Chapter 496: Chapter 434: Octagonal Ancient Mirror

Zhao Lin was sent flying by the aftershock of the Thousand-Layer Water Spears. He collapsed weakly onto the seabed, his face ashen and blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

Although he had recalled his clone at the last moment, he still failed to evade the mechanism’s attack.

When a clone suffered heavy damage, the main body had to bear the backlash as well.

Zhao Lin’s head felt like it was about to split open, as if struck by lightning. An agonizing pain, like being cut by a thousand knives, wracked his entire body.

After a moment, the Essence Soul of the Pipa Catfish released a white mist. His wounds began to mend, and the pain started to subside.

He struggled to sit up and found himself in a sandy crater, surrounded by the corpses of fish and shrimp.

’I can’t stay here long. If I run into anyone from the Earth Dark Sect, I don’t have the strength for another fight.’

Zhao Lin thought to himself as he glanced at the area blasted by the Thousand-Layer Water Spears. The seabed looked as if it had been plowed, crisscrossed with deep furrows. Countless grains of sand and debris floated in the seawater.

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly saw a beam of light shining out from the darkness.

Zhao Lin thought it was Matsuo’s blade. He hesitated for a moment before staggering over, intending to claim it as a spoil of war.

Only when he got closer did he realize the source of the light wasn’t the blade, but a palm-sized, eight-sided mirror with an ancient design.

"What is this?"

Zhao Lin didn’t remember Matsuo using this Magical Artifact. He felt a flicker of curiosity; despite being hit by such a powerful Magic attack, the mirror was completely unscathed.

He bent down and picked up the mirror. It felt quite heavy in his hand. The surface was smooth and bright, emitting a faint blue halo, and it clearly reflected his face in the pitch-black, lightless depths of the sea.

Zhao Lin turned the mirror over. The back was covered in carved runes. In a blank space on the right, two words were inscribed: Eight Part.

On the left was written: Radiance.

’Eight Part... Radiance Mirror?’

Zhao Lin muttered to himself, sensing a faint fluctuation of Spiritual Power coming from the mirror.

Clearly, this was a Magical Artifact, and not an ordinary one.

’What does "Eight Part" mean? And what about "Radiance"?’

Zhao Lin pondered for a moment, then suddenly recalled that when Matsuo was using his Water Mirror skill, a white light had shot from his palm.

’Could his Magic be related to this mirror?’

’There’s only one way to find out what this mirror does.’

Having made up his mind, Zhao Lin propped the mirror against a rock, retreated a dozen or so steps, and formed a hand seal to cast an Ice Blade Skill. He conjured a small ice blade and shot it toward the eight-sided ancient mirror.

The ice blade traveled in a "Z" pattern and struck the mirror’s surface.

With a soft PHFFT, the ice blade vanished. Immediately after, an ice blade half the original’s size was reflected back.

It was also traveling in a "Z" pattern!

’I get it! This Magical Artifact can reflect attacks!’

Zhao Lin shattered the ice blade with a punch, a look of sudden realization on his face. He finally understood why Matsuo’s Water Mirror skill was so powerful. It was boosted by a Magical Artifact!

Judging from the reflected ice blade, this eight-sided ancient mirror could reflect half of an attack. Combined with the twenty to thirty percent from the Water Mirror skill itself, it was no wonder it could reflect seventy to eighty percent of an attack.

This was definitely a Top Grade Magical Artifact!

Zhao Lin pumped his fist in excitement, his face filled with unconcealable joy.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

This trip out to sea, he had encountered three Transformation Stage cultivators. It had been one heart-stopping moment after another, but the rewards were also extremely handsome.

Both the Thunder Shadow Clone and the eight-sided ancient mirror would greatly enhance his combat strength.

’With Matsuo dead, the outcome of this mission is basically decided...’

Just as Zhao Lin was rejoicing, his expression suddenly changed. His echolocation sense detected five figures rushing toward his location at high speed.

