Ten Directions Sword Master

Lu Li stood guard with his sword, only breathing a sigh of relief after confirming that Liao Feibai was completely dead and no longer turning into a zombie.

"If this had happened a few months ago, I really wouldn't have been able to handle these zombies. I couldn't possibly exhaust myself in this dangerous place..."

The once smooth and easy world of Dakang, which he had previously regarded as a place of ease and comfort, was now shrouded in mystery and became extraordinary.

Actually, it's a good thing, indicating that the value of exploration has increased, and people won't only think about it when they need to use the escapist charm.

After Liao Feibai turned into a zombie, his strength actually increased significantly, which is why Lu Li seemed to be able to easily defeat him.

If it were a martial saint at the late stage of the Innate Realm, they would most likely be dragged down by Liao Feibai until their internal energy was exhausted, and they would ultimately have no choice but to retreat.

"It seems that even if this mausoleum has nothing to do with the Immortal Mirror, it still contains a mysterious power that transcends ordinary martial arts."

Lu Li made a slight adjustment and pushed open the heavy stone door of the main hall with a creaking sound.

Scattered weapons, marks from swords and knives, and a corner of the huge coffin in the center was already open.

"There are no remains. Could it have been cleaned up?"

Lu Li sensed something amiss; many places in the main hall proved that a fierce battle had taken place there.

It makes no sense that those people cleaned up the bodies and left the weapons behind.

Then, thinking about the zombie that Liao Feibai had transformed into, he had a bad feeling.

With a surge of internal energy, the Sun-Concealing Sword reflected strands of soft, yin light, slightly brightening the underground hall.

Before reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, the enhancement of eyesight is limited. While one can see in the dark, one would definitely be at a disadvantage when fighting monsters that do not use their eyes.

There was an oil lamp left on the wall. I lit it twice with a tinderbox, but there was no response.

With no obstructions, he quickly circled the main hall, leaving only the coffin unchecked.

Lu Li calmed his mind and walked slowly forward.

empty!

He had considered several possibilities: the coffin was filled with scattered bones and blood, and even a more powerful zombie might jump out.

The fact that it was so clean and spotless, without a trace of dirt, made his heart clench.

Emperor Taizu of the Great Kang Dynasty was unparalleled in martial arts, sweeping across the world in seven years. He must have possessed the ultimate cultivation level of the Innate Realm. It is said that golden light surrounded him when he died.

Twenty years ago, the Northern Barbarians plundered the imperial tombs, destroying the coffins and bodies. Now, the truth remains elusive.

Whether it was vandalized by someone or it turned into a corpse after death and left on its own, outsiders have no way of knowing.

Liao Feibai, having just entered the Innate Realm, possessed combat power approaching that of the late Innate Realm after transforming into a zombie.

If the Great Kang Emperor also undergoes the same transformation, wouldn't he have to reach the legendary realm of shattering the void, analogous to the Foundation Establishment realm in the real world?

Thinking of this, Lu Li bent down and glanced at the coffin board, where scratch marks were clearly visible.

This is ironwood, harder than gold and stone; how much internal strength would it take to leave even a trace of it?

He seemed to see the Great Kang Emperor being buried in a coffin after his death, and then waking up again after an unknown period of time, only to become violent and deranged.

He kept scratching at the coffin board with his sharp fingernails, eventually shaking the nails, breaking open the coffin, and disappearing without a trace.

Only weapons remained in the hall, no corpses were found. It was likely that the warrior who broke in was eaten by the Great Kang Emperor who had awakened from his zombie form.

Every shadowy figure seemed to lurk a Foundation Establishment level zombie, ready to pounce at any moment.

"Let's not delve too deeply into this. I'll uncover the truth once I'm stronger..."

Lu Li turned to leave when suddenly something on his chest felt hot – it was the bronze mirror he had retrieved from the lake.

The mirror, which was originally blurry and unable to reflect people, now had wisps of black smoke moving about it, emanating an astonishing demonic aura.

What a magical mirror! It's more like a cursed mirror!

When the black smoke filled the mirror, Lu Li's face was reflected on it, but what appeared was neither his real appearance nor the embellished Bai Wuming.

