Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Mirror of Mountains and Seas

“I am the spirit of the world of mountains and seas, the main vein of this realm. In the primordial era, when the Heavenly Emperor and the gods vied for supremacy, the mountains and rivers of the world were shattered. As my existence neared its end, I entrusted my spirit to the broken Mirror of Haotian, which thus became the Mirror of Mountains, Rivers, and the Primordial Wilds, also known as the Realm of Mountains and Rivers. It fell into the mortal world and was hidden by an immortal within the Classic of Mountains and Seas, awaiting a destined one to reopen the world of mountains and seas!” The information within the Mirror of Mountains and Seas surged into Wu Ming’s mind.

“This thin mirror sure has a complicated history! If experience is anything to go by, the older and more ancient a heavenly treasure, the more powerful it is. This mirror is the essence of the land veins of the primordial world, even if combined with an incomplete Haotian Mirror. At the very least, it should be a tremendously formidable treasure! I really hit the jackpot this time—I’m finally someone who owns a powerful artifact!” Wu Ming glanced nervously around, then quickly stowed the small bronze mirror into his pocket, hurrying to rejoin the others.

“Brother Wu Ming, what kind of magical device is that? It looks like it can store things, just like my Heaven-and-Earth Wine Gourd!” Yin Yue seemed especially interested in Wu Ming’s mirror, her gaze fixed on his pocket.

“It’s just an old, broken mirror, made of bronze. It’s a family heirloom passed down from my great-great-great-grandmother! She said I could only give it to my future wife. If it hadn’t been able to store that monster today, I wouldn’t have even known it was a magical artifact!” Wu Ming, afraid this little imp would snatch away his treasure, started making things up.

“Brother, brother, let me see it!” Yin Yue clung to Wu Ming’s leg, pouting and acting coy.

“Fine.” Reluctantly, Wu Ming took the bronze mirror from his pocket and handed it to her.

Yin Yue studied the palm-sized, verdigris-covered antique mirror for a long time, but found nothing special about it. She even tried channeling some spiritual energy into it, but nothing happened—it was, at best, an ordinary antique bronze mirror, with no hint of anything magical.

“Here you go. It really is just a broken mirror!” Yin Yue tossed the mirror back to Wu Ming.

Wu Ming sprang forward in a flash, catching it with both hands before it could hit the ground. Good heavens, his heart nearly leapt out of his chest—this was a precious artifact and couldn’t be allowed to break so easily! She really was a true little witch.

He carefully put the bronze mirror away, gingerly returning it to his pocket. Then, shooting a fierce glare at Yin Yue, he turned without another word and walked off.

“Brother Wu Ming, I’m sorry! I’m just used to tossing things; I didn’t mean to! I won’t throw your mirror again, okay? Don’t be so stingy!” Yin Yue ran after him, pouting and looking aggrieved, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears, as though she were the one being bullied.

Before long, the group left this magical world. Of course, before their departure, they were warmly entertained by the emperor and high priest of that realm. If not for the urgency of collecting those medicinal herbs, Wu Ming would have been happy to enjoy the good food and drink a little longer—after all, he could have been treated like royalty!

Having smoothly acquired the herbs, the hunger crisis of that spoiled, ravenous rich kid was resolved to everyone’s satisfaction, and Wu Ming unexpectedly gained several hundred thousand more in reward. Unfortunately, because their trip had taken so long, the sect of the Heavenly Unity—apart from a few stationed spirit world members—had been abandoned by all the new students and outer disciples, leaving the once-bustling sect empty and desolate, its halls filled with the melancholy of autumn’s decline.