There were scant few seconds for the group to react before dangerous cracks appeared in the ice coating. The horned beetle was already breaking free! Qi Yuan's orders grew quicker and more urgent as more of the frozen layer sloughed off. Wu Lianlei stopped staring and extended her palms again, forcing her Beauty's Barbs to grow through the ice. Both plants arched towards the beetle's head before bursting into a cacophony of red flowers.
As soon as the ice cracked in front of the beetle's face, they doused the bug in more sedative powder. Gradually, it stopped struggling and stood there limply, senses numb. Half of its shell was still caked in ice, which was quickly reforming under the glow of Li Hanlan's talismans. A mixture of vines and silver threads kept the rest of the beast firmly bound in place.
Once Wu Lianlei saw the creature back under control, she didn't hesitate to run back into the array. Wu Yelin descended from the trees as well, and both sisters met up with Qi Yuan in front of the motionless beast.
"That was demonic qi," Wu Yelin frowned.
"We suspected the beast had a master, but never thought it'd strike independently," Qi Yuan muttered darkly as he stared at the beetle. Meanwhile, Wu Lianlei's eyes had been caught by something on the ground as she bent down.
"I can't sense him anywhere," Wu Yelin's frown grew deeper.
"The attack came from the same direction as the beast. If we trace it back--" Qi Yuan began before the glint of silver light distracted him. He looked down just as Wu Lianlei stood up, brushing mud and grime off a silver beaded tassel.
"It's from Brother Li's mask!" Wu Yelin exclaimed, leaning in. "How did it end up here?"
Wu Lianlei peered at the ends. "It looks like someone's snapped the string." The next second, she gave a start as the tassel glowed and rose into the air. It hovered for a few moments before speeding off into the forest.
"Follow it!" Qi Yuan was the first to react as he chased after the speeding token. But he didn't forget to leave instructions for his men. "Two of you come with me. The rest keep an eye on the beast until we return!"
The Yin Yang Sect disciples nodded. Wu Yelin and Wu Lianlei exchanged glances before rushing to catch up. The tassel flew through the air like a silvery star, zig-zagging wildly through the forest. Luckily, the five people on its tail were all skilled enough in lightness techniques to keep up.
Eventually, the tassel skidded to a stop in the middle of a small clearing. Here the trees were thicker and taller, nearly blocking out the sky and much of the rain overhead. Wu Yelin was the first to land on the ground and look around.
"There's nothing here," she sounded disappointed.
"Did it lose the trail?" Qi Yuan wondered as his fellow disciples settled behind him.
Wu Lianlei didn't speak. This should be the location of the dilapidated shrine that housed the spider demoness, but all they could see were trees. She stared at the tassel, which remained floating in the air as if waiting for something. Without hesitation, she grabbed her pouch and threw another seed at the ground.
A vine sprouted from her feet and arched forward past the tassel. There was a sharp crackle before a faint dome shimmered into place. The ground glowed green briefly with traces of intricate script and lines before everything faded away.
"A barrier," Qi Yuan's lips drew into a line. He took out an Eight Trigrams Mirror from his sleeve and threw it in the air. Slowly, the yin yang symbol in the center parted in half to form the mirror, which flashed with light before reflecting a complex web of symbols and characters on its surface.
"At least ninth rank, Wood element," Qi Yuan said as he knitted his brows. "It's keeping something inside--most likely, the master of that horned beetle beast."
"Ninth rank?!" Wu Yelin exclaimed. None of them had the strength to break through something like that.
"It's imperfect," Qi Yuan continued. "Otherwise, demonic qi wouldn't have been able to escape it at all. If we can find its weak point, we might be able to enter."
"Will Senior Brother Li's tassel help?" Wu Lianlei spoke up. In the novel, they'd let the beast lead them here with a decoy disciple in its grasp. It had been able to pass through the barrier effortlessly, but the qi infused marker they'd left on the decoy had given them an anchor to slip in as well.
It was obvious that the spider demoness had taken Li Hanlan as her victim. Although he wasn't marked with any tags, he did manage to leave his tassel behind. Whatever spell attracted it to its owner should be able to sense where his presence was strongest--and thus where the barrier was weakest.
"Right now, it's the barrier interfering with the connection between this tassel and its master," Qi Yuan continued. "If we could disrupt its flow, even briefly, then the tassel should be able to pinpoint the weakest section of the seal."
"What kind of interference do you need?" Wu Yelin asked. She was already rolling up her sleeves for battle.
"None of us are strong enough to brute force it," Qi Yuan dispelled her ideas. "And we don't have a Metal affinity cultivator amongst us." He was Earth, which was weak against Wood. Wu Yelin's Water affinity would only strengthen the existing seal, while her Fire affinity didn't hold any particular advantages. The rest of the Yin Yang Sect disciples, including the duo with them here, were too low ranked to do anything significant.
