Mirror Abyss Star Shadow · Lock of Lunar Radiance

In the Spirit Firmament Great Realm, the first rays of dawn illuminate the sky.

The slanting sunlight streamed down from the sky. Qin Yu stood with his hands behind his back on a jade platform in the Nether Firmament Underworld Sect. Looking back into the main hall, he saw Mu Qingwan and Qian Ruishan quietly drinking tea and chatting, while Xueli and the Myriad-Colored Ice Butterfly hovered contentedly among them.

He said softly, "Ling Jingxi... I've always remembered your kindness in that battle. It's time to go see you."

Qian Ruishan smiled, "If you're going, she'll definitely be waiting for you to say 'thank you'."

Mu Qingwan smiled slightly, "Shanshan and I will go and check out some secret places in the Spirit Firmament Great Realm, don't worry."

Qin Yu nodded, and with a wave of his right hand, a pale silver ancient token floated out—it was the [Cosmos Venerable Token] personally bestowed upon him by Ling Jingxi. As the cosmic light flowed, runes appeared. "The mandate of Xi is unyielding; the Cosmic Token travels alone."

With a flick of his sleeves, Qin Yu stepped into the air and headed straight for the southwestern part of the Spirit Firmament Great Realm — Heavenly Cosmos Auction House.

-

The Grand Palace of the Heavenly Cosmos Auction House in the Spirit Firmament Great Realm.

The massive auction house, adorned with gilded carvings and jade paintings, boasts layers upon layers of palaces. Cultivators from all directions come and go in an endless stream, all of them world-level figures with extraordinary divine sense. The Heaven Ranking of the Cosmos Wind Tower hangs high outside the gate, yet it appears unusually calm today.

Qin Yu high in the sky, the Cosmos Venerable Token twirling lightly in his palm. He descended slowly, and as soon as he stepped into the palace, a steward sensed his presence and respectfully stepped forward. "Your Excellency, please follow me inside."

Inside the hall, the Grand Elder Si Moqi had been waiting for a long time. When Qin Yu arrived with the Cosmos Venerable Token, his expression was extremely respectful. "Your Excellency Qin Yu, you have finally arrived... However, what about Master Ling..."

Qin Yu's brow furrowed slightly. "She's not here?"

Si Moqi sighed softly and bowed, replying, "Master Ling left Heavenly Cosmos Auction House ten days ago without leaving a specific destination or informing anyone. Although the Cosmos Venerable Token is still in effect, none of our disciples dare to act without authorization."

He took out a roll of thin silk and presented it with both hands. "This is a letter left by the Lady of the Silk before she left. She only instructed me: 'If Qin Yu comes, do not look for me, do not disturb me. I will come to find him myself.'"

Qin Yu took it, gently unfolded the letter, and saw only three words on it:

Don't worry about me.

He stared silently at the three words, remaining silent for a long time. The blue light dimmed, and his thoughts churned.

Ling Jingxi, from the moment we first met at the Thousand Realms Sect, was a woman of quiet solitude, aloofness, and unapproachability. In that battle, she stepped forward, single-handedly blocking the killing moves of the Soul Hunting Army Commander and the Shang Lineage Clan Ancestor, and slaying them before vanishing into thin air.

Now, she has quietly departed without anyone knowing.

"Ling Jingxi..." Qin Yu murmured the name, the Cosmos Venerable Token between his fingers slowly returning to his bosom, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

"If you are unwilling to show yourself, I will not force you. But if you are in trouble, even if the world is destroyed and the stars fall, I will search for you to the very end."

Si Moqi respectfully withdrew, and Qin Yu turned around, his robes billowing in the air, and disappeared beyond the Heavenly Cosmos Auction House.

This search ultimately Emptiness.

But the Cosmos Venerable Token still exists, seemingly a foreshadowing of some future path, the truth yet to be revealed.

-

The sky Spirit Firmament is beautiful.

Qin Yu returned to the Nether Firmament Underworld Sect, but this time, a faint image appeared in his heart—the silk robe and the figure that never returned.

Perhaps one day in the future, she will reappear. And he will surely fulfill the silent vow he made that day.

