“This secret realm is just too vast,” Xu Yi sighed, a sense of frustration etched on her face as she stood on the desolate plains. Ten days had passed since she parted ways with Shangguan Yuquan. For all these days, she had been traveling at full speed, yet she hadn't encountered a single familiar face.
She grumbled a few more words, then her brows suddenly lifted. There seemed to be something ahead. Instantly, she composed herself and cautiously moved closer. When she finally got a clear view of the scene before her, her pupils contracted sharply, and a chill shot from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head.
Before her stood a towering structure built entirely of skulls. Countless pale skulls were densely packed together, their empty eye sockets seemingly harboring pairs of eyes that stared at her coldly. Even Xu Yi, who possessed a fearless spirit, felt her scalp tingle.
Xu Yi roughly counted; the skull tower reached eighty-one layers, with hundreds of skulls on each level. She took two cautious steps forward, her expression changing again. She had initially assumed the skulls belonged to demons, but upon closer inspection, she realized they were all human skulls.
“Demons.” A fierce glint flashed in Xu Yi’s eyes, her killing intent surging. Faced with such immense brutality, she was once again reminded of the savagery of the demon race. While she had always been indoctrinated with the idea of vanquishing demons, she had never truly grasped their nature, as they were beings that existed only in legends or ancient texts. It was only now, confronted with this bloody reality, that she understood the irreconcilable animosity between the human and demon races, a history steeped in countless blood debts.
After a long silence, Xu Yi bowed three times to the skull tower. Then, she took out a triangular shovel from her storage ring. Finding a clear, intact spot, she began to control the shovel with her spiritual energy, digging a pit. She only stopped when the pit was large enough to bury all the skulls.
“Rest in peace, souls,” Xu Yi murmured. Using her spiritual energy, she moved the entire skull tower into the pit. Then, she shoveled back the earth she had excavated, covering them one by one.
“Phew.” Only after completing all this did Xu Yi exhale a tired breath. Of course, digging and filling the pit were trivial tasks for her; the fatigue she felt emanated from deep within her body. Her heart felt heavy, a complex tapestry of emotions intertwined within her, yet she found no outlet.
“Liu Jinghong really did a lot of remarkable good deeds,” Xu Yi muttered to herself, Liu Jinghong’s image appearing in her mind. She didn’t want to mention Liu Jinghong, yet he had become an inseparable part of her memories. Liu Jinghong had left behind many awe-inspiring deeds on the Nine Provinces Continent, but Xu Yi believed his act of establishing peace treaties with the demon and monster races was the most commendable, as it finally ushered in an era of peace for the continent.
Standing before the massive grave mound, Xu Yi lost herself in thought for a long time. Only when her mood gradually stabilized did she stride away. She had walked for less than the time it takes to burn half an incense stick when she heard the clashing sounds of magical artifacts ahead. Her eyes lit up, and she immediately quickened her pace.
“It’s Xiong Zhuangzhuang and Yu Xiaoyu!” Xu Yi’s eyes reddened with excitement. After being in the secret realm for so long, she had finally encountered her companions. However, Xu Yi didn't call out. She waited until Xiong Zhuangzhuang had single-handedly defeated the demon before shouting, “Xiong Zhuangzhuang! Xiaoyu!”
Both Xiong Zhuangzhuang and Yu Xiaoyu turned towards her. Xu Yi waved at them, preparing to run over, but was sternly stopped by both of them.
“Stop!”
Xu Yi: ???
Xu Yi halted, a look of utter bewilderment on her face.
“What’s wrong?”
Xiong Zhuangzhuang and Yu Xiaoyu remained silent, their eyes fixed on her as if trying to bore a hole through her. Xu Yi grew even more confused. What were these two up to?
Unbeknownst to her, Xiong Zhuangzhuang and Yu Xiaoyu were equally bewildered. Their spiritual senses avoided Xu Yi as they communicated silently.
“Is this Xu Yi?”
“Can you recognize her?”
“I can’t.”
“Neither can I.”
The two exchanged glances, seeing the deep helplessness in each other's eyes.
“What are you two playing at?” Xu Yi asked, crossing her arms, finally sensing their furtiveness, and spoke with a hint of annoyance.
“You say you’re Xu Yi, how can you prove it?” Yu Xiaoyu shouted bravely.
Xu Yi: ???
Prove it?
Prove what?
That I am myself?
But after a brief moment of stunned silence, Xu Yi quickly grasped the underlying issue in Yu Xiaoyu’s question. “Did you encounter me before? Or someone else among us?” After speaking, she quickly shook her head and negated her own thought. “No, if you had met us, you wouldn’t react like this.”
Xu Yi’s expression became serious as she stated, word by word, “Did you encounter yourselves? Or two identical companions, right?”
Xiong Zhuangzhuang and Yu Xiaoyu were so astonished they couldn't speak. They hadn't said anything yet, and she had already guessed.
“Xu Yi, she should be Xu Yi.” Yu Xiaoyu’s eyes shone, unable to resist saying. Xu Yi possessed all the admirable qualities she envisioned. She was so intelligent; only the real her could have guessed it.
After speaking, Yu Xiaoyu prepared to rush forward to greet Xu Yi, disregarding everything, but was pulled back by Xiong Zhuangzhuang.
“Calm down first.” Xiong Zhuangzhuang dared not be careless. The imposter who emerged from the mirror could not only mimic actions but also seemed to have copied their voices and memories. The Xu Yi before them could very well be a disguise.
“Yu Xiaoyu, listen to Xiong Zhuangzhuang and don't come over yet.” Xu Yi also frowned, stopping Yu Xiaoyu. The current situation was a bit complicated, and Xu Yi preferred them to be cautious to avoid falling into a trap later.
“Okay, I’ll listen to you.” Yu Xiaoyu, who had been struggling, immediately stopped and obediently complied. Xiong Zhuangzhuang breathed a sigh of relief, and his inclination gradually shifted towards the Xu Yi before him.
“Since you’ve already guessed, I won’t hide it from you. There’s a magical artifact in this secret realm that can create exact replicas of us, so you must find a way to prove you are the real Xu Yi, otherwise, we will never fully trust you,” Xiong Zhuangzhuang blurted out, revealing their discovery. After speaking, he looked expectantly at Xu Yi. In his opinion, Xu Yi was undoubtedly an intelligent person. He thought perhaps Xu Yi could come up with a solution.
“Identical?” Xu Yi mused, tapping her chin. “How similar? Are even their auras identical?”
“Yes, yes!” Yu Xiaoyu nodded vigorously. “Completely identical, without any flaws, impossible to distinguish.”
Xu Yi slowly nodded, then suddenly asked, “So, does that mean you two could also be fakes?”
Xiong Zhuangzhuang and Yu Xiaoyu: !!!
Xu Yi clapped her hands, stating with certainty, “You two saying these things now is just to gain my trust. In fact, you are very likely fakes as well, just trying to get close to me and harm me.”
“Do you think I’m right?”