The Longevity Family: Starting from the Foundation Establishment Ancestor

The moment they stepped into the "Mirror of Reincarnation" passage, the surrounding scenery changed abruptly. Han Mu and his group of five appeared in the center of a maze made up of countless giant mirrors. Each mirror was ten feet tall and as smooth as water, reflecting the figures of the five people, but the movements of the reflections were not completely synchronized with their real bodies.

"My goodness, so many mirrors! My eyes are blurry." Luo Feng rubbed his eyes and pointed to the nearest mirror. "Look, in that mirror, Fatty is making a face, but I clearly didn't move!"

Everyone looked over and, sure enough, Luo Feng's reflection in the mirror was making exaggerated faces, while the real Luo Feng looked completely bewildered.

"A projection of time out of sync." Han Li observed his surroundings. "These mirrors should be able to capture, delay, speed up, or even reverse our movements. It seems the trial's purpose is to help us maintain a clear understanding of 'self' and 'time' amidst these distorted reflections."

As soon as the words were spoken, the eight mirrors surrounding the five people lit up simultaneously. In each mirror, an exact replica of the five people emerged, but with empty eyes, like puppets.

"Only by defeating your own mirror image, or comprehending the 'True Meaning of Reincarnation' within it, can you pass through." The voice of Daoist Qingxuan echoed through the maze.

"Easy, watch Fatty's moves!" Luo Feng swung his battle axe and charged towards the "Mirror Image Luo Feng" that emerged from one of the mirrors.

The mirror image of Luo Feng also swung his battle axe, with the same movements, strength, and even combat techniques. With a loud clang, the two battle axes collided, sparks flying everywhere. Luo Feng and his mirror image each took three steps back, their strength evenly matched.

"Hey, this is interesting!" Luo Feng got excited and unleashed his axe techniques, engaging in a fierce battle with the mirror image. But after a dozen or so moves, Luo Feng realized something was wrong—the mirror image completely copied his fighting style. When he changed his moves, the mirror image changed its moves; when he exerted force, the mirror image exerted force. It was like fighting in a mirror image, with neither able to gain the upper hand.

"Senior Han, we can't beat this thing!" Luo Feng shouted.

"If you can't win, then learn its 'true meaning'." Han Mu looked at Zhou Meng, "Zhou Meng, you go first. Your 'Time Guardian Mark' resonates with this place, and may be able to trigger special changes."

Zhou Meng nodded, took a deep breath, and walked towards a mirror that reflected him, but his movements were extremely slow. The gray-white "Time Guardian Mark" between his eyebrows glowed slightly.

The "mirror image of Zhou Meng" in the mirror also moved towards reality, its movements as slow as a snail. But when the distance between the two closed to within three zhang, the mirror image of Zhou Meng suddenly accelerated, instantly rushing in front of Zhou Meng and throwing a punch!

Caught off guard, Zhou Meng only had time to cross his arms to block. With a "bang," he was knocked back several steps, his arms going numb.

"No, this isn't a simple copy." Han Li frowned. "This mirror is a 'time-slowing' area, but the reflection can instantly accelerate the attack. It's exploiting the time difference."

Zhou Meng steadied himself, a fierce glint in his eyes, and charged at the mirror image again. This time he was on guard and engaged the mirror image in combat. But the mirror image's attacks always changed speed at the most unexpected moments—sometimes extremely slow, sometimes extremely fast, sometimes suddenly stopping and then exploding, leaving Zhou Meng scrambling to keep up.

"It's teaching you how to apply 'time manipulation'." Han Mu saw through the trick. "Zhou Meng, don't think about defeating it, but rather feel the rhythm of time contained in its attacks."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Meng stopped rushing to attack and switched to defense, carefully sensing the rhythm of the mirror image's attack. Gradually, he discovered that the mirror image's speed changes were not completely random, but followed a specific pattern that resonated with the "Time Guardian Mark".

"This is... the combat footwork of the 'Time Guardian' lineage?" Zhou Meng realized. He stopped passively defending and began to imitate the mirror image's footwork and attack rhythm. Although he was unfamiliar with it at first, he became more and more proficient.

As his footwork changed, the "Time Guardian Mark" between his brows shone brighter and brighter, its resonance with the mirror growing stronger. The mirror image of Zhou Meng's attacks gradually softened from being sharp, and finally transformed into streams of light imbued with the Dao of Time, actively merging into Zhou Meng's body.

"It's done!" Zhou Meng shouted, his aura surging. The "Time Guardian Mark" between his brows burst forth with a dazzling gray-white light, and an ancient, majestic, and protective legacy of information flooded into his mind like a bursting floodgate.

"Time Guardian Legacy - Full Awakening!" Zhou Meng opened his eyes, as if a long river of time flowed within them. He raised his hand and grasped, and a gray-white warhammer, entirely condensed from the power of time, appeared in his hand. The surface of the warhammer was covered with the same complex runes as the "Time Guardian Mark".

