Chapter 1778: Who is Behind You?

Then, the Haoyuan Golden Mirror vanished on the spot!

He Lingchuan clenched his fist, withdrew his hand, and declared solemnly, "The agreement is complete!"

Ultimately, the weaker could not contend with the stronger. Despite its myriad grievances and utter helplessness, the Haoyuan Golden Mirror was finally absorbed by the divine bone necklace hidden in He Lingchuan's palm.

The divine bone necklace no longer glowed or emitted heat; He Lingchuan could even sense its deep satisfaction.

Xiao Wencheng summoned the Haoyuan Golden Mirror several times, but sure enough, there was no response. He was utterly stunned.

There was no cataclysmic event, and the process of collecting the mirror was surprisingly subtle. "You are..." He looked at He Lingchuan, momentarily at a loss for words. "How did you manage that!"

The Haoyuan Golden Mirror had clearly indicated that it wasn't He Lingchuan himself who forcibly collected it, but a powerful force hidden behind him!

It was a force strong enough to contend with and tear at the laws of the minor grotto-heaven. The red chains were the embodiment of this power.

He Lingchuan let out a long breath, a look of exhaustion on his face.

Although the recent event was a confrontation between the Great Square Jar and the Haoyuan Golden Mirror, it was an exceptionally heavy burden for him as the vessel.

Though it lasted only a dozen breaths, he felt as if he had fought for a day and a night, his physical strength nearly depleted.

He first took a spiritual elixir, and without directly answering, he said, "This is what you call undermining."

Every cultivator has their secrets; Xiao Wencheng had simply been too surprised to stop himself from speaking out.

Dong Rui quickly interjected to change the subject: "Hey, hey, has Immortal Venerable Qianhuan emerged from seclusion? Has he come out? The mirror has been pried away, the world has shaken; has Qianhuan been startled awake? This is the big matter, the real business!"

According to Xiao Wencheng, this was equivalent to savagely gouging a large chunk of flesh from Qianhuan, the kind that includes skin, flesh, bone, and sinew. He should have been awakened by the pain.

Surely this old fellow hasn't misjudged again, has he?

Before the words had fully left his lips, a sudden gust of wind swept into Wenhui Pavilion.

The lamps on the shrine's offering table were first dimmed by the wind, then with a 'whoosh,' they all lit up brightly again, their flames stretching long.

This strange phenomenon lasted for three to five breaths before returning to normal.

Several pink lotus flowers were gracefully arranged in a celadon jade vase. Suddenly, this gust of wind blew three petals from the offering table, which then drifted lightly towards the side window under the gaze of the three men.

The blooming lotus flowers were larger than sea bowls, and even a single petal was heavy. How could a mere gust of wind blow them like that?

He Lingchuan and Dong Rui followed to the window and saw the three lotus petals swirling in the wind before quickly landing in the pond behind Wenhui Pavilion.

The pond was a standard rectangle with very shallow water, significant only in terms of Feng Shui. However, after the three lotus petals landed in the pond, they sank straight down, and a bubble gurgled to the surface, followed by another.

The pond water suddenly rippled, and then a gigantic figure emerged: green-skinned, with a human torso, a serpent's tail, and six arms.

"We meet again," Dong Rui murmured, gazing at the familiar form.

Emerging from the pond without apparent cause was precisely the Yin Kui dharma-body that had once battled heavenly demons in the capital of Yao State!

However, this gigantic Kui's eyes were piercingly bright, completely unlike when it was in Yao Capital. As it walked, its form constantly changed; each time they glimpsed it from a different window, its appearance was unique.

Then, the Yin Kui vanished, and a tall, white-bearded old man entered through the main door of Wenhui Pavilion. He possessed an immortal's bearing, with kind eyes and a benevolent expression, and not a single trace of water on him.

He Lingchuan had met many immortals, but so far, only this one perfectly fit the common perception of an 'immortal.'

Xiao Wencheng had already rushed forward, his face flushed with excitement. "Immortal Venerable! You've finally emerged from seclusion!"

"If I didn't emerge soon, the Illusion Sect would have been doomed." Qianhuan spoke, his voice clear and resonant, like the crisp chimes of an eave bell, capable of inducing resonance within the listener's mind. Xiao Wencheng looked embarrassed.

"You did well," Qianhuan said, only then glancing at He Lingchuan and offering a word of praise, but immediately added, "You couldn't have pulled my Haoyuan Golden Mirror off by yourself."

His gaze was neither malicious nor benevolent; he looked at He Lingchuan as if at a tiny grasshopper.

But this grasshopper wasn't hiding in the roadside grass; it was standing on the shoulder of a colossal shadow.

In terms of understanding 'rules,' perhaps only Miao Zhantian within the Inverted Sea could rival Qianhuan. The power behind this young man, barely in his twenties, seemed somewhat familiar.

What had happened in the human realm during the 150-plus years he had been in seclusion?

He Lingchuan smiled broadly, as if oblivious to the underlying meaning of Qianhuan's words. "You flatter me," he replied.

He also noticed that although Qianhuan had assumed human form, the color of his eyes was very light, with a hint of scattered light, and his pupils were very large, giving his gaze a slightly hollow quality.

When Qianhuan looked at him, He Lingchuan always felt as if the other's gaze pierced through him, looking far beyond to something behind him.

This feeling made him very uncomfortable.

Qianhuan was clearly looking at him, yet his attention was not on him. "Who sent you?"

"Mount Ling." He Lingchuan met his gaze directly. "They sent people to investigate before, but none of them returned."

As the master of this realm, Qianhuan should have known everything that happened on Silver Pearl Island. Why would he still ask this question?

Evidently, He Lingchuan's answer did not satisfy him.

"No." Qianhuan's gaze was piercing. "Who is behind you? Whose power is it that took the Haoyuan Golden Mirror?"

Strong individuals capable of wielding such power are few in the human realm; he should have recognized them. Yet, he felt the power was two parts familiar and eight parts strange.

What had happened in the human realm during the 150-plus years he had been in seclusion?

He Lingchuan secretly regulated his breathing, then casually pointed at the sandbox nearby. "Immortal Venerable must have more questions about Miao Zhantian," he said.

Qianhuan gave a faint smile. This human was reminding him that a great enemy was at hand, and he shouldn't dwell on minor issues but address the primary conflict first.

However, this young man, barely in his twenties, had just endured the tug-of-war between the two great rules—the chains and the Haoyuan Golden Mirror—and had surprisingly not been torn to pieces. One should know that even a giant elephant with profound cultivation would be ripped limb from limb by such merciless lawful power, yet this young man was completely unharmed, merely a little tired.

Xiao Wencheng took out the eave bell and respectfully presented it to Qianhuan. "This is the token Mount Ling entrusted to Island Master He to bring."

No sooner had Qianhuan grasped the eave bell than it began to sway by itself, dangling and ringing: "Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling-ling..."

When the bell was in He Lingchuan's hands, it had never been so active; no matter how strongly the wind blew, it remained perfectly silent.

The bell's sound seemed like a secret code, or perhaps the bell was secretly reporting to its master. He Lingchuan's eyes shifted slightly. Was Mount Ling trying to convey some message to Qianhuan through this bell?

A message that could not be heard by others, nor by the messenger himself—He Lingchuan.

The ringing was very brief, stopping after only a few chimes.

Qianhuan's gaze shifted, once again unfocused and indifferent. Xiao Wencheng, who knew him well, understood that the Immortal Venerable was deep in thought.