"Very well, go and inform the clan so they don’t worry, and then we’ll set off," the willow tree communicated, its tone decisive and brisk, ready to depart immediately.
"Okay," Little Point replied without further questions, immediately turning and rushing into the clan leader’s courtyard to briefly and swiftly inform them of the situation.
Shi Yunfeng and several elders were stunned, while Shi Feijiao and others who had come to hear the news were equally astonished, all of them anxious for Little Point. What kind of place could it be that could contend with the offspring of beasts like Qiongqi, Bifang, and Jiaotu, or even encounter the dual-eyed Shi Yi? It sounded quite alarming.
"Child, you must be very careful. What kind of place is it that would encounter the offspring of ancient ferocious beasts? Be sure to pay attention to your safety."
"This kind of trial is too terrifying. Is it a test for divine children?"
They were deeply shocked and worried.
Little Point was very straightforward. After informing the clan, he quickly returned without wasting a moment, sitting cross-legged in front of the scorched tree trunk, his expression serious and prepared to set out.
"Well then, let’s begin our journey to the heavens," the willow tree communicated. Its voice was gentle and calm but carried an air of authority. The five willow branches suddenly surged, transforming into dazzling chains of order, thrusting upwards into the sky.
With a loud "boom," green mist blazed, turning the heavens and earth into a bright azure. The five magnificent willow branches pierced the sky, as if opening a gateway of laws.
In the sky, light mist enveloped the space, creating a hazy, mysterious, and profound atmosphere.
With a gentle tremor, Little Point felt himself leave his original location. Through the misty gateway, he passed through into a strange realm.
"Where is this?" Little Point noticed that the surrounding fog was thick and chaotic, everything appearing blurry.
"Come this way," a soft green light emanated, and a scorched willow tree appeared in the distance, its roots embedded in the earth, guiding Little Point forward.
As the mist dispersed, the scene ahead gradually cleared, revealing a desolate and distant landscape, like a forsaken world.
"It looks like an abandoned ancient realm," Little Point marveled.
With the fog thinning, he stood under the willow tree, gazing ahead at the vast ruins, with collapsed palaces and remnants of once-majestic structures, creating an air of antiquity and desolation.
"Take a look," the willow tree communicated.
Little Point stepped forward, witnessing the desolation of shattered remains and debris. The once-grand palaces and temples were now destroyed, emitting a sense of age and desolation.
"What is this place?" Little Point asked again.
"The Realm of Illusions," the willow tree answered.
"The Realm of Illusions?" Little Point was startled. The name alone suggested it was something extraordinary, otherwise, why would it be named so?
"Some say this is the world one enters after becoming a deity," the willow tree explained.
"Ah," Little Point was taken aback. The notion of entering a divine realm felt surreal and even frightening.
"Others say that it was constructed by the most powerful divine beings revered by the ancient ancestors. They collaborated, using their spiritual senses to build this peculiar world," the willow tree added.
"An illusory world constructed by the gods worshipped by the ancient ancestors?" Little Point’s eyes widened, revealing his astonishment.
He looked down at the ruins beneath his feet and then toward the distant broken ancient sacred mountains, finding it almost incomprehensible how real this world felt.
"My true self is standing here, yet if this is a world constructed by the spirit, can it still be substantial?" Little Point questioned.
"I need to correct you. You are not physically here but only in spirit," the willow tree reminded him.
Little Point was skeptical, pinching his arm and feeling pain, realizing it wasn’t a dream or illusion; it felt very real.
"Any form of life has a spirit that is even more mysterious than its physical form," the willow tree explained. "Your spirit has entered here and has undergone a kind of rebirth, making it as if your true self were here."
"But this is only my spirit, not my physical body. Why does it feel so real and hard to distinguish?" Little Point was confused.
"This is the mystery and value of the Realm of Illusions. The spirit is refined here, and when you return to the real world, all the insights you gain will be transferred to your physical body, evolving together as if you were practicing here physically," the willow tree offered guidance.
"This is such a strange place," Little Point marveled.
He walked over the rubble, making "crunching" sounds. The ruins were vast and empty, and the distant mountains, though shattered, still appeared grand and sacred.
How much divine power would it take to create such a spiritual construct?
The willow tree sighed and said, "There is a legend that a great upheaval in ancient times caused this spiritual world to become desolate, resulting in so many ruins."
The gods worshipped by the ancestors might have included true deities and pure-blooded ancient creatures like the Xiezhi, Chiwon, and Yao, in an incredibly complex and mysterious era.
"Do I need to temper myself in this spiritual world? But there’s nothing here, it’s already a forsaken land," Little Point was puzzled.
"Not at all. This world is vast and boundless; what you see is only a small part of it," the willow tree corrected him, informing him that there were expansive regions where many beings existed.
"What kind of beings are in those areas?" Little Point asked with curiosity.