"Mid-stage Golden Immortal?" Luo Feng's eyes widened. "This trial is too intense!"

Han Mu nodded: "Zhou Meng's 'Time Guardian Mark' was already close to full awakening; this 'Mirror of Reincarnation' was just the final push. Alright, who's next?"

"I'll give it a try." Bai Ling stepped forward and walked towards a mirror that reflected her, but whose movements were reversed.

But at that moment, the entire maze suddenly shook violently! The mirrors around us rattled and cracked in many of them.

"Not good!" Han Li's expression changed. "Someone is forcibly attacking the defensive formation at the entrance to the ruins! And...it's not just from one direction!"

Qingxuan Daoist suddenly appeared above the maze, his expression grave: "Young friend Han Mu, the situation has changed. The main force of the 'Reverse Time Alliance' has arrived. They've discovered the exact location of the ruins and are simultaneously attacking the entrance formation with three 'Boundary-Breaking Cones.' The formation will surely break within half an hour at most!"

"So fast?" Han Mu's eyes turned cold. "How many of them are there?"

"At least twenty peak Golden Immortals, over a hundred early to mid-stage Golden Immortals, and..." Qingxuan Daoist took a deep breath, "and also one of the three close guards under 'Time Venerable,' 'Shadow Time,' a mid-stage Taiyi Jade Immortal, personally leading the team!"

"Shadow Time..." Han Mu clenched his fist. It seemed that the "Reverse Time Alliance" was determined to obtain the legacy of the "Guardian of Time," or rather, to obtain Han Mu himself.

"The trial must be stopped," said Daoist Qingxuan. "You all leave the maze immediately and meet at the pavilion. I have already notified Liu Ruyan and the others. We must activate the backup plan before the formation is broken."

"What backup plan?" Han Li asked.

"Deep within the ruins, there is an emergency teleportation array that can randomly teleport people out of the ruins, but the destination is uncertain, and it can only be used once," said Daoist Qingxuan. "This is a last resort. But if you activate it now, you will lose the opportunity to continue improving your strength within the ruins."

Han Mu looked at Han Li, Zhou Meng, Luo Feng, and Bai Ling, then glanced at the mirrors that were still emitting alluring Daoist charm. He quickly summoned the system panel and scanned it.

Name: Han Mu

[True Realm: Early Stage of Taiyi Jade Immortal (Peak State)]

[Time Rule: 78%]

[Status: Peak. Fragment fusion rate of "Coffin of Origin" 15%.]

[Celestial Aura: -6000 points]

[System Notification: High-intensity external force attack detected on the Relic Defense. Crisis Level: High. Recommendation: Evacuate immediately. However, if the enemy can be repelled, complete control of the "Guardian of Time" Relic will be gained, greatly increasing the probability of completing subsequent missions. Please weigh the pros and cons.]

Han Mu closed the panel, his gaze sharp: "Senior Qingxuan, if we fight now, what are our chances of victory?"

"The odds of victory..." Daoist Qingxuan smiled bitterly. "The enemy has 'Shadow Time' in command, their forces outnumber ours several times over, and they're equipped with the standard war magic weapons of the 'Reverse Time Alliance.' On our side, you're the only Taiyi Jade Immortal, plus myself and a few remaining guardian puppets. We'd be lucky to hold off 'Shadow Time' and some of their elite troops. Your companions, facing the siege of those peak Golden Immortals, I'm afraid..."

Han Mu was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled: "Senior, if I told you that I have a way to increase my strength a little more within half an hour, to the point where I can directly contend with 'Shadow Time', would you believe me?"

Qingxuan Daoist was taken aback: "Half an hour? Unless..."

"Unless I enter the 'Time Corridor' and forcibly comprehend the laws of time to break through to the mid-stage of the Taiyi Jade Immortal realm," Han Mu said, looking into the depths of the maze. "There, time should be able to be accelerated, right?"

"Yes! In the core area of ​​the 'Time Corridor,' time flows at a speed a hundred times faster than outside!" Qingxuan Daoist said urgently. "But it's extremely dangerous there; the turbulent time currents can tear apart a Golden Immortal's soul! Moreover, half an hour outside is equivalent to less than three days inside the corridor. To break through in three days..."

"That's enough." Han Mu turned around and said to Han Li and the others, "Fellow Daoist Han Li, you take Zhou Meng, Luo Feng, and Bai Ling to the pavilion to meet Liu Ruyan and assist Senior Qingxuan in setting up the defenses. I'm going to the 'Time Corridor'."

"Brother Han!" Han Li tried to dissuade him.

"This is an order," Han Mu said firmly. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. If things become unmanageable, I'll come out before the formation is broken. Your job is to hold the line until I do!"

After saying that, Han Mu didn't delay any longer. His figure transformed into a stream of light and shot towards the passage on the left side of the maze that led to the "Time Corridor".

Looking in the direction where Han Mu had disappeared, Daoist Qingxuan murmured, "Young friend, you must succeed. Otherwise, this last hope will truly be lost..."