Mu Xue and Cen Qianshan walked into the gate of the temple.
In the middle of the square hung a glowing jade screen, on which were shaking and playing some meaningless images.
Sometimes, it is some colorful spheres, sometimes it is mysterious and dazzling nebulae. More often, it is the various faces of countless living beings.
Countless ghosts sat in front of the jade screen, the changing light and shadows on the screen cast on their dull and lifeless faces.
When Mu Xue walked over, she saw the figure of her senior sister Miao Honger. She was sitting in the outermost circle of the ghosts, squeezed on a small bench, sitting upright properly, her face that used to be full of energy, now staring straight ahead with dull eyes.
Mu Xue felt sad, and resisted the urge to look at her face. She crossed the open square and entered the main hall of the temple.
The temple of the ancient times, which dates back to the beginning of the chaos, is simple, solid, majestic and magnificent. On both sides of the temple stand towering stone pillars and desolate and huge stone carvings of ancient gods.
Those statues must have been made by God, not by human hands.
There are gods with human faces and snake bodies, and there are six-armed, two-headed monsters. There are gods with flaming hair, ferocious faces, and dragons under their feet. There are also goddesses wearing clouds and moonlight, with fairy clothes fluttering, and ascending on the moon.
They either perch on the top of a pillar, looking down at the people passing by, or hold up the dome with their arms, their muscles bulging, and their eyes wide open as they look down at the earth.
Although they are just lifeless stone statues, each one is lifelike, and faintly reveals the power of ancient gods from tens of millions of years ago, which naturally makes people who pass through them feel awe.
Inside the temple, there was a powerful silence, without any movement. The voices echoed in the spacious stone hall. At a glance, apart from the main door when entering, there was no other exit.
The legendary Endless Pool within this temple is nowhere to be found.
In the center of the hall, there sat a statue of the master of this temple, the ancient god Dongyue. Mu Xue stood in front of the huge statue and looked up. The god lowered his eyebrows and looked at her from above, as if he felt pity for all living things in the world.
Mu Xue suddenly remembered the song she heard in the illusory world when she stepped into the temple.
“The sky has its lifespan, the earth has its time… The way of heaven cannot be restricted, lifespan is limitless. The greatest happiness in the world is nothing like this.”
This is the meaning of Paradise.
Now that she thinks about it, what she saw, heard, and felt when she transcended the six realms and wandered in the universe not long ago must have been a gift from this god.
Only a true god who has seen such a world could convey such a feeling to her.
That illusion benefited Mu Xue greatly, and it laid the foundation for her spiritual heart. What she received during this trip to the temple was deeply rooted in her heart, something that no one could take away. It was a treasure that could not be compared to any genius or earthly treasure.
Mu Xue took three sticks of incense that Zhong Bo had left for them, lit them, held them above her head, bowed three times respectfully, and then inserted them into the incense burner in front of Dong Yue that had been sealed for many years.
At the moment when the incense was lit, a distant sigh came from somewhere. The stone wall at the back of the temple fell dust and a door opened.
Cen Qianshan and Mu Xue walked to the door and saw that outside the door was a steep cliff and a deep abyss, with only a thin stone beam extending from the door. They raised their hands and looked, and the end of the stone beam connected to an oasis suspended in the air in the distance.
In the center of the green island in the sky, there is a clear spring, which is the destination of everyone’s trip, the Endless Pool.
The sky here was no longer the dim yellow of the setting sun. The abyss was filled with mist, and the sky was overcast and rainy, with a steady stream of rain.
"The rain of mercy returns the spirit of all things to heaven and earth. Do not cross it. If you cross it, you will suffer bone-eating pain."
The voices that sounded from time to time along the way once again reminded them of the danger of this place.
Cen Qianshan stretched out his hand into the rain curtain. One or two drops of rain hit his fingers, quickly corroding his skin and causing a wisp of green smoke to rise.
The rain here is highly corrosive, the stone beam is only as thick as an arm, and there is a bottomless abyss under the feet. If you want to pass through here, you can imagine what kind of price you have to pay.
