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The real Tian Yuan was certainly not a child. He had stepped into the Golden Core realm twelve thousand years ago and had lived for over a century before his soul was trapped within the Eight Trigrams Mirror. Having been confined for so long, his spirit had gradually regressed into its current form.

His death had been unwilling and unjust, and being imprisoned within the Eight Trigrams Mirror for over ten millennia had only worsened his torment. Even after finally breaking free from the back mountain, he still could not leave Chenjia Village. This place was a curse—one that bound him so completely that escape seemed impossible. Since he could not be free, he had no intention of letting anyone else live in peace.

The thousands of lives in Chenjia Village became the first targets of his vengeance after his long imprisonment. As corpses once again littered the land, his cycle of obsession and death only grew stronger.

One cultivator after another wandered into the village—just like he had done all those years ago—and none ever left. Each one became part of the intricate death trap he had woven.

Yet, beyond revenge, what Tian Yuan longed for the most was true liberation. Thus, for any outsider hoping to break the cycle, there was only one way—to uncover the truth behind this cursed cycle and help him escape the Eight Trigrams Mirror. Only by leaving Chenjia Village—the prison that had held him captive for twelve thousand years—could he finally be free.

After hearing everything, Zhang Yiyi found herself at a loss for words.

"Pitiful people always have something detestable about them."

This saying applied not only to the old residents of Chenjia Village but also to Tian Yuan himself.

As a victim, it was understandable that he had killed the men, women, and children who had deceived and betrayed him twelve thousand years ago. That was his rightful revenge.

But now, twelve thousand years later, he had once again massacred thousands of innocent people—those who currently lived in the village—and he had also entrapped and slain countless cultivators. Such wanton slaughter could no longer be justified.

What had happened all those years ago had been the fault of the villagers. Their selfishness, cruelty, and treachery had led to the deaths of many innocent people, including Tian Yuan.

But now, was he any different from them?

Who would bring justice to the countless innocent souls he had slaughtered?

Zhang Yiyi did not believe that Tian Yuan's centuries of suffering and resentment could absolve him of the sins he now committed. A spirit already bound and imprisoned for its past was now weighed down by even greater karmic debts. True liberation would only be harder for him.

Of course, she was not foolish enough to say this aloud. Tian Yuan was no longer the righteous young man he had once been.

His hatred and resentment had brewed for over ten thousand years, solidifying into an unshakable obsession. This was not a simple matter of right or wrong.

After a long pause, Tian Yuan stared directly into her eyes and spoke, as if he had seen through her thoughts:

"You think what I'm doing now is no different from what the villagers did to me back then, don't you?"

Before she could answer, he let out a cold chuckle, his gaze sharp:

"And so what if it is? If you had suffered everything I have—been trapped for twelve thousand years—can you guarantee you wouldn't do the same?"

His voice was heavy with resentment.

"Heaven and earth are cruel, treating all things as mere pawns! I only hate that I was too weak—that I allowed myself to be confined here for millennia, unable to live or die!"

Compared to his own agony, what did a few thousand more deaths matter? His obsession had long since become madness. The single flaw in this death cycle existed only as his last chance at freedom—it was not some merciful gift to outsiders.

Tian Yuan made no effort to hide his darkness from Zhang Yiyi. He knew she was clever enough to understand the truth.

If she could not help him break free, then her fate would be the same as the others—trapped forever.

Zhang Yiyi met his gaze, unshaken. "I won't argue right or wrong—I am in no position to judge you."

She had no desire to debate morality with a spirit whose obsession had already turned demonic. The most pressing matter was her own survival—everything else came after.

"You've mentioned more than once that you need my help to escape," she continued, her voice calm. "But the truth is, I don't even know where to begin."

She highly doubted that Tian Yuan had told her everything just to vent. There had to be another reason.

Tian Yuan's gaze flickered, but he nodded, unfazed by her admission of ignorance.

"You must first locate the true form of the Eight Trigrams Mirror," he instructed. "Only by subduing the mirror itself can you free my soul from its confines."

His eyes studied her closely. "Of course, once my soul is freed, you will also need a vessel to temporarily contain and nourish it. The rest—I will handle myself. That is all you need to do."

Zhang Yiyi asked the most crucial question. "Where is the true form of the Eight Trigrams Mirror?"

She had already formed a plan. While she did not trust Tian Yuan entirely, she understood that much of what he said was likely true.

"The Great Pagoda Tree. That tree is the Eight Trigrams Mirror's true form."

He did not conceal this information—because it was far too important to him.

Zhang Yiyi pondered for a moment before asking, "What about the vessel? Does it have any specific requirements?"

"Would something like Spiritwood work? Or do you need a living host?"

