Chapter 247: Ultimate Power, the Eternal Heart of Darkness

Hearing Yu Chenxing’s words, Liu Yi finally understood what she meant. Without hesitation, and without even thinking, she took Yu Chenxing’s hand, channeled her true energy, and used the “Swift” technique of “Hidden Spin Nine Shadows” to reach its fastest speed. She flashed past Zi Long in an instant. This was Liu Yi’s second attempt at escape, but seemingly having gained experience and being prepared this time, her body transformed into a shadow and vanished from Zi Long’s sight in an instant, rushing quickly into the mountains.

Yu Chenxing was pulled by Liu Yi and left the garden against her will. A sense of floating like the wind filled her mind, and the surrounding scenery turned into streaks of color as she moved at high speed. While channeling her true energy to keep up with Liu Yi’s speed, Yu Chenxing asked, “I told you to run—why are you pulling me? This will slow us down.”

Liu Yi wasn’t sure if Yu Chenxing was joking and replied, “If I don’t pull you, you’ll definitely be killed by that Zi Long.” Though he spoke, he didn’t slow down. Knowing the danger here, he could only increase his speed further—only by running constantly could he feel a sense of safety.

Yu Chenxing listened to Liu Yi’s words without saying anything for a while, but soon replied, “I think… this Mirror World has no life at all. It’s all that dragon doing tricks. If the Mirror World really had life, no matter how fast we ran, we wouldn’t be able to escape.” She smiled after saying that.

Upon hearing Yu Chenxing’s words, Liu Yi suddenly stopped and asked, “Are you saying this world has no life?”

Yu Chenxing nodded and continued, “Think about it. If this mirror really had life, then all our actions would be visible to that life. No matter where we run or how fast we go, as long as we stay within this world, we’ll definitely be discovered. But if you look back now, that Zi Long hasn’t followed us. This shows it still doesn’t have the power to endow a world with life.”

Liu Yi nodded. Yu Chenxing was indeed smart—what she said made sense. If this world really had life, running wouldn’t help. But so far, their escape hadn’t encountered any obstacles, indicating that although the dragon had creative power, it lacked the ability to give life to this world.

As Liu Yi was thinking, that voice came again from all directions, seemingly with a hint of anger: “You can’t escape. You’ll never be able to leave this world. One day, I’ll find you.” Finally, the voice echoed and gradually disappeared.

Yu Chenxing nodded and said more confidently, “That’s right. We heard it just now— it said it would find us. So, this world has no life. It still has to rely on its own strength to search for us.”

Liu Yi nodded and looked at Yu Chenxing. Suddenly, he remembered her conversation with Zi Long earlier. If it weren’t for Yu Chenxing coming up with that ridiculous idea, he might be fighting that dragon right now. Judging from Zi Long’s strength, he likely wouldn’t have much time left before dying at its hands. It seemed he still owed Yu Chenxing this time.

Yu Chenxing noticed Liu Yi staring at her and asked, “What are you looking at? Is there something on my face?”

Hearing this, Liu Yi quickly shook his head and said, “No, nothing. I just think you’re quite smart sometimes. Thank you really this time.”

Yu Chenxing smiled and nodded. “Then I accept your thanks. But… be careful from now on. We can’t leave this place, and that dragon definitely won’t let us go. Besides, this Mirror World is so strange. Ah… by the way, how did it find you in the first place?” Yu Chenxing seemed to remember something.

Liu Yi thought for a moment and replied, “What do you mean?”

Yu Chenxing stamped her foot anxiously. “I mean that bird! That strange little flying bird. How did it appear by your side? Unless that dragon knew where you were at that time, how else could it create a guiding bird beside you?”

Hearing this, Liu Yi also seemed to remember something and replied, “It’s also a Wasteland Dragon. It must be related to the Wasteland Dragon I tamed with my sword. I think…” He stopped here.

Yu Chenxing quickly said, “That’s right! If it can still sense those Wasteland Dragons in your sword, then it can find us again. Do you have any way to cut off their connection?” Yu Chenxing was indeed smart, never missing even the slightest hint of danger. Without her, Liu Yi might have encountered trouble dozens of times.

Liu Yi nodded and channeled his vital energy into his sword. A thin layer of red light quickly covered the blade before fading away. He nodded and said, “It’s done. I’ve temporarily sealed the sword’s power with my vital energy. It shouldn’t be able to sense us anymore.” He felt even more admiration for Yu Chenxing’s caution.

Yu Chenxing nodded and continued, “Then we need to leave quickly. By now, that dragon might already know where we are. We can’t stay here.”

Liu Yi nodded. “Okay, let’s go.” This time, it wasn’t as tense as their escape earlier, so Liu Yi didn’t take Yu Chenxing’s hand. The two simply channeled their vital energy and quickly left the forest. As they moved swiftly without really paying attention to direction or distance, they stopped under the starry sky. Looking back, the towering mountains had now become tiny shadows in the distance.

Finally, with slightly heavy breathing, Yu Chenxing stopped under a tree, and Liu Yi sat down beside her. Though they didn’t know exactly how far they were from those mountains, the surrounding calm made them feel no danger. Yu Chenxing gazed at the stars, lost in thought.

