Shattered Mirror

The hard stone surface was icy cold, and the surroundings were pitch black, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

The dizziness caused by the teleportation made Xu Yuan feel nauseous and wanted to vomit. After slightly adjusting his state, he sighed inwardly.

I was teleported anyway.

If Li Qingyan were as obedient and adorable as Big Ice Block and had simply escaped, given Li Qingyan's speed at the last moment, which even Nan Jinxi couldn't react to, the two of them could definitely have escaped the Kunwu Mirror's locking range.

But if Li Qingyan could obey without reservation, then she wouldn't be Li Qingyan.

With these thoughts in mind,

Xu Yuan suddenly felt like laughing.

He could understand what the princess with the bound breast was thinking.

Without a god's-eye view, he didn't know the power of the Kunwu Mirror, nor did he know that he was able to escape the Kunwu Mirror's lock by risking his life to use the Void-Stepping Slash to break through the invincibility frame.

Although he couldn't see the details of what happened in that instant, he could guess the course of the fight between the two women.

Without the Kunwu Mirror's "absorption" and "reflection" properties, Nan Jinxi, that vixen, would have been instantly killed by Li Qingyan, who was empowered by the military formation.

Why run away in this situation? The best option is to capture this vixen and interrogate her for information.

But it's too late to say all this now. In the end, they were tricked by Nan Jinxi, who used the Kunwu Mirror to outmaneuver them.

As for where Nan Jinxi wanted to teleport them?

Under normal circumstances, the Kunwu Mirror can only teleport people a relatively short distance.

In the real world, that's roughly a few hundred miles.

Given the current situation, Xu Yuan could guess Nan Jinxi's destination with his eyes closed.

Fortunately, Li Qingyan managed to bring Nan Jinxi along in the end; otherwise, that would have been truly desperate.

Just as I was thinking,

Xu Yuan suddenly felt his wrist being slightly gripped by the warm, jade-like hand beside him.

Looking up, he heard that familiar, husky female voice, tinged with apology, beside him:

"My lord, you said you would be buried here with me. Does that count as a suicide pact?"

"." Xu Yuan.

What should I do if I feel like swearing again?

Taking advantage of holding his delicate hand to stand up, Xu Yuan chuckled and replied telepathically:

"I don't want to die in this godforsaken place."

A moment of silence,

Li Qingyan's voice rang in my ears again, still as indifferent as snow even in the face of death:

"If you are unwilling, then I will do my best to create an opportunity for you, my consort, to escape."

As he spoke,

She glanced sideways at the outside of the cave.

There, besides the wind and snow, were countless eerie blue eyes hidden among the snow-covered forest.

Their arrival had already been discovered by the Barbarian Tribe generals outside, and countless Barbarian Tribe soldiers were silently approaching through the wind and snow.

"."

Xu Yuan did not immediately respond to Li Qingyan's words this time.

Looking around, Xu Yuan saw Nan Jinxi, whose face was pale. He figured that even he, a second-grade Origin Beginning, was struggling to cope with the drain from the Kunwu Mirror. However, Xu Yuan's gaze then fell on a pair of deep blue eyes not far away.

A crimson flame ignited in his pupils, instantly making the pitch-black cave much clearer, and allowing Xu Yuan to vaguely make out the owner of those deep blue eyes.

As expected, this should be the Barbarian Tribe Alien King who made a deal with him.

A one-armed humanoid creature, as massive as an iron tower, whose body is covered in hard barbs.

He sat there quietly, like a huge boulder, but compared to his immovable figure, the Barbarian King's eyes were flashing with a lot of complex emotions.

After a moment,

Xu Yuan thought,

This Barbarian Tribe Alien King should now be thanking nature for its bounty.

With a sigh in his heart, Xu Yuan transmitted his voice and asked:

Why didn't you take direct action?

