Chapter 299: Mirror Person

“Ah—!!!!”

A piercing scream tore through the silence of the Princess’s Residence.

Li Li instinctively raised a hand to touch her face, but her fingertips met not soft skin, but a sticky, cold, slimy sensation with a putrid, fishy odor.

She looked down at her hand, only to see her fingertips smeared with foul-smelling black sludge, mixed with rotten grass roots and wriggling worms!

“Ah!! What is this?!”

Li Li’s scream turned into a desperate shriek as she stumbled backward, knocking over the chair behind her.

The moment she recoiled, a horrifying sight unfolded!

Her already distorted mud-face began to shed mud frantically, and the skin on her neck, like water-damaged wallpaper, peeled off and collapsed in large sections!

The structure beneath her skin was exposed—not flesh and blood, but black rotten mud, churning and entwined with countless slender earthworms and white maggots! This sludge seemed to be alive, wriggling and flowing violently with every tremor of her body.

“Splish… splish…”

Sickening sounds echoed one after another.

Her neck, shoulders, arms, body…

Like a clay doll that had been poked through, her luxurious palace gown was rapidly soaked and corroded. Large chunks of “flesh” mixed with mud, maggots, and broken earthworms slid onto the floor. Her body was rapidly “melting” away!

“Save… save me… Chu Dong, Gu Mo…”

Li Li’s voice became muddled, with gurgling sounds of churning mud, filled with boundless terror and pleading.

Her eyes were the last human features to disappear, brimming with incredible despair, fixed on Gu Chu Dong, before being completely swallowed by the surging black mud.

In a matter of mere breaths, the vibrant Princess Chengyang vanished.

All that remained was a constantly wriggling puddle of black sludge, emitting an unbearable stench, and within the mire, a single, unusually slender white finger bone, glaringly obvious, lying isolated in the filth.

A deathly silence descended upon the living room, broken only by the faint sounds of maggots wriggling in the mud and the sludge bubbling. Gu Chu Dong stood, her hand clamped over her mouth, her face pale from extreme fear and revulsion.

The air was thick with the suffocating stench of a rotten sewer.

“Brother, what’s going on?” Gu Chu Dong asked, utterly terrified.

Gu Mo’s expression remained calm. “This is the case we need to investigate,” he said. “There are mud people replacing real ones. This Li Li is a fake!”

At this moment, Ye Chen’s face was ashen, his stomach churning. The impact of the scene reminded him of a very unpleasant experience in a brothel, and he gritted his teeth, barely managing not to vomit on the spot. He pointed at the puddle of sludge, his voice trembling: “Big Brother… it’s… it’s exactly like the one in the brothel! The same situation!”

Gu Mo’s gaze was utterly glacial, and a chilling aura emanated from him.

He bent down and carefully enveloped the slender finger bone in an invisible surge of internal energy, extracting it from the mud. The bone was icy cold to the touch, with a faint but extremely strange trace of “vitality” still clinging to it.

This “vitality” was identical to the “vitality” on the skeleton of Lady Yu.

“As expected, they are constantly evolving and growing, slowly transforming from mud figures into real people,” Gu Mo said gravely. “It seems this Li Li was replaced not long ago, which is why only one human bone has grown.”

“Brother,” Gu Chu Dong asked anxiously, “Then… then Princess Chengyang… is she still alive?”

Gu Mo’s voice was solemn. “We can only do what we can and leave the rest to fate!”

Just then, the guards of the Princess’s Residence arrived, looking bewildered at the scene before them.

Gu Mo had no interest in offering further explanations, merely stating that “Princess Chengyang encountered danger.”

Everyone in the Princess’s Residence knew Gu Mo’s identity, and no one dared to question him or suspect that Gu Mo and his companions had killed Princess Chengyang.

Subsequently, Gu Mo found a guard who knew the location of the mud figure shop and had him lead the way.

He then, holding the guard, shot out of the door like a blur, transforming into a fleeting shadow.

Ye Chen, suppressing his nausea and the sudden weakness in his legs, glanced at the still-wriggling puddle of sludge, shivered violently, and yelled, “Wait for me, Big Brother!” He then quickly activated his lightness skill and chased after Gu Mo.

