Chapter 23: The Three Realms Aroused

The garden was small, less than a hundred square meters, with nothing but a grass hut in the center.

Lu Xing looked up toward the mountain peak and asked, "Is there some treasure in this mountain that only bears fruit every thousand years, worth you all keeping watch here?"

His question made the beauties in the mirror laugh. Most ignored him, but the Fairy Neon smiled and said, "Child, your horizons are still narrow. When you begin to cultivate and reach the Flying Immortal Realm, only then will you truly comprehend the level we are at."

Lu Xing asked again, "I heard you seniors speak of 'walking the human world' earlier. Does that mean you are all immortals? Is this the Immortal Realm?"

The Empress, sitting alone on the mountain peak within the mirror, sneered and replied lazily, "What immortals? 'Immortal Realm' is just a misunderstanding; it is actually the Upper Realm. No one has ever seen a truly immortal being who never dies."

Lu Xing nodded, indicating he understood. His physical body was not here, and there was no spiritual energy on Earth, so he did not ask about the cultivation levels of this place. If cultivation were possible on Earth, the Ice Fairy could practice on his behalf.

"You should all leave now; don't stay here," Lu Xing said to the sentient medicinal herbs still hiding in the grass before he left the garden. As he spoke, the spiritual herbs vanished, whether they were hiding or had departed, he could not tell.

Ignoring them, Lu Xing turned and left the garden. Thinking he still had time, he continued toward the summit.

The mountain path was long and beset by wind and snow. Lu Xing’s steps grew light, and with a slight push of his toes, he could leap upward, scaling a dozen yards at a time.

"So that's how it is!"

As he moved with increasing ease, the Fairy’s power surged within him, shielding him from the biting wind and snow. With her dainty, jade-white feet lightly touching the rocks, the ethereal figure soared upward. Her sleeves fluttered like a swallow flying against the gale, piercing through layer after layer of obstacles until he finally reached the peak.

The world before Lu Xing suddenly brightened. He broke through the dark clouds and soared into the sky; the blizzard vanished, and the heavy, black clouds churned beneath his feet. In the distance, the rising sun cast its glow across the land.

Captivated by the breathtaking scenery, Lu Xing held the precious mirror in his pale palm, eyes fixed on the sunrise. The figure of the white-clad fairy drifted down, her crystal-clear, jade-like feet touching the mountain rock once more.

Morning light spilled down, and a gentle breeze blew, stirring the red hair ribbon behind the fairy's waterfall of dark hair. Though Lu Xing could not see the fairy's face, standing on the summit with the snowstorm beneath his feet, the sheer grandeur of the heights combined with her ethereal beauty and grace made him naturally perceive her loveliness.

"I have seen the most magnificent heavens and earth, and a spectacular sunrise! The snow mountain is beautiful!" Lu Xing said with a smile to the spirits of the beauties in the mirror. Then, taking a deep breath, he shouted toward the distant sunset, "Ah!!!"

What began as a common act for a tired person on Earth to vent excitement after climbing became something else entirely when voiced by the man. If it had been a man shouting, it would have been a tiger's roar through the valley. But here, through Lu Xing’s lips, the shout became extraordinary.

The fairy’s clear, peerless voice resonated like music from the heavenly palace. In an instant, clouds surged, and multicolored rays of light manifested between heaven and earth, turning into golden lotus flowers that drifted in all directions. The thick clouds shrouding the mountains disintegrated, and the morning light poured into the valley, dispelling the chill of the millennium-old ice.

The immortal sound reached into the sky. Seeming to sense its master's mood, the mirror in Lu Xing’s hand flew up and hovered above his head, releasing a pillar of light that pierced heaven and earth—connecting the Nine Heavens above to the netherworld below. A faint chime emanated from the mirror, as if celebrating its master's awakening.

Lu Xing was stunned, shocked by the power of the Ice Fairy and the strength of the mirror in her possession. He did not know much about this cultivation world, but he knew that any cultivator seeing such a phenomenon would recognize it as the emergence of a treasure and would rush over to see if they could snatch a stroke of luck.