This time, Li Qingyan didn't use telepathy. Holding her crimson demonic sword, her indifferent voice echoed in the cramped cave:

"The remaining military formation power within me can still allow me to unleash a strike. He didn't use his totem beforehand, and he was injured, so he can't withstand my attack."

The seemingly indifferent voice faded, but Li Qingyan softened slightly as it rang in Xu Yuan's ears:

"I will take the Barbarian Tribe Alien King hostage and leave this cave. Changtian, you should escape in the southeast direction. Luo Qingfeng and the others should be arriving soon. You have a chance to survive."

"."

After listening, Xu Yuan had a general understanding of the current situation.

Li Qingyan held a gun with only one bullet in his hand.

They might have just killed the enemy in the attack on Nan Jinxi to seize the Kunwu Mirror, but the Barbarian Tribe Alien King could suddenly attack and wipe them both out in the next instant.

If we kill the Barbarian King directly, we'll wipe out the hundreds of thousands of barbarian troops outside as well.

The reason why Nan Jinxi didn't use the Kunwu Mirror to escape is even simpler. Using the Kunwu Mirror for teleportation requires activation time, which is a moment for Xu Yuan, but a long time for the other two powerful figures in the cave.

The Barbarian King was unaware, but as long as Li Qingyan sensed that she was preparing to escape using the Kunwu Mirror, he would definitely come and drag her away with him.

After a brief silence, Xu Yuan calmly asked:

"You think you have no hope of escaping?"

Li Qingyan glanced at Xu Yuan, a slight smile playing on her phoenix eyes:

"Changtian, how can we escape this situation?"

Xu Yuan didn't pay attention to the change in address, and glanced at the Barbarian Tribe Alien King:

"Why not just take him hostage and leave together?"

Li Qingyan took a deep breath, her flat chest rising and falling slightly:

"Without the resonance of the soldier's Cultivation Method, the military formation power within my body is like a rootless duckweed, constantly weakening. It may completely dissipate in the Cultivation Method it takes to brew a cup of tea. Without the support of the military formation, even if the Barbarian King is injured, I am no match for him."

Xu Yuan smiled slightly, opened his mouth as if to speak.

Li Qingyan raised a finger and pressed it between Xu Yuan's lips, half-jokingly:

"Alright, time is of the essence. If you have anything you wish to say to me, there's no need to rush. We'll have plenty of opportunities in the next life."

After he finished speaking, the cave fell silent.

"Buzz--"

The crimson blade in Li Qingyan's hand suddenly emitted a buzzing sound, illuminating the entire dark cave with the light of the flames above. His voice was indifferent.

"Barbarian King, you are a smart man. I don't need to explain much more to you."

"."

A moment of silence,

The towering giant silently stood up, his tall, muscular body making the entire cave feel cramped and crowded.

Take a step forward,

The Barbarian Tribe Alien King slowly exhaled; his unique physical structure prevented any white mist from forming when he exhaled. His hoarse, difficult-to-pronounce Great Yan language rang out:

"Wu Yuan, I thought our next meeting would be on the battlefield in a few days, but it seems that the internal strife in your Great Yan has reached a point of no return."

"."

Li Qingyan didn't reply, staring at the Barbarian King, and calmly pointed the tip of his knife towards the cave entrance.

The Barbarian Tribe Alien King's dark and terrifying face seemed to smile for a moment, then he shook his head and walked steadily out of the cave.

Li Qingyan followed slowly, glancing at Nan Jinxi, who was preparing to condense her snow spirit avatar and escape.

Seeing this, Nan Jinxi, who was barely clothed, snorted softly and obediently followed behind the Barbarian King.

The only sounds in the cave were footsteps and the whistling wind.

Stop at the entrance of the cave.

Looking around, amidst the vast expanse of swirling snow, countless dark blue eyes have gathered, like demons from hell, covering the entire mountainside.

The royal court and tribes of the Barbarian Tribe have already gathered, and some barbarian god totems radiating terrifying power have already risen among the soldiers.