At this moment, Liu Yi’s heart was filled with sighs. What on earth was this? Why had his cultivation progressed so little over the years? Why did every person, event, and thing he encountered always exceed his expectations? If things continued like this, how could he face the future’s challenges? Even the current situation already left him overwhelmed—there wasn’t enough time, and powerful enemies kept appearing one after another. As he thought about it, Liu Yi couldn’t help but let out a soft sigh.

Yu Chenxing leaned against a tree, gazing at the stars in the sky, and casually said, “Idiot, why are you sighing?”

Liu Yi shook his head, not wanting to say much, and replied, “It’s nothing. Just a moment of reflection.”

Yu Chenxing turned her gaze to Liu Yi, watched him for a while, then said, “I don’t think it’s just reflection. You seem a bit lost. Have you lost confidence in yourself?” It seemed Yu Chenxing wasn’t just ordinary smart; from Liu Yi’s behavior and his eyes, she could seem to sense what he was thinking.

Liu Yi glanced at Yu Chenxing, not wanting to say more, as he felt that talking about these things wouldn’t help at all. But Yu Chenxing continued, “If you tell me, maybe I can help you?”

Hearing Yu Chenxing’s words, Liu Yi replied, “Thank you for your kindness, but you can’t help me. I don’t know what to say. It’s just that suddenly, many things seem to be moving further and further away from me. Maybe… I didn’t feel this way at first.” Liu Yi himself didn’t know what he was saying, but Yu Chenxing seemed to understand quite a bit.

Yu Chenxing nodded and said, “Actually, it’s not that they’re far away. It’s just reality. Before, because you hadn’t taken action, it might have seemed simple in your imagination. But now that you’re trying to do it, it’s naturally different. You have to know that the gap between dreams and reality isn’t just a little bit. I think you feel that the future is far away because you suddenly realize your cultivation isn’t as high as you thought, right?”

Hearing Yu Chenxing’s words, Liu Yi turned his head and blurted out, “How do you know?”

Yu Chenxing continued to look up at the stars, thinking deeply, and said, “Because my future is just as far away as yours.”

Although Yu Chenxing’s words were clear, Liu Yi didn’t understand what she meant, as he had no idea what her future was. Liu Yi also slowly looked up at the stars in the sky and said, “Is that so? All I know is that what I’m doing now is a hundred times, a thousand times harder than I imagined. I don’t know where to go. I no longer have the recklessness of youth. For every task I do, I seem to need to weigh it carefully—whether it’s right or wrong, whether it will succeed or fail, without seeing the outcome.”

Yu Chenxing didn’t answer Liu Yi’s question or say anything else. She just quietly stared at the deep blue sky, unknown to what she was thinking. Liu Yi also didn’t know what to do. Unconsciously, he had stepped into this inescapable vortex, and under the push of this immense force, he began to be powerless to resist. Was this sorrow?

Suddenly, Yu Chenxing continued, “If we were deliberately lured here by that dragon, do you think Brother Lei Jun and Sister July might also be in this world?”

Liu Yi nodded and said, “Maybe. But if that dragon is targeting me, I don’t think it needs to draw in more people.”
Yu Chenxing looked up at the sky and continued, “I’ve always had a bad feeling—that all of this is part of a conspiracy. Why would a dragon with creative power want to take over this mirror world? Just for fun? Everything needs a reason. Even if it’s done on impulse, there must be a motive. Especially for something as provocative as this; there must be other reasons behind it.”
Liu Yi understood what Yu Chenxing was trying to say. Though she seemed young, she was very smart, with an understanding of things even surpassing her own. Her ability to observe details was exceptional. As the Purple Dragon had said, if Yu Chenxing had her own cultivation level, she might be even more terrifying than demons, because her mind was simply too sharp.
Yu Chenxing continued, “It makes no sense. Why would it tie up the King of the Underworld and those elders? Isn’t it afraid they’ll destroy this world? Or does it have its own plans?” Though she spoke casually, her words shocked Liu Yi. This dragon was nothing like other dragons—it even possessed wisdom and creative power, on par with the Dragon Emperor. So, there must be a reason for its actions. But then again, what could that reason be?
Yu Chenxing paused for a moment before adding, “Starting tomorrow, we need to be extra careful. I don’t believe that dragon has creative power and is alone here. Oh… right, we need to find the King of the Underworld.” With that, she turned, her face showing joy.
Liu Yi didn’t see anything wrong with this and nodded, saying, “Yes, we should go find him.” But even if they found the King of the Underworld, how could they obtain those tears? Should they just let things take their course?
At that moment, a rhombus-shaped crystal mirror caught Liu Yi’s attention. It floated in the air, about ten feet away from her. Under the moonlight, it reflected a silver glow that shone on Liu Yi’s body. Among countless mirrors, it seemed ordinary yet strangely tangible, drawing her forward without her even realizing it.
Standing across from the mirror, a figure appeared vividly—herself, the True Demon with white hair and black clothes, always holding a sword—Liu Yi. She remembered the dragon saying that each mirror here had a special purpose, and this mirror reflected her own image. What kind of mirror was this? For some reason, the reflection in the mirror gave her a sense of familiarity, yet it didn’t seem real, as if it wasn’t her. Liu Yi gently raised her hand to touch it, but as soon as her fingers made contact, she pulled them back—because ripples appeared on the mirror’s surface.
The moment Liu Yi withdrew her hand, the reflection in the mirror spoke, “Are you confused?”
Liu Yi quickly shook her head. What was this? An illusion? But soon, she dismissed that idea. Yu Chenxing was standing right behind her, as she could be clearly seen in the mirror. The mirror’s special purpose also explained this. Liu Yi couldn’t help but ask, “Who are you? Why are you in the mirror?”

