Facing Each Other

In the vast ocean, there dwells a divine being in a realm.

An ancient silk manuscript once recorded a scholar's dream of Nanke, in which the scholar's spirit traveled to a paradise beyond the heavens.

This story has been passed down through generations, and thus it has become a scholar's absurd dream.

What few people know is that the scholar was skilled in both literature and martial arts. He once entered the imperial court with the highest score in the imperial examination, but left in anger after becoming too disappointed with the higher-ups.

Decades later, the spark of his teachings was finally ignited in the Louvre dynasty.

To many, the ancient silk manuscripts depict the ideal world that frustrated scholars of the old days dreamed of, but to Ren Anran, they might be the truth.

Just like the scene unfolding before her eyes.

Amidst High Mountains and Flowing Water and flowing water, palaces appear and disappear among lush forests. Fish transform into humans, and humans transform into birds to fly. Fragrant white flowers transform into women who dance gracefully.

Occasionally, a horse-drawn carriage pulled by riders would fly through the sky and then land silently.

Women dressed in bright colors and with elegant manners carried flower baskets to gather fresh flowers in the morning, while others sewed delicate silk threads that could fly through the air, and still others watered ancient trees.

One by one, the tempting fruits peeked out from among the green leaves, only to be gently swayed by the breeze and hidden away again, becoming hard to spot.

But the fruity aroma lingered for a long time, and even Ren Anran felt a little dizzy from the intoxicating fragrance.

"God..."

Ren Anran gazed into the distance, then looked down a few meters away.

The emperor who had previously debated the law with her was now seated, only a few steps away from her.

A monkey lay on the emperor's body, peering at Ren Anran with its head held high, occasionally baring its teeth and making a grimacing sound, whether it was muttering or speaking.

This was the first time Ren Anran had heard an emperor speak. His voice was steady and magnetic, but he was very difficult for Ren Anran to understand when he spoke.

With Zhang Xuezhou's translation, Ren Anran became fluent in some of the lip-reading techniques used to communicate with the Emperor, but she was slow to react to this language.

However, there is a difference between real voice and lip reading.

Due to various factors, Ren Anran could only understand a little bit occasionally, and soon found herself struggling to communicate again.

"If Xuezhou were here, he should be able to understand!"

Ren Anran thought of Zhang Xuezhou, Zhang Xuezhou's illness, and the Heavenly God General potion she had been injected with.

This made her raise her head and look at the darkness behind her.

Ren Anran felt that she was somewhat like a character in some TV dramas, as if she were a demonic being that crawled out of the dark hell.

Her soul swayed and was drawn by the Emperor, traversing endless darkness, and for the first time truly saw this world up close.

"I should go back!"

Ren Anran's voice.

But she couldn't hear her own voice, nor could it reach the Emperor's ears.

She had to resort to hand gestures.

"My lord, I have strayed from the right path in my cultivation. I do not know how I separated my true nature from my original form. I beg you to guide me back to the right path!"

Below Ren Anran, the Emperor's expression was solemn.

His stagnant growth in strength has moved forward, but the Emperor has also created some problems.

By comparing the results, the Emperor was certain that he had made a mistake in his cultivation, but he didn't know exactly where he had gone wrong.

Although they were exchanging the same content about cultivation, Ren Anran's cultivation methods were completely different from his.

He repeatedly tried to contact Ren Anran, but still couldn't figure it out.

This time, when he tried to contact her again, he suddenly discovered that Ren Anran's soul had left her body and that, under his protection, she had the ability to travel through the void to get there.

This is completely different from when he first met Ren Anran.

The Emperor believed that Ren Anran's strength had likely increased tenfold through this cultivation.

This speculation both excited and anxious the Emperor. He was excited because he might also become stronger, and the extent of his improvement might even exceed his expectations. He was anxious because he had been cultivating incorrectly.

"I think I should go back now. Could you take me home?"

Ren Anran opened her mouth wide and gestured repeatedly. She even pointed to the direction of her body in the dark space, indicating that being away from her physical body for so long was not a good thing and could cause unpredictable problems.

"There's something wrong with my cultivation; I hope the divine beings can point it out!"

"I want to go back! Stop using magic to drag me away, just take me back!"

"The divine magic of the supreme god..."

The language barrier caused difficulties in communication, a problem that troubled not only Ren Anran but also the Emperor.

Even if both sides are willing to communicate, the differences in language and writing systems make such communication extremely difficult and fraught with obstacles.

The Emperor looked at the darkness with envy.

His soul could stay in that world for a short time with the help of Ren Anran, but he could not do so for long, let alone rely on his physical body to break through the void and enter.

The Kunlun Sacred Land, which many great cultivators envied, was simply a place he had lived in for countless years and was so tired of it that he didn't even want to look at it anymore.

The Emperor was already very old. The two leaders of the Western Sect had both entered their twilight years, and he, having lived for an even longer period, had also entered his twilight years.

As he grew older, the emperor lost interest in many things.

It wasn't until he occasionally glimpsed a higher world that the Emperor's heart was rekindled.

This is the exploratory desire that living beings always possess; they will want to explore and investigate anything new and interesting, and even yearn to possess it.

The road was laid out at the Emperor's feet, but he failed to walk it.

Seeing Ren Anran arrive in person, he couldn't help but ramble on about his ultimate wish as an old man, hoping that Ren Anran would guide him in the right direction.

"Indeed, although your cultivation has taken the right direction, your strength is still insufficient, preventing you from maintaining your physical form in the lower realm for an extended period. I will lend you a hand!"

Looking at Ren Anran, whose mouth was opening and closing, and then at the darkness behind her, the Emperor nodded in agreement.

The two usually communicate about spiritual practice and enlightenment. After several exchanges, they had a general understanding of some of the terms used, but new words were difficult for them to understand.

In short, he couldn't guess what Ren Anran was saying.

After the emperor had made his own judgment, he reached into his sleeve and took out a long, purplish-black tree.

He reached out and touched the long log, and it began to emit white smoke.

Amidst the smoke, Ren Anran's ethereal and blurry body rapidly solidified.

After several tens of seconds, Ren Anran suddenly realized that she could actually make a sound when she called out.

She touched her body, and saw wisps of smoke constantly changing before revealing her real-life appearance.

Even her hands, with their tendons severed, were perfectly depicted.

Ren Anran raised her right hand, only to find it still limp and difficult to exert force.

"My esteemed deity, this Myriad Spirit Incense of mine can sustain your mortal body for three to five days. Welcome, Your Excellency, to Western Kunlun!"

Amidst the swirling smoke and mist, Ren Anran's body solidified into a form.

The emperor, who had used his most precious treasures, felt that it was well worth the price.

Regardless, having pierced through the endless darkness, he successfully kept the guests in place after solidifying his coordinates.