"Beings like you, whose spirits enter from the outside and manifest in the Realm of Illusions," the willow tree answered.
"They can also enter, and there are many of them?" Little Point was surprised.
"Yes, it’s like a real realm," the willow tree responded.
The willow tree further explained how people entered: "Have you ever heard of a nation-wide celestial sacrifice?"
"Yes, I know," Little Point nodded.
"From ancient times to now, some ancient gods worshipped by old kingdoms have long died, but the rituals continue, conducted solemnly and devoutly by the entire nation. There are many reasons for this, mainly to inherit the legacy left by the gods."
To enter the Realm of Illusions is to inherit one of the "treasures" passed down from ancient gods. As long as the faith remains unchanged, performing the sacrificial rites annually in these ancient kingdoms allows powerful individuals to perceive the Realm of Illusions.
"How mysterious," Little Point was deeply moved. His eyes were clear as he pondered, feeling that he had gained much insight.
The willow tree said, "When an entire nation participates in the sacrifice and is recognized, it will receive blessings. When an individual’s cultivation reaches a certain level, they can gain insights and enter and exit the Realm of Illusions."
Shi Village is located in the vast wilderness, far from the ancient kingdoms and without any sacrificial rites, so entering the Realm of Illusions would be impossible.
When the willow tree brought Little Point in, it was not according to the ancient kingdom's methods, so no other people were seen, only appearing in a desolate ruin.
"You can walk out from here and soon enter the real testing grounds," the willow tree communicated. It then ceased to move forward and stopped.
Thus, Little Point set out alone to traverse the vast ruins. He still had many questions, but the willow tree had grown faint, not following him, and informed him that all answers could be sought ahead.
The mist gradually thinned, approaching a world of light. Eventually, Little Point stepped out of the ruins and onto a large blue stone engraved with runes, embedded with a few gleaming white beast bones.
"Are these primordial precious bones? They look quite rare and valuable," Little Point marveled, crouching down and reaching out to touch them, intending to extract them.
"Whoosh"
Before he could act, a golden passage appeared and transported him away.
It was a strange sensation. Little Point found himself shifting, leaving his original location and suddenly arriving in another place covered in runes.
It was a similar blue stone, roughly a yard in size, with several precious bones embedded in it, radiating mysterious runic power.
This time, he took a deep breath, crouched down, and started to rub one of the bones. Then, with a sudden effort, he tried to crack the stone surface and extract the rune bone.
The blue stone was unusual, very hard, and the bones emitted light simultaneously, forming protective patterns and defenses in this place.
"What is he doing? Why is he trying to damage the passage?"
"Oh my, he's digging up the precious bones on the blue stone. They really are top-notch. Does he not know this is a passage that cannot be moved at all?"
A wave of voices came through, a chorus of chatter and excitement.
Little Point was taken aback. He quickly stood up, noticing that the runes around him were dimming and he could now see the surrounding situation. A group of people was gathered around the blue stone, pointing and discussing him.
"He's so young. No wonder he doesn’t understand anything. He even foolishly tries to damage the path to the outside world by digging up the rune bones."
"Regardless of anything, it's top-notch. How could he do such a thing? Didn’t his family teach him what to do after entering the Realm of Illusions?"
Little Point scratched his head, realizing he might have done something foolish. Otherwise, why would these people look at him like that? He said quietly, "Are these rune bones someone else’s property? I didn’t know, so I tried to take them."
The crowd fell silent.
"Didn’t your clan explain the situation here to you? Upon first entering the Realm of Illusions, you are surely sent to this initial area. After completing your training here, you need to use the rune passages to advance to higher regions. You entered and immediately began studying this passage and even tried to dig up the precious bones. Really..." A man in his thirties shook his head, patiently explaining, feeling quite speechless.
"Hehe"
"Haha"
Nearby, everyone burst into laughter.
Little Point’s face flushed red with embarrassment. He asked softly, "So, are these precious bones unclaimed?"
The laughter abruptly stopped, replaced by astonished expressions. Despite everything, he still intended to dig up the bones.
"Heavens, this child really is something. Still set on the precious bones," someone exclaimed.
"Which family does this child belong to? How were they educated? Were they raised in a forest somewhere?"
The group found the situation both amusing and exasperating. This little fellow appeared a bit clumsy and cute, showing such behavior was baffling.
What family does he belong to? If his identity were revealed in the real world, it would certainly make his family a laughingstock. Today’s events were truly a curiosity.
"This is a world constructed by the gods’ spirits, right? I think these precious bones must be of great value. It’s not greed, just a desire to dig them up and study them," Little Point explained softly.
The crowd was left speechless, unsure how to respond.
"Haha," in the end, people could only laugh. Even though this was the initial area, not a high-level blessed land, it was not something one could casually destroy.
An old man chuckled, "These rune bones are extremely rare and valuable. If you can manage to extract them, I would be willing to exchange a large amount of spiritual currency for them."
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