Teaching the Method

"Thus have I heard: once, the Unborn Heavenly Lord expounded the Dharma. Amid the myriad manifestations of the mortal world, the five aggregates were all delusion. Calamities came and went; all paths of existence returned to true emptiness..."

Having absorbed the half of her heart that she had lost, Mirror Flower's aura rose another level. The glasslike radiance around her became ever more translucent. Its chaotic, mixed, illusory aura continuously faded, while its ethereal, dreamlike quality steadily rose.

At this moment, although the glasslike radiance still carried a sense of emptiness, the transformations within it had become even more unfathomable. In Yan Chixia and Jin Guang's eyes, Mirror Flower's image kept changing, drawing closer and closer to the most perfect, most longed-for image in their hearts.

"An evil heretic dares try to deceive me?"

Yan Chixia's sword heart was crystal clear, wholly unaffected by the demonic chanting. With an angry roar, he flicked the azure blade in his hand, sending streaks of sword light sweeping forth. Rolling Sword Qi howled, turning into a long river that shattered layer after layer of illusions and aimed straight for Mirror Flower's brow.

Mirror Flower looked up, the corners of her lips curling as she retreated and slipped into the void, evading the sharp sword light and Sword Qi.

This technique of hers was already a wondrous heavenly demon art, allowing her to pass between presence and absence within the void. Unless Yan Chixia's swordsmanship reached divine heights and condensed an unsurpassed sword intent—one capable of disregarding the ten directions of the void, with sword light reaching wherever his will did—he could do nothing to her.

Yu Chen opened his eyes and saw Mirror Flower emerge once more from illusion. A bright light rose in his eyes, seeing through her essence. He sighed. "Responding as the heart wills, arising with a thought, coming and going freely—though bound by the joys of others before she can roam at ease, she is no longer of the mortal kind. She has already stepped into the wondrous realm of a Heavenly Being of the Free Transformation Heaven."

After saying this, Yu Chen beckoned and recalled the Azure Light Mirror from the White Fox, who was lying on the ground pretending to be dead.

Mirrors reflected truth and falsehood alike, and their greatest use lay in comparison. Thus, mirrors were not only suitable vessels for illusion arts, but also treasures capable of seeing through them.

The Azure Spirit Treasure Light contained within Yu Chen's Azure Light Mirror already possessed the wondrous ability to expose illusions.

After raising it aloft, he reinforced it with the Earthly Fiend Art of Radiant Life. The Azure Light Mirror hung high in the void like a round azure moon. Pale azure radiance descended, and an intent of Yi Wood's everlasting life surged forth, forcing back the glasslike radiance and restoring the surroundings to their original state.

"Hm?" Mirror Flower looked at the Azure Light Mirror and sensed its mirror light trying to lock onto her. The smile on her lips faded, restoring her usual tranquil expression. Then she swiped her hand. The glasslike radiance flowed, drawing upon the thoughts of the sleeping citizens throughout the county town and turning them into a turbid wave that crashed down.

As it descended, the turbid wave transformed into dark clouds that enveloped the azure moon, continuously eroding inward. The intent of Yi Wood's everlasting life that Yu Chen had drawn from the Azure Light Mirror's material was sullied by the filth of the seven emotions and six desires. Gradually, dust clouded the round moon, and the wondrous realm of carefree immortality fell into the entanglements of love and hate. Several mottled stains also appeared upon the Azure Light Mirror.

In the end, I expended too much just now, and the Azure Light Mirror's material is also far too poor! Yu Chen recalled the Azure Light Mirror, glanced at the Dong Family boy with golden light flowing between his brows, then looked at Yan Chixia and Jin Guang.

His lips moved slightly, and Jin Guang's face showed surprise. The next moment, Yu Chen swung the ruyi in his hand, and a ray of light rose from the treasure pearl at its tip, merging into Jin Guang's brow.

In an instant, a wisp of radiance appeared in Jin Guang's eyes. Then she took the Golden Light Treasure Mirror into her hand and gave it a shake. Mirror light spilled forth, reflecting everything around them. The many transformations manifested upon Mirror Flower's body continuously faded away, leaving only her essence displayed in every minute detail upon the Golden Light Mirror's surface, without the slightest omission.

Mirror Flower looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar figure in the mirror. Holding her hands aloft, she summoned a treasure mirror suffused with glasslike radiance before her.

The two treasure mirrors hovered in the air, each blazing with all manner of light. Then they manifested a realm of illusion.

