The Person in the Mirror

"Ah--!!!!"

A piercing scream tore through the silence of the Princess Mansion.

Li Li instinctively raised her hand to touch her face, but her fingertips met not soft skin, but a sticky, cold, slippery sensation with a fishy, rotten smell.

She looked down at her hand and saw that her fingertips were covered in foul-smelling black mud, mixed with rotten grass roots and wriggling little worms!

"Ah!! What is this?"

Li Li's scream turned into a desperate roar. She staggered back, knocking over a chair behind her.

The moment she stepped back, a terrifying scene unfolded!

Her face, already distorted by mud, shed mud frantically. The skin on her neck peeled off in large patches like waterlogged wallpaper, collapsing!

Beneath the skin, a structure was exposed—not flesh and blood, but black mud churning and entangled with countless slender earthworms and white maggots! This mud seemed alive, writhing and flowing violently with her trembling body.

"Plop... plop..."

Nauseating sounds echoed one after another.

Her neck, shoulders, arms, body...

Like a popped clay figurine, her magnificent palace gown was rapidly soaked through, corroded. Large chunks of "skin and flesh" mixed with mud, maggots, and broken earthworms slid onto the floor. Her body was "melting" at an alarming rate!

"Save... save me... Chundong, Gu Mo..."

Li Li's voice became indistinct, gurgling with the churning mud, filled with endless fear and pleading.

Her eyes were the last human feature to disappear. They were filled with disbelief and despair as she stared fixedly at Gu Chundong, before being completely submerged by the surging black mud.

In just a few breaths, the vibrant Princess Chengyang was gone.

All that remained was a patch of writhing black mud emitting a sky-high stench, and a particularly glaring, unusually slender white finger bone lying alone in the filth.

A deathly silence filled the hall, broken only by the faint sounds of maggots wriggling in the mud and the mud bubbling, and Gu Chundong covering her mouth, her face pale from extreme terror and disgust.

The air was filled with the suffocating stench of decaying sewers.

"Brother, what's going on?" Gu Chundong asked, terrified.

Gu Mo's expression was calm. "This is the case we're investigating. Clay figurines are replacing real people. This Li Li is a fake!"

At this moment, Ye Chen's face was ashen. His stomach churned violently. The shock of the scene reminded him of his very unpleasant experience at the brothel. He gritted his teeth, barely managing not to vomit on the spot. Pointing at the patch of mud, his voice trembled, "Big Brother... it's... it's exactly the same as the one at the brothel! The situation was the same!"

Gu Mo's eyes turned ice-cold, and a chilling aura emanated from him.

He bent down, carefully enveloping the slender finger bone with an invisible stream of true qi, drawing it out of the mud. The bone felt cold to the touch, with a faint yet extremely strange trace of "life force" remaining on it.

This "vitality" is the same as the "vitality" on Yu Niangzi's skeleton.

"As expected, it's constantly evolving and growing, slowly transforming from a clay figurine into a real person. It seems Li Li was only replaced not long ago, which is why only one human bone has grown!" Gu Mo said in a deep voice.

"Brother," Gu Chundong asked hurriedly, "Then... is Princess Chengyang... still alive?"

Gu Mo said in a deep voice, "We can only leave it to fate and do our best!"

At this moment, The guards of the Princess Mansion rushed over. Seeing the scene before them, they were all bewildered.

Gu Mo had no interest in explaining further, only saying, "Princess Chengyang is in danger."

The identity of Gu Mo was known to everyone in the Princess Mansion. No one dared to question him, nor did anyone suspect that Gu Mo and his companions had killed Princess Chengyang.

Afterward, Gu Mo found a guard who knew the clay figurine shop and had him lead the way.

Then, he grabbed the guard and transformed into an afterimage, shooting out of the mansion.

Ye Chen endured the nausea and weakness in his legs. Looking at the puddle of mud that was still wriggling slightly, he shivered fiercely and shouted, "Wait for me, Big Brother!" He also hurriedly used his movement technique to chase after him.

Gu Chundong and Hong Yi did not get involved and stayed at the Princess Mansion.

