"Hehe, pretty neat, huh? Since this place was originally intended as a relocation site for the family, the master, whose Spiritual Power was supreme, naturally created some things to monitor the Outer Realm. And this smooth stone wall is the very Spirit Barrier he used to do it." The Soul Condensing Mirror Spirit was incredibly smug, as if he had created this Spirit Barrier himself.

"So, you’re saying the image on this wall right now is the interior of the Senluo Ruins?" Mu Chen asked in surprise.

The Soul Condensing Mirror Spirit nodded. "Of course. And it’s a live feed..."

"Wait!" As soon as the Soul Condensing Mirror Spirit finished speaking, the three of them exclaimed in unison. Mu Chen pointed to the twenty-some dark dots on the wall. "Here, this looks like the place where we entered the Senluo Tomb. It’s too far to make out the landmarks on the floating continent, but those twenty-odd moving dots have to be the people who entered the Senluo Ruins this time!"

The Soul Condensing Mirror Spirit’s expression grew serious. "Hold on." He walked over to the wall and expertly formed a series of Seal Techniques. The image on the wall began to zoom in, as if their line of sight was extending outward. As it did, the twenty-some dark dots and the floating continent gradually came into focus before Mu Chen and the others.

"It really is!"

Mu Chen was right. The twenty-odd wandering dots were indeed the people who had entered the Senluo Ruins. At that moment, they were all cautiously surveying the area around the floating continent—the sky above, and even the space below—as if waiting for something to appear.

Above the floating continent, Mu Chen clearly saw four men in blood-red robes. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he whispered, "It seems our guess was correct."

The Soul Condensing Mirror Spirit and Feng Shanshan were also watching the four sinister-looking men in the reflection. The spirit said lightly, "Then what are we waiting for? While they’re all still far from the exit, let’s get out of here. That will give us time to react."

Mu Chen and Feng Shanshan nodded in unison. They turned and started walking briskly toward the exit they had used to enter. The Soul Condensing Mirror Spirit froze for a second. "What are you two doing?"

Mu Chen and Feng Shanshan stopped, turning to give the Soul Condensing Mirror Spirit a strange look. "We’re leaving, of course."

The Soul Condensing Mirror Spirit slapped a hand to his forehead. "Don’t you two know this Senluo Tomb has countless exits?" he said, exasperated. "They all lead to the same spot, but we can still choose a door that’s closer to us!"

Feng Shanshan pouted. "How was I supposed to know if you didn’t tell me, Master? I’ve only ever looked at the family’s picture scrolls."

The Soul Condensing Mirror Spirit chuckled and beckoned to Mu Chen and Feng Shanshan. He spoke as he walked, "This place may look natural, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. To ensure the family’s safety, the master concealed many Dark Spots here. However, due to his free-spirited nature, all the Mechanisms he built are for defense and surveillance; there are very few truly offensive ones. Take the entrance, for example. You came in from the outside, so you have firsthand experience of how ridiculously convoluted the process is, even requiring you to fly a great distance."

Mu Chen nodded. His experience entering the Senluo Ruins had taught him that things could always get more difficult. Even now, he was still wondering why the Senluo Saint, who had chosen this place as a sanctuary for his family, would build such a ridiculously complex entrance.

The Soul Condensing Mirror Spirit turned a corner into a narrow passageway and chuckled. "Hehe, you’re wondering why the master made things so troublesome, aren’t you?"

Mu Chen rubbed his nose awkwardly without a word. The Soul Condensing Mirror Spirit continued, "Getting in is incredibly difficult, but getting out is extremely convenient. You only need to activate a single Mechanism to open a gateway to the Outer Realm. At the time, I didn’t understand why the master would do something so seemingly redundant. It wasn’t until he showed me all the exits that I had a sudden realization. You see, this Independent Space is quite unique. It has only one entrance, but a total of six exits, all scattered in different locations. And due to the distorted spatial properties here, any Combat Skill or Spiritual Battle Skill launched from any of these six exits will emerge from that single point of entry."

"This way, if the family were ever attacked, the clan members would only need to divide their Martial Artists into six groups, one for each exit. Then, they could activate the Mechanisms and launch all their Combat Skills out at once. This would not only concentrate their scattered forces into a single point of attack, but it would also thoroughly confuse the enemy. And let’s say, in the worst-case scenario, an enemy actually managed to break into this Independent Space. They would surely assume the entrance was the only way in or out, believing they’d already won. But how could they possibly know that the very moment they all charged in would be the moment our people were slipping out through the other five exits? By the time the invaders started looking for them, our clansmen would have already left the Senluo Ruins entirely. It’s just like hide-and-seek. Fun, isn’t it?"

Mu Chen was left clicking his tongue in amazement. If what the Soul Condensing Mirror Spirit said was true, then this place was practically a fortress of Absolute Defense. It was the perfect base for establishing a sect. Were it not for the chaotic spatiotemporal turbulence, it would have been the most ideal hidden sanctuary imaginable.

