Chapter 200

The old man glared at Tang Luo, answering him with a mouthful of old blood he had held back for a full ten years.

After that mouthful of old blood, the old man very straightforwardly fainted.

"Fainted, huh." Tang Luo tossed the skeletal remains in his hand to the side.

These skeletal remains were Shi Ren.

The situation was like this: at the time, Tang Luo and Shi Ren had fallen together into a black void.

A terrifying death qi, like tidal waves, surged in from all directions, filling every inch of space, threatening to scour Tang Luo into a dead thing that could not be deader.

Facing such a dangerous situation, Elder Xuanzang clenched his fist, his momentum vast, wind and thunder surging.

He punched out!

Tearing apart the darkness, shattering the Yin-Yang Mirror's fragments from within.

Thus, Tang Luo came out.

At the moment the Yin-Yang Mirror fragments were shattered, Shi Ren also died, turning into a desiccated corpse in his hand.

He had originally relied on the Yin-Yang Mirror to exist — Tang Luo could be considered to have fulfilled his promise, bringing Shi Ren out.

But whether he lived or died after being brought out was none of Tang Luo's business.

To put it bluntly, even if Shi Ren hadn't died, Tang Luo would have ferried him across, wanting to earn merit power after all.

Not only would ferrying Shi Ren yield merit power, but Tang Luo shattering the Yin-Yang Mirror from within also earned him a considerable amount of merit power.

Proving what? Proving this mirror was up to no good!

Because he had "burst out from within," Tang Luo actually hadn't seen the Yin-Yang Mirror's main body, let alone recognized it.

Even if he had seen it, he wouldn't have recognized it, because Tang Luo had never laid eyes on the Yin-Yang Mirror's physical form at all.

The Journey to the West world he was in indeed had a tremendous connection to Investiture of the Gods, one could say it was a continuation of Investiture of the Gods — of course, it was definitely different from the novel Investiture of the Gods.

But this matter actually didn't have much to do with Tang Luo, and it involved the black histories of numerous big shots; even if Tang Luo wanted to understand the situation, compiling it into a book would be difficult.

A 404 was waiting for him.

He could only listen to some street stall gossip, and point out the rivers and mountains when chatting with people.

"You know there actually wasn't any Hongjun back then? Huh, how do I know? Nonsense, do you know Erlang Shen Yang Jian of Guanjiangkou?"

"He chased me for a hundred and eight thousand li just recently."

"You think I wouldn't know?"

"It's roughly that kind of situation."

Many legendary magic treasures, Tang Luo had only heard their names, never seen their forms.

In the current situation, Tang Luo could only judge that he should have "burst out through space" from the location of the "mirror magic treasure" main body.

Proving his initial judgment had been somewhat mistaken; the dressing table seen in the basement wasn't the magic treasure's true location either, merely an "entrance" passage — placed on a person, it could count as something like an avatar.

Similar "avatars" should still be in other places causing trouble.

Of course, there definitely aren't any now, since even the main body was shattered by Tang Luo from within; if he had attacked from the outside, there might still have been a slight chance to transfer or something, escaping to the heavens.

From within, there wasn't the slightest room for a turnaround.

Right now, he needed to figure out where he was and how to get back.

Tang Luo took out his phone and checked; sure enough, there was no signal at all, and the only one he could question was this half-dead old man before him.

"Oh, the Daoist robe on him is quite a good thing." Tang Luo crouched down, observed the old man, and discovered the Daoist robe on him was a good thing.

When he came out just now, the surging qi was blocked by the Daoist robe; the old man fainting had nothing to do with Tang Luo.

It was purely because his own condition was too poor; this pot, Master Xuanzang refuses to carry.

Reaching out, Tang Luo activated the Merit Jade Lotus.

Before long, the old man opened his eyes, saw Tang Luo crouching before him, and moved to act.

Alas, he couldn't muster a shred of strength in his whole body, and could only stare at Tang Luo with shock and anger: "Who are you!"

