After returning to the village, start chasing the mountain from binding Emei

Chapter 988 Deceiving the Heavens: Is He in the Mirror?

Stroking the frosted mirror, Chen Yang wore a thoughtful expression.

Mo Yuan leaned closer with interest. "Has Master discovered something?"

Chen Yang shook his head. "You'd better interrogate that Vajra Bamboo thoroughly and find out how to use this mirror!"

"Yes!"

Mo Yuan responded, as this was something it was most interested in and most skilled at, and immediately flashed into the Azure Profound Pearl.

Chen Yang held the round mirror in his hand, a faint smile appearing on his lips. "Let me guess, Shi Xiang Sheng, you didn't also cultivate a second primordial spirit, thinking that hiding in this mirror would fool everyone and protect you, did you?"

The mirror did not react.

Chen Yang, however, spoke to himself, "If you come out now, we might still have room to discuss things. Otherwise, once I pry open Jin Gang Zhu's mouth and find you, you're going to suffer a lot."

The water monkey watched from the side, somewhat confused, looking completely bewildered.

The bronze mirror remained a bronze mirror, offering Chen Yang no feedback whatsoever.

Chen Yang didn't care, his words were icy, "Since you're so stubborn, don't blame me for being ruthless later..."

The bronze mirror still did not react.

Chen Yang shook his head.

He bit his finger, drew blood, and quickly wrote on the mirror.

"Heavenly light and earthly light, divine light day and night, gods and Buddhas will arrive, and evil spirits will perish!"

……

It was the Vajra Mantra that I had just learned.

Chen Yang circulated his inner energy, which was rapidly drawn out of his body and injected into the lines of the incantation as it was written.

A third-tier spell consumes a considerable amount of resources.

However, Chen Yang did not write the complete incantation, but only a small part of it.

It's enough to seal away a damaged treasure.

After writing the incantation, Chen Yang took out the Mountain Lord Seal, forced out his essence blood with his fingers, smeared it on the bottom of the seal, and then stamped the Mountain Lord Seal on the mirror.

His inner energy poured out and was infused with the incantation.

The incantation written in blood suddenly emitted a bright golden light, releasing a vast and powerful energy, which then quickly subsided.

The golden light faded, and the incantation quickly returned to normal.

At the same time, the surface of the bronze mirror seemed to have become even dimmer.

"Since you don't want to come out, then you don't have to."

Chen Yang seemed convinced that there was something inside the mirror. After doing all this, he smiled slightly and then put the mirror back into the Azure Pearl.

From the moment he discovered he couldn't store the circular mirror in the system's warehouse, Chen Yang had already suspected that there was something inside the circular mirror.

The system repository has a rule that it cannot contain living things.

Apart from spirits emanating from treasures like sword spirits, the system does not accept other spirits, including primordial spirits.

Anything that Chen Yang could lift could be stored in the system's warehouse, except for the round mirror, which was only a small amount of weight.

It's also impossible for a treasure to be unacceptable simply because its level is too high. Chen Yang has many treasures, and there has never been such a precedent.

Therefore, there can only be one reason why it cannot be stored in the system warehouse: there must be a spirit within it.

Chen Yang had ample reason to suspect that Shi Xiangsheng had tried to deceive everyone by using the round mirror before his death.

Although his physical body has perished and his primordial spirit has been destroyed by the Mountain-Driving Whip, it is hard to guarantee that he will have a second primordial spirit.
Having learned his lesson, Chen Yang is no longer so easily fooled after experiencing similar situations many times.

Regardless of whether the spirit inside is Shi Xiangsheng's primordial spirit, he has no way to escape now.

Once we pry open the mouth of the Vajra Bamboo and figure out how to use the round mirror, it won't be too late to deal with it then.

……

It must be said that casting this Vajra Mantra consumes a considerable amount of true energy and mental energy.

This is only a small section of the incantation. If it were a complete third-tier incantation, it would probably consume no less energy than a third-tier Life and Death Curse.

I meditated for a while to recover, but it was still dark.

These two battles taught Chen Yang that he still needed to prepare more necessary measures.

He immediately took out another Dao True Realm inner core, and using the old method, inscribed incantations to make prayer beads.

He only had seven Dao True Realm Pills left, which were extremely precious, but even if they were precious, they couldn't compare to the preciousness of his own life.

