In the first ring of the Great City, the most mysterious center...

"You say you've banished 009 to the void?!" The striking woman exclaimed in anger. "That's a forbidden item, 009!"

The frail old man sat in a wheelchair, his eyes covered with a black cloth, chuckling,

"Forbidden item 009, the Mourning Mirror... Are you heartbroken? 009 is on the brink of losing control; we cannot afford the cost of using it."

The woman clutched her chest, pained:

"Grandfather! There was a chance for redemption; you just sent it away—such a waste!"

The old man shook his head:

"The more powerful, the more dangerous. 009 can easily attract the attention of the three Outer Gods, and the mirror spirit itself is completely mad, no longer obeying anyone's command..."

After a long silence, the woman sighed.

Indeed, that crazed spirit nearly destroyed the entire Great City! Even she...

She glanced at her now translucent hands, shaking her head slightly.

The old man then shifted the topic:

"What about the Dusk Relic?"

The woman replied calmly:

"It's still fishing, waiting for the Old Council's catch. But I worry if the Old Council fails to reel it in, some evil cults might swoop in... perhaps even the Outer God cults."

Pausing, she added,

"After all, it's Their relic."

The old man pondered, adjusting the black cloth over his eyes, then said:

"True, the Dusk Relic is too important; using it to fish is too risky... I'll go check on it personally. Where's the box now?"

"It seems to be with a commoner... You want to go yourself?!"

"Yes."

The old man removed the blindfold, speaking nonchalantly:

"It's been a while since I've been out. You've done well managing the Great City these years; I trust you. There's no need for me to hover over you."

As he spoke, the cloth fell away, revealing his mismatched golden-silver eyes.

The woman looked worried:

"But, grandfather, your identity is too sensitive... The last Secretary-General of the UN, the first Lord of Great City, the only disciple of the Death Titan..."

"Can't I just change my appearance?"

The old man laughed, pulling out a pocket watch and gently winding it.

As he did, the deep lines on his face smoothed, white hair turned black, and his frail body straightened...

He was growing younger.

Before the woman's astonished gaze, the old man transformed into a middle-aged man, then a youth, and finally a child of seven or eight, with golden-silver eyes. He sat in the wheelchair, slowly closing the pocket watch, smiling:

"Forbidden item 026, the Time Watch, obtained in my youth. It has recognized me as its master and even bears my name..."

He flipped the watch, revealing three small words engraved among the silver branches on the back:

‘Jerusalem.'

Jerusalem put away the watch and calmly said:

"The Dusk Relic is still in the eighth ring, right? I'll check it myself; you need not accompany me."

The woman wanted to say more but was suddenly interrupted by a rumbling and crashing sound.

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She hurriedly pushed the child with the mismatched eyes to the window, stunned.

A ship.

A massive spirit-world vessel crashed out from a void fissure, soaring into the sky before slamming heavily into a distant area of the city.

"Is that... the Nine Provinces?" she murmured in confusion.

"It comes from... the hyperspace." Jerusalem furrowed his brow, catching a glimpse of seven familiar, towering figures from that fissure.

"The Nine Provinces... fell into hyperspace?" The woman was dumbfounded, her hair standing on end.

...

In the eighth ring, Building 47, Room 208.

One by one, broken ghosts crawled out from the void, their icy presence chilling to the bone.

A cold shiver crept up Chen Xiang's spine, spreading through his entire body.

"This is... really haunting."

He muttered to himself, thin layers of black flames flickering in his palm as he silently counted the ghosts.

One, two, three...

The cramped chamber was stuffed with ghosts, their numbers swelling as the mirror's glow intensified!

The increasing throng of spirits piled atop each other, merging and glaring at Chen Xiang simultaneously.

He felt his blood nearly freeze, a paralyzing fear enveloping him!

What to do?

What to do??

In a panic, he waved his hand, desperately recalling that burning sensation, feeling a fire blazing in his chest!

Chen Xiang opened his mouth and let out a primal, guttural roar.

"Chii!!"

A torrent of black flames erupted from his mouth, surging towards the densely packed ghosts in the chamber.

Like kindling igniting upon contact, they erupted into flames!

The fire spread rapidly.

Dozens of ghosts wailed as the flames intertwined with the eerie blue glow of their dissipating forms, filling Chen Xiang's vision...

