine Thought active, scanning his surroundings to prevent an ambush.

However, the lake water blocked his Divine Thought, so the fish’s leap came without any warning.

The Evil Ghost that had escaped earlier had stealthily entered the water and possessed the fish. ℴ

The impact jolted his wrist, flipping the mirror over so that its reflective surface was pointing straight at Hee Lingchuan!

The surface of the mirror began to glow, and in it, he saw his own face.

His reflection was sneering at him. "Did you really think you’d won? Surrender your soul!"

It had deliberately feigned weakness, waiting for this exact moment!

Hee Lingchuan instantly felt a powerful suction from the mirror, attempting to pull his Divine Soul inside.

He had fallen for this trick before in the mirror’s Illusion Realm, but the pull from that reflection was nothing compared to the real thing!

No wonder so many had fallen victim to it.

But as the reflection in the mirror cackled with glee, a deep hum resonated in Hee Lingchuan’s mind—WENG—like the toll of a great ancient bell.

The sound was deep and resonant, carrying an ineffable, magnificent power that instantly anchored his Divine Soul, stopping it from being shaken again.

’Just as I thought.’ Hee Lingchuan finally relaxed. The two-piece set he possessed was more than enough to restrain this mirror.

Meanwhile, his reflection in the mirror stared with wide eyes.

From its perspective, an enormous city had suddenly appeared in the void behind Hee Lingchuan. Though only its silhouette could be discerned in the darkness, its details unclear, the city was majestic and sprawling. Countless figures swarmed its gates, and innumerable voices seemed to whisper on the air, washing over the mirror with an overwhelming, majestic aura!

’This is a power I can’t possibly resist!’

"The City of the Dead! The City of the Dead!" the mirror shrieked, its voice cracking with terror like a rabbit cornered by a tiger. "You’re from the Soul Village! The City of the Dead... it really exists..."

The Floating Life Blade suddenly pulsed, its murderous aura silencing the mirror.

’Ah, I’ve cracked a little more!’

"City of the Dead my ass!" Hee Lingchuan sneered, punching the mirror twice. "Spit out my Golden Armor Copper Man!"

’I have no idea what the hell this mirror saw to make it suddenly scream about the City of the Dead.’

He didn’t know anything about a City of the Dead; he only knew Panlong City. Thinking back on his first trip through the desert, Panlong City had indeed been inhabited by innumerable Heroic Souls—souls that had killed both Nian Songyu and National Preceptor Sunx.

’Aren’t Heroic Souls just another kind of dead spirit?’

The existence of Panlong City was his biggest secret, his ultimate trump card. He was not at all pleased that this mirror had just blurted it out.

This thing was treacherous, always scheming. If his treasure wasn’t still trapped inside it, he would have shattered it to pieces right then and there to avoid any future trouble.

Thoroughly terrified, the mirror was much more compliant now. With a PUFF, it spat out the Golden Armor Copper Man.

The Copper Man had thrown the three of them out of the Mirror World, then fallen back in along with Red Phoenix. If the Mirror Spirit hadn’t cooperated, Hee Lingchuan would have lost a valuable treasure.

The Golden Armor Copper Man had reverted to its small puppet form. Hee Lingchuan picked it up and, after a quick inspection, was so furious he could have breathed fire.

"The Profound Crystal! Where’s the Profound Crystal from my Copper Man? Did you devour it?"

As a hulking War Puppet, the Golden Armor Copper Man required a Profound Crystal for power. Hee Lingchuan only had two Profound Crystals in total. He’d put one inside the puppet, which should have been enough for at least several uses.

But now, the compartment in the Copper Man was completely empty!

"It wasn’t me! It used up the energy itself." After hearing the mirror’s excuses, Hee Lingchuan learned that after he and his companions had escaped the Mirror World, the Golden Armor Copper Man had lost its connection to its controller. Having never received a command to halt, it just kept rampaging.

It was a huge energy hog, so it quickly burned through the entire Profound Crystal.

Hearing this, Hee Lingchuan felt his heart bleed.

Profound Crystals were an incredibly precious resource; each one cost tens of thousands. And one had just been wasted like that.

Moreover, the Copper Man was covered in scratches. It had obviously been in a lot of fights within the Illusion Realm.

’What a massive loss.’

And to top it off, the mirror had the audacity to complain, "It fought with the figures inside my world, disrupting a great deal of karma! I’m the real victim here!"

