At dawn, the sky above the Radiant Cosmos Star Hall was still shrouded in a pale blue halo, and the protective runes around the palace were faintly visible in the morning mist, as if the Milky Way were asleep.
Outside the palace gate, Chi Ning's figure arrived gracefully. Today, she had specially changed into a light blue long dress, the cuffs fluttering in the wind, and the Butterfly Soul Glazed Sound Mirror in her hand appeared and disappeared, as if trembling slightly with her emotions.
She raised her hand and gently knocked on the palace door, her voice clear and gentle. "Senior Brother Qin, are you up?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the palace doors slowly opened by themselves, and a familiar figure stood inside.
Qin Yu was already fully prepared, dressed in a black and gold robe, with the aura of the Nine-Wheel True Evolution Dharma Wheel on his back concealed. His eyes were clear and calm, but he showed a hint of gentleness when he saw Chi Ning.
"Ning'er, you're here so early."
His voice was steady, with a hint of a smile.
Chi Ning was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "Senior brother, so you've been waiting for a long time. I was worried you hadn't rested well."
Qin Yu shook his head slightly, a profound meaning in his eyes. "I finished meditating last night. We can't afford to be careless at our destination today."
Chi Ning nodded, tightening his grip on the Butterfly Soul Glazed Sound Mirror, a mixture of determination and tension flashing in his eyes. "Yes, I'm ready. My martial soul's reaction is becoming clearer and clearer; the direction it's guiding should be completely confirmed today."
As the morning light shone through the palace gates, the two figures cast long shadows, one in front of the other.
Just as the two were about to set off, the morning light shone down from outside the palace, and suddenly a phantom of intertwined light blue and dark black appeared behind Qin Yu.
"Ah--!"
Chi Ning was startled and almost dropped the Butterfly Soul Glazed Sound Mirror on the ground before she could see who it was.
"Oh dear, Sister Yunyi! You startled me... Could you please let me know in advance next time you're going out?"
Yunyi landed gracefully beside Qin Yu, her hands behind her back, her eyes crinkling with a mischievous glint. "Hehe, why didn't Little Qinzi wake me up? I've been sleeping in his sea of consciousness for days. This time I suddenly sensed some movement, so I came out to take a look."
As she spoke, she flicked the Butterfly Soul Glazed Sound Mirror in Chi Ning's hand with her fingertip, blinking curiously, "Where are you all going?"
Qin Yu smiled helplessly, his tone steady. "Yunyi, Chi Ning's martial soul has resonated with the system, which might trigger a breakthrough awakening. We need to go to the area she sensed, but we don't yet know what kind of place it is or what we'll encounter."
Yunyi's eyes lit up, she leaned forward slightly, and playfully tossed her long hair. "Yay! Finally, I have a fight! I haven't fought in so many days, I'm so bored!"
Qin Yu shook his head, a slight smile involuntarily curving his lips, "You..."
Seeing the interaction between the two, Chi Ning's tension eased slightly, and a smile appeared on her face. The three of them walked together to the gate of the Radiant Cosmos Star Hall and embarked on their journey into the unknown.
Qin Yu, Chi Ning, and Yunyi soared through the air. The void beneath their feet rippled, as if they were walking on waves.
Chi Ning held up the [Butterfly Soul Glazed Sound Mirror] with both hands. The mirror was more dazzling than ever before, as if invisible ripples were spreading out from the center of the mirror. Each ripple fell into the world and caused the surrounding void to tremble slightly.
At first, the mirror only shimmered slightly; but as they traveled further south, the light in the mirror grew more intense, transforming into a phantom butterfly silhouette, soaring through the heavens.
With each flap of its wings, the heavens and earth seemed to tremble.
The azure clouds were instantly torn open with a rift as deep as an abyss;
The distant mountains appeared as strange mirror images, as if another world had been superimposed upon them;
A faint "mirror chirping" sound emanated from the air, like a chorus of thousands of whispers, resembling both the chanting of gods and the lamentation of the dead.
Yunyi crossed her arms, her eyes sparkling, her voice trembling with excitement. "Such a strong resonance... This place is indeed extraordinary! Little Qinzi, we're sure to find good things along the way, but we're also sure to encounter danger."
Chi Ning's expression was solemn, and her palms were slightly sweaty. She could feel an indescribable attraction within the Butterfly Soul Glazed Sound Mirror, as if it were calling her home, but that attraction was mixed with a trace of coldness, as if there would be no turning back once she stepped in.
