Eternal Thief

Chapter 1471: Mirror Embryo

At that moment, Ace’s perception plunged inward—guided by the currents of the Darkness Force surging through the newly inscribed mirror glyphs. What emerged before him was a sight that stole even his own breath.

It was an endless expanse of space, vast beyond imagining—like standing on the edge of eternity itself.

Above, an immense, swirling vault of darkness stretched on forever. Yet this darkness was not empty: countless pinpricks of starlight shimmered quietly in its depths, drifting like lonely embers caught in a cosmic tide.

Some glowed a faint violet, others a silvery blue, and deeper still, darker stars pulsed with a forbidden, ancient luster.

Far below, there lay what could only be called the Sea of Darkness. An obsidian-black ocean whose surface neither rippled nor reflected light.

Instead, it shimmered with liquid darkness, occasionally releasing slow, silent waves of shadowy mist that coiled upward, dissolving into the star-filled firmament.

Every breath Ace seemed to take within this place felt impossibly heavy—as though the air itself was woven from primordial darkness. Yet paradoxically, that heaviness felt familiar to him... resonant, almost comforting.

’Is this my Knowledge Sea?!’ Ace was shocked after witnessing this phenomenal spectacle, as he had no idea that his Knowledge Sea looked this grand and majestic.

At that moment, from the depths of the Knowledge Sea, Ace felt an ephemeral presence before it instantly vanished, as it was nothing more than his imagination.

But he didn’t have time to investigate it as he quickly felt something and saw that the force congealed and twisted, condensing in his knowledge sea.

Slowly, the force started to take shape into the Mirror Embryo. A pale silver sphere, its surface liquid-like, reflecting countless shadows and glimpses of Ace’s own face and aura.

Within its depths, faint phantom ripples swirled. It was a sign that it had begun resonating with his Universal Physique!

’So, this is the Mirror Embryo... the first step towards the Mirror Domain...’ Ace’s mind raced.

At that moment, he understood why the Universal Force Arts demanded to inscribe the force glyphs into the very structure of Universal Physique.

The mirror inscription in his eye sockets acted as conduits—drawing force from the Universal Physique and focusing it into this boundless sea, nurturing the embryo until it could grow.

Furthermore, since this Universal Force Art was directly integrated into his Knowledge Sea, he didn’t need any time or preparation to activate it, and it would grow with Universal Physique.

There were four levels of the Universal Force Art Grand Mirror Phantom Scripture.

The first level was the Mirror Embryo, the initial condensation of the Universal Force Technique within Universal Physique. When the Mirror Embryo evolved, it entered the second level, Mirror Domain.

The Mirror Domain will be evolved into the Mirror World before it becomes the Mirror Realm at the final and fourth level!

At Mirror Embryo level, Ace was capable of trapping souls within the Mirror Embryo, and each new soul would represent a new disguise. Moreover, the capacity of the souls Ace can trap will increase as he increases the technique’s level.

As for how to cultivate the Universal Force Art, the secret lies within the Mirror Inscriptions, which weren’t mere conduits—they were the core keys connecting the Universal Force to the Mirror Realm.

Ace needed to nurture those mirror inscriptions with the Darkness Force until they were mature enough for the next evolution, and the technique advanced to the next stage.

As each level advanced, the glyphs themselves would evolve: deepening, multiplying, and harmonizing more thoroughly with the Universal Physique.

The moment the Mirror Embryo was formed, Ace’s vision shifted again. He kept his breathing slow and steady as the embryonic mirror sphere floated silently within the sea of consciousness. Its surface trembled faintly, swirling with reflections.

As he opened his eyes, and within the depth of his pupils, a silvery glimmer flickered like flames.

”Within the eye, a mirrored world; within the mirror, a stolen soul...” Ace muttered instinctively.

Even at the Mirror Embryo level, he could already feel a faint pulling force; it was as if the embryo silently resonated with the outside world, hungering to capture.

Ace’s heart pounded with dangerous exhilaration, and deep within, another, colder thought stirred, ’Just kind of race could’ve created this Art? And how strong are they really?!’

Nonetheless, Ace didn’t dwell on this topic as he wanted to test this technique right away. Although he was only at the first level and the Mirror Embryo was just formed, it could still capture souls.

