Ask the Mirror

Chapter 178: Raising a Bird

The hot wind stirred up by the Ghostly Beast slowly dissipated within the rift space. The drifting gold filaments settled, revealing their full form in Yu Ci’s hand.

It was a simply styled yet exquisitely crafted gold-green palace sash, several chi longer than the hooked rope had been. It bore no other ornaments, only tassels of a thousand strands hanging from each end—these were the gold filaments that had just lightly brushed against the Ghostly Beast’s head, faintly tinged with green light, formed from the dissolution and transformation of the two hooks.

In that fragment of information, Yu Ci had seen one of the major figures wearing this very sash at his waist. This was also the source of his spiritual illumination.

He had long known this object was marvelously extraordinary, yet this hooked rope was different from other spiritual artifacts—he couldn’t even be certain it qualified as an artifact. In the months since his battle with Nan Songzi, Yu Ci had attempted various methods to refine and bind the hooked rope, failing each time, utterly unable to find a point of entry.

Now, he finally understood: this thing still possessed another layer of transformation, and unlocking that transformation was no simple matter.

Just now, the fragmentary image had sparked spiritual illumination in Yu Ci, allowing him to confirm the object’s form, to identify his target. In that instant, his qi-machine gathered and converged; his essence, qi, and spirit poured like offerings into an abyss, infusing the hooked rope. All transformations were completed in an instant, perfectly—yet these were not the most important elements.

The most crucial catalyst lay not within Yu Ci himself, but in the burning Rakshasa Illusory Force that filled this rift space.

In that moment, Yu Ci had clearly sensed that he had borrowed the abundant Rakshasa Illusory Force here—though only the faintest thread of it—and that was the key factor in unlocking the hooked rope’s new form.

Yu Ci closed his eyes, sensing. At this moment, his body contained not a trace of Rakshasa Illusory Force; he had merely served as a conduit between it and the hooked rope. Nevertheless, this process had left its mark.

The qi-machine transformations involved here were far too complex; Yu Ci needed to properly organize them—but not now. Who knew whether the Ghostly Beast, startled into retreat, might return? At present, he had no confidence he could activate this sash’s strange power again.

Just as the thought of leaving arose, Yu Ci suddenly felt something amiss with his person.

Only then did he remember: after the intense pressure of the Black Tide, his clothing had been destroyed, leaving him in a rather indecorous state. Finding nothing to cover himself with in his haste, he could only wrap the piece of gleaming red gossamer around his waist and secure it with the hooked rope—now the sash—tying it on as makeshift covering.

The gold-green tassels brushing against his legs felt exceedingly strange.

Shaking his head, his gaze swept the area. Several of his belongings had fallen to the ground during his evasive maneuvers. As he looked now, the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror was completely unharmed—unsurprising. That the True Restoration Purple Smoke Warm Jade at his chest had survived was somewhat surprising; it seemed this object, emitting purple vapor, had dissolved some of the pressure. As for the Nine Yang Talisman Sword, cracks had already appeared on its surface—nothing to be done about that.

The Storage Ring on his hand had been destroyed, and nine-tenths of the objects stored within were ruined. Fortunately, his most crucial items had withstood the Black Tide’s intense pressure and remained. Besides the red gossamer at his waist and the sash, nearby lay the Dao-Scripture-Master Treasure Seal, which he had been refining for many days.

This seal, made from Big Dipper Stone, had already undergone four layers of refinement using the “Heavenly Spirits and Earthly Fiends Method.” It now faintly emanated a clear light. Two more layers, and it would reach the “refined and integrated” level—at that point, he could absorb it into his body, nourish it constantly, and avoid such troublesome situations.

With a sigh of mixed feelings, Yu Ci picked up the Dharma Seal and continued searching.

Soon he spotted another object: the head of a demonic creature, crafted using a special technique. No larger than a fist, it bared its fangs, its bulging forehead and blood-red eyes quite ferocious. Yu Ci recalled that he had obtained this demonic head on his first journey to the Heavens Rift Valley, from the leader of a gang of swindlers in a ruined mountain temple. He had forgotten the name of that fellow who had pretended to be an Immortal; he only knew that later, this man had also died by his sword.

