Chapter 996: The Fate of the Mirror Slave

Hearing this, the two women immediately looked at Li Fan, their eyes filled with both surprise and joy. After all, having undergone modification, Li Fan now held immense significance in their minds.

After a brief moment of thought, Xuan Sushang immediately agreed. In front of Li Fan, she began to contact her father, Cang, the Mirror Master. She didn't use a communication talisman; instead, she took out a small personal Tianxuan Mirror and began murmuring incantations.

A moment later, a black, indistinct figure projected from the small mirror into mid-air.

"Nian'er, what do you need me for?"

Cang's voice sounded like that of a kind middle-aged man, very gentle. Nian Nian, on the other hand, was Xuan Sushang's pet name. The fact that Cang always called Xuan Sushang by this name was testament to his doting affection for his daughter.

Xuan Sushang, feeling a little apprehensive, explained the entire situation and Li Fan's request. It was then that Cang finally noticed Li Fan, who had been standing silently beside his daughter. Their gazes met and intertwined in the space.

Li Fan, who possessed the origin of the Tianxuan Mirror, finally understood what the Tianxuan Mirror meant by "Mirror Slaves" at this moment. To verify his guess, Li Fan mentally visualized grasping Cang, the Mirror Master, with his hand. Simultaneously, Cang's indistinct figure began to tremble violently. However, under Li Fan's deliberate control, Cang was unable to utter even a single sound of pain.

"Father, what's wrong?" Xuan Sushang quickly noticed Cang's anomaly, looking somewhat perplexed.

Sensing the desperate pleas emanating from Cang, Li Fan then released his visualized, invisible hand. Only then was Cang freed from the boundless agony. His acting was impeccable; his tone remained completely unperturbed: "It's nothing. I merely set up some protective measures to ward off prying eyes. You and Lu Xichan should withdraw for now; I have important matters to discuss with... this esteemed master," Cang paused, then stated very gravely.

Xuan Sushang and Lu Xichan instinctively glanced at Li Fan. After receiving his nod of approval, Xuan Sushang helped Lu Xichan and slowly left the bamboo building. Li Fan casually set up a formation, sealing off the interior from the exterior.

"This old slave greets his master." Cang then revealed his true appearance and slowly knelt down. His face was filled with trepidation, showing no hint of being the Mirror Master who stood at the pinnacle of the Wanxian Alliance's power.

Cang and Xuan Sushang shared some resemblance in appearance. Both had a youthful appearance that didn't match their voices. Cang's voice sounded like a middle-aged man's, but he actually looked like a handsome youth in his twenties.

Li Fan remained silent, observing Cang. Cang, meanwhile, dared not look up and maintained his kneeling posture throughout.

"Mirror Slave..." Feeling the myriad emotions constantly emanating from Cang, Li Fan gained a deeper understanding of these two words. With the aid of the Tianxuan Mirror's origin, Li Fan perceived Cang as an existence entirely subservient to the Tianxuan Mirror. His soul, physical body, thoughts—everything he possessed—had the Tianxuan Mirror as its foundational existence. Even with only a mere trace of the mirror's origin, not the true Tianxuan Mirror itself, this subservience held. He could only be molded and manipulated by Li Fan, with no room for resistance whatsoever. Li Fan could even erase Cang completely from existence with a single thought.

"What a vicious and despair-inducing method. In comparison, the subjugation techniques circulating in the Xuanhuang Realm are utterly nonsensical. Truly worthy of being a genuine immortal artifact." Observing the once high and mighty Mirror Master now prostrate and trembling before him, Li Fan was profoundly shaken. At the same time, a sense of longing arose within him.

"Rise."

After a brief moment of distraction, Li Fan quickly regained his composure. He then roughly explained his plan to free the true body of the Tianxuan Mirror.

"Master, rest assured, I will do everything in my power to advance the formation," Cang quickly pledged his loyalty.

"Feng, the Inheritor of Laws, is currently also my ally. You can find an opportunity to contact him directly. I believe that with the two of you working together, many difficulties should be easily resolved," Li Fan stated indifferently.

Cang nodded repeatedly in agreement. Afterward, there was no excessive communication between Li Fan and Cang, and Li Fan then called back Xuan Sushang and Lu Xichan. Cang repeatedly instructed Xuan Sushang to absolutely obey Li Fan's commands before his figure disappeared from the mirror surface.

Already apprehensive of Li Fan, and now having received her father's instructions, Xuan Sushang dared not even breathe heavily in Li Fan's presence.

"Becoming a Mirror Slave means being controlled by the Tianxuan Mirror for life. However, it also brings considerable benefits," Li Fan thought, staring at the mirror surface where Cang had disappeared.

As an actual part of the Tianxuan Mirror's appendages, Cang could now freely traverse through various Tianxuan sub-mirrors. He also gained control over certain abilities bestowed by the Tianxuan Mirror. For instance, divination, object observation, vast knowledge, and so on. Naturally, these were all contingent on the Tianxuan Mirror's permission.

Moreover, as long as the true body of the Tianxuan Mirror existed, he himself would remain an immortal and indestructible being. Outsiders could not eliminate him. Even methods like sealing or suppression would have little effect. This was because the Tianxuan Mirror could erase a suppressed Mirror Slave at any time and then regenerate them.

"Perhaps only immortal artifacts possess such means. It's not a particularly humiliating thing. To be a slave to an immortal artifact... If word got out, those willing in the Xuanhuang Realm would probably queue all the way from Tianquan State to Congyun Sea."

Li Fan shook his head slightly, reached out, and picked up the small Tianxuan Mirror from the ground. Since Mirror Slaves possessed incredible abilities, and Li Fan carried the origin of the Tianxuan Mirror, he naturally enjoyed previously unimaginable privileges. Just like at this moment...

When his spiritual consciousness entered the Tianxuan Mirror, he connected not as an ordinary cultivator. Instead, he gained the identity of a Tianxuan sub-mirror with almost all permissions unlocked. Although he couldn't conduct free transactions or post missions like regular cultivators, general browsing and observation were completely unimpeded. The vast majority of cultivator information within the Tianxuan Mirror—including records of their cultivation techniques, items, contribution points, and their posting history in various sections of the Tianxuan Mirror—all became completely visible. Before the current Li Fan, there were no secrets whatsoever. Except for certain individuals with extremely special identities, whose information was not displayed, all others were revealed.

The only regrettable point was that Li Fan could only view, not modify. He couldn't even access the computational power of the true Tianxuan Mirror. However, this was understandable; after all, Li Fan was not the true Tianxuan Mirror. He had merely been gifted a trace of its origin.

"But even so, this is truly remarkable."

Even with Li Fan's usual composure, he found himself unable to suppress his excitement at this moment.