As dusk settled, a gentle breeze blew outside the Nether Firmament Underworld Sect, and a warm sun shone through the clouds, casting a pale golden hue on the eaves of the palace.

Qian Ruishan and Mu Qingwan walked side by side into the hall. Their breaths were soft, their steps light, like two butterflies quietly returning to the forest in the night. As soon as Mu Qingwan stepped across the threshold, she said softly:

"Brother Yu, have you found Senior Ling Jingxi yet?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Yu slowly took out a plain white sheet of paper from his sleeve. The spiritual energy on the paper had faded, but the elegant handwriting remained as clear as ever:

"Don't worry about me while I'm gone."

At the bottom of the page are Ling Jingxi's unique imprints, resembling a mirror reflecting light, faintly floating on the paper.

Qian Ruishan took a step closer, gently took the paper, gazed at it for a moment, and sighed tenderly.

"... It seems she really has left."

She looked up at Qin Yu and softly comforted him, "Perhaps she has simply gone to some secret realm for seclusion, or... to train alone for a period of time. With her cultivation level— the Realm Lord Supreme Perfection —no one in the entire Spirit Firmament Great Realm can truly threaten her."

Mu Qingwan nodded slightly and softly echoed, "She saved us, and she won't leave for long." Qian Ruishan had also told her in detail about the battle at the Thousand Realms Sect Ling Jingxi.

Qin Yu remained silent for a few breaths, gazing at the distant sky, as if through thousands of mountains and rivers, he could vaguely see that Silent Shadow in white robes walking alone in Nameless star field.

He said in a low voice, "She's not the type to leave a farewell message, yet she left me one... Perhaps she sensed something too."

Qian Ruishan gently grasped his hand, her palm as soft and warm as the first melting snow.

Wherever she is, if she's willing to come back, we'll meet again.

She smiled faintly, "That day, the three of us will welcome her back together."

Qin Yu didn't speak, but gently embraced them both, as if responding to a silent promise in his heart.

--

As dawn broke, a voice transmission pierced through the air from behind the main Nether Firmament Underworld Sect, reaching directly into Qin Ning's sea of consciousness.

Qin Yu.

That was the voice of the Grand Venerable Mingxu, still Steady as a Mountain, yet tinged with a rare solemnity.

"East of the Spirit Firmament, deep within the Annihilation and Oblivion Forbidden Wilds, unusual activity has recently been observed."

"A few days ago, an unusual phenomenon rose from the ground, as if the 'breath of a realm' was slowly seeping out from the distant depths, unlike any known dimensional law... and even extremely similar to some 'remnants' of the Immortal Antiquity Era."

I have decided to send you to investigate.

Qin Yu's expression turned serious. "Does Master suspect a connection to the Immortal Ancient Clan?"

"It's only a possibility," Mingxu said softly, "But that area is treacherous and has remained sealed off without being thoroughly investigated. This time, I will send two elders under the command of the Silent Source Realm— [Ling Zhan] and [You Jin]—to accompany you."

"They have all been in seclusion for many years, and now that they have broken free for you, they can certainly help you explore the secrets of the underground."

"Yes."

--

That afternoon, outside the main hall of the Nether Firmament Underworld Sect.

Qin Yu, dressed in black with Azure Ring concealed within his sleeve, descended the palace steps one by one.

Behind him stood Qian Ruishan and Mu Qingwan, side by side.

"We are waiting for your return here," Qian Ruishan said softly, the Ice Tassel in her hand dancing lightly, its snowy light as gentle as her eyes.

"If you discover that the anomaly is indeed related to the Immortal Antiquity Era, remember to seal it off immediately." Mu Qingwan's gaze was gentle, yet sharp.

Qin Yu nodded, then turned and left.

The heavens trembled, and the cosmic energy shifted.

Half a day later, deep in the Annihilation and Oblivion Forbidden Wilds—

In the most mysterious corner of the Spirit Firmament Great Realm, an underground space, like an inverted Star Abyss, slowly opened up.

It was an incredibly mysterious and unpredictable place, a strange realm where "the Milky Way was turned upside down":

The sky reflects the river's brilliance and starlight, while radiant vegetation and ancient soul stones emerge from the rock strata thousands of feet below, unchanged for billions of years, exuding an ancient aura like the changing of the sea and the transformation of the land.