Gu Chu Dong and Hong Yi did not get involved, remaining at the Princess’s Residence.

Chang’an City had no curfew, but at this late hour, people were scarce.

Gu Mo carried the guard, moving like a gust of wind, though he was considerate of Ye Chen, slowing his pace as much as possible to allow Ye Chen to keep up.

Before long, they had flown across half of Chang’an City, reaching Tingyu Town.

The night was ink-black, and Tingyu Town slept in silence. The town was not large, and Mud-Tiled Alley was particularly secluded and narrow. Gu Mo and Ye Chen landed silently at the alley entrance, like two phantoms.

It was the fourth house, with no sign above the door, only two tightly shut, old wooden doors with peeling paint. Not a single flicker of light pierced through the cracks; only dead silence and darkness prevailed.

Gu Mo set the escort guard down, allowing him to leave. Then, without a moment’s hesitation, he approached the door, pressed his palm against the wooden panel, and subtly released a surge of internal energy. With a soft click, the bolt snapped, and the wooden door silently slid open inward.

The courtyard was small. Under the cold, pale moonlight, the sight that greeted them caused even the seasoned Gu Mo’s pupils to constrict, while Ye Chen gasped sharply, his hair standing on end!

In the center of the courtyard, beneath the walls, and in the shadows of the eaves… countless “people” were densely packed and piled!

All of them were mud figures.

They were in various poses: standing, sitting, leaning, or lying. There were farmers in plain clothes, women with their hair coiled in buns, playing children, old people with walking sticks, and even wealthy merchants dressed in silk and satin… Each one was meticulously detailed and astonishingly lifelike. The expressions on their faces were even more unsettlingly varied—smiles, sorrow, surprise, contemplation, benevolence… Under the dim moonlight, these frozen expressions held not the slightest hint of life; instead, they exuded an indescribable strangeness and deathly stillness.

Most of their eyes were hollow, but some were inlaid with polished black obsidian or glass beads as eyeballs. These “eyes” reflected an eerie light under the moonlight, as if silently observing the unwelcome intruders, their gaze seeming to subtly shift with Gu Mo and Ye Chen’s movements.

The entire courtyard was like a bizarre marketplace, paused in time, or perhaps a vast and silent army of mud figures. The night wind blew, carrying dust and an indescribable odor, and it also seemed to make the mud faces subtly twist and change in the light and shadow.

Gu Mo’s gaze was as sharp as an eagle’s, sweeping over this scalp-tingling array of mud figures, finally settling on a half-open workshop at the deepest part of the courtyard.

There were no lights in the workshop, but by moonlight, they could see the outlines of more mud figures inside, and one… person busy at a “workbench.”

“Gulp…” Ye Chen swallowed with difficulty, his voice dry, laced with uncontrollable fear. “B-Big Brother… Is this goddamn place… trying to turn all of Chang’an City into mud figures?”

He instinctively tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword, his knuckles turning white. This silent courtyard, these lifelike mud figures, made his blood run colder than facing a thousand armies.

Gu Mo did not reply. His entire focus was fixed on the deep entrance of the workshop, and on the person meticulously kneading mud inside.

He slowly took a step, silently entering this strange and terrifying realm of stillness, composed of earth.

The moonlight stretched his shadow long, casting it over the hollow eye sockets and frozen smiles of the mud figures, adding an even more sinister touch.

“Customer… it’s late. Our shop is closed. If you have any requests, please come back after dawn?” The person kneading the mud spoke without lifting their head, their voice muffled and hoarse.

Ye Chen pulled out a fire starter, stepped forward to light the oil lamp in the room, and barked, “Shopkeeper Song, isn’t it? Stop pretending. Your deeds are exposed!”

The person slowly raised their head. Beneath disheveled hair was a pale face, prominently wrinkled, with dark circles under the eyes, clearly indicating a lack of rest. He slowly washed his hands, bowed to Gu Mo and Ye Chen, and asked, “Which yamen do you two distinguished gentlemen hail from?”