Furthermore, if he wanted to nurture the Mirror Embryo, he needed more force, and at his current Universal Physique grade, it was absolutely impossible to evolve to the next level.

Nonetheless, Ace still drew in a strand of Darkness Force, guiding it carefully along the tri-layered glyphs inscribed around his eye sockets. The glyphs shimmered faintly, drawing force from his Universal Physique, and the Mirror Embryo pulsed in response.

At that moment, a faint mirrored ripple spread outward from the embryo—like a drop falling into an invisible, soul-bound pond.

Suddenly, Ace’s perception slipped within the Mirror Embryo itself. He was shocked as he found himself standing in a vast, silver-black void. It wasn’t truly empty; nine scattered shards of reflections drifted slowly, each mirroring fragments of his own face.

The ground felt fluid underfoot, as though stepping on shifting mercury; the sky was an endless dome of swirling mist, echoing back infinite echoes of his thoughts.

’So that’s how it is!’ Ace’s heart pounded when he looked at the nine scattered shards, which should be the current soul-capturing capacity of the Mirror Embryo.

Furthermore, the moment he appeared within the Mirror Embryo, extra information appeared in his mind.

Astounded, Ace stepped forward, and a shadowy whirlpool opened at the center, ’This should be the mirror heart—the very core where trapped souls would be bound with me and then will be used by me forever!’

This made Ace even more ecstatic, and he stopped using the darkness force, and his perception returned to reality.

’Let’s capture the first soul right away!’ Ace quickly decided to exit the Duskmire Vault to not only test this technique but also because he needed a disguise if he wanted to go to the Evernight Sanctuary.

Although those Council Members didn’t dare to use their law senses on him out of respect for his ’master’, he was sure that the Evernight Sanctuary would be filled with detection formations.

If those formations ended up revealing his origin, he would be dead within seconds. Malservus had also thought about this, and that’s why she imparted this precious technique to him.

Furthermore, Ace still needed to pay the price of a billion wandering souls, or Malservus won’t let him go, nor was he planning on going back on his promise, since that master of his probably has more techniques like the Grand Mirror Phantom Scripture.

The moment Ace exited the cultivation chamber and went towards the exit towards the main hall of the Duskmire Vault, a shadow suddenly darted in front of him.

Ace was startled as he quickly stopped, and the next moment, the slithering shadow suddenly rose from the floor, revealing a cloaked figure; it was the Vaultkeeper.

”Do you have any instructions for me, Lord Nomad?” The Vaultkeeper respectfully asked in his eerily voice.

Ace knew that leaving this place wouldn’t be easy, since he was currently the Dread Duchess’s prized possession. Although he wasn’t a prisoner, he knew right now that the council put great importance on him because of his ’master’!

”I’m going on a stroll outside.” Ace impassively stated, ”What, am I not allowed to?”

The Vaultkeeper remained silent for a moment before he said, ”The Duchess instructs me to fulfill any need you have. If there’s anything you want, say the words, and it shall be yours.”

Ace shook his head, ”I’m very grateful for Duchess’s care, and I know you mean well. But I’m just going outside to wander around the city. I struggle to stay still in one place for long, as I’m not accustomed to it. However, I won’t make things difficult for you; if you like, you can follow me or send someone else. What do you think?”

The Vaultkeeper deeply looked at Ace before he finally nodded, since Ace’s suggestion was doable and both parties would be happy.

After all, if Ace ended up missing, Vaultkeeper would lose his life, so following Ace was the best option, and Ace has yet to receive the rewards, so he won’t run away from those rewards he had paid so much to earn.

”Then please pardon my offense.” The Vaultkeeper ambiguously said before he turned into a shadow, and the next moment, he merged into Ace’s shadow behind him!

Ace was startled by Vaultkeeper’s astounding ability as he looked at his own shadow, and he couldn’t even tell the difference.

His eyes turned sharp as he looked at the fate map, and when he saw the black fate point right behind him, he sighed in relief.

After all, if someone like Vaultkeeper decided to follow him using such a method, he would be completely exposed and at the mercy of the other party. So, seeing that the Live Fate Map can still detect someone like Vaultkeeper even when he was trying to hide, made Ace reassured!