Mixing and Merging

It turns out the Yin God isn't invisible. However, whether the Yin God is directly visible to the naked eye or only detectable with the Zhaoshen Map is a question that requires research.

Just as Yu Ci was thinking about seeing more clearly, his eyes began to feel dry. The breath he was holding naturally dissipated, and an undeniable fatigue spread throughout his body. The image in the small courtyard blurred again, as if a light veil had been cast over it.

Facing this situation, Yu Ci suddenly had an epiphany and directly raised his perspective, looking down at the entire Juebi City.

Dan Cliff and the central basin were adjacent, and compared to the upper and lower cities that were right next to each other, Yu Ci indeed found some differences. As the foundation of Bai Ri Mansion, the upper city's color on the Zhaoshen Map was slightly lighter, like a slightly faded painting, or as if covered by a thin veil. In contrast, the central basin, the residential area for commoners, was extremely bright.

This difference was extremely subtle and hidden within the dazzling, multicolored light and shadow. If Yu Ci hadn't been thinking about it, he would have found it difficult to distinguish. Combining his past experience with the current situation, could he make a guess?

The range and clarity displayed by the Zhaoshen Map are directly related to the strength of the individual beings surrounding the target it reflects? However, the clarity displayed by the Zhaoshen Map is precisely the opposite: the weaker the target, the clearer it is; the stronger the target, the blurrier it is.

If this theory were true, then everything would be explained.

Of course, simply stating "strength" is inaccurate because strength is a relative concept, and there must be a reference point. But if there were such a reference point or standard, who would be more suitable than himself, the owner of the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror?

The matter returned to a most basic question: what was his own strength now?

The moment this thought arose, his mind shifted, and he instantly jumped from Dan Cliff, dozens of miles away, to this mountain forest, which was the center of the Zhaoshen Map. There, sitting on a large tree root in the forest, was the figure of himself, his image on the Zhaoshen Map.

This was the first time Yu Ci had seriously examined his "self-image" in the Zhaoshen Map, and it felt incredibly strange. He had once thought that as he looked at the image, the image must also be observing another "image within the Zhaoshen Map"; and that "another image within the Zhaoshen Map" would then look at "another image within the Zhaoshen Map that is observing another image within the Zhaoshen Map"... and so on, infinitely.

But in reality, what he had guessed did not happen. Because as his gaze fell upon it, the image in the Zhaoshen Map seemed to gain sentience, slowly looked up, and cast its gaze out, meeting his directly.

At this moment, in the center of the Zhaoshen Map, his own image moved.

The small figure within seemed to be standing upright, gazing into the distance, lost in thought; or perhaps it was standing in a meditative pose, relaxed and natural. But no matter how it was described, it was certainly not a reflection of his true form. At this moment, the image in the map seemed to have come alive, possessing free sentience.

Yu Ci stared at the figure in the map, feeling an irresistible magic within it. Unconsciously, his poured-out thoughts merged with it, to the point where he could no longer distinguish which world, inside or outside the Zhaoshen Map, was real and which was false. At this moment, driven by an unknown force, his body trembled, and the tree roots beneath him crumbled with a rustle.

He stood firm naturally, assuming the exact same stance as the image in the map. As his Blood Essence surged, he felt his bones and muscles suddenly twist into a single rope, and all his essence, blood, energy, and strength condensed together, rushing upward.

His crown chakra trembled, as if a hole had been opened, and his essence, blood, energy, and strength poured out of his body.

At the same time, his sleeve vibrated. The Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror seemed to gain its own sentience and flew out on its own, spinning. It passed over his head, and then its rotation abruptly stopped. The moment the bronze mirror stopped, its smooth surface faced downward, covering his crown chakra and blocking the surging Blood Essence.

The bronze mirror vibrated with a "buzz," and the Zhaoshen Map in front of it was also affected. Its light intensified greatly, then transformed into a ball of mist, flying towards the bronze mirror above his head, merging into it in the blink of an eye. At this point, only Yu Ci and the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror remained in the silent forest, undergoing an incredibly wondrous reaction.

The bronze mirror seemed unable to withstand the power contained within the essence, blood, energy, and strength, and began to shake unstably, then started to rotate again.

Without the Zhaoshen Map, Yu Ci should not have been able to see the changes in the mirror above his head. But at this moment, a truly profound connection was established between him and the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror. The suspended bronze mirror felt as if he were holding it in his hand, or perhaps it had become a part of his body. He clearly felt a circuit similar to meridians and acupoints behind the mirror's surface. As Blood Essence was transmitted, it immediately received a response.

Inject, circulate, accumulate; inject, circulate, accumulate... These three clear steps repeated endlessly, collecting all the essence, blood, energy, and strength that had broken through his crown chakra into the mirror, accumulating in the "acupoints" at the center of the "circuit," solidifying like pearls, without the slightest leakage.

Below the bronze mirror, Yu Ci's condition was dire. The surge of Blood Essence to his crown chakra had taken all his strength. An irresistible emptiness instantly spread throughout his body. His current state was even worse than that of a newborn infant; perhaps a gust of mountain wind would be enough to kill him.

Then, the wind came, and Yu Ci's body felt light, as if it had lost its weight and was about to fly away with the wind.

