Chapter 8: Retracing the Past
After leaving Canfeng, Wei Yi quickly arrived at the residence of the core disciples of the Tianxuan Sacred Land, holding the Time Mirror carefully.
“Brother Madman, I tricked Brother Luo Yan’s treasured mirror away!” Wei Yi shouted loudly, as if afraid no one would hear.
The owner of this place was one of the most formidable disciples of the current Tianxuan Sacred Land. Known for acting recklessly and wildly, never reasoning with anyone, he was nicknamed “Little Madman.”
“Shh! Keep your voice down! Don’t let others hear!” The Little Madman grabbed Wei Yi and swiftly threw him into the courtyard.
“Brother Madman, do you have someone you’re afraid of too?” Wei Yi blinked his big eyes, curious.
The Little Madman, unusually serious, replied, “I’m afraid of being suppressed by Sister Senior!”
Within the Tianxuan Sacred Land, the only one the Little Madman feared was the brightest jewel of the Eastern Wasteland—the Tianxuan Saintess.
He couldn’t defeat her in a fight, she was senior to him, and most importantly, when the Saintess struck, she did so with deadly intent. Even the elders of the Sacred Land dared not intervene. If angered, the Saintess wouldn’t hesitate to take on the elders too.
Blessed with unparalleled talent rivaling the ancient emperors, she was revered like an ancestor by all the elders. Who would dare block her?
Wei Yi asked, “Then why do you still provoke the Saintess...?”
The Little Madman calmly replied, “You don’t understand. People like Sister Senior are unbeatable for a lifetime. The only way to overcome her is to discover a little secret of hers, force her to submit, and make her admit she can’t defeat us!”
Wei Yi was half confused, then after a moment asked, “Brother Madman, have you ever been suppressed by the Saintess before?”
The Little Madman’s eyes flashed angrily as he glared at him. “Nonsense! That never happened. All rumors outside are lies!!!”
He then eyed the Time Mirror in Wei Yi’s hands, scrutinizing it uncertainly. “Are you sure this thing really can rewind time and show everything that happened at a certain place during a certain period?”
The mirror was covered in countless cracks, seemingly shattered into a thousand pieces, fragile enough to break into shards with a single touch. It looked forcibly pieced together.
Could this thing really rewind time? It seemed so unreliable.
Moreover, it showed no magical aura, no trace of Dao essence—just an ordinary mirror.
Wei Yi confidently said, “I’m sure! More than once I saw Brother Luo Yan use this mirror to recreate events at a certain time and place!”
The Little Madman took it from him, examined it carefully again and again but found no difference. Yet knowing Wei Yi well, he believed he wouldn’t lie about such a thing. It was most likely true!
Some magical instruments in this world appeared ordinary but contained great divine powers. He had seen such artifacts before.
This mirror was probably one of them!
“I’ll try it first!” With that, the Little Madman channeled his power into the shattered Time Mirror. A dazzling white light burst forth, enveloping the entire residence. In just a flash, the whole place was reflected in the broken mirror.
The Little Madman was shocked. Just a slight infusion of power seemed to activate the mirror forcibly, instantly draining all the power he had stored. For a moment, he turned into an ordinary mortal and needed to rest and recover!
“What… what kind of ghostly thing is this?” He was terrified, having never encountered such a terrifying divine mirror before.
The shattered surface actually began to replay a scene from three days ago, perfectly, without omission.
“Sister Senior!” A furious roar came from the mirror.
“It wasn’t me who stole your Wanyan Flower! I swear!” Soon, two figures appeared in the reflection—a young man, vigorous and sharp-eyed, and a woman with bright eyes and pearly teeth, slender neck like a lotus emerging from water, exquisitely beautiful. She wore white robes, transcendent and flawless, as if not from this world.
They were sparring, or rather, the Little Madman was being subdued by the woman.
“Who else in the Sacred Land dares to do this besides you? If you can’t bring out the Wanyan Flower today, I will suppress you again for three years!” The peerless beauty said, growing harsher. If not for the powerful array sealing the place and the vast space, destruction would be inevitable.
The Little Madman seemed enraged by her words. He immediately activated his divine skill, shouting angrily, “Witch, don’t think once suppressing me means you can do it a second time!”
Facing his desperate effort, the woman effortlessly countered with the same divine skill, pinning him down.
“Ah! I refuse to accept this!”
...
Watching the Little Madman in the mirror being easily subdued by that unmatched woman, Wei Yi couldn’t help but look at the Little Madman beside him.
“Ahem, Sister Senior’s talent is unparalleled throughout time, and she cultivates faster than me. I’m not her match yet! But once I master my cultivation, I will wash away today’s humiliation, suppress her, and avenge this day!” The Little Madman said calmly, without embarrassment.
The voices continued from the mirror. Wei Yi turned to look, but the Little Madman quickly blocked his view.
“Nothing to see! I’ll shut it off!” he said, furiously channeling his power, trying to close the Time Mirror.
“What kind of cursed mirror is this? I can’t turn it off!” The Little Madman was horrified, exhausting his energy repeatedly, but the strange mirror seemed like a bottomless pit, voraciously devouring his power. He was drained to the point of collapse in the blink of an eye.
In the end, only two voices came from the mirror.
“Are you really not the one who stole the Wanyan Flower?”
“Sister Senior, I swear to heaven! I never thought of stealing your Wanyan Flower!”
The voices faded until the conversation ended.
Wei Yi suddenly understood. “So Brother Madman, you borrowed the mirror to find out who really stole the Saintess’s Wanyan Flower?”
“Of course! Think about it—the Saintess of Tianxuan Sacred Land, the most beautiful woman of the Eastern Wasteland, but she unjustly blames me. If that spreads, wouldn’t her reputation be ruined?
“So as long as I find the real culprit and prove I didn’t steal the Wanyan Flower, I can uncover Sister Senior’s little secret, hold it over her for life, and force her to submit easily!” The Little Madman said with confident certainty, as if everything was under control.
Wei Yi wanted to believe it but felt something was off, murmuring, “Is that really so?”
“Of course! When have I ever lied to you? Trust me, once we catch the real culprit, we’ll walk tall in the Tianxuan Sacred Land forever!” The Little Madman continued to egg him on.
Wei Yi had thought the kid was just bragging, but it turned out he really had some skill—he found this strange mirror!
The Little Madman’s eyes darted suddenly as he asked, “Junior Brother, let me ask you something. Who exactly is this Brother Luo Yan you mentioned?”
“Brother Luo Yan is just Brother Luo Yan. What else could he be?” Wei Yi was puzzled.
The Little Madman opened his mouth but said nothing in the end. Judging the kid didn’t get his meaning, he let it go for now. First, focus on the main task. If they couldn’t find the true culprit, the Saintess would beat him to a pulp.