Chang'an City had no curfew, but in the deep night, people were very scarce.

Gu Mo carried the guard, like a gust of wind. However, he was considerate of Ye Chen, slowing down as much as possible to allow Ye Chen to keep up.

Soon, they had flown across half of Chang'an City and arrived at Tingyu Town.

The night was as ink, and Tingyu Town slept in silence. The town was not large, and the alleyways were even more remote and narrow. Gu Mo and Ye Chen landed at the alley entrance like two ghosts, without a sound.

The fourth house had no sign at the door, only two tightly shut, old wooden doors with peeling paint. No light seeped from the cracks in the door; there was only deathly still darkness.

Gu Mo placed the leading guard on the ground, letting him leave on his own. Then, he walked to the door without any hesitation, placed his palm on the door panel, and released a trace of internal energy. With a light "crack," the bolt broke, and the wooden door slid open silently inward.

The courtyard was not large. In the clear, cold, pale moonlight, the scene that greeted their eyes made even Gu Mo, who had seen many storms, contract his pupils. Ye Chen, on the other hand, gasped and his hair stood on end!

In the center of the courtyard, at the corner of the wall, in the shadow of the eaves... densely packed, were "people"!

All of them were clay figurines.

They were in various postures, standing, sitting, leaning, or lying down. There were farmers in simple clothes, women with their hair tied up, playing children, elders leaning on canes, and even wealthy merchants in silk robes... Each one was sculpted with exquisite detail, lifelike. The expressions on their faces were even more varied and heart-stopping—smiles, sorrow, surprise, contemplation, kindness... In the dim moonlight, these frozen expressions held no vitality at all; instead, they exuded an indescribable evil and deathly stillness.

Most of their eyes were hollow, but some were inlaid with polished obsidian or glass beads as eyeballs. These "eyes" reflected a cold, eerie light under the moonlight, as if silently watching the uninvited guests. Their gazes seemed to shift slightly with Gu Mo and Ye Chen's movements.

The entire courtyard was like a bizarre marketplace where the pause button had been pressed, or like a huge, silent army of clay figurines. The night wind blew, stirring up dust and an indescribable smell, and it also seemed to make the faces of the clay figures twist and change slightly in the shifting light and shadow.

Gu Mo's gaze was as sharp as an eagle's, sweeping over the hair-raising array of clay figurines before finally settling on a workshop with a half-open door at the deepest part of the courtyard.

There was no light in the workshop, but by the moonlight, one could see the outlines of more clay figures within, and a... person busy at a "workbench."

"Gulp..." Ye Chen swallowed hard, his voice dry and filled with uncontrollable fear. "B-Big Brother... What the hell... Is he trying to turn all of Chang'an City into clay figures?"

He instinctively tightened his grip on the sword hilt at his waist, his knuckles turning white. This deathly still courtyard, these lifelike clay figures, made him feel more creeped out than facing thousands of soldiers and horses.

Gu Mo didn't answer. His entire focus was locked onto the entrance of the deep workshop and the person inside meticulously kneading a ball of clay.

He slowly raised his foot and silently stepped into this eerie and terrifyingly silent place made of earth.

The moonlight stretched his shadow long, casting it upon the empty eye sockets and frozen smiles of the clay figures, adding a touch of gloom.

"Guest... it's late, our shop is closed. If you have any requests, please come back after dawn?" the person kneading the clay said without looking up, his voice muffled and hoarse.

Ye Chen took out a fire starter, walked forward, and lit the oil lamp in the room. He snapped, "Shopkeeper Song, right? Stop playing coy. You've been exposed!"

The person slowly raised his head. Beneath his disheveled hair was a pale face, with prominent wrinkles and dark circles under his eyes, clearly from lack of rest. He slowly washed his hands, cupped his fists towards Gu Mo and Ye Chen, and asked, "Which yamen's benefactors are you two?"

Gu Mo sized up "Shopkeeper Song." The man was hunched, dressed plainly, covered in black mud, and exuded a strong fishy smell, clearly from long-term dealings with mud. He was bent and stooped, the very image of a humble commoner.