As the first ghost turned to nothingness,

Chen Xiang sensed a strange clarity emerging within him.

When dozens of ghosts were incinerated, he felt an unprecedented sharpness.

Time flew by; the mirror continued to shine, the ghosts still multiplied.

As over a hundred spirits were burned away, Chen Xiang felt he was close to death.

Close to being overwhelmed.

This isn't a physical overload; his stomach is still empty. This sense of fullness comes from the mind and spirit...

As the black flames incinerated the ghosts, they also began to plunder. The ghosts lack bodies, lack substance; what they steal isn't life force...

To be precise, it's only the ‘spirit' within that life force.

Even if a ghost leaves behind only a small trace of ‘spirit' upon dissipating, accumulating it will lead to a lot...

This is a great tonic, but if taken too far, it becomes poison.

"I can still... hold on!"

Chen Xiang's eyes turned bloodshot. He knew he couldn't stop now, or the endless stream of ghosts would likely consume him completely!

As the three hundredth ghost was incinerated, he found he could ‘see' his own blood vessels, organs, and tendons, but dizziness began to set in, his mind feeling heavy.

Upon the destruction of the five hundredth ghost, he realized he could ‘see' everything behind him; the entire chamber was vividly present in his mind, perfectly clear.

Yet at the same time, a violent headache began, as if his frail body couldn't bear the immense mental load and was on the verge of collapse...

"Stop... stop... stop!"

Chen Xiang called out almost unconsciously. He knew ‘stop' was a luxury, but his body's instinct for survival compelled him to scream.

Though it was ultimately futile.

He was truly on the verge of ‘bursting' dead.

However, in the next moment...

"As you wish."

The pure, flawless surface of the mirror quivered slightly, and a respectful, even slightly obsequious voice emerged.

Then the ghosts vanished without a trace.

Chen Xiang collapsed onto the ground, his pores wide open, drenched in sweat.

He lay there for what felt like an eternity before laboriously propping himself up. Just a slight movement caused his skin to crack, blood pouring forth!

"What's... happening to me?"

Chen Xiang murmured.

"Your body is too weak to sustain your current spirit form; it is on the brink of collapse."

The mirror answered gently:

"In short, you are close to death."

After a moment, it added:

"Just your body is close to dying."

Chen Xiang coughed up blood, forcing himself to sit upright, his gaze unfocused, eyes lacking clarity.

"Am I... dying?"

Facing death, he felt no fear, no panic—only some regrets.

He hadn't seen enough of this world.

The extraordinary scenery was still unclear.

What a pity.

The mirror seemed to smile, responding kindly:

"It's okay; only the body dies. You can continue to exist in the form of your spirit... I believe without a body, you will have fewer constraints."

"Fuck you."

Chen Xiang weakly cursed, facing this strange mirror without fear as death approached.

After all, he was about to die.

If it has the ability, let it bring him back to life.

"Why do you curse me?" The mirror asked, puzzled. "The spirit form is free, unbound; isn't that good? Don't you want to die?"

Chen Xiang twitched the corner of his mouth but didn't curse again, merely sighing:

"Bullshit, I'm not done living yet... Without a body, wouldn't that make me a wandering soul?"

"Oh."

The mirror seemed to ponder, then questioned:

"Since you don't want to die, why not just not die?"

"Damn it..." Chen Xiang cursed again, blood spilling from his mouth increasing.

"Oh!" The mirror suddenly realized: "You don't know, do you? Your body is too weak, which is why it's collapsing... If you strengthen your body, wouldn't that solve it?"

Chen Xiang froze.

Yes... his body was too fragile to bear the spirit.

Then he just needed to strengthen his body!

The mirror continued:

"I see there are visualization charts and human cultivation methods available; based on my estimation, you have enough time to get started."

Chen Xiang remained silent, conserving his strength as he laboriously picked up a hefty book labeled "Giant Statue Method" and struggled to unfurl the scroll.

"Your mastery of fire is quite intriguing."

The mirror continued chattering:

"I sense many life forms nearby. To strengthen your body, plundering their life force with fire might be quicker."

Ignoring it, Chen Xiang focused all his attention on the Giant Statue Method and the Dusk Titan visualization chart.

"The giant statue is powerful, rising from dust, forged throughout the body; its might knows no rival..."

He gradually immersed himself in the text.