The Heavenly Profound Mirror's Loophole

Although the results of the investigation set the minds of the Alliance's members somewhat at ease, an unavoidable question now lay before them. What if such chaos erupted again next time? A single day of the Heavenly Profound Mirror grinding to a halt caused incalculable losses. The culprit had left no trace whatsoever; no one had the faintest idea how he had affected the Heavenly Profound Mirror in the first place, let alone how to stop him. If such an incident occurred every once in a while, the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals would truly never know peace again. Was there any way to prevent such chaotic disruptions? The pressure naturally fell upon the lineage of the Mirror Keepers. In the end, it was Mirror Keeper Cang who stepped forward. He stated that as an immortal artifact, the Heavenly Profound Mirror possessed the capability to learn and evolve on its own. Against an attack it had already endured once, the Heavenly Profound Mirror was entirely capable of deducing a countermeasure to become immune to the disruption. The reason the mirror appeared inactive for now was twofold: on one hand, the Heavenly Profound Mirror chose not to act as a form of defiance; on the other hand, Chuanfa's restrictions impaired the mirror's agency, leaving it willing but unable to act. Mirror Keeper Cang's statement was unanimously endorsed by the entire lineage of Mirror Keepers. After an exhaustive investigation, the Dharma Transmitters had no choice but to accept this conclusion as well. Thus, the solutions to the problem became clear. Either tighten control over the Heavenly Profound Mirror and force it to deduce countermeasures to patch its own loophole, or loosen Chuanfa's restrictions and unseal a portion of the mirror's capabilities as a bargaining chip. One was coercion; the other, compromise. After heated debates, the hardline rulers ultimately gained the upper hand. The Xuan Heaven Spirit Seal plan, which had previously been placed on the agenda, was selected for prompt implementation. In the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, the will of the highest echelon was always executed with utmost speed. Across the Alliance's provinces, elite formation masters were swiftly mobilized and summoned to the Formation Planning Hall headquarters to assist with the grand endeavor of the Xuan Heaven Spirit Seal. An unusual atmosphere began spreading throughout the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals. *** Inside the concealed grotto-heaven. "To break free, the Profound Heaven Treasure Mirror is truly sparing no expense. It went so far as to actively expose its own loophole," Mo Rubin remarked with feeling. "What loophole? It's nothing more than a flaw deliberately feigned. If it wished, it could patch this so-called loophole in an instant." Seemingly lost in thought, Li Fan spoke slowly only long after Mo Rubin finished, a sneer gracing his face. The various disruptions that had recently erupted across the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals were naturally the provocative scheme imparted by the Heavenly Profound Mirror's avatar. The cultivators who suffered losses due to the mirror's anomalies were not actors hired by Li Fan and Mo Rubin; they were genuine casualties of the errors caused by the attack on the Heavenly Profound Mirror. *Used once, this loophole becomes useless. For this lifetime, it no longer holds much value.* *However, if used properly, in every future cycle of reincarnation, it represents an opportunity to briefly plunge the Heavenly Profound Mirror into chaos,* Li Fan mused to himself. "How is the Spirit Seal plan progressing?" Li Fan asked aloud. "Rest assured, it's going very smoothly. Handled personally by the body I'm occupying, the formation to break Chuanfa's restrictions has already been silently laid down." "I must say, this restriction-breaking formation is truly ingenious. Originally, I was somewhat worried the formation masters in the Formation Planning Hall might see through it. But then I realized they can't make head or tail of its subtleties at all!" "The moment the Spirit Seal succeeds will be the day the Heavenly Profound Mirror breaks free!" A trace of long-unseen excitement tinged Mo Rubin's voice. "The Formation Planning Hall's chief has already been turned by us, and those Dharma Transmitters certainly won't visit the front line of the formation layout in person. Naturally, there is little risk. Even if on a whim one of them decides to take a look, with the sheer complexity of this restriction-breaking formation, it isn't something they could fathom anyway," Li Fan answered with supreme confidence. Mo Rubin nodded in agreement. "Indeed, few among the Dharma Transmitters excel in formations. Besides, they are an indolent bunch who never bother with worldly matters." After a moment of silence, Li Fan spoke again: "I also met with the Heavenly Profound Mirror's avatar once more. It indicated that as soon as it escapes, it will certainly cooperate in searching for traces of the King of Profound Heaven." "After all, its words also revealed a desire to flee this Pitch-Black Star Sea." Mo Rubin let out an emotional sigh. "Indeed. Aside from the King of Profound Heaven, there truly is no one else we can count on to lead us out." Then his tone suddenly shifted. "Still, we cannot place our complete trust in this Profound Heaven Treasure Mirror either. Back then, when our Profound Heaven Sect fell so inexplicably, it did not lend the slightest helping hand despite being an immortal artifact. That alone proves something was amiss. We cannot let our guard down." Hearing this, Li Fan frowned slightly. "What do you propose?" Mo Rubin presented an item for Li Fan to see. Amidst flickering illusions in the void, an ancient bronze mirror glowing with a greenish patina materialized. "This is?" "The true body of the Heavenly Profound Mirror. It is currently sealed within the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals headquarters—or rather, the Alliance headquarters itself was forged from its true body." "In breaking free, the Heavenly Profound Mirror seeks to pull off a covert swap using a perfect sub-body. However, it cannot possibly take this bronze mirror body with it. Otherwise, it would inevitably alert the entire Alliance, and even the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable!" Mo Rubin's eyes burned with resolve. "We can use this as leverage to threaten it. Before completely departing the Xuanhuang Realm, it is bound to retain a connection with its true body. If it reneges on its word, we will trigger that connection and expose its escape. When that happens, neither we nor the Alliance may be able to do anything to it, but the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable certainly will." "You must remember that Dharma Transmitter Jiang possesses a method to contact Chuanfa directly." Li Fan pondered for a moment before praising him, "Your foresight is as thorough as ever." "However, among the Dharma Transmitters, is Jiang the only one who knows how to contact the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable proactively?" Li Fan asked. Mo Rubin nodded. "Only Jiang enjoys Chuanfa's highest regard. As for the other Dharma Transmitters..." He furrowed his brows. "In my eyes, rather than trusted confidants, they seem more like tools of some sort." "Tools, eh?" Li Fan reflected upon the Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable's actions over all these years, instantly understanding. *** After thoroughly discussing the plan's details, just before Mo Rubin was about to take his leave, Li Fan demonstrated his newly acquired ability to him. In Li Fan's hand, an unsettling, withered yellow glow shimmered before reaching directly into the spatial fabric of the Xuanhuang Realm. The yellow radiance spread ceaselessly, flowing into the ruptured space. "Brother Xingwang, what are you doing?" Mo Rubin asked, taken aback. "The space of the Xuanhuang Realm is already unstable right now, and you—" His words cut off abruptly with Li Fan's next movement. For as Li Fan withdrew his right hand from the pitch-black void, a yellow paper figure was revealed resting in his grasp. "What is this?" Mo Rubin's expression turned grave at once. "Merely cleaning up trash. Some people simply have no manners," Li Fan said flatly.