Chapter 196 Chapter 196 She actually became a god.

When Si Yao opened her eyes, the mud covering her entire body had disappeared without her noticing, and the mud figures that had been holding her down gradually merged into the soil in front of her.

Looking around at the empty space, Si Yao could sense something was different. If she summoned the mud figures, they would still come out.

Thinking this, she simply placed her hand on the ground, and sure enough, she saw the missing clay figures return. They stood there quietly, as if waiting for her instructions.

Siyao told them to go back, and they saw that they had merged back into the earth, as if they had never existed.

The tempering of her spiritual root greatly enhanced Si Yao's spirit, and she began to believe that the monster truly came from the upper realm. This also explained why the monster possessed such a treasure.

Si Yao didn't think too much about it. This place felt like a training ground, a life-or-death situation. Those who could pass through would improve their cultivation, while those who couldn't would die here.

The pile of white bones she saw when she first came in was probably from people who died here.

Although the tempering here made her spiritual root seem more powerful, Si Yao still dared not be careless. She just wanted to leave this place as soon as possible; she had more important things to do.

She walked to the next door, but this time it had nothing to do with her five elements; instead, a hurricane swept in. Si Yao didn't even have time to react before being swept away by the gust and spinning in the center of the vortex.

Si Yao's attempts to resist with her spiritual power were futile; the hurricane made her dizzy. She could only let herself be swept around by the wind, and was finally thrown heavily to the side, rolling several times on the ground before coming to a stop.

The fall felt like all the bones in her body were about to break. As soon as she gritted her teeth and stood up, she would be swept away by the hurricane, tossed around in the wind, and then thrown aside. This would happen repeatedly. Every time Si Yao was thrown out again, she would still stand up and rush over.

Even though Si Yao doesn't have a wind spirit root, she feels that she must have a way to harness the wind for her own use.

Xiang Bei shook the system until she almost threw up before she learned a clue, which she quickly told Si Yao.

Don't fight it; go with the flow.

As the words floated past her eyes, Si Yao closed them. When the wind swept her up, she opened her arms and went with the flow, following the direction the hurricane was blowing.

Once the source is found, the current situation can be resolved.

But every time Si Yao finally gets a clue, she gets flung away. She crashes to the ground, leaving dents of all sizes.

Why don't you rest for a while? Just lie down where you fell.

Si Yao lay at the bottom of the pit, looking at the hurricane not far away. Only when she was lying on the ground would the wind not sweep her in.

But once she stands up, the wind will pull her back in.

Si Yao climbed out of the pit and charged towards the hurricane again. This time, just as she was about to be thrown out, Si Yao used the momentum to jump over, found the source of the hurricane, took out her natal sword, and struck the source directly.

The hurricane stopped abruptly, but before Si Yao could even breathe a sigh of relief, an even stronger wind suddenly picked up.

The wind seemed to carry countless sharp blades, and any touch would leave scars on Si Yao's body. She was still standing in the eye of the hurricane, unable to get out even if she wanted to.

Si Yao simply closed her eyes and, just like before, sensed the source and direction of the wind.

She tried to connect with the wind. Before, she only had a water elemental root, but now she has five elemental roots. What difference would it make if she had another wind elemental root?

Why can't she use this wind?

Why can't she use other spiritual roots to cultivate a wind spiritual root for herself?

She can do it, she is capable of it.

Si Yao closed her eyes, her body radiating the colors of the Five Elements spiritual roots, attempting to draw in the wind. The wind blades resisted Si Yao's touch, leaving countless wounds on her body.

Even though her clothes were soaked in blood, Si Yao didn't care. She could even feel the wind by following the wind blades.

She felt as if a breeze had blown through her dantian, and a smile appeared on Si Yao's lips.

That's it; she sensed the aura of wind within her dantian.

Taking advantage of the gust of wind, Si Yao seized the opportunity to draw the wind into her body.

At the Five Spiritual Roots, a Wind Spiritual Root went from being barely visible to solidifying into a physical form, and then the same intricate patterns appeared on the spiritual root as on the others.

As the Wind Spirit Root was fully formed, Si Yao opened her eyes and exhaled a breath of turbid air.

