The Mirror Master

The moment the Cyan Cloud Sword was unsheathed, the six Ghost Souls moved at once.

Carpenter Zhang wore a ferocious expression, his eyes filled with venomous hatred. He spread his arms, floated in midair, and lunged at Lu Bai.

Lu Bai thrust his sword forward.

The blade’s glint was sharp and cold as it instantly pierced through Carpenter Zhang’s body.

But Lu Bai felt as if he had stabbed into thin air, meeting no resistance at all.

Completely unaffected, Carpenter Zhang had already closed the distance, coming face-to-face with Lu Bai, just inches away!

A gust of Yin Qi blasted him in the face!

’Martial Arts Techniques are useless against these Ghost Souls!’

Lu Bai’s heart skipped a beat, but he didn’t panic.

That strike had been a probe, after all.

To truly deal with these kinds of Ghost Souls, he would have to rely on the Ancient Mirror in his chest.

Without further hesitation, Lu Bai circulated his Blood Qi to stimulate the Ancient Mirror.

In that instant, his chest seemed to transform into a bottomless abyss—cold, dark, and unfathomably deep!

Stimulated by the Blood Qi, the Ancient Mirror emitted a dark light that fell upon the lunging Carpenter Zhang.

The dark light erupted with a powerful suction, pulling Carpenter Zhang’s Ghost Soul toward Lu Bai’s chest!

The venomous hatred in Carpenter Zhang’s eyes vanished, replaced by endless terror.

He tried to struggle and retreat, but he was completely unable to resist the Ancient Mirror’s pull.

After struggling for only a moment, his entire soul transformed into a thin strand of Soul Light and vanished into Lu Bai’s chest.

Meanwhile, the Black Dog pounced on Madam Zhang, who was holding the infant.

The Black Dog passed right through her. Madam Zhang’s Ghost Soul flickered, dimming noticeably.

But she continued to charge toward Lu Bai.

She happened to rush right into the Ancient Mirror as it activated, and she was enveloped by the dark light radiating from its surface.

In the blink of an eye, her Ghost Soul and that of the infant in her arms followed Carpenter Zhang’s into the Ancient Mirror.

Having collected three Ghost Souls in one go, Lu Bai’s spirits soared.

Seeing this, the boy’s Ghost Soul across from him was terrified and floated backward, moving out of the range of the Ancient Mirror’s dark light.

This time, Lu Bai noticed that although the Ancient Mirror could devour Ghost Souls, it had a limited range.

’Perhaps it’s related to the strength of my Blood Qi.’

Currently, the Ancient Mirror’s dark light could reach about a foot in front of him. The farther the distance, the weaker its suction on the Ghost Souls.

Lu Bai quickly stepped forward, trying to get closer to the boy’s Ghost Soul, but he suddenly felt a chill on his back and feet.

His legs felt as if they were sinking into a swamp, and his movements became sluggish.

Lu Bai realized that the other two children’s Ghost Souls had latched onto him!

One was clinging to his back, the other wrapped around his legs.

Lu Bai bent down, intending to use the Ancient Mirror’s dark light to devour the Ghost Soul on his legs first.

The Ghost Soul, knowing the danger, quickly circled around to Lu Bai’s back.

The Ancient Mirror could devour Ghost Souls, but since it was embedded in his chest, it could only shine forward.

Once a Ghost Soul was on his back and refused to leave, the Ancient Mirror became useless.

The Black Dog chased after the boy’s Ghost Soul up ahead.

The Ghost Soul, knowing it was no match, passed its spiritual form through the wall and went outside.

The Black Dog was blocked inside the house. It pawed restlessly at the door, letting out low whimpers.

Lu Bai strode forward and opened the door.

The Black Dog shot out like an arrow, but the boy’s Ghost Soul floated back in through a nearby window.

Accompanied by a gust of Yin Qi, the boy’s Ghost Soul brushed past Lu Bai.

By the time Lu Bai turned around to face the boy’s Ghost Soul with the Ancient Mirror on his chest, the Ghost Soul had already drifted to the other side, avoiding the range of the Ancient Mirror’s dark light and putting distance between itself and Lu Bai.

Just then, Lu Bai swayed slightly, feeling dizzy and light-headed.

Activating the Ancient Mirror for so long had consumed a great deal of Blood Qi, and signs of Blood Qi deficiency were beginning to appear.

And this was after seven days of relentless, arduous cultivation to reach the First Level of the Root Bone Stage.

If this had been seven days ago, he wouldn’t have lasted this long.

On top of that, with two Ghost Souls still clinging to him and emitting waves of cold, Lu Bai’s hands and feet grew icy, and he broke out in a cold sweat!

Lu Bai quickly retracted his Blood Qi, temporarily deactivating the Ancient Mirror.

’If this keeps up,’ he thought, ’the Ancient Mirror will drain my Blood Qi dry before I can devour these last three Ghost Souls!’

