Ask the Mirror

Chapter 184: Dharma Eye

Both the female cultivator and the ghostly beast had blurred into insubstantiality, along with the surrounding mountain walls. Also filtered out were the chaotic remnants of displaced energy. The world before him became much simpler, with only the clear traces of rippling waveforms remaining. These shifting lines became the main body of this realm.

Yet even more dazzling were the two blazing masses of light within this world. They appeared respectively at the original positions of the two combatants—these were the reflections of their divine soul power. The one with slightly dimmer light, its internal ripple movements clear and distinctly layered, was undoubtedly the female cultivator. The other, with its brilliant radiance, constantly pushing and pulsating, swelling and contracting, was naturally the ghostly beast.

Both sides continuously emitted divine intent power, their collisions generating layer upon layer of shockwaves that intertwined and influenced each other.

So this is what soul-level offense and defense looks like!

Within this wondrous field of vision, the shifts and clashes at the divine soul level were laid bare, unobstructed. Without a doubt, Yu Ci had never possessed such an ability before. This was his newly acquired achievement, stemming from the same lineage as his earlier capability to transform his Yin Spirit into shockwaves—both originated from that profound and mysterious instant of azure void vibration etched in his memory.

It took him very little time to familiarize himself with the changes in those rippling lines. Soon, he reached a conclusion:

“Aunt Gan is in trouble!”

Though from a normal perspective, the female cultivator was using her stunning techniques to control the void for several li in all directions, comprehensively suppressing the ghostly beast’s movements, within this newly acquired field of vision, the source of Aunt Gan’s divine intent power, though still stable, was growing increasingly dim. In contrast, the ghostly beast’s assaults grew ever more狂暴, yet within that狂暴, the pulsations at its source became even more剧烈.

Yu Ci understood—this was the moment to make a decision:

“Aunt Gan, come this way!”

Worried that Gan Shizhen might have reservations, Yu Ci, even as he called out, also extended his divine sense, connecting it to that wondrous field of vision.

With his divine sense intervening, the void’s rippling lines transformed. A third source suddenly appeared in the world—the power emanating from him abruptly inserted itself into the soul-level clash between the two sides. It might not have had any substantial impact, but it startled both parties.

Gan Shizhen proved more decisive than Yu Ci had imagined. In that instant, her sword light retracted and released, forcing the ghostly beast back. Then she reversed course and rushed towards him. As their forms converged, Yu Ci’s feet left the ground, pulled along by the female cultivator as she hastily retreated.

Yu Ci’s heart relaxed. He directed, “This way… Aunt Gan?”

The female cultivator’s complexion was pale, nearly translucent. The divine light in her eyes also dimmed sharply. Without a word, she followed the direction he indicated, speeding along. Yu Ci understood her state and said no more, merely pointing out the way.

The ghostly beast pursued relentlessly from behind, but the void restrictions laid down by the female cultivator still held, making it difficult for the creature to draw near.

Three or five mountain peaks flashed by in the blink of an eye. Yu Ci fixed his gaze on the destination not far ahead and suddenly shouted:

“Charge in!”

The female cultivator practically tumbled into the depression at the mountain’s peak. Yu Ci took over the lead while still in mid-air, cradling her as they passed through the central cave, plummeting rapidly. The Black Tide surging from the opening could no longer pressure him. During the descent, his only task was to guide the female cultivator’s Qi flow, teaching her how to adapt to the environment here.

In an instant, they reached the platform below. Yu Ci removed his hand from the female cultivator’s garments. The action had perhaps overstepped some bounds, but in their urgent state, neither could afford to dwell on such matters.

The moment his feet touched the ground, the female cultivator’s faint voice sounded: “Need another half a ke…”

Yu Ci shook his head, interrupting her: “Aunt Gan, rest now. I’ll handle what comes!”

He helped her to a deeper spot to settle down. Here, the upper and lower rock layers pressed very close together—humans could barely squeeze through, but the ghostly beast could not possibly enter. Last time, Yu Ci hadn’t ventured to such depths either; he only noticed that the burning blood droplets here were exceedingly sparse, though another light source existed…

He glanced over. Was it some kind of luminous ore?

