Chapter 456

Chapter 456: Another Copper Mirror

He thought he had escaped a disaster, only to find that everyone had turned their attention back to him.

Had he known this would happen, he would have slipped away while he had the chance; there was no need to linger here.

But now, it was too late to say anything.

Under the pressure of everyone’s gaze, the Qianji Gate cultivator had no choice but to summon his Spirit Transformation Stage puppet to continue exploring the path.

This time, the exploration went unusually smoothly; until the puppet reached the bronze door, nothing unexpected occurred.

"Open it."

Hearing the command, the Qianji Gate cultivator took a deep breath and slowly controlled the puppet to push open the heavy bronze door.

Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the entrance.

"Boom…"

With a loud crash, the bronze door slowly swung open.

The crowd’s eyes swept past the open door, peering inside.

Although they couldn’t see the entire scene behind the door, they noticed nothing unusual; the interior resembled the grand hall’s surroundings and featured the same type of stone walls.

As the puppet ventured further inside, the Qianji Gate cultivator remained calm, clearly indicating that there was no danger within.

Seeing this, the cultivators no longer hesitated and quickly made their way toward the bronze door.

Other cultivators were eager not to lag behind and followed closely.

Ji Yang pondered for a moment, positioning himself at the back of the crowd.

The recent Dream Essence had made Ji Yang a bit more cautious, leaving no room for complacency.

Letting the other cultivators explore first was a good choice.

Compared to that, Ji Yang felt that the unknown dangers in the hall posed even greater threats.

If it were the other cultivators, he wouldn’t have to worry too much; he could simply take what he needed!

He was more than capable of intimidation!

Before long, everyone entered through the bronze door, but some cultivators shared Ji Yang’s mindset, waiting until others entered before deciding their next move.

Ji Yang followed closely behind the crowd and soon entered the room beyond the bronze door.

Once inside, Ji Yang scanned the area; the layout had little difference, and even the interior space resembled the outer hall.

Surrounding the room stood several humanoid stone sculptures, each holding weapons.

However, after a thorough inspection, they found these sculptures were decorative and posed no unusual threat.

Moreover, such sculptures were common in ancient buildings, so they paid little attention to them.

While Ji Yang observed, the others focused their gaze on a stone platform in front of them.

On that platform rested an ancient copper mirror; the mirror’s edge was adorned with exquisite patterns, its surface smooth, and it emitted a glowing aura, suggesting it was no ordinary item.

Furthermore, the fact that it had survived to this day and was placed centrally in the room indicated it must be a treasure, perhaps even a spiritual treasure.

Even if it wasn’t a spiritual treasure, it was at least an ancient rarity!

In an instant, everyone’s attention was captivated by the copper mirror.

However, when Ji Yang saw the copper mirror, his gaze momentarily froze, as it resembled the immobilizing mirror in his hand far too closely.

It even made Ji Yang question whether this was a replica of his own copper mirror.

"Go!"

While Ji Yang was still observing, the crowd could no longer contain their restless spirits. Cultivators from various sects surged forward, eager to seize the copper mirror.

People like Zhong Lou no longer held back either.

As several individuals took action, various essences flowed throughout the room, and the other cultivators nearby were significantly affected.

Under the influence of the essence, there were no other cultivators around the few prominent figures.

But as they constrained each other, the Blood Separation Sect cultivator’s essence of slowing down hindered the top cultivators from the various major sects, preventing them from advancing.

At that moment, the advantage of having many people became clear, as the Void Refinement stage cultivators from the large sects all took action, plunging the scene into chaos.

Seeing that the cultivators were all entangled, Ji Yang’s eyes lit up.

What a great opportunity.

No matter what connection the copper mirror had with his immobilizing mirror, he would understand its nature once he held it in his hands.

Ji Yang immediately took flight, heading toward the location of the copper mirror.

The other cultivators, still in combat, noticed Ji Yang.

What caught their attention was Ji Yang’s remarkable speed, making him stand out in the crowd.

Seeing someone aiming to obtain the treasure before them, the other cultivators weren’t willing to let it happen. They halted their fights with their opponents and turned their efforts toward Ji Yang, preparing to block him.

After all, they were cultivators from elite sects; they couldn’t allow an outsider to claim the treasure.

Within moments, four or five Void Refinement stage cultivators unleashed their attacks on Ji Yang.

Faced with their combined assault, Ji Yang didn’t intend to withstand it head-on.

"Transformation!"

As the attacks approached, Ji Yang cast the Transformation technique first, causing the attackers to miss, and then accelerated forward, aiming directly for the copper mirror on the stone platform.

Meanwhile, Zhong Lou and the others who were battling in the air also noticed the Ji Yang who was now within arm’s reach of the copper mirror.

Seeing Ji Yang about to claim the mirror, they shouted in unison:

"Stop!"

"Don’t be outrageous!"

…

In an instant, they also ceased their attacks, directing their various essence attacks toward Ji Yang.

They would never allow anyone else to snatch the copper mirror from above the stone platform, even if that person was quite powerful.