A monk in white robes with white hair — the two people's styles were actually very compatible, both taking the classical aesthetic route.

"Amitabha, this poor monk is Xuanzang." Tang Luo stood up, one palm held upright at his chest, "May I ask, benefactor, you are…"

"This poor Daoist is Red Essence Daoist." The old man's reply was also very proper.

One Buddha, one Daoist; one young, one old.

"So it's Daoist Red Essence." A look of sudden realization appeared on Tang Luo's face, "Then, Daoist was just now doing something with the Yin-Yang Mirror, right."

Red Essence Daoist's expression changed; what situation was this!

Not only did this monk appear in an extremely bizarre manner, he even knew about the Yin-Yang Mirror?

This isn't scientific!

The existence of the Yin-Yang Mirror was known only to him alone; no one else knew, including comrades who had fought shoulder to shoulder numerous times, friends of life and death.

They only knew that Red Essence Daoist had obtained some benefit, and went to find a place to seclude himself and digest it.

After a moment's thought, Red Essence Daoist discovered a crucial point. The Yin-Yang Mirror fragments had first started trembling; he thought his ten years of painstaking sacrificial (gui) refinement (tian) had finally borne fruit.

But in reality, it was probably this monk who had done something inside the Yin-Yang Mirror.

He burst out from within the Yin-Yang Mirror, destroying it!

And, he knew about the Yin-Yang Mirror because he himself had just couldn't help but shout once, and was probably overheard by him.

That's right, it's exactly like this!

Red Essence Daoist's face instantly turned gloomy and ugly to the extreme.

What kind of feeling is this? Like scrimping and saving for ten years, finally buying your dream car, not even having had the chance to get in it, when the car suddenly explodes, and a person jumps out from inside laughing: "Didn't expect it, huh? I've already driven it for ten years, and even drove the car to explosion."

Joy instantly turned into pain, and double the pain at that.

The goddess finally agreed to marry him, and then what! Result: watching helplessly as the other party **broke down right before his eyes.

Who could stand this!

If it weren't for his entire body being weak and unable to move, Daoist Chijing would have already gotten up to fight Tang Luo to the death.

You damned thief, from now on we are irreconcilable enemies!

"Oh dear, Daoist, you seem rather angry." Tang Luo said with a smile.

"No, merely surprised. Why has the Dharma Master appeared here?" Daoist Chijing's painful, grim expression eased, "To say I am angry, naturally I am. Dharma Master, don't you see, you destroyed my home and my magical treasure."

Tang Luo looked around, suddenly realizing: "Oh, that really is embarrassing." An insincere apology.

Daoist Chijing nodded solemnly: "It's good that the Dharma Master understands."

"No, I don't understand." Tang Luo said, "The Yin-Yang Mirror isn't exactly some sinister magical treasure, so how did it, upon falling into Daoist's hands, come to devour people?"

"What are you saying?" Daoist Chijing was startled, even dropping the honorific for the Dharma Master.

"Just the surface meaning." Tang Luo leisurely recounted the matter of Shi Ren.

Daoist Chijing's expression shifted repeatedly, very complex, also astonished and shocked.

Normally, he would certainly keep his joy and anger hidden, but today he truly experienced great ups and downs, indeed unable to maintain his former lofty demeanor as an exalted one.

Moreover, the white-haired monk of unknown origin before them was clearly a formidable tough character at a glance.

Forcing calmness only made the other see through it, leading to ridicule; it would be better to be frank.

"You mean, this Yin-Yang Mirror is a demonic artifact?" Daoist Chijing asked.

Tang Luo closed his eyes and nodded: "Indeed."

"Evidence." Daoist Chijing said, "I have cultivated and refined this mirror for many years, never parting with it; the mirror has hardly ever left my sight."

"That is why the monk said, there should be something like a 'diversion' causing trouble outside. This mirror is merely pure on the surface." Tang Luo smiled faintly, "Just like idols in fans' eyes are said to grow by drinking dew. Actually……who knows, hehehe."

