Chapter 935: Mirror Image (II)

The Sword Emperor and Jiang Yuebai arrived not long after. Both were surprised to see that the matter had been resolved so smoothly. When the Whale-Riding Immortal gave all the credit to Chu Liang, the Sword Emperor was even more astonished. Jiang Yuebai, however, didn’t look surprised at all.

Anyone who had spent enough time around Chu Liang would eventually grow numb to the string of miracles that surrounded him. In the end, they would simply accept that some people were born different.

Without taking a break, the group continued on their way. After passing through the fog-shrouded Devil-Slaying Ravine and traveling another eight hundred li, they finally arrived at Watermoon Cave.

According to the map, the Divine Ruins Monastery would come into view as soon as they passed through the cave.

After a swift journey, the group came to a sudden stop. What lay before them was a breathtaking sight.

A mountain of unimaginable height rose into the sky. In the barren lands of the Divine Ruins, towering peaks were not unusual. But this one was different. Its entire form had been carved into the image of a bodhisattva.

The bodhisattva sat in silent stillness, a cleansing vessel in its left hand and a sacred sword in its right. One embodied mercy as gentle as flowing water, the other held the sharp edge of a vajra blade.

Even eighth-realm cultivators, upon gazing up at the mountain shaped like a bodhisattva, could not help but feel small. If just its image held such power, it was hard to imagine what the true form must have been like.

This was not a being of the mortal world.

"Where is this Watermoon Cave supposed to be?" the Sword Emperor of the West Sea suddenly asked.

The mountain shaped like a bodhisattva was awe-inspiring, and the journey here felt worthwhile just for the sight alone. But this was no sightseeing trip. There was supposed to be a cave in the area, yet there was no trace of one in sight.

The bodhisattva-shaped mountain stood alone, its presence so overwhelming that it suppressed all surrounding terrain. There were no other peaks or rivers nearby. If the Watermoon Cave existed, it could only be hidden somewhere within this place.

"Maybe it’s hidden inside the mountain?" Chu Liang wondered aloud.

He flew forward but was immediately met with an overwhelming pressure. This mountain could not be breached by force.

Jiang Yuebai rose into the air and looked down at the cleansing vessel in the bodhisattva’s palm.

After a brief pause, she said softly, "Maybe it’s here."

Everyone gathered around her. The enormous vessel was completely empty. Its surface was almost crystal-clear, and the bottom could be seen at a glance. There was no sign of any passage within.

Still, no one present was slow to understand. The moment they heard her suggestion, realization set in.

"How marvelous and profound," the Whale-Riding Immortal said with a faint smile.

"So clever," Chu Liang added, grinning as he praised Jiang Yuebai.

"Indeed..." The Sword Emperor scratched his head. "But as clever as that may be, could someone explain it to me?"

The Sword Emperor had attained the Dao through the sword, and his perception was by no means lacking. However, when it came to quick thinking and insight, he still fell a step behind the three from Mount Shu.

Chu Liang waved his hand with a smile. In an instant, the wind howled, dark clouds rolled in, and rain poured into the vessel. The Whale-Riding Immortal raised his hand and snapped his fingers. A crisp sound echoed through the air, and a rift opened in the sky. A beam of silver-white moonlight descended from above.

One performed Invoking the Tempest, and the other performed Stealing the Sky and Replacing the Sun!

For those who had grasped a Great Dao, techniques like these were as effortless as lifting a hand.

Finally, the Whale-Riding Immortal turned to the Sword Emperor and said, "How could there be a Watermoon Cave if there is no water or moonlight?"

As the rainwater filled the vessel and moonlight shone down upon it, a soft silver light spread across the surface. A moment later, a sharp burst of divine light shot upward with a resounding whoosh.

"Your girl’s really sharp," the Sword Emperor said at last. "She took one look and saw it right away."

"It wasn’t just a guess," Chu Liang added. "This bodhisattva mountain has been standing here for tens of thousands of years. The vessel is open to the sky, yet there isn’t a single speck of dust inside. That alone tells you something is off."

The Whale-Riding Immortal added, "If this really is the entrance to the Divine Ruins Monastery, then it all makes sense."

"Well, I see you’ve all figured it out..." The Sword Emperor looked at the three of them, then gave an awkward chuckle. "Maybe you really are one big family."

The Whale-Riding Immortal leapt into the beam of divine light, and the other three immediately followed.

Whoosh!

...

With a flash of divine light, Chu Liang landed atop a body of crystal-clear water.