Gu Mo sized up “Shopkeeper Song.” The man was hunched, dressed simply, covered in black mud and emitting a strong, fishy smell, clearly from long-term handling of mud. His bent back and humble demeanor presented a perfect image of a commoner struggling to make a living.

“We dare not claim to be distinguished gentlemen,” Gu Mo replied with a bow. “But I do have authorization from the imperial court to investigate cases. My name is Gu Mo. May I ask if I should call you Shopkeeper Song or Grand Master Dabe?”

“Shopkeeper Song” looked up, a flicker of surprise in his eyes, then smiled faintly. “I knew your arrival meant you had investigated the mud figures,” he said, “but I never expected that Senior Gu would even recognize my identity? However, I am somewhat puzzled. ‘Dabe’ only left Star-Gazing Tower a few days ago and is currently at the Court of State Ceremonials. No one has suspected his identity for twenty years. How did Senior Gu recognize him?”

Ye Chen stared blankly. “No way,” he said, “You’re Grand Master Dabe? Weren’t you imprisoned twenty years ago?”

“Shopkeeper Song” looked at Ye Chen, puzzled. “And you are?”

Ye Chen quickly introduced himself. “I am Ye Chen, a junior, from the State of Chu. It is I, the Destined One, third on the current Martial Arts Heavenly Rankings of Chu!”

“Shopkeeper Song” examined Ye Chen with a pleased expression. “Excellent, excellent,” he said, “to have achieved so much at such a young age!”

“Oh, just average, only third,” Ye Chen replied, preening.

Gu Mo chuckled softly and said to “Shopkeeper Song”: “Since the Grand Master has heard of me, you must also know that I have solved many strange and unusual cases in the martial arts world. It shouldn’t be surprising that I could tell that ‘Dabe’ was fake, should it?”

“Shopkeeper Song” shook his head. “I believe you could have uncovered clues from other sources and, through deduction, realized that Dabe was fake. But if you say you could simply ‘see’ it, then I don’t believe it. No one in this world could see that he is fake, because he isn’t fake; he is the real Dabe!”

Gu Mo asked, “What do you mean?”

“Shopkeeper Song” slowly walked to the doorway and sat on the steps, asking, “Senior Gu, do you believe that beyond the world we see before us, there exists another world, or even many, many worlds, and that we exist in each of them?”

Gu Mo nodded slightly. This was the theory of parallel worlds, known even to children in his previous life.

“Shopkeeper Song” seemed surprised. “Senior Gu truly believes that?”

“I do.”

“That’s wonderful,” “Shopkeeper Song” continued. “I also believe it. But where do these worlds come from? I’ve pondered this for many years, and finally, I believe they originate from people, from anyone.

Whether commoners or high officials, there is one commonality: everyone has consciousness and constantly generates thoughts. And at the very instant a different thought arises, a new world is born.”

“Shopkeeper Song” tilted his head and looked at Gu Mo. “For instance, right now, I have a thought: to kill you, Senior Gu. Although I haven’t acted on it, the moment that thought arose in my consciousness, a world was born, and in that world, I made a move against you!”

“That’s nonsense,” Ye Chen scoffed, pouting. “If what you say is true, how many worlds would there be? A person generates countless thoughts in a lifetime, creating countless worlds, and the people in those countless worlds also generate countless thoughts, giving birth to countless more worlds… This endless cycle would be infinite!”

“Shopkeeper Song” chuckled softly. “It is inherently infinite. In fact, even the world we currently inhabit might be a thought generated by someone in another world at a certain moment.”

Ye Chen scoffed again. “Alright, we don’t have time for your rambling. You have two choices now: one, hand over Princess Chengyang, Li Li; and two, honestly confess how many mud figures you’ve released. We might give you a quick death. Otherwise, the Six Gates will start with all 180 types of torture on you!”

“Shopkeeper Song” ignored Ye Chen’s threat and looked at Gu Mo, asking, “Senior Gu, do you agree with what I said?”

Gu Mo smiled faintly. “I agree. However, if you are looking for a kindred spirit to discuss philosophy with, you’ve come to the wrong person. I am a pragmatic man; I have no interest in broad, empty, and unprovable philosophies. Right now, I’m more concerned about where Princess Chengyang is, and how many mud figures you have released.”