"Come back!"

Reacting quickly, Lu Xing summoned the mirror back into his palm. Seeing the colorful light still flowing across its surface, he waited a long while before the spirits of the women slowly reappeared.

"What are you doing?" the girl in the blue dress asked curiously.

"Have you gone mad?" the majestic and stunning Empress teased him again.

"If you had used a bit more power, Lu Xing, you could have melted all the snow on these peaks," the lady in violet added with a smile.

"My daughter would never do such a thing..." Fairy Neon murmured, her tone melancholy.

Lu Xing felt awkward and asked them, "Seniors, will this cause any consequences? I didn't know that one shout from her could change the color of the heavens and earth!" It was truly terrifying.

"Consequences? The consequences are grave!" the blue-clad girl said sternly. "If you don't leave, some great sect will send people to capture you and steal our Reincarnation Mirror!"

The Empress urged, "Run, run! If you're too slow, you'll be captured and thrown into a harem as a concubine! You're a man—you wouldn't want to be someone’s concubine, would you?"

Lu Xing didn't believe them. Fortunately, there were some kinder spirits in the mirror. The shy girl holding a zither said with a smile, "Do not worry, Lu Xing. The Reincarnation Mirror is a treasure that can hide its own presence; outsiders cannot calculate its location. If they recognize the Reincarnation Mirror, they will know of me and will not come looking for trouble."

The girl in the blue dress and the Empress laughed, not minding that their prank on Lu Xing had failed.

"Thank you, seniors," Lu Xing smiled. "You can just call me by my name. I'm going down the mountain now. By the way, do you know the direction to the cave? I should head back and wait until she agrees to come out."

The zither-holding girl whispered, "No need to return; I do not mind."

"Why go back? Are you saying she’s coming back?" The girl in the blue dress smiled. "Just go and enjoy yourself; we will tell her when she returns."

Lu Xing thought for a moment. "I'll go back; I'm tired and want to rest in bed."

"Tired? Rest? You?"

"Why go back to bed? Just lie down wherever you are. That bed is no different from the snow on the ground."

"..."

Lie down anywhere? Lu Xing wasn't that wild. After clarifying the direction, he drifted down toward the mountainside.

...

The disturbance on Thousand Snow Mountain was quickly noticed. Not long after Lu Xing descended, dozens of streaks of light pierced the snow, scattering into the mountains to search for the revealed treasure. Those with keen eyes could tell these were rogue cultivators who frequented the mountain to gather herbs; the true noble families and great sects would take time to mobilize.

What they did not know was that the sound of the treasure's movement at Thousand Snow Mountain had spread far beyond the immediate vicinity. To the true powerhouses of the Three Realms—Heaven, Earth, and Man—the chime of the Reincarnation Mirror was no less than divine music. They were jolted awake, looking toward a certain direction and counting on their fingers to divine the cause. Yet, the more they calculated, the tighter their brows furrowed, until they were forced to give up.

Only a few existences opened their eyes, looked toward the human world, and murmured, "What is she doing?" before ignoring it.

"Master..." In the netherworld beneath the earth, a woman in black robes looked toward the human world, tears streaming down her face. "This disciple knew you had not perished. With your existence, how could you have easily faded away... Disciple is coming to find you!"

In the human world, within a valley filled with immortal aura, a white-haired old man sitting under a tree slowly opened his eyes. Before long, the Sect Master of the Flying Immortal Sect arrived, bowing respectfully. "Ancestor, do you have any instructions?"

"The Founder has awakened," the white-haired old man said weakly. "Find her for me. You must find her. Once you do, come see me."

"Founder?" The Sect Master was bewildered. He had never known the Flying Immortal Sect to have a founder. Wasn't the ancestor of the Flying Immortal Sect a disciple of Fairy Mingxuan? But Fairy Mingxuan never acknowledged the sect, nor did she allow them to call her their founder.

"She has a mirror in her hand. When you see her, you will know she is the Founder. Go."

"Yes, Ancestor!"