Chapter 566: Mirror Reflection of Qin Mu

Qin Mu, accompanied by the young dragon Jiang Miao, emerged from the Spirit Energy Transfer Bridge. He looked around, a surprised expression crossing his face.

The Spirit Energy Transfer Bridge of the Great Ruins was situated deep within them. Two wide flagstone roads, each thirty-six zhang across, passed by either side of the altar. Surrounding the bridge were numerous ancient temples, shrines, and divine palaces, forming a city two to three times larger than Xianglong City. It was bustling with people, a lively scene.

These ancient temples and structures had been moved from various parts of the Great Ruins to serve as defenses against the encroaching darkness. Many stone statues were enshrined within them, continuously receiving incense offerings.

Many villagers from the Great Ruins were also settled in the city, no longer living their perilous former lives. Some had become merchants, connecting the Central Plains with the Western Lands.

The city also featured schools, including elementary and advanced academies, where cultivation techniques and divine arts were taught. However, they were not sacred grounds like the Four Great Academies or the Grand Imperial College.

Beyond the city walls lay vast clusters of ruins, seemingly designed to provide refuge for the Great Ruins' exotic beasts from the darkness – a thoughtful provision.

In this new city, old and new architectural styles intermingled harmoniously, creating an appealing aesthetic. Even with a casual glance, Qin Mu could discern that the city's builders possessed remarkable cultural refinement, architectural talent, and a profound appreciation for beauty.

"Old trees sprouting new branches, new branches complementing ancient charm – it truly isn't bad. Or perhaps it's just that after seeing so many twisted buildings and suns in the High Emperor Heaven, returning to the Great Ruins feels familiar and comforting..."

The box rattled over from the Spirit Energy Transfer Bridge behind him. Qin Mu shook his head; the box had been clinging to him persistently. With Dragon Qilin and Fox Spirit taken by the Black Tiger God to gain experience on the battlefield, the box had doggedly followed Qin Mu.

"Cult Master, I'm feeling the divine dragon's call again."

Jiang Miao looked around, then suddenly declared, "Follow me!"

He transformed into a small dragon and dashed out of the city. Qin Mu, carrying the box, followed him, heading deeper into the Great Ruins.

Although the Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace had constructed two major roads connecting the Western Lands, the Great Ruins, and Eternal Peace, countless remote and mysterious areas remained within the vast expanse of the Great Ruins.

Qin Mu continued to follow Jiang Miao deeper into the Great Ruins, traversing mountains and rivers, passing through ancient ruins. When night fell, he had Jiang Miao lie on the box, while Qin Mu walked into the darkness, the box closely trailing him.

The Great Ruins in darkness were entirely different from during the day. As Qin Mu walked in the shadows, he could see the High Emperor Heaven, now transformed into darkness, along with countless demons.

Besides the High Emperor Heaven, he also observed unpredictable demonic creatures that hovered around them, occasionally leaping onto trees or hiding behind rocks, quietly observing them without daring to approach.

"These aren't demons from the High Emperor Heaven! The dark realm of the Great Ruins isn't just the High Emperor Heaven!"

Qin Mu was surprised. He had initially thought the demons in the Great Ruins' darkness might be from the High Emperor Heaven, believing he had uncovered a secret. Now it appeared these creatures had no connection to the High Emperor Heaven whatsoever.

This was because people from the High Emperor Heaven saw only blurry shadows when looking at the Great Ruins in darkness. For instance, when Sang Hua saw Qin Mu, he appeared as a dark boy whose body seemed to be made of darkness, destined to dissipate like black sand when time ran out.

Similarly, in the darkness of the Great Ruins, Qin Mu saw people from the High Emperor Heaven in the same way. They existed across two worlds, unable to touch or communicate with each other.

However, the demonic creatures in the Great Ruins' darkness were different; they genuinely manifested within the dark Great Ruins.

"The Great Ruins hold so many secrets..."

Qin Mu sighed. Jiang Miao pointed the way, and they continued their journey forward.

Two days later, they arrived in the northwestern part of the Great Ruins. As the sun rose as usual, Qin Mu looked around and smiled, "This isn't far from the Ark of the Other Shore. I once piloted the Moon Ship here; look, these are the imprints it left."

The imprints left by the Moon Ship had transformed into small lakes, with strange fish swimming within them.

"The divine dragon's call is nearby!"

Jiang Miao looked around, then suddenly soared into the air, searched for a moment, and headed west.

Qin Mu quickly followed. They arrived at a gorge where everything suddenly became silent; no sounds could be heard. Qin Mu frowned, scanning their surroundings. He held back Jiang Miao, who was about to enter the gorge, guided by the divine dragon's call, and said, "Hold on a moment."

Jiang Miao didn't understand.

Qin Mu surveyed the area, his gaze falling upon the Moon Ship's imprints. "This is where the Ark of the Other Shore is sealed, very close to the sealing array. The Ark of the Other Shore was a divine ship crafted by the Heavenly Works God Race for migration. They intended to carry beings and gods and devils from the Kaihuang era into the Carefree Village on this ship, but it was shattered here. The divine dragon's call appearing nearby might indicate a problem; it's unusual for there to be no exotic beasts here at all..."

When he previously piloted the Moon Ship, he had entered the folded space seal of the Ark of the Other Shore from this very vicinity.

The Moon Ship's imprints disappeared here, leaving a few small lakes before the gorge.