In the deepest part of that abyss, a faint golden light flickered in and out of sight...

Qin Yu's gaze narrowed slightly. Ling Zhan and You Jin appeared behind him, their auras as deep and unfathomable as the two cultivators at the Silent Source Realm. They cupped their hands and said:

"Young master, please."

Upon entering its realm, the world seemed upside down, the Milky Way hung upside down, and the entire space seemed not to belong to the known dimensions of the "Spirit Firmament Great Realm," but rather to its "projection side"—a silent rift hidden beneath cause and effect, beyond the passage of time.

The sky is not the heaven, but a mirror sea reflecting a whole river of stars. The stars are no longer far away, but seem to be hanging down before your eyes. Thousands of sparks float quietly in the sky, their flashes seeming to whisper ancient soul sounds, but upon closer listening, they are completely silent, making people unconsciously fall into a dreamlike state.

Beneath their feet lay an unfathomable gray-gold surface, as if it had been crushed into an eternally indestructible soul rock by the fallen soul of a god millions of years ago. The earth veins were covered with remnants of spiritual patterns, some of which had already broken, while others still quietly emanated a ghostly blue light, like remnants of a boundary array from millions of years ago, which had not yet been completely extinguished.

Dozens of floating soul lamp stone platforms, like lighthouses, dotted the space reflecting the heavens and earth. Their surfaces were inscribed with rules from an unknown era, each stroke seemingly carrying some kind of forbidden force that transcended time and space. When Qin Ning first saw them, he even felt his sea of consciousness tremble slightly. The Azure Ring then let out a soft chime from its sleeve, as if instinctively rejecting anything outside of these rules.

Further away, rift valleys stretched out, like veins running through the entire forbidden area. From the depths of the abyss, pale golden mist would occasionally rise, containing an aura "not belonging to this world".

That was not the Qi of the Spirit Firmament, nor the breath of Realm Master, nor even... any known dimensional power that did not belong to the logic system of "cultivation".

Grand Venerable Mingxu said was true; this place does indeed contain some ancient, extremely dangerous, and indefinable existence.

At this moment, Qin Yu, standing amidst the inverted Milky Way, darkened his gaze.

"This place..." he murmured.

"It's as if the whole world is being 'reflected,' but it's not reflecting reality, but rather..."

"The future shadow of death in the Spirit Firmament Great Realm."

Behind him, Ling Zhan slowly spoke, his Silent Origin Soul Intent solidifying like flames:

Legend has it that a remnant of the Immortal Antiquity Era was sealed within these 'Mirror Abyss Illusory Realm'.

"They are attempting to rewrite the laws of nature from the 'opposite' side of the world—if it truly is that force that has revived, we are probably... not the first to arrive here."

Qin Yu slightly raised his right hand, and as the Azure Ring trembled, its light slanted down, scattering onto the end of the cliff.

The next instant, amidst the churning mist of souls, a hazy "soul shadow wheel mark" was clearly revealed!

It was neither human nor beast, but a "constituent of consciousness" that could not be described in words—like the "remnants of existence" left here by fragments of the will of some ancient, vanished soul during its eternal slumber.

It didn't move, but it was staring at Qin Yu.

Qin Yu, too, gazed back silently.

The Azure Ring beside him suddenly spun once, emitting a clear sound like the tolling of a bell from the Primordial Realm, as if responding to this ancient call from the "Queen of the Realm".

He whispered:

"These are not remnants, these are... the very soul that led me here."

"Could this place be the most terrifying illusionary realm of the Mirror Abyss Illusory Realm Immortal Antiquity Era?" You Jin murmured softly.

Qin Yu on the shattered Star Bridge, his feet seemingly treading on the Milky Way, while countless stars rose from the ground above him, as if he had fallen into a dream where light and soul were reversed. Broken mirrors floated in the void, each reflecting another "possibility" for the traveler—either dying in the old battle, being devoured by the soul, or being destroyed by his own inner demons.

"The Mirror Abyss Illusory Realm... is even more bizarre than the legends suggest," Qin Ning murmured, his brow furrowed.

