World Spirit
Upon hearing the Old Shaman's conditions, Gu Ding nodded without hesitation and agreed, "I will do my best to accomplish anything I can."
"My condition is actually very easy for you to meet..." the Old Shaman chuckled. "My condition is that I hope you can stay as conscious as possible."
Gu Ding found this condition somewhat puzzling, but the Sea Emperor guessed why the Old Shaman had said it.
In the Gravel World, Gu Ding's main consciousness twice fell into a state of slumber, during which time the Red-Eyed Gu Ding would appear and cause terrifying destruction. The Old Shaman must have witnessed the terror of the Red-Eyed Gu Ding and foreseen the consequences if Gu Ding were to reappear in this state, which is why he spoke these words.
Although Gu Ding was a little confused, he still nodded in agreement, "Okay, I will do my best."
"Okay, drip a drop of blood onto my palm."
The Old Shaman didn't delve into the topic, but instead extended a withered, slender hand. The skin of the hand was dry and with five thin fingers, making it look like a strangely shaped, forked tree branch.
Gu Ding immediately cut his palm and squeezed out a drop of blood, which fell into the Old Shaman's palm.
Strangely, after the drop of scarlet blood fell into the Old Shaman's palm, it seeped in rapidly, as if a raindrop had sunk into the soil, and quickly disappeared.
The Old Shaman slowly closed his eyes, and after a long while, his eyes suddenly opened. A pair of dark eyes suddenly lit up, white light filled his eyeballs, and white mist slowly emanated from them.
After a long while, the white light gradually faded, and the old man's body began to undergo strange changes. Starting with the palm that had touched Gu Ding, it slowly began to turn into sand.
"Grandpa, what's wrong?!" Gu Ding asked, somewhat puzzled.
"It's nothing, just that my lifespan is coming to an end." The Old Shaman seemed quite calm. He looked up at Gu Ding. "The answer to your question is also vague. You want to know how to leave this world and return to the world you originally belonged to. I saw a jade stone about the size of a thumb. It was pure white, but there was a faint trace of blood inside. Perhaps if you find this jade stone, you can leave this world."
"Grandpa, your body is turning into sand. Is there anything I can do?" Seeing the Old Shaman's body rapidly turning into sand, Gu Ding had no mind to think about the jade.
"It's alright. My body was originally made of sand and stone; this is just a return to its origin..."
The old man's body quickly turned to sand completely. Golden sand scattered all over the ground.
Suddenly, a golden light shot into the sky from a pile of gravel, completely ignoring the rock strata in the cave, piercing through them and shooting straight into the heavens.
After reaching its zenith, the golden light suddenly exploded, like fireworks in the night sky. In the still-daylight world, the brightness suddenly increased several times over, and countless people looked up at the exploding firework in the sky.
After the fireworks burst open, a strange energy filled the entire world. Plants that had been unable to bloom due to the climate, as if injected with growth hormones, all blossomed simultaneously. The soul strength of every human being in the world began to rise to varying degrees...
Even Gu Ding, inside the cave, noticed that several weed-like plants at the foot of the cave wall were blooming with small flowers of various colors. He also became aware of this change.
"What happened?" Gu Ding couldn't help but ask the Sea Emperor.
"So this Old Shaman wasn't human. He was the World Spirit of this Gravel World. No wonder he knew so much." The Sea Emperor used his detection to see the changes in the entire world. "His fall caused the world rules of the entire world to be repaired to a certain extent."
"The World Spirit?" Gu Ding was also puzzled when he heard this new term.
"In some worlds, due to their unique characteristics or by chance, World Spirit is born. When World Spirit is first born, it is just like a human infant, knowing nothing. But as time goes by, the World Spirit learns all sorts of things from all kinds of living beings in the world. The larger the world and the longer the World Spirit, the more wisdom it accumulates."
"This Old Shaman, as the World Spirit, has probably lived for countless years. He knows that to complete the rules of the entire world, he needs to sacrifice himself. He also understands that his lifespan is coming to an end, but he is eager to know what other worlds are like, which is why he has been able to hold on until now. You told him about your experiences in other worlds, and his last wish has been fulfilled. That's why he used his last bit of energy to help you make deductions."
"If you just want to know about what you've seen in other worlds, wouldn't it have been simpler to ask Celestine and the others millions of years ago?" Gu Ding was somewhat puzzled by this.
"There are four reasons why he can't get the answers he wants from them. First, neither Celestine nor Bartholomew will admit to being outsiders. Second, while the World Spirit cannot be killed by humans, it also cannot attack any living being. Third, you just spoke with the Old Shaman, the World Spirit; he's not the warlike type, and he's unlikely to do anything against his will. Fourth, even if he did speak with them, they might not tell the truth for their own safety." Sea Emperor casually came up with four reasons.
Just as the two were talking, the Black-Bearded Strongman ducked into the room where Gu Ding was.
His gaze lingered briefly on Gu Ding before settling on the pile of golden sand not far in front of Gu Ding. He immediately strode over. Upon reaching the sand, he suddenly knelt down, respectfully kowtowed three times, and then took out a golden jar from his person, filling it with handfuls of golden sand.
Gu Ding stood not far from him, motionless, simply watching him fill the jar with all the sand. He could see the other man's reverence; the way he picked up each grain of sand from the ground was very devout.
After a long while, all the scattered sand and gravel was finally collected. The Black-Bearded Strongman carefully covered the jar, held it protectively in his arms, and then stood up.
When his gaze fell on Gu Ding, the emotion in his eyes was somewhat complicated. After a moment's pause, he spoke, "The Witch Doctor once told me about you. You should leave first, and get as far away from our tribe as possible. Although I can explain the Witch Doctor's death to the tribe, not everyone will be able to accept it. Some will definitely blame you for the Witch Doctor's death. I can only wait until tomorrow morning to announce the Witch Doctor's death to the tribe. Until then, run as far away as you can."
"Thank you." Gu Ding nodded to him and quickly left the cave. After leaving the cave, Gu Ding sped off into the distance. It wasn't that Gu Ding was afraid of these tribesmen, but rather that he felt there was absolutely no need to clash with them.
"Sea Emperor, do you have any clues about the jade stone that Grandpa mentioned?" Gu Ding asked only after they had left the tribal outpost.
"I think his description is somewhat similar to that jade stone in your Storage Space..." The Sea Emperor gave a reply that surprised Gu Ding. (To be continued~^~)