Seeing this bizarre object again, Yu Ci felt a sense of how things changed while people remained the same—and was surprised that this thing had survived the pressure.

Unfortunately, as hard as it was, it had its limits. Under the intense pressure, several thin cracks had already appeared on its surface.

Beside it, however, lay a completely undamaged object: small and delicate, flashing with cold light—a tiny sword no more than an inch long. Yu Ci’s impression of it was quite deep, for this was a trophy he had obtained from the Yan Taoist, the first formidable enemy he had slain after breaking through the Three Mortal Obstacles and advancing to the Divine Connectivity realm.

This tiny sword could slice through iron like mud, yet its form was so small that even an infant couldn’t grasp its hilt. Previously, when Yu Ci had been practicing refinement methods, he had tried his hand on it as well—unfortunately, it showed no response whatsoever, presumably not a spiritual artifact.

The tiny sword was too sharp to handle easily. After a moment’s thought, Yu Ci simply inserted it into the newly formed cracks in the demonic head. Not perfectly seamless, but firmly lodged, the hilt protruding outward. Thus combined, the two formed a rather distinctive shape.

Having tidied up somewhat, Yu Ci delayed no further and swiftly departed.

******

It had been ten days since he had startled the Ghostly Beast into retreat, and Yu Ci was still wandering within the Heavens Rift Valley.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to leave—he had long grown weary of this godforsaken place, thick with clouds and mist, heavy with dampness, and filled with danger. But he had to face reality: he simply couldn’t find the way back!

Ten days had passed, and he was still circling nearby.

That day, after flying for nearly ten shichen, the Ghostly Beast had landed here. Judging by its speed, even allowing for some twists and turns along the way, they had certainly left the eastern shore of the Heavens Rift Valley far behind. That meant Yu Ci was now on an “isolated island” suspended within a vast sea of clouds. To cross this boundless sea, without the ability to fly, was utterly impossible.

For anyone else, by now they might have already broken down. Yu Ci had experienced moments of despair, but after one cycle of sun and moon, reason and courage had returned to him.

They were far from the end of the road.

It was midday. Through layer upon layer of clouds and mist, Yu Ci couldn’t see the sun, but the unusually bright daylight allowed him to make judgments easily.

He sat atop a mountain peak, gazing up into the depths of the clouds.

Within this sea of clouds, perhaps seven or eight mountain peaks hung suspended. Their bases were nowhere to be seen; only their majestic bodies were arrayed within the mist. This place was roughly a hundred li from the rift space of that day—a hundred li that had proved extraordinarily difficult and perilous.

There were no ready-made paths between the peaks. Perhaps descending another hundred li or so might yield some, but going down meant dealing with the even more ferocious birds, beasts, and even demons of the deeper Heavens Rift Valley—clearly unrealistic. Relying on the Divine Movement Talisman’s ability to briefly tread the void, Yu Ci had, after roughly calculating distances, moved from peak to peak, nearly dying several times, until finally arriving here.

Looking east from this spot, no shadow of any mountain could be seen. He could only assume that this was the point of this “suspended mountain range” closest to the eastern shore of the Heavens Rift Valley.

Except for the area near the mountain containing the rift space, where birds, beasts, and vegetation were utterly absent, these surrounding mountains teemed with life—further proof that this place was indeed far from the canyon’s eastern shore, its ecosystem untouched by the devastating cold currents of the Heavens Rift Valley.

Here, fierce birds and beasts roamed freely, hunting prey or becoming prey themselves. Yu Ci had killed one fierce beast, stripped off its hide to replace the red gossamer as covering, and also fashioned a crude bundle to hold items like the Dao-Scripture-Master Treasure Seal, tying it up and carrying it with him—immediately making things much more convenient.

Beyond that, he had one other prey!