"Alright, we’re at an exit. Press that protruding crystal over there to open the gate to the Outer Realm. Now, little ones, what happens next depends entirely on your acting. As a Spirit Body, I can choose to either show or hide myself. I’m currently showing myself, which is why you can see me, little guy. However, that means everyone else can see me too. Once I hide, no one will be able to see me except for little Shanshan, who has bonded with the Soul Concentration Mirror. That includes you." With that, the Soul Condensing Mirror Spirit’s body turned into a faint shadow and, with a shimmer, vanished completely from before Mu Chen.

After a flicker of surprise, Mu Chen calmly said, "Miss Shanshan, let’s go. It’s enough that you can still see Senior Mirror Spirit. As for the rest of the plan, let’s put it into action. I’m a little nervous, but this seems like it could be fun..."

Seeing the wicked grin on Mu Chen’s face, Feng Shanshan laughed as well. "You’re right. Let’s teach these ’invaders’ a proper lesson." With that, she gently pressed the button on the exit Mechanism. The two exchanged a look and stepped resolutely through the spatiotemporal rift that had appeared from nowhere. ZWIP! The rift sealed shut, and the Independent Space fell silent once more, as if no one had ever been there at all...

「Outside the Senluo Tomb」

"Big Brother, that man and woman—the remnants of the Ninghun Family—have been inside for a full ten days. The spatiotemporal turbulence is about to erupt. You think they might have died in there?" Xue Lie asked suddenly while on patrol.

Xue Yan frowned. "You have a point. No one has set foot in the Senluo Tomb for ten thousand years. Since it contains the Soul Concentration Mirror and the Forest of Myriad Manifestations, it must be filled with countless traps. However, since they’re remnants of the Ninghun Family, we can’t rule out the possibility that they possess a detailed map of the tomb."

"Big Brother is right," Xue Nie said. "If they really have a map, they’re playing mind games with us. They’re betting we’ll lose patience, assume they’re dead, and leave the Senluo Ruins. If we actually left, they’d get exactly what they want. But..." He looked over at the twenty-four other people watching them like vultures. "If they do come out, do you think this mob will get desperate and try to move against us?"

Xue Shi swept his gaze over the surroundings and, surprisingly, remained silent. His eyes, however, burned with thick killing intent and frustration.

"Don’t worry about them," Xue Yan said, glancing at the increasingly unstable Senluo Ruins. "There are four of us. If we have to, we can just activate our Blood Poison and kill them all." He frowned. "However, this space is becoming too volatile for us to keep waiting calmly. Get ready. We wait five more minutes. If they’re not out by then, then even if they survived inside, they’ll be swept away by the spatiotemporal turbulence the moment they emerge. Either way, they’re dead."

"Understood."

Just as the words were spoken, a spatiotemporal rift tore open in the sky above the ruins. WHOOSH! Two figures stepped out.

Xue Shitian stared, stunned for a moment, before bellowing, "Big Brother, they’re out!"

At his shout, Xue Yan leaped to his feet and commanded in a low roar, "Get ready! Kill them on sight!"

At Xue Yan’s command, Xue Shitian, Xue Nie, and Xue Lie shot toward the two new arrivals, leaving a bloody wake in the air behind them.

"Red Dragon..."

"Wait!"

The force of the shout dissipated the Combat Skill Xue Shitian had just begun to form. The one who had yelled was none other than Xue Yan, who had rushed to the front. His expression was incredibly grave as he stared at the pair from the rift, holding up a hand to stop Xue Lie, Xue Nie, and Xue Shitian in mid-air. Hearing the commotion, the other twenty-four onlookers also swarmed closer. A prize this big had appeared—everyone wanted a piece.

Indeed, the two who had stepped out of the Senluo Tomb were none other than Mu Chen and Feng Shanshan. Now, however, Mu Chen was holding a bright mirror the color of white jade. The mirror’s frame flowed with an iridescent glow, marking it as an extraordinary treasure at a single glance.

"The Soul Concentration Mirror!"

A red glint flashed in Xue Shitian’s eyes. He made to rush forward and snatch it but was intercepted by Xue Yan. "Shi Tian! Don’t be rash. The mirror is in his hand. Besides, they didn’t try to flee the moment they appeared, which means they have something to say."

At these words, Xue Shitian finally gritted his teeth, glaring daggers at Mu Chen and Feng Shanshan as if he could kill them with his eyes alone. After all, this pair had forced them to wait anxiously on guard for ten whole days.

"The Soul Concentration Mirror? What kind of treasure is that?"

The other onlookers heard the name and rapidly closed in on Mu Chen and Feng Shanshan, the burning greed in their eyes so intense that even Mu Chen found it overwhelming.

Seeing that everyone had gathered, a flicker of amusement shone in Mu Chen’s eyes, but his face was a mask of extreme anxiety. He sounded worried as he said, "Honorable sirs, could you please listen to what this humble one has to say?"