Instead, it was a ferocious and evil cold face, its eyes filled with bloodshed and slaughter, twisted like a demon.

"Alas!"

Lu Li almost threw the bronze mirror away when a grand, cold voice rang out, bringing a sense of peace to those who heard it for the first time.

"Side quests have been changed."

"The Immortal Mirror Fragment was affected by demonic energy, the seal was broken, the mission is partially completed, and the reward is a basic reclusion talisman."

"New side quest: The North Star has lost its pivot, the Earth's axis has loosened its grip, the eternal night is as red as blood, and Mars has invaded the Taiwei Palace. The Nine Netherworlds have opened, the Yellow Springs have boiled, the four seasons of the world have lost their order, and the five elements are in disarray."

"A demon possesses a human, transforming into a human-demon, attempting to defile the earth and turn it into a ghost realm."

"Slay the demon, and you will be rewarded with one thousand merits."

"Gather the fragments of the Immortal Mirror, and they will illuminate the night like torches. Reward: One intermediate-level Retreat Talisman."

"To quell the demonic chaos, restore order to the heavens, and close the Nine Nether Rift, one Cloud-Pull-Unbreakable Pill will be awarded."

Lu Li was momentarily dazed when he received three mission rewards in one go; this was the first time since activating the Nebula Compass.

It further forced the low-martial-power world of Da Kang to lean towards a mythological feel.

After putting away the bronze mirror, Lu Li strode away without looking back, as if a terrifying monster was about to devour him.

After running out of the imperial tomb and getting into the carriage, he realized that he was covered in a cold sweat.

"According to the mission description, the Great Kang Emperor has basically become a demon and is about to defile the earth... The difficulty corresponding to one thousand merits is definitely at the Foundation Establishment level."

Lu Li held the bronze mirror upside down, feeling that looking at the face in the mirror too much would affect his mind.

"This is only the first one. The latter two are probably even more difficult to achieve. I'm afraid one needs to reach the peak of Foundation Establishment to even attempt them."

Today's discovery proves that the idea of ​​unsealing the Immortal Mirror was correct. Given the changes that have occurred at the Imperial Mausoleum, there is a high possibility that the remaining two locations will also yield unexpected results.

The quest to reunite the fragments of the Immortal Mirror can be pursued in this direction.

However, the schedule needs to be postponed; it's not suitable right now.

His main purpose in coming to the Great Kang World was to comprehend the Seventy-Two Seasonal Chart and improve his cultivation; completing the Immortal Mirror side quest was just a side task.

Now the mission has changed, the difficulty has increased, and it also involves things like the loss of the North Star and the Nine Netherworlds.

Several months have been spent on this, and they may not even have found a clue yet.

It would be better to wait until we have further improved our strength before trying again; that would be much more efficient.

"The intermediate-level seclusion talisman is easy to understand; it allows you to stay in the compass world for longer... I don't know what the Cloud Book Difficult Pill's effects are, but judging from the name, it's the most difficult task to complete."

The fact that the reward is far away does not prevent Lu Li from first assessing its value before deciding how much effort to invest in it in the future.

……

In the following days, Lu Li stayed at home and returned to his normal cultivation routine.

But whenever I try to enter a meditative state, my mind becomes restless, filled with distracting thoughts, and I hear images of blue-faced, fanged demons shrieking in my head.

Even when I first entered the world of martial arts, this situation never occurred.

Clearly, it wasn't a problem with the cultivation itself, but rather the effects of the trip to the imperial tombs.

"Killing Liao Feibai shouldn't have caused this. Was it because he was too close to the coffin, or was he tainted by the demonic energy of the Immortal Mirror?"

This problem must be solved, otherwise my cultivation will stagnate and I can forget about making any significant progress in the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword Technique.

"Fortunately, the impact was not deep, and there were no changes on my body, otherwise I would have turned into a zombie like Liao Feibai... Of all the methods I have learned, this is the only one related to exorcising evil."

Lu Li picked up the Sun-Covering Sword. It was late at night, and the chill was biting. He got up and leaped away from the backyard.

I sped along and arrived at a dilapidated earth god temple outside the city. The moonlight shone on me, and the atmosphere was quiet and serene.