Chapter 77 Cheng Yankun

At this moment, the atmosphere was extremely tense. The air around seemed to have solidified, and a heavy sense of murderous intent permeated the air.

Shangguan Hao stood upright, his eyes vigilant. He had already tightly grasped his long saber, and a faint flow of spiritual power surrounded him as he was ready to strike at any moment.

Ye Xiaoke had long sensed the threat from the other party and quietly took out several hidden weapons, fully prepared.

Zhao Meng and the others were eager to have a go, waiting for Jiang Li's command to charge forward.

Jiang Li composed himself and said softly,"There is no deep - seated hatred between us. Why be so hostile? Just say directly what you want to do. I, Jiang Li, believe I have always been upright. If I have offended you in any way, we can discuss a solution."

Upon hearing this, the man was stunned at first, then, as if he had heard the most ridiculous joke, he burst into laughter, looking up to the sky. The laughter echoed on the empty official road, harsh and cold.

When the laughter stopped, he still had an arrogant look on his face, not concealing the contempt in his heart at all."Discuss? Humph, do you think you're worthy to discuss with me? What I want to do is, of course, kill you! You're nothing but a stepping - stone on my path to ascendancy, forever to be trampled under my feet!"

The atmosphere became even more oppressive. The air seemed to have solidified completely. Everyone could clearly feel the overwhelming murderous intent spreading around, as if it were tangible, weighing heavily on their hearts.

The intense hostility made everyone feel as if they had thorns on their backs, as if they were in an ice cellar, with a chill rushing from the soles of their feet straight to the top of their heads.

A cold glint flashed in Jiang Li's eyes. He was even more certain that the person in front of him was by no means an ordinary figure. Judging from his mysterious aura and this intense hostility without any apparent reason, his background was probably extraordinary.

However, things had reached this point, and there was likely no other way out. They could only respond as the situation demanded.

Just then, the man suddenly formed a strange hand seal with both hands. A circle of dark blue light appeared around his body. At first, it was just a faint layer, but in the blink of an eye, it spread out like a surging tide in all directions.

As the light expanded, everyone was astonished to find that the surrounding scene began to change in a strange way.

On both sides of the originally desolate official road, huge black mirrors appeared out of nowhere. These mirrors towered into the clouds, with their surfaces as smooth as mirrors, yet exuding an indescribable eeriness. Faintly reflected in them were the distorted figures of everyone.

"Humph, today I'll let you experience the power of my 'Mirror Realm Prison'. You all just stay trapped here and wait for me to deal with you slowly, especially you, Jiang Li!"

A smug and sinister grin spread across the man's face. His expression suggested that he could already envision Jiang Li and the others struggling pitifully within this Mirror Realm.

Everyone was taken aback. Without hesitation, Zhao Meng brandished the big saber in his hand and swung it at the nearest mirror. There was a loud "clang" as the saber struck the mirror. Unexpectedly, a huge force rebounded, causing Zhao Meng's虎口(tiger's mouth, referring to the area between the thumb and index finger) to go numb. He staggered back several steps before managing to regain his balance.

"Hahaha, don't waste your efforts. In my Mirror Realm, you can't escape. Each of these mirrors can absorb your spiritual power, gradually draining your strength. And then..." As the man spoke, he slowly walked towards Jiang Li, his eyes filled with mockery and cruelty.

The Mirror Realm Prison had completely enveloped the entire space. The dark blue light, refracted through the huge black mirrors, created a strange illusion. Everyone was trapped in an endless black nightmare.

The man looked at the scene in front of him, grinning with full confidence and a hint of sarcasm."Hahaha, Jiang Li, you people might as well resign yourselves to being prisoners in my Mirror Realm! Watching you have nowhere to run and gradually exhaust your spiritual power really makes me feel extremely pleased."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Meng spat disdainfully."Bah! Just with this hocus - pocus of yours, you think you can trap us? I, Zhao Meng, will surely smash these damned mirrors today!"

