Without any warning, Miao Youfang’s life force was forcibly stripped away, his vital energy plummeting rapidly.

In mere breaths, he was on the brink of death.

“What’s happening?”

Even Li Lingsu, with all his vast experience, was shocked by the scene before him. He rushed over and crouched down to examine the situation.

The first thing that came to Xu Qi’an’s mind was the three words “Death Curse Technique.”

From his experience, few methods could kill silently and invisibly. Among them were the Witch God Sect’s “Dream Witch Technique” and “Death Curse Technique,” as well as the Dao School’s “Soul-Hooking Art.” But both Dream Witch and Soul-Hooking techniques had one prerequisite—the target must be in a state of sleep.

Miao Youfang didn’t meet this condition…

That left only the Death Curse Technique.

The problem was, that the Death Curse Technique required a medium like hair, flesh, or blood—at minimum, a personal possession. Miao Youfang had been with them the whole time and hadn’t “lost” anything of the sort… Xu Qi’an’s brows furrowed tightly.

“His internal organs are failing, and part of his Primordial Spirit is missing.”

Li Lingsu’s expression changed slightly as he reported the situation, simultaneously retrieving medicine from his storage sachet and feeding it to Miao Youfang.

“Part of his Primordial Spirit is missing?!”

Xu Qi’an asked for confirmation.

Li Lingsu nodded, understanding his meaning, and said gravely:

“This isn’t a Death Curse Technique.”

The Death Curse Technique wouldn’t result in a “partially missing Primordial Spirit.” If Miao Youfang had been struck by a Death Curse, his Primordial Spirit and physical body would have failed simultaneously.

Until death.

Li Lingsu added: “His Celestial Soul is gone, seemingly forcibly extracted. Strange thing is, I didn’t detect even the slightest trace of it happening.”

To extract a Primordial Spirit in front of a Fourth-Rank Yuan Ying cultivator without being detected—that was even more bizarre than a Death Curse… Xu Qi’an pulled back from his thoughts, pulling Mu Nanchi to his side while bending down to check Miao Youfang’s condition.

He was like a candle in the wind, likely to expire at any moment.

“What method can forcibly extract part of a Primordial Spirit and bring the physical body to the brink of death?” Xu Qi’an asked rapidly.

“Forcibly extracting part of a Primordial Spirit is quite common—I can do it myself. But to evade my detection, the perpetrator must either be in the Transcendent Realm or possess some special method…

“As for bringing the physical body to the brink of death… theoretically speaking, losing the Celestial Soul results in a coma; losing the Earthly Soul turns one into an idiot; losing the Human Soul leads to immediate death.”

Li Lingsu replied just as quickly, then continued with a grave expression:

“This is bad. The medicine isn’t working. He has at most the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before he dies.”

Lose the Celestial Soul, become vegetative; lose the Earthly Soul, become an idiot; lose the Human Soul, straight to reincarnation… Xu Qi’an pondered:

“So you’re saying Miao Youfang’s physical condition isn’t related to the loss of his Celestial Soul?”

Li Lingsu thought for a moment and, from his professional perspective as the Heavenly Sect’s Holy Son, concluded: “We should say there’s no direct relationship.”

Xu Qi’an’s thoughts moved very quickly:

“Using the Celestial Soul as a medium? Similar to the Death Curse Technique? Except one relies on hair, flesh, and blood, while the other relies on the Celestial Soul. Hmm, I know what to do now.”

Under Li Lingsu’s contemplative gaze, Xu Qi’an extended his palm and lightly patted Miao Youfang’s head.

There was no visible phenomenon, but the failure of Miao Youfang’s internal organs instantly halted, and the consumed medicine began to take effect, nourishing his organs.

Moving Stars and Shifting Constellations!

Xu Qi’an used this high-level ability of the Heaven Gu to “hide” Miao Youfang, severing the connection between his Celestial Soul and physical body.

It worked indeed… Xu Qi’an exhaled.

“It’s working!”