Yet despite their assault, no one had managed to take the treasure from them!

As several waves of essence surged toward him, Ji Yang felt himself become rigid. Even with the Transformation technique, he found it difficult to activate, revealing the power of the essence.

However, today was different; in the next moment, Ji Yang channeled the Power of the Essence of War within his body.

As the profound essence spread out, Ji Yang’s form regained its freedom.

Although Zhong Lou and the others also grasped the corresponding essence, they had not yet touched it; they had only just unfolded it. Ji Yang could already sense that their Essence Condensation was not as high as his own.

This meant that, despite the clash of essences, Ji Yang still held a certain advantage.

As the Essence of War unfolded, the faces of Zhong Lou and the others changed. They had long suspected that Ji Yang possessed essence, but when they personally felt it, they realized they had underestimated Ji Yang’s threat.

The level of essence he displayed was clearly above each of them.

In an instant, a look of wariness appeared in their eyes, but at that moment, their resolve also grew stronger.

Originally, they had been cautious about the others, but now, if they did not reveal some true abilities, it was likely that Ji Yang would truly take away the copper mirror.

This was something they could not tolerate.

Just as they prepared to strike again, a brilliant light shone from the ancient copper mirror in front of them.

The unexpected event of the copper mirror instantly drew the attention of all the cultivators present, and at the forefront, Ji Yang, who was nearing the copper mirror, was also taken aback.

Looking at the glow emanating from the mirror, Ji Yang felt a sense of foreboding within his heart.

Empowered by the Essence of War, Ji Yang once again performed the Transformation technique, suddenly accelerating to seize the copper mirror first.

But before Ji Yang’s fingers could touch the mirror, the light surged within it.

An invisible pen quickly began to sketch something inside the mirror.

The first figure to appear in the copper mirror was a humanoid shape, first outlining the body, then the arms and legs. With each solidifying stroke in the mirror, Ji Yang felt a feeling of confinement rising within his body.

This sensation was familiar yet slightly different, sending a shudder through Ji Yang’s heart.

As the figure within the mirror completed its formation, its face gradually became clearer.

It was unmistakably another Ji Yang, a replica of himself.

As the image in the mirror fully took shape, Ji Yang, who was about to touch the copper mirror, suddenly fell straight down. Even the power within his body vanished without a trace, leaving him unable to mobilize it.

"Good!"

"Hahaha!"

…

The others in the air cheered with joy as they saw this. The copper mirror had directly deprived Ji Yang of the chance to compete for this treasure, and the power of this object made them very happy. If they could obtain it, they would have no rival in the secret realm and could dominate completely.

In an instant, greed glimmered in their eyes.

But before they could revel in their excitement, they noticed that the sketching in the copper mirror had not stopped; it continued.

This realization made the group sense that something was amiss.

Moreover, the speed of the copper mirror’s sketching had increased dramatically. In the blink of an eye, several silhouettes had been drawn within.

When the group examined it closely, their hearts dropped instantly because the faces of the figures unmistakably bore their own likenesses.

With Ji Yang’s previous misfortune in mind, they immediately intended to summon their treasures for defense.

But once the likenesses were completely sketched, an invisible force descended upon their bodies.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The sounds of several impacts hitting the ground immediately resonated.

The collapse of the group caused panic among the others behind them. Before they could comprehend what was happening, they watched as several leaders of the major sects fell one after another before their eyes.

And the main instigator of all this was undoubtedly the ancient copper mirror.

After the group fell, everyone immediately ceased their actions and hesitated not to retreat outside the hall.

Though treasures were good, life took priority.

Even Ji Yang and the others had collapsed before the copper mirror; they didn’t believe they had the power to resist. Not to mention, those individuals were all cultivators who wielded essence.

At that moment, the crowd moved faster than when they had come in.

But as the copper mirror erupted with an incredibly bright light, the fleeing crowd seemed to tumble down from the sky like dumplings.

"What’s happening?"

"I can’t move!"

…

Voices of startled cultivators filled the air, but their figures were nowhere to be seen.

The once chaotic hall was now eerily empty, with only the sounds of confusion and panic echoing in their ears.

"Senior Brother Li, can you hear me?"

A shout came from a distant Xuantian Sect cultivator.

"Speak if you have something to say!"

An irritated voice responded from beneath the copper mirror.

Under these circumstances, shouting was hardly wise; didn’t they know he was already annoyed?

Hearing that his senior brother was fine eased the inquirer’s heart significantly.

“My fellow Daoists, it seems this item specifically targets our primordial spirits. Now we cannot control our bodies. Do any of you have a solution?” Ji Yang’s back was met with the anxious words of Senior Brother Li from the Xuantian Sect.

As disciples of an elite sect, they had immediately detected the unusual state of their bodies—their primordial spirits were being restrained.

As the essence of a cultivator’s soul, primordial spirits were even more crucial than the body. Once restrained, they obviously could not control their forms.

For now, they could still speak, but they were aware that the images in the copper mirror were slowly solidifying. They keenly realized that if these images fully solidified, they would no longer have the opportunity to speak at all.