[Vol. 6] Chapter 230: The Mirror Reveals No Self
The next day, the well-prepared teams, numbering in the hundreds, began their orderly advance into [Mirror Valley]. Meanwhile, the elite armies of the four nations from the Ancient Spirit Realm constructed a comprehensive defensive perimeter outside, staying alert for any potential threats that might disrupt the mission.
How much power the demons had hidden within the Ancient Spirit Realm, and what unpredictable changes might follow, was something no one could say with certainty. But it was clear that the core of all upcoming developments would center on this region.
According to the information provided by Immortal Island, if the space barrier enveloping the Ancient Spirit Realm was likened to a massive formation, then [Mirror Valley] was its central point.
All the nodes of the formation revolved around this core, collectively creating the world-class barrier that shielded the realm from the encroachment of [Destruction].
This made [Mirror Valley] become the most important place, bearing the most pressure and hiding the most secrets. Now, with the balance of yin and yang shifting and the power of the formation weakened to its lowest point, a host of problems had inevitably surfaced.
*Beep… beep… beep…*
Listening to the rhythmic sounds from the needle-like instrument in her hand, Violet scanned the countless reflections of herself surrounding her. For a moment, even she couldn’t help but feel a sense of wonder.
[Mirror Valley] was exactly as the legends described, filled with countless pale silver crystals of varying sizes. The shapes of the crystals were irregular, but their surfaces reflected light and images as clearly as real mirrors, making it almost dizzying to look at.
In this bizarre valley, where illusion and reality blended seamlessly, just finding the correct path was already a challenge, let alone identifying subtle differences among the countless reflections to locate the [False Mirrors].
This was where the tools provided by Immortal Island became indispensable.
[Mirror Valley] was vast, covering an area roughly half the size of a normal city. Although nearly a thousand participants seemed like a large number, conducting a thorough exploration of the entire valley within a few days was still an overwhelming task.
As a result, the top-tier experts from all corners of the Ancient Spirit Realm were divided into small teams and dispersed across the valley in a net-like formation to cover as much ground as possible.
This Grand Finals was likely the least conflict-ridden in the history of the [Four Saints' Immortal Selection Ceremony]. While many participants were still unaware of the true purpose of this operation, the opportunity for fair competition, without direct clashes, was welcomed, especially by those whose abilities were comparatively limited.
*Beep… beep-beep… beep-beep-beep-beep!*
The instrument in Violet’s hand suddenly accelerated, its beeping becoming more urgent, signaling something nearby.
After about fifteen minutes of walking, the steady beeping of the device suddenly became rapid. Violet’s spirits lifted as she quickly looked around and waved eagerly to the others scattered nearby.
“Over here, quick! I think I found one!”
“Where? Where? Oh wow, my device is going off too! This thing actually works!”
To maximize efficiency, each exploration team was required to consist of at least five members. If participants could form their own teams, that was ideal. Otherwise, Immortal Island assigned and arranged the groups.
Violet’s team was small. Just her, Xiao Kong, and Murong Yun. To meet the minimum requirement, she brought along Le Qiaoqiao, who she got along well with, and a swordswoman named Miss Hongyan. Meanwhile, Hen and Yu Dan’er, as literary contestants, were naturally left behind in the camp.
Hen’s recent odd behavior had caught Violet’s attention, but every time she asked about it, Hen would insist that nothing was wrong. Not wanting to press further, Violet decided to focus on the task at hand.
The group regrouped, staring at their devices, all of which were now flashing rapidly. They exchanged confused looks.
It was Le Qiaoqiao, who broke the silence.
“So, boss, what now? Are we supposed to just stare at it until something happens?”
None of them had experience with such technology. Although they’d been told that the device would react when near a [False Mirror], they were still clueless about how to proceed from here.
“Don’t rush. Let me give it a try,” Violet said, holding the flashing device.
She took a few steps in the direction where the beeping seemed to grow even faster, testing how the instrument reacted.
The flashing frequency of the device didn’t change.
Violet returned to her starting point, then stepped back slightly in the direction they had come from. Almost immediately, the beeping slowed to a steady rhythm.
“Hm…”
She nodded thoughtfully, then moved forward in a straight line, covering a short distance.
*Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep!*
The alarm suddenly intensified, reaching a new peak of urgency.
“Just as I thought. I think I’ve figured out how this device works. Look, the faster and louder it beeps, the closer we are to the target. When it slows down, it means we’re farther away. In other words, this is a proximity alarm.”
Violet glanced at the dense cluster of silver crystals ahead, their surfaces reflecting countless distorted images of the group.
“A proximity… what?” Le Qiaoqiao scratched her head, clearly puzzled by the unfamiliar term.
Violet sighed and rolled her eyes. “It doesn’t matter what it’s called. Just know how to use it. Let’s go. Be careful, everyone.”
With the proximity alarm narrowing their search area significantly, it didn’t take long for Violet and her team to locate their target hidden among a dozen or so other crystals.
The target was a large, rectangular silver crystal about the height of an average adult. As the group approached, their reflections appeared clearly on its surface.
At first glance, it looked no different from the other crystals. But upon closer observation, there were subtle differences in the way it reflected images.
Most crystals mirrored movements instantly, but this one displayed a delay of about 0.5 seconds. This delay, while less noticeable when mixed with other mirrors, became glaringly obvious under close scrutiny. Especially to the group, whose sharp eyesight quickly picked up on it.
There was, however, another even more striking difference.
The group’s gazes turned, somewhat surprised, toward the black-haired girl standing among them, Violet.
Because within the [False Mirror], there was no reflection of Violet at all.
When viewed from a distance, her image had been visible. But as she approached, the reflection of her figure eerily vanished, leaving nothing but a void within the crystal.
“What’s going on? Boss, where are you?”
“Miss Violet, you didn’t secretly do something strange again, did you?”
“What’s that supposed to mean? You made it sound like I always did something strange!”
Violet shot an annoyed glance at the speaker, then shook her head with a sheepish expression.
It was indeed odd. Since these crystals were supposed to reflect the essence of living beings, Violet had worried it might show her appearance from her previous life. And if it couldn’t reflect the soul of a deity, Xiao Kong should have been similarly excluded. Yet her reflection was still there...
Could it be because the cat-girl didn’t currently possess a divinity? If that were the case, this interference related to "existence" should still apply to her... but something about it still felt off.
Forget it.
There were too many bizarre phenomena to count, and this wasn’t critical right now. After a moment of thought, Violet decided not to dwell on the reason. She simply drew her weapon and placed it against the surface of the towering crystal, which was larger than she was.
She activated her ability, [Information Detection].
Even if she didn’t fully understand the details, it was always better to gather information first.
Almost immediately, the crystal’s details appeared before her:
[A special derivative formed by the ultimate magic "Seal of Heaven and Earth." One of the 3 million foundational pillars comprising the core of the grand formation. It contains a small amount of spatial law power, but due to unknown external interference, its form has become distorted, causing its law power to run wild. It has now transformed into an unstable spatial passage connecting to an unknown world.]