Cen Qianshan pointed to a conspicuous footprint at the threshold and showed it to Mu Xue, "Brother Fu Dao came out of the illusion earlier than you and I. He has already passed through here."
After saying this, he looked up at Mu Xue.
The meaning in his eyes was very clear. Your brother has already gone there, and I am going there too. You just stay here and wait for us to come back, okay
Mu Xue shook her head: "Although I am young, I am also a cultivator. Although I will be injured physically after being caught in such a rain, I won't die. When I get there, I will take some medicine and recover quickly like you guys."
Cen Qianshan stopped talking, he pulled out the Frost, swung his sword and chopped off a short and fat stone statue of a ghost. He held the statue on his head and led Mu Xue into the dangerous rain.
The stone beam was thin and slippery, making it very difficult to walk. There was still a bottomless abyss under her feet. But Mu Xue calmed down and tried her best to walk steadily and quickly, not wanting to drag down Cen Qianshan who was walking with her.
Her attention was completely focused on her feet, and she didn't notice that the person walking closely behind her had almost tilted most of the stone statue that was used to block the acid rain over her head, protecting her so carefully that not a single drop of rain splashed on her.
The rain started to get heavier after they stepped into the rain curtain. The seemingly solid stone statue became vulnerable in the rain. Mud continued to flow down from all around the stone statue, and the thick and heavy statue dissolved and became lighter, and finally could no longer block the wind and rain.
And the long stone beam was still almost halfway gone.
Mu Xue started running, ready to endure the pain. Then a pair of arms reached out from behind and held her in their arms.
Cen Qianshan bent over, holding little Mu Xue in his arms. The highly corrosive acid rain hit his head, shoulders, and back, and wisps of green smoke rose up. But not a drop of it splashed on the person in his arms.
At first, he mobilized the thin spiritual power in his body to resist, and was able to run quickly on the stone beam. As the wisps of smoke rising from his body became thicker, his steps gradually slowed down.
He was hunched over, holding Mu Xue in his arms, with smoke billowing from his back, and walking slowly in the overwhelming rain.
Mu Xue was held tightly in those arms, unable to move. When she raised her head, she could only see Cen Qianshan's face hanging above her head becoming paler and paler.
Although she couldn't see what was happening outside, she knew what was happening and said anxiously, "Put me down, I'll walk by myself."
"It's okay." Cen Qianshan looked at her and slowly smiled at her. "We're going to get wet in the rain anyway, wouldn't it be better if one less person gets wet?"
He walked forward slowly, as if he was just taking a walk in the rain with Mu Xue in his arms.
He walked and spoke softly, as if he was speaking to Mu Xue in his arms, or as if he was talking to himself.
"You know, I have a master who is the best person in the world."
"When I was little, she would often hold me in her arms like this, protecting me on snowy days and walking slowly back home."
Mu Xue was in his arms, looking up at the person in front of her.
The man's forehead was covered with wet hair, his eyes were misty, and he seemed to have fallen into a state of unconsciousness. But he still used his strong arms to protect himself tightly, and walked step by step in the drizzling rain.
"Once, I had a high fever, just like now, my whole body was hot and painful." He spoke in a daze, "I thought she would abandon me. But she held me so carefully, protecting me in her arms, walking in the heavy snow, without letting a single snowflake fall on me."
"That was the first time I knew that I was a life that could be protected. I was not an unwanted bastard, nor was I a rag that could be abused at will."
"You have no idea how much I love her. Even if she doesn't want me anymore, even if she only smiles at others, it's okay. As long as I can see her from afar... I'll be happy."
There was a hint of autumn water in his eyes as he lowered his head and spoke affectionate words.
You have no idea how much I love her.
I love her.
Always loved her.
Even a heart of stone would be softened by such twists and turns of autumn water.
I learned to feel distressed and guilty, and I had a little urge to respond to him.
Finally, they reached the end of the stone beam and the edge of the rain curtain. Cen Qianshan placed Mu Xue on the grassy