“Shopkeeper Song” replied, “She’s in the room. But does it matter? She is just Princess Chengyang from one of the infinite worlds. The one currently in the Princess’s Residence is also Princess Chengyang; I summoned her from another world.

Moreover, the number of mud figures in Chang’an City also doesn’t matter. They are themselves. Given enough time, they will become the true ‘him.’ They originated from a thought of ‘him.’ He is ‘him’; there is no difference. Why are you so fixated on which ‘him’ it is?”

Ye Chen sneered, “It’s easy for you to say. According to you, you could also summon another ‘you’ from another world, so why don’t you just die now? Anyway, there’s another ‘you,’ whether you live or not doesn’t matter, so you…”

His words abruptly stopped, as if an invisible hand had gripped his throat. All expressions on his face instantly froze, leaving only extreme shock and unbelievable terror!

“Shopkeeper Song,” still sitting on the stone steps, suddenly displayed an indescribable smile and replied, “I can.”

The moment the words left his mouth, “Shopkeeper Song” violently raised his hands, his fingers like hooks, and fiercely dug them into the flesh on both sides of his neck!

The action was as swift as lightning, yet executed with a resolute, hair-raising calmness.

“Rip—snap!”

A teeth-grinding sound of tearing flesh, accompanied by the crisp crack of a neck bone, suddenly rang out!

Blood, rather than gushing, surged like a breached dam from the massive wound he had forcibly ripped open himself!

The force was so immense that his head instantly detached from his neck!

The aged head, bearing its fixed, eerie smile, was held forward in his hands and offered to Ye Chen, its hollow eyes perfectly aligned with Ye Chen’s horrified face.

The headless body remained in a sitting posture, blood gushing like a spring from the severed neck, splattering on the mottled stone steps and the mud figures on either side, staining them with patches of striking crimson.

A thick, metallic smell of blood instantly overwhelmed the earthy stench, permeating the silent courtyard.

Gu Mo’s pupils constricted. Even with his composure, he was stunned by this sudden and bizarre act of self-destruction!

He had absolutely not anticipated this turn of events.

Ye Chen was utterly bewildered. He looked down at the headless corpse offering its head to him, his mind instantly blank.

“B-Big Brother… he… he…”

Ye Chen pointed at the corpse, unable to articulate the storm of emotions raging within him.

Gu Mo’s face was so grim it could drip water. He quickly stepped forward, feeling the carotid artery and chest of the headless corpse, then examined the detached head. Cold, stiff, life extinguished.

“Dead,” Gu Mo’s voice was cold. “But he’s not Dabe either.”

Not only had the system given no notification, but there were also faint traces of mud still visible within the corpse. This was also a mud figure, just one that had almost completely transformed into a human.

“Let’s find Chengyang first!”

Gu Mo made a decisive choice, ignoring the corpse and head on the ground, his sharp gaze sweeping toward the half-open workshop door.

He had already cast his domain to lock down this courtyard when they arrived, and he wasn't worried about the opponent escaping. Of course, if the opponent could break through his domain, then they would have escaped by their own skill, and there would be nothing to say.

Ye Chen quickly regained his composure and followed Gu Mo, rushing into the workshop.

The workshop was even darker and more cluttered than outside. Various mud materials, tools, and wooden shelves were strewn about. On the wooden shelves against the walls were more lifelike, half-finished mud figures of various forms. In the flickering light of the oil lamp, their silent silhouettes resembled lurking specters.

Inside, there were also many glass mirrors, of various sizes, hanging everywhere: on beams, in corners, or on stands. There were at least fifty or sixty mirrors.

The two split up to search quickly.

Gu Mo checked an inner room further inside, while Ye Chen searched the corners and clutter near the door.

“Princess Chengyang?”

“Li Li? Are you here?”

Ye Chen mumbled as he searched.

However, apart from the sounds of their movements and heavy breathing, there was no response from within the workshop.

Ye Chen straightened up, somewhat disheartened, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over the wall.

A half-human-height bronze mirror hung there, its surface polished exceptionally smooth and bright. In the dim oil lamp light, it clearly reflected his own figure.

