"HIM?" The shangao snorted through his pig's snout. "As of now, he's locked in the fourth dark room at the top of this tower. There are two high-level bat demons guarding it, and twelve ancient bloodsucking vines on him. If the four of you are going to try rescuing him alone, heh heh, you'll have a bad time."
Murong Chuyi scoffed. "It's just two monsters and twelve chains— what's there to fear?" With a wave of his hand, the horsetail whisk in the crook of his arm lengthened into a gleaming silver longsword. Lightning crackled and hissed around the blade. Murong Chuyi pressed two fingers together and called, "Zhaoxue, ride the wind!"
The longsword Zhaoxue flickered splendidly, brightening Murong Chuyi's face as it floated before him. Zhaoxue was slender and light, so Murong Chuyi used an unorthodox method to ride his sword. He didn't step on Zhaoxue—rather, the blade transformed into glowing orbs of sword glare. The silver lights encircled Murong Chuyi like gently drifting snow as the concentrated sword qi helped him ride the winds.
Seeing this, the shangao's tiny eyes widened, from the size of red beans to soybeans. "You—you're leaving? Aren't you going to ask the second and third questions?!"
"No need."
The shangao grew agitated. "You don't want to know what taboo the little pig-brain violated?"
Murong Chuyi's focus had turned entirely toward rescuing Yue Chenqing. "I don't care anymore," he said bluntly.
How could this be? The shangao flew into a rage. "How dare you! Wouldn't Daddy be taking a big loss? One person's painful memories aren't enough to fill the gaps in my teeth! No! None of you are allowed to leave! You better ask those questions! You need to stay and offer me two more sets of memories, otherwise Daddy definitely won't spare you!"
"Xiansheng, how have you taken a loss?" Jiang Yexue patiently responded. "We agreed on three questions at most, but we didn't promise to ask all three. Since Chuyi feels that one answer is sufficient, then of course —"
He was only halfway through his thought when the shangao brandished his massive hatchet and swung it down in uncontrolled fury. The blood pool's scarlet waters surged outward, spraying coppery waves in all directions. Jiang Yexue was closest to the shangao; just as the blade was about to strike him—as Mo Xi was still summoning Tuntian as a barrier— they heard a deafening explosion.
A golden talisman paper hissing with spiritual energy landed before Jiang Yexue and burst into a powerful protective barrier that deflected the force of the shangao's hatchet strike.
Mo Xi's eyes flew wide. "Gu Mang…"
The one who had deployed the talisman was neither Jiang Yexue nor Murong Chuyi. It was Gu Mang who had reacted fastest among the four. The protective talisman glowed with a blinding brilliance, and Gu Mang stood against the light, his clothes whipping around him in the gales of spiritual energy.
At that moment, it was not only Mo Xi but also Jiang Yexue who turned to stare at Gu Mang's figure in astonishment. They seemed to see the silhouette of that General Gu who had fought alongside them many years ago.
Give me another chance. This time, I won't disappoint you.
Gu Mang's beseeching words on Warrior Soul Mountain echoed in Mo Xi's ears. Mo Xi studied Gu Mang's figure as it melded with the golden light. The beating organ in his chest felt as if it were seized by a thorncovered hand; it throbbed in bitter agony. All this time Gu Mang really had been trying to draw closer to his former self. To draw closer to the Gu Mang who hadn't yet committed treason, to the General Gu who had shared in life and death with them…
"Pig-xiong, if you want to eat painful memories, just say so. Why fight?" With a wave of Gu Mang's sleeve, the golden barrier vanished. "Come, you can have mine too. Will that satisfy you?" Gu Mang took a few steps forward, planting his feet on the cracked stones beside the blood pool. He pointed to his own head. "Have at it."
The shangao's greed was like a snake that wanted to eat an elephant. He jabbed a finger at Mo Xi and at Murong Chuyi, who was still ringed by sword glares. "What about them? I want theirs too!"
Gu Mang raised his eyebrows. "I'm not the boss of them. Why don't you ask them yourself?"
Their group was now on an isolated island in a tower filled with monsters. It would be better not to provoke them if they could help it. Murong Chuyi swept back his long sleeves, his expression wintery. "If you want them, then take them. Hurry up."
Afraid they would change their minds, the shangao wasted no time and sucked in a great breath of air. He first absorbed wisps of rushing black smoke from Murong Chuyi's chest, swallowing them into his stomach. Then he seized upon the accumulated suffering within Mo Xi's heart.