Hee Lingchuan was seething. Just as he was about to teach the damned mirror another lesson, the sound of hooves drew near, and Wu Jingsong and his companion finally returned.

"The moment we reached Baijiao Temple, Gan the Third disintegrated into ash," Wu Jingsong said, still breathing hard. "We were tricked."

Hee Lingchuan held up the Copper Mirror, careful to keep its back turned toward them.

"Here’s the mirror," he said grumpily. "It’s the cause of all this mischief. Gan the Third was just a decoy, a Mirror Slave bound to its service."

Wu Jingsong crept closer. "So this is what captured our souls?"

"I suppose so." Hee Lingchuan tapped the mirror. "Hey! Their souls. Give them back!"

After he knocked a few more times, the mirror grudgingly spat out two orbs of light.

The two orbs of light flew toward Wu Jingsong and the other man, burrowing into them through their various orifices.

Both men shivered. Their vacant gazes quickly cleared, and their expressions grew animated.

They exchanged a look, then cupped their fists at Hee Lingchuan. "Thank you for your assistance, Young Master Hee!"

’Just from the different tone in their voices,’ Hee Lingchuan thought, ’I know their souls are back—no, that their wits are back.’ They could show their own emotions again.

"We still need to retrieve Young Master Sha’s lost soul."

The mirror chimed in hastily, "I can, but if I release it now, his soul will dissipate." The Sha Mansion was more than a hundred li away. Even a Life Soul couldn’t remain outside a body or a vessel for that long.

Their comrades had been killed by this thing. Xu Dongdong ground his teeth in hatred. "That won’t be necessary! We brought sea-bottom wood, which can sustain a soul..."

How could they have come looking for Young Master Sha’s lost soul without preparing a vessel for it? But he cut himself off, suddenly remembering that their companion had been carrying the sea-bottom wood, and that companion was now dead inside the Mirror World.

"Give us back the sea-bottom wood!"

The mirror said nothing, pretending it hadn’t heard. ’I’m not an idiot,’ it thought. ’The moment I hand it over, that big blade will probably come down on me.’

"It seems we’ll have to take this thing with us," Wu Jingsong said. He looked at Hee Lingchuan and hesitated before asking, "I wonder... would Young Master Hee be willing to transfer ownership...?"

’This is his prize, and he’s obviously powerful. What price could I possibly name that would persuade him to hand over the mirror?’

Hee Lingchuan waved a hand. "Are you two heading back to the Grand Tutor’s Mansion of the King of Treasure Tree to make your report?"

"That’s right."

"I’m going to Beiga as well." Hee Lingchuan flashed a smile. "Mind if I join you?"

Wu Jingsong was ecstatic. "Nothing could be better!"

A weight lifted from his shoulders, and his smile broadened. "If you return the young master’s soul, the Grand Tutor will be sure to reward you handsomely!"

Hee Lingchuan chuckled. ’He seemed more sincere when he was a soulless husk.’

They then demanded the mirror return the five bodies of the Sha Mansion Guards, burying them and erecting a headstone by the shores of Mochou Lake.

Wu Jingsong and Xu Dongdong recited a prayer for the dead, poured out two flasks of wine, and only then did they retrieve their horses to return to Wuze County with Hee Lingchuan.

As for Third Master Gan, Hee Lingchuan had his own way of dealing with him:

He forced the mirror to dissolve the Mirror Slave contract, setting Third Master Gan free.

’Killing him with a single stroke would be letting him off far too lightly.’

To be honest, while the Soul-Catching Mirror was hardly a benevolent artifact, with the Gan Family on the verge of collapse and Third Master Gan’s own prospects so bleak, becoming its Mirror Slave might have actually been his best option.

The previous Divine Woman, after being cut in half by Hee Lingchuan, had been able to rapidly heal thanks to her status as a Mirror Slave. Furthermore, she had lived for over two hundred years, far beyond the limits of a normal human lifespan.

If the mirror were to use its treacherous, dirty tricks, it might have actually pulled the Gan Family out of the mire.

Hadn’t Uncle Gan already proven as much?

Wicked things have their uses, and wicked paths have their own shortcuts.

Hee Lingchuan had specifically made the mirror nullify the contract to send Third Master Gan back to square one, forcing him to face the consequences he deserved.

For a parasitic character like him, once the pillar of his family collapsed, his end...

Heh.