Chapter 1743: Each Acts According to Its Own Interests

When he saw others use the mirror, their landings were always precise; they went exactly where they intended, and hundreds of people had never made a mistake.

But he looked around, and wasn't this just a wild forest?

What was this, a teleportation malfunction?

"Uh..." The Spirit-Snatching Mirror seemed a bit confused too, but it quickly recovered. "There appears to be shimmering water to the east!"

He Lingchuan also caught a glimpse of water through the gaps in the branches and leaves, so he strode towards it.

This forest was truly untouched by leisure-seekers; the tall grass reached his chest, and roots crisscrossed the ground, easily tripping him. He Lingchuan also spotted two bird nests in small trees.

As he pushed aside the last two long willow branches, the view suddenly opened up before him:

"A lake?"

Before him was another lake, much smaller than Upside-Down Lake. He Lingchuan estimated that walking around it would take less than half an hour. The trees along the bank cast low shadows, making the area exceptionally serene.

He could even see the entire lake from where he stood on the hillside.

The Spirit-Snatching Mirror also let out a surprised sound. "Isn't this Kidney Lake? Why did the Haoyuan Golden Mirror send you here?"

As soon as He Lingchuan arrived at Silver Pearl Island, the innkeeper had told him about two lakes to the south, one large and one small: Upside-Down Lake and Kidney Lake.

Kidney Lake, named for its shape, was not the location of the current conflict between immortals and demons, so He Lingchuan hadn't paid much attention to it.

He hadn't expected the mirror to send him here.

A late breeze swept through, parting the cloud canopy above. The next second, light illuminated everything, both above and below.

A bright moon, like a disk, hung high in the sky.

"The moon is out," He Lingchuan said, though his gaze was directed downwards, for the lake water itself was glowing!

The light was hazy and ethereal, exceptionally soft, like a luminous pearl wrapped in a thin, almost invisible gauze.

The Spirit-Snatching Mirror suddenly exclaimed, "It's the bottom of the lake! The light is coming from below; Kidney Lake's bottom is glowing!"

This light illuminated all the debris underwater with surprising clarity.

When the light reached the surface, it appeared as flickering fragments, like dazzling but not blinding sequins.

The surface of Kidney Lake resembled a single piece of moon-white, translucent crystal.

He Lingchuan gently pressed his lapel—

Ever since Kidney Lake began to glow, the divine bone necklace hidden in his lapel had started to heat up.

The closer he got to the water, the warmer the necklace became, and it began to tremble slightly, as if unable to contain itself. If it were a person, its current behavior would probably be restless pacing.

Interesting.

Since he had transformed into the Great Emperor of Nine Hells, the divine bone necklace had mostly remained quiet, like an ordinary pendant, rarely exhibiting any unusual phenomena.

He Lingchuan deduced that he might have fed it too well in the past, making it picky and disdainful of ordinary treasures.

Conversely, what kind of treasure could excite the divine bone necklace now?

It seemed this treasure was in Kidney Lake, but he was currently on a mission and couldn't just jump in. Besides, Xiao Wencheng could surely monitor him through the Haoyuan Golden Mirror.

He recited an incantation, then cleared his throat with a cough. "Sect Master Xiao, why am I here?"

Those standing before the mirror could converse with those inside it. The Illusion Sect used this divine ability of the Haoyuan Golden Mirror to frequently bestow immortal edicts upon mortals.

No one replied to him.

He Lingchuan frowned and repeated the question.

This time, Xiao Wencheng's voice immediately sounded in his ear. "It seems the Haoyuan Golden Mirror has encountered a slight anomaly. No matter, summon it again and cross through once more."

Anomaly?

"What about the others?"

"They have already reached Yu Village."

At this moment, Granny Zhu's voice also rang in his ear. "Dong Aizi and I are already at the edge of the village. Where did you run off to?"

So He Lingchuan recited, "Haoyuan Golden Mirror," and the mirror surface slowly unfolded before him as expected.

He Lingchuan glanced at Kidney Lake once more, then stepped into the mirror.

What could such an unassuming small lake be hiding? He would have to find an opportunity to search for the treasure later.

On Stone Dragon Peak, Xiao Wencheng, standing before the mirror, also wore a surprised expression.

Although Kidney Lake was not far from Yu Village, it was unprecedented for the Haoyuan Treasure Mirror to malfunction during a teleportation!

He couldn't immediately figure out why.

Why did three people and one spider enter the mirror, and everyone else was properly transported to their designated location, yet only He Lingchuan went to Kidney Lake?

Was this an accident, or was there something special about He Lingchuan?

Sect Master Xiao stared intently at the ripples on Kidney Lake's surface, his mind still turning over several thoughts, when he suddenly felt a faint pulsation emanating from the Haoyuan Golden Mirror.

It was very subtle, but undeniably present.

With his cultivation level, it couldn't be a mere illusion.

Then came another throb, and another, like an incredibly slow heartbeat.

It was as if something immutable had been broken.

Could it be?!

He immediately straightened his back, his breathing softened, and a look of joy appeared on his face.

It was then that He Lingchuan had consulted him.

Watching the man re-enter the mirror, Xiao Wencheng fell into deep thought.

Just then, however, the Haoyuan Golden Mirror displayed a shift in the battle situation by Upside-Down Lake.

Xiao Wencheng glanced at it twice, then waved his hand, and the door to Wenhua Pavilion automatically closed.

Inside this pavilion was a large alcove, adorned with layers of beautiful drapes. The stone carvings and offering table were exceptionally grand, but there was no statue in the alcove, only a massive memorial tablet.

The memorial tablet of Qianhuan.