Li Lingsu was overjoyed—the perpetrator could no longer harm Miao Youfang through his Celestial Soul.

In just a few exchanges, they had solved a problem that would have stumped most cultivators.

This was partly due to their vast knowledge and experience, but also because Xu Qi’an possessed a rich array of techniques.

The Seven Fatal Gu’s abilities were incredibly powerful. Although it hadn’t grown to the Third-Rank Transcendent Realm, compared to the purely destructive martial arts system, the Seven Fatal Gu was more useful in certain situations.

However, new problems arose immediately. Li Lingsu frowned:

“Who’s targeting us?”

Xu Qi’an counter-questioned:

“Don’t you already have a guess?

“The one who conflicts with us is right before our eyes.”

They both looked toward the collapsed temple god statue. Xu Qi’an said, “It was just now that Miao Youfang cut down its statue.”

Li Lingsu drew in a sharp breath:

“This shouldn’t be possible. How could such a terrifying thing exist in a small county’s insignificant temple? Come to think of it, what exactly is this temple god? I still haven’t detected any soul fluctuations.”

Xu Qi’an shrugged: “All I know is we’ve got someone with terrible luck among us.”

Encountering something this troublesome in a small county town was like a child fishing in a stream and pulling out a dragon.

Apart from having exceptionally dark skin, there was no more reasonable explanation.

Without maintaining his “Senior Xu” persona, Xu Qi’an spoke more casually:

“Let’s go outside and investigate what this temple god is.”

With the enemy hidden and himself exposed, to deal with the temple god, he needed to first understand what it was.

Until now, they still hadn’t figured out the temple god’s true nature.

Li Lingsu immediately lifted Miao Youfang onto his back and was about to leave the temple, but the moment he turned, he suddenly froze. The next instant, he perfectly repeated Miao Youfang’s fate.

Bang!

Both men fell to the ground.

Simultaneously, Mu Nanchi and the little white fox also fell unconscious. Li Lingsu and the little white fox’s life forces began rapidly declining, while only Mu Nanchi remained unharmed, though unconscious.

Xu Qi’an caught the Flower God’s reincarnation in his arms before she could fall.

He looked gravely at where the statue had collapsed.

That half-mirror held by the stone imp had somehow floated up, and with a “crack,” its stone shell split open.

It was half of a bronze mirror, with vine-like patterns wrapped around its edges. Its smooth surface reflected a single eye without eyelashes, coldly and emotionlessly staring at everyone in the temple.

It had been cut from the middle, the cross-section smooth as if sliced by a sharp blade.

The moment that eye examined them, Xu Qi’an’s martial artist’s intuition immediately warned him, sending signals of danger.

At the same time, Xu Qi’an finally understood what the temple god was.

A magical treasure—a broken magical treasure.

It undoubtedly possessed self-awareness and could be considered an alternative form of life.

A magical treasure, receiving worship here, absorbing incense… Xu Qi’an’s mind stirred as he vaguely guessed some of the inside story.

The eye in the mirror coldly looked down at Xu Qi’an, suddenly shooting out a beam of ghostly green light.

This beam was impossible to dodge, directly affecting the soul.

In that instant, Xu Qi’an felt an enormous force pulling at his Primordial Spirit, attempting to tear his soul from his body.

“Hmph!”

His Primordial Spirit was the first to remove the Demon-Sealing Nail—a genuine Third-Rank Primordial Spirit, the spirit of a Transcendent Realm expert. Even for a martial artist, it wasn’t something a magical treasure could easily capture.

While stabilizing his Primordial Spirit and resisting the pull, Xu Qi’an took out the Earth Book fragment and shook out the Pagoda of Six Realms.

He would use a complete magical treasure to counter a broken one.

As soon as the Pagoda of Six Realms appeared, its vast and majestic aura descended, filling every corner of space.

Second Level of the Pagoda—Suppress!

Specifically used for suppressing top-tier experts, like the Second-Rank Rain Master Nalan Tianlu back then.

