Ask the Mirror

Chapter 185: Severing the Flame

In that moment of intersection, the shockwave violently collided with the source light. The uniform, smooth ripples instantly disintegrated and shattered, yet ultimately, it pierced through. Force is always mutual; the ghostly beast’s spiritual power shattered the shockwave formed by Yu Ci’s Yin Spirit, while the shockwave, in turn, imparted its force upon the source light—merely a wisp, a fraction, quite feeble.

But this was already sufficient.

In terms of scale, faced with the ghostly beast’s immense spiritual power, even if ten of Yu Ci’s Yin Spirits were fused together, they would still be ground to dust. However, any powerful force must itself possess a stable structure. Otherwise, it would be like replacing the load-bearing pillars of a majestic hall with toothpicks—the structure’s own weight alone would crush it.

The power the Yin Spirit shockwave managed to inject was negligible, but snapping a single “toothpick”? No problem at all!

Within his field of vision, the originally somewhat orderly rippling lines instantly fell into chaos. The form of the source light grew even more unstable, pulsing and contracting dozens of times in the blink of an eye. This signified that its spiritual power had become irreparably disordered. Finally, with a resounding crash, it collapsed.

The light abruptly dimmed.

Yu Ci’s body trembled. His Yin Spirit returned to its aperture. The wondrous field of vision finally faded, and he once again saw the burning light of the blood droplets within the crevice space. Yet before his eyes, another mass of bluish-white flame blazed, a thousand times more intense than those scattered flecks of fire.

He stood up unsteadily, staring at the quietly burning bluish-white flames within the space. The firelight still vaguely retained the outline of the ghostly beast’s massive form. But since “quietly” was used to describe it, it was because the violent yet fragile consciousness within those flames had already dissipated.

The ghostly beast’s consciousness—erased just like that!

Its flesh and blood had also become fuel for the burning illusory force. Before long, the so-called ghostly beast would vanish completely from the world.

At this moment, Yu Ci’s mood was extraordinarily calm: One could call this a gamble, but once one’s “vision” improved, things always became easier.

The ghostly beast was undoubtedly powerful. Even severely wounded, it could still move freely amidst the encirclement of Core Refinement demons and monsters. Yet at the same time, it was fragile, for it bore power far exceeding its own limits—especially since that power was of the illusory force variety, acting directly upon the soul.

It was precisely through observing the soul level with his newly acquired “Dharma Eye” that Yu Ci had perceived the ghostly beast’s strengths and weaknesses, its substance and insubstantiality. All he had done was approach a teetering house, give it a kick, and watch it collapse!

The bluish-white flames, now utterly devoid of autonomous consciousness, continued to burn, unceasing.

He circled the flames twice. He could sense that, with the ghostly beast’s will gone, the power contained within the flames seemed to be altering its mode of operation. This process occurred without conscious participation; what drove it was an innate instinct similar to that of the Heavenly Dragon True Form Qi.

Yu Ci had a feeling: perhaps what would ultimately form, erasing all traces of the ghostly beast, was the original, unadulterated “Rakshasa Illusory Force.”

He recalled information mentioned by the elders: when the host is completely devoured by illusory force, a sacrificial offering for the Divine Lord, called an “Illusory Spirit,” would be born from the fire. Yu Ci had no idea what that thing was. After a moment’s thought, he turned and walked deeper inside. As a member of the Jade Cleansing Alliance, which faced the Rakshasa Cult across the sea, Gan Shizhen might be able to provide an answer… Hmm?

His mind jolted. Without warning, Yu Ci dropped low, sidestepped. His body became a blurred shadow, rebounding across the ground several times, darting over five zhang away.

A malign wind suddenly arose.

The demonic aura churned the air within the crevice space, roiling and boiling, its effect strikingly similar to a cultivator’s Core Refinement True Baleful Essence. Yu Ci felt his protective True Baleful Essence violently shaken. His body jolted, and he was sent flying.

