Beside the pavilion.
A woman in white, flowing robes appeared silently and gazed at Gu Qingshan.
"It's you."
The woman spoke.
Gu Qingshan froze, then hurriedly cupped his hands. "Saint Your Excellency, why do you know me?"
"Let me first see how things stand now." The woman's gaze shifted to the boundless void beyond the lotus pavilion.
She slowly paced around the pavilion, completing a full circle before returning to where she had started.
"Little Fox?" the woman called.
The Fox Girl immediately appeared, her voice trembling with excitement. "Saint?"
"It's me. Come here." The woman smiled faintly.
Without a word, the Fox Girl transformed into a string of copper coins and flew into the woman's hand.
"This object is the greatest divination artifact of the Prehistoric Era. Do you remember?" she asked Gu Qingshan.
"Was I from the Prehistoric Era?" Gu Qingshan asked in return.
"It seems you forgot everything after reincarnating. Sigh... I still haven't accomplished what we agreed on." The woman stroked the coins in her hand, her face clouded with memories.
Lost in thought, she gave Gu Qingshan no chance to press her, so he waited quietly beside her.
Time passed in silence.
After a long while, the woman spoke again. "When the Six Paths had just taken shape, all the saints withdrew to the Land of No Return, lest they hinder the Six Paths' growth. They waited there in quiet contemplation for the decisive battle against the demons."
"Then, one day in the future, when all six saints emerge together, it will prove that the Six Paths of Reincarnation have evolved to a sufficiently complete state to accommodate the descent of all the saints."
Gu Qingshan nodded to show he knew this.
The woman continued, "Back then, my title was Wind and Rain Saint. Among