Seeing his handsome and extraordinary face in the mirror, Ye Chen’s slight disappointment was instantly replaced by narcissism.

He instinctively leaned closer to the mirror, habitually adjusting the non-existent messy hair on his forehead, looking left and right, unable to suppress a smug smile.

“Tsk,” he said, raising an eyebrow at his reflection, admiring himself genuinely. “Ye Chen, oh Ye Chen, this face of yours, this demeanor, this charisma of a destined martial artist… tsk, truly perfect! Even without that unbeatable luck, women would be throwing themselves at you…”

While muttering, Ye Chen admired his “peerless countenance” in the mirror. The curve of his lips suddenly deepened, revealing an extremely brilliant smile, which also seemed full of playful mockery!

“Perfect!”

Ye Chen exclaimed in admiration, then turned to leave, continuing to search for Chengyang.

But, the moment he turned, Ye Chen suddenly froze. A chill shot straight from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head!

“I wasn’t smiling, dammit!”

He… he hadn’t smiled just now!

He had merely been admiring himself!

An indescribable, immense fear instantly gripped him! He violently spun around, wanting to distance himself from this eerie mirror, and at the same time, opened his mouth to call out to Gu Mo: “Big…”

Before the word “Brother” left his lips, his peripheral vision caught sight of the mirror!

The moment he turned, the brilliant smile on the face of the “Ye Chen” in the mirror had not yet fully receded. His gums were still clearly visible, and his eyes were filled with malice that hadn’t had time to shift, and a hint of… shock?

As if he hadn’t expected Ye Chen to suddenly turn and discover him!

That wasn’t him! Absolutely not!

“Big Brother!!!”

Ye Chen was scared out of his wits, screaming with all his might!

At the same moment his scream erupted, the mirror surface rippled violently like water!

A hand abruptly reached out from within the mirror!

This hand was quick as a phantom, grabbing the back of Ye Chen’s clothes, which had just turned away and were facing the mirror!

An overwhelming, icy, and sticky force surged forth!

“Poof!”

Ye Chen felt as if he were entangled by a huge, invisible octopus tentacle. He was completely out of control, violently dragged by that force!

He frantically flailed his arms, trying to grab the nearby wooden shelf, but his fingertips only managed to brush against the rough wood.

To his horror, his internal energy was unusable at this moment; he barely had any strength left. A unique force had suppressed him.

His body was like quicksand, instantly pulled into the rippling, black-marsh-like mirror surface! Only a half-choked gasp echoed in the workshop.

The mirror surface fluctuated violently for a moment, then quickly returned to calm, becoming reflective again, clearly showing the dim interior of the workshop.

Inside the mirror, there was no one.

Gu Mo, who was searching in the room on the other side, heard Ye Chen’s voice and instantly teleported over, only to see Ye Chen crouching in a corner, gently tapping a mud figure with a small hammer.

When Ye Chen saw Gu Mo enter, he quickly pointed at the mud figure and said, “Big Brother, this looks like Princess Chengyang!”

Gu Mo walked over and saw that indeed, a woman was encased within a mud figure. Although her face was covered in mud, Gu Mo could still faintly make out that it was Li Li.

Immediately, Gu Mo crouched down to examine her. He found that she still had vital signs, but there was a troublesome issue: the mud shell was connected to Li Li’s skin, and a stream of death energy from the mud was constantly seeping into Li Li’s body.

Gu Mo immediately circulated his internal energy to dispel the death energy. As Gu Mo focused intently, using his pure internal energy to dispel the cold death energy within Li Li and peel off the strange mud shell clinging to her skin, the bronze mirror on the wall behind him silently rippled with an imperceptible tremor.

In the depths of the mirror, which still reflected the workshop, a terrified face suddenly lunged toward the inner surface of the “mirror”!

It was Ye Chen!

He was currently trapped inside the mirror’s version of the workshop, like a drowning person, his face etched with extreme fear and urgency.

He saw Gu Mo’s back outside, as if grasping at his last lifeline, frantically slapping the invisible “mirror wall,” his mouth wide open, silently screaming, arms flailing, trying to get Gu Mo’s attention.