She succeeded!

The little dragon inside the storage bag struggled a few times. Si Yao opened the storage bag, and the little dragon flew out, tumbling in mid-air before circling around Si Yao, seemingly happy for her.

Si Yao reached out and patted Xiao Long's head.

It's too early to be happy now; she hasn't found a way out yet. But whatever the difficulties, she'll face them head-on; she's not afraid of them at all.

We will not back down because of this.

[Excellent, ambitious, truly worthy of my admiration.]

Seeing her senior praising her, Si Yao immediately felt embarrassed, "Actually, I'm not that good."

Si Yao felt someone pat her shoulder.

Young people, don't underestimate yourselves; you are the best.

Si Yao didn't stop the little dragon from wrapping around her arm anymore. She felt her spiritual energy becoming more and more abundant, and the little dragon could absorb her spiritual energy by staying by her side.

She led Xiaolong through the next door.

Surprisingly, everything inside was calm and peaceful, as if nothing had happened. The more this was the case, the more worried Si Yao became that this was not a simple place.

As the door disappeared, Si Yao took two steps forward, but nothing happened. She decided to walk around. The place seemed endless, and as she wondered what kind of place this was, a thunderclap exploded overhead.

Si Yao looked up and saw that one after another, bolts of lightning intertwined in the sky, forming a tight net of lightning.

When Si Yao looked over, the lightning became even more intense, making one's scalp tingle.

Not to mention the deafening thunder.

A bolt of lightning struck down with lightning speed, its target being Si Yao.

As lightning was about to strike her, Si Yao tried to dodge, but her hands and feet seemed to be held down by something, making it impossible for her to move. Taking advantage of the fact that she could still move her hands, Si Yao stuffed Xiao Long into her storage bag and took the lightning strike herself.

Si Yao fell to the ground and reached out to touch the spot where she had just been standing, but there was nothing there. Yet she had clearly felt someone grabbing her feet.

The feeling of being unable to move and being struck by lightning is no exaggeration.

Previously, when Si Yao's cultivation level increased and she was struck by lightning, her five spiritual roots would automatically rise up to provide protection, but this time they did not, and she couldn't even use her cultivation level.

After being struck by lightning, Si Yao found herself unable to hear anything. When she looked up, the lightning was still flashing overhead. Si Yao frowned. She couldn't hear the thunder at all; was there something wrong with her ears?

Get out of the way!

Si Yao looked up again, and another bolt of lightning, as thick as a bowl, struck. Her feet were still immobilized, just like before, and she was hit squarely by the lightning.

Before she could react, a third bolt of lightning struck.

With each lightning strike, Si Yao loses one of her senses.

He could not hear, could not speak, and could not see.

She even lost her sense of smell and touch.

Only bolts of lightning struck down mercilessly upon her.

Her divine sense could clearly see the little dragon in the space constantly pushing against the storage bag with its head, trying to break free. Si Yao raised her hand and pressed it back down, but she pressed on empty air; her hand simply couldn't touch the little dragon.

The lightning strike hurt terribly, causing her to instinctively curl up in pain.

[Si Yao, are you alright?]

She can also see her seniors talking to her.

She tried to open her mouth, but found that she couldn't say a word at all.

In the end, all I could do was shake my head vigorously.

Si Yao, cheer up!

Xiang Bei tried to stop the lightning from striking Si Yao, but the lightning bypassed what she threw and struck Si Yao instead.

Si Yao was charred black from being struck, and lay there motionless.

【Si Yao! Si Yao!】

Si Yao on the ground stirred, and Xiang Bei immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Thankfully, the person is still alive.

She tried to reach out and help Si Yao up, but her hand passed right through Si Yao's body.

"Commander, what's going on?"

The system sighed, "Host, Si Yao's physical body has been destroyed. What you see now is her soul."

"What happened?"

"It's true. Every time those lightning bolts struck, they damaged part of Si Yao's body. The lightning only stopped when her body was completely destroyed."

Xiang Bei checked the mission progress. If Si Yao really died, the mission would disappear, but the mission panel was still there, and Si Yao's heroine aura was still there.

[Si Yao! Si Yao! Can you see me? Si Yao?]

