Having one's own will influenced by a mysterious existence is indeed a terrifying thing.
For someone of Jiang Chen's current strength, it seemed difficult to cope with this kind of crisis.
He did not seek help from Chong Xuan Sheng through the Ethereal Realm, because once spoken of externally, it would easily be detected. Even within the Ethereal Realm.
For Jiang Chen, facing difficulties alone had already become a habit.
From the State of Zhuang to the State of Qi, tens of thousands of miles of long road, he traveled alone with his sword, with no one to rely on.
No matter how difficult it was, the only choice was to face it.
First, this "influence" involved changes at the spiritual level.
Jiang Chen examined himself; the only Dao technique that could exert influence on the spirit was the Sea of Blossoms. Moreover, the Sea of Blossoms itself leaned towards wood toxin hallucination, not being specialized in spiritual Dao techniques.
The Thorn Crown could be layered upon the Sea of Blossoms.
And perhaps treasures that could help with spiritual abilities included the Mirage Pearl traded with Zhu Biqiong, and the Red Adornment Mirror obtained from Hu Shaomeng.
To cope with this predicament, these were the chips he could now rely on.
But he understood very well that the Sea of Blossoms would likely be inadequate for this task. After all, the direction of this Dao technique was not focused there.
And then, if the influence was indeed from the Nether Candle (Jiang Chen was now ninety percent certain, with the remaining ten percent being out of caution.)
Then resolving the Nether Candle might be the most direct method.
Directly bombarding the Nether Candle with Dao essence might be feasible, but it could only be listed as a last resort.
Because the Nether Candle resided within the Celestial Palace, and engaging in intense conflict within the Celestial Palace, making it a battlefield, regardless of victory or defeat, the outcome would not be optimistic.
Could he find a way to "ignite" the Nether Candle?
The Nether Candle had spontaneously "burned" before, and after burning, its volume had shrunk.
A candle disappears when it burns to the end; the Nether Candle might be the same.
Delaying the matter of the Nether Candle for later was also an option. For instance, Jiang Chen could now attempt to push open the Gate of Heaven and Earth. Once opened, it would be another new world.
What was difficult now might not be difficult then.
But there was a problem: the influence the Nether Candle exerted upon him was intensifying.
As of now, the Nether Candle made him temporarily forget the Plague Bell, but when he saw the Plague Bell, he remembered again. This indicated that the power making him "forget" had not yet become particularly strong.
But if left unchecked, could it directly make Jiang Chen forget the Nether Candle itself?
Just thinking about it sent shivers down his spine.
To resolve the Nether Candle issue, sooner was certainly better than later.
Within the Blessed Land of the Spirit Mountain, ranked thirty-third in the Ethereal Realm, Jiang Chen thoroughly considered this matter one more time, and finally placed his hope in the Red Adornment Mirror.
If there was anything under his current conditions that could assist him in matters touching upon spiritual power, it was only the mysterious Red Adornment Mirror.
To be precise, it was the Mirror World within the Red Adornment Mirror.
For something of unknown origin like this, he had originally planned to explore it only when he had more certainty, but now he had no choice but to try ahead of schedule.
After all, compared to the Nether Candle, which had countless connections with the Bone Path, the Red Adornment Mirror seemed comparatively benign.
Once the decision was made, there was no need for hesitation.
Jiang Chen directly exited the Ethereal Realm, then took out the Red Adornment Mirror and examined it carefully.
Having nurtured it with Dao essence for these days, there was no worry about being unable to use it.
There were two ways to enter the Mirror World: one was physical entry, and the other was entering only with the divine soul.
The former was Hu Shaomeng's previous method. He hid within the Mirror World, using only mirror images to confuse his opponents.
Jiang Chen first attempted this method. With a thought, he had already appeared within the Mirror World.
What met his eyes was only a vast whiteness, with no other scenery. Where he stood underfoot was merely a space of one step.