But the fretful fire in the shangao's heart didn't dissipate after these servings of misery were consumed—instead, he grew more insatiable. Because of his contract with the monster tribe, he had been stuck here guarding the tower for thousands of years. The previous Bat King ate people and took lives, so the shangao had plenty of suffering to feast on in his wake. But this current Bat Queen was obsessed with leaving her monstrous body behind and ascending as an immortal; she'd gone a century without taking a human life. The only cultivator the shangao had come into contact with in all this time was Yue Chenqing, who had scampered over a few days ago. The carefree and laid-back Yue Chenqing, who lacked for nothing and was always in a good mood, contained no great bitterness or hatred. He was exceptionally uninteresting to the shangao's palate.
But today was different. As Mo Xi and Murong Chuyi's suffering entered his gullet, the shangao was like a man on the verge of starvation tasting savory, piping-hot meat. He wasn't willing to let this meal go.
But despite everything, the shangao was still an ancient beast; he possessed some self-restraint. Hardening his resolve, the shangao moved his piggy eyes away from the two turned toward Gu Mang. "All right! Delicious!" he yelled coarsely. "I'll eat yours last, then Daddy will let you all go!"
Gu Mang smiled. "Aiya, then I really must express my gratitude for your leniency and grace."
His tone and mannerisms were uncomfortably close to the Gu Mang of the past. Truth be told, Mo Xi had recently felt that Gu Mang had been pressing closer and closer to the specter of the former Gu-shixiong. As he watched Gu Mang smilingly negotiate with the shangao, time seemed to have flowed backward.
The shangao was a simple-minded beast. He didn't hear the mockery in Gu Mang's words and thought he was earnestly being praised. He snorted and waved a haughty hand. "Well, of course. Daddy's word is his bond— when have I ever backed out of a deal?"
He began to absorb Gu Mang's suffering. Black qi rushed out from the depths of Gu Mang's chest, transforming into a wide curl of black smoke that hung in midair before rushing into the shangao's open mouth.
The shangao took a gulp, then suddenly closed his mouth. His eyes grew round as he stared at Gu Mang in disbelief, then flashed with a strange and avaricious brightness. Meeting those glinting eyes, Gu Mang had the feeling that this pig wanted to swallow him whole. He unconsciously took a step back. "Bit off more than you can chew?" he smiled tentatively.
The shangao huffed and puffed through his snout. Drool started running as he opened its mouth before he even spoke a word. How could this creature have imagined that a suffering equal to the accumulated grief of thousands would be contained within this young man, who looked to be barely over thirty? But strangely enough, the shangao couldn't explore all of his memories. He could feel the anguish there but couldn't get at the true reasons behind the suffering. For the greedy pig, this was like scenting the aroma of a sumptuous feast that constantly remained at a distance. Unable to satiate himself, his stomach rumbled with hunger, all his other organs tensing in sympathy.
"You've lost many memories…" the shangao muttered. "What a pity, what a pity. There's such pain there even when lost. If you were to remember them…that flavor…would be…" He sucked back a mouthful of drool, his eyes gleaming with a wicked light.
Seeing the shangao's expression grow sinister, Mo Xi felt a chill. "Shuairan, come!" he snapped.
In the same moment, the shangao tossed aside his previous proclamation about his word being his bond. He leapt from the blood pool, an evil beast pouncing on its prey. Face twisted and trailing spittle, he charged toward Gu Mang.
"Watch out!" Mo Xi shouted. Tossing out a talisman, he enclosed Gu Mang within a barrier.
A beam of fiery light crackled to life, illuminating the hall of the ancient tower. Shuairan arced into the air as Mo Xi raised the whip. He stood before the shangao, his gaze ruthless. "Beast—your greed knows no bounds!"
The shangao looked up, laughing maniacally. "Greed? So what!" His vicious scarlet eyes looked past Mo Xi and fixed upon Gu Mang standing behind him. The shangao licked his lips. "I hadn't expected such a prize to be delivered to my doorstep! I was tricked by the bat tribe, confined to this blood pool for thousands of years to guard the tower on behalf of the Bat Queen! If I can flashback your memories, exploit your suffering, and devour you piece by piece—then I… Then I… Ha ha ha! Then I would be free! I would be free!"
Mo Xi's heart juddered. Flashback his memories? What did that mean—could it be that…this beast could recover Gu Mang's memories? But how could that be?! Gu Mang was missing two souls. This was no ordinary case of amnesia, so how…
His mind was still racing when the shangao flung out an arm. An explosion boomed. The blood pool churned, as if hidden dragons and colossal whales stirred beneath the surface.
