"Alas..."
The first sound from the guardian of the array was a cool, mournful, and melodious sigh.
She was a woman of exquisite beauty. I could not discern her figure or features, nor could I see her face, yet I felt certain that a peerless beauty was walking through the fine drizzle. She seemed so frail that she could not withstand even a drop of wind or rain, as if she were waiting for me to drape a cloak over her, hold an umbrella for her, and pull her into my arms to warm and cherish her...
"Such powerful illusory intent..." I whispered a warning to Wei Qingming as I stepped to her side and gripped her hand tightly.
Faced with such a seductive allure, Wei Qingming seemed far more steadfast than I. Her expression grew several degrees colder, and she silently summoned the Zhishui Blade into her hand.
The woman's figure gradually became clear. Even the sky and the clouds seemed to pale before her; the rain ceased and the dark clouds dispersed, as if shrinking away in shame before her beauty or willingly submitting to her. She approached step by step, draped in a piece of snow-violet silk so pale it was nearly white. It was un-tailored and unadorned, fastened loosely at her waist with a simple white silk cord, wrapping her delicate, slender body. The silk was as bright as dazzling sunlight, reflecting a myriad of rays, yet it was not even a ten-thousandth as bright or pure as her exposed shoulders, neck, arms, and the bare feet peeking out from beneath her hem. She looked like a deity descended upon the mortal realm.
Yet, I could not see her face. I couldn't help but look up at her features; surely her face was even more beautiful than her clothes or her body... but it was like something seen in a dream. I felt as if I saw it, yet also as if I hadn't seen it at all. Or perhaps I caught a breathtaking glimpse only to forget it instantly, leaving my heart filled with profound regret and melancholy.
*I must not stare at her face!* Needless to say, we both understood this point clearly. I turned my head slightly, forcing myself to look into the distance. Wei Qingming was even more impressive; though her gaze was directed toward the woman's eyes, she managed to look as if she saw nothing at all. Instead, a faint, contemptuous sneer curled at the corner of her mouth. I didn't know what kind of mystic technique she was using to maintain such composure.
The woman finally spoke, but she addressed me: "You, I can spare. Him, I cannot."
I had imagined her voice would be beautiful, but hearing it with my own ears, I couldn't help but let out a satisfied sigh. It was even more clear and enchanting than I had envisioned...
But no matter how much I liked it, I couldn't forget that she was the culprit trying to kill us all. Based on her words, perhaps because I was a fellow illusionist, she was willing to grant me my life?
Wei Qingming smiled upon hearing this and wordlessly hefted the blade in her hand, signaling that if she wanted her life, she would have to come and take it.
Unexpectedly, the woman suddenly drifted to within an inch of her. Her breath was like the scent of orchids as she exhaled softly, "You need not throw your life away for your sect. Do you know that your beloved is suffering precisely because of this Heavenly Mountain..."
I was both shocked and terrified. The strikes of a Canxia Realm master were truly impossible to guard against, not to mention this was merely her illusory manifestation; attacking it would be useless. What surprised me even more was that she actually knew the strange nature of my previous illness!
"Do not listen to her," Wei Qingming said in a low, cold voice. Her figure flashed, and a magnificent, righteous golden light pierced through the illusory manifestation, striking the array on the firmament above and causing the world to shake. The woman's figure dissipated, but her voice lingered around our ears: "A thousand years passed is but a fleeting sigh. You and she... are destined to repeat the same mistakes."
Wei Qingming turned a deaf ear to her words. Gathering spiritual energy into the Zhishui Blade, she delivered a heavy blow against the sky. My heart, however, was shaking as violently as the ground beneath my feet. I remembered that vision—the great demon, the Taoist, the hatred and affinity I felt for the Heavenly Mountain that day, and the only moment in this life where I had felt resentment toward Wei Qingming...
After several strikes, Wei Qingming seemed to have tested the mechanics of the array. She flew down and was about to say something to me when she saw my dazed and stunned expression. She quickly pulled me into her arms, frowning. "A-Zhi, how can you believe her? This is her illusion; she is trying to bewitch you."
"I... I don't," I forced a smile.
