Chapter 945

Ao Jing, Shan Shan, and Xiong Feng also share a life‑and‑death bond.

Having experienced life and death together, they have since formed an emotional bond.

Those who survive will inevitably be unable to abandon their comrade still trapped in dire straits.

Even if there is only a faint hope, they must do everything possible to rescue Xiong Feng.

So everyone gathered again, first listening to Ao Jing and Shan Shan describe everything that happened in the spiritual mirror space, then analyzing the specific situation to see if they could find a breakthrough.

The more they listened, the tighter everyone's brows furrowed.

The spiritual mirror itself is a highly complex entity, and the situation inside its space is ever‑changing; some of those present were even learning about the spiritual mirror for the first time and could offer no constructive suggestions.

The one with the most authority to speak was still A Cheng.

"Over the past few years I have read a large number of ancient texts and, through various channels, sought to understand the spiritual mirror; progress was actually minimal until several spaces within the mirror were successfully subdued. After returning to the real world, I engaged in a series of exchanges with the beings living inside, and only then did useful information begin to increase."

"Based on the information I have now confirmed, combined with the scenes you described, the first space of the spiritual mirror is fundamental to its very existence; perhaps the entire spiritual mirror itself belongs to that first space."

A Cheng's words were somewhat circuitous, leaving everyone bewildered.

Ao Jing pondered briefly and then asked, "Do you mean that the spiritual mirror itself was created by the third 'eye' that Xiong Feng finally grew?"

That idea sounds rather absurd.

Yet A Cheng nodded, saying, "Including the phoenix eggs you saw and the members of the ancient Feng Clan, they may very well exist solely to accumulate power for that thing; Xiong Feng is an exception, a Fire Seed left behind by the ancient Feng Clan, and we do not know what his ultimate fate will be."

Is he completely enslaved by that third 'eye', turned into a puppet?

Or does he share life and death with the spiritual mirror space?

Neither outcome sounds good.

For a moment, everyone fell silent.

The only sound in the room was everyone's breathing.

After a while, A Cheng tapped his finger lightly on the table and said, "If my analysis is correct, the third 'eye' that has sprouted on Xiong Feng's brow is the legendary phoenix gall."

Upon hearing the three words "phoenix gall," Xiao Jiu's brow twitched sharply.

This phoenix gall does not refer to the gall bladder casually dug out of any phoenix's body; it specifically denotes the single phoenix gall left behind after the Earth Mother transformed into a phoenix.

It also has another well‑known name, the World‑Dust Pearl.

Many legends surround the World‑Dust Pearl, and a few of them actually match what Ao Jing and Shan Shan described.

For example, legend says the World‑Dust Pearl's material is like jade.

For example, the World‑Dust Pearl exists by absorbing the world's yang qi to open an illusory space.

Following this line of thought, everything suddenly becomes quite reasonable.

A Cheng elaborated step by step: "The Feng Clan does not grow and multiply like the Dragon Clan because, first, the pure bloodline of the Feng Clan makes procreation extremely difficult; second, the clan's internal members are overly complex, internal strife is constant, and they have suffered several near‑extinction disasters—yet the fact that this clan still exists is already a miracle."

"According to ancient records, the ancient Feng Clan was once mighty and glorious, but then a certain cataclysm struck; overnight, many branches of the clan vanished without trace. Now it appears they were all drawn into the illusory space by the World‑Dust Pearl, giving rise to the spiritual mirror."

One must admit, A Cheng's speculation is both bold and shocking.

Yet everything that happens inside the spiritual mirror space precisely confirms his views, leaving no room for rebuttal.

Even Xiao Jiu offered further analysis: "The so‑called spiritual mirror is actually a vessel of the illusory space; the Feng Clan territories trapped within it, and the beings living there, are all nutrients for the World‑Dust Pearl to absorb. The Pearl now has an excellent vessel, and the spiritual mirror will soon undergo earth‑shaking changes."

"What will happen to Xiong Feng?"

Under the table, Ao Jing's right hand continually held Shan Shan's left hand.

The more thorough A Cheng and Xiao Jiu's analysis became, the colder Shan Shan's hand grew.

Ao Jing knew what Shan Shan was most worried about, so he asked on her behalf, "Do we still have a chance to see him?"

"In theory, yes," A Cheng said, "but whether we will see the real Xiong Feng or a puppet is hard to say."

Xiao Jiu did not want to further upset Shan Shan, but some things must be warned in advance: "The World‑Dust Pearl now controls Xiong Feng's body; although he is extraordinarily gifted, he has only just broken out of his shell not long ago, so the chance of him regaining control over the Pearl is virtually nil—after all, the Pearl once essentially destroyed the entire ancient Feng Clan."

As Xiao Jiu spoke these words, his eyes remained fixed on Shan Shan.

She was practically telling Shan Shan directly that if Xiong Feng reappears, there is an eighty‑to‑ninety percent chance he will be a puppet.

One must not be soft‑hearted.

Better to strike mistakenly than fall into the enemy's hands.

One misstep leads to eternal ruin.

Whether Shan Shan actually heard and absorbed Xiao Jiu's words is unknown, but Ao Jing certainly did.

With Ao Jing constantly reminding Shan Shan, Xiao Jiu could also relax.

This Ao Jing child is still very steady.

This matter is inherently an internal affair of the Feng Clan; Xiaoye and Zhong Shushu initially said they would avoid involvement, but since Ao Jing was already drawn in and the two families are essentially one, they stayed as well.

Now that the matter has reached a rough conclusion, Xiaoye and Zhong Shushu, finding they could not help, rose to take their leave.

Before departing, Xiaoye said to Ao Jing, "Stay with the Feng Clan for now; I am with the Linghai Dragon Clan, so keep well and contact us immediately if anything arises."

Ao Jing agreed to each point.

Over the next few days, everyone closely monitored the changes in the spiritual mirror.

The spiritual mirror was indeed changing every moment.

At first, the entire spiritual mirror emanated a translucent light.

But soon, the spiritual mirror space turned black from back to front in succession.

Turning black signified that the spiritual mirror space was completely destroyed, with no chance of reopening, nor even returning to the real world.

The fundamental cause of these changes was that all the yang qi and spiritual qi of the beings in those spaces had been completely drained by the World‑Dust Pearl.

The World‑Dust Pearl is accumulating power; once it reaches a certain level, it will inevitably reappear.

That day will not be far off.

A Cheng daily stayed in the study with Liu Junyan, Ao Jing, and others, researching how to deploy forces to meet the impending disaster.

First, the number of troops stationed around the spirit shrine was doubled compared to usual, and the cultivators guarding the shrine were all of the Feng Clan's highest rank.

Then it was to set up Formation Arrays around the main hall; if the spirit shrine couldn't hold, there would be a second line of insurance……