Qin Yu glanced at her sideways, his voice steady. "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
The Nine-Wheel True Evolution Dharma Wheel slowly unfolded behind him, like nine layers of heaven pressing down, and the aura emanating from them suppressed the eerie whispers and chilling atmosphere around him.
Suddenly, the Butterfly Soul Glazed Sound Mirror shone brightly, and an ancient route appeared in its center, like a vein drawn by stars, pointing directly to a region of light and darkness at the end of the sky.
There, the sky twists, the sun and moon shine together, and the Milky Way hangs like an inverted waterfall—a space that completely defies common sense is slowly emerging.
Chi Ning murmured in a daze, "It's there... my martial spirit is calling for that place."
Qin Yu's gaze sharpened, and he said in a low voice, "Alright, let's go."
Three figures transformed into streaks of light, tearing through the sky and flying towards that forbidden realm where light and darkness overlapped.
After tearing through the sky, the three's escape light gradually slowed down.
The scene before me was as if I had fallen into another universe.
The sky is no longer the clear blue of dawn, but a crack where light and darkness intertwine. Half is day, half is night, the sun and moon hang in the same sky, repelling each other yet merging together. That contradictory beauty is mesmerizing at first glance.
The earth below was even more bizarre:
The vast wilderness was as smooth as a mirror, the ground like a giant crystal, clearly reflecting the two suns and two moons in the sky;
Countless broken mountain ranges floated in mid-air, like shattered paintings hanging in the air, with ancient runes carved between the rocks, as if they were remnants of some kind of array pattern from the past;
Occasionally, a broken river appears to hang upside down, its water not falling downwards but pouring against the sky, as if offering sustenance to some unknown source.
An indescribable "echo" filled the air, like the crisp sound of a mirror being struck, or like countless people chanting softly at the same time. The sound was elusive, making it impossible to distinguish whether it was heard by the ears or perceived by the mind.
In the distance, a colossal tower, seemingly pieced together from countless shattered mirrors, stands askew between heaven and earth. Its surface shimmers with a cold light, as if reflecting the deepest images within the viewer's heart. A massive crack appears at the top of the tower, from which a bluish-white radiance bursts forth, pointing straight to the heavens, causing the entire world to tremble in a stark contrast of light and darkness.
The Butterfly Soul Glazed Sound Mirror trembled violently in Chi Ning's hand, its surface radiating an almost blinding light, projecting one butterfly shadow after another that rushed toward the mirror tower in front of her.
Chi Ning held her breath, her voice so low it was almost inaudible. "It's here... it's calling me."
Qin Yu's expression was solemn, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. The Nine-Wheel True Evolution Dharma Wheel behind him spun silently, as if he had already caught a glimpse of the danger lurking behind the tower.
Yunyi, on the other hand, seemed impatient. With her hands behind her back, her eyes sparkled as she gazed at the mirror-like world, her playful demeanor barely concealing a fighting spirit. "What a place... even the air seems to be whispering, as if challenging me."
As the three approached through the air, the colossal tower, pieced together from countless shattered mirrors, became increasingly clear. The mirror light flowing across the tower spread through the void, as if forming an invisible barrier.
Suddenly--
"Buzz--"
An ancient wave spread out from the barrier, and countless mirror images appeared in the space. They hung in mid-air, like water mirrors reflecting the sky, enveloping Qin Yu, Chi Ning, and Yunyi.
Chi Ning subconsciously looked up, trying to see her reflection in the mirror, but her expression changed instantly.
There were no reflections of the three of them in the mirror.
What was reflected was an extremely eerie scene:
In the mirror corresponding to Qin Yu, the reflection became a stranger with cracks all over his body and empty eyes, seemingly "Qin Yu after being altered," carrying an aura of desolation and nothingness;
In Chi Ning's mirror, what was reflected was not her own image, but a huge butterfly shadow, its wings tattered, the mirror light filled with blood, as if it were the tragic form of the Butterfly Soul Glazed Sound Mirror approaching its end;
As for Yunyi, her reflection was the strangest—it was neither a dragon nor a young girl, but a deep blue abyss, with countless Illusory Dragon shadows swimming within it, each one howling in agony.
In an instant, all three felt a strange and dangerous sense of oppression, as if these reflections were not illusions, but "reality" from another world.
"This..."
Chi Ning's voice trembled as the Butterfly Soul Glazed Sound Mirror flew up from her palm on its own, resonating with the phantom of the blood butterfly from afar and emitting a sharp buzzing sound.