As the battle threatened to shake down the building, a bloody object as tall as ten men rose from the depths of the pool. It broke the surface, waves of blood spreading out to batter the shore as if thousands of hydrangeas had scattered their petals upon the stones.
A fall of scarlet droplets hit the earth, and the object became visible within the vermilion haze. Mo Xi was immediately stupefied, all the blood in his body seeming to freeze in an instant—
"The Time Mirror?!"
When the blood dripped away, the mirror emerged, emitting a magnificent golden light. Its frame was carved with ancient talisman seals, and its surface reflected none of their figures, instead veiled in an opaque fog. Within it flashed the light of time and space, gleaming intermittently.
It really was the Time Mirror…
Mo Xi had only read of this mirror in the academy's texts. It was linked to the three forbidden techniques—Rebirth, the Zhenlong Chess Formation, and the Space-Time Gate of Life and Death. Over the course of the boundless river of time, legends about the Rebirth technique were numerous and widespread, with tales of the Zhenlong Chess Formation coming in close behind.
Yet the Space-Time Gate of Life and Death remained mysterious. According to legend, if one were to grasp this last forbidden technique, they could rip apart space and time, returning to the past and changing the future. But this technique had too many strange pitfalls, and the scrolls that told of it were not whole; only fragments of text were extant. Whether this technique had ever truly existed or was simply a story was impossible to determine. Furthermore, it was said that any who tried to use the SpaceTime Gate of Life and Death would meet brutal, sudden, and grisly ends. Thus, other than madmen with intense obsessions, no one would pursue this particular forbidden technique.
But the Time Mirror was different. Many ancient records across the Nine Provinces made mention of this legendary object. According to myth, the Exalted God Fuxi had left it behind when he created the Space-Time Gate of Life and Death. Its function was similar to the Gate in that it could transport someone to the past, but the mirror was just a prototype— although it could construct an illusion of the past, it was impossible to actually change anything within it. Cultivators who entered the world of the mirror could make amends for past regrets, but their efforts had no effect beyond the world of the illusion. The instant the cultivator left the mirror world, any deviation from reality would be erased. The past in the mirror was like a dream; when the dreamer awoke, the world would be just as it was—perfectly unchanged.
Thus, this Time Mirror bore a more fitting name: Mirror of Fleeting Dreams. All the past it contained amounted to no more than three thousand dreams of golden millet.
Jiang Yexue and Murong Chuyi were grandmaster artificers; they of course also knew of the Time Mirror. Even the usually calm and indifferent Murong Chuyi was ruffled. "The Time Mirror is a treasure from the divine race… What is it doing here?"
"I'm afraid it's not the full mirror," Jiang Yexue remarked. "Look at the left side."
They followed his lead and peered at the left side of the mirror. Indeed, there were clear signs of breakage—this mirror the height of ten men was just a fragment of the real Time Mirror.
But even such a scrap was more than enough to leave them stunned. The shangao roared: "Hatred indelible, even beneath the Yellow Springs— array formation!" He pointed his giant hatchet, and the black smoke he had just inhaled from Gu Mang struck the mirror's surface.
As the wisp of smoke entered the mirror, the dense fog within began to churn, surging like clouds blown by the winds of time. A blinding golden light burst forth. "Sufferer, fall within!" the shangao howled.
This call was like a soul-summons; those unconnected to these painful memories were entirely unaffected. Only Gu Mang cried out and fell to his knees, coughing up a great mouthful of blood.
"Gu Mang!" Mo Xi called out, urgent.
Gu Mang's limbs seemed bound like a puppet on strings. He hooked his fingers into the cracks and gullies of the brick floor with such force that tendons and veins protruded from his arms, yet some shapeless force pulled him inexorably toward the mirror of light.
At the same time, the shangao emitted several piercing and bizarre shrieks. Murong Chuyi looked around, his sharp brows furrowing. "Watch out!"
The dark recesses of the tower suddenly glowed with flickering red light. From a distance, it looked like thousands of lanterns aglow in an endless night, or a splendid river of stars. However, this magnificent sight was nothing so elegant—it was the sign that the bat spirits perching at the corners of the tower had awakened.
Low, rustling cries swirled around them, growing gradually louder and more frequent until they crested like high waves on a stormy sea. Countless bat spirits flew toward them.
Killing intent rose in Murong Chuyi's eyes. With a wave of his hand, he shouted, "Zhaoxue, Destroy a Thousand Mountains!"