Si Yao lay motionless on the ground.

"Commander, you must find a way to save her."

The system glanced at the screen, then suddenly jumped onto Xiang Bei's shoulder, pointed at the large screen, and said, "Host, look!"

The large screen instantly switched images.

Si Yao was sitting cross-legged under the starry sky, her eyes closed, her fingers forming a mudra, and a faint silver glow emanated from her body.

What's going on?

The system glanced at the lightning and then said, "That lightning tribulation seems to have tempered her constitution. If she can survive it, her future potential is immeasurable. If she can't, Si Yao will really die here. And our mission will fail."

"What will happen if we fail? Will Si Yao be in trouble?"

"We have one chance to restart the mission, to go back to the point in time when we first met Si Yao."

Xiang Bei frowned as she looked at Si Yao, who was sitting cross-legged. Should they start over?

"Judging from Si Yao's current appearance, she doesn't seem like she won't make it through. Commander, we must believe in her."

Even if it were another time, Si Yao would be willing, given her personality. Xiang Bei, however, worried that if she couldn't grasp the situation and fail again, she would still fail.

Now it remains to be seen whether Si Yao can achieve a complete epiphany.

Si Yao was still meditating with her eyes closed. She felt as if something had fallen into her heart, taken root, sprouted, and emerged from the soil.

Until it grew into a towering tree in her heart.

She now sees many things in the big tree.

Mountains, rivers, plains, grasslands, snow-capped mountains...

I also saw many, many people.

I also saw myself.

They stood face to face, as if looking in a mirror, or perhaps peering into each other's hearts.

See the heavens and earth, see all living beings, and also... see yourself.

Si Yao seemed to have figured something out.

Xiang Bei blinked and tried to look at Si Yao. "Sir, am I seeing things? There are so many Si Yaos."

Before the system could speak, the phantom image on Si Yao's body suddenly expanded and split into many Si Yaos sitting cross-legged in meditation.

The numerous Si Yaos formed a circle, the only difference being that each Si Yao radiated a different kind of light.

Their hair grew longer and longer, and then slowly turned gray.

Even her face has wrinkles.

In a short while, they turned into an old woman.

It can see through heaven and earth, and it can also see through life and death.

What is there to fear in death!

Si Yao opened her eyes, and above her, thunder roared again.

She still looked like an old woman, but the lightning on her head suddenly gathered together, forming a very thick bolt of lightning.

The illusory figures quickly gathered together and returned to Si Yao's body. Her five senses were now extremely sharp. She looked at the heavenly lightning and laughed, "Come on, I'll show you that you can't kill me like this. It will only make me stronger."

As the lightning struck, Si Yao was completely enveloped by it, her body surrounded by blinding lightning. Even Xiang Bei couldn't see what was happening.

After the lightning subsided, Xiang Bei saw Si Yao, whose physical body had been reconstructed.

The power of lightning was also drawn into Si Yao's body, and purple lightning swirled around Si Yao's golden core.

The power of the five elements, plus wind, rain, thunder, and lightning.

Si Yao radiated a holy light.

She actually became a god.

Xiang Bei slapped the table with joy, "This is wonderful!"

Si Yao opened her eyes, and the light around her radiated a gentle aura.

"Senior."

[I'm so glad you're alright. You really scared me just now.]

She almost thought Si Yao would die from such a thick bolt of lightning, but thankfully she was alright.

This could be considered a blessing in disguise.

"You should have a way out of here now, right?"

Si Yao nodded.

Si Yao saw many things in the lightning.

Take, for example, the origin of this mirror.

The mirror originally belonged to a goddess from the celestial realm. That goddess possessed great magical powers and sacrificed her life to save innocent people from suffering.

Before her life ended, she inscribed her legacy into this mirror she carried with her. Anyone who can overcome the challenges within the mirror will receive the goddess's legacy.

The final bolt of heavenly lightning was meant to temper Si Yao.

She passed the goddess's test and received her inheritance. Now the mirror is just an ordinary object, and she can leave it easily.

The monster possessing Wen Yin was the spirit of the Guardian Mirror.

