Chapter 168: The Yin-Yang Mirror

"Wake up, everyone, wake up."

"Don't be deceived, don't be deceived, wake up all of you!"

…………

Thud…

Shouting, kicking, slaps, collisions—it was all useless.

In desperation, Yuwen Tao and others even stabbed a man in the thigh with a knife, hoping the pain would jolt him back to sanity.

But even that had no effect.

The man with the pierced thigh merely glanced down at his attacker, then immediately turned his gaze to the sky, swiftly drawing a dagger and plunging it deep into his own heart.

Plosch…

"They've gone mad, all of them—ignore these people, go stop others from coming over! There's something on the bamboo tower we can't see—only those who've worshipped the Mirror Immortal can see it!"

Only two or three thousand people had gathered around the bamboo tower just now.

At some point, people began emerging one by one from other buildings in the encampment, all acting as if possessed, drawn toward the bamboo tower, their eyes fixed unblinkingly on the air above it, wearing the same smiles as those before.

Plosch… plosch… plosch…

Seeing the rate of suicide accelerate, Yuwen Tao abandoned these people entirely and led those beside him straight toward the outer edge of the crowd.

"Don't come near! Don't come near! Go, go, all of you, leave!"

He screamed until his voice cracked, but it had zero effect.

The vast majority in the encampment continued streaming toward the bamboo tower.

Their pupils glowed with silver-white light, deaf to all outside sound, one after another taking their own lives—exactly as Yuwen the Guardian and the crowd beneath the tower had done.

"What's wrong, Tao'er? What's happening?!"

"Tao, what's going on?"

"Old Hong, what's happening here?"

…………

Of course, a few remained awake, hearing Yuwen Tao's cries and stepping out from their huts.

These people emerged looking dazed, but when they saw those around the bamboo tower killing themselves one by one, their expressions froze.

"All of you, leave! Don't come near!"

Yuwen Tao gave no explanation—he noticed all those still lucid were precisely those who had never worshipped the Mirror Immortal. He instantly understood: he could not stop what was happening here.

"Mother, don't come! Follow Uncle Hong and the others—run, get out of the encampment, don't stay here! The leader and everyone else who worshipped the Mirror Immortal have gone mad."

Seeing his mother Xu Lan approaching the bamboo tower, Yuwen Tao shouted a warning and sprinted forward to intercept her.

"Where's your father?"

At his mother's question, Yuwen Tao stiffened, opened his mouth, then fell silent, his gaze drifting unconsciously toward the top of the bamboo tower.

Xu Lan was no ordinary woman—she, too, had reached the Earth-Digging realm.

Seeing her son's expression, she guessed instantly, then followed his gaze to the tower's peak—and her body trembled.

Yuwen the Guardian hung lifelessly over the railing at the top.

Even from afar, the horrific wound on his neck was clearly visible, blood dripping steadily down the railing.

Combined with his motionless form and the growing pile of corpses below, there was no need to guess his fate.

After scanning the scene around the tower, Xu Lan forced back her grief and turned sharply to her son.

"Tao'er, many of those who came with us from Ningzhou never worshipped the Mirror Immortal—they still have a chance. Go save them."

Did his mother know about the Mirror Immortal too?

Yuwen Tao froze, but hearing his mother's next words, he instantly understood—and shook his head urgently.

"No, Mother, come with me—"

"Enough. When has your mother ever changed her mind? The more time you waste here, the fewer people you can save. Go!"

Seeing the resolve on her face, Yuwen Tao's heart jolted.

"It's too cold—can't leave your father lying there like this…"

Xu Lan whispered softly, then turned and walked resolutely toward the bamboo tower.

Watching his mother's back, Yuwen Tao clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. He lifted his gaze one final time at his father's corpse, then turned and sprinted toward the other buildings in the encampment, warning everyone to flee.

"My father and I were right—the Mirror Immortal is a malevolent spirit. Now the question is: has the leader He Yuanhun been controlled by it… or has he already been replaced by it?"

If before Yuwen Tao had merely suspected the Mirror Immortal was a malevolent spirit, now—after witnessing his father's suicide and the scene on the bamboo tower—he was certain.

The earlier resurrections may have been nothing but a ruse, designed for this very moment.

Yuwen Tao, leading Hong Guang and others, gathered every person still lucid in the encampment, organizing their escape while his mind raced.