He pointed at Gu Mo, then at the “Ye Chen” outside who was “helping,” and then desperately pointed at himself, his movements so violent they seemed to tear his body, yet he could not make a sound.

Just then, Gu Mo suddenly felt a faint “sense of being watched,” which instantly pierced through his concentration.

“Hmm?”

He abruptly turned, his gaze as sharp as a hawk’s, shooting directly toward the bronze mirror!

Just as his gaze touched the mirror surface—in the nick of time—

From the dark depths of the mirror, an invisible, irresistible force suddenly erupted, like a gaping abyss mouth suddenly closing!

Ye Chen’s desperate and futile struggles instantly froze. The terror on his face had not yet faded as he was violently snatched backward, as if by an invisible hand, and instantly disappeared into the thick, dark depths, leaving not even a ripple.

The mirror surface fluctuated violently, like water disturbed by a thrown stone, but it was fleeting, quickly returning to its smooth and shiny illusion.

And the scene reflected on the mirror was precisely the situation in the workshop at that moment; there was nothing unusual.

The nearby “Ye Chen” asked, puzzled, “Big Brother, what’s wrong?”

Gu Mo subtly shook his head, slowly stood up, and walked towards the bronze mirror.

“Big Brother, what’s wrong?”

“Ye Chen’s” voice held a hint of tension and confusion. He followed closely at Gu Mo’s heels, asking, “Big Brother, is there something wrong with this mirror?”

Gu Mo did not answer, merely stood before the mirror, his gaze like a torch, scanning every inch of the surface.

The “Gu Mo” in the mirror also “scrutinized” him outside with the same posture and gaze.

The mirror surface was unusually smooth, cold, and chilling to the touch, as if isolating another dimension. He circulated his internal energy to probe, but the mirror was like a stubborn rock, completely blocking his perception, leaving only a cold feedback.

“Nothing.”

Gu Mo’s voice was calm and unruffled. He withdrew his scrutinizing gaze, seemingly giving up the investigation, and slowly turned around, preparing to walk back to Li Li. “It might be an illusion.”

The “Gu Mo” in the mirror also turned in sync.

“Ye Chen” also sighed in relief, saying, “Big Brother, please don’t scare me. What happened tonight was too bizarre; I’m already a startled bird!”

As he spoke, “Ye Chen” followed him, turning around.

The moment both their backs were to the mirror, a cold, viscous, overwhelmingly terrifying suction force suddenly erupted from the mirror surface!

Its target was Gu Mo’s back.

A pale hand with clearly articulated knuckles abruptly reached out from the violently rippling mirror surface like water. It was silent, yet faster than lightning, landing precisely on Gu Mo’s left shoulder!

The instant the hand touched him, a strange, chilling energy, like countless cold venomous snakes, instantly burrowed frantically into Gu Mo’s body from the point of contact!

This power contained a potent domain force, instantly locking down the entire workshop.

That immense force dragged Gu Mo backward.

“Ye Chen” was greatly alarmed. He grabbed Gu Mo’s hand, crying out in fright, “Big Brother!”

However, a faint smile appeared on Gu Mo’s face.

“Got you!”

In that very instant, Gu Mo shattered the confining domain. His left hand moved like lightning, grabbing back and gripping the wrist of the hand reaching out from the mirror, holding it tight like an iron clamp!

The touch was cold and stiff, not like a living person, yet it contained immense power.

“Get out!”

Gu Mo uttered a low shout and pulled hard.

“Boom—crash!”

The mirror surface rippled like lake water.

A figure was forcibly yanked out of the mirror by Gu Mo’s pull!

Like a broken sack being tossed, it was slammed heavily onto the cold, hard floor of the workshop!

Dust flew up!

Gu Mo and “Ye Chen” simultaneously looked down.

The figure’s build, clothing, and even face… were astonishingly identical to Gu Mo’s!

“Ye Chen’s” face was filled with horror. He subconsciously took a step back, pointing at the “Gu Mo” on the ground, then looking at Gu Mo, asking in terror, “Two Big Brothers?”

However, in the next moment, the “Gu Mo” transformed into the appearance of the previous Shopkeeper Song.

