Chapter 187: The Dead End

"You saw my strength just now—want to talk again?"

Lu Fang asked with confidence.

Both the Devil Heart and the Mirror Spirit had clearly underestimated him; even within this mirror space, he could protect himself with absolute power.

The Mirror Spirit halted, materializing from its transparent state—still in the form of the mirror figure—and grinned strangely: "I never expected you to be this strong, but you've underestimated me just as much."

"Actually, when the Devil Heart in your body awakened me and communicated with me, I had already decided to devour both of you."

"I cannot harm you, but likewise, you cannot kill me—this is my domain."

"But don't get too confident. Though I can't touch you, neither can you leave. I'll trap you here until you die."

With that, it waved farewell to Lu Fang, its body shooting off as a streak of white light into the distance.

Lu Fang stared at where the Mirror Spirit had vanished, his face grim—that was the unknown region of this mirror space; when he first entered, he had nearly wandered in, and only Xue Luo Sha had stopped him in time.

The Mirror Spirit could enter that unknown region without fear of getting lost.

But if he wanted to follow, he'd have to think very carefully—entering there would very likely trap him forever.

Even Xue Luo Sha and the Luo Sha Queen held deep reverence for the unknown region, let alone him—he would never chase after it unless absolutely desperate.

This was the Mirror Spirit's trump card.

The Mirror Spirit could move freely through the mirror space; if Lu Fang couldn't catch it, it was truly invincible.

If no one from outside could enter here…

Then he and Xue Luo Sha might truly be trapped to die here.

"Mm." Xue Luo Sha opened her eyes, quickly realizing her situation and springing up from the ground, murmuring: "Mirror Spirit?"

She turned, scanning the surroundings, and when she saw only Lu Fang, she asked doubtfully: "Lord Wenguan, I just passed out—where did the Mirror Spirit go? Did you kill it?"

Lu Fang sighed, pointing toward the unknown region of the mirror space, and smiled bitterly: "It ran into there. I feared getting lost if I followed, and suspected it might be a decoy—so I didn't chase it."

Xue Luo Sha frowned, walking to the mirror that led out, extending her hand to touch it—still just as before, impossible to pass through.

"Lord Wenguan, what do we do? If the Mirror Spirit never reappears, we can't leave—won't we be trapped to die here?"

She paused, sighing: "We've been here so long without escaping—Mother must have noticed by now. I wonder if anyone outside can enter here—if they can't, this is a death trap."

Lu Fang remained silent—he had no good solution either.

Xue Luo Sha had made it clear: this was precisely why he'd always wanted to negotiate with the Mirror Spirit—to fear its special abilities within this space.

But he hadn't expected the Mirror Spirit could enter the folded space.

"Devil Heart, shouldn't you say something? Just now, the Mirror Spirit said you awakened it—that's why we're trapped here. I want to ask: if the Mirror Spirit never comes out, what do we do?"

Lu Fang demanded angrily.

He hadn't held strong resentment toward the Devil Heart before, but upon hearing that the Devil Heart had awakened the Mirror Spirit, his resentment surged.

It was the very definition of useless and destructive.

The Devil Heart remained silent for a long while.

Lu Fang snorted coldly: "Why won't you speak? Right now, while I'm borrowing your power—can you get us out of here? I finally understand why the Punishment sealed your consciousness."

Devil Heart: "I didn't expect it to turn out like this."

Lu Fang forced down his anger: "I don't want to hear excuses—I only want to know: is there any way out?"

Devil Heart: "Chase the Mirror Spirit, kill it, or severely wound it—that's likely the only way out. Alternatively, if someone from outside breaks the barrier and enters to rescue you, that works too."

Lu Fang caught the implication, thought for a moment, and laughed bitterly: "I understand—your meaning is that even if I die here, you won't die, so you're not afraid of being trapped."

Devil Heart: "I'd rather not say it, but you're right. Still, don't lose heart—if you use my power, you have a high chance of killing the Mirror Spirit. Without it, you will die here."

Lu Fang took a deep breath, sat cross-legged, and carefully recalled everything that had happened—was this truly a death trap?

Should he risk entering the unknown region?

At this point, it seemed the only possible path to survival.

But entering might mean getting lost forever.

And if he entered the folded space of the unknown region, he would likely have to use the Devil Heart's power.

Could he really use its power?

All these questions weighed heavily on Lu Fang, darkening his expression—but he didn't rush. He methodically sorted through each point.

The more dangerous the moment, the more likely a hasty decision would be fatal.

He needed to think carefully before deciding what to do.

Xue Luo Sha noticed Lu Fang's distress. She wisely refrained from disturbing him, closing her eyes instead to ponder how to break the deadlock.

Hours passed.

"Sigh."

Lu Fang opened his eyes and sighed.

Xue Luo Sha asked softly: "What's wrong? Are you troubled? Did the Devil Heart say anything? Didn't it communicate with the Mirror Spirit before? Can it sense where the Mirror Spirit is hiding?"

Lu Fang's eyes lit up—he hadn't thought of that before.

Logically, since the Devil Heart could awaken and communicate with the Mirror Spirit, it should be able to sense its presence.

But during their earlier exchange, the Devil Heart had never mentioned this—clearly, it had deliberately concealed it.

If the Devil Heart could sense the Mirror Spirit's location, entering the folded space wouldn't seem so dangerous—but he doubted it would cooperate.

Otherwise, it wouldn't have hidden this information earlier.

Lu Fang immediately asked the Devil Heart—and as expected, it didn't answer at all, feigning death.

After all, its goal was to make him use its power.

Why would it cooperate unless he truly activated it?

Seeing Lu Fang silent, Xue Luo Sha suggested: "If all else fails, let's wait here for rescue. I refuse to believe no one from outside can enter."

"Though the Gold-Flowing Mystic Mirror is a supreme treasure, if a powerful being intervenes, I think entering here wouldn't be difficult."