The light of the longsword encircling him at once transformed into a billowing, snow-flecked wave of spiritual energy that crashed toward the approaching bat demons. With a deafening collision, the white spiritual tide broke against the black sea of bats, leaving in its wake a vicious tangle of blows.
At the same time, the Time Mirror's pull on Gu Mang strengthened relentlessly. Gu Mang dove for the ground and wrapped his arms around the bone pillar next to him, but still couldn't resist the mirror's terrifying summons.
Since time immemorial, entering this mirror was known to be a death sentence. Jiang Yexue had been helping Murong Chuyi against the wild onslaught of bats, but as he turned and saw how poorly Gu Mang was faring, he moved to lend his aid.
Before he could do so, Mo Xi's Shuairan lashed out and bound Gu Mang tightly. "No need," Mo Xi said to Jiang Yexue. "I'm here!"
With these words, Mo Xi yanked back the snake whip Shuairan and wrapped his arms around Gu Mang. The instant he did, he understood how fearsome the call of the Time Mirror was—no mortal body could withstand the invisible pull of a mirror of godly make for long. Holding Gu Mang, Mo Xi too was yanked bodily toward the mirror.
"Mo-xiong! Gu-xiong!" Jiang Yexue cried.
It was an address Jiang Yexue had used on their military expeditions together. But since he had lost the use of his legs, he could no longer take part in remote campaigns. Later yet, one of this group of comrades became Xihe-jun, and another became Qingxu Elder. They had grown used to these polite and cold titles when they met. But in this moment of peril, the names that came to Jiang Yexue's lips were those from their youth.
The golden light grew brighter, its pull becoming stronger and stronger. They were about to be dragged into the mirror and into Gu Mang's excruciating past. It was a death sentence—a near-certain death sentence. How many people had returned from this mirror unscathed?
Although Gu Mang had no knowledge of this mirror, he had been thoroughly tempered by the Liao Kingdom and possessed an animal intuition. As the two drew near its swirling surface, Gu Mang struggled in Mo Xi's arms. "Let go!"
Mo Xi didn't make a sound. He commanded Shuairan to bind the two of them even tighter.
Gu Mang looked up, his eyes glinting with an unusual brightness. "If you stay outside, you can help them!" he snapped. "Let me go!"
Mo Xi gritted his teeth. "You'd better…shut up!"
"Let go—you shouldn't come with me—!"
"Shut up!" Mo Xi roared, thoroughly enraged.
The golden light grew so bright it blinded them. By now, even Shuairan anchoring them to the stone pillar couldn't resist the Time Mirror's power. The spiritual whip disintegrated into motes of red light, like rosy clouds dancing at sundown, and vanished back into Mo Xi's body.
Without Shuairan's protection, the two skidded toward the Time Mirror. At almost the same moment, the thousands of bats that had burst out of the darkness overwhelmed Murong Chuyi's holy weapon Zhaoxue. Murong Chuyi pulled out a dagger, its snowy blade illuminating his determined phoenix eyes. He slashed open his own palm without hesitation, then raised his hand, sending drops of blood flying into the air. He was attracting those bloodthirsty bats with spirit-infused blood, using himself as bait…
"Chuyi!" Jiang Yexue couldn't help but cry out.
Murong Chuyi sent a barrier crashing down, trapping himself within. His powerful spiritual blood drew the bats like a magnet; they swarmed to attack, surrounding the barrier. The entire barrier, and his snow-white figure within, was instantly engulfed. Only his harsh voice rang out: "Jiang Yexue! Stop that damn mirror, hurry up! I can't hold them for long!"
They were beset by troubles—here was Murong Chuyi wildly besieged by vampire bats, his thin protective barrier about to shatter at any moment. There were Mo Xi and Gu Mang, dragged to the very brink of the Time Mirror's realm, both seconds away from falling into the ancient godly mirror.
Jiang Yexue's face was pale as paper, but Mo Xi cried angrily, "It's not that easy! Help Murong drive off the fire bats and the shangao! Then come back and try to do something about this mirror!"
With that final instruction, Mo Xi and Gu Mang could hold out no longer. A final violent tug hauled them into the time that billowed within the mirror's depths.
The last thing Mo Xi saw before the mirror swallowed him was Jiang Yexue steering his wooden wheelchair to Murong Chuyi's side and opening his qiankun pouch. A dozen-odd bamboo automatons fell to the ground and transformed into warriors armed with swords.
Then he tumbled with Gu Mang into the abyss of time and space as his vision went black.