"I dare not accept the title of benefactor," Gu Mo cupped his fists. "But I do have the authority to investigate cases granted by the court. My name is Gu Mo. May I ask if I should address you as Shopkeeper Song or Dharma Master Dabie?"

"Shopkeeper Song" looked up, a flicker of surprise in his eyes, then smiled slightly. "I knew you two would come. You must have found clues about the clay figures. I didn't expect Great Hero Gu to even recognize my identity? It's just, I'm a bit confused. 'Dabie' only came out of Star Plucking Tower a few days ago and is currently at Honglu Temple. No one has doubted his identity for twenty years. How did Great Hero Gu recognize him?"

Ye Chen was dumbfounded. "No way, you're the Great Compassion Divine Monk? Weren't you captured twenty years ago?"

"Shopkeeper Song" looked at Ye Chen, confused. "Who are you?"

Ye Chen quickly introduced himself. "This junior is Ye Chen, from the Chu Kingdom. Untalented, but I am the third-ranked Chosen One on the current Chu Kingdom martial arts Heavenly Ranking!"

"Shopkeeper Song" looked at Ye Chen with satisfaction. "Not bad, not bad! Such accomplishments at such a young age!"

"Just average, only third," Ye Chen said smugly.

Gu Mo let out a light laugh and said to Shopkeeper Song, "Since the Master has heard of me, you should also know that I have solved many strange and unusual cases in the martial world. It should be no surprise that I could recognize that Dabie was fake, right?"

"Shopkeeper Song" shook his head. "You found clues elsewhere and made a guess, allowing you to see through that Dabie was fake. I believe that. But if you say you saw it, then I don't believe it. There's no one in this world who can see he's fake, because he's not fake, he's the real Dabie!"

Gu Mo asked, "What do you mean?"

"Shopkeeper Song" slowly walked to the doorway and sat on the steps. He asked, "Great Hero Gu, do you believe that beyond the world we see before us, there exists another world, or perhaps even many worlds? Each world has a version of us."

Gu Mo nodded slightly. This was the theory of parallel worlds that even children in his previous life's world knew.

"Shopkeeper Song" looked surprised. "Great Hero Gu truly believes it?"

"I believe it."

"That's great," Shopkeeper Song continued, "I believe it too. It's just, where do these worlds come from? I've thought about it for many years, and finally, I think they come from people, from anyone.

Whether they are commoners or high officials and nobles, they all have one thing in common: they have consciousness and are constantly generating thoughts. The moment different thoughts appear, a new world is born."

Shopkeeper Song tilted his head and looked at Gu Mo, saying, "For example, right now, I have a thought: to kill Great Hero Gu. Although I haven't made a move, the moment this thought arose in my consciousness, a world was born. And in that world, I attacked you!"

"That's nonsense," Ye Chen pouted. "If you say that, how many worlds would there be? A person generates countless thoughts in a lifetime, thus creating countless worlds. And the people in those countless worlds would also generate countless thoughts, creating even more worlds... If it continues like this in a cycle, wouldn't it be endless!"

Shopkeeper Song chuckled, "It is indeed endless. Perhaps even this world we are in was created by a thought from someone in another world at a certain moment."

Ye Chen pouted and said, "Enough, we don't have time to listen to your rambling. You have two things to do now: first, hand over Princess Chengyang Li Li. Second, honestly tell us how many clay figurines you've released. We can give you a quick death. Otherwise, Six Doors' one hundred and eighty tortures will be applied to you one by one!"

Shopkeeper Song didn't care about Ye Chen's threat. Instead, he looked at Gu Mo and asked, "Great Hero Gu, do you agree with what I said?"

Gu Mo smiled slightly and said, "I agree. However, if you're looking for a fellow traveler with a similar mindset, you've come to the wrong person. I'm a practical person. I'm not interested in contemplating broad, vague, and unprovable philosophies. What I'm more concerned about now is, where is Princess Chengyang? And how many clay figurines have you released?"

Shopkeeper Song said, "She's in the room. But, is that important? She's just Princess Chengyang from one world among infinite worlds. The one in the Princess Mansion now is also Princess Chengyang, whom I summoned from another world.