Turning hastily in mid-air, Yu Ci saw, beside the burning bluish-white flames on the ground, a rather obese figure emerging.

That figure—if one could even call it a human figure—stood fully nine chi tall. Yu Ci was considered relatively tall himself, but compared to this being, his height probably only reached its chest. However, this notably imposing height, when contrasted with its width, seemed less remarkable.

It was a small mountain, piled high with layers of accumulated fat, seemingly ready to quiver and shake with the slightest gust of wind. The mountain of fat narrowed sharply from the shoulder upwards, but the neck and head remained quite massive, with no clear demarcation. At first glance, it looked like a thick, stubby pillar stuck on top.

This kind of physique could only be described as “inhuman”!

Yu Ci recognized it—it was the obese demon that had previously participated in the siege against Gan Shizhen. The moment the ghostly beast appeared, this creature had fled, but it never occurred to Yu Ci that it would show up now.

In a confrontation like this, he had no chance of victory!

Gritting his teeth, he glanced towards the deepest part of the crevice space. There, Gan Shizhen’s silhouette was faintly visible.

He looked back at the demon. That obese monstrosity was now standing before the bluish-white flames, seemingly in a daze.

Yu Ci’s mind stirred. He activated his newly acquired “Dharma Eye” ability, opening that unique perspective. A single look, and he was quite disappointed. The obese demon appeared somewhat distracted, and the reflection of its spiritual power was also somewhat agitated, but its structure remained relatively stable.

While not as distinctly layered as Gan Shizhen’s, it wasn’t a situation like the ghostly beast’s, where a small force could exploit a large one.

Clearly, the obese demon still possessed considerable rationality.

Bashi spread its arms wide, as if to embrace the roaring blaze—though of course, it was merely a gesture, a way to express the burning desire in its heart.

It hadn’t anticipated that the ghostly beast would be defeated so easily, its consciousness erased. Most of the preparations it had made were now superfluous. But wasn’t that excellent? Even after devouring Daguo, its strength had temporarily increased substantially, but engaging the ghostly beast would still have carried immense risk. Now, the most difficult part was already resolved.

The only thing giving it some trouble was that this flame form wasn’t very easy to absorb. If the ghostly beast’s corpse had remained, that would have been perfect.

But it didn’t matter. Within the roaring blaze before it, the will of that Divine Lord was already gone; it operated purely according to its established patterns. This meant no Illusory Spirit would be born from the fire, establishing contact with the Divine Lord. It had ample time to absorb—of course, only after clearing away all obstacles.

It snorted and grunted as it turned its head. Its clumsy appearance could easily deceive, but in truth, it, along with Taga and Daguo, had been stationed here collecting “Rakshasa Illusory Force” seeds for some time. It knew the terrain like the back of its hand. Coupled with a demon’s keen perception, the situation of the two cultivators within the crevice space was already fully within its grasp.

That male cultivator had brains and a strong will; he would surely be quite chewy. As for the female cultivator, so delicate and fair, she would probably melt in the mouth. But her cultivation was profound; awake and alert, it wouldn’t dare engage her. It must seize the opportunity while her condition was dire and take her in one fell swoop… A pity, no time to savor her properly!

With this thought, Bashi turned, fixing its gaze on the female cultivator seated in the deeper region. Its obese form began to move slowly at first, but its speed rapidly increased, until it finally transformed into a rushing gale, charging forward.

Midway through its charge, a human figure flashed at the corner of its vision—it was Yu Ci, brushing past it.

Running away? The thought flickered through Bashi’s mind. It casually lashed out, unconcerned whether the man lived or died, and continued its charge. To it, the female cultivator was the real threat!

“Hey!”

Someone expelled a breath and shouted, followed by the screaming hiss of sword qi. Bashi turned, momentarily startled. What met its eyes made its heart quiver—but then it immediately grinned widely:

“Fool, what do you think you’re doing? Trying to shatter the Rakshasa Illusory Force?”

