Chapter 3099 - The Mirror of Mysteries

The one who’d appeared out of nowhere beside the Threelives Buddha was a woman in a feather coat. She had a beautiful face, with snowy skin and an extraordinary bearing, as if she’d risen above the dust of mundanity. When she looked around, her bright eyes held imposing majesty.

Su Yi recognized her at a glance. This was the woman who’d called herself a disciple of the Primordial Divine Court. She’d appeared in the Sea of Fate’s Blood Lotus Forbidden Domain to carry off the three Sovereign Corpses.

That was their only interaction, but she’d nonetheless left a deep impression on Su Yi.

It wasn’t just because she was a disciple of Sovereign Venerate Yi’s lineage. Rather, it was because of her blatant, unconcealed murderous intent, all of it directed at him!

But Su Yi hadn’t anticipated that she’d be working with the Threelives Buddha.

The two River Ancestors also recognized the woman in the feather coat. They exchanged glances, and both of them frowned.

The Threelives Buddha chuckled. “Fellow Daoist, you’ve met each other before. There’s no need for me to introduce you, right?”

The woman in the feather coat grunted softly. “Yes, we’ve met. We almost fought, too.”

She looked at Su Yi, a hint of strangeness in her gaze.

Not long ago, she’d followed Sovereign Venerate Yi’s orders and traveled to the Hibernating Insects Pure Land. There, she found the mysterious, secretive Grassy Hut of Morning.

It was there that she’d met the Threelives Buddha, a fellow guest of the Grassy Hut of Morning. The hut’s owner, a thin old man with an air of impending death, was dressed like a scholar. He had a long goatee, and his face was completely covered in wrinkles.

He called himself Chu Shanke.

When Hong Ling gave Chu Shanke the mysterious jade medallion the founder had entrusted to her, Chu Shanke examined it briefly, then arranged for her to work with the Threelives Buddha.

They hadn’t been acquainted previously.

Chu Shanke didn’t explain. All he said was that the Threelives Buddha’s expedition into the Abyss of Endless Tribulations involved a grand stroke of good fortune.

The good fortune in question dated back to the early days of the Primordial Era. Sovereign Venerate Yi had known of its existence, but he’d never found an opportunity to seek it out.

Things were different now. With the Threelives Buddha accompanying her, Hong Ling had a real shot at finding this good fortune.

But Hong Ling hadn’t anticipated that Su Yi had the key to the Abyss of Endless Tribulations!

Su Yi was even more surprised. “I didn’t think Spirit Mountain Buddhist Court and the Primordial Divine Court were working together.”

The Threelives Buddha smiled. “You misunderstand, Fellow Daoist. We’re simply cooperating in pursuit of good fortune. That doesn’t mean we’ve formed an alliance.”

Hong Ling said calmly, “The Primordial Divine Court will soon rise again. We don’t need any sort of alliance to do so.”

She spoke with deep-seated confidence.

Then, as if to prove what she’d said was true, she revealed a secret. “Not long ago, Heavenly Sovereign E came to us and expressed his willingness to work with us. He said that together, we’d accomplish great things, but... our founder disdained to even consider it.”

Everyone was stunned. Something like that really happened?

Even the Threelives Buddha looked stunned. He couldn’t help but re-evaluate Hong Ling.

But Hong Ling took it all in calmly. She continued, “Heavenly Sovereign E is backed by Three Purities Temple, but our founder once refused a personal invitation from one of the Three Pure Ones. How could he possibly concern himself with such things?”

She paused, her eyes full of reverence. “At the time, the founder said that no one would ever use the Primordial Divine Court as a weapon, no matter who they were! He refused to work with Heavenly Sovereign E... unless he first submitted to us!”

The crowd couldn’t help but look impressed. Sovereign Venerate Yi is really something!

Su Yi thought back to his encounter with Sovereign Venerate Yi’s clone in the Sea of Fate. He couldn’t help but feel a bit strange.

There was no denying Sovereign Venerate Yi’s majestic bearing. He was as distant and aloof as a cloud. There was no way someone like him would form an alliance with another.

The Threelives Buddha said softly, “I admire Sovereign Venerate Yi, but I’ve never been fortunate enough to meet him face to face.”

A smile tugged at Hong Ling’s lips. “Within just a few years, our founder will re-enter the world. When the time comes, you’ll naturally get to witness his magnificence for yourself.”

This declaration startled the crowd once more. The Sovereign Among Sovereigns, the greatest expert of the Primordial Era, will soon re-enter this world? If that’s true, it’ll mean an enormous shock to the world’s balance of power!

Su Yi couldn’t help but laugh. “Threelives Buddha, surely you didn’t come here just to chat?”

The Threelives Buddha shook his head, then said solemnly, “I trust you’ve already guessed why I’m here, Fellow Daoist. There’s no need to hide it: Fellow Daoist Hong Ling and I are here for the Abyss of Endless Tribulations.”

“You want me to take you there?” asked Su Yi.

“That’s right.” The Threelives Buddha nodded.

“Why should I?”

The Threelives Buddha said solemnly, “The Monarch of Endless Tribulations and my master have met with grave calamity, and I have means of resolving it!”

Su Yi’s gaze focused. The bald donkey really does know what happened to the Monarch of Endless Tribulations and the Buddha of Non-Existence!

“You ought to trust me just this once, if only to save them,” said the Threelives Buddha. “After all, a sliver of hope is better than none at all.”