Although Shi Xiang Sheng was dealt with, Dan Yang Zi is still alive.

Dan Yangzi claimed to be the Dan Hall Elder of the Pingtian Sect, while Shi Xiangsheng claimed to be the Beast Hall Elder of the Pingtian Sect. Both of them were related to the Pingtian Sect. One hundred and twenty-five years ago, they were both stranded in the Nine Elders Cave Secret Realm. This was definitely not a coincidence.

It was premeditated.

More than a hundred years ago, the Pingtian Sect infiltrated the Nine Elders Cave Secret Realm. Those who survived, relying on the resources in the secret realm, almost all cultivated to the extreme level.

Whether it's Danyangzi or Shi Xiangsheng, if they were outside, they would definitely be patriarchs of top-tier forces.

Using Emei's resources to cultivate their own masters and seize the opportunities passed down through generations of Emei is undeniably cunning and ruthless.

Since they did that, there must have been more than just Danyangzi and Shi Xiangsheng who remained back then.

The fact that the water monkey had met several people also corroborates this point. Chen Yang dared not speculate on Feng Qingzi's background, but who could guarantee that the Pingtian Sect had only left these two people in this secret realm back then?
This time, when the secret realm opened, some people from the Pingtian Sect also infiltrated.

The purpose of these people coming in is either to help Danyangzi and his group get out, or to take over their duties and stay in the secret realm to continue sucking blood.

Chen Yang needs to make more preparations and plan ahead.

……

-

Its daybreak.

The clouds have dispersed and the rain has stopped. After last night's heavy rain, the air in the mountains and forests is exceptionally fresh. Everything is damp, and the sounds of birds and animals fill the air, signaling the start of another beautiful day.

Chen Yang took another stroll around Mount Chiyan.

After searching the entire mountain again without finding anything useful, Chen Yang decided to collect some fire jade ore, adhering to the principle that thieves never leave empty-handed.

The fire jade vein at the foot of this mountain is quite large, and the fire attribute energy is very abundant, making it a blessed place for cultivating fire attribute techniques.

"Master, that Vajra Bamboo is very tight-lipped. I've tried many methods, but I haven't been able to pry it open. It won't reveal any useful information..."

Mo Yuan said awkwardly.

It made a promise last night, but ended up getting nothing and failing to fulfill Chen Yang's instructions.

"This Shi Xiangsheng is indeed quite good at managing his subordinates."

Chen Yang snorted and with a wave of his sleeve, released the Vajra Bamboo from the Azure Profound Pearl.

"This……"

Chen Yang was also slightly taken aback when he saw its appearance.

Its bamboo leaves and branches were all shaved off, and many roots were cut off, leaving only a clump of roots the size of a washbasin and a section of bamboo about two meters long, which was tied with a red rope.

Without a doubt, it was Mo Yuan who did it.

Mo Yuan said, "I used every means at my disposal, even using lightning techniques to torment its primordial spirit, but this fellow is really tough, comparable to that white fox."

"It shouldn't have any other background, right?" Chen Yang asked.

“It’s just a bamboo stalk, it shouldn’t be that serious,” Mo Yuan said.

Chen Yang nodded slightly.

The real concern is that this bamboo might have some extraordinary origin, or perhaps some bloodline curse mark within it, which would be quite troublesome.

Chen Yang's gaze fell on the Vajra Bamboo in front of him, and he extended his spiritual power to try to communicate with it.

"Don't waste your energy. I don't know anything, and even if I did, I wouldn't tell you."

Before Chen Yang could ask a question, a slightly aged voice rang in his mind.

Spirit plants are indeed difficult to handle. They have no eyes, so you can't use the double pupil technique to hypnotize them. They have no mouth, so it's hard to administer medicine to them. They are not made of flesh and blood, so the life and death curse might not be effective on them.

Even if you cut off its branches and destroy its physical body, it may not feel pain. The only way to make it feel pain and torment is probably to attack its primordial spirit.

But as long as it can endure it, there's nothing you can do about it. After all, you can't just destroy it; if you did, it would be the end of everything, and you'd never learn anything from it again. So, it's not unreasonable for Mo Yuan to have a headache.

Chen Yang said, "Was Shi Xiang Sheng good to you? Now that he's dead, is it still worth you remaining faithful to him?"

