The Pink Giant Egg
Bai Qiuran followed the Red Dust Immortal Elder to his secluded dwelling in the bamboo forest.
Since entrusting the task of observing the changes in the Consciousness Domain of that world to the Red Dust Immortal Elder, Bai Qiuran has left that world in his secluded abode.
Having broken through the layers of seals, the Red Dust Immortal Elder led Bai Qiuran to that world. The world, like a bright pearl, floated on a stone platform in the bamboo hut courtyard, radiating a hazy, colorful light.
The two arrived before the world and looked into it through the barrier of the world.
Sure enough, within the colorful Consciousness Domain, some strange Consciousness Demon began to emerge. However, the strangest of all was the giant egg at the center of the Consciousness Domain, which had intricate patterns and a slightly pinkish exterior.
This giant egg stands in a corner of the Consciousness Domain, constantly absorbing the surrounding streams of Consciousness to strengthen itself. The energy within the egg fluctuates at a constant frequency, much like the breathing of a living being.
When did this egg appear?
Bai Qiuran asked.
"Yesterday."
The Red Dust Immortal Elder replied, "Late last night, a violent tremor suddenly occurred in the Consciousness Domain of this world. I was conducting my daily cultivation inside when I sensed this. When I came out, the giant egg had already been born, but it hadn't grown to this size yesterday."
"Such a dramatic change must have occurred in the Material World."
Bai Qiuran turned her gaze to the Material World, where she saw a scene of peace and prosperity in the largest country on the Material World continent, while the surrounding countries were also peaceful.
"I observed the situation last night, and there haven't been any major changes within the country."
The Red Dust Immortal Elder bowed his head and said.
Bai Qiuran shook her head and said, "No, you just didn't notice."
Having said that, he used his Time-Type Divine Ability to Time Acceleration in that world to nighttime, then pointed to one of the spots and said, "Look."
Looking over, the Red Dust Immortal Elder discovered that the location Bai Qiuran pointed to was none other than the Imperial Capital of the world's largest kingdom.
After nightfall, in a separate hall of the palace, the emperor and his close advisors were indulging in Pleasure.
They gathered a large number of people, including beautiful women who sang and danced, the emperor's concubines, the wives and children of ministers, and even boys and girls who had been abducted from outside.
During this period, they indulged in debauchery and sensual pleasures, creating scenes that were utterly disgraceful and far exceeded the so-called Pool of Wine and Forest of Meat a metaphor for a place of unrestrained revelry).
While they Pleasure, Bai Qiuran and the Red Dust Immortal Elder could see some particularly turbid thoughts emanating from them and spreading into their Consciousness Domain, where they were absorbed by the pink giant egg.
"This is probably the reason why this Consciousness Demon arises."
Bai Qiuran shook his head and sighed, "This dynasty is at its peak, but it probably doesn't have much Fate left... They regard gold and jewels as dirt, yet still feel it's not extravagant enough. This Consciousness Demon must be an existence born from the human Consciousness for Pleasure."
"It seems that for Mortals, only a sufficiently large and constant number of thoughts can elicit a response in the Consciousness Domain."
The Red Dust Immortal Elder took out paper and pen and recorded it.
"Let's continue observing."
Bai Qiuran said.
To facilitate observation, Bai Qiuran then sped up the time in this world.
More than a decade passed in that world, while less than a month had passed for Bai Qiuran and her group.
"That giant egg is finally going to hatch."
Bai Qiuran and the Red Dust Immortal Elder huddled together, looking at the pink giant egg within the Consciousness Domain. Li Jinyao and Tang Ruowei, who had followed out of curiosity, were also nearby.
"This dynasty is also coming to an end."
Bai Qiuran turned her gaze to the Material Realm, where some of the surrounding countries had already begun to experience internal turmoil, and even the largest country was starting to become unstable.
Although the Imperial Family still uses power and military force to suppress and rule the surrounding areas, several small-scale peasant uprisings have recently occurred in the country. From Bai Qiuran's perspective, it is also possible to see that the powerful clans, aristocratic families, and landlords in various parts of the country have begun to secretly plot to rise up in the future chaos and compete for supremacy.
The corrupt Imperial Court and the incompetent emperor remained oblivious to this situation. In just a few days, it would be the thirtieth Birth Date of the emperor of this country, and the Imperial Capital and the imperial library had already prepared for this grand celebration.
To prepare for this grand ceremony, cartloads of silver and gold were collected from various places by the emperor's tax officials and transported to the Imperial Capital. During this process, officials at all levels did not forget to line their own pockets, resulting in the people being exploited even more severely, and complaints were rampant in various places.
During this grand event, the emperor and his favored ministers secretly prepared the largest "grand gathering" in the history of this dynasty.
Bai Qiuran fast-forwarded the time, and in the blink of an eye, it was already the day of the emperor's Birth Date. On that day, the entire Imperial Capital was still as prosperous as ever, and even more so. However, in the villages and towns less than a few dozen miles away from the Imperial Capital, some farmers froze and starved to death due to lack of food.
This country, this great tree, has been hollowed out from the inside and is completely rotten.
That evening, the emperor and his favorite ministers lived up to expectations, putting on a unique "performance" for Bai Qiuran and her companions. The various scenes made Li Jinyao and Tang Ruowei blush and cover their faces, unable to bear watching.
But while Li Jinyao, this Little Demoness, covered her face on the surface, she secretly peeked through her fingers after hiding to the side, her big eyes shining.
Just as this "banquet" reached its climax, a tremendous change occurred in the Consciousness Domain.
The giant pink egg seemed to sense this absurd and outrageous banquet. Starting from the top of the egg, it suddenly cracked open with a crisp sound.
Pink smoke slowly emerged from the crevice, affecting the unfortunate Consciousness Demon nearby. These Consciousness Demon, which had been behaving erratically, suddenly went berserk and began to tremble all over.
Their originally twisted and amorphous bodies began to change under the influence of the smoke, transforming into handsome men or alluring women. Then, these Consciousness Demons, without any restraint, began to frantically copulate within this Consciousness Domain, amidst the pink mist.
During intercourse, their bodies suddenly deflated like punctured balloons, and their essence transformed into streams of pink light, which were drawn into the Rift of the giant egg by the wind.
Soon, the surrounding Consciousness Demons were swept away. These Lesser Consciousness Demon, born from the most chaotic thoughts of humankind, were inherently unstable, and therefore did not regenerate.
After absorbing these Lesser Consciousness Demons, the pink giant egg shook, and the entire Consciousness Domain began to tremble slightly.
The Lesser Consciousness Demon within the Consciousness Domain seemed to sense something; they let out involuntary screams and, following their instincts, began to move towards the giant egg.
Meanwhile, at the banquet in the Imperial Capital of the Material World, the bloated Left Prime Minister and the emaciated Grand Tutor laughed heartily, each embracing two scantily clad beauties, and jumped into the pool in the center of the palace.
The water in the pool had been drained three days ago, and now it was filled with a dazzling array of gold and silver jewels. The entire palace was illuminated by the light emanating from these treasures alone, without the need for artificial lighting.
The emperor, dressed only in a pair of golden trousers, stood on a small covered bridge over the pool, embracing his naked concubine, holding a glass of fine wine, pointing at two close ministers swimming in the pool of gold and silver jewels, and chatting and laughing loudly with his concubine.
Sensing this situation, a second Rift slowly appeared on the pink giant egg within the Consciousness Domain.