Chapter 64: Divine Reflection

Even though the five elements were still gradually being refined, that didn’t stop Qi Yuan from stepping into the game. This time, he awoke with Little Bride in his arms.

A prompt appeared before his eyes.

[Five Elements Forbidden Zone cleared. Rewards obtained.] [Reward 1: Heavenly Dao Fragment ×10] [Reward 2: Five Elements Heart]

The Heavenly Dao Fragments were untainted, and there were ten of them, just as he’d expected. As for the Five Elements Heart, was it a gift from the Five Ancestors?

According to its description, it could greatly bolster Qi Yuan's cultivation by speeding up his Five Elements Essence’s refinement. They’d restrain and generate one another.

Without the Five Elements Heart, refining Five Elements Essence would’ve been troublesome. The Metal Essence had come quickly, but the second and third would drag on painfully slow.

Qi Yuan murmured, "So, only one Forbidden Zone and two End Zones remain?"

From Tang Yan, he’d learned that the so-called alien demons were sealed within the Earth's End. All Qi Yuan had to do was conquer the Yinyang Forbidden Zone and Heaven's End, then defeat those alien demons. Then, every Heavenly Dao fragment would belong to him.

Still, before that, he had to visit the coffins. The experts of the Five Elements Forbidden Zone still owed him one last gift.

***

An hour later, Qi Yuan stood at Tang Yan's side, a bit surprised. He hadn't expected the experts of the five elements to perform a Divine Reflection on him. In other words, they’d pass on not only their cultivation insights, but also the memories of their entire lives. The thought felt strange.

Qi Yuan felt an unexpected flicker of respect toward these NPCs. To give away everything without reservation was something he himself could never do.

Feather said softly, "Garment Division Master, we will bestow a Divine Reflection upon you. Our cultivation insights, experience, and everything will be passed to you. It’ll hasten your cultivation path. Are you willing to accept it?"

From inside the coffins, dozens of pairs of eyes turned toward Qi Yuan. If it were at night, the sight would’ve been downright eerie. Regardless, with Little Bride at his side, what was there to fear?

"I accept."

A Divine Reflection from these NPCs was of immense benefit—combat, experience, divine techniques, insights. Surely, even in reality, his cultivation would grow from it.

Dragon Judge stroked his beard and instructed, "Before the Divine Reflection begins, you must swear an oath upon your inner demons that you will slay the alien demons!"

Since he’d already sworn to the Five Ancestors, making another pledge to these people was only natural. "No problem."

Following their guidance, Qi Yuan made the inner demon oath. Sealing it meant he had to slay the alien demons.

Feather declared, "Since the oath is sworn, the Divine Reflection begins!"

All fifty-three experts turned their gaze upon Qi Yuan, most laying half-reclined within their coffins. A few like Tang Yan, the red-robed man, and Little Green were the younger generation's prodigies.

Despite being watched by so many, Qi Yuan remained calm.

"Divine Reflection!"

With Feather's shout, every expert intoned the same words. In the next moment, images surged through Qi Yuan’s mind. The memories, cultivation insights, and experiences of fifty-three peak experts poured into him like a tidal wave.

Feather reminded him. "Still your mind and empty yourself! Don’t comprehend, merely observe as a bystander!"

At first, only vivid fragments would appear. Only once the Divine reflection ended would the full flood of memories and insights take root, allowing Qi Yuan to slowly digest them.

He closed his eyes. Countless images flashed. He saw a youth stealing glances at the Wedding Garment Empress seated at the back. The boy was gifted, but he’d blush easily, so he grew a heavy beard to cover it. That youth would later become Dragon Judge.

He saw Feather screaming in the rain after his family was slaughtered. It was a far cry from the calm, gentle man he was now.

He saw a burly man in his youth gambling on cricket fights until a chance encounter with a book turned him diligent.

He saw a fishing line fall, killing the red-robed man's father. The boy cradled a sheet of human skin, his eyes blood-red.

He saw the Metal Ancestor picking Little Green up and bringing her to the Five Elements Forbidden Zone. He saw her just yesterday, alone in a quiet courtyard, feeding a chicken.

He saw much and received more... all their cultivation insights and their hard-won battle experience.

He didn't know how much time passed before Feather's voice cut through. "The Divine Reflection is over."

The link severed and the images stopped abruptly. Nevertheless, Qi Yuan knew that all of it slumbered within his mind, waiting.

"It's done." "Finally, I can spit it all out..."

"Looks like I'll need ten years of seclusion..."

The experts were weakened by the Divine Reflection.

