In Zhu Xian, people start to rise from plundering entries

The three left the valley and headed towards the nearest town.

Throughout the journey, Su Han kept recalling his battle with True Man Chixia.

The opponent's strength far exceeded his expectations; if Wang Shouren hadn't appeared in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

This made him even more eager to improve his strength.

As he walked, he subconsciously touched the fragment of the Samsara Mirror in his arms.

What secrets does this mysterious ancient mirror hold?
Why would even a master like Master Chixia value him so much?
Several hours later, the three arrived at a small town called "Lin Nan".

This small town is located at the border of central China and southern Xinjiang. Its architectural style has obvious characteristics of southern Xinjiang, and the clothing of pedestrians on the street is also quite unique, with many people wearing brightly colored ethnic costumes.

"Let's find an inn to rest first, and while we're at it, let's find out some recent news from Southern Xinjiang," Su Han suggested.

Lu Xueqi and Biyao had no objections.

The three found an inn called "Ke Zai Lai" in the center of town and asked for two superior rooms.

Su Han has a room to herself, while Lu Xueqi and Biyao share a room.

After settling in, the three of them went to the inn's lobby for a meal.

It was nearly noon, and the lobby was filled with all sorts of people, making a great deal of noise.

Su Han deliberately chose a quiet spot by the window and ordered a few side dishes.

While waiting for his food to be served, he listened intently to the conversations of the other diners, hoping to glean some useful information from them.

Most diners were talking about everyday matters or the market prices of local specialties from southern Xinjiang.

Just as Su Han was feeling somewhat disappointed, the conversation of several businessmen at the next table caught his attention.

"Have you heard? Things aren't very peaceful in southern Xinjiang lately!" a burly man with a full beard said in a low voice.

A thin man next to him asked curiously, "Brother Wang, what's going on?"

The man called Brother Wang looked around before whispering, "Strange phenomena have been appearing frequently in the depths of the southern border recently. It is said that a treasure has been unearthed!"

"Treasure?" The other person immediately became interested. "What treasure?"

"I don't know the specifics, but I heard that several major sects have sent people to investigate, and even some forces in the Central Plains have been alerted."

Su Han and Lu Xueqi exchanged a glance, both seeing seriousness in each other's eyes.

Biyao's eyes lit up, clearly showing great interest in the "treasure".

The people at that table continued their conversation.

"Not only that, I've also heard that the Wu tribe in southern Xinjiang has been very active lately, as if they're plotting something big."

"The Witch Clan? Those guys who are skilled in witchcraft and sorcery?"

“Exactly. A friend of mine came back from southern Xinjiang a few days ago and said that all the villages of the Wu tribe are mobilizing manpower, as if they are going to hold some important ceremony.”

Su Han frowned slightly.

The Southern Xinjiang Witch Clan is one of the most mysterious forces in the region, skilled in various bizarre witchcraft and poisons, and rarely interacts with the outside world.

Could their sudden activity be related to the ancient bronze temple?

Then, the dishes they ordered arrived.

Su Han temporarily suppressed her doubts and began to eat.

After the meal, Su Han said to the two women, "I'm going out to find out the details. You two rest at the inn for now."

Lu Xueqi nodded: "Be careful."

Biyao stood up and said, "I'll go with you. I'm more familiar with the Southern Frontier, so I might be able to help."

Su Han thought for a moment and did not refuse. The two left the inn and wandered around the town.

Although Linan Town is small, its market is quite bustling due to its location on a major transportation route.

The streets are lined with shops selling all kinds of specialties from southern Xinjiang, from exotic herbs to exquisite silver jewelry.

Su Han noticed that there were indeed many outsiders dressed as martial arts practitioners in the town, all of them in a hurry, seemingly heading to the Southern Frontier.

Su Han stopped in front of a stall selling medicinal herbs, pretending to select goods, and casually asked the stall owner, "Boss, has something big happened in Southern Xinjiang recently? I've seen quite a few outsiders in town."

The stall owner was a lean, elderly man from southern Xinjiang. Upon hearing this, he glanced at Su Han and smiled, "Sir, you've also come for that 'divine light descending from the sky,' haven't you?"

"Divine light descended from the heavens?" Su Han's heart stirred, but his face remained calm. "Please enlighten me, boss."

The old man lowered his voice: "It is said that half a month ago, strange lights appeared in the sky above the Black Witch Mountain deep in the southern border every night at midnight. Some people said it was the birth of a rare treasure, while others said it was the opening of an ancient secret realm."

Biyao interjected, "Old man, has the Witch Clan been making any big moves lately?"

The old man's expression changed slightly. He looked around before whispering, "Young lady, you're well-informed. The Witch Clan is indeed unusual. Witches from all the major villages are gathering at the Holy Mountain. It's said they're going to hold the 'Witch God Festival,' which happens once every hundred years."

Su Han bought some herbs as a token of gratitude and left the stall with Bi Yao.

"It seems something big has indeed happened in the Southern Frontier," Su Han mused.

Biyao nodded: "The simultaneous occurrence of the divine light descending from the sky and the witch god's ritual is probably not a coincidence."

The two returned to the inn and told Lu Xueqi what they had learned.

After listening, Lu Xueqi pondered for a moment and said, "In that case, we should head to the Southern Frontier as soon as possible. If it is indeed related to the Bronze Ancient Palace, we must not let others get there first."

Su Han agreed, "That's what I was thinking too. Let's rest for the night and set off early tomorrow morning."

That evening, Su Han meditated and regulated his breathing in his room, carefully sensing the remaining medicinal power of the Rejuvenation Pill circulating in his body.

After his battle with True Immortal Chixia, he felt that his control over spiritual power had become more refined, and his cultivation was showing signs of a breakthrough.

He took out the fragment of the Samsara Mirror from his bosom and examined it carefully in the moonlight.

This ancient mirror is made of neither gold nor jade. It has a warm, smooth feel to the touch, and the surface is blurry, only vaguely reflecting a person's image.

Su Han tried to inject a wisp of spiritual power into it, and the mirror surface suddenly glowed faintly, but then dimmed again.

"It seems that all the fragments need to be collected before it can unleash its true power," Su Han muttered to himself.

Just then, he suddenly felt something moving in his arms.

Upon taking it out, it turned out to be the ordinary bronze mirror that he had obtained from the Yuelai Inn.

At this moment, the bronze mirror was trembling slightly, and a faint halo appeared on its surface.

To Su Han's even greater surprise, several lines of small characters appeared in the bronze mirror:
"Black Witch Mountain, full moon night, bronze appears."

The writing appeared briefly and then disappeared, and the bronze mirror returned to normal.

Su Han was shocked.

The bronze mirror given to me by Wang Shouren is indeed no ordinary object!
It seems to be pointing to the time and place of the bronze temple's appearance.

Black Mountain should be the place where the strange phenomenon occurred, as mentioned by the herbal medicine vendor, and the full moon night refers to the time of the full moon.

Su Han calculated the time and found that there were still exactly twenty days until the next full moon.

"Time is running out," he thought to himself.

Even at top speed, it would take at least half a month to travel from Linan Town to the Black Witch Mountain deep in southern Xinjiang.

This means they must set off as soon as possible to catch the full moon.

The next morning, the three packed their belongings and prepared to depart. (End of Chapter)