Shopkeeper Song asked, puzzled, “How did you realize something was wrong?”

Gu Mo pointed at “Ye Chen” and said, “His situation is very special. Even if you used a real Reincarnation Mirror, I doubt you could replicate him. So, from the moment I entered, I knew the real Ye Chen had vanished.”

Hearing this, “Ye Chen” looked completely dumbfounded, asking, “Big Brother… no, you mean… I’m fake? I’m that disgusting mud figure?”

Gu Mo nodded slightly.

“How is that possible?” “Ye Chen” said, “Big Brother, I am me…”

Gu Mo pointed to the bronze mirror behind him and said, “According to Grand Master Dabe, you are not fake, but you are not the Ye Chen of this world. He is!”

“Ye Chen” turned to look at the bronze mirror, and saw a Ye Chen in the mirror giving him the middle finger!

Ye Chen: “…”

“I’m fake…”

“Ye Chen” stumbled back twice, his body instantly beginning to shed skin, revealing black mud beneath. He struggled to ask one last question: “Dabe, you damn bald donkey, couldn’t you use some clean mud? You sick pervert, you just had to use sewage ditch sludge…”

Before he finished speaking, “Ye Chen’s” body collapsed into a puddle of black sludge.

Shopkeeper Song, still pinned under Gu Mo’s foot, smiled helplessly. “How I wish I could use ordinary soil. But all things are interdependent and mutually restraining. The sludge in the sewage ditches contains all the rotten filth of the world… it holds the most death energy. Yet, precisely because of this, it can give birth to life. Only this mud can nurture vitality!”

Gu Mo said, “But it’s truly a bit disgusting!”

Shopkeeper Song replied resignedly, “It’s unavoidable.”

Gu Mo said, “I think I understand. These mud figures you create cannot know that they are fake. Once they do, they will dissipate.”

Shopkeeper Song explained, “That is because there are barriers between worlds. They haven’t fully entered this world yet. When they realize they don’t belong to this world, they will return to their original world.”

Then, he asked Gu Mo, “Senior Gu, could you enlighten me: what is so special about that Ye Chen that you believe there can be no identical existence in countless worlds?”

“What’s the point of asking that?” Gu Mo said. “Do you think you’ll get another chance to try again?”

Gu Mo naturally had no interest in telling Shopkeeper Song that Ye Chen possessed two special types of energy, combining into a fate that was both unlucky and fortunate.

“Why not?” Shopkeeper Song pointed to the glass mirrors scattered in various corners of the workshop, on the ceiling and walls. “Senior Gu, which one do you think is me?”

At this moment, the workshop was illuminated by the lamp light. Dozens of mirrors showed Shopkeeper Song’s reflection, and even the mirrors reflected within those mirrors showed Shopkeeper Song’s reflection.

Shopkeeper Song chuckled softly. “Senior Gu, in martial arts, I am not your match. However, in terms of realm and methods, you are no match for me. Moreover, no one here can kill me…”

As Shopkeeper Song spoke, the mirrors began to crack, splitting into more mirrors, instantly transforming from dozens to hundreds, and showing a tendency to continue shattering, as if they would multiply endlessly.

Shopkeeper Song smiled faintly, saying, “One mirror is one world. In every world, there is a ‘me,’ and there is also a ‘you.’ Now, one of those ‘yous’ will replace the ‘you’ in this world.

Senior Gu, among these worlds, there is always one suitable for you. This is the forbidden power of the Reincarnation Mirror, and it is my realm beyond the human world. Perhaps one day, when you have comprehended the abilities beyond the human realm, we will truly meet!”

With that, Shopkeeper Song instantly severed his own meridians and died.

But in the very next instant, Gu Mo gently reached out and grabbed him. A Shopkeeper Song, whose spirit had left his body, was clutched in Gu Mo’s hand. This Shopkeeper Song looked utterly shocked.

Gu Mo whispered, “By ‘beyond the human world,’ do you mean your mere Half-step Ascension Realm? Or is it the power of this incomplete Reincarnation Mirror?”

Shopkeeper Song cried out in panic, “Who exactly are you?!”