And upon appearing here, he could feel that he controlled some kind of power.
His "field of vision" had expanded, but this expansion did not occur within the mirror, but rather outside the mirror.
He was within the Mirror World, seeing only the one step around him. But outside the mirror, his "field of vision" expanded outward.
This room of his in Green Goat Town was right behind the town hall.
He saw the tables and chairs, the furnishings in this room, and even a branch of flowers he would probably not normally notice, placed in a vase, with freshly cut stems...
Looking further out, he saw Xiao Xiao still working diligently at her desk, and could even clearly see what she was writing.
He saw Zhu Biqiong sitting alone in her room, holding the Fortune and Misfortune Ball, weeping silently. The usually carefree and thoughtless person was so different when no one was around.
He saw Zhang Hai in the kitchen, doing something or other. The firewood in the stove was burning smokily, and upon closer inspection, he was actually using this pot to temporarily refine pills...
He saw Xiang Qian... Xiang Qian suddenly opened his eyes, looking over with some confusion.
Jiang Chen withdrew his gaze.
He had probably figured out the first use of the Red Adornment Mirror: physical entry into the Mirror World, after which he couldharness the power of the Red Adornment Mirror to observe the surrounding environment.
He had tested it, and this distance currently had a limit of one li in radius.
Jiang Chen surmised that this distance might be related to the space where he currently stood.
When the physical body was within the Mirror World, he could also create indistinguishable mirror images within a one-li radius. Its effect was equivalent to what Hu Shaomeng had used before.
(Hu Shaomeng's ability to disguise as a miner while using illusions to delay Xi Zichu in Jia City was due to the Fishing Sea Tower's own illusions. At that time, the Red Adornment Mirror served an amplifying function. When he used the Red Adornment Mirror's mirror image ability against Jiang Chen in the Hu family courtyard, that was its true capability.)
This use was naturally very good, but it did not help with Jiang Chen's current predicament.
He probed slightly, discovered he could not walk out, and thus gave up. He immediately exited the Mirror World.
Next, he attempted the second method: entering the Mirror World with the divine soul.
The divine soul entered the Mirror World, while the physical body still held the Red Adornment Mirror.
This sensation was similar to but different from entering the Ethereal Realm.
When entering the Ethereal Realm, the Lunar Star power was the bridge, and that mysterious, vast world was the bank. Crossing the bridge and stepping onto the bank felt very solid, with certainty in the heart.
But when the divine soul entered the Mirror World of the Red Adornment Mirror, Jiang Chen's first sensation was cold.
Like the depths of winter, with snow flying everywhere, manifesting in the form of the divine soul, yet feeling as if one were about to be frozen stiff.
Amidst the howling cold wind, a cold voice scraped like a knife—
"Pity the beautiful face aging before the mirror, the adorned reflection slays the person within!"
"Cross now, the Flying Snow Tribulation."
Jiang Chen found himself already on the snowy plain, and at the same time he sensed that the divine soul's path of return had been "cut off."
This experience was strange.
Part of his spiritual will remained in the world outside the mirror, while another part was inside the mirror.
But now, the part within the mirror could no longer return to the outside, unless he crossed this damned "Flying Snow Tribulation"!
In other words, once he failed the tribulation, this portion of his divine soul would be lost forever.
At that point, not to mention solving the Nether Candle's trouble, merely maintaining his current state would be a luxury.
How to compensate for damage involving the divine soul, based on what he had encountered so far, was utterly beyond reach.
Moreover, if that Nether Candle truly had problems, truly attempted to influence and alter his will, then facing an injured and incomplete divine soul... what unpredictable consequences might follow?
With insufficient strength and resources, in order to break through the deadlock, he had no choice but to risk exploring the Red Adornment Mirror.
But upon entering, he immediately faced a tribulation.
When fortune comes, heaven and earth lend their strength; when luck departs, even heroes cannot act freely!