Wu Yelin visibly deflated, but Wu Lianlei was staring fixedly at Qi Yuan's hands. Sensing her gaze, he looked over quizzically.
"Isn't that an eight trigrams mirror?" Wu Lianlei point to the object he was holding. Qi Yuan glanced down and nodded, so she continued, "I'm a Wood affinity cultivator."
Qi Yuan's gaze grew complicated at her words.
"What's so special about the mirror?" Wu Yelin drew closer, sensing a ploy at play. "All I can see are some funky designs."
"It's a tool used to channel energy," Wu Lianlei explained. In the modern world, such objects were used by feng shui masters. But a cultivation world like this meant such tools were naturally extraordinary. The fact that it could even identify and map out the barrier before them was testament to its powers. "If we could redirect the energy from the barrier outwards..."
"...then that should weaken the seal, thus allowing the tassel to find the weak point!" one of the Yin Yang Sect disciples spoke up. "Senior Brother Qi, is it possible?"
Qi Yuan looked between the barrier and the mirror before resting his gaze on Wu Lianlei. "The mirror is designed to take in energy, but we'd need a conduit to direct it elsewhere. What you're suggesting...you want to use the mirror to draw out the qi, then your own strength to guide that away from the barrier?"
Wu Lianlei nodded. "I have extremely high affinity with my element." It was one of the white lotus' genuine strong points, after all, and why her master had taken her in despite the differences in their affinity strengths. If the Eight Trigrams Mirror was like a pool that held qi, then she was going to be the stream to that pool. As long as Qi Yuan kept using the mirror, it'd keep collecting qi from the barrier, and as long as she drew qi out, the mirror would refill itself until the barrier ran dry.
After the other two disciples and Wu Yelin understood the whole story, they harbored doubts.
"Can a small mirror like that channel much qi at all?" one of the Yin Yang Sect disciples asked. "What if we end up waiting here for half the day just to weaken the barrier?"
"Lei Lei, are you sure it's sage?" Wu Yelin was frowning. "Ancient barriers are no joke."
"I'm only affecting its elemental qi, not the whole barrier," Wu Lianlei reassured her. The reasoning was similar to the seal array that had been disrupted in the forest before: a burst of external interference to shake things up. "And Martial Brother Qi, that's not just any mirror, right?" It didn't have any particular affinity of its own, but could take in and accept elemental qi from external sources, even a high rank barrier like this.
"No," Qi Yuan shook his head, gaze still thoughtful. "It's a relic from ancient times, the Primordial Heavens Mirror. For something as simple as this, it'll be enough."
"Right then, let's get started!" Wu Yelin's eyes were shining. "We don't want Senior Brother Li to be eaten before we save him!"
"One second." Qi Yuan held up a finger.
"What now?" Wu Yelin blurted impatiently.
"No agreements without exchanges, no trades without terms," Qi Yuan said briskly. "These are the bartering principles of the Yin Yang Sect. Wu Lianlei, my master gave me this mirror after divining my fates for this journey. If you'd like me to use it here, then I have a request for you as well."
"What is it?" Wu Lianlei asked. Despite her curiosity, she wasn't concerned; the character Qi Yuan had rarely brushed shoulders with the white lotus in the main plot, so this was simply two side characters having an extra conversation.
And if it's treasures or tools he wants, I can make Li Hanlan pay him as thanks for saving his life later!
Qi Yuan only quirked a smile. "Let me divine your fates as well."
"Ah?" Isn't that just doing me another favor? Wu Lianlei blinked. "...is that it?"
Qi Yuan nodded.
"Can I ask why?" Wu Lianlei arched a brow.
Qi Yuan shook his head. "My master simply instructed me to read the fates of the first person who asked to use the Primordial Heavens Mirror. I have no other intentions."
Yin Yang Sect, whose members can scry the future. Wu Lianlei weighed the offer in her mind, but couldn't see any harm. She was curious about the future herself--would it still stay on track after all of these detours?
"Alright," she agreed. Before anyone else could reply, the tassel above them sent out a pulse of qi, seemingly impatient.
"My thanks to you," Qi Yuan said smoothly as he glanced towards the item. "And it looks like we shouldn't delay." He had the two disciples of his sect stand guard some distance away while Wu Yelin waited on the sidelines. Meanwhile, Qi Yuan shifted out of the way so Wu Lianlei could stand in front of the mirror. Here, she could see in detail the intricate patterns and symbols flitting across its surface--glimpses of the complicated sealwork that had formed the barrier. It was too complicated for a mere fourth-rank cultivator to understand, so she looked away before she got dizzy.
"When you start drawing out the qi, I'll have the mirror bring in more from the barrier," Qi Yuan began. "Good luck."