Su Yi looked at Hong Ling. “Alright, but why bring her? Don’t tell me she can resolve this catastrophe, too?”

The Threelives Buddha looked at Hong Ling. “Fellow Daoist, why not show a little sincerity? It’ll help Fellow Daoist Su relax.”

Hong Ling didn’t waste time on idle talk. She flipped her jade-like hand, and a mirror of carved bone floated into the air.

Chaos qi emanated from within the mirror. Firelight interwove, reflecting an unbelievable scene.

It depicted an abyss like a black hole or an enormous, gaping maw. Even stars seemed paltry and insignificant by comparison.

The abyss floated amidst the turbid waters of the River of Destiny, flickering in and out of view. It seemed incomparably mystical.

Su Yi’s eyes narrowed. He’d seen the Abyss of Endless Tribulations in River Ancestor Lu Shu’s memories, so he recognized the scene in the mirror at a glance. That was the entrance to the abyss!

But what really surprised Su Yi wasn’t the scene; it was the mirror itself.

When it appeared, the Book of Destiny, the Cauldron of Fate, and the Contented Heart Scepter all resonated as one. It was subtle, yet strange.

As if... they’d run into one of their own!

A lot occurred to Su Yi all at once.

Long ago, the heart devil said in response to the Contented Heart Scepter, “When the Book of Destiny and Contented Heart Scepter enter the world, other taboo treasures will inevitably appear, too. You’d best be careful. Those carrying these treasures will be the most dangerous enemies you’ll encounter in your cultivation.”

Over the past several years, Su Yi had only sensed similar strange movements when he met Lian Yue.

Yet now, it was happening again in response to the bone mirror!

Su Yi didn’t even need to think to conclude that it was a taboo treasure, just like the Book of Destiny, the Cauldron of Fate, and the Contented Heart Scepter.

Assuming the heart devil was telling the truth, that meant the mirror’s owner was likely to become one of his most dangerous enemies in his pursuit of the Grand Dao!

As Su Yi’s thoughts raced, Hong Ling put the mirror away. “This treasure is known as the Mirror of Mysteries. It was given to me by our founder. It can peer into the mysteries of negative karma and the shifting of tribulations. Possessing it is like opening a celestial eye. It enables its owner to avoid danger in favor of fortune and grasp all the dangers and calamities in their path.”

Hong Ling didn’t explain any further, but the Mirror of Mysteries obviously had other applications, too.

“So, the mirror belongs to Sovereign Venerate Yi...” Su Yi’s eyebrows rose. Doesn’t that mean that he’s most likely one of the enemies the heart devil told me I’d face?

“Do you trust our sincerity now?” the Threelives Buddha asked with a smile.

Su Yi set his scattered thoughts aside and said directly, “I have one last question. Answer honestly, and I’ll naturally consider working with you.”

“No need to ask, Fellow Daoist. I’ll tell you what you want to know,” said the Threelives Buddha. As Su Yi’s old enemy, it was immediately obvious to him what Su Yi wanted to ask, so he got straight to the point. “I’m going to the Abyss of Endless Tribulations to save my master, the Buddha of Non-Existence, while Fellow Daoist Hong Ling is after a certain stroke of good fortune Sovereign Venerate Yi has set his sights on. Better to let her explain the details.”

Hong Ling’s brow furrowed slightly; it seemed she hadn’t anticipated that the Threelives Buddha would be so honest. Just like that, he’d laid her intentions out in the open.

The Threelives Buddha said with the utmost seriousness, “I’ve known Fellow Daoist Su for years, and I understand his personality. If you want to work with him, you’d best be honest.”

Only then did Hong Ling reluctantly explain herself. “I’ll tell him, and him alone.”

Her voice then emanated directly into Su Yi’s ears. “The good fortune in the Abyss of Endless Tribulations is a taboo treasure manifested from divine tribulations! According to the founder, only the Mirror of Mysteries can sense it, so only I can acquire it. Does that answer satisfy you, Fellow Daoist?”

Su Yi pondered briefly, then said, “If you can use the mirror to reflect the abyss’s entrance, why choose to work with Threelives and me?”

The Threelives Buddha sighed. “You know the answer to that, so why ask? Without the Key to Endless Tribulations, finding the entrance will do us no good. We won’t be able to enter.”

“Is it really that simple?” asked Su Yi.

The Threelives Buddha said forthrightly, “If I really just wanted to plot against you, I wouldn’t have needed to come here. Fellow Daoist Hong Ling and I could have just set up an ambush outside the entrance to the Abyss of Endless Tribulations and intercepted you there.”

He paused, then said, “We chose not to because we’re concerned doing so would lead to variables that would ruin our plans. I’m sure you don’t want to see that happen, either.”

He paused for emphasis. “Saving my master comes first!”

When someone was your long-established enemy, cooperating with them was unquestionably difficult, as trust was impossible.

No amount of sincerity could possibly win an enemy’s full trust.

But Su Yi knew that the Threelives Buddha was right. If he refused, it was highly likely that unexpected developments would arise, and that might delay him. Who knew what would happen to the Monarch of Endless Tribulations and Buddha of Non-Existence then?

“Very well. I’ll trust you just this once,” Su Yi said in the end.

They might well turn against him, but what of it? If they did, he wouldn’t mind accompanying them to the bitter end!