He Yuanhun was undoubtedly human. When his father Yuwen the Guardian decided to merge the Ningzhou group into the Mirror Immortal's encampment, the primary reason was his deep admiration and respect for He Yuanhun, his sworn brother.

Even Yuwen Tao himself had long regarded He Yuanhun as an idol.

"No—whether he's been controlled or replaced, it doesn't matter now. What matters is: what is his goal?"

If He Yuanhun was a malevolent spirit, many things suddenly made sense!

"The Great Xia must possess some artifact capable of seeing through and restraining him. He Yuanhun feared it, so he triggered the Frost Beast Tide—as a kind of insurance. But he still failed, crushed by the Great Xia!"

Not just failed—he was utterly destroyed.

He Meng and He Gang, along with all 271 Earth-Digging cultivators, were annihilated. Even He Yuanhun himself was grievously wounded, nearly killed.

Returning immediately to create this scene like a bird frightened by a bowstring—his intent was now crystal clear.

"He's afraid the Great Xia will send forces here—he's brought it forward!"

Yuwen Tao led his group to the southern exit of the encampment. He estimated only three thousand or so remained alive—his expression grim as he realized this massacre had been meticulously planned by He Yuanhun for a long time.

The Mirror Immortal encampment held over twelve thousand people; over nine thousand had worshipped the Mirror Immortal.

From He Yuanhun's gradual, patient manipulation to lure everyone into worshipping the Mirror Immortal, his goal clearly was to include everyone—or as many as possible. But because of the Great Xia's interference, he'd been forced to accelerate his plan.

Ding…

A crisp, metallic chime echoed from behind. The fleeing crowd—including Yuwen Tao—could not help but turn back.

One look, and every gaze froze.

The basin housing the Mirror Immortal encampment spanned barely five li across—not large—and sat ten meters below ground level. The southern exit sloped upward, so turning back gave a clear view of the bamboo tower.

Above the bamboo tower, two oval mirrors—ancient in design, eerily resembling eyes—had appeared in the sky.

The left mirror emitted a blinding, intense beam of light, illuminating the bamboo tower below—its diameter narrow enough to cover only one person at a time.

The right mirror also glowed, but its light was a dull, gray-black hue.

The reason everyone froze was the right mirror.

Its surface reflected a scene.

Though distant, they saw it with perfect clarity.

The scene was another basin—identical in layout: bamboo tower, wooden huts, paths, everything exactly as in their own Mirror Immortal encampment.

But inside the mirror, birds sang, flowers bloomed, greenery thrived, sunlight bathed the land—no cold, no snow. Food piled high on the ground, and people walked about, laughing and chatting.

"Isn't that Old Chen's family?"

"I see my father!"

"That's my husband—he's in there too…"

"Second Leader! I see the Second Leader!"

Voices rose one after another. Hong Guang even spotted Yuwen the Guardian inside—and beamed with joy as he told Yuwen Tao.

But when he turned, he met Yuwen Tao's icy stare.

"It's all fake. You all saw it—those people are dead. This is a spirit's trick. Don't be foolish!"

Hong Guang snapped back to clarity, but others did not.

Especially those with fragile minds—already shattered by witnessing so many suicides—now, faced with the mirror's paradise, they seemed to remember something, their expressions twisting in torment.

"Don't be fooled—it's all false. If such a world truly existed, why would you have to die to enter it? This is the spirit's deception!"

Seeing many faces soften with longing, Yuwen Tao shouted urgently.

"Tao'er, don't you trust your uncle anymore?"

=9+book_bar

He Yuanhun's sincere voice suddenly echoed from above.

Many whom Yuwen Tao had just awakened now looked up again at the mirror's paradise, their eyes filled with hope.

"I am the Mirror Immortal. The blissful world inside this mirror is mine to create—no Frost Beasts, no malevolent spirits, no frost or bitter cold. It is the opposite of the Ice Abyss. Die once, and you may dwell within it, gaining immortality. Even if you regret it, you may freely return to the Ice Abyss at will."

"Such a world, Tao'er—don't you want to come?"

He Yuanhun's voice, warm and utterly sincere, carried through the air. Below, many eyes grew distant; some even reached for their weapons.

Not just commoners—even some Wood-Cutting and Earth-Digging cultivators were affected.

Even Yuwen Tao felt a flicker of doubt.