Wu Lianlei nodded and began to concentrate. Cultivators in this world had elemental affinities which naturally resonated with the world around them. Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water made up all of the substances in this universe. These affinities were intertwined with their internal qi and gave them strengths and weaknesses according to their element. As Qi Yuan began to guide more qi from the barrier into the back of the eight trigrams mirror, it began to fill to overflowing. Eventually, tendrils began to dispel restlessly from the mirror's surface.
Wu Lianlei reached out with her hands and tugged at the air. The qi didn't move, but after a few more tries, a sluggish tendril responded to her beckons. She extended a bit of her own qi towards the mirror until it touched the barrier's, then gently drew it out. Slowly, more tendrils followed in its wake, floating slowly away from the mirror's surface. The instant the foreign qi touched Wu Lianlei's palms, she felt a soft, ticklish jolt. Seconds later, it entered her body, where she smoothly guided it up her arms, through her body, and into a full circuit that she released harmlessly into the ground beneath her feet.
Gradually, the tendrils condensed into a thin stream, then a steady flow. Wu Lianlei's body began to emit a soft glow that echoed the barrier's faint green energy. Her brows were creased in concentration, but she didn't seem strained. Seeing this, Qi Yuan carefully guided the more qi from the barrier to make up the difference. The transfer of qi grew faster until it was visible to the naked eye.
Wu Yelin was staring anxiously between the barrier and Li Hanlan's tassel. She brightened when she saw the latter started moving in the air. "It's working!"
Almost at the same time, the barrier flashed and began to glow even brighter. Since Wu Lianlei was drawing its Wood qi away, it was taking in new energy from the surrounding forest! She knitted her brows further at the sight, and mentally tugged even harder, sending a surge of fresh qi into her body.
If I can't drain the barrier faster than it replaces itself, we won't get a chance to find its weak spot!
Qi Yuan's eyes flickered to hers briefly, but she only grit her teeth and didn't speak. Playing tug of war with the barrier was like trying to snatch handfuls of stars from a gaping black hole. On the sidelines, Wu Yelin was fixated on the tassel.
"It stopped moving! No wait, it's moving again!"
"Lei Lei, just a little more! We only need an instant!"
A little faster...a little more... As Wu Lianlei increased her intake of Wood qi, Qi Yuan quickly moved his hands around the Primordial Heavens Mirror while muttering incantations under his breath. A formation shimmered briefly into form around the floating treasure as it gave a shudder.
The next instant, Wu Lianlei felt a surge of Wood qi rush into her palms. She nearly lost her footing from the flood, but braced her knees to stand firm as torrent crashed against her. She immediately hooked a tendril of qi around the pouch in her sleeve and brought it out, scattering its seeds onto the ground. The abundance of qi around her was so strong that many of them sprouted in mid-air from being exposed to the raw energy. After landing in the soil, the crowd of vines immediately took root and burst into growth around her, a few moving to support her back from behind. She channeled a portion of the barrier qi into them as well, sending them into a growing frenzy towards the skies.
"A bit further! Just a bit!"
She could hear Wu Yelin's excited voice nearby, but it was getting harder to see her beyond the glow of qi all around her. Wu Lianlei squinted until she could vaguely make out the outlines of the barrier in front of her before the blinding brightness forced her to shut her eyes. Next to her, Qi Yuan was shouting something as well, but an abrupt roar in her ears made it impossible to hear his words. Her palms were burning, and her whole body felt like it was on fire, but it was impossible to even move with so much wild qi coursing through her meridians. The world blurred between a cacophony of light and sound...
And then everything went dark.
Wu Lianlei frowned. She was still conscious, but she'd suddenly lost sense of her body and the light trying to pierce through her eyelids. She tried to wiggle her fingers, but they weren't there. Just when she started to panic--
.｡*ﾟ+.*.｡ ♩✧♪♩○♬ ﾟ+..｡*ﾟ+
--inexplicably, she heard the sounds of a guqin.
Three notes, as soft as a sigh.
Before Wu Lianlei could react, there was a crack. Moments later, she was thrown backwards against her vines. Her eyes flew open from the impact, allowing her a brief glimpse of something shattering before more vines rose to block her from the flying debris.
There was a shout from Wu Yelin before she ran off. Meanwhile, the vines before her parted to give her a view of the barrier again, as undisturbed as ever. Wu Lianlei straightened up, a little lost in the sudden stillness of the evening woods.
"D...did it work?" she asked blankly into the air.
"Without a doubt." Qi Yuan spoke somewhere to her left. She turned and saw the man bending down to pick up pieces of something on the ground. A closer look revealed the familiar eight trigrams pattern etched on some of the chunks.
The Primordial Heavens Mirror had broke.
-ooo-
Eight Trigrams (Primordial/Early Heavens)