Although the Ancient Mirror was inactive, the crisis was far from over.

Lu Bai’s eyes began to sting, and tears streamed down his face uncontrollably, blurring his vision.

’The Eye of Illusion has a time limit!’

Lu Bai quickly realized that at his current level of cultivation, his eyes couldn’t withstand using the Eye of Illusion for an extended period.

’I have to deal with these three evil spirits as quickly as possible!’

Lu Bai’s heart pounded with alarm.

The boy’s Ghost Soul seemed to sense Lu Bai’s weakness and began to tentatively approach him.

In Lu Bai’s vision, although he could still see the boy’s Ghost Soul, it now appeared in a state completely different from before!

The boy’s Ghost Soul was engulfed in flames. Its skin was like wax thrown into a furnace, melting and dripping off in large patches to reveal charred flesh and bone beneath.

The flesh on one side of its face had been incinerated, exposing a blackened gum line and a grotesque cheekbone.

Its other, remaining eye was just a deformed, burned-out socket. There was no eyeball, only a patch of congealed, murky grease staring lifelessly at Lu Bai!

The sight was so horrifyingly gruesome it made Lu Bai’s scalp tingle.

’This must have been the boy’s wretched state right before he died.’

Normally, under the power of the Eye of Illusion, all of this would have dissipated, reduced to a mere illusion.

But now, with the Eye of Illusion’s effect greatly diminished, he could still see the Ghost Soul, but he could no longer dispel this terrifying phantasm.

"Give me back my life!"

A venomous voice echoed in Lu Bai’s ears.

It felt as if someone was breathing on the back of his neck, and every hair on his body stood on end.

The chill on Lu Bai’s body grew more intense. As his vision blurred further, his consciousness began to fade.

A black shadow seemed to flash by his side, crashing into the Cyan Cloud Sword in his hand.

*Squelch!*

The sword sliced through flesh and blood.

A flash of blood!

"Aaargh!"

A shrill, ghostly wail seemed to ring in Lu Bai’s ears.

Lu Bai focused his gaze and saw what had happened.

It was the Black Dog that had just run into the Cyan Cloud Sword, injuring itself.

The wound wasn’t deep, only about an inch long, but the Black Dog’s blood had splattered onto the boy’s Ghost Soul.

The Ghost Soul seemed to be in extreme agony. Black smoke poured from its body as it struggled and twisted, its Soul Body fading significantly!

According to folklore, Black Dog Blood can suppress certain evil entities.

And it was true!

Lu Bai’s spirits were lifted. He strode forward, circulating his Blood Qi to stimulate the Ancient Mirror.

A dark light radiated from his chest, instantly dragging the boy’s Ghost Soul inside.

Lu Bai glanced at the Black Dog Blood staining his Cyan Cloud Sword. A flash of inspiration struck him, and he swung the sword in a reverse grip, slashing behind himself.

"Aaargh!"

Another bloodcurdling scream rang out.

Lu Bai suddenly felt a weight lift from his body.

He quickly turned to see a Ghost Soul, wounded by the Cyan Cloud Sword, falling off his back and trying to flee.

The Ancient Mirror’s dark light enveloped it in an instant!

This Ghost Soul was devoured by the Ancient Mirror with barely a struggle.

As long as a ghost or evil spirit was injured, the Ancient Mirror could devour it much more smoothly and quickly!

The last Ghost Soul sensed the danger and had already fled, floating to the doorway.

"Where do you think you’re going!"

Lu Bai shouted.

He tossed the Cyan Cloud Sword into the air, caught it in a reverse grip, and hurled it forward with all his might!

The sword flashed through the air.

The Cyan Cloud Sword tore through the void, instantly piercing the Ghost Soul’s body and pinning it to the doorframe!

Under normal circumstances, the Cyan Cloud Sword was just an ordinary weapon. It had no power to exorcise ghosts or ward off evil, let alone harm Ghost Souls and other evil spirits.

But coated in the blood of the Black Dog, it could now inflict heavy damage on these Ghost Souls!

Lu Bai hurried to the door, activated the Ancient Mirror, and devoured this final Ghost Soul.

After all was said and done, Lu Bai was drenched in sweat, his face pale.

Activating the Ancient Mirror repeatedly had consumed a massive amount of his Blood Qi.

Furthermore, having been entangled by the Ghost Souls, Yin Qi had invaded his body. Now his hands and feet were ice-cold, and he was dizzy and disoriented.

Lu Bai could barely stand. He had to lean against the doorframe just to support himself.

Though physically and mentally exhausted, his Blood Qi severely depleted, Lu Bai was incredibly excited, and his eyes shone brightly.

A full six wisps of Soul Light!

’If I use these well, they’ll give me a huge boost!’

’This is also the perfect chance to verify my previous theories about the Ancient Mirror.’