Chapter 22 Mirror Demon
Holding two invitations, Su Yunyu entered the ruins. She was glad that she had killed three hundred Nightmares back then, otherwise she really wouldn't have been able to collect two thousand.
This Immortal-Demon Ruins is a place of opportunity left over from the great war between immortals and demons many years ago. It is managed by the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion and is open to the public irregularly.
As for the Nine Heavens Spirit Grass, in the original novel, Long Aotian found it by chance thanks to his protagonist halo.
So the plot doesn't mention exactly where it grows.
Standing amidst this chaotic, flowing landscape of ancient ruins, Su Yunyu hesitated for only a second before deceiving Xiao Shuying:
Which way do you think we should go?
It's perfectly reasonable to take advantage of Long Aotian's cheat ability.
I'm sure Heaven wouldn't allow Long Aotian to choose a dangerous path.
Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar place before her, Xiao Shuying recalled a scene from her first life:
When they entered this secret realm, Xiao Qingran had received the invitation and had to bring him along to show their camaraderie, but in reality, she was ready to kill him in the secret realm at any time.
At that time, he was dealing with Xiao Qingran's constant entrapment while trying to find some rare and magical herbs. Just when he was bewitched by a mirror demon and fell into an illusion, a strange stinging pain woke him up.
Then came the fork in the road. There were piles of small stones on the left, but out of caution, he chose the other way and stumbled upon the divine herb.
Their luck was simply extraordinary, and this wasn't the first time this had happened, whether in the Xiao family or the Tianxuan Sect...
Although Xiao Shuying hadn't forgotten which direction she had found the divine herb back then, but...
If they find Su Yunyu right away, wouldn't that just cause trouble for themselves?
After all, Su Yunyu harbored ambitions towards the spirits of the Three Realms. If he were to discover that he himself was a spirit of the Three Realms with exceptional fortune…
Thinking of this, Xiao Shuying's eyes darkened, and she had an idea.
So he pointed and said, "Let's go this way."
This is a location where you just barely miss the divine herb.
As for what she might encounter along the way, Su Yunyu didn't need to know.
Following this direction, we walked until we reached a dilapidated pavilion, where the grass was sparse, the platform was overgrown, and there were broken stones and tiles, creating a desolate and gloomy atmosphere.
What appears to be an ordinary scene transforms the moment you step inside, as if the scene has changed in the unseen realm.
Just as Su Yunyu was about to search for the divine herb, she heard Xiao Shuying ahead call out softly:
"Master..."
"What's wrong?" Just as she was lazily answering, she suddenly heard the sound of a sword being drawn. Before Su Yunyu could even look in the direction of the sound, a sharp pain shot through her chest—
He blinked his bewildered eyes, only to feel a sharp pain in his heart that made his whole body tremble. When he looked down, he saw a section of a sword deeply embedded in his heart.
Looking further down the sword hilt, one sees Xiao Shuying gripping the sword, her eyes devoid of any emotion, instead filled with a gloomy, resolute expression, her teeth clenched.
"You are not my master!"
"Xiao Shuying, what's wrong?"
Su Yunyu's heart skipped a beat, and she spoke sharply, almost thinking that Long Aotian had suddenly regained his memories of his past life and that's why he stabbed her.
Xiao Shuying didn't speak, but simply pushed the sword she was holding further in.
Su Yunyu was in so much pain that her face turned pale. Seeing that he didn't speak, she finally realized that something was wrong.
Xiao Shuying wouldn't say such things for no reason, much less stab him for no reason.
So, what exactly is the problem?
Su Yunyu drew her Xuehua sword and cleaved the sword that had pierced her heart, but Xiao Shuying immediately raised his sword again to strike.
Amidst the clanging of sword light, Su Yunyu finally realized something was wrong. The person before her was not Xiao Shuying at all; he was too powerful, as elusive as a ghost.