“This is none of your business,” said Jin Gangzhu.

Chen Yang said, "Do you think you're being very principled right now? Loyal to your former master, and feeling quite self-satisfied? Heh, I'm giving you a chance to live..."

"I don't need any opportunities. Even if you ask me a thousand times, I still won't know anything..." Jin Gangzhu still showed no sign of backing down.

“Look, this guy is like that, completely impervious to reason. I think it would be better to just kill him. The material of this Vajra Bamboo is also excellent for refining weapons…” Mo Yuan said.

Chen Yang chuckled, "Why do you think it's so stubborn?"

Upon hearing this, Mo Yuan paused slightly. "It's nothing but blind loyalty. It doesn't know how to seize opportunities. Isn't surviving better than anything else?"

"Ah."

Chen Yang shook his head slightly, his gaze falling on Jin Gangzhu. "He should still be alive, right?"

Upon hearing this, Jin Gangzhu's mental energy visibly fluctuated. "Who's still alive? I don't know what you're talking about?"

"really do not know?"

Chen Yang chuckled, "His primordial spirit should be hidden in the round light mirror, right? You two must still be in contact, otherwise, why would you be so adamant?"

From the white fox and the yellow-throated marten, Chen Yang learned about the Round Mirror. The Round Mirror and the Mountain Lord Seal have similar functions; they can leave a mental imprint, and the person holding the mirror can have long-distance mental communication with the person who left the imprint.

If Shi Xiang Sheng's primordial spirit were still intact, he would definitely be able to communicate with the Vajra Bamboo through the spiritual imprint in the mirror.

Jin Gangzhu knew he was not dead, so he naturally refused to reveal any information about the round mirror.

Chen Yang's words were like a bomb dropped on Jin Gangzhu's heart.

The mental energy of the Golden Bamboo fluctuated more violently, but it quickly calmed down. "What nonsense are you talking about? I don't understand."

"Can we still get in touch with it now?" Chen Yang looked at it with a half-smile.

"What do you mean?"

"It doesn't mean anything. It's just that I put a spell on the bronze mirror, the Vajra Mantra. If nothing unexpected happens, he'll never be able to get out of the mirror in this lifetime."

Chen Yang took out the bronze mirror and showed the mirror to the Vajra Bamboo.

"you……"

Jingangzhu was completely dumbfounded.

Chen Yang smiled slightly, "You think you can fool me with such simple tricks? Don't you find it laughable?"

I can't imagine what King Kong Bamboo is feeling right now.

Chen Yang guessed correctly. After the great battle last night, Shi Xiang Sheng did contact it, which almost made it cry with joy. With Shi Xiang Sheng's explanation, it endured no matter how Mo Yuan tortured it, and dared not reveal any information about the Round Light Mirror.

However, just now, it tried to contact Shi Xiang Sheng, only to find that the spiritual connection between them seemed to have been severed by some invisible force, making it impossible to contact each other.

At first it was a little confused, but now it realized that the young man in front of it had already discovered the clues and sealed the bronze mirror.

How can its owner escape alive in this situation?

To be sealed inside a bronze mirror for one's entire life—that's unacceptable!
"What grudge do you hold against my master that you must be so ruthless as to kill him? Don't you know the principle of leaving a way out for others?" After a long silence, Jin Gangzhu finally spoke with a hint of grief and indignation.

Chen Yang laughed and said, "I'm just leaving you a way out, aren't I? As long as you answer my questions honestly, I'll consider giving you a way out. Shi Xiang Sheng is Shi Xiang Sheng, and you are you. Are you really willing to risk your life for someone like him?"

"Humph."

Jin Gangzhu snorted coldly, "You just want to know how to open the Round Light Mirror. Ha, if I tell you, and you open the space inside the mirror, how will my master survive?"

"He has no way out, but you do."

Chen Yang said seriously, "Think about it carefully. If you don't tell, you will both die. But if you tell, he will die and you will live. As long as you survive, you can cultivate well and have a chance to take revenge on me in the future. Isn't that better than dying together?"

Mo Yuan and the water monkey, listening to Chen Yang's words, were both somewhat surprised by Chen Yang's thought process.

But to be fair, if it were them, facing such conditions, they would definitely be the ones who know when to yield.