"Hey, hey, Brother Meng, calm down," Zhang Shuo quickly grabbed Zhao Meng and whispered,"Look, these mirrors aren't ordinary. We should wait for Young Master to come up with a countermeasure before taking action. Otherwise, we'll just be giving our spiritual power to him for free!"

"Keep arguing," the man sneered even more."Struggling is useless. Once the Mirror Realm is formed, it's like an airtight cage. You'll end up being crushed like little ants."

Jiang Li slightly narrowed his eyes, calculating the situation in his mind.

At this moment, the man's eyes were filled with contempt and laxity. He slowly approached Jiang Li, as if he couldn't wait to see Jiang Li's desperate struggle.

Jiang Li sneered inwardly and deliberately put on a slightly confused look. He turned to Zhao Meng and the others and said,"It seems we really have to find a way to surrender. This master has profound cultivation. What do you think we should do?"

"What?!" Zhao Meng was stunned, looking at Jiang Li in amazement."You're not the kind of person who gives up, Young Master! You always have a way, don't you?"

Jiang Li spread his hands."There is a way, of course. However, I need to figure out the details of these mirrors first. Look at this mirror; there seems to be something off about it..."

As he spoke, a cold glint flashed in his eyes. He had acutely noticed that the reflection angles of some of the mirrors in the Mirror Realm were slightly different from the others.

Jiang Li quickly adjusted his state of mind and slowly channeled a part of his spiritual power and soul - power into one of the mirrors.

As the spiritual power was infused, the light of that mirror began to tremble slightly, as if a tiny crack had appeared.

The man didn't notice this. He continued to approach triumphantly and sneered, saying,"Jiang Li, stop struggling. Just let me send you on your way. When the time comes, I'll take 'good care' of your friends here."

Jiang Li smiled and deliberately shouted in a panicked voice,"Oh, my goodness, Master. Your words are really terrifying. Xiaoke, did you hear that? He's going to 'take good care' of us!"

Ye Xiaoke glared at him, but said,"Brother Jiang, don't tease me! I don't want this kind of 'good care'!" As she spoke, she quickly took out several hidden weapons and aimed them at the reflective area of the mirror."Let's see if there are any flaws in this mirror!"

Seeing this, Jiang Li had an idea and shouted,"Everyone, spread out and attack these mirrors from all directions! Especially the areas where the reflections seem off!"

As he finished speaking, strands of invisible soul power emanated from Jiang Li and attached to everyone present.

Shangguan Hao reacted immediately. He drew his long sword and, pushing his sword energy to the limit, slashed at the mirror from one side of the Mirror Realm.

Lin Xiao also quickly gathered his spiritual power and used his force to strike at the cracks.

The light in the Mirror Realm gradually became unstable, and the cracks grew larger and larger.

The man's face turned ugly. He looked at Jiang Li in astonishment."How could you... It's impossible!"

"Oh? Why is it impossible?" Jiang Li smiled slightly and increased the intensity of the spiritual power in his hands."It seems this Mirror Realm isn't that solid after all. Master, do you want me to help you fix it?"

The man flew into a rage. He quickly formed hand seals with both hands, losing the calm demeanor he had earlier. He shouted,"Trying to break my Mirror Realm? You're daydreaming!" As his hand seals changed, another wave rippled through the Mirror Realm, attempting to stabilize the widening cracks.

But how could Jiang Li give him the chance? He rapidly circulated the Ren Yuan True Scripture in his body. Using the method of "yin - yang balance", he guided his spiritual power into the interior of the Mirror Realm, countering the man's power. In an instant, the Mirror Realm couldn't bear the load, and the cracks spread like a spider's web.

Ye Xiaoke and the others were directly sucked in by the cracks and returned to their physical bodies outside.

Seeing that the Mirror Realm he had painstakingly set up was starting to go out of control, a trace of unease flashed in the man's eyes. He shouted,"No, it's impossible! How could this be!"