Qin Yu frowned, his eyes cold, and the Nine-Wheel True Evolution Dharma Wheel behind him vibrated silently, suppressing the reflection. "This is not our reflection... This is an ancient mirror pattern deliberately revealing—another possibility."
Yunyi, however, seemed to have her curiosity thoroughly piqued. Her eyes lit up, and a hint of barely suppressed ruthlessness lurked beneath her playful smile, "Haha, this is fun! These mirrors are clearly playing a joke on our fate."
She turned to Qin Yu: "Little Qinzi, can I break them all up first?"
Qin Yu drew a line with his finger in front of the mirror array, and the phantom of the Book of Fate Law appeared. The pages of the book transformed into ripples of silent light, suppressing the strange reflections one by one. As the last mirror pattern cracked, the originally chaotic light curtain suddenly converged, transforming into a deep and bright vortex entrance, as if leading directly to an unknown world.
The three exchanged a glance, and then stepped inside simultaneously.
--boom!
The next instant, the world before my eyes completely changed.
They arrived at an incomparably magnificent space:
The azure sea stretches to the horizon like a mirror, upon which stand strange platinum palaces and colossal bridges, as if sculpted by the ancient gods themselves. Thousand-foot-long bridges span the sea, their surfaces shimmering with holy light, like veins connecting heaven and earth; enormous waterfalls cascade from the sky, their waters falling like a galaxy to earth, their roar echoing through the heavens.
But what is most breathtaking is the depths of the sky.
The sky was not a complete firmament, but rather torn apart by a giant rainbow ring. The ring seemed to be pieced together from millions of shattered worlds, with layers upon layers of temporal and spatial waves surging within. A deep blue light shone from its center, like an "eye of the world," coldly watching everything below.
Yunyi's eyes lit up, and she couldn't help but exclaim softly, "Wow... this seems to be the kingdom of the gods."
Chi Ning gripped the Butterfly Soul Glazed Sound Mirror tightly, her martial soul vibrating more and more violently, even levitating automatically and emitting a dazzling stream of light towards the celestial ring, as if responding to some ancient call.
Qin Yu's expression was solemn. He looked up at the rainbow ring, and an indescribable sense of oppression welled up in his heart—it seemed that some kind of Ultimate trial was hidden there, quietly waiting for them to step into it.
The sea breeze carries with it holy light and whispers of the unknown; the whole world is like a living temple, destined not to allow intruders to leave safely.
The moment the three of them stepped onto the giant bridge, the platinum bridge beneath their feet seemed to come alive, shimmering with light. Then, the tranquil sea suddenly began to churn.
Rumble!
Countless waves rose from the ground, not water, but a "tide" formed from shattered mirror light and fragmented narrative pieces. From that tide, pairs of eerie figures gradually emerged.
They resemble humans, yet are utterly distorted:
Their bodies are woven from flowing starlight and broken words; their heads are overlapping faces, some laughing, some crying, some angry, some sorrowful, each whispering a different "fate." They are the guardians of this place—[Guardian Illusory Spirits].
The Illusory Spirits' footsteps did not touch the bridge surface, but floated in like reflections. With each step, the platinum bridge resonated with mournful echoes, as if playing a funeral dirge for the intruders.
"They are mimicking our aura." Qin Yu's eyes narrowed slightly as he saw the faces of dozens of Illusory Spirits gradually overlap, eventually evolving into the likeness of Qin Yu, Chi Ning, and Yunyi!
However—those "Phantom Qin Yu" had cold eyes, held the black and broken Source-Extinguishing Divine Sword in their hands, and were surrounded by the afterimages of collapsing Azure Ring, as if they were enemies of the world.
Chi Ning's pretty face suddenly paled. "These Illusory Spirits... are evolving into ourselves?!"
Yunyi snorted coldly, a faint glow of the Ring of Fate Law appearing at her fingertips, and whispered, "How interesting, daring to use the shadow of 'Little Qinzi' to scare people?"
The next instant, the Illusory Spirits roared in unison, and dozens of phantom figures stepped out simultaneously, their skills and laws erupting at the same time. Sword shadows, butterfly lights, boundary rings, mirror flows—everything was familiar to them, yet it was twisted into killing moves that Annihilation them.
The platinum bridge trembled violently, and the light between heaven and earth seemed to transform into a reflection of death, pressing down on them in an overwhelming manner.
Qin Yu's eyes turned cold, and the Source-Extinguishing Divine Sword appeared at his fingertips. His whispered words echoed across the bridge like thunder, "Since you are Illusory Spirits —then let me show you what true Annihilation is."