Qi Yuan bowed deeply as he scanned the fifty-three faces present. "For passing on your Dao to me, you are all my teachers! I will never forget this grace"

Some chuckled, "We are allies. Just kill the alien demons." Another appeared embarrassed, "Garment Division Master... just don't keep peeking at my memories, alright?"

Qi Yuan gave him a soft smile. "Next time, I promise to kill the alien demons."

The experts sealed their coffins and sunk back into slumber to recover.

Feather stared at Qi Yuan. "Do not forget about the Demon-Slaying Assembly."

Qi Yuan nodded firmly in response.

Dragon Judge rumbled, "I've spoken with the Yinyang Forbidden Zone. Defeat the Flower Burial Fairy, and the forbidden zone will be yours. They too will give you a Divine Reflection. With the Wedding Garment Empress at your side, besting the Flower Burial Fairy will be no issue. After that, take three hundred years to digest what you can."

"Thank you, Senior." As Qi Yuan prepared to leave, he added with a grin, "you know, Senior, when you were young, you were actually kind of cute."

Dragon Judge froze, his face flushing red. Even the thick beard couldn't hide it.

Qi Yuan laughed and turned away.

Feather glanced at Dragon Judge. "Shave the beard before the Demon-Slaying Assembly, or people will think you're just an ugly brute."

"Get lost!" Dragon Judge roared. "That brat, I'd love to drag him back and spar with him!"

Feather's gaze grew distant. "You may no longer be his match. Who knows how far he'll develop in three hundred years?"

Dragon Judge fell quiet, a little despondent. "Three hundred years is too short. Give him three thousand, and the alien demons would no longer be a threat."

Feather plucked a fallen feather from his robe. "Time... I almost hope he doesn't come to the Demon-Slaying Assembly in three hundred years."

Dragon Judge chuckled.

Feather murmured, "I cast a divination and saw only death at the Demon-Slaying Academy three hundred years later."

"...Then he truly shouldn't go," Dragon Judge said at last. "The boy's clever. He swore only to slay the alien demons, not to attend the Demon-Slaying Assembly. These old monkeys saw through his trick but chose not to call him out."

Feather asked. "Are monkeys truly so sly?"

***

Qi Yuan held her close as they traveled toward the Yinyang Forbidden Zone. "Little Bride, do you think I can defeat the alien demons?"

She said nothing, but from her sleeve slid a wooden plaque. Her hand slipped into his.

"You'll grind mobs with me too, won't you?" Qi Yuan asked, suddenly embarrassed. "I really do feel guilty toward the NPCs... Seems I'm still not shameless enough. But I have to beat the final boss no matter what!"

His mind quickly leaped from the alien demons to the Yinyang Forbidden Zone.

"I heard everyone there speak strangely. If I mimic them, will they beat me up? Also, what if I pick up their way of speaking after receiving their Divine Reflection?"

After chatting with Little Bride for a while, his spirits lifted. He felt lucky. When he had been sick, he'd had no one to talk to. Then came Jin Li and now, Little Bride. Thinking of her, he opened his chat with Jin Li.

Her messages had piled up to 99+ messages.

She wrote that she’d taken full control of Southern Qian with the Garment Forbidden Army. Now, her armies surrounded the Heaven-Fate Holy Sect. Once she settled the issue with the Heaven-Fate Holy Sect and Demon Race, she’d abdicate her throne and go to meet him under the Ancient Qichun tree.

"Looks like I need to hurry up."

A girl willing to give up her throne just to meet me... Isn't that like deliberately tanking your college exam just to end up in the same school?

By then, Qi Yuan had already stepped into the Yinyang Forbidden Zone. This place was half night and half day, with the two cycling endlessly, which reminded him of the Blue Planet. Only, the Yinyang Forbidden Zone wasn't a sphere. Even flying up high, he could see it wasn't round.

"Defeat the Flower Burial Fairy, then gain the Divine Reflection. This part is fine. But how do I dominate the forbidden zone itself?"

He didn't want to keep being an Elder Killer. And unlike the Metal Ancestor or Water Ancestor, the Yinyang Forbidden Zone had no living spirits to bond with. That made seizing control far trickier.

At that moment, someone said by his ear, "Garment Division Master, you've come!"

It was a woman with flowing black hair. Her beauty was biting cold, and she seemed to have a fragile, broken grace.

"Flower Burial Fairy?" Qi Yuan realized his opponent was here.

"Defeat me, and the Yinyang Forbidden Zone will be yours," she said coldly.

Without another word, she launched an attack.