With a creak, a door appeared at the back of the house. A beam of light shone through, and Lady Meng stood at the doorway, turning to us with a smile.
"Come with me."
I got up and hurried after her, expecting to go somewhere else, but surprisingly, we remained inside the house. Stepping into the white glow before me, I was instantly stunned. A sunlit path of bluestone stretched out, surrounded by vibrant flowers. Under the clear, bright sky, at the end of the stone path stood a well. Everything here radiated an incredible power—the flowers seemed alive, swaying gently as we set foot on the stones, and a fresh floral fragrance filled the air.
"If you want to find Eli Lear's soul, this should be useful."
As we approached the well, I saw a dazzling, multicolored light—a palm-sized mirror with seven hues shifting across its surface. It looked ordinary enough, and the well water was clear, but the well itself seemed shallow, easily reachable by hand.
Ripples began to form at the bottom of the well, shimmering with tiny points of white light like stars. Bubbles surfaced as Lady Meng reached out, lightly touching the water with her finger. The small mirror slowly floated up. Only then did I notice it was woven from fine threads, with a crystal-clear center. It was beautiful, with an ancient bronze hue.
"Take it, young lady."
I responded and took the strange mirror from Lady Meng. She smiled and said:
"As long as a living being exists in this world, this mirror can find a trace of its essence. Ideally, a fragment of its soul—then you can locate that being."
Just then, Ethan Zhang laughed and looked at me, saying:
"Take out the Starshard Radiance, Rachel Lan. This was created with fragments of Laozi's soul."
I nodded, raised my hand, and with a thought, a soft white glow appeared. Soon, an irregularly shaped stone flickering with gentle, bright light was in my hand.
Past Ethan Zhang reached out, snapped off a small corner of the stone with a crack, and placed it on the Soul Mirror in my left hand. After a flash of white light, the fragment of Starshard Radiance merged into the mirror.
"Just keep it with you now. The Soul Mirror will guide you to the soul's owner."
I nodded, and with a thought, the Soul Mirror in my left hand and the Starshard Radiance in my right both vanished. I could sense they had entered my Instinctive Space.
Future Ethan Zhang squatted beside the well, his gaze vacant as he stared at the sea of flowers. His eyes softened. Past Ethan Zhang came over, squatted next to him, and patted him on the shoulder.
"There's nothing left in your world, is there? Whether you're here or in that other world, just enjoy it for a while. You don't have to stay so tense all the time."
Future Ethan Zhang immediately stood up.
"Juchen is so slow."
After a while, we returned to Lady Meng's small hut. I felt uneasy, as if something bad was about to happen. It was like someone was watching me from behind, and every so often, it felt as if a tiny needle pricked my spine.
"Just be patient. He'll come after he finishes his business. Now that the Eye of Time has discovered Rachel Lan, it probably senses what we're doing as well."
Past Ethan Zhang continued, sitting at the doorway, his eyes sharp as he gazed at the stone path and the bamboo forest beyond, as if sensing something. I noticed a completely different aura from him compared to Future Ethan Zhang—gentle and open-minded, radiating calmness.
Future Ethan Zhang, on the other hand, emanated a chilling aura. It was only natural for a ghost, but I sensed he was still trapped in the pain of his wife's death. I planned to talk to him when I could—my future self had died, giving everything to Sylvia Blue after her birth. Ethan Zhang had mentioned this before, but never in detail. I knew it couldn't be that simple.
Suddenly, Future Ethan Zhang looked at me and asked:
"Rachel Lan, are you ready? It's coming. From here on, you may have to rely on yourself."
The moment Future Ethan Zhang finished speaking, I felt a buzzing in my head. The Crystalblade Past Ethan Zhang had given me reacted on my back, sending a rush of warmth through my body. My senses returned, and Past Ethan Zhang was already standing before me.
"It's alright. We'll do our best to help."
I shook my head, unsure what they had sensed. Lady Meng's expression grew serious. I tried to stand, but she raised her hand to stop me, urging me to stay calm.
"Don't worry, young lady. These two are powerful enough to destroy a world. There may be a few small surprises, but as long as you hold on, you'll be fine."
I nodded and thanked her. Both Ethan Zhangs were on guard. Suddenly, everything went black—someone covered my mouth, and I heard a piercing scream, like the death cry of something monstrous. Blackness faded before my eyes, and Future Ethan Zhang's hand appeared, shrouded in dark mist, radiating an eerie and powerful aura of death.
I had no idea what might appear, but I had to pull myself together. Clutching the Crystalblade Past Ethan Zhang had given me, I stared intently at my surroundings. It felt as if something was trying to forcibly drag me away from this place.
With a whoosh, Past Ethan Zhang pointed two fingers at me, and I felt a breeze pass by. The mass of darkness behind me dispersed. I swallowed, feeling a surge of intense anger fill the room.
"Come have some tea, young lady!"
Lady Meng beckoned me over. I nodded and sat down. Past Ethan Zhang sat beside me; Future Ethan Zhang sat in front of me. Both watched my surroundings with grave expressions.
A whistling sound echoed. Past Ethan Zhang raised his hand, moving it repeatedly toward me. I saw black shapes appear near me, then quickly dissolve into smoke and vanish.
"You'd better not get involved. Your power only brings harm to humans—if you're not careful, you might damage Rachel Lan's soul."
Past Ethan Zhang spoke, glancing at Future Ethan Zhang, who nodded in agreement.
The room seemed calm, but under the surface, tension simmered. Past Ethan Zhang kept striking at things I couldn't see, scattering whatever tried to drag me away from this world.
Time ticked by, though I couldn't say how long. Suddenly, a buzzing sound came from above, and a swirling vortex of black and white appeared over our heads. I swallowed—it was Juchen, who had poked his head through and quickly landed on the table. The force trying to consume me vanished, and I finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hurry up, we don't have much time left."
Juchen reached out his hand. I immediately stood and grasped it, but then I saw his mouth twist into a grin. Suddenly, my hand was locked in his grip. With a swish, a massive black broadsword split Juchen in two, severing his hand. Yet, Juchen just burst out laughing.
"It's already too late."
As soon as Juchen finished speaking, the world spun and went black. I lost consciousness.
Gradually, I opened my eyes and was stunned—darkness surrounded me, so thick I couldn't see my own hand. I fumbled around, finding nothing, but the ground beneath my feet was smooth. Remembering the sword on my back, I drew it, and a faint white glow appeared. In that light, I suddenly saw a snake—its body reddish-brown, its head round and huge. It was so massive I couldn't see its full length, coiled beneath me.
A hissing sound echoed. A tongue thicker than my body flicked out, and a giant mouth lunged at me. With a crash, I felt the ground turn slick beneath my feet. Instinctively, I gripped my sword—Belle—and with a slash, I stabbed the soft, slippery ground beneath me to steady myself.
I wasn't sure what was happening, but I knew I'd been swallowed by the giant snake. A chill crept up my spine as I noticed many long, reddish-brown shapes around me. Suddenly, these little things opened their mouths.
Countless reddish-brown little snakes lunged at me, mouths wide. My heart skipped a beat.
"I'm doomed."
But the moment I finished speaking, the sword on my back suddenly blazed with dazzling white light. Sword-like rays instantly annihilated everything around me. I burst out of the giant snake's mouth; its head was riddled with holes.
I landed on the ground, gasping for breath as I looked around. The giant snake crashed to the ground, its head motionless. I breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn't relax—its head was starting to heal again.