A tall figure stood at the cave entrance. The Barbarian Tribe Alien King glanced back at Li Qingyan Li Qingyan, then at the unfamiliar human man beside her, his deep voice a mixture of laughter and sigh:

"Wu Yuan, you've truly disappointed me by giving up exchanging weapons with me for the sake of such a male's survival."

Li Qingyan held his sword against the Barbarian Tribe Alien King's broad back, his crimson eyes devoid of any emotion.

"Barbarian King, overestimating yourself is not a good habit. Even if you live, the Barbarian Tribe will not escape defeat."

The Barbarian Tribe Alien King remained silent for a moment, then looked at his people and smiled:

"A true king should defy the heavens and the tides of history; even if he fails, I will have no regrets."

After the two finished speaking,

Xu Yuan immediately felt a gentle flow of Qi envelop him, and he rose into the air along with the other three.

The wind and snow at high altitudes were like knives, stinging people's faces.

At this time,

Xu Yuan suddenly spoke up:

"Li Qingyan, are you planning to use the last bit of strength in the army formation to throw me out?"

Li Qingyan's answer was concise and clear:

"Yes."

Xu Yuan shook his head:

"Listen to me, we won't die."

Upon hearing this, Li Qingyan's crimson eyes showed a hint of helplessness:

Is it even useful to say all this now?

"No, from now on, listen to me, and neither of us will die."

"."

Li Qingyan's eyes turned somewhat strange, then she laughed and said, "Your Highness, have you changed your mind and want to commit suicide with me?"

"." Xu Yuan.

He felt like cursing again.

What kind of time is this? Does this spendthrift woman really want to kill them both here?

But the next moment,

Li Qingyan's sigh-like voice then reached my ears:

"Since you've said so, Prince Consort, then I'll listen to you this once. But you'd better hurry, because the military formation power within me will soon be insufficient to kill the Barbarian King. At that point, he'll make his move directly."

Xu Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly, and without hesitation, he said:

"That mirror."

"What?"

Li Qingyan frowned slightly. "There's no time at all. No matter how badly the Barbarian Tribe Alien King is injured, he's still a saint with one foot in the door. Even if I kill this vixen..."

"What I mean is, you should cut directly at the mirror in that vixen's hand with that knife."

"."

Li Qingyan was silent for a moment, took a deep breath, and asked:

"Sure?"

"Wait until I finish counting down, then you can start."

"What countdown?"

"."

Xu Yuan remained silent, then turned to look at the tall Barbarian Tribe Alien King beside him:

"Hey, Barbarian King, how about we make another deal?"

"."

The Barbarian Tribe Alien King's pupils contracted, and he looked at Xu Yuan with surprise:

"Again?"

A strange light flickered in Xu Yuan's narrow eyes, and he chuckled softly:

"Heh, you've forgotten about the sect's 300,000 elite troops so quickly?"

"Wow!"

The Barbarian Tribe Alien King's keratinized lips curled into a smile, a hidden killing intent flashing in his azure eyes. "It seems Wu Yuan has a reason for wanting to spare your life, high-ranking officials of the Prime Minister's Mansion. Human, are you the third son of the Prime Minister of the Great Yan?"

He paused for a moment,

The Barbarian Tribe Alien King was happy to stall for time, whispering, "Tell me, what do you intend to offer me in exchange this time?"

"Before I escape, you'd better kill her for me." Xu Yuan raised his hand and pointed to the scantily clad fox spirit beside him. "This Demon Race Source Qi is depleted. Even without the help of the totem below, you, a half-saint, should be able to kill her with ease."

Nan Jinxi opened her mouth.

The Barbarian Tribe Alien King flickered for a moment, then immediately replied:

"That's not difficult, but what do you plan to use?"

"If you don't do it, I will have Wu Yuan kill you."

"."

Faced with the threat of death, the Barbarian Tribe Alien King remained calm, even speaking with interest:

"Kill me, and you two will both die here."