After the Mirror Spirit fell into the mortal world, it became tainted with evil energy and wanted to monopolize the Goddess's inheritance, but it could not find a way to do so. So it found many scapegoats to enter the mirror to search for the Goddess's inheritance.

Wen Yin wasn't the first one she found; Si Yao was another scapegoat she found.

Si Yao waved her sleeve, and a light appeared before her eyes. She flew towards the light and quickly emerged.

Time inside the mirror is different from time outside. Si Yao actually stayed in the mirror for a very long time; thousands of years passed just during the moment she had her epiphany.

But after we came out, only a quarter of an hour had passed here.

Wen Yin had just woken up Liao Shuo and the others, and untied the ropes binding her. Just as she was about to tell them that Si Yao had killed Chong Ming, she turned her head and found Si Yao coming out of the mirror.

Liao Shuo and the others felt that Si Yao was like a completely different person. Wen Yin looked at the mirror on the ground in disbelief; the mirror had shattered at some point.

And Si Yao was standing right in front of her.

"Impossible, how could you possibly have come out alive?"

Those who were previously trapped inside the mirror will die soon.

She thought Si Yao would definitely die inside. She hated this woman and always had a bad feeling whenever she saw her. She never expected that Si Yao would actually come out.

As the spirit of the mirror, it knew all too well what this meant. The shattered mirror signified that Si Yao had gained the goddess's approval.

Moreover, the current Si Yao looks very different from the Si Yao before she went in.

Upon realizing that Si Yao had received the goddess's inheritance, Wen Yin became so excited that she could no longer maintain her composure.

"This is impossible, this is absolutely impossible, how could you have received the goddess's inheritance?"

"Junior Sister Wenying, what's wrong?"

Hearing Liao Shuo's trembling voice asking the question, "Wen Yin" suddenly laughed.

When she looked at Liao Shuo and the others, she changed to an angry expression. "Senior Brother Liao, she killed Master! I just saw it with my own eyes! She killed our Master!"

"how so?"

Although Liao Shuo had many opinions about Si Yao, he still refused to believe that Si Yao had killed his master, Zunming Daojun.

In his mind, his master was highly skilled, so how could he have been killed by Si Yao?

"Senior Brother Liao, don't you believe me? I saw with my own eyes that Si Yao burned Master alive."

Wen Yin opened her palm, and the image of Chongming before his death was projected onto the shards of the mirror. However, the image only showed Si Yao and Chongming, and Wen Yin herself was not present.

Liao Shuo stared at Si Yao, his eyes bloodshot. "Si Yao, you traitor to our sect! First you deceived our master and junior sister Wen Yin with a fake spiritual root, and now you dare to use such cruel methods to kill our master. I will never let you go."

Si Yao merely glanced at them indifferently.

In their eyes, Si Yao had only disappeared for a short while.

But in Si Yao's eyes, these were people she hadn't seen for centuries, and she was momentarily dazed. As they spoke, Si Yao gradually remembered what had happened before she entered the mirror.

She'll admit to doing it, but she won't admit to anything she didn't do: "A bunch of idiots."

"You actually insulted me?"

"Shouldn't idiots be scolded? Have you even figured out the truth of the matter? You're just shouting here. Your cultivation hasn't improved at all over the years, which is inseparable from your stupid brain. People aren't afraid of being stupid, they're afraid of being both stupid and diligent."

"I'm going to kill you." Liao Shuo charged towards Si Yao with his sword, but before he could get close, Si Yao flicked him away with her sleeve.

“Chongming is stupid, and you disciples have followed his example, so stupid that it’s laughable.”

Liao Shuo sat up, unconvinced, and said, "Weren't you once Master's disciple too? According to you, aren't you a fool too?"

Si Yao sneered, "The difference between me and you is that I left the sect, while you continue to act foolishly, not even realizing you're being used."

"you……"

Liao Shuo knew he was no match for Si Yao, so he planned to leave as soon as possible and bring the news of Si Yao killing his master back to the Heavenly Sword Sect. Then he would ask the patriarch to come out of the mountains and deal with Si Yao.

Si Yao watched them leave without trying to stop them.

Chongming is dead, but the past debts have not been completely settled, so she cannot ascend yet. Now she needs to find that silver-haired man from back then.