44: Liu Clan Immortal Clan

[Year 120,]

[You look up at the ancient bronze mirror in the sky, which resembles a cold, full moon.]

["It is time!" You resolve to venture into this mysterious ancient bronze mirror.]

[Though your hair and beard are white and your face is covered in wrinkles—the very image of a scruffy old man—your gaze remains as sharp as a blade, and your body exudes a powerful Aura that belies your age.]

[Gritting your teeth, you stomp your foot and soar into the sky like an arrow released from a bow!]

[The howling wind makes your robes flutter loudly, and your graying beard whips about wildly.]

[As you fly higher, the bronze mirror grows larger—]

[Strange runes are carved into the rusted bronze frame. The entire mirror is terrifyingly large, like a sleeping giant.]

[Standing behind the mirror, white mist rolls before you, obscuring everything beyond three inches.]

[The hair on your body stands on end, and a bone-chilling cold rushes from the soles of your feet to your head, as if you are stepping on ten-thousand-year-old ice.]

[Taking a deep breath, you step into the mist. Suddenly, screams like the wailing of ghosts and the howling of wolves ring in your ears!]

[The world spins, and your internal organs feel as if they are being kneaded by a giant hand...]

[A mere three seconds feel more agonizing than three hundred years.]

[When the dizziness passes, a jade palace of immense height stands before you—its dome, hundreds of feet high, is draped with light gauze, and the floor is paved with glowing spiritual jade.]

[Looking back, the ten-meter-tall bronze mirror is embedded in a pillar, the mist within it slowly swirling.]

["Could it be... that the entire Tianhuang Continent is inside the mirror?" You are stunned.]

["Hey!" A sudden shout sends a chill down your spine.]

[Turning around, you see two white-robed men sitting on prayer mats: "What insights did you gain from this trial?"]

[Startled, you quickly cup your hands: "The Great Dao is profound; I need to enter secluded meditation to comprehend it."]

["Another one who's gone senile from cultivation!" the thin one sneers. "I'm asking how many concubines you married?"]

[You shake your head repeatedly: "None, none!"]

[The two of them close their eyes with a snicker.]

[Suppressing your racing heart, you walk out of the hall, your palms drenched in cold sweat.]

[The moment you push open the hall doors, the starlight above pours down like the Milky Way—the sky is not a sky, but a vortex of stars!]

[Three hundred and sixty-five stars rotate along specific trajectories, their light weaving into a great golden net...]

[Steadied by a pillar, you realize you are standing in a suspended pavilion—]

[Rainbow bridges and corridors connect various courtyards, where exotic flowers and rare herbs sway in the wind. Spiritual springs overflow from white jade baths, forming starlit streams beneath the walkways...]

[The Spiritual Qi in the air is so thick it could condense into droplets! Catching a drop of spiritual water, you gape in shock: "Holy crap, the energy is even denser than spiritual vein essence! This... could this be the immortal realm..."]

[As you walk, you suddenly round a corner and encounter a squad of silver-armored guards, nearly getting poked by their spears!]

[After scanning the jade pendant at your waist with their Divine Sense, they suddenly salute in unison with a loud 'thud'.]

[You nod stiffly, only daring to touch the jade pendant once they are far away—the twin-fish pendant Liu Caiping gave you is emitting a warm, faint glow.]

["Hey! Old man, what are you doing sneaking around!" A crisp female child's voice suddenly rings out.]

[Turning toward the sound, you see a little girl of about five years old staring at you with her head tilted, a snow-white rabbit perched on her shoulder.]

[Her gaze falls upon the Purple Twin-Fish Jade Pendant at your waist, and her eyes suddenly light up: "Oh! A Core Disciple?"]

[Your heart tightens, and you keep your mouth shut, afraid that saying a single word would give you away.]

["No, that's not right!" She suddenly widens her eyes as if she's discovered something fun, standing on her tiptoes and pointing at you. "I know!"]

[Your back tenses instantly, and you prepare to silence her.]

["You're a Core Disciple's servant!" she says, shaking her head triumphantly.]

[Relieved, you quickly nod with a smile.]

[But then you have a second thought and feel something is off, so you quickly whisper, "How do you know I'm a servant?"]

["Isn't it simple?" She counts on her fingers. "First, you're so old, you definitely aren't a Disciple; second, you have a Core Disciple's purple fish pendant, so you must be someone very important to them!"]

[It seems she has mistaken you for one of Liu Caiping's people. You follow her lead, giving a thumbs up and praising, "What a clever little girl!"]

["Of course!" She lifts her chin proudly. "I'm the smartest person in the Tianhong Suspended Pavilion!"]

[The little girl skips closer to you and asks with a blink, "Old man, are you... lost too?"]

[You continue to nod, feigning a dazed expression.]

["Come with me!" She grabs your hand and pulls you forward. "You can't tell which way is which either, right?"]

[You keep your mouth shut and let her lead you away.]

["Oh, don't be shy!" She swings your hand and says with a giggle, "The tens of thousands of buildings in this Tianhong Suspended Pavilion all look exactly the same, and even the rainbow bridges wind all over the place. Anyone who comes here would get dizzy..."]

[Only then do you learn that this cluster of spiritual jade buildings, connected by seven-colored rainbow bridges, is called the 'Tianhong Suspended Pavilion'.]

[Following her through various twists and turns and across several shimmering rainbow bridges, you finally arrive before a tranquil courtyard.]

["From now on, you'll be my servant, okay?" She turns around, her eyes sparkling as she looks at you with anticipation.]

[Without a second thought, you quickly nod in agreement.]

[Stepping into the courtyard, you realize that in this massive pavilion, there are only the two of you.]

[Six months later,]

[You finally have a vague understanding of this behemoth known as the Liu Clan Immortal Family.]

[The hall you escaped from is called the Qingming Hall.]

[You later learned that if it weren't for the 'Purple Twin-Fish Jade Pendant' Liu Caiping gave you, you might not have made it out of the Qingming Hall.]

[The ancient mirror in the hall that devours Souls is called the qingming mirror—it is a damaged grotto-heaven magical treasure containing a Small World, which is the Tianhuang Secret Realm.]

[Supposedly, during a great war, the Artifact Spirit of the qingming mirror was severely injured, so it manifested as a bronze mirror suspended over the Tianhuang Continent.]

[It relies on devouring the Souls of the dead, with every wisp of Soul becoming nourishment to repair the Artifact Spirit.]

[The Small World within the qingming mirror is both a prison for exiled criminal slaves and a pasture for raising Spirit Beasts, as well as a Mortal World Dao Arena for low-level Disciples to gain experience.]

[The Liu Clan Immortal Family possesses over a dozen Small Worlds like the Tianhuang Secret Realm!]

[And the Tianhuang Secret Realm is merely the most barren among them—a primitive land that the Direct Lineage scions disdain.]

[Furthermore, the Liu Clan Immortal Family has a strict hierarchy—Old Ancestor, Clan Chief, Elder, Direct Lineage, Core, Elite, Side Branch, Branch, Foreign-surname Vassals, Miscellaneous Servants...]

[The total population adds up to—over ten million!]

[Because of this, the internal relationships of the clan are extremely complex.]

[You heard that a few days ago, a Direct Lineage scion beat a Foreign-surname Vassal to death in the street, and as a result, not a single person dared to speak up for justice.]

[The Tianhong Suspended Pavilion where you now live looks grand, but it is actually just a residence for ordinary Disciples.]

[The truly good places are the Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands, where every Immortal Cave occupies an entire Spiritual Vein. The top-tier 'Nine Heavens Grotto-Heaven' is shrouded in Immortal Spiritual Qi year-round.]