Such a true immortal was, of course, qualified to receive incense from mortals and the sect without suffering karmic repercussions.

Xiao Wencheng bowed three times to the Immortal Venerable's tablet, whispering with each bow, "Immortal Venerable, our sect's great tribulation has arrived. I beg you to grant me the use of the Exquisite Blood Pearl."

Perhaps due to the earlier pulsation from the Haoyuan Golden Mirror, the feedback Xiao Wencheng received this time was unprecedentedly quick. As soon as he finished bowing to the tablet, the whirring sound of a mechanism opening came from inside the alcove.

A look of delight crossed his face as he strode in and retrieved a small red orb from the alcove.

This orb was smaller than a palm, made of a material that resembled both rattan and gold, and was hollow in the center. From a distance, it looked like tangled tree roots, full of holes.

Strangely, however, a wisp of red mist drifted inside the orb, turning into liquid when it touched the inner surface, and sometimes even revealing a faint outline, whether human or animal was unclear.

It was taken from directly beneath the memorial tablet, clearly having been suppressed there all along.

Xiao Wencheng held the red orb in both hands and stood still for a few breaths. Then, as if having made up his mind, he approached the Haoyuan Golden Mirror and placed the orb inside—

This time, however, it didn't work instantly, unlike the Black Fish or the Pixiu.

The Haoyuan Golden Mirror showed no reaction at all; the red orb was returned exactly as it was placed in, as if the mirror refused to accept it.

Xiao Wencheng looked at the battlefield by the lake, reflected in the mirror, his expression grave and somewhat surprised. "This isn't enough?"

But the Haoyuan Golden Mirror's reaction clearly indicated that the time for the red orb to appear had not yet come.

This item had been suppressed by his master for over two thousand years, and it was becoming increasingly malevolent.

A mile southwest of Yu Village lay a low hill.

Here stood a solitary farmhouse, its three rooms, a woodshed, a chicken coop, and a pigsty enclosed by a bamboo fence.

Seven or eight people stood inside and outside the courtyard, looking left and right, guarding the surroundings.

Only one of the three rooms was lit, yet many people were inside—Venerable Diyun was prominently among them, accompanied by several emotionless figures behind him.

Inside this wooden house was also a small shrine, containing Qianhuan's memorial tablet. The offering table was meticulously clean, adorned with three kinds of fruit. An incense stick, not yet burnt out, still wafted smoke.

There was also an old man and a young boy inside. The old man was about sixty, his face full of wrinkles, while the boy, only six or seven, trembled behind the elder, his eyes wide with terror.

Venerable Diyun glanced at the boy, and someone immediately stepped forward, yanking him from behind the old man.

The action was so swift the old man had no time to intervene before the child was seized.

The boy shrieked and burst into tears.

In such a desolate night, the child's cries were particularly grating, unbearable even for Venerable Diyun. He frowned, moved a finger, and the boy's mouth instantly sealed shut as if zipped, unable to open, his muffled sobs trapped in his throat.

The old man tried to step forward but was promptly restrained by someone nearby.

"Who are you, and what do you want?"

"You've been feeding Pengqi for decades; it's closest to you, isn't it?" Time was precious; the Illusion Sect could arrive at any moment, so Diyun spoke quickly. "This spirit beast has been hiding underground lately, refusing to show itself. If you call it out for us, your grandson's life will be spared."

Old Man Luo was startled.

Pengqi? Were these people after Pengqi?

To find Pengqi was to find...

He was old, but neither blind nor deaf. With how many times Silver Pearl Island had experienced earthquakes, and the lightning, thunder, and blazing fires in the direction of Upside-Down Sea, how could he not know that something major had happened on the island?

He had initially thought it was a Yaksha emerging from the lake to kill people, but then these strangers suddenly burst into his home, demanding to seize Pengqi.

Pengqi was the lifeblood of Yu Village and the most treasured possession of both the Wind God and the Illusion Sect. Anyone who tried to capture it would be an enemy of Yu Village and the Illusion Sect!

Were these strangers connected to the chaos in Upside-Down Sea?

Since the storm wall had opened today, had evil people taken the opportunity to break into Upside-Down Sea to kill, rob, and seize Xuanjing?

As he thought this, he shook his head like a rattling drum. "Misunderstanding, misunderstanding, nothing of the sort! Pengqi is a spirit beast of the immortal sect; I only fed it a few bites of food in the past, and it always ignored me. Why would it listen to an old mortal like me?"

"What I've heard is different," Diyun countered. The Heavenly Palace team had captured several prisoners during the battle, and they all confessed that Pengqi, the spirit beast of Yu Village, was accustomed to acting on its own whims and rarely listened to others, sometimes even ignoring the immortals of the Illusion Sect.

However, it was only close to one person and played only with one person because it had been meticulously cared for by Old Man Luo for the past two or three decades. One winter night, someone had even seen Old Man Luo sound asleep on Pengqi's belly, as if lying on a giant pillow.

"Pengqi has nothing to do with you, and the Illusion Sect has nothing to do with you. It's not worth exchanging your grandson's life for it," Diyun said, placing his hand on the child's forehead. "This is your last chance, or you will see his brains splattered."

Old Man Luo's heart was torn as he looked at his grandson's pleading eyes. But Venerable Diyun noticed that he also secretly glanced at Qianhuan's shrine.

He could practically sense the old man's hesitation and struggle.

The old man was very devout; this would be difficult.

"Do you choose your grandson, or Pengqi?" Venerable Diyun spoke with the greatest patience he had shown since descending to the mortal realm. "If you summon Pengqi, you will not only save your grandson but also everyone in Yu Village. Otherwise, I will go after them shortly."