’No doubt about it. They must be Earth Dark Sect cultivators, drawn by the sound of the Thousand-Layer Water Spears.’

His physical injuries had improved somewhat, but the damage to his Divine Sense was not so easily healed. His current strength was roughly equivalent to the fourth or fifth layer of Qi Refining.

’This is when I’m at my weakest. I can’t afford another fight.’

Zhao Lin quickly concealed his aura and fled in the opposite direction.

A short while later, five Earth Dark Sect cultivators arrived at the scene.

The moment they saw the state of the seabed, they understood everything.

"Someone just triggered the mechanism!"

"This trap wasn’t on the map. The Chenghua Sect must have just set it today. Who triggered it?"

"It couldn’t have been... Senior Matsuo, could it?"

"Don’t be ridiculous. Senior Matsuo is so cautious, how could he fall for a trap..."

The five of them conversed as they scattered to search for clues.

"Th-this is... what is this?"

A slightly chubby cultivator pulled a broken blade from a rock crevice and said in astonishment.

"That’s Senior Matsuo’s blade. There are still markings on the hilt."

"Ah, it’s Senior Matsuo’s!"

"That’s right. Senior Matsuo has died for the sect."

Hearing this, the other four walked over. They exchanged glances, their expressions changing.

"What do we do now?"

"What do you mean, ’what do we do’? The Chenghua Sect still has over a dozen cultivators. There’s no way we can hold them off. We should leave, quickly."

"But if we leave, I’m afraid Pearl Shoal will fall to the Chenghua Sect."

"You can’t put it like that. Three Transformation Stage cultivators have been killed in action. What could we possibly do? We should preserve our strength and seek revenge in the future!"

"Brother Hong Er is right. The enemy is too strong. We should avoid a direct confrontation for now..."

After a brief discussion, the five quickly reached an agreement and hastily swam away from Pearl Shoal.

...

"Reporting to the Elders..."

A deacon staggered into the main hall. The moment he opened his mouth, he immediately felt ten hostile gazes fixed upon his face.

Elder Banzheng’s face was dark. "What is it now?"

The deacon was suddenly reminded of the story about shooting the messenger, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Ooshima San waved his hand. "Forget it. He’s just a messenger. Whatever has happened has nothing to do with him."

His gaze fell on the deacon as he said gently, "Go on, what is it?"

The deacon swallowed hard and said, "Elders, Matsuo’s Soul Lamp has been extinguished."

The five elders were silent.

In truth, from the moment the deacon had entered the hall, they had already guessed the outcome. But hearing the news with their own ears still left them feeling a little lost.

Matsuo had been a Foundation Establishment cultivator for over a hundred years. His mastery of Daoist magic was profound. Even in the Transformation Stage, he could have easily killed an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, yet he too had fallen.

What on earth had happened at Yongdeng Ansha?

"How could this happen? How could this happen!"

Veins throbbed on Banzheng’s forehead as he roared, "My Eight Part Radiance Mirror!"

"What!"

The other four elders were all stunned. One after another, they asked, "You gave him the Eight Part Radiance Mirror?"

Banzheng was speechless for a long moment. After a while, he finally sighed. "In the entire family, Matsuo was the only one who had cultivated the Water Mirror skill to the level of Great Accomplishment."

"He was a loyal servant of the family who had won many merits in battle, and he was a dependable man. So I granted him the use of the Eight Part Radiance Mirror for ten years."

Guan Zhi asked worriedly, "Then what are we to do? That Magical Artifact must be very important to your family, isn’t it?"

Banzheng nodded slowly. "Losing a Magical Artifact is one thing, but the Eight Part Radiance Mirror has been passed down for over three thousand years, through more than forty generations. I absolutely cannot be the one to lose it."

As he spoke, his face twisted into a savage expression. "No matter who has it, I will get it back, no matter the cost!"

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