Pursing his lips, he emitted a sharp whistle. Within the clouds and mist, a dark shadow spiraled down, its wings stirring up strong winds—a formidable sight.

It was a rather ugly large bird. Its wingspan, fully extended, measured two zhang and seven chi. Its body was plump and bulky, yet its head seemed quite small, bearing a strong resemblance to an owl’s face.

This large bird had taken him tremendous effort to trap and capture alive six days ago. Since then, Yu Ci had devoted most of his energy to it.

Yu Ci wasn’t idly playing with a bird out of boredom. This was a plan he had devised after long consideration—a way to cross the boundless sea of clouds.

It was all based on the “Spirit Nurturing Method” that Xie Yan had taught him.

Back in Absolute Cliff City, Xie Yan had taught him the “Spirit Nurturing Method,” instructing him to use his own vital energy to nourish the Dragon Fish, preserving its quality to facilitate the trade for the Golden Bone Jade Disk. Later, due to various unforeseen events, the deal fell through, and the Dragon Fish’s quality plummeted, nearly costing it its life. Yet, through this twist of fate, Yu Ci had ended up with a remarkably spirited and intelligent pet.

When the Ghostly Beast had carried him away in flight, he hadn’t been able to summon the Dragon Fish in time. Otherwise, with that little creature’s intelligence and its extraordinary long-range侦察 abilities, these past few days would likely have been much easier.

Now, Yu Ci was thinking of training this large bird to become like the Dragon Fish. Not necessarily obedient and docile, but at least capable of understanding his commands—then he could sit on its back and cross the vast sea of clouds.

It might seem fanciful, but Yu Ci had seen the Blood Eagles tamed by the Myriad Spirits Sect, carrying people and goods with ease. Combined with his experience raising the Dragon Fish, he estimated at least a fifty percent chance of success.

The only trouble was that this large bird, unlike the Dragon Fish, couldn’t naturally absorb and digest human vital energy. Yu Ci had to do it manually, using the vital energy cultivated through the “Spirit Nurturing Method” to feed the bird and give it massages. After five full days of work, he had finally gotten the creature to begin understanding his commands. Today, he had deliberately set it free and achieved success.

“A few more days of nurturing, and even if there’s some risk, I’ll have to throw caution to the wind.”

The reason for such urgency, besides his eagerness to return home, was a more immediate threat. From four days ago, Yu Ci had faintly heard roars in the distance—such powerful cries, like thunder over vast marshes stirring hidden currents—there was no other creature but the Ghostly Beast.

If the Ghostly Beast came again, Yu Ci had no means of dealing with it.

Just as he was thinking this, within the clouds and mist, the large bird suddenly shuddered—it had spotted an extremely plump python on the ground.

This bird particularly loved swallowing pythons and the like, and having flown for half a morning, how could it let such a delicacy escape from before its eyes? The weakness of the “Spirit Nurturing Method’s” shallow foundation was exposed completely: in this moment, instinct overwhelmed command. The bird spread its wings, escaping Yu Ci’s control, and gave chase.

Yu Ci muttered a curse under his breath, but after several days of hard work, he absolutely couldn’t let his efforts go to waste. He began strengthening his command control, deepening his connection with the bird, then, without letting his feet touch the ground, gave chase.

Circling through the mountains for a while, Yu Ci finally spotted the bird, diligently opening its hooked beak to enjoy its meal. Shaking his head, Yu Ci soothed it slightly, then looked around. This place, with its jagged rocks and lush vegetation, was quite secluded. Following the mountain terrain casually upward, Yu Ci prepared to find another high point for his next test—but after only two steps, his expression shifted subtly, then he lowered his head again, his pace unchanged.

Six steps, seven steps, eight steps!

From behind the shadows of trees and rocks, a dark form suddenly burst forth, lunging with a strange cry—but what met it was a flaming sword blade.

Sword-qi hummed with vibrating intensity. The dark form was cleaved in two. As foul blood splattered, Yu Ci’s face turned cold. This dark form was ugly in appearance, and its aura clearly was…

A demon?