Including, how many clay figurines are there in Chang'an City now, is also not important. They are them. As long as a certain amount of time passes, they will become the true 'him'. They were born from his thoughts. He is him, there's no difference. Why do you insist on which 'him' it is?"

Ye Chen sneered, "You say it so easily. If that's the case, then you can also summon another 'you' from another world. Then go die now, since there's another you, your life isn't important. Then you..."

His words stopped abruptly, as if his throat was choked by an invisible hand. The expression on his face froze instantly, leaving only extreme shock and disbelief, a terror beyond words!

The Shopkeeper Song, sitting on the stone steps, suddenly had an indescribable smile appear on his face. He replied, "I can."

As the words fell, Shopkeeper Song suddenly raised his hands, his fingers like hooks, digging fiercely into the skin and flesh on both sides of his neck!

The movement was as fast as lightning, yet it carried a resolute calmness that made one's scalp tingle.

"Squelch—Crack!"

A bone-chilling sound of tearing flesh, accompanied by the crisp snap of a broken neck bone, suddenly rang out!

Blood didn't spurt, but gushed out like a bursting dam from the massive wound he had torn open with his own hands!

The force was so great that his head was instantly severed from his neck!

The aged head, with its frozen, eerie smile, was held forward in his hands and offered to Ye Chen. Its hollow eyes stared directly into Ye Chen's face, which was contorted in utter horror.

The headless body remained seated. Blood poured like a fountain from the severed neck, splashing onto the mottled stone steps and the clay figurines on either side, staining them with patches of dazzling crimson.

The strong bloody smell instantly overwhelmed the fishy smell of the mud, permeating the deathly still courtyard.

Gu Mo's pupils contracted sharply. Even with his composure, he was stunned by this sudden, unbelievable method of suicide!

He had absolutely not anticipated this turn of events.

Ye Chen was even more completely dumbfounded. He looked down at the head being offered to him by the headless corpse, his mind instantly going blank.

"Big... Big Brother... he... he..."

Ye Chen pointed at the corpse, not knowing what to say to express the galloping horses within his heart at that moment.

Gu Mo's face was so grim it could drip water. He quickly stepped forward, his fingers probing the carotid artery and chest of the headless corpse, then examining the severed head that had rolled off. Cold, stiff, life extinguished.

"He's dead," Gu Mo's voice was icy. "But he's not Dabie either."

Not only did the system not give a prompt, but there were also faint traces of mud still visible within the corpse. This was also a clay figurine, albeit one that had almost completely transformed into a human.

"Let's find Chengyang first!"

Gu Mo made a decisive move, no longer bothering with the corpse and head on the ground. His gaze swept sharply towards the half-open workshop door.

He had already cast his domain to lock onto this courtyard since arriving earlier. He wasn't worried about the other party escaping. Of course, if the other party could break his domain, then they could escape based on their own ability, and he'd have nothing to say.

Ye Chen quickly recovered his state and followed Gu Mo, rushing into the workshop.

The interior of the workshop was even darker and more cluttered than the outside. Various clay materials, tools, and wooden frames were scattered about. On the wooden shelves against the wall, more unfinished clay figurines of various shapes and lifelike forms were displayed. In the light of the swaying oil lamps, their silent silhouettes resembled lurking ghosts.

Inside, there were also many glass mirrors of different sizes, hanging everywhere, either from the beams, in corners, or on tables. There were at least fifty to sixty mirrors.

The two split up and searched rapidly.

Gu Mo checked an inner room further inside, while Ye Chen searched the corner and piles of miscellaneous items near the door.

"Princess Chengyang?"

"Li Li? Are you there?"

Ye Chen called out softly as he searched.

However, within the workshop, apart from the sounds of them moving things and their heavy breathing, there was no response.

Ye Chen straightened up somewhat dejectedly, his gaze unintentionally sweeping across the wall.

A bronze mirror, half the height of a person, hung there. The mirror surface was polished exceptionally smooth and bright. In the dim lamplight, it clearly reflected his figure.

Seeing his own handsome and extraordinary face in the mirror, Ye Chen's slight dejection was instantly replaced by narcissism.

