Chapter 1823: Breaking the Wall

The celestials and demons from the Heavenly Palace, in turn, closely followed and continuously harassed them.

They were outnumbered, but Divine Radiance Giants arriving from other parts of Silver Pearl Island also joined the melee, having transformed from extinguished Divine Radiance Meteorites.

The battlefield shifted to the shores of Kidney Lake, becoming even more chaotic.

While others were occupied, He Lingchuan quickly tapped the Haoyuan Golden Mirror, asking it to replay the scene of True Monarch Zangxi impacting the lake bottom.

The previous scene had unfolded too quickly, and he was anxious to understand exactly what had happened.

The Haoyuan Golden Mirror sensed its master's intent, considerately replaying the scene at ten times slow motion while simultaneously removing the dazzling golden light from the image.

Compared to the unresponsive sand table, it could do so much more.

However, seeing its perceptiveness, the Soul-Snatching Mirror in He Lingchuan's arms hummed twice, "Look at you, showing off!"

Regardless of its grumbling, the Haoyuan Golden Mirror performed its task meticulously. The angle it selected perfectly captured True Monarch Zangxi shimmering onto the surface of Kidney Lake and then taking out...

A golden-yellow pear?

No, it was a non-glowing Silver Pearl Fruit.

The Heavenly Palace team had, of course, used Silver Pearl Fruits to cross Kidney Lake from the upper realm, but the fruit's active period for passage was only fifteen minutes, and it had long since expired.

Then, True Monarch Zangxi produced a blue lotus seed.

He Lingchuan had always believed these lotus seeds were refined from extraterrestrial meteorites, but this one appeared different. True Monarch Zangxi crushed the lotus seed in one hand and sprinkled the powder onto the Silver Pearl Fruit.

The gesture was like sprinkling pepper onto a pancake.

Before entering the water, the Silver Pearl Fruit began to glow!

The timing was exquisitely precise.

Dong Rui gasped, "What! This..."

They had only ever witnessed the Silver Pearl Fruit darken and eventually transform into an edible large pear, never imagining the process could be reversed!

How was this accomplished?

"How exactly was this reversed?"

In fact, this blue lotus seed contained a divine art recorded by Shimei into a palm-leaf scripture, obtained from Jinna God. It could restore an item to any state within two hours.

This was originally an unremarkable minor art because the item it was cast upon could not be a person or a magical artifact, and the magical power fluctuations it contained could not be too great. After all deductions, it could only be applied to oddities or similar items.

This was a leftover experimental item from the past that Sagely Venerable Lingxu had been too lazy to retrieve. When Miaozhantian came to borrow True Monarch Zangxi's form, Sagely Venerable Lingxu casually gave it to them.

That was why Miaozhantian had previously used other iron lotus seeds from the lotus lamp to create divine fire meteorites or avatars, but had specifically avoided this blue lotus seed, knowing it was merely a decorative toy.

Who knew that with clever application, a mere decoration could become a powerful tool!

The Heavenly Palace team had entered the lower realm via Kidney Lake after sunrise. The sun had not yet reached its zenith, meaning less than two hours had passed, despite the fierce battle.

This satisfied the two-hour time limit requirement.

The Silver Pearl Fruit itself was merely a pear, to which Qianhuan had appended the characteristic of a pass. Its composition was simple, and its properties basic.

This satisfied the requirement that magical power fluctuations not be too great.

Thus, Miaozhantian used the palm-leaf divine art to restore the Silver Pearl Fruit to its glowing state, thereby creating a pass for traversing Kidney Lake. However, the divine art could only be applied to one Silver Pearl Fruit, so Miaozhantian had to go alone.

Their earlier patience now yielded rewards.

"What else transpired in the lake?"

Previously, they only knew that the golden light had continuously sunk after entering the water.

The mirror then adopted a top-down perspective, capturing the scene from over ten *zhang* above the lake surface, showing True Monarch Zangxi entering the water diagonally.

As True Monarch Zangxi descended, everything at the bottom of Kidney Lake was illuminated in minute detail.

The onlookers then saw that it was no ordinary lakebed, no mere sand, stone, or aquatic plants!

The golden light, into which True Monarch Zangxi had transformed, plunged straight into a deep, dark passage. Its sides were grayish-white with several thick, prominent veins, resembling limestone at first glance. However, a closer look revealed it to be unusually smooth, surprisingly fleshy, and alive!

Wanqilong subconsciously touched his neck. Why did the lake bottom feel a bit like... a human throat?

Everyone already knew this was a lake-bottom passage opened by Miaozhantian using the Silver Pearl Fruit. But since Miaozhantian also controlled the shores of Kidney Lake, the inner and outer layers of laws conflicted. With the assistance of the Eye of Truth, the passage's false facade was finally revealed!

Dong Rui murmured, "Did we also come through here at that time?"

What happened next was largely what everyone already knew. Zangxi struck the lake bottom four times in total; the first three attempts failed, but the final one successfully broke through, and True Monarch Zangxi smoothly surged inside.

The passage closed behind him, restoring its original appearance.

Immediately afterward, Qianhuan's Dharma Form lunged forward but was barred from entering the passage.

He Lingchuan also remarked, "Miaozhantian has finally turned the tables on Qianhuan; it wasn't easy."

Schemes and stratagems were not solely Qianhuan's domain.

Madam Zhu gazed at the rippling water on the lake surface and suddenly sent a telepathic message to He Lingchuan:

"Kidney Lake is now under Miaozhantian's control, isn't it?"

He Lingchuan nodded.

Madam Zhu continued, "Then why can your mirror still display the scene of Kidney Lake?"