Even I didn't believe those words. Wei Qingming naturally saw through it as well, but instead of pressing, she flicked my nose and laughed easily. "What 'repeating mistakes'? Storybooks love to write about past and present lives, but it's all fiction. Even if you and I truly have some ancient connection, I would only thank the heavens before cutting through those 'mistakes' with a single blade."
Her scent was right at the tip of my nose, and her hand was held in mine. There was nothing more real than this. I finally let go of my unease and teased her with a smile, "Lord Wei reads storybooks too?"
"I've read one or two; that's enough to know them all." She smiled, then turned to the business at hand. "I've found a possible way to break the situation. Although I cannot dispel the fundamental illusion or the entrapment array, the outermost layer of this 'Mirror within a Mirror' can perhaps be broken if A-Zhi and I work together."
I nodded and, following her guidance, flew to a certain point in the air. She pressed a Grade-One spirit crystal into my hand and taught me how to activate it in coordination with my illusions. She then flew to a position opposite me, and we both began to cast our techniques simultaneously.
The grains of Huanzhen sand danced around us, linking our spiritual energies together to provide mutual support. The method Wei Qingming described was equivalent to the two of us standing on the inside and outside of a mirror; one using illusions and the other using array-breaking force to strike the weakest point at the same time. Although this outer mirror was below the Canxia Realm, its scale was so vast that without the help of the spirit crystal, the true essence within our bodies would have been far from enough.
Finally, the spirit crystal in my hand was exhausted, and a microscopic crack appeared in the mirror. Wei Qingming thrust her blade forward with great force. Instantly, the sky shattered. Muffled explosions echoed for dozens of breaths before the fragments finally dissolved.
"It's done!" She and I smiled at each other.
From the foot of the mountain, I heard Yan Mingqiu's laughing shout: "Hey, Wei the Third! How did you get up there?" He paused, his voice dropping as he realized something. "Uh, I mean, how did *I* get here..."
The group had been searching around, discussing ways to break the array, sitting in meditation, or hugging their knees in bored frustration while waiting for rescue. Suddenly, they found that the fragrant grass and bamboo shadows surrounding them had vanished, replaced by a stark, jagged cliff instead of the elegant winding streams. It was quite an eyesore, and they all stood up in surprise.
I looked down and couldn't help but be amused. The most composed were indeed the people from the Wujing Sect. My three senior brothers and sisters were mingled with them; they had completely polished off that banquet. Feng Baili was even playing a finger-guessing drinking game with Yan Mingqiu, both of them with their sleeves rolled up to their shoulders... Guan Shanping was still dead to the world, and three others had sustained minor injuries. The disciples of the Tianjun Sect looked a bit embarrassed; some had lost their usual arrogant demeanor, while others likely had no affection for Guan Shanping and were even gloating. The Moyu Sect was as cold as ever, with everyone tending to their own business. Due to the sudden change, the members of each sect instinctively gathered together, remaining on high alert.
Wei Qingming sent a calm message downward: "Senior Brother Yuande, Senior Brother Yan, Senior Brother Bai, I must trouble the three of you to come up and assist." As she spoke, she whispered to me, "Could we ask Fourth Brother Qiao and your two senior sisters to resist the illusion array?"
"Of course," I said. "I just don't know how much of an effect they can have."
"As long as they can withstand one strike from that woman's illusion, it will be enough." Lord Wei was clearly strategizing, appearing calm and composed as she narrowed her eyes with a smile. "She might be an old acquaintance of your master; she likely won't strike too harshly."
I thought of the many treasures Master had distributed to us; the most powerful ones contained three charges of her own illusory power. That should be sufficient. I nodded. "It's worth a try."
After half a day of consumption, Huanzhen had cleared most of the illusory mist within a stone's throw of our position. With Wei Qingming and the others observing and breaking the array from here, there shouldn't be any deviations in their judgment. However, it had reached its limit; Huanzhen's flower-body was trembling, nearly unable to maintain itself. I had no choice but to retract it into my body to recover.
The three men soon ascended. Wei Qingming first politely cupped her hands toward Zhang Yuande of the Moyu Sect. "Thank you, Senior Brother." Zhang Yuande returned the gesture with a faint nod. Only then did Wei Qingming turn to Yan Mingqiu. "Have you sent word to the sect elders?"
