The demonic cultivators below exchanged glances, all smiling sarcastically, their faces saying, "I understand, I understand."

Lan Xiao knew they had misunderstood, but he didn't explain. He waved his sleeve and ordered, "Let's move out."

The demonic cultivators rushed to ascend the Heavenly Ladder. Apart from the 60% who were eliminated, there were still three Nascent Soul cultivators, sixteen Core Formation cultivators, and twenty-one Golden Core cultivators remaining.

They stood before the Mirror of Reincarnation, all eager to try.

The Mirror of Reincarnation is a creation of the gods, and like the Demon Blade Eri, it is not defined by any rank.

The Mirror of Reincarnation was originally intended to help cultivators at higher levels to see through their mental states.

Those who step into the Mirror of Reincarnation have their consciousness extracted from their bodies and placed into the realm within the mirror. Roles are assigned according to each person's true inner feelings, thus enacting a new cycle of reincarnation.

If a cultivator dies violently in the Mirror Realm, their consciousness will also perish, which is equivalent to the death of the body and the dissipation of the Dao.

However, a high-level cultivator, even without past memories and cultivation, has already ingrained thousands or even tens of thousands of years of experience into their instincts. Their mental fortitude and resilience far surpass those of the native inhabitants.

Therefore, it is virtually impossible for a cultivator to die violently within the Mirror Realm.

Now, the group of demonic cultivators under Lan Xiao's command will become a variable.

"After activating the secret technique, I will send a portion of your souls into the Mirror Realm. You are free to choose to possess those with profound martial arts skills or those of high rank and power, in order to facilitate your actions."

Lan Xiao had to stay here to activate the secret technique and couldn't go in with them.

After that, he could only rely on his henchmen.

A group of demonic cultivators were full of fighting spirit.

"Shall we agree on a secret code first?"

Yes! Yes!

What should we choose?

"Let's make it longer, so it doesn't get stolen by someone else."

"Like this: At the quarter-hour of You (5-7 PM), two li from the East Gate, three kowtows before the tent, four slaps and five shouts, the one in the hall is the Sixth Master, the one below is the Seventh Brother, crows fly by and mynahs croak, nine bridges winding and turning, the palace is more than ten li away, the beauty is more than a thousand zhang long, the vast land will last for generations!"

"Wait, wait, it's a bit too long. Let me memorize it, memorize it..."

"You can remember such long cultivation manuals, but you can't remember sixty or seventy coded phrases?"

"Exactly, exactly. You all complain that you can't carry a 90-pound stone, but you all just pick up a 90-pound woman and run away?"

"I think this code is brilliant."

"The former says: 'At the quarter-hour of the hour of You, two miles from the East Gate, three kowtows before the tent, four slaps and five shouts, the one in the hall is the Sixth Master, the one below is the Seventh Brother, crows fly by and mynahs croak, nine bridges winding through the mountains, the palace is more than ten miles away, the beauty is more than a thousand feet long, the vast land will last for generations.' So what about the latter? What does the latter say?"

May Your Majesty live a long and prosperous life!

"Wonderful!"

And so the code was decided.

Lan Xiao channeled his spiritual power to activate the secret technique. Yet, a vague unease lingered in his heart.

But then I thought, although they're all half-baked, they've at least entered the mirror with their souls, retaining their memories. They can freely choose their bodies and identities, and once inside, they can band together—their starting point is far superior. Dealing with a few "high-end natives" shouldn't be a problem.

Thus, the secret technique was activated. In the Mirror Realm, above Kyoto, clusters of dark shadows appeared out of thin air, scattering in all directions and disappearing in an instant.

Chu Hongluan, who was admiring the moon alone in the courtyard, blinked blankly.

Hmm? There seemed to be something in the sky just now.

Something's wrong, something's very wrong.

Chu Hongluan frowned. Her intuition told her that she should go out and find out what those dark figures were.

Chu Hongluan immediately took action. It was already late at night, and there was a curfew outside, so the mansion gates were closed.

She nimbly scaled the wall and chased after one of the shadows that had dispersed.

The body's foundation was passable, and Chu Hongluan used her skill to swiftly traverse the streets and alleys.

Don't let her being a pampered young lady fool you. She used to be a bit dim-witted, but she spent all her time chasing after handsome men. It wasn't all for nothing; at least she got some exercise.

From afar, she actually saw a dark figure disappear into a magnificent courtyard!

Chu Hongluan's expression hardened, and she immediately took a shortcut into the alley next to her, maneuvering and moving at top speed!

Around the corner, there's a Y-shaped three-way intersection.

Turn right!

At the same time, a figure rushed out from the left side road!

Both of them were going at their maximum speed and couldn't stop at all!

In the blink of an eye, they collided solidly!

Chu Hongluan was slender after all, and the collision caused her to lose her balance and stumble backward. Just as she was about to fall, the man grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms.

It smells like soapberry, a scent that feels strangely familiar.

Moreover, she doesn't seem to be opposed to it.

"Miss Chu?"

A boy's clear, clean voice came from above.

Chu Hongluan snapped out of her daze and quickly withdrew from his embrace.

"We'll catch up later! You came here chasing that dark shadow too, right? This way! Quick!"

Before he could finish speaking, the person had already run far away.

Liu Jinghong quickly followed, and in just a few breaths he was side by side with her. With a "sorry," he grabbed her slender waist and pulled her into his arms with surprising ease. With a light touch of his toes, he used his lightness skill to leap onto the roof beam, flying over eaves and walls with the agility of a dragon!

In such an urgent situation, any notions of propriety between men and women were long forgotten.

Soon, the two found the magnificent courtyard where the shadowy figure had disappeared. A huge gilded plaque hung above the gate, inscribed with: "General's Residence."

The two exchanged a glance, both understanding the meaning in each other's eyes. Without saying a word, Liu Jinghong led Chu Hongluan over the courtyard wall, bypassing the patrolling guards, and approaching the main courtyard.

As soon as they arrived at the main courtyard, they saw the dark figure slip through the crack in the window and enter the Zhenguo General's bedroom.

The two tiptoed to the window, their movements perfectly masked by the thunderous snoring inside.

Looking through the crack in the window, the first thing that catches the eye is a large bed with the blankets on the floor.

On the bed, a red-haired boy with his upper body naked lay sprawled out, his muscles bulging, and he was more than nine feet tall.

This is their country's youngest general, surnamed Ke, named Tinghe.

Liu Jinghong turned to look at Chu Hongluan, hesitating to speak.

His first instinct was to cover Chu Hongluan's eyes, but he was afraid that would seem too reckless.

I was thinking of saying "don't look at what is improper," but now is not the time to be so particular about that.

So he had no choice but to force his head back, wishing he could burn a hole through the chest of General Ke on the bed with his eyes.

The shadowy figure stealthily approached Ke Tinghe, circling him several times as if conducting an assessment. Then, the entire shadowy figure began to tremble violently, appearing extremely excited.

The next instant, the shadow lunged straight at Ke Tinghe's face, but in the blink of an eye, it was bounced far away by some mysterious barrier.

Immediately afterwards, the dark figure began to speak human language.

"Damn it! I finally found a satisfactory body! And it just so happens to be the consciousness incarnation of a righteous disciple! Why am I so unlucky!"