As his attention wandered, beside him, Gan Shizhen’s delicate brows knitted slightly, as if worried about their current predicament, yet her bright eyes remained clear as water, distinctly reflecting Yu Ci’s remarkably calm features.

Sensing her gaze, Yu Ci turned back and smiled at her. Then he turned to leave, but the female cultivator suddenly reached out and grasped his wrist.

“You are no match for it…”

The feeling on his wrist was soft, as if boneless, yet carried a faint chill. This was a symptom of the female cultivator’s Qi and blood failing to circulate fully to her extremities. Yu Ci responded with a smile: “Aunt Gan speaks truly. But its opponent is not me.”

With that, he freed his hand from hers and walked back. Halfway there, the female cultivator’s gaze remained fixed on his back. Only after a long while did the sensation fade—she had likely seized the opportunity to enter meditative stillness and tend to her injuries.

Yu Ci could sense the urgency in this beautiful aunt-cultivator’s heart, but if they waited for her to act again, he would probably have already been defeated and dead…

His mood was extraordinarily calm. He looked around. Within the crevice space, thousands of blood droplets still burned, but their momentum was noticeably more turbulent and chaotic. Both the information they emitted and the Rakshasa Illusory Force devoured by the ghostly beast had become key factors disrupting the equilibrium here.

Suddenly sensing something, he looked up. His gaze pierced through the thick rock layers and the cave passage, glimpsing the ghostly beast’s狰狞 visage at the far end. Then that face withdrew. The beast was more cautious than he had imagined—or more precisely, it possessed an instinctive fear of form transformation.

That creature was taking the long way around!

Seeing this, Yu Ci grew increasingly confident. He unfastened the leather bundle from his shoulder, took out a few essential items, and let the rest scatter on the ground. Then he closed his eyes, composed himself briefly, and opened the Inner Void of his heart.

Beneath the pitch-black firmament, the Dragon Fish swam.

Yu Ci wasn’t seeking meditative stillness; he was searching for a feeling—and that feeling indeed existed. This fortified his certainty even more.

He picked up the Pure Yang Talisman Sword, his fingers tracing across its blunt, coarse blade. The tactile sensation of its uneven surface was very clear. To ordinary eyes, this sword would be a rare divine weapon, but in terms of material and craftsmanship, it didn’t even rank within the cultivation world.

During the last crushing by the Black Tide, this talisman sword had actually been damaged—multiple cracks inside and out, on the verge of disintegrating at any moment.

Now, Yu Ci determined its final moment.

He released his grip. The Pure Yang Talisman Sword seemed to lose its weight, floating before him, then ascending. The blade pressed against the cliff face overhead, shifted forward a short distance, and then hung suspended, tip pointing downward, motionless.

Giving the Pure Yang Talisman Sword one last glance, Yu Ci turned his gaze toward the mountain’s entrance. Before long, the ghostly beast’s roar echoed from outside the crevice.

Its massive, hill-like frame stirred up gales as it howled inward.

Here it comes!

Yu Ci gripped the silk cord at his waist, exerting a slight force to loosen the fastened knot. The exquisite golden-green tassels lashed out as if possessed, issuing a sibilant whisper through the air—like thousands of venomous snakes poised to strike.

The ghostly beast, just charging into the crevice space, visibly faltered. Its originally unstoppable momentum immediately slowed. It still harbored an instinctive, primal fear of this golden-green palace ribbon.

This was precisely the result Yu Ci had most hoped for. According to his initial plan, he would have pressed the advantage, amplifying the intimidation as he had the first time, forcing the ghostly beast to retreat, allowing him and Gan Shizhen to withdraw calmly.

But now, his thoughts had shifted. He would take a risk!

The dancing tassels fell still, becoming lifeless. The ghostly beast, hesitating at the crevice’s mouth, was momentarily stunned. It tentatively advanced a short distance. Yu Ci’s palace ribbon trembled again—the beast’s massive frame shuddered in response—but then it saw that the tassels underwent no further change.

Flames ignited in the ghostly beast’s blood-red pupils. The last shred of hesitation was worn away through these two shifts in the ribbon’s state.

Its thick, powerful limbs exerted force once more. Its colossal form instantly accelerated, charging straight toward that detestable human figure ahead. What it failed to notice was the dull wooden sword silently dropping from above. Still in mid-air, countless talismanic patterns blazed to life, suffusing the blade. As the talisman light washed over the sword’s body, it ignited with a resounding whoosh.