The figure in the mirror made no other movements, showed no other expressions; everything followed Liu Yi, only the words spoken were different: “I am you. Your confusion—I can answer it for you. This mirror is the ‘Mirror of Lost Paths.’ I can see what you think in your heart, understand your bewilderment, everything about you.”

Liu Yi didn’t know why he believed the person before him. He felt such familiarity about him—unreal yet incredibly solid. Doubtfully, he asked, “Then what should I do?”

The figure in the mirror replied, “You can trust me. Deep within your consciousness lies everything about Nie Ren, including this consciousness before you, because I am that. I can help you, but you need to trust me.”

Liu Yi finally understood. What reflected in the mirror was the deepest doubts in his own consciousness. And those who could answer these questions were naturally Nie Ren’s consciousnesses left in this space. But this was the world of mirrors—Dragon controlled everything. Did these mirrors also have their own independent sides?

The figure in the mirror continued, “I know what you’re thinking, but you must also realize you don’t have much time left. This world isn’t forgiving. Failure is failure. Think about your enemies around you—Su Shao from the Asura Realm, Lan Ren and Lan Ying from the Netherworld, Pangu and the gods from the Divine Realm, plus the three remaining Wild Dragons that will appear soon, along with those nine tears. You must understand better than anyone the gap between dreams and reality. You’re already overwhelmed, so you need me.”

Liu Yi didn’t know what to say, because it was indeed the case. Everything before him—what had happened and what was about to happen—left him confused. His strength seemed utterly insufficient. Confidence had turned into delusion. It was impossible to create a miracle in the face of cruelty. In his bewilderment, Liu Yi couldn’t help asking, “What should I do?”

The figure in the mirror replied, “Rebirth!” Just two short words, yet they shocked Liu Yi.

Liu Yi blurted out, “What is rebirth? What do I need to do?”

The figure in the mirror paused for a moment before answering, “The thirteenth level of ‘Lan Er Fei Na Qing.’ The Heart of Slaughter has already started to backfire on you. Your soul is disappearing little by little. When you’re completely consumed, that’s when you’ll become a demon… But perhaps you don’t realize that becoming a demon doesn’t mean becoming a true demon—it means becoming a puppet of a demon, a thoughtless killing tool.”

Liu Yi finally understood. It turned out he had only started down the path of darkness, abandoning his own race. The phenomenon of becoming a demon was just a puppet. So… what exactly should he do? Liu Yi anxiously asked, “Then what is a demon? Where should I go?”

The figure in the mirror replied, “A demon is just a name. It has no true meaning. It possesses human emotions and divine power, yet has its own soul. It can do as it pleases, unimpeded by others. A demon is just a demon… But perhaps it’s the power of a demon that’s binding you now.”

Before Liu Yi could reply, the figure in the mirror continued, “Although the ‘Lanelfina Qing’ cultivation method is powerful, after all, you’ve only practiced it for a short time. Compared to seven thousand years ago, this is but a fleeting moment. If you want to gain greater strength, you have two choices. First, extend the time—meaning giving up everything now and starting over from the first level of ‘Lanelfina Qing,’ not pursuing further breakthroughs, but relying on time to strengthen your vital energy.”

Liu Yi hadn’t even considered it and shook his head, responding, “No. Even if time waits for me, my enemies won’t. And… my loved one—I can’t abandon her, can’t let her suffer endlessly.”

The figure in the mirror continued, “Of course, there’s a second option, but… will you be unprepared? Willing to become a puppet of the devil at any moment?”

Liu Yi asked in confusion, “What do you mean?”

The figure in the mirror said, “This method is more effective than the first, but it’s also very dangerous. It involves continuing to break through to the thirteenth level of ‘Lanelfina Qing’—the Heart of Slaughter—and inheriting the ultimate power of the devil, the Heart of Darkness. That way, you won’t need much time to train specifically, as the ultimate power will be beyond measure by the Heart of Slaughter and is essential for a devil. In other words, once you possess the Heart of Darkness, that’s when you become a devil.”

“Do you remember what you said in your dream? Having the wings of a demon king marks the beginning of eternal hope. It all comes down to a choice. After becoming a devil, you’ll understand how to use true power, because that’s your path. All your confusion and uncertainty will vanish at that moment, and you’ll be able to see the future clearly, see the outcome…”