Tang Luo laughed with extreme malice, striking at Daoist Chijing's inner pain.

He very much wanted to roar: "Get lost, my Yin-Yang Mirror would never be like this!"

But reason told him, what the monk said was largely true.

Otherwise, how could one explain his emerging from inside the mirror, truly having other openings exposed to others!

Or perhaps, the monk had been inside the mirror from the very beginning?

Such a probability is truly too small, too small.

It's like marrying a goddess, one day returning home, and finding Old Wang from next door in the wardrobe—do you think Old Wang was inside the wardrobe when you bought it?

Or perhaps, on a day when you were not home, the goddess shoved him in, and he hid inside?

Face reality!

Daoist Chijing, after all, is someone who has weathered great storms; after a brief inner outburst, he quickly regained composure.

"You say the mirror has existed for at least a hundred years……" Daoist Chijing said, "But I brought the mirror out of the forbidden land, only ten years have passed."

This is a strange place, worth thorough investigation.

Tang Luo looked at Daoist Chijing: "Daoist, you are also a god-demon……right?"

"Indeed so." Daoist Chijing was not surprised, "I am indeed a god-demon walking the world, and the Dharma Master too?"

In the real world, apart from god-demons walking the world, there are not completely no other extraordinary beings. But such powerful ones, likely only god-demons walking the world.

"Daoist Chijing, still a holder of a destiny." Tang Luo said.

"Is the Dharma Master also?" Daoist Chijing asked, his destiny being precisely the name he currently uses—Daoist Chijing.

From *Fengshen Yanyi*, without too many extra messy derivative versions, basically it can be said only this one exists, and moreover, very strong.

One of the Twelve Golden Immortals under Yuanshi Tianzun, how strong need not be said.

"The monk Xuanzang." Tang Luo repeated.

"Tang Sanzang?" Daoist Chijing said the title everyone is most accustomed to using.

Compared to Daoist Chijing, this insignificant nobody with little presence, Tang Sanzang is far too famous, with many versions.

Daoist Chijing also cannot determine what kind of character the monk before him truly is, but at least he can again affirm—very strong.

Although in the orthodox *Journey to the West*, Tang Sanzang is always a frail mortal image, that is merely a few decades of mortal time.

In his past life as Jin Chanzi, and later as the Merit Buddha, neither were weaklings.

"Indeed." Tang Luo said.

"Fellow travelers on the same path."

"Fellow travelers on the same path."

The two exchanged glances and smiled, no need to say more—ninety-nine percent are god-demons walking the world of Huaxia.

Their innate positions are broadly consistent, having somewhat dispelled mutual wariness—anyway, on the surface everyone smiles very kindly and gently.

Kindly is Daoist Chijing, gently warm is Tang Luo.

"I never expected that after the monk's ten-year retreat, Huaxia would produce such talent." Daoist Chijing said with considerable relief.

"Ten years?" Tang Luo asked curiously, "Daoist's meaning is, you have not undertaken any mission for ten years?"

Daoist Chijing nodded slightly: "Though not absolute, but the further along, the longer the intervals between missions. Ten years without missions is not extreme. At least Daoist knows, there is a god-demon walking the world who has gone over twenty years without undertaking any mission."

"Oh, then he……"

"Later he died, and never appeared again." Daoist Chijing said with a hint of regret.

"Alright." Tang Luo said, "Is this Yin-Yang Mirror equipment?" He redirected the topic back to the Yin-Yang Mirror.

The secret above, vast indeed!

Now, Daoist Chijing naturally opened up and said: "Yes, but unlike ordinary equipment, information is extremely simple: Yin-Yang Mirror fragment, can be sacrificed and refined."

A total of eight characters, concise and meaningful.

【118> Yet it made the then-obtaining Daoist Chijing tremble all over, very excited.

Yet it made Chi Jing Daoren, who had obtained the Yin-Yang Mirror at the time, tremble all over, extremely agitated.