Chapter 182

"Of course."

Queen Luo Sha rose with a smile and led Lu Fang and Xue Luo Sha to a secret chamber, its space vast—equal to the size of a basketball court—devoid of any decoration, save for a mirror as large as a mountain.

The mirror's surface was inlaid with stones and faint golden luminescence, its smooth, flawless plane unlike ordinary mirrors; when a person stood before it, no reflection appeared.

"This is the Golden Luminous Mirror. Simply touch its surface, and when you feel the pull, do not resist—you will enter the folded space within the mirror."

Xue Luo Sha explained with a smile.

Seeing Lu Fang observe the Golden Luminous Mirror with curiosity, Queen Luo Sha suggested, "Marquis Wenguan, would you like to try entering it?"

Lu Fang hesitated, then reached out and touched the mirror's surface—instantly, he felt a tremendous suction, one that, had he wished, he could have easily resisted with minimal effort.

But he did not resist.

In the blink of an eye, he appeared in a space composed of countless mirrors.

"So this is the folded space inside the mirror?"

Lu Fang gazed at the countless floating mirrors surrounding him, each reflecting an endless number of himself; he instinctively moved to circle behind one.

"Marquis Wenguan, don't wander!"

Xue Luo Sha's urgent voice rang out.

Lu Fang stopped and turned to her, smiling: "How did you get in too?"

"Never step behind those floating mirrors—leave this small area, and you'll enter another space and become lost in the folded realm."

Xue Luo Sha spoke rapidly: "My mother and I never expected you'd enter directly—we feared you'd wander and get lost, so I had no choice but to follow you in."

Lu Fang nodded with a smile: "Though I heard the general precautions, I clearly misunderstood the situation—thank you for arriving in time; otherwise, I might truly have become lost here."

Xue Luo Sha whispered: "Marquis Wenguan, simply sit in the center. Gradually, your mind will calm, and any distracting thoughts will be purified by the mirror's power."

Lu Fang glanced at the endless expanse of mirrors, shook his head, and returned to the safer central spot, sitting cross-legged on the ground and closing his eyes to sense his surroundings.

The moment he did, he immediately sensed something extraordinary.

His mind felt like a mirror formed of still lake water—unnaturally serene.

This was the evolutionary effect of the Golden Luminous Mirror; the sensation was truly wondrous.

Seeing Lu Fang enter meditative stillness, Xue Luo Sha crossed her arms and studied the surrounding mirrors—if he harbored any demonic thoughts or distractions, they would manifest in the reflections.

In truth, any normal person inevitably carries some distractions or dark thoughts.

Xue Luo Sha often entered the Golden Luminous Mirror to purge such impurities, allowing her cultivation to proceed more smoothly.

But there were limits to its use.

One could not enter daily; current tests showed only one entry per month was possible.

For instance, even now, faint wisps of black mist rose from Xue Luo Sha's body—these were her distractions.

And this was after she purified herself monthly.

One could imagine how even a virtuous person would generate various distractions and evil thoughts due to countless causes.

"Huh?"

Xue Luo Sha frowned sharply, as if witnessing something unbelievable; she stepped closer to the mirror before her, squinting to confirm whether she'd misseen.

Lu Fang had been in meditation for some time, yet no black mist of distractions emerged from him—this was clearly abnormal.

Could it be that he possessed pure righteous energy, with not a single distraction?

Impossible!

Anyone, over time, must accumulate distractions.

"Is this real?"

Xue Luo Sha stared blankly at Lu Fang's reflection in the mirror, her eyes dry from straining—still, no black mist emerged from him.

What was going on?

If someone told her a person had no distractions, she'd never believe it.

Yet what she saw now defied explanation—she stood bewildered, utterly perplexed.

"What's wrong?"

Lu Fang asked without opening his eyes; due to his inner stillness, he perceived every movement Xue Luo Sha made.

Xue Luo Sha swallowed hard and whispered: "Marquis Wenguan, something seems off—have you noticed any signs of your demonic heart being purified?"

"It seems to have no effect on the demonic heart," Lu Fang replied with a wry smile. "I only feel inner calm—this place is ideal for cultivation. You said something's off—what exactly?"

Xue Luo Sha hesitated: "The Golden Luminous Mirror hasn't purged a single distraction from you—as if it has no effect on you. No person can be entirely free of distractions."

"Oh?" Lu Fang opened his eyes, puzzled, and asked: "What do you mean?"

Xue Luo Sha pointed to the mirror ahead: "Marquis Wenguan, look at your reflection and mine—what's the difference?"

"What difference?" Lu Fang gazed at his own and Xue Luo Sha's reflections, murmuring: "You have faint wisps of black mist rising—you mean these are distractions?"

"Yes," Xue Luo Sha nodded. "Only two possibilities exist: either you have no distractions at all, or the Golden Luminous Mirror has no effect on you."

"Either way, this feels wrong."

"But judging from now, the second possibility seems more likely."

"This is strange—since our Luo Sha Kingdom discovered the Golden Luminous Mirror, this has never happened before."

Lu Fang frowned and decided instantly: "Let's leave."

Seeing his grim expression, Xue Luo Sha immediately added: "Touch that mirror to exit—but Marquis Wenguan, your face looks troubled. Did you notice something?"

"We'll talk outside—this place may be dangerous," Lu Fang urged.

Anything unusual must conceal a sinister cause!

Since the demonic heart had summoned the green-skinned beast, he instinctively suspected this anomaly might be tied to it.

He wasn't certain whether the demonic heart was truly the cause.

But the moment the thought arose, cold sweat broke out on his skin.

Sensing the tension, Xue Luo Sha did not press further; she stepped forward toward the entrance of the Golden Luminous Mirror.

Lu Fang reached for the mirror's surface almost simultaneously with Xue Luo Sha—yet they did not leave the mirror's space.

"How is this possible? This shouldn't happen—why can't we exit?"

Xue Luo Sha was utterly baffled.

She was a frequent visitor here and had never encountered such a situation—first, no black mist emerged from Lu Fang, now they couldn't leave—everything reeked of abnormality.