He subconsciously leaned closer to the mirror, habitually tidying his non-existent messy hair at his forehead. He looked left, then right, the corners of his mouth involuntarily curling into a proud arc.

"Tsk," he raised an eyebrow at his reflection, genuinely exclaiming, "Ye Chen, oh Ye Chen, this face of yours, this demeanor, this bearing of a Chosen One... tsk tsk, it's simply too perfect! Even without that invincible luck, those women would be throwing themselves at you..."

Muttering to himself, Ye Chen admired his "peerless visage" in the mirror. The arc of his mouth deepened abruptly, revealing an extremely brilliant smile, which seemed full of teasing!

"Perfect!"

Ye Chen exclaimed, then turned to leave, continuing his search for Chengyang.

But, the very instant he turned, Ye Chen froze. A wave of cold energy shot straight from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head!

"I didn't laugh, damn it!"

He... he hadn't laughed just now!

He was merely admiring!

An indescribable, immense fear seized him that instant! He spun around, wanting to get away from the weird mirror, and opened his mouth to shout for Gu Mo: "Big..."

Before the word "Brother" left his lips, his peripheral vision caught sight of the mirror!

The moment he turned, the brilliant smile on the "Ye Chen" in the mirror hadn't fully faded. His teeth were still clearly showing, his eyes filled with malice and a hint of... surprise that hadn't yet changed?

As if he hadn't expected Ye Chen to suddenly turn and discover him!

That wasn't him! Absolutely not!

"Big Brother!!!"

Ye Chen's soul was terrified. He roared with all his might!

The instant his roar sounded, the mirror surface rippled violently like water!

A hand shot out from the mirror!

The hand was as fast as a ghostly apparition, grabbing the back of Ye Chen's clothes just as he turned to face the mirror!

An unstoppable, cold, and sticky immense force surged!

Pfft!

Ye Chen felt like he was caught by a giant, invisible octopus tentacle, completely uncontrolled, and dragged fiercely by the force!

He flailed his arms in terror, trying to grab the nearby wooden shelf, but his fingertips only managed to brush against the rough wood.

What terrified him was that his true energy was unusable at this moment. He barely had any strength left; a unique power was suppressing him.

His body was like quicksand, instantly dragged into the rippling mirror surface that resembled a black swamp! Only a half-finished gasp echoed in the workshop.

The mirror surface fluctuated violently for a moment, then quickly returned to calm, becoming reflective again, clearly mirroring the dim scene in the workshop.

In the mirror, no one was there.

Gu Mo, who was searching in another room, heard Ye Chen's voice and instantly teleported over. He saw Ye Chen squatting in a corner, holding a small hammer and gently tapping a clay figurine.

Seeing Gu Mo enter, Ye Chen quickly pointed at the figurine and said, "Big Brother, this looks like Princess Chengyang!"

Gu Mo walked over and saw that it was indeed a woman sealed inside a clay figurine. Although her face was covered in mud, Gu Mo could still vaguely make out that it was Li Li.

Immediately, Gu Mo squatted down to examine her. He found that she still had vital signs, but there was a troublesome issue: the mud shell had connected to Li Li's skin. A deathly aura from the mud was continuously seeping into Li Li's body.

Gu Mo immediately circulated his energy to disperse the deathly aura. Just as Gu Mo was fully focused, using his pure internal energy to disperse the cold, deathly aura within Li Li and peel away the strange mud shell attached to her skin, a faint, almost imperceptible ripple stirred on the bronze mirror hanging on the wall behind him.

Deep within the mirror surface, the scene of the workshop was still reflected. Suddenly, a terrified face lunged towards the inside of the "mirror surface"!

It was Ye Chen!

He was currently trapped in the workshop within the mirror, like a drowning person, his face filled with extreme fear and anxiety.

He saw Gu Mo's back outside and, as if grabbing the last straw, frantically pounded on the invisible "mirror wall," his mouth wide open, silently roaring, his arms flailing, trying to attract Gu Mo's attention.

He pointed at Gu Mo, then at the "Ye Chen" outside the mirror who was "helping," then desperately pointed at himself. His movements were so violent he almost seemed to tear his body apart, yet he couldn't make a sound.