This was clearly an illusion. It wasn't his body that was flying away. In fact, his body hadn't moved an inch. What was flying away were his perception, consciousness, and other purely spiritual aspects—his spirit and soul, which he had tempered for over ten years and was on the verge of achieving.

He had already reached the level of spiritual and vital energy resonance. At this moment, it was the phenomenon caused by the essence and spirit accumulated in the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror resonating and attracting each other.

If he wasn't careful, with the ever-increasing attraction between the two, his spirit and soul might truly enter the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror along with his own essence. The essence, blood, and energy breaking through his crown chakra was already a terrible situation, but if even his spirit and soul left his body, he would truly be left with an empty shell, with no reason to exist.

At this critical moment, Yu Ci stabilized his mind. Regardless of anything else, he used the "Acupoint Guarding" technique from the Nine Palaces Moon Bright True Return Marvelous Method, concentrating his divine will, focusing his intent on the Mud Pill Palace, and then gathering the last bit of strength in his body. He opened his mouth, and his voice boomed like thunder:

"Still!"

The sound waves spread, and the rotation and vibration of the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror suddenly stopped. The mountain forest fell into abrupt silence. Immediately, Yu Ci's scalp felt heavy, as if a heavy iron ball were pressing down on his crown chakra. Instead of being alarmed, he was delighted. Because what was pressing down was the solidified essence-pearl in the "acupoint" at the center of the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror.

Spiritual and vital energy resonated and attracted each other. If one side remained still, the other would naturally move!

The essence-pearl slid out of the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror, appearing solid yet ethereal, entering his crown chakra without any obstruction and pressing into the Mud Pill Palace. Under the pressure of this force, the Mud Pill Palace leaped, driving the four corners and then spreading to the entire cerebral palace, down to his limbs and bones, causing his entire body's muscles, bones, and blood to tremble in unison.

Yu Ci vaguely felt that this essence-pearl should remain aggregated. However, the pressure brought by the pearl was too great, and his body could not bear it. Therefore, under the guidance of his spirit and soul, his body spontaneously reacted. His limbs and bones generated a powerful suction force, which, through the convergence of the Mud Pill Palace, acted upon the essence-pearl.

Influenced by these myriad threads of gravitational force, the essence-pearl, as soon as it sank into the Mud Pill Palace, lost its original form. It transformed from a heavy iron ball into a warmth like a spring breeze, or like water at the most comfortable temperature. It flowed down from the cerebral palace, not distinguishing between meridians or blood vessels, but in fine threads, dense and continuous, seeping into his muscles, bones, and internal organs, from top to bottom, and from bottom to top, like an hourglass turned over, cycling repeatedly.

After several cycles, Yu Ci felt this warmth fill his entire body, gradually becoming like a valley filled with water, like a great marsh steaming. It was truly the light, and it was the dark; it was the strong, and it was the weak; it was the present, and it was the absent. It reached everywhere, entered everywhere, to the point where his mind and spirit were completely blended within it, making it difficult to distinguish.

At this moment, his stiff body could finally move. Yu Ci opened his hand, his palm slightly sweaty. He had to admit that his condition was excellent, better than ever before. But before this, he had encountered the most deadly peril. With one wrong step, his essence, energy, and spirit could have been completely absorbed by the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror, leaving him with only an empty shell to rot in the mountains!

Why did this happen? Especially since the feeling was so familiar, just like... just like when he swung his sword and killed Xu Lao Er under Sky裂谷, his mind and vital energy had merged harmoniously, without a single gap.

He stared at his palm, slowly curling his thumb and index finger together, forming a straight line like a sword. After a moment of stillness, he suddenly slashed out. A low, hissing sound echoed in the air, then merged into the mountain wind rustling through the trees, leaving no trace behind.

Yu Ci's fingertips felt no resistance, not even the resistance of the air. He only felt an unprecedented lightness as his three fingers slashed through the air, as if his flesh and blood had become ethereal. In reality, there was a fir tree about the thickness of a bowl next to him, directly in the path of his fingers.

Another gust of mountain wind blew, and the edge of the fir tree on this side suddenly eroded, creating a small opening. Fine wood shavings slid out from within. In the blink of an eye, this small opening extended inward, half an inch deep. The cut surface inside was as smooth as if meticulously planed by the most skilled carpenter.

Fixing his gaze on the scar on the fir tree, Yu Ci was somewhat dazed. His fingertips still retained the sensation from before, but the feeling was too subtle for him to recall the exact details.

However, the feeling was vaguely similar to when Ye Bin's sword intent had penetrated his body on the cliff edge at the top of Sky Rift Valley.

For the past few days, Yu Ci had been studying that mist-like sword intent and trying to imitate the subtle and profound penetration that occurred when it passed through his body, but with little success. Yet, the casual finger-sword he had just unleashed unexpectedly possessed a third of its essence, which was a great surprise.

And all of this was undoubtedly linked to the faintly green bronze mirror above his head.

He looked up, and his face was reflected precisely on the smooth surface of the mirror. At this moment, the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror looked like an ordinary bronze mirror, except it was still suspended in mid-air.

"Old friend, what exactly are you?"

As he sighed, the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror seemed to gain sentience, its green light rippling like water. Then Yu Ci saw a beam of light shoot down from the center of the mirror. Before he could react, it pierced directly into his brow.