The male cultivator’s actions indeed provided ample reason for laughter. Perhaps realizing its craving for the Rakshasa Illusory Force, and hoping to divert its attention, that fellow actually swung his sword at the roaring bluish-white flames. Naturally, as expected, the sword passed through—the flames showed no reaction whatsoever. However, the short sword itself, faintly gleaming with azure light, vaporized into nothingness.

His first strike ineffective, the male cultivator then demonstrated his resilient will. His fingers traced characters in the void, and in an instant, he had condensed another talisman sword. Again, he swung it down. The result was exactly the same.

Then, the male cultivator began to condense a third.

“If you’re trying to buy time by making me laugh, kid, you’ve truly succeeded!”

Bashi laughed heartily, yet murderous intent was thick in its heart: “But with such a ploy, you’re dead for sure! Once I’ve swallowed your companion, I’ll come back and slowly savor you…”

Before the thought finished, its gaping mouth froze.

Within the crevice space, the light shifted violently, casting flickering, distorted human shadows—eerily and uncannily.

Third sword!

Yu Ci swung the Seven Stars Talisman Sword in his hand once more.

At this moment, the flames blazing before his eyes were no longer mere flames; they were a mortal enemy poised to devour him at any moment. The flame’s mode of power operation was equivalent to an enemy’s Qi circulation. This strike of Yu Ci’s seized upon a critical node in the enemy’s Qi circulation. His sword intent pierced through with a resonant hum.

Both his mind and body shook with a booming vibration.

When he had failed to grasp the operational pattern of the Rakshasa Illusory Force, this power had been blazing and elusive, constantly shifting, like an unreal phantom. However, the moment he touched that critical node, he grasped the true form of this power for the first time—and thus confronted its astonishing, oppressive force.

The azure light on the talisman sword flickered wildly, but ultimately, the blade maintained its form. Previously, the Seven Stars Talisman Sword had always been inexplicably corroded and consumed by the Rakshasa Illusory Force. Now, striking solid ground and facing direct pressure, Yu Ci found it easier to neutralize and dissipate the force.

With a whoosh, accompanying the swung sword, the main body of the bluish-white flames spewed out a brilliant light several zhang long. Sparks scattered like rain. The inherent operational pattern within the flames was finally broken, and its internal structure began to waver.

A tremendous counterforce slammed into his body. A powerful impact also assailed his soul. Yu Ci couldn’t control his body and was flung backward.

The world spun and whirled—and this was not merely a metaphor. On the physical plane, the crevice space was indeed shaking. Rock layers fractured, debris fell. The tremors seemed to spread through the entire mountain. Yu Ci even wondered if, in the next moment, the whole place would collapse!

Yu Ci didn’t understand why this was happening, but he saw the obese demon roaring as it turned back. He couldn’t tell whether it intended to kill him in a fit of rage or to quickly devour the now clearly destabilized Rakshasa Illusory Force.

The demon chose the latter.

On that pillar-like face of the creature, a terrifying black maw opened, occupying almost the entire visage. A powerful suction pulled the flames and the light in that direction, forming a visible pillar of light that poured into the abyss.

Yu Ci didn’t know what the demon would become after absorbing the Rakshasa Illusory Force. But in this situation, it would be truly against all reason not to throw a wrench into its plans!

The Seven Stars Talisman Sword flew from his hand. The moment it left, this unique sword-talisman lost its sword form, reverting to its talisman essence. It transformed into a beam of azure light, weaving through the flickering flames.

The most exquisite part was that, because Yu Ci had grasped the operational pattern of the Rakshasa Illusory Force, this flying talisman strike coincided perfectly with its rhythm. Amidst a resonant hum, the azure light actually merged into the burning Rakshasa Illusory Force. Like a fish swimming with the current, it gently flicked its tail and plunged straight into the demon’s gaping maw.

At that same moment, from the depths of the crevice, the sound of a sword’s cry arose.

In an instant, the entire space was submerged in the female cultivator’s solemn and righteous sword intent.