The skies above Shushan darkened, casting an ominous glow across the land. The Great Elder hovered in the air, his form radiating an immortal presence, as though he were a deity himself. Above, the heavens roiled, clouds swirling into shifting patterns as the once dark sky turned bright and clear.
"Permission granted," boomed a voice from above, resounding with authority.
It was the approval of Shushan's ancestral patriarchs. The elders below exchanged glances, their eyes gleaming with renewed hope—they understood the patriarchs had sanctioned the use of the divine artifact.
"With the Heaven-Peering Mirror, nothing will remain hidden," Simon Shang murmured, his relief palpable. He was confident in Justin, believing that there was a hidden reason behind his absence from the ceremony. Once the Heaven-Peering Mirror was activated, all would be revealed.
Simon was not alone in his thoughts; other Shushan practitioners shared his anticipation, gazing up as a golden glow blossomed in the sky. From nowhere, golden clouds appeared, surrounding an ancient mirror carved with intricate symbols. This was none other than the legendary artifact, the Heaven-Peering Mirror.
"Thank you, Patriarchs." The Great Elder's robe billowed as he received the mirror, preparing to invoke its power.
"Limitless space and time, trace to the origins," he chanted. "Reveal!"
Without hesitation, he extended a finger and touched the mirror, allowing a drop of his blood to drip onto its surface. Instantly, his body showed signs of rapid aging, wrinkles deepening across his face, and his once-lustrous white hair turned dull and brittle.
"The cost is too great for the Great Elder," Ryan Xia, the Second Elder, sighed, observing the toll taken on him. "He's lost at least five hundred years of his life for this… let's hope it brings us the answers we seek."
The Heaven-Peering Mirror required a steep price to activate its power to unveil the secrets of time. In just moments, the Great Elder had lost centuries of his lifespan—a sacrifice that left those gathered in reverent silence.
All eyes were fixed on the mirror, where ripples appeared, shifting like waves on water, and soon began to coalesce into a faint, hazy image.
"Someone is attacking Justin!" Simon Shang's face turned pale as he caught sight of the unfolding vision. The figures were indistinct, but one was unmistakably Justin. The other figure, however, appeared blurred and undefined, its features barely visible.
Even from this fleeting glimpse, it was clear—someone had ambushed Justin on the eve of his inauguration as Sect Leader.
"Who could it be? The Hidden Assassins' Pavilion, perhaps?" The Heaven-Peering Mirror, which traversed the fabric of time, revealed its secrets slowly. Unable to discern the attackers face, the elders' minds leaped to the most likely culprit.
Sarah Qin's ambush in recent years had similarly pointed to the Hidden Assassins' Pavilion, though Shushan had later retaliated against them, the true mastermind had evaded capture. Now, with Justin missing, many couldn't help but think of the Hidden Assassins' Pavilion once more.
"Justin has already reached the Longevity stage and even overcame the Ninefold Sword Barricade—he should not be so easily subdued."
"Possibly, but the attacker seems to have come prepared," another elder said, anxiety tinging his voice.
"The figure in the vision looks powerful; Justin might have been severely wounded."
Despite knowing they were watching events of the past, the Shushan elders prayed silently, hoping Justin would somehow emerge unscathed.
The Great Elder, his once-bright features now ashen, continued to channel his life force into the mirror. Drop by drop, his blood empowered the Heaven-Peering Mirror, causing the vision to clarify.
"We're about to see who this figure is!" Simon growled, his face twisted in anger. "Whoever you are, daring to attack Shushan's new Sect Leader—if it takes scouring Heaven and Hell, we will drag you out!"
As the mirror's vision grew sharper, the attacker's silhouette finally began to resolve, inching closer to full revelation.
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