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Just as the Bagua Mirror was devoured by the bronze mirror, the soul trapped within the Divine Soul Wood—Tian Yuan—could no longer sustain the massive loop of death it had created. The cycle was broken, and everything was undone.

"Is it... over?"

Lu Qiao felt the restraints on her body shatter completely. Sweeping her divine sense over the entire Chen Family Village, she confirmed that they were no longer trapped in the loop—they had truly returned to reality.

"This time, we owe it all to you, Mirror."

Zhang Yiyi beckoned, and the bronze mirror obediently returned to her hand.

After swallowing the Bagua Mirror, the bronze mirror was clearly in a great mood, its surface gleaming with an entirely new luster.

In truth, the Bagua Mirror had been an incredible source of nourishment for it, enhancing its spiritual essence significantly.

However, no matter how great the supplement, its effects were limited—after all, the mirror had suffered severe damage in the past.

The bronze mirror quivered slightly, then affectionately rubbed against Zhang Yiyi's hand, as if saying, "No need to thank me."

Even though the mirror still couldn't communicate directly with Zhang Yiyi, their current understanding was better than ever before.

Moreover, the mirror seemed particularly friendly toward Zhang Yiyi, which delighted her immensely.

"You saved me last time, and I never got the chance to properly thank you. Now, you've helped me again."

Realizing that the bronze mirror could understand her and was so close to her, Zhang Yiyi was beyond excited. "Don't worry, from now on, whatever you want to eat or need, just let me know! I'll get it for you, no complaints!"

The mirror emitted a low hum in response, as if agreeing.

Although Zhang Yiyi couldn't understand it, she could clearly sense the mirror's emotions. The bond between them was one of absolute trust.

Their moment of silent understanding didn't last long. After expressing its joy, the bronze mirror returned to her storage ring.

Having just consumed the Bagua Mirror, it needed time to properly digest and fully integrate its power.

"Sister, your mirror is amazing! Can I take a look at it?"

Lu Qiao's eyes shone with curiosity. Seeing Zhang Yiyi store it away so quickly, she felt a bit reluctant to let it go.

She had never seen such a spiritual artifact before—one that was not only intelligent but also incredibly powerful. It was undoubtedly extraordinary.

"No."

Zhang Yiyi refused her outright.

"...Oh, well, never mind then."

Lu Qiao was clearly disappointed but quickly realized that her request had been a bit too abrupt. Feeling a little embarrassed, she scratched her head and swiftly changed the subject.

"What about Tian Yuan's soul? What do you plan to do with it?"

The death loop had been broken, the Bagua Mirror was gone, and now the only thing left was the sinister soul trapped within the Divine Soul Wood.

"Let me go! Let me go now!"

From inside the Divine Soul Wood, Tian Yuan's enraged voice echoed.

"You wretched girl! What are you planning to do to me?"

"What do you think?"

Zhang Yiyi found it amusing that Tian Yuan's soul still had so much energy left.

This person was truly malicious—he had tried to sneak into her body while she was distracted. Clearly, his earlier claims about simply finding a vessel to settle in were complete lies.

"You wretched girl, don't act recklessly! I wasn't trying to possess you just now!"

Realizing the danger he was in, Tian Yuan hastily tried to explain himself.

"You said it yourself—I'm only at the Golden Core stage, and my soul has been severely damaged. I don't even have the capability to possess you! Besides, you're a female cultivator! Even if I did want to seize a body, it would have to be a male one! How could I possibly become a woman?"

"Oh? Is that so?"

Zhang Yiyi smiled faintly. "If you truly weren't trying to take over my body, then by our previous agreement, you should have willingly entered the Divine Soul Wood I prepared for you after being released from the Bagua Mirror. So tell me—why was the very first thing you did upon emerging to launch an attack straight at my brow?"

"I—I was just confused after being suppressed in the Bagua Mirror for too long! My mind had turned muddled!"