Here, he had also encountered many demonic creatures and even demon gods, who furiously attacked the Moon Ship, countless of whom he had slain.

However, upon his return now, he saw no bones or remains.

The gorge before the lakes was filled with extremely fine and fragmented sand, devoid of any stones, not even pebbles the size of a fingernail.

The cliffs on either side were covered with massive characters. These were not human characters; they were complex, non-rectangular runes.

Qin Mu did not enter the gorge. He stood outside, observing the runes on the cliff face, and said, "These are divine characters, used for sealing."

He activated the Myriad Gods' Natural Cultivation Art, causing a small whirlwind to appear on the sand in the gorge, attempting to conjure a sand dune giant.

But the sand shifted briefly before returning to stillness.

"Impossible! The Myriad Gods' Natural Cultivation Art can imbue all things with sentience, so why can't it affect this sand?"

He crouched down and grabbed a handful of yellow sand, then grunted, struggling to lift his hand.

Jiang Miao, puzzled, also tried to grab a handful of sand but couldn't lift it. Each grain of sand in this area was incredibly heavy; a single handful weighed almost as much as a mountain!

Qin Mu released his grip, and the tiny sand grains flowed down one by one, striking the yellow sand in the gorge with thunderous roars.

"This isn't just sand; these are spirit soldiers!"

Qin Mu had one last grain of sand in his palm. He gently blew a stream of vital qi, and the grain immediately flew up, whistling and spinning. It expanded to an immense size, covering dozens of mu as it flew through the air, its rotation creating a deafening sound that tore through the sky.

Once the vital qi's energy was depleted, the sand shrunk back to a grain and fell.

Jiang Miao was startled and looked at the yellow sand in the gorge.

The number of sand grains here was countless, likely in the billions. If every grain were as massive as the one just demonstrated, how astonishing would their combined weight be?

"The divine characters on the canyon walls are seals, but they're specifically designed to activate the power of the yellow sand within this gorge. Entering it would trigger the seal and activate the array."

Qin Mu opened his divine eyes and looked up at the sky. He suddenly exhaled, and mist instantly filled the sky, followed by a drizzling rain.

The rain fell, but it didn't reach the gorge. Instead, it was blocked mid-air by an invisible barrier, forming cubes of water in the sky.

"The seal here is connected to the Ark of the Other Shore's seal; it's impossible to enter from above."

He flew into the air, looking deep into the gorge. He frowned slightly. The gorge was about ten li long, but after that distance, it abruptly disappeared, as if cut off.

"The area behind the gorge must be hidden."

Qin Mu worried. "If Blind Grandpa were here, he might be able to attempt to break it. With my current strength, deciphering this divine-level sealing killing array would be incredibly difficult and dangerous... Jiang Miao, let's go back. We can't set foot here."

Jiang Miao looked disappointed, but his strength was far inferior to Qin Mu's. If even Qin Mu declared it impassable, there was nothing he could do.

Suddenly, Qin Mu paused, startled. In front of the lakes before them, space began to unfold like a fan, extending the sky and earth and revealing a gateway.

The sky and earth continuously unfurled. The sky seemed normal, without much anomaly unless closely inspected. However, the ground shook constantly, and new landmasses appeared out of nowhere, moving them further and further from the gateway until they were a hundred li away in an instant.

Then, Qin Mu saw a familiar figure emerge from the gateway.

The moment this familiar figure appeared, Qin Mu instantly knew something was wrong. He turned to flee with Jiang Miao and the box, but just then, the sky and earth folded again, swiftly pulling him back to stand before the familiar figure.

"Divine Physician Qin."

The familiar figure's voice, tinged with surprise and delight, spoke, "What a coincidence that we meet again. You even have a dragon with you, and my box... Don't turn around. Keep your back to me."

Feeling the killing intent emanating from the person behind him, Qin Mu's smile froze. He said, "Brother Xing An, you've found the origin of those jade pendants, haven't you? I didn't lie to you, did I?"

"No, you didn't lie. I did find many ruins shaped like jade pendants."

Xing An took out the mirror Lu Li had given him. With his back still to Qin Mu, he raised the mirror and said calmly, "You didn't lie, but you deliberately led me here and had a cunning mute trap me for half a year. If I hadn't cultivated to become a god and forced that mute to retreat, who knows how much longer I would have been trapped! The Book of Life and Death of the Witch God Kui is in your hands, isn't it?"

Qin Mu, tightly locked by Xing An's aura, was greatly alarmed but maintained a calm demeanor. "The Book of Life and Death was seized by a young boy. It's embarrassing to admit, but I wasn't his match; he forcibly took it."

Xing An's gaze was fixed on the mirror. The reflection of Qin Mu in the mirror appeared as usual. Suddenly, the Qin Mu in the mirror slowly turned his head.

Xing An's eyes twitched violently. He saw the boy in the mirror transform; a demonic eye, filled with malevolence and destruction, appeared on Qin Mu's forehead. This demonic eye slowly opened, captivating the soul.

Xing An's hands trembled, and then the mirror shattered.

Xing An abruptly turned around, only to see Qin Mu still facing away from him, not having turned around at all. Yet, the Qin Mu in the mirror had clearly turned!

His mind reeled, and his aura fluctuated. Qin Mu immediately seized the opportunity, grabbed the box and the young dragon, and plunged into the gorge!