He Yuanhun's hypnotic voice, and the perfect world he described, were unbearably alluring to the people of the Ice Abyss.

The Ice Abyss was no normal world.

Calling it an ice-laden hell was no exaggeration.

No frost, no cold, no Frost Beasts, no malevolent spirits.

Who wouldn't want such a world?

But more than that—the crucial part was He Yuanhun's final words.

Even if you regretted it, you could freely return to the Ice Abyss.

Ahead of him, He Meng and He Gang, along with many others, were all people who had died once and been revived; apart from becoming more irritable, they were nearly identical to how they had been before.

Doesn't this prove even more clearly that He Yuanhun's words are true?

"He's lying to me. Death is irreversible. None of this is real—it's an illusion."

Yuwen Tao's breathing grew heavier; he repeatedly echoed those words in his mind, wanting to speak out in protest, yet unsure how to refute them, so he remained silent, his expression torn.

"Lao Guang, what are you waiting for? Come quickly—I'm waiting for you!"

"Son, come in—your father's waiting right here."

"This world is far more comfortable than the Bingyuan. Hurry, Father."

"Rong'er, what are you waiting for? Come in."

………………

He Yuanhun's earlier words had already begun to shake the crowd.

At this moment, the figures inside the mirror world suddenly began speaking.

They reached out toward Yuwen Tao's group, calling out to their loved ones, their faces filled with genuine smiles.

This delivered a powerful blow to those already wavering.

Puchī…………

Among the crowd, an older man could no longer hold back—he drew his dagger and plunged it into his own heart.

"I'm going over there. I'm going over there. I don't want to live in the Bingyuan."

"Even if it's fake, I'm going—I want to be with my family."

"I'm going too. I believe our leader. I'm going to that world."

…………

With the first one, a second quickly followed, then a chain reaction: the more than three thousand people who had nearly escaped through the outpost tunnel now began killing themselves, just like the people at the bamboo pavilion had done.

"Tao'er, believe your mother—come in. Come, and you'll see our leader didn't lie. Your father and I are waiting for you!"

The voice of his mother, Xu Lan, from within the mirror world sent a violent shudder through Yuwen Tao's body; his eyes glazed over completely as he slowly raised his broadsword and pressed it against his neck.

"To be born in the Bingyuan is to face nine deaths and one life. If dying lets me go to a world like this, to be with Father and Mother—even if it's an illusion—it's worth it!"

This thought flashed through Yuwen Tao's mind; he surged with force in both hands.

Hōng…………

But at that moment, a fierce wave of heat suddenly slammed into him, yanking him back from his daze.

"Ahh………………"

A piercing scream suddenly rang out from the mirror above the bamboo pavilion.

"How could it be so fast? How could you be so fast? Aaa!!!"

He Yuanhun's previously sincere voice now turned frantic, filled with panic and terror.

The two mirrors above the bamboo pavilion were now engulfed in roaring flames.

Sōu sōu sōu…………

Dozens of iron arrows shot from behind, all striking the two mirrors above the bamboo pavilion with perfect accuracy.

Puchī……

Strangely, when the arrows struck the mirrors, they did not produce the sound of shattering glass—instead, they pierced through as if hitting flesh, embedding themselves directly into the surface.

The next instant, flames burst from the tips of the arrows, adding fuel to the already raging fire.

Hōng…………

The fire intensified, and at the same time, thick black smoke slowly rose from the mirror surfaces.

Accompanying it was He Yuanhun's more agonized screams.

"How could it be so fast? How could you be so fast? Ugh… Aaah…"

He had only just collected nine thousand souls; the Mirror Realm was not yet formed—it was only missing the final touch—and Xia Hong had already arrived so soon.

The location of the Mirror Immortal's outpost wasn't hard to find, but Xia Hong had never been here before; even the first time, it should have taken him some time.

How could he—how could he have found this place so quickly?

"Foolish. I let you go on purpose—do you think I wouldn't leave a mark on you? If you could escape so easily, wouldn't my Yuhán-level breakthrough be meaningless?"

A slightly mocking voice echoed from outside the tunnel.

Yuwen Tao turned quickly and saw sixty or seventy figures clad in black cloaks standing outside the tunnel, drawing powerful bows and firing arrows furiously at the mirrors above the bamboo pavilion.

The leader of that group—could it be anyone other than Xia Hong?

(End of Chapter)