"That's true."

Xu Yuan spoke quickly, staring intently into the Barbarian Tribe Alien King's deep blue eyes:

"But a great war is imminent. If we die, Great Yan still has Marquis of Martial Achievement, Zong Qingsheng, and Yuan Hao, a series of high-ranking generals. But if you die, I guess the tribes under your command will instantly turn into a pile of loose sand. Once your elite forces are lost, the women and children of your Barbarian Tribe Utterdark Lands will become lambs to the slaughter under the blade of Great Yan."

"If you don't die, you still have a sliver of hope of victory in the upcoming decisive battle, leading these hundreds of thousands of elite Barbarian Tribe."

Having said that,

Xu Yuan stared at the Barbarian Tribe Alien King and said, word by word:

"You have ten breaths left to consider."

The Barbarian Tribe Alien King listened carefully, his deep blue eyes revealing no emotion. He raised his calloused index finger and pointed it at Xu Yuan:

"I don't believe someone as pampered as you would have the resolve to face death."

"Seven breaths," Xu Yuan calmly announced.

"Oh, then I'd like to see if you dare to let Wu Yuan kill me."

Having said that, the Barbarian Tribe Alien King stood quietly in the void, watching every slight change on Xu Yuan's face.

But the human man in front of him simply recited the numbers calmly, his voice showing no change whatsoever.

Five breaths.

Three breaths.

One breath.

The Barbarian King made his move.

The intricate patterns on the single arm suddenly emitted a faint blue light, and under its radiation, the entire arm instantly became more than twice as thick.

An unparalleled, earth-shattering force slammed directly towards Nan Jinxi's face.

Nan Jinxi clenched her fists, a hint of paleness appearing in her fox-like eyes, and the Source Qi that had been gathering power instantly surged into the Kunwu Mirror in her hand.

The Kunwu Mirror instantly floated in front of her.

A bizarre scene suddenly unfolded.

The Barbarian King's punch was like hitting the surface of water; his muscular arm seemed to pass through some kind of barrier and a section of it disappeared into thin air.

And the next moment,

A fist, imbued with the force of a terrifying hurricane, emerged from the transparent mirror in a bizarre manner and slammed back towards the Barbarian Tribe Alien King's head.

At the critical moment, the Barbarian Tribe Alien King slightly turned his head to avoid the full-force punch he had received, his eyes showing a hint of surprise.

"Boom!!!!"

The remaining force of the punch slammed into the ground and the mountaintop, causing a cataclysmic tremor that sent snow and mist billowing from the ground.

A massive fist-shaped imprint appeared amidst the mountains, crushing thousands of trees!

Amidst this chaotic frenzy, Xu Yuan's calm murmur rang out as expected.

"Zero."

Li Qingyan moved.

A terrifying, crimson-glowing blade slashed towards Nan Jinxi, its edge scattering the wind and snow in its wake!

"."

Nan Jinxi's breathing became rapid instantly.

First the Barbarian King, then Li Qingyan.

He wanted to activate the Kunwu Mirror again as a defense, but the Barbarian Tribe Alien King's punch rendered his Source Qi temporarily unable to continue.

Seeing that the blade's edge was about to devour her, Nan Jinxi suddenly looked in the direction of Beifeng City and smiled.

That person must be heartbroken for her.

Oh.

She's really stupid.

"Dang--"

"?" Nan Jinxi.

The crisp sound brought Nan Jinxi back to her senses from her deathbed, only to find that the blade had not struck her, but had instead struck the simple, antique mirror in front of her.

"Kara. Kara."

A faint sound rang out, and a crack began to spread quietly across the antique mirror, rapidly expanding like a spider web.

While everyone was stunned and confused,

Xu Yuan silently took Li Qingyan's delicate hand in his.

The next moment,

A blinding white light spread out from the shattered Kunwu Mirror, eventually enveloping an area of one mile in radius centered on the Kunwu Mirror.

It's getting late.