But his unparalleled cultivation was no mere formality; the more elusive "Xiao Shuying" became, the more he unleashed his sword intent to its fullest extent, densely covering every gap around him—
Finally, as if pierced by something, the scene before my eyes shattered like a mirror, only to be pieced back together in an instant to form another image.
With a crash, the Snow Flower Sword fell straight to the ground. Staring at the scene before her, Su Yunyu was stunned...
*
Seeing Su Yunyu standing motionless, his eyes vacant and unresponsive, Xiao Shuying knew he had fallen into an illusion.
This illusion could probably trap and kill someone with low cultivation, but Xiao Shuying knew that this illusion could not actually harm Su Yunyu, even though the pain was real inside the illusion.
He deliberately led the way here, and Su Yunyu's current predicament was simply part of what he had anticipated, if things went as expected...
The next moment, a barely perceptible sound reached her ears, and a certain magnetic field shifted. Xiao Shuying's eyes sharpened; the illusion had begun—
Her consciousness was hazy, as if invaded, erasing her awareness of the illusion. When Xiao Shuying could see the scene in front of her again, she was already in the inn.
This is……
Xiao Shuying's gaze sharpened, and just as she hesitated, she heard the sound of water pattering beside her ear—
Wait, something seems familiar.
Before she could even locate the sound of water, it had already ceased, replaced by soft, indistinct footsteps. Xiao Shuying turned her gaze, her initial nonchalance turning to astonishment upon seeing the scene before her—
In the light mist and dim moonlight, Su Yunyu, whose beauty was already unparalleled, was now flushed with an apricot hue by the moisture, wearing only a thin outer garment.
Xiao Shuying paused for a second, her gaze becoming complicated, and then she looked away tentatively and asked:
Master
There was no response, only the lingering steam from her recent bath and the sound of slow, deliberate footsteps. Xiao Shuying was about to step back when Su Yunyu suddenly appeared in front of her.
Even though Xiao Shuying deliberately looked away, her lowered gaze still caught sight of a pair of bare, jade-like feet on the wooden floor, where water droplets slowly rolled down as they stood before her.
Her skin, as delicate and pink as flower petals, was adorned with glistening water droplets that fell to the ground, gathering into a small, moist patch of light and shadow.
Xiao Shuying was in a state of turmoil. She had just uttered the word "Master..." when suddenly a pair of arms were placed on her body—
Su Yunyu actually wrapped her arms around his neck, leaned her head against his chest, and gently stroked his face with her breath, her breath sweet as orchids.
Am I pretty?
"..." The familiar scent of orchids filled her senses, but Xiao Shuying's eyes turned cold, her lips curling into a mocking smile. She abruptly pushed him away, her voice cold:
"Get out of my way, you think you can imitate him?"
Just as she was about to draw her sword and strike, "Su Yunyu" changed her tone:
"You know what? I've wanted to kill you for a long time."
Her former tenderness and captivating eyes had been replaced by an aloof, detached, and indifferent expression.
"Why do you think I'm being so nice to you? Of course, it's so I can kill you."
This tone, this indifference, gradually overlapped with that of the repulsive person from the first life.
Xiao Shuying stared intently at him, her hand gripping Mu Ling tightly, oblivious to the deep marks left on her palm. A strange, overwhelming anger surged within him, and he asked through gritted teeth, each word deliberate:
So, you only wanted to kill me.
At this moment, her consciousness became chaotic and paranoid. Even though she had just determined that the person in front of her was not Su Yunyu, Xiao Shuying still fell into the emotions brought about by the illusion.
He chuckled softly, the laughter growing louder and more sinister, his once clear and bright eyes now filled with a dark glint.
"I knew it! So that's really how it is!"
"So, in the end..." Xiao Shuying slowly raised her reddened eyes, staring intently at the person before her, and couldn't help but roar out:
"In the end, you're still going to kill me—"
Accompanied by a violent and arrogant tone, the person before him began to blur, and the illusion screamed in panic:
"Ahhh, such intense pressure—"
The sound of peeling glass, the sound of the mirror shattering—in an instant, all the illusion vanished, and everything returned to its original state.