Just then, Gu Mo suddenly felt a faint "sense of being watched," which instantly broke his concentration.

"Huh?"

He spun around abruptly, his gaze as sharp as a falcon's shooting towards the bronze mirror!

At the critical moment when his gaze touched the mirror surface--

From the depths of the darkness within the mirror, an invisible, immense force suddenly erupted, like a giant mouth of an abyss snapping shut!

Ye Chen's desperate and futile struggle instantly froze. The terror on his face hadn't yet faded as he was grabbed by an invisible hand and violently dragged backward, disappearing into the thick darkness in an instant, without even leaving a ripple.

The mirror surface fluctuated violently for a moment, like water disturbed by a thrown stone, but it was fleeting. It quickly returned to its deceptive appearance of smooth, flawless glass.

The scene reflected on the mirror surface was the current situation in the workshop, with nothing out of the ordinary.

The "Ye Chen" beside him asked doubtfully, "Big Brother, what's wrong?"

Gu Mo shook his head slightly, slowly stood up, and walked towards the bronze mirror.

"Big Brother, what's wrong?"

"Ye Chen's" voice held a trace of tension and confusion. He followed closely beside Gu Mo and asked, "Big Brother, is there something wrong with this mirror?"

Gu Mo didn't answer. He simply stood before the mirror, his gaze piercing, scanning the mirror surface inch by inch.

The "Gu Mo" in the mirror, in the same posture and with the same expression, "scrutinized" him from outside the mirror.

The mirror surface was exceptionally smooth and cold, chilling to the bone, as if it isolated another dimension. He circulated his cultivation to probe it, but the mirror surface was like a stubborn rock, completely blocking his perception, leaving only a cold feedback.

"It's nothing."

Gu Mo's voice was flat and waveless. He withdrew his scrutinizing gaze, seemingly giving up his investigation. He slowly turned around, preparing to walk back to Li Li's side, "It might have been an illusion."

The "Gu Mo" in the mirror also turned around in sync.

"Ye Chen" also breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Big Brother, please don't scare me. What we experienced tonight was too weird. I'm already a frightened bird!"

As he spoke, "Ye Chen" also turned.

The moment the two turned their backs to the mirror surface, A cold, viscous, and overwhelmingly terrifying suction force suddenly erupted from the mirror surface!

The target was directly at Gu Mo's back.

A pale hand with distinct knuckles suddenly emerged from the mirror surface, which was rippling violently like water waves. It was silent, yet as fast as lightning, and accurately landed on Gu Mo's left shoulder!

The moment the palm touched him, a weird, chilling energy, like countless cold venomous snakes, instantly burrowed into Gu Mo's body along the point of contact!

This force contained powerful domain power, instantly sealing the entire workshop.

The immense force dragged Gu Mo backward.

"Ye Chen" was greatly alarmed and grabbed Gu Mo's hand, exclaiming in terror, "Big Brother!"

However, a smile appeared on Gu Mo's face.

"Got you!"

At that instant, Gu Mo broke through the confining domain. His left hand moved like lightning, and with a backhand grab, he tightly clenched the wrist that had reached out from the mirror and was on his shoulder, like iron pliers!

The touch was cold and stiff, not like a living person, yet it contained immense power.

"Get out!"

Gu Mo let out a low roar and pulled hard.

BOOM--CRASH!

The mirror surface rippled like a lake.

With Gu Mo's pull, a figure was forcibly dragged out of the mirror!

Like a sack being thrown, it was smashed heavily onto the cold, hard floor of the workshop!

Dust flew!

Gu Mo and "Ye Chen" looked down at the same time.

The figure, clothing, and even the face of the person on the ground... were strikingly identical to Gu Mo!

"Ye Chen's" face was filled with horror. He instinctively took a step back, pointing at the "Gu Mo" on the ground, then looking at Gu Mo. He said in terror, "Two Big Brothers?"

However, In the next moment, the "Gu Mo" transformed into the appearance of Shopkeeper Song from before.