During the lighthouse battle in another illusionary realm, once Miaozhantian's lighthouse barrier activated, the Haoyuan Golden Mirror could not display the situation within it. This was because, inside the lighthouse barrier, Miaozhantian's own laws took effect, overriding and replacing certain rules of the Upside-Down Sea.

At that time, the Haoyuan Golden Mirror was still in the hands of the Illusion Sect, and even as the hub of the Upside-Down Sea's law network, it could not view the interior of the barrier.

Now, Miaozhantian was using the Divine Fire Grand Formation to stake out territory. The areas they occupied would similarly target Qianhuan and block the rules.

So why could the Haoyuan Golden Mirror display their sphere of influence, specifically the scene of Kidney Lake?

Logically, it should have been blocked, just like before.

He Lingchuan complimented, "Madam, you are truly becoming more astute."

He had long noticed this unusual situation. Qianhuan's sand table could not display the areas controlled by Miaozhantian, yet the Haoyuan Golden Mirror showed them without issue!

He Lingchuan had his own deduction:

Here, Miaozhantian was using True Monarch Zangxi's divine fire meteorite as a formation anchor to block the local laws. Coincidentally, He Lingchuan had picked up fragments of Zangxi's clone, the Scarlet Flame Horned Viper, in Qianhuan's secret hall. This item's composition was extremely complex, being a manifestation of Miaozhantian's divine power. After the Great Square Flask took it back, who knows what it did with it, but it might have deciphered some of Miaozhantian's rules.

Therefore, the Kidney Lake area also became visible to the Haoyuan Golden Mirror.

If his deduction proved true, this was an extraordinary revelation, suggesting that the Great Square Flask's command of laws and rules surpassed that of the two great celestials and demons.

Dong Rui was somewhat worried, voicing the thoughts of the black-armored army behind him: "Miaozhantian finally gained the initiative this time; surely he wouldn't kill the old clam, would he? If so, we'd have to be buried with it."

Miaozhantian's mortal enemy was Qianhuan, and Bai Ziqi's was He Lingchuan. Once Miaozhantian eliminated Qianhuan, it would be He Lingchuan and his companions' turn next!

Dong Rui had no fondness for True Lord Qianhuan, but when choosing between two evils, he still hoped for Qianhuan to achieve a pyrrhic victory.

Wanqilong, Wang Fubao, and others nodded repeatedly, while Luoxie gazed blankly at the Haoyuan Golden Mirror, the events of the day truly beyond his comprehension.

He Lingchuan shook his head. "You're thinking too simply. This ancient mirage demon has absorbed thousands of years of sun and moon essence and spiritual energy; how could it be so easily killed? Moreover, Miaozhantian risked their life entering the Upside-Down Sea not just to eliminate True Lord Qianhuan, but more importantly, to seize the mirage demon's physical form! If they were to damage such a valuable body, wouldn't that be a wasted journey?"

"Only preserve the body?" Dong Rui realized. "Then Qianhuan's divine soul must be annihilated!"

"Exactly," He Lingchuan said, reaching out to stroke the Haoyuan Golden Mirror, "just as Sagely Venerable Lingxu did to True Monarch Zangxi back then. Although Qianhuan's true form is not a human immortal, they possess the ability to materialize the illusory, and the Dharma Forms they create can be human-shaped with considerable magical power. Doesn't that sound like what the Sky Demons have been tirelessly pursuing?"

"A powerful human form?" Dong Rui murmured. "Indeed, if Miaozhantian could acquire Qianhuan's body, it might significantly shorten the Sky Demons' secret research."

He Lingchuan interjected, "By the way, Sky Demons have always been unable to reside in immortal bodies for long. What do you think is the reason?"

Dong Rui shrugged, "How would I know? I haven't done any research on that."

Just then, several bolts of lightning suddenly streaked across the sky, followed by rolling thunder.

"Huh?" Wanqifeng looked up. "Why is the lightning golden?"

Everyone looked up, just in time to see over a dozen bolts of lightning descending from the sky. They resembled inverted coral clusters, yet each was pure gold in color, luxurious and dazzling.

After Miaozhantian plunged into the lake, the Eye of Truth, which had hung solitary in the sky, vanished, and the sky returned to normal.

But after these dozen or so lightning bolts fell, half of the sky became transparent once more. Everyone could perceive golden flashes and shimmering blue lights beyond the heavens, outlining vast, shifting silhouettes.

There was something beyond the heavens, and it appeared to be moving!

The Ghost Ape also cupped its hand over its eyes to look up. Dong Rui asked He Lingchuan, "Is that Qianhuan's true form?"

"Perhaps."

Less than fifteen minutes later, the sky grew overcast again, obscuring the unusual phenomena beyond the heavens.

As people exchanged bewildered glances, the ground suddenly trembled violently, making it difficult to stand upright.

Immediately afterward, seven or eight chasms cracked open along the lake, each one bottomless!

"Miaozhantian and Qianhuan have already engaged in a magical battle," Dong Rui whispered to He Lingchuan. "Now that your Haoyuan Golden Mirror possesses so many extraordinary powers, can it directly transport us out of the Upside-Down Sea?"

Since the mirror was also connected to the Upside-Down Sea's network of laws, could it help them escape?

He Lingchuan had already achieved his goal of instigating Miaozhantian and Qianhuan to fight each other, so escaping now could be considered a successful retreat.

"I've tried, it's impossible!" He Lingchuan's words dashed his hopes. "Qianhuan is still the master here. If the clam's mouth doesn't open, I'm afraid no one can leave."

Dong Rui let out a long sigh. "We can't leave, and we can't see what's happening. Who knows what state Qianhuan and Miaozhantian are in after their fight?"

After these words, He Lingchuan's heart stirred slightly, as if he had realized something.

This was the Haoyuan Golden Mirror communicating with him.

Could it be?