The two accompanying elders of the Silent Source Realm — Ming Xun and Jin Lin —had also activated their divine sense defenses. Jin Lin said in a deep voice, "Be careful. The illusions here can penetrate the realm of Fate Soul Consciousness Realm. If the Silent Origin Array is not set up, even we may be devoured by our own 'death appearance'."

Before the group could go any deeper, a piercing sound of a mirror breaking suddenly rang out!

"Mirror Abyss Illusory Beast." Ming Xun suddenly turned around, and the "Silent Wheel Realm-Rending Seal" condensed in his palm.

A void mirror burst forth from the gap between the stars, and a soul beast, composed of ice crystals and resembling a fox shadow, suddenly traversed the dimensional mirror and attacked! Its entire body was constructed from shattered mirrors, and with each step, it created three layers of mirror image barriers around Qin Ning's sea of consciousness.

--The opening scene, titled "The Self That Killed," reveals the causal shadow of Qin Ning's past death;

--This second mirror is the "Fragmented Self," tearing apart the sea of consciousness and stripping away all perception;

--The final mirror, representing the "rebellious self," forcibly constructs the illusion of "betraying the Fate Soul," causing one's consciousness to shatter.

"Break." Qin Yu's eyes were icy cold. He took a step forward, the Azure Ring in his palm slightly rotating, and activated it directly—

[Azure Ring, Second Form: Realm-Severing Silent Light]

Boom--!

A sliver of cold light, like the annihilation of a boundary, slashed out, instantly shattering the triple illusionary rings! The sound of the Soul Realm roared like thunder, and shards of mirror fragments scattered across the starry sky, like a shadow of astonishment from ten thousand souls.

The Mirror Abyss Illusory Beast roared, its tail unleashing a circular ripple that projected onto Qin Yu's sea of consciousness! In that instant, everything drastically changed—

He saw himself slaying the Netherworld Souls, crushing the Shang Lineage, wielding the Source-Extinguishing Divine Sword, and fighting his way to the very top of the Silent Origin, while Qian Ruishan, Mu Qingwan... slowly vanished behind him in the face of an inverted destiny.

"Fake." Qin Yu's brows gleamed with a cold light. "All Mirror Abyss Techniques are but dust before my Azure Ring."

A right palm strike!

[Azure Ring, Third Form: Silent Origin Wheel Prison]

Buzz—The Tenfold Soul Wheel forcibly emerged within the Mirror Realm, drawing in the Mirror Abyss Illusory Beast!

At that moment, the body of the phantom beast seemed to multiply in space and time, and was pulled into the "Ten Incarnations of Soul Consciousness". In each incarnation, it was thrown into the "Eternal Tribulation of Soul" and severed between the mirrors.

"This technique is specifically designed to kill illusory souls, and I was reluctant to use it... Since you dared to enter my sea of consciousness, you shall suffer Eternal Silence."

The Silent Wheel was crushed with a deafening roar.

At the same time, Elder Ming Xun activated the Sea of Consciousness Array and shouted:

"Silent Origin Art: Reflecting Wheel Myriad Breaks!"

Billions of tiny mirror lights unfolded behind him, instantly projecting onto the entire illusory realm, resetting all the images into a void structure, and breaking the continuous control over everyone's soul consciousness.

Elder Jin Lin then slammed his palm into the ground:

"Silent Realm Fire Vein - Source of Blazing Silence!"

The galaxy on the ground was ignited, and beams of flame erupted from the cracks, sweeping across the remnants of the phantom beasts like celestial flames, utterly annihilating them.

In an instant, the entire Mirror Abyss area became crystal clear.

Qin Yu amidst the shattered shadows of the Silent Wheel, his gaze calm. "This is merely the outer perimeter... The true illusion, the deepest part, must be hidden within the core of the Moon Abyss."

Ming Xun and Jin Lin exchanged a glance, both solemn.

Qin Yu looked up at the silver spiritual platform floating atop the "Reflection of the Galaxy" in front of him. A faint moonlight danced on it, as if something was quietly beckoning him.

"That's..." he murmured, "Could it be Realm Artifact...?"