Shopkeeper Song asked doubtfully, "How did you realize something was wrong?"

Gu Mo pointed at "Ye Chen" and said, "His situation is very special. Even if you used the real Cycle of Reincarnation Mirror, I doubt you could replicate it. So, from the moment I just came in, I already knew the real Ye Chen had disappeared."

Hearing this, "Ye Chen" was completely bewildered and asked, "Big Brother... no, you mean... I'm fake? I'm that Disgusting Mudman?"

Gu Mo nodded slightly.

"How is that possible?" "Ye Chen" said, "Big Brother, I am me..."

Gu Mo pointed to the Bronze Mirror behind him and said, "According to Dharma Master Dabie, you are not fake, but you are not Ye Chen from my world. He is!"

"Ye Chen" turned his head to look at the Bronze Mirror and saw a Ye Chen inside the mirror giving him the middle finger!

Ye Chen: "..."

"I'm fake..."

"Ye Chen" staggered back twice, his body instantly began to shed its skin, revealing the black mud within. He forced himself to ask one last question, "Dabie, you bald donkey, couldn't you have used some clean mud? You're a pervert, using mud from a stinking ditch..."

Before he could finish speaking, "Ye Chen's" body went limp and dissolved into a pool of black sludge.

Shopkeeper Song, whom Gu Mo had stepped on, smiled helplessly and said, "Do you think I didn't want to use ordinary soil? But all things are born from and overcome each other. The mud from stinking ditches contains all the decay and filth in the world... it possesses the most Deathly Aura, yet paradoxically, it is Born to Die. Only this mud can nurture life!"

Gu Mo said, "But it's really a bit disgusting!"

Shopkeeper Song said helplessly, "It was unavoidable."

Gu Mo said, "I roughly understand. These mudmen you create cannot know they are fake. Once they know, they will perish."

Shopkeeper Song said, "That's because there are barriers between worlds. They haven't fully entered this world yet. When they discover they don't belong to this world, they will return to their original world."

Then, he asked Gu Mo, "Great Hero Gu, could you enlighten me? What is so special about that Ye Chen that you believe there can be no identical existence across countless worlds?"

"What's the point of asking that?" Gu Mo said, "Do you think you still have a chance to start over?"

Gu Mo was naturally not interested in telling Shopkeeper Song that Ye Chen possessed two special auras, forming a fate that was both unlucky and lucky.

"Why not?" Shopkeeper Song pointed to the Glass Mirrors in the corners of the workshop and on the walls and ceiling, saying, "Great Hero Gu, which one do you think is me?"

At this moment, The workshop was illuminated by the glow of the lamps, and the figures of Shopkeeper Song were reflected in dozens of mirrors. Furthermore, Shopkeeper Song's figure could even be seen within the reflections in the mirror surfaces projected by the mirrors.

Shopkeeper Song said with a light laugh, "Great Hero Gu, I am no match for you in martial arts skills. However, in terms of realm and methods, you are no opponent of mine. Moreover, no one here can kill me..."

As Shopkeeper Song spoke, the mirrors shattered one after another, splitting into more mirrors. The number grew from dozens to hundreds, and there was a clear trend of further shattering, suggesting the mirrors could multiply endlessly.

Shopkeeper Song smiled slightly and said, "Each mirror is a world. In every world, there is a me and a you. Now, one of you will be replaced by the you in this world.

Great Hero Gu, among these worlds, there will always be one suitable for you. This is the forbidden power of the Cycle of Reincarnation Mirror, and it is also my Above Human Realm. Perhaps one day, when you can see through the abilities of the Above Human Realm, we will truly meet!"

With that, Shopkeeper Song instantly severed his own meridians and died.

But in the very next instant, Gu Mo gently reached out his hand and grabbed a nascent soul that had left its body. Shopkeeper Song, in his nascent soul form, was held in Gu Mo's hand, his face filled with shock.

Gu Mo said softly, "The Above Human Realm you mentioned, does it refer to your mere Half-step Ascension Realm? Or the power of your incomplete Cycle of Reincarnation Mirror?"

Shopkeeper Song exclaimed in panic, "Who exactly are you?"