Tian Yuan let out a mocking laugh. "Spiritwood will do—I have no need for a living body."

Seeing her hesitation, his gaze turned sharp. "Don't worry, I have no intention of possessing you."

Zhang Yiyi raised an eyebrow. "Twelve thousand years ago, you were merely at the Golden Core realm, correct? Without reaching the Nascent Soul stage, soul possession is nearly impossible.

Besides, after being suppressed for so long, your soul must be severely damaged. Even if you had the method to possess someone, I doubt you could do it anytime soon."

"......"

Tian Yuan was stunned into silence.

Whether she had said it intentionally or not, Zhang Yiyi's blunt analysis rendered him speechless.

If he didn't need her help so desperately, he would have killed her on the spot.

Instead, he gritted his teeth and growled, "Enough useless talk! Can you do what I ask or not?"

His cold gaze locked onto her.

"I will temporarily halt the death cycle for the time it takes to burn an incense stick. During that time, all illusions will fade—you will see reality.

Find the true Eight Trigrams Mirror, subdue it, free my soul, and place it in a vessel. Once that is done, the death cycle will be broken."

Zhang Yiyi did not hesitate. "Alright."

Tian Yuan's eyes flickered at her quick response, but he said nothing.

Instead, he turned around—and vanished.

At that moment, the world around them shifted.

The once-empty clearing was now filled with corpses.

The stench of blood was suffocating.

These were the villagers of Chenjia Village—the very people who had sent the distress talisman to the Wang family a few days ago.

Which meant—the countdown had begun.

Zhang Yiyi ignored the corpses entirely. She turned and walked toward the Great Pagoda Tree.

Lu Qiao followed in silence.

"Can we really trust him?" Lu Qiao whispered through their telepathic link.

"No." Zhang Yiyi responded without hesitation.

Lu Qiao tensed. "Then what's your plan?"

Zhang Yiyi did not stop walking. "First, we take control of the Eight Trigrams Mirror. Everything else—we'll deal with as it comes."

The real game of wits had just begun.

Zhang Yiyi dared not take any risks and quickly called out to stop it.

In truth, she wasn't even sure if she had the ability to halt the bronze mirror. After all, it had never formally acknowledged her as its master.

Fortunately, luck was on her side this time. The bronze mirror obediently paused the moment she spoke. The Eight Trigrams Mirror, which had been on the verge of being fully absorbed, froze just inches away, completely immobilized.

Seeing this, Zhang Yiyi let out a breath of relief.

It seemed that the Eight Trigrams Mirror was a great source of nourishment for the bronze mirror. Over the past year, she hadn't encountered anything that had caught its interest enough to strengthen it. If she could feed the Eight Trigrams Mirror to it without any lingering concerns, she would gladly do so.

"Mirror," Zhang Yiyi said, her tone steady, "there's still a trapped soul inside that Eight Trigrams Mirror. Can you extract it separately first?"

As she spoke, she rummaged through her storage ring. Sure enough, she found a piece of Spiritwood—a high-quality one, at that—perfect for housing Tian Yuan's soul.

The bronze mirror seemed to understand her words. A moment later, a dim, yellowish glow emanated from its surface and shot directly at the Eight Trigrams Mirror.

The Eight Trigrams Mirror trembled violently, as though on the verge of shattering.

However, it did not actually break apart. Instead, as time passed, its trembling persisted, but its once-glossy surface grew increasingly dull and dim.

With a sudden whoosh, a glowing wisp shot out from the mirror.

Before anyone could react, the wisp streaked through the air with astonishing speed—heading straight for Zhang Yiyi's forehead.

"Watch out!"

Lu Qiao's face paled in horror. She realized too late that Tian Yuan's soul intended to forcefully possess Zhang Yiyi, but she had no time to stop it.

Thankfully, Zhang Yiyi had been prepared.

The very instant the glowing soul wisp burst from the Eight Trigrams Mirror, she flung the Spiritwood in her hand with pinpoint accuracy—directly intercepting the incoming soul.

"Seal!"

With a swift motion, Zhang Yiyi performed a sealing technique, sending waves of brilliant white light surging around the soul wisp, forcefully compressing Tian Yuan's spirit into the Spiritwood.

"No!"

A piercing scream erupted from within the light—filled with boundless unwillingness and rage.

But no matter how much he struggled, he could not break free.

Within moments, Tian Yuan's soul was completely sealed inside the Spiritwood.

Zhang Yiyi swiftly reinforced the seal with additional layers, then retrieved a pre-prepared talisman and firmly affixed it to the Spiritwood, ensuring it would remain tightly secured.

Only after completing all these precautions did she truly exhale in relief.

At the same time, her bronze mirror let out a faint hum—and with a single motion, devoured the Eight Trigrams Mirror whole.