"I tried, but it won't go through," Yan Mingqiu replied.
Wei Qingming and Bai Yuyu showed no surprise. Both pulled out their talisman brushes on the spot. Wei Qingming's brush moved like a dancing dragon or a startled snake as she drew the runes she had just seen in mid-air, moving so fast I could barely track her motions. Bai Yuyu also used his brush to circle, draw, and smudge, entering a state of scholarly contemplation. After a brief exchange, Bai Yuyu spread his sleeves, and three talisman brushes flew out from each side. Using one mind for six tasks, he began drawing talismans in six different directions simultaneously...
I was struck with admiration as I silently observed and tried to learn. Wei Qingming then said to Zhang Yuande, "I have long heard that the Moyu Sect's Spirit-Communication techniques are extraordinary, possessing the power to reach both heaven and earth. May I ask, Senior Brother, if a gap is opened in this great array for an instant, can you transmit a message outside?"
This was something new. To be honest, because I had never seen Moyu Sect disciples outside and they acted so discreetly, I truly had no idea what kind of magic they practiced, even after being at the Wujing Sect for nearly a month. I looked curiously at this Senior Brother Zhang. Though he looked mature, he was actually only a year or two older than Wei Qingming, yet he was already at the peak of the late stage—truly a young genius. He nodded, his words as precious as gold: "I can."
Yan Mingqiu and Wei Qingming exchanged a look. He laughed, "I'm just here to provide the muscle. Just tell me what to do."
She pointed to several spots in the array. "When Senior Brother Bai gives the command, these forty-nine points must be broken one by one in this specific order. Within three breaths." She then rattled off a long string of technical jargon using the Wujing Sect's positional terminology, likely related to stellar positions. After listening, Yan Mingqiu said, "Got it," and sat on the ground with his spear in his arms.
Below, Yan Xiangjun also moved. She stood up and smiled, "Fellow cultivators, we should also lend our aid. Let us help those above by providing spirit crystals, medicinal pills, and talismans. At the very least, providing spiritual energy is also fine." As she spoke, she raised her sleeve first, activating a pale purple spiritual light that flowed into the spot Bai Yuyu was primarily attacking to break the array. Yu Niantian, Feng Baili, and the others immediately followed suit. With their help, the speed of Bai Yuyu's talisman drawing indeed increased slightly.
To be honest, there was inevitable suspicion among the three major sects. Aside from the dozen or so people from the Wujing Sect who responded quickly, the other two sects were somewhat hesitant. Pills and crystals were minor things, but if one's own true essence was depleted, it would be difficult to protect oneself in a moment of danger. As they whispered among themselves, Yi Fei of the Moyu Sect stood up gracefully. A stream of deep, ink-colored spiritual energy, like a stroke from a painting brush, drifted up the cliff in threads. Eventually, as the ink grew thicker, her fellow disciples joined in. Under the lead of one person, the Tianjun Sect also began to cast spells sporadically, though a few people from both sects remained suspicious and did not act.
I had already sent an illusory message to Qiao Songlin and the other two. They were below, using illusions to set up a defensive array to prevent the group from being caught in the crossfire once the fighting started. Once they were ready, they flew up to join us.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 雪青色 | Snow-violet | A very pale, cool-toned lavender or violet color. |
| 弱不胜衣 | Too frail to bear the weight of her clothes | An idiom describing a woman who is very delicate, slender, or physically weak. |
| 止水刀 | Zhishui Blade | Wei Qingming's weapon; literally "Still Water Blade." |
| 重蹈覆辙 | Repeat the same mistakes | Idiom: to follow the same track that led to a previous failure. |
| 灵晶 | Spirit Crystal | A crystal containing concentrated spiritual energy. |
| 墨羽派 | Moyu Sect | Literally "Ink Feather Sect." |
| 张元德 | Zhang Yuande | A disciple of the Moyu Sect. |
| 伊霏 | Yi Fei | A disciple of the Moyu Sect. |
| 划拳 | Finger-guessing game | A traditional Chinese drinking game. |
| 通神之术 | Spirit-Communication techniques | The specific cultivation path/arts of the Moyu Sect. |