Only then did the ghostly beast sense it. But its charge had just begun—under no circumstances could it turn back to look. Within the flames, the Pure Yang Talisman Sword’s luminosity intensified further. The fire transformed into dazzling golden light, coalescing into a single beam that pierced silently downward.

When Yu Ci had first combined the Three Yang Talisman Swords into this one, he understood: the Pure Yang Talisman Sword was a sword in name only—in truth, it was a talisman. A powerful talisman designed to accumulate baleful Qi and then release it in a single, decisive burst. Sunrise Manor’s Ten Directions Golden Light Grand Formation relied on this very talisman, radiating myriad beams of golden light, irresistible in their destructive force.

Now, only a single beam of golden light remained, but its killing power was undiminished.

Yu Ci’s face paled, yet the corners of his lips curled slightly. Though the sword was no longer in his hand, he had still seized that fleeting moment of opportunity, pinpointing the weakest point of the soaring ghostly beast.

The beast’s roar exploded, its tone warped!

The concentrated heat, mingled with the sharp, killing baleful Qi gathered by the sword’s talismanic patterns, was unleashed without reserve. It plunged through the festering wound on the beast’s shoulder, emerging from its chest. The scorching flame-blade pierced through two layers of muscle and bone, incinerating everything within to charcoal. Immediately after, the talisman sword’s heat abruptly and rapidly declined. In the blink of an eye, it completely vaporized without a trace, leaving only a cauterized wound piercing through the shoulder.

What caused the flesh-and-blood damage to the ghostly beast was the blazing baleful Qi unleashed upon the Pure Yang Talisman Sword’s complete combustion—and this blazing baleful Qi had been catalyzed by Yu Ci’s Transforming Mist Sword Intent.

The blazing baleful Qi was as sharp as a spear or halberd, but what it enveloped at its core was still sword qi!

What had inflicted the stubborn, hard-to-heal severe wound on the ghostly beast’s shoulder and back? It was the injury dealt by the female immortal Ye Bin with her Half-Mountain Mirage Sword Intent. Perhaps the sword qi Yu Ci himself emitted was far less pure than Ye Bin’s, but as a trigger, a single spark, it was more than sufficient.

At this moment, the remnant of Ye Bin’s sword qi that the ghostly beast had been desperately suppressing erupted dramatically.

Multiple factors converged. The ghostly beast’s vast body, mid-soar, suddenly convulsed—as if struck by a violent chill. Every muscle clump contracted. It lost its balance, its forward-charging form uncontrollably tilting sideways, veering off at an angle, scraping past Yu Ci.

Yu Ci was still grazed, losing control of his own body and tumbling in the opposite direction. Still in the air, he closed his eyes. The Inner Void of his heart blazed open, and the Dragon Fish twisted and soared, seemingly about to fly forth! The powerful instincts of the Heavenly Dragon True Form Qi now activated. A layer of fiery smoke seeped into the void, and following a trace previously established, detonated into a tiny spark.

As if in sympathetic response, the silk cord in Yu Ci’s hand burst into sparks of phosphorus fire—yet its touch grew increasingly icy cold. The thousands of golden-green tassels truly seemed to gain sentience, stirring restlessly, as if eager to break free and fly.

The ghostly beast was both enraged and terrified. Under this cascade of stimuli, the taut string within its mind snapped with a resounding crack. It roared explosively. Bluish-white fire erupted from within, blazing outward. In an instant, its colossal form transformed into surging flames. Within the crevice space, bluish-white flames of the same hue bent and leaned toward it.

This is it!

Yu Ci’s eyes suddenly snapped open. But at this moment, what flickered before his sight was not the burning light of the blood droplets, nor the thick surrounding rock layers. Even the ghostly beast’s flame-like form had turned insubstantial.

What now appeared before him were only the source lights representing the ghostly beast and his own divine soul power, along with the rippling lines intersecting and shifting between them.

Yu Ci’s heart suddenly fell silent. He barely sensed the activation of his incantation before his Yin Spirit had already left its aperture.

And in that instant of departure, the Yin Spirit transformed into an invisible,定向 shockwave, locking onto the ghostly beast’s mass of source light—and pierced straight through.