The dilapidated ancient pavilion, sparse weeds, and the clear blue sky offered no trace of gloom.
"Hiss," Xiao Shuying gasped, clutching her head. She had just lost control of her consciousness, but her power had returned. Now that the illusion had shattered, her meridians and body ached all over.
Once out of the illusion, everything returned to normal. Xiao Shuying herself was completely baffled as to why she had been so angry just now.
He clearly knew Su Yunyu was going to kill him all along; the illusion was just a reenactment, so how could it...?
Just as she was frowning in worry, she heard a chattering sound beside her, as if someone was hiding behind a curtain. Xiao Shuying's eyes darkened, and she first glanced at Su Yunyu—
Very well, still immersed in the illusion.
I don't know what it saw that kept it from coming out for so long.
But that wasn't the point. Xiao Shuying looked at the empty air and whispered:
"Come out, Mirror Demon."
As he finished speaking, the chattering sound seemed to intensify, but nothing came out.
Xiao Shuying sneered, "If you don't come out, I'll chop you up."
Although he currently appears as a carefree young man, and his bright, starry eyes usually seem innocent, they are now filled with ruthlessness, gleaming with a cold light, exuding an overwhelming aura of power.
This time, the trembling stopped, and a semi-transparent, bubble-like, round monster slowly floated into the air in front of them.
The monster seemed terrified by Xiao Shuying in the illusion, its bubble-like body cowering in fear.
"You...want to see me? Is there...something wrong?"
Seeing the usually arrogant Mirror Demon so frightened, Xiao Shuying was somewhat surprised, which saved her the trouble of coercing and bribing him.
“Tell me,” he pointed at Su Yunyu and questioned her coldly.
What did this person see in the illusion?
"This..." The mirror demon hesitated, as if it wanted to say something but couldn't.
Xiao Shuying's eyes narrowed and she scolded coldly:
"Do I have to send you to have an extra child?"
“I’ll talk, I’ll talk,” the mirror demon had no doubt that the person in front of it could chop it up. The pressure it had sensed in the illusion was unprecedented and unheard of.
"His first illusion was that he saw you stab him, but he quickly broke free. The second illusion..."
The mirror demon scratched the back of its head with an imaginary hand, its tone carefully chosen:
"I don't understand the second illusion. It's full of people in strange clothes. I don't recognize any of them. It's like... like they don't belong here."
"..." Upon hearing this, Xiao Shuying had a feeling that she had expected it to be true.
He was definitely not the same person from the first life, but the fact that he had been hunted down for ninety-eight lifetimes clearly meant he was no ordinary person either.
So, who exactly are you?
What is the meaning of so many lifetimes of reincarnation?
Having received the answer, Xiao Shuying's emotions calmed down considerably, and she asked again:
How do I wake him up?
The mirror demon was about to say it could release the person directly, but a cold glance from Xiao Shuying made its not-so-bright mind immediately understand:
"It needs strong external stimulation."
"I see," Xiao Shuying said with sudden realization, then waved her hand.
"You may leave."
Before the mirror demon could conceal itself, it saw Xiao Shuying holding a sword, lovingly stroking the blade, and then, without hesitation, thrusting it fiercely into Su Yunyu's chest—
With a soft thud, the sound of a sword piercing a weapon rang out, accompanied by Su Yunyu's gasp. Clearly, he had awakened from the illusion.
The mirror demon, whose body had no physical form, suddenly felt a sharp pain and quickly disappeared. Then, it heard Xiao Shuying's panicked voice:
"Master, Master, are you alright?"
"How could you..." The man's voice was weak, tinged with doubt.
"Master, I've just been trapped in an illusion..."
"..."
The mirror demon rubbed the back of its head, which was covered in black pot, and thought to itself that it could no longer understand cultivators these days.
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Author's Note: I suddenly remembered this is a fantasy novel, but I wrote every fight scene as low-level martial arts. *cough cough* Let's ignore this little bug [noob dog emoji]
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