"A dynasty created by the mortals exiled to the pocket worlds in those bygone years. There may be an unknown powerhouse intervening behind it; its rate of civilizational development defies all reason."
"Perhaps it is connected to that faction from the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao that fled the Xuanhuang Realm before the great tribulation arrived."
"Following a preliminary assessment, we cannot rule out the possibility that key members within the Alliance have already been infiltrated."
...
Sun Luyuan studied these fragments of text closely, his brow knit tight.
This Sacred Dynasty of Great Qi was exceedingly mysterious, and which pocket world it was hiding in remained unknown. The Heavenly Profound Mirror could only gauge its approximate strength through the activities and conditions of Great Qi personnel operating within the Xuanhuang Realm.
"A pity I could not capture the Heavenly Profound Mirror's full reasoning and evidence, only these scattered scraps of data."
Sun Luyuan could not help but feel a twinge of regret.
Even so, he placed great trust in the Heavenly Profound Mirror's judgment.
As the very foundation upon which the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals operated, the Heavenly Profound Mirror received unimaginable, staggering amounts of data at every passing moment. If a cultivator—even a being of the Longevity realm—attempted to process so much information simultaneously, their mind would likely grind to a sluggish halt. Yet not only did the Heavenly Profound Mirror handle everything flawlessly, it could even forecast the future to a certain degree based on the information it currently possessed.
Yet regarding these "things yet to happen," beyond simply knowing them itself, the Heavenly Profound Mirror could offer no advice whatsoever, nor could it take any action.
At first, Sun Luyuan had found this utterly baffling.
It was only during one of his conversations with Mirror Keeper Fu that he finally grasped the mystery behind it.
"The Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals is ruled by men, not ruled by a mirror. No matter how extraordinary it is, it is merely an artifact. If it could make all manner of decisions without our consent, then where would that leave us? Once such a precedent is set, would the Alliance not descend into utter chaos?"
"As for why even its judgments cannot be lightly trusted..."
Mirror Keeper Fu had fallen silent for a long time before speaking faintly. "No major chaos can shake the Xuanhuang Realm. No matter what occurs, nothing can dislodge people like us from our seats.
"The Heavenly Profound Mirror's judgments are purely rational deductions. Long ago, we too attempted to make greater use of its abilities to better govern the Alliance. But..."
Mirror Keeper Fu had paused. "Heh. It actually started making recommendations concerning us.
"It is better off obediently remaining an 'artifact.'"
Sun Luyuan understood that the group of people who truly governed the Alliance would never allow the Heavenly Profound Mirror to place itself above them. They had to keep power firmly clenched in their own hands at all times. Moreover, the Heavenly Profound Mirror was ultimately an artifact; whether it could be fully trusted remained an unknown.
Pondering this for a long time, the restless ambition that had begun stirring in Sun Luyuan's heart cooled once more.
"The Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals has ruled for so many years; its roots run deep, and its foundation is unimaginably profound. Furthermore, Lord Dharma-Transmitting Heavenly Venerable suppresses all under heaven. How could it possibly be so easily shaken?" As Sun Luyuan thought this, he found it incredible that such a notion had even crossed his mind moments ago.
"Still, nothing in this world is absolute."
Recalling everything he had witnessed in the daily operations of the Alliance, his confidence was invisibly undermined once again.
"I shall watch and wait for now. The Sacred Dynasty of Great Qi...
"If it truly gathers that kind of momentum, it will not be too late to make a decision then."
After all, as the clan head, his every move affected the lives and fortunes of over a hundred kin; he could not afford to be anything less than utterly cautious.
Suppressing the intelligence deep into the recesses of his mind, Sun Luyuan then turned his attention back to his younger brother's condition.
That display of agony just now had genuinely worried him.
At this moment, Sun Luyao also seemed to have slowly recovered from the endless torment.
"Brother, I am fine. For your sake, and for the Sun Clan, I can hold on a bit longer," Sun Luyao said with a wretched smile.
Sun Luyuan's heart trembled. Though a thousand words surged to his lips, they all dissolved into silence in the end.
"By the way, Brother, you mentioned earlier that Lord Fu's assignment this time is to find the Heavenly Profound Mirror's human avatar? What is that about?"
After a prolonged quiet in the underground secret chamber, it was Sun Luyao who finally broke the silence.
Only then did Sun Luyuan explain, "Lord Fu discovered that another Mirror Keeper, Cang, seems to be plotting something in secret. Among the lineage of Mirror Keepers, Cang belongs to the radical faction, having always advocated for stricter restrictions on the Heavenly Profound Mirror. But recently, his stance has shown signs of wavering.
"Lord Fu determined that Cang's unusual behavior may be connected to an avatar of the Heavenly Profound Mirror."
Sun Luyao seemed somewhat puzzled. "...How did he deduce that?"
Sun Luyuan shook his head. "That, I do not know. Perhaps Lord Fu knows something else that he did not explain to me clearly.
"Even if it is merely an unfounded conjecture, since he has handed down the order, we must carry it out regardless.
"Fortunately, he also knows this matter is extraordinarily difficult, so he was not overly demanding."
Sun Luyuan let out a cold snort.
He then looked toward Sun Luyao. "It is just that you will have to suffer again."
Sun Luyao did not reply.
After a moment, he said quietly, "Then let us begin. While my state is still manageable."
With a complex expression, Sun Luyuan nodded. He drew a Lesser Heavenly Profound Mirror from his robes,
facing the Boundless Black Mirror from afar.
An invisible force field instantly descended upon the underground secret chamber, forming what seemed like a conduit between the two mirrors. Countless beams of light and shadow, mingled with wisps of emerald radiance, flowed along the conduit and were absorbed into the Boundless Black Mirror.
Sun Luyao's hazy silhouette began to turn unstable.
Looking toward the Heavenly Profound Mirror, an irrepressible greed surfaced in his gaze. Yet in an instant, he forcibly suppressed it.
Amid the shifting expressions on his face, more and more information was drawn out from the Lesser Heavenly Profound Mirror.
Sun Luyuan monitored the changes in the chamber with tense vigilance.
Seeing that the duration was roughly the same as usual, he intended to stow the Lesser Heavenly Profound Mirror away.
"Brother, wait a little longer!"
Sun Luyuan hesitated.
The longer a single attempt to pry into the Heavenly Profound Mirror lasted, the higher the likelihood of being detected. Multiple short attempts were far safer than one prolonged venture.
Yet what Sun Luyao said next sent a jolt straight through his soul.
"A human avatar... it actually exists!"
"Brother, give me a little more time! I've already found some clues!"
Sun Luyuan had not expected things to go so smoothly this time, and a wave of wild joy surged within him.
Yet a fleeting thought struck him: Could this be an excuse his brother fabricated just to devour a little longer?
After all, he had pulled such stunts before.
"Trust me, Brother!"
The innate bond between blood brothers prompted Sun Luyao to speak up, dispelling Sun Luyuan's doubts.
Sun Luyuan gritted his teeth and, in the end, did not put the Lesser Heavenly Profound Mirror away.
Chapter 1166