Tian Yuan's voice instinctively lowered, tinged with frustration and unwillingness. "I was just overwhelmed by the sudden release and lost control of myself for a moment! I didn't mean to—"

"Enough. Stop making things up. I wouldn't believe you even if you kept going."

Zhang Yiyi saw through him immediately. "It's true that you don't have the ability to forcibly seize my body right now, but that doesn't mean you couldn't attempt an indirect method—like infiltrating my consciousness or dantian to gradually take control of my body. I may not know the exact technique, but I've heard of such methods before. They're just as dangerous as possession, if not worse!"

If not for the bronze mirror intervening at the perfect moment to disrupt Tian Yuan's plan, she would have been in serious danger. Releasing a soul from a suppressive artifact like the Bagua Mirror had taken all of her focus and energy—at that moment, she had been at her weakest.

Even if she had remained on guard, she wouldn't have been fully prepared to stop Tian Yuan from exploiting that vulnerability.

She had never trusted him from the start, and time had proven her instincts correct. He had never harbored good intentions.

"You can't just get rid of me like this!"

Tian Yuan suddenly roared. "If you let me go, I will repay you handsomely! Otherwise, you will regret it!"

"Bullshit! You're still arrogant even now? You're nothing but a wretched ghost, and I can destroy you this instant—wipe you out completely!"

Lu Qiao's anger flared at his audacity. If he weren't already sealed inside the Divine Soul Wood, she would've kicked him a few times herself.

She had seen shameless people before, but never someone this brazen. Even now, he dared to threaten Zhang Yiyi—truly disgusting.

"N-no, please! Don't destroy me!"

Tian Yuan panicked, finally realizing how dire his situation was. He quickly pleaded, "Young lady, listen to me! Before I died, I was only a Golden Core cultivator, but my soul has been refining itself inside the Bagua Mirror for 12,000 years! I still have many abilities! I have value!"

"You see, that treasure mirror of yours is indeed powerful, but without a true spirit inhabiting it, it is still lacking. I can serve you! I can become the artifact spirit for your mirror and make it even stronger—"

Before he could finish, Zhang Yiyi let out a mocking laugh.

"You? You think you're worthy of being my bronze mirror's artifact spirit? You must be dreaming!"

Without bothering to argue further with a delusional ghost, she swiftly formed a few hand seals over the Divine Soul Wood and then tossed it straight into her storage ring.

For now, she hadn't decided how to deal with Tian Yuan's soul. But before making any final decisions, she certainly had to teach him a lesson for not only trying to harm her but also daring to covet her bronze mirror.

"What was that final seal for?"

Lu Qiao noticed Zhang Yiyi's actions but wasn't sure of their purpose.

"It's nothing much," Zhang Yiyi replied casually. "It just ensures that while the Divine Soul Wood keeps him sealed, it won't nourish his soul at all."

"Hah, serves him right!"

Lu Qiao found this incredibly satisfying. She didn't need to ask what Zhang Yiyi ultimately planned to do with Tian Yuan's soul—whatever it was, it wouldn't end well for him.

Zhang Yiyi wasn't someone to be trifled with. Considering what Tian Yuan had done, he could forget about benefiting from the situation in any way.

"So, what do we do now?"

Lu Qiao pointed to their surroundings—the Chen family village.

Zhang Yiyi had initially come here with a purpose, but now, the entire village was devoid of life. The corpses lay scattered everywhere, and the air was thick with the stench of blood and death.

Without answering, Zhang Yiyi pulled out a communication talisman and sent a report of the situation back to the Wang family.

The Chen family was one of the Wang family's vassal clans. Now that they had been wiped out overnight, the Wang family would undoubtedly send people to handle the aftermath.

This wasn't Zhang Yiyi's concern. Her role was complete, and the rest was up to the Wang family.

Upon receiving her message, the Wang family was shocked to learn of the massacre. Wasting no time, they dispatched two elders to lead a team to the site immediately.

