In the Shadow of Consciousness

Can I take a look?

"Please go ahead."

Themis handed over the box, Bai Qiuran took it and looked at it. There was a restriction on the surface of the box. If it was forcibly opened, the box would explode, taking its contents with it.

So he shouted, "Get out there and get to work, you tools!"

"Can't you just call me by my name properly? This body of mine has a prestigious name, [The Heavenly Emperor of the Royal Path's Beginning]!"

With a helpless sigh, the next second, the figure of the Consciousness Demon Clone First Heavenly Emperor, materialized from the void and appeared on the spot.

Hearing his words, Bai Qiuran said seriously, "To be honest, I think the title '[The Heavenly Emperor of the Royal Path's Beginning]' is not as fitting as 'a tool'."

"Absolutely, absolutely."

Jiang Lan and Su Xiangxue nodded in agreement.

Who is this?

Themis, upon seeing the First Heavenly Emperor emerge, was startled.

"Don't be nervous, little girl."

The First Heavenly Emperor smiled at her and said, "You may not believe it, but I am most likely the mentor of the God of Runes... Come, Master, let me see the box."

Bai Qiuran handed him the box. The First Heavenly Emperor fiddled with it for a moment, then said to Bai Qiuran, "Master, lifting this restriction requires True Essence. My current body doesn't have any True Essence, so I can only entrust it to you."

"Leave it to me."

Bai Qiuran felt very relieved upon hearing this, and her brows and eyes relaxed.

There was a time when, when others mentioned True Essence, they would tell him, "You're no good, find another Cultivators with True Essence." Now, the tables have turned, and it's finally Bai Qiuran's turn to shine.

Seeing this, Jiang Lan gently tugged at Su Xiangxue's hand and whispered, "Look at Li, he's truly a born social butterfly."

Su Xiangxue nodded gently.

"That flattery really pleases Qiuran."

Following the explanation from the First Heavenly Emperor, Bai Qiuran used her Magic Incantation to successfully and gradually break the seal on the box.

"This restriction was a test I set up specifically for Shuhua from taking Heavenly Harmony and Mo Chen running around aimlessly."

As the First Heavenly Emperor watched Bai Qiuran release the restriction, he said, "This restriction itself didn't have much of a function; it was just like a Rubik's Cube. They had a lot of fun playing with it back then, and Shuhua even created several new restrictions. I didn't expect him to still remember it to this day... Ah, the box is open."

While the First Heavenly Emperor was speaking, Bai Qiuran had already successfully lifted the restriction and opened the box.

"Master, what's inside?"

The First Heavenly Emperor hurriedly asked.

Bai Qiuran took out a piece of white paper, opened it, and saw that there was only one sentence written on it.

"I'll wait for you in the shadows of Consciousness... What does that mean?"

Everyone looked at Themis, Great Sage quickly shook his head and said, "I don't know what's inside either, don't ask me."

Then everyone looked at the First Heavenly Emperor.

"The only flaw of this kid, Shuhua, is that he always likes to create some mystery for me."

The First Heavenly Emperor stroked his chin and complained, "At a time like this, can't you even speak human language to me?"

Bai Qiuran tilted her head and looked at him.

So you didn't know?

"... Yes."

"Waste."

Bai Qiuran flicked the paper.

"Alright, let's all think of it together."

"The shadow of Consciousness —when it comes to this, the first thing that comes to mind is the blind spots of the Consciousness Demons Consciousness Domain, or the areas where their control is weak."

Su Xiangxue was the first to express her opinion.

"But where do the Consciousness Demons find blind spots?"

Bai Qiuran said, "Based on the research results of Zhentian and the others recently, wherever there is Consciousness Domain and intelligent beings, there is a possibility of the emergence of Consciousness Demon. These Consciousness Demons do not have the conditions to form a civilization. We classify them as a whole, but basically, they are all different individuals and have no Collective Consciousness at all."

"That's true."

Su Xiangxue agreed.

"Speaking of shadows, something comes to mind."

Jiang Lan said to Bai Qiuran, "Qiuran, do you remember what our daughter loved to do most when she was little? It was to hide in our shadows."

"Of course I remember."

Upon Bai Qiuran smiled like a father, but he quickly realized what was going on.

"Wait, a shadow, the shadow of Consciousness... Could it be?"

"Has Master thought of something?"

The First Heavenly Emperor asked.

"Yes, did you know? There is actually a dimension within the shadows, and its size is no less than that of the Material Plane or the Consciousness Domain."

Bai Qiuran said in a deep voice, "In that shadow world, everything is reversed. When your physical body enters it, you will only be a shadow left in the Material World. Perhaps... Shuhua and the others are hiding in that Shadow Dimension."

"The dimension of shadow?"

Upon hearing this, the First Heavenly Emperor exclaimed in admiration, "I never imagined that in just a few years, Master would make such a significant discovery... How did you discover that place?"

"Teasing my daughter!"

Bai Qiuran said solemnly.

"..."

"In any case, let's take a look at the Shadow Dimension first."

Bai Qiuran said to them, "I know how to open that dimension. In order to play hide-and-seek with Xuxiang, I specially developed a spell to open the door."

The other three all agreed.

"Etc."

Themis, who had overheard the entire conversation, quickly spoke up upon hearing this, "Mr. Bai, are you leaving?"

"Yes, all good things must come to an end. We have important business to attend to and must take our leave."

Seeing Themis hesitate, Bai Qiuran continued, "Don't worry, I've killed several high-level Consciousness Demon. For a long time to come, this world shouldn't suffer such attacks. You can rest assured. After a while, I guarantee the Demons will disappear."

"That's good."

Themis hesitated for a long time before finally asking, "Before that, Mr. Bai, could you please tell me in detail what kind of Deity [Foundation Establishment Heavenly Venerable] is?"

Bai Qiuran naturally responded enthusiastically to Themis's request.

He not only introduced Themis to the Foundation Establishment Heavenly Venerable, but also introduced this Great Sage to a series of Deity such as the Breast Enhancement Bodhisattva, the Matchmaking Celestial Maiden, the Wealth-Gathering Goddess, and the Child-Giving Heavenly Empress.

Please choose the Deity to worship at your own discretion.

With that, Bai Qiuran introduced all the Deity to Themis, and also asked the Great Sage to help him spread the faith throughout the world after testing its effectiveness.

As for what the Great Sage will do after his death, Bai Qiuran as unconcerned as ever.

After all, what he introduced were all genuine and valuable, with benefits and no drawbacks, so there was no need for Great Sage not to use them. As for the problem that the Foundation Establishment Heavenly Venerable's domain was too far away from here, there was no need to worry. With the Foundation Establishment Heavenly Venerable's main body here as a base, the world nearby could achieve a similar effect by worshipping him or the Consciousness Demon within his domain.

After dealing with these trivial matters, Bai Qiuran led Su Xiangxue and Jiang Lan away from this Material Plane, into the Void, found a safe corner, and opened an entrance to the Shadow Dimension.