The ridge overlooking the Crimson Plains was strangely quiet after the chaos of the battle. Crimson mist drifted lazily across the shattered land, and the sky flickered with red lightning far in the distance.
Lin Qing sat on a boulder, trying to ignore the stray qi that kept circling him like curious insects. The Mirror Blood Scripture pulled everything in automatically, no permission required.
Li Chun was sprawled on the ground next to him, chest heaving. "Heir Lin Qing… I think I died. Twice. Maybe three times."
"Only three?" Lin Qing said. "You're getting sturdier."
Yin Luo finished wrapping a bandage around Tian Ke's arm. "We got out clean. No major injuries."
Tian Ke gave a respectful nod. "But Heir Lin Qing… what you did today won't stay hidden. Suppressing two peak Spirit Sea geniuses at once? Word will spread before the next incense burns."
Lin Qing shrugged. "Maybe everyone will forget."
No one even pretended to agree.
The qi around him thickened again, warm and bright. Lin Qing waved a hand at the air. "Does this realm ever stop staring at me?"
"No…" Li Chun muttered. "And the Marsh hasn't even opened yet."
---
Far away, crimson smoke lifted in spirals as rival factions regrouped after their clash. Even at this distance, the tension hung heavy over the plains like a storm waiting to break.
Yan Yue, the Radiant Dawn prodigy whose Solar Dao burned like a miniature sun, sat on a stone ridge surrounded by injured disciples. His gaze was dark, unfocused. He had replayed the moment Lin Qing redirected their combined attacks over and over again. The precision. The control. The way Lin Qing had stood between two titanic forces without fear.
A follower spoke hesitantly. "Young Lord Yan… the factions are already calling him something."
Yan Yue glanced up. "What title now?"
"They're calling him the Blood Mirror Heir."
Yan Yue exhaled slowly. "Then it seems the demon sect finally sent out someone the heavens can't ignore."
He clenched his fists. His Solar Dao flared, lighting up the dim sky. "Next time, I'll see how far that reflection really reaches."
On another distant cliff, Nie Xuan of the Thousand Serpent Cult rose from a pool of poison, his skin steaming lightly. He said nothing for a long time. No rage, no theatrics — just cold, focused killing intent sharpening like a blade.
His subordinate knelt. "Young Cult Master… the Reflection Marsh is opening."
Nie Xuan stepped forward, venomous qi swirling behind him like a living cloak. "Good. Let him show me what stands behind that mirror of his."
---
Back on the ridge, Lin Qing let his breathing steady. Behind him, faint silver ripples appeared again — bending the air, warping light, distorting shadow. A sensation formed, something quiet and deep.
A domain.
The embryonic shape of it trembled faintly, then faded. Lin Qing opened his eyes with a light frown. "That's new."
Li Chun had been busy sorting the Mirror Fragments they collected earlier. Whenever he held one close to Lin Qing, it glowed brighter, pulsing like it wanted to merge with him.
"Heir Lin Qing… these fragments are reacting to you more than before."
Lin Qing sighed. "Everything reacts to me. It's becoming a problem."
Yin Luo walked up and studied the shards. "Mirror fragments don't react to people. They react to Dao resonance. For them to glow this strongly…" She lifted her eyes. "Whatever you awakened today, it's not simple."
"Fantastic," Lin Qing said. "Complications are exactly what I was hoping for."
Before Li Chun could reply, a deep rumble rolled across the plains. The ground vibrated. The air darkened. Crimson mist swirled into a massive vortex, twisting toward the east.
Tian Ke straightened immediately. "The Reflection Marsh… it's opening."
Li Chun paled. "Already?!"
"It rarely gives warning," Yin Luo said quietly.
Lin Qing looked toward the swirling horizon. "What exactly is it?"
"A remnant left behind by the Mirror Emperor," Tian Ke explained. "A place filled with reflection qi and illusion qi mixed together. Ordinary cultivators lose their minds inside. Only those with stable hearts can walk through it."
Li Chun gulped. "They say illusions turn real in there. If you die in one, you die outside too."
Yin Luo looked at Lin Qing. "But for you… mirror qi should flow naturally."
Lin Qing exhaled. "Comforting. In a very horrifying way."
---
Far above, deep in the Blood Moon Sect, the ancient mirror array flickered with overlapping visions. Elder Hei stood with Saintess Yao as shards of crimson light revealed bits of the Crimson Abyss.
"He is progressing too quickly," Elder Hei said. "The factions are already reacting."
Saintess Yao didn't look away from the shifting images. "Good. Let them react. A stagnant world needs friction."
But her expression was unreadable.
"As the Marsh opens," she continued, "we will see whether he is the Heir… or just another reflection."
---
Back in the Abyss, the land tore apart as liquid light surged outward. A vast lake of mirror qi spilled across the plains, shimmering like molten silver. Reflections formed on the surface — hundreds of distorted versions of Lin Qing, each wearing expressions he didn't recognize.
Some were serene. Some furious. Some darker than anything he'd ever shown.
Li Chun stepped back. "Heir Lin Qing… they say the Marsh reveals the heart that you hide."
"That's great," Lin Qing said. "I barely understand the heart that I show."
Yin Luo came to his side. "Stay close once we enter. Even false images here can kill."
Tian Ke added, "You'll only face other young geniuses in there, the competition is the young generation, not old monsters. Maybe a mid True King, if you're unlucky."
Lin Qing blinked once. "That sounds… extremely unlucky."
He took a step forward.
The reflections on the Marsh surface moved first — stepping toward him even before he entered, like they had been waiting.
"Let's see," Lin Qing said quietly, "what the Mirror Emperor left behind."
He walked into the liquid mirror light.
The Marsh swallowed him whole.