Although the Chen family had been weak, they still managed several properties and resources under their name. Now that they were gone, those assets naturally fell into the Wang family's hands.

Zhang Yiyi wasn't interested in any of that. Once the Wang family's people arrived, she had no reason to stay.

"Miss Han, you've done us a great service!"

Wang Congshan greeted her warmly. It had been over a year since they last met, and he regarded her even more highly than before.

"You flatter me," Zhang Yiyi responded politely. "I simply did what I was supposed to do."

She clasped her hands in a respectful gesture. "But by the time I arrived, the Chen family had already perished. I wasn't able to be of much help."

"You're being too modest. If not for you breaking the formation, we might have lost even more men trying to mount a rescue."

Wang Congshan was well aware of the situation. While the Chen family had been annihilated, their properties had not fallen into the hands of outsiders. That alone made Zhang Yiyi's contribution invaluable.

"It was just luck. I'll leave the rest to you."

Zhang Yiyi had no intention of mentioning the Bagua Mirror or handing over Tian Yuan's soul to the Wang family.

She relayed the entire truth to Wang Congshan—except for a few key details. She omitted any mention of the mirror and claimed that Tian Yuan's soul had been completely obliterated when the formation was broken.

Lu Qiao wisely kept silent, understanding the importance of discretion.

Wang Congshan knew Zhang Yiyi had no interest in dealing with the aftermath, so he made no effort to ask her to stay.

"So your real name is Han Lin?"

As they left the Chen family village, Lu Qiao eagerly continued their conversation. "And your appearance before wasn't your true face either?"

Since Zhang Yiyi had removed her disguise for the handover, Lu Qiao finally saw her real face.

Far from feeling deceived, Lu Qiao found herself even more fascinated. The real Zhang Yiyi was stunning—so much so that Lu Qiao couldn't stop admiring her.

"I never expected you to be the Wang family's guest cultivator. With your skills, a mere Wang family doesn't deserve you. There are many larger and more powerful clans that would be eager to recruit you."

She didn't mind that Zhang Yiyi was focused on walking and barely responded. She was too excited by the new discoveries about her companion.

"Han Lin, where are we headed now? We've been on the road for hours. At least give me a hint so I can mentally prepare myself."

After traveling for so long, Lu Qiao had no idea where Zhang Yiyi was leading them.

She didn't really mind—she was content just following her—but it would be nice to know.

"Shut up."

Zhang Yiyi abruptly stopped and coldly ordered Lu Qiao to be silent.

A heavy killing intent filled the air ahead.

Whoever was waiting for them wasn't bothering to hide their murderous intent—it was clear they had come for Zhang Yiyi.

Lu Qiao immediately clamped her mouth shut, realizing the danger.

She tightened her grip on her massive iron hammer, preparing for battle without hesitation.

The enemy was approaching fast.

Within moments, they were less than ten meters away.

"Assassins from the Gate of Life and Death?"

Lu Qiao quickly recognized their identities.

Eight black-robed cultivators stood before them, each exuding the unmistakable stench of blood—killers through and through.

Zhang Yiyi had heard of the infamous Gate of Life and Death. They were assassins who would kill anyone as long as the price was right.

"The Gate of Life and Death has accepted a contract to take Han Lin's life. Anyone else may leave."

One of the black-robed figures spoke coldly, making it clear they only had one target.

Zhang Yiyi hadn't even responded yet when Lu Qiao exploded with anger.

"You think you're so great? You tell me to leave, and I should just walk away? How humiliating would that be?"

She laughed in fury before cursing.

"You bastards from the Gate of Life and Death have been a blight for too long! Looks like today is my chance to rid the world of scum like you!"

"You're not their match," Zhang Yiyi warned coolly. "Stay back. Don't slow me down."

Well then...

Someone had paid a hefty sum for her life.

And besides Tang Jin, who else could it be?