But Jin Gangzhu clearly didn't follow the usual path. "Do you think I'm a three-year-old child, so easily fooled? You think you can let me off the hook?"

It's not stupid.

How could someone like Chen Yang do something that would leave him with future troubles?

Chen Yang said, "As the saying goes, every wrong has its perpetrator and every debt its debtor. Back then, he conspired with the white fox Hu Xuan to trick the Udumbara flower out of several precious flowers and a palm-leaf scripture outside Beishan. He also killed the guardian beast of the Udumbara flower. The aggrieved party only ordered me to kill Shi Xiangsheng and that white fox, not you. So, judging from your behavior, letting you go is not impossible..."

It turned out to be the case.

The golden bamboo was struck dumb, "You actually used such a cruel method against us for the sake of a single flower..."

"What are you saying? All living beings are equal under heaven. If you can kill others, why can't others hire someone to kill you? It's all just the cycle of cause and effect."

"you……"

Jin Gangzhu was furious. He never expected that they would suffer such a great calamity for such a trivial matter.

This happened so many years ago. All they did was lose a guardian beast and steal a few precious flowers and a scripture. Was it really necessary to wipe them out and make them pay with their lives?
"What good can that flower do for you? It's just a few precious flowers. If you had said that earlier, my master would have given you all sorts of treasures instead of this."

The Golden Bamboo was somewhat angry; in its view, this ordeal was truly unjust.

Chen Yang said, "It's no use saying all this now. You and Shi Xiang Sheng are both my prisoners now. If you cooperate, one of you can live, but if you don't, I don't have that much patience..."

"If you let us go, I promise that what my master can give you, that flower can also give you, and even more..." said Jin Gangzhu.

Chen Yang pouted and shook his head.

They still don't understand, what do I want more of? I want it all.

"Is that palm-leaf manuscript still there?" Chen Yang asked.

"Here I am!"

"Where?"

"exist……"

Jin Gangzhu almost stammered, but quickly stopped himself after realizing what he had said. "Remove the seal on the bronze mirror, and I'll contact my master. If you're willing to let us go, I can guarantee that my master will give you that scripture. Besides the scripture, if there's anything else you want, we'll try our best to satisfy you..."

"All you need to do is leave your mental imprint on the bronze mirror, hand it over to me, and after I leave safely, I will place what you want somewhere and contact you through the mental imprint to retrieve it. From then on, we'll go our separate ways and have nothing to do with each other..."

……

Chen Yang chuckled, "Do you think I'm an idiot?"

If I give you the bronze mirror and let you go, and you get away, where am I supposed to find you?

Vajra Bamboo said, "If we don't do it this way, we won't trust you. Otherwise, you can forget about getting the scriptures."

They even dared to try to control Chen Yang using a scripture.

Chen Yang shook his head. "If I'm not mistaken, the thing is in this bronze mirror, right?"

"How can it be……"

Vajra Bamboo directly denied it, saying, "My master has another cave in another place..."

Clumsy!

Although the Golden Bamboo had tried its best to remain calm, how could Chen Yang possibly believe it?

Perhaps Shi Xiang Sheng really does have a cave dwelling elsewhere, but for cultivators like them who frequent secret realms, who wouldn't carry good things with them at all times?

Given Shi Xiang Sheng's status, how could he not have a treasure for storing things?
The fact that there wasn't a single everyday item in that cave on Crimson Flame Mountain is enough to prove that this person had a treasure for storing things on their person.

Either it was destroyed in the explosion, or this bronze mirror is the most suspicious.

Since the bronze mirror and the Mountain Lord Seal have similar functions, and the Mountain Lord Seal has storage space inside, it is not surprising that the bronze mirror can also store things.

But Chen Yang didn't expose him.

This golden bamboo still harbors illusions; we must shatter them.

Chen Yang nodded immediately, "Alright, I agree to your conditions. Besides the palm-leaf scripture, I also need at least five immortal-grade spiritual herbs..."

"can!"

Jingangzhu agreed without hesitation, "You can remove the incantation from the bronze mirror now, leaving your spiritual imprint, and then give it to me. After I leave safely, I will inform you where the item is stored..."

Mo Yuan was stunned. This is possible? His master wouldn't believe such nonsense, would he?
"Not urgent."

Chen Yang smiled slightly and took out a bottle from the system's inventory.

(End of this chapter)