"This Saint's legacy truly is abundant; even such things are hard to find outside," Jiang Wen said with a cheerful smile, feeling that this trip to the Pure Yang Secret Realm was extremely worthwhile. This life-and-death experience was not a loss; he not only obtained the Five Elements Beads but also acquired the complete alchemy inheritance. There were also many spiritual herbs and heavenly medicines, which would greatly help the development of the Quiet Void Temple after he returned.
After putting away the three books, Jiang Wen searched the house again but found nothing special. Just as he was about to leave, the corner of his eye caught sight of the bamboo table, and his footsteps halted.
He walked to the table, looking at a simple and unremarkable bronze mirror. Picking it up to examine it, he discovered that the bronze mirror was shattered in the center. The mirror's surface was broken into countless pieces, each reflecting a human figure.
"Could this mirror be the ancient mirror Changyin spoke of?" Jiang Wen paid attention and then put the mirror away. After scanning the room again and finding nothing special, he walked out of the bamboo building.
Outside the bamboo building, Changyin was already sitting at the stone table, drinking tea. In her hand, she held a soft, cyan-green object that constantly emitted a cyan light from within.
"Finished searching?" Changyin asked, looking at him.
"Yes, I found some useful things," Jiang Wen said with a smile.
"It's good if they're useful; at least they are relics left behind by the Pure Yang True Person," Changyin said dismissively, waving her hand.
"Aren't you curious about what they are?" Jiang Wen asked again. "Don't you want the relics left behind by the Pure Yang True Person?"
"I'm not interested," Changyin shook her head, finishing the tea in her hand. Then, she looked at the pond beside her, her temperament tinged with melancholy. "What's the point of having so many things? Even if one cultivates to become a Saint, what then? One still can't protect what one wants. Saints and immortals are just fallen leaves in the ever-changing world. When the leaf falls, it turns into spring mud. When someone finds that bit of spring mud after many years, they will only sigh."
"You're quite world-weary. Then what are you doing in this Pure Yang Secret Treasure? Weren't you having me help you obtain treasures?" Jiang Wen frowned slightly upon hearing Changyin's weary words. He didn't expect this little girl to be like an old man who had seen through the world at such a young age, her words revealing weariness in every way.
"I came to find myself," Changyin said, holding her small face. "I've been wondering who I really am. I can't even tell who I am, so I came here."
"You are you, who else could you be?" Jiang Wen asked, puzzled.
"You don't understand," Changyin stood up, brushing away the teapot and teacups. The stone table was now empty, with only a faint tea fragrance lingering.
"Let's go. Now that we've obtained the Divine Wood Heart, we should leave this place. After passing the Pure Water and Vajra Palaces, we can enter the Central Earth Palace."
Changyin walked outwards, while Jiang Wen took out the broken mirror to show her.
"Is this mirror the ancient mirror you mentioned?"
"This..." Changyin took the ancient mirror to examine it, nodding after looking at it from all sides. "It seems to be that ancient mirror. I didn't expect it to really still be here."
"Is this mirror really that magical? Can it create a kaleidoscope image realm?" Jiang Wen was somewhat doubtful, as he couldn't see anything special about the mirror. He had also tried to input his magical power earlier, but the mirror didn't react at all, leading him to suspect that it was just an ordinary bronze mirror.
"Of course, you can't use it here," Changyin said with a chuckle. "This is the core of the Kaleidoscope Image, and all magical artifacts that enter here cannot be used."
"I see," Jiang Wen nodded.
The two of them, one in front and one behind, left the bamboo building. Walking outside, they saw the tiger still jumping up and down, searching for a way out. When it saw Jiang Wen and Changyin suddenly appear, it happily cried out, "Brother Jiang! Come and save this one! This one is trapped by this broken mirror!"
"You silly thing, you should stay in there for a few hundred years," Changyin said unhappily.
"Please don't, this one doesn't want to stay for another hundred years," the tiger said with a bitter face.
"Forget it, I'll save you then," Changyin sighed and said to Jiang Wen beside her. "Brother Jiang, use this ancient mirror to save this silly thing."
As soon as he shone the mirror, the mirrored space behind the tiger shattered. It was as if layers of ice were breaking apart, falling piece by piece into the dark nothingness.
Due to the shattering of the mirrored space, the entire tiger suddenly fell from the sky. Before it could react, its entire body slammed onto the ground.
"Ouch, that hurts this one to death!" the tiger cried out, getting up and rubbing its limbs.
"See if you dare touch things randomly again," Changyin glared at it.
"I wouldn't dare, this one wouldn't dare," the tiger quickly waved its paws.
Changyin and the tiger bickered; the two seemed to have known each other for a long time. Jiang Wen, on the other hand, looked at the ancient mirror in his hand, studying what kind of magical treasure it was.
After exiting the Kaleidoscope Image Realm, Jiang Wen saw Changyin kneeling on the prayer mat again, bowing three times to the divine statue. Although he didn't understand why she was so persistent, Jiang Wen didn't ask any further.
After all, everyone has some unknown past, and Changyin was probably the same.
Exiting the Divine Wood Palace, the group walked outside the palace complex. Changyin stood in front of the gate of the Divine Wood Palace, raising the Divine Wood Heart in her hand.
"May the myriad trees be ever green, heed my command! Within the Sumeru, a thousand transformations!"
After reciting the incantation, the Divine Wood Heart shone brightly, and the cyan light enveloped the entire vast palace complex, causing the entire floating island to tremble.
Then, the Jianmu tree rose from the ground, floating towards the sky. Its roots, buried underground, were incredibly vast, even more extensive than the entire Skyfire Palace. The Divine Wood Palace, situated on the roots of the Jianmu tree, flew up along with the Jianmu. It flew higher and higher, eventually hovering above everyone's heads.
"收! (Shōu!)收! (Shōu!)收! (Shōu!)" (收 literally means 'collect', 'withdraw' or '收'.) Changyin said, and the Jianmu slowly shrank. Finally, the entire Divine Wood Palace and Jianmu transformed into a miniature landscape the size of a palm.
It was protected by a transparent film on all sides, like a crystal ball containing a landscape. It landed steadily in Changyin's hand, and there were no further changes.
"This, this, this, this is the palace from just now?!" The tiger stared at the miniature Divine Wood Palace in Changyin's palm, saying in disbelief. After all, it was a vast palace complex stretching for hundreds of miles, yet it could be contained in the palm of her hand. This truly made it difficult for the tiger to believe its own eyes.
"Of course, the entire Divine Wood Palace is actually under the control of this Divine Wood Heart. It can be as big as it wants to be, or as small as it wants to be," Changyin held the Divine Wood Palace, looking at the tiger with disdain. "You silly thing, you've been with the Pure Yang True Person for so many years, why haven't you made any progress?"
"How would this one know that the Immortal Master would have such divine powers?" the tiger cried out in grievance.
"The Pure Yang True Person was able to contain the Eight Dragons Skyfire Formation in his palm; such methods of control are naturally not difficult for him. You've been with him for so long, haven't you ever thought about this? You really are a silly thing."
"Yes, yes, yes, you're right. This one is just stupid," the tiger gave up struggling, admitting its stupidity. Jiang Wen looked at the huge pit that had been left empty, feeling that this Saint was truly powerful.
"When will I also be able to do this?" Jiang Wen was very much looking forward to it.