He had never seen water so clear. As he descended, he almost thought he was landing on a mirror. But aside from the water beneath his feet, there was nothing else. Darkness stretched out endlessly in every direction.

Tap.

As his foot touched down, a soft sound echoed across the still surface, and gentle ripples spread beneath him.

The Whale-Riding Immortal, Jiang Yuebai, and the Sword Emperor were nowhere in sight. Chu Liang quickly realized that he had entered a hidden realm or fallen into an enchanted formation.

Whatever this place was, he would have to overcome the trial before he could reunite with the others.

He looked around cautiously. In front of him, the rippling water began to stir again, and a humanoid figure slowly emerged from its depths. As the water slid away, the figure’s face came into view.

It was his own.

"Heh." Chu Liang chuckled softly. "Pretty convincing. I can't even tell the difference. So I have to defeat you before I can leave?

"Correct," the other Chu Liang replied. "I also have to defeat you to get out."

The other Chu Liang spoke with the exact same tone and voice.

Chu Liang raised an eyebrow and asked, "What’s that supposed to mean? Even if you could leave, do you think you could replace me and live my life in my place?"

The mirror image met his gaze and replied calmly, "There is no replacement. I am you."

Chu Liang gave no response. It didn’t matter if the figure could copy his appearance and voice. There were things it could never copy.

The White Pagoda alone was something no other being could replicate.

With full confidence, Chu Liang charged forward, his body turning into a streak of lightning as he launched a powerful punch.

The figure mirrored his movement, raising its own fist as the same yang lightning flashed across its knuckles.

Boooooom!

After a deafening boom, Chu Liang was sent flying and crashed into the surface of the lake with great force.

"Cough..." He sputtered, choking on a mouthful of water before springing back up. He twisted his right wrist and felt a wave of numbness and pain run through it.

The opponent’s yang lightning was actually stronger than his own.

"You can even copy the Great Dao of Divine Clouds?" Chu Liang asked in surprise.

"Your hidden techniques might fool everyone else," the mirror image said calmly, raising a hand as he reflected, "but they cannot deceive the laws of this realm. You’ve become the master of such a powerful Great Dao, yet you haven’t taken the time to cultivate it properly. What a waste."

Chu Liang’s expression darkened.

Ever since he had become the master of the Great Dao of Divine Clouds with the help of the Large-Headed Doll, he had never taken the time to truly study it. He had yet to develop any divine techniques of his own, and he still had not grasped the Dao’s deeper meaning.

The truth was that he simply hadn’t had the time.

Up until now, the surge in raw spiritual energy he had gained after reaching the eighth realm had been enough to overcome every powerful opponent he encountered. Because of that, he had never felt any real urgency to deepen his understanding of the Dao.

Yet now, this mirror image had copied everything about him and still seemed to understand the Great Dao of Divine Clouds better than he did.

This was becoming troublesome.

He activated the Dragon God's Orb, drawing its power into himself. In an instant, divine lightning surged across his body, and he turned into a streak of light once more!

At the moment, the Dragon God's Orb was undoubtedly his strongest trump card.

Divine lightning, unleashed without restraint!

He thought that even if the White Pagoda was set aside, the Dragon God's Orb alone was the kind of treasure that could not be easily copied. These were the keys to his victory.

It was true that the mirror image had not unleashed the power of the Dragon God's Orb. However, with a sweep of its right hand, lightning coiled around Chu Liang’s fist like a flood dragon and twisted sharply, breaking apart his heavy strike.

Then, with a slash of its left hand, it delivered a saber-like blow to Chu Liang’s ribs.

Booooooooooooom!

The blow nearly pierced through his chest and abdomen. Fortunately, Chu Liang’s physical body was just as absurdly tough as his cultivation. He only spat out a mouthful of golden divine blood.

"Ugh..." He forced himself free from the opponent’s grip and retreated a hundred zhang in one breath.

Just moments ago, Chu Liang’s spiritual energy had clearly surpassed that of the mirror image. But the copy had combined martial techniques with the yang lightning of the Great Dao of Divine Clouds. Because it understood that Dao, it could wield its limited power with near-perfect precision. Strength alone was not enough for Chu Liang to overpower such flawless execution.

What made it worse was that the energy of the Great Dao of Divine Clouds was now surging through his body, tearing through his meridians like a rampaging storm and causing internal injuries that would not heal easily.

The true trial of the Watermoon Cave was not simply to defeat himself. It was to overcome an opponent with the same cultivation level, but with a far deeper understanding of the Great Dao he had mastered.

In his current state, if the fight continued, there was only one word that could describe what awaited him.

Danger!