On one side stood the Thunder Ancestor Divine Palace above the nine heavens, resplendent in gold and jade as ten thousand gods bowed in worship. The Golden Light Treasure Mirror hung high above like a great sun, supremely sacred and lofty. On the other side was a place of ultimate bliss amid the myriad manifestations of the mortal world: humanity's joys and sorrows, meetings and partings. The Hazy Treasure Mirror was like a moon reflected in water, hazy and dreamlike.

Though this scene appeared to pit two sides against each other, it had all been evolved by Mirror Flower. If Jin Guang believed in or acknowledged this illusion in even the slightest degree, Mirror Flower would taint her mind and seize the advantage.

"Junior Sister, be careful! Do not be beguiled by her!" Yan Chixia warned anxiously as he watched Jin Guang receive the worship of ten thousand gods.

Yu Chen smiled. "Fellow Daoist, there is no need to worry."

As he spoke, radiance emerged from Yu Chen's brow and echoed with the light in Jin Guang's eyes. The two intertwined and overlapped, becoming an even purer power. At the same time, their senses overlapped slightly as well, greatly increasing the difficulty for Mirror Flower to deceive them.

Mirror Flower looked at the three before her and sighed once again. Her body reversed with the illusory treasure mirror, and she herself slipped into the void, leaving behind only the immobilized treasure mirror as she vanished from before Yu Chen and the other two.

"Decisive indeed!" Yan Chixia watched Mirror Flower depart and withdrew the three-foot azure blade in his hand, somewhat regretful.

Mirror Flower was powerful, but she had not reached the point of being able to crush the three of them. Had they truly fought, Yu Chen and the others would not have lacked a chance of victory. Yet the moment Mirror Flower realized it could not be done, she immediately withdrew. She could not be called anything but decisive.

Watching Mirror Flower leave, Jin Guang let out a breath of relief. Only after Yan Chixia set up an array, sent word to the City God of this place, and used a secret art to transmit news of the matter back to their sect did she sit cross-legged, swallow a spirit pill, and silently circulate her mana. Before long, her complexion had greatly improved.

Once her injuries had stabilized, Jin Guang opened her eyes and said to Yu Chen, "It was thanks to Fellow Daoist teaching us the method earlier that we escaped danger today... Jin Guang guarantees here that the method Fellow Daoist bestowed will never be passed on through my mouth."

After speaking, she extended her right hand at her side, pressing her thumb and little finger together while raising her index, middle, and ring fingers, signifying that she asked Heaven, Earth, and Man—the Three Powers—to bear witness.

Seeing this, Yu Chen hurriedly stopped her. "There is no need for this, Fellow Daoist. Radiant Life was originally a method for delivering people from suffering. Why should I cherish it like my own worn broom? If Fellow Daoist is willing to help me spread this method, that would be doing me a great favor."

Having said this, without waiting for her reply, he also passed the Radiant Life Method on to Yan Chixia, making his attitude clear.

Yan Chixia was initially stunned upon receiving the transmission. Only then did he understand the reason for Jin Guang's earlier reaction, and he sighed. "To so readily impart such a wondrous method has made us owe you a tremendous debt of gratitude!"

Then, without further concern, Yan Chixia spoke of his own insights into sword cultivation and some understandings of cultivation, along with several wondrous methods he had collected.

As expected, he is a forthright man! Yu Chen rejoiced inwardly and listened intently.

Jin Guang watched this with a thoughtful expression. After Yan Chixia finished speaking, she smiled and began explaining to Yu Chen some of her insights from refining the Golden Light Treasure Mirror, as well as lesser methods from her sect that were permitted to be passed on.

Yu Chen listened with great attentiveness. Aside from sword arts, many of the methods Yan Chixia spoke of were not of low grade, and they opened up unconventional paths, bringing Yu Chen much inspiration.

Though the methods Jin Guang spoke of were fairly ordinary in grade, they were closer to everyday practice. For instance, how certain talismans could be combined, tricks for laying out arrays, and remedial methods usable when refining pills. They greatly filled the gaps in Yu Chen's foundation.

The White Fox, who had already "awakened," became particularly spirited. With fawning diligence, it served tea and water among the three of them. From time to time, it would prick up its ears to catch a few words, then lower its head and carefully observe their reactions.

"What an old sly fox!" Yu Chen remarked casually before continuing his discussion with Jin Guang and the other. Throughout, he kept tossing out questions and his own ideas. This attitude surprised Yan Chixia, who no longer paid attention to the White Fox's little antics.