The bronze mirror slowly “raised its eye,” shifting its attention to the Pagoda of Six Realms.

“Go!”

Xu Qi’an pointed at the bronze mirror, and the Pagoda descended to suppress this broken magical treasure.

The mirror flipped over, its surface facing the descending Pagoda, and that eyelash-less eye shot out a dazzling ghostly green light.

Hiss! Hiss!

The green beam collided with the Pagoda’s base, erupting in brilliant green light like sparks from a welder’s torch.

The Pagoda of Six Realms pressed down relentlessly, continuously compressing the green beam until, with a “clang,” the Pagoda landed, trapping the bronze mirror beneath it.

Xu Qi’an had no time to examine the Pagoda; he hurried to Bai Ji and Li Lingsu’s side, using his “Moving Stars and Shifting Constellations” ability to hide them, preventing their physical bodies from failing fatally.

After completing this, he confidently entered the Pagoda, going directly to the third level.

The Pagoda Spirit, an old monk, sat cross-legged on a cushion, playing with the half-mirror in his hands while smiling at Xu Qi’an’s arrival.

“Master!”

Xu Qi’an pressed his palms together in greeting, then immediately asked:

“Master, do you know what this object is?”

The Pagoda Spirit didn’t answer immediately, instead asking:

“Where did you obtain this?”

Xu Qi’an briefly recounted the day’s events.

The old monk nodded in understanding: “So it had been lost among the common people all this time. Benefactor Xu, you truly are blessed with great fortune to have found this object.”

So, what exactly is this thing? Just as Xu Qi’an was about to ask, the old monk shook the mirror’s surface, releasing four souls—three human and one fox.

Miao Youfang, Mu Nanchi, and the little white fox floated in the air, dazed and confused.

Only Li Lingsu remained animated, fully demonstrating the Dao School’s specialty in matters of the soul. He looked around in surprise:

“How did I end up in the Pagoda?”

“Your Celestial Soul was captured by this mirror,” Xu Qi’an pointed at the bronze mirror.

“This mirror? The one that ambushed us in the temple?” Li Lingsu clicked his tongue in wonder. “What is this thing, a magical tool?”

“It’s a magical treasure, though seemingly incomplete.” Xu Qi’an said while looking at the old monk.

The Pagoda Spirit showed a hint of emotion:

“This is a magical treasure called the Chaos Sky Divine Mirror. It was the dressing mirror of the Monster Kingdom’s ruler, the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox.

“It could observe all nine provinces, allowing that monster ruler to know everything in the world without leaving home.

“Anyone caught in its reflection would have their Primordial Spirit drawn into the mirror, their physical body losing freedom, their life and actions completely under its control. It’s said only the Nine-Tailed Fox was immune to its effects.

“During the Jiazi Monster Purge, it was cut in half by Bodhisattva Guangxian, and its whereabouts became unknown. I didn’t expect it to appear here today—perhaps it’s due to Benefactor Xu’s karmic connection with the monster race.”

So this thing controlled that Li Gui’s wife’s corpse, preventing the body from moving freely?

Xu Qi’an immediately raised a question: “It must have appeared about a month ago. Why did it force people to worship it as a temple god?”

The Pagoda Spirit explained:

“Magical treasures can absorb the power of worship and incense. This helps stabilize their condition. This poor monk spent hundreds of years cultivating at the Three Flowers Temple, daily basking in the nurturing effects of incense and worship. However, in my complete state, such offerings were optional.

“But this mirror is broken, so it needs the offerings for sustenance.”

So incense and worship can nurture magical treasures—is that why the Nation-Protecting Sword is enshrined in the Eternal Mountain and River Temple of Sangpo, and why the Sage’s Carving Knife and Vice-Sage’s Crown are enshrined in the Vice-Sage Temple? Xu Qi’an suddenly understood.

His seemingly useless knowledge had increased.

“Has this broken treasure been impersonating local deities for the past five hundred years?”

Xu Qi’an voiced his doubt.

The Pagoda Spirit looked down at the bronze mirror, seemingly communicating with it. After a few seconds, he looked up and said:

“It says it can’t remember its past. After awakening, it was found by an old woman. Then it asked the old woman for worship… Hm? Bald thief?”

The old monk’s expression paused, and he shook his head with a smile: “Due to its broken state, its consciousness is confused.”

A broken magical treasure with mental issues… Xu Qi’an nodded and said: “I’ll trouble you to watch over this object for now, Senior.”

After speaking, he led the three human souls and one fox soul out of the Pagoda.

After their souls returned, they gradually awakened. Xu Qi’an briefly explained what had happened, leaving Miao Youfang dumbfounded. He had theorized the temple god might be a mountain spirit, evil cultivator, or other such beings.

He never imagined it would be a mirror.

“Li Lingsu, summon the spirits!”

Xu Qi’an ordered.

Li Lingsu began chanting, and soon, the temple was filled with ghostly wind as the temperature plummeted.

Since they had died recently, no auxiliary materials were needed for the ritual.

Two souls materialized—a white-haired old woman and a burly man, both with blank stares and wooden expressions.

The spirit medium mother and son.

Xu Qi’an asked: “How did you obtain the mirror?”

The spirit medium stared blankly ahead, her voice hollow:

“The dry well in our old home.”

Newly deceased spirits had no independent thought, answering only what was asked, not a word more.

Xu Qi’an had to ask many questions before piecing together the whole story.

About a month ago, due to poor harvests and frequent disasters, the spirit medium’s son was unwilling to support his mother and pushed her into a dry well.

The spirit medium found the bronze mirror in the well.

From then on, she was controlled by the mirror, renovating this City God Temple for it, and subsequently living a wealthy life, never going hungry again.

However, she thought the temple god was mentally ill, sometimes demanding worship, sometimes wanting to kill monks, and shouting about the immortality of its ruler.

Fortunately, the temple god that controlled her was quite obedient, generally following her suggestions, killing whoever she wanted killed.

Notably, Li Gui’s wife was killed by the spirit medium. The spirit medium knew Li Gui’s wife and learned that she had burned the temple’s “wooden ghost” as firewood, so she devised a plan.

This led to Li Gui’s encounter.

She gained her first bucket of gold from Li Gui and used it to build her reputation, using the Chaos Sky Divine Mirror’s power to instill fear in the county’s people.

Over this month, her son had also taken advantage of the temple god’s influence, using the pretext of praying for children to force himself on several beautiful women from good families.

“They deserved worse deaths!” Miao Youfang coldly snorted. “If I’d known earlier, I wouldn’t have let these beast-like mother and son die so quickly and cleanly.”

“Miao Youfang, later find someone to investigate those guards, and kill them all,” Xu Qi’an arranged methodically.

His ability to maintain composure had greatly improved from before, better able to contain his emotions.

Those guards who had aided evil were already on his must-kill list, but unlike before, he wasn’t rushing. He displayed a composed confidence that everything was under his control.

He was increasingly showing Wei Yuan’s experienced demeanor.

The only remaining mystery was how the mirror had ended up in Central Plains, though that wasn’t important—like trying to determine whether the chicken or egg came first… Xu Qi’an waved his sleeve, dispersing the souls of the spirit medium and her son into nothingness.

He turned his thoughts to how to handle the Chaos Sky Divine Mirror.

Normally, keeping this broken treasure to use himself, letting it “atone for its crimes,” would be the best choice. One more magical treasure meant one more technique at his disposal.

The more techniques one had, the better equipped they were to handle risks.

But since this treasure was once the “dressing mirror” of the Nine-Tailed Fox, Xu Qi’an thought perhaps he could maximize its benefits.

Would that noble princess be interested in her mother’s relic?

Perhaps I can sell it for an even higher price… Xu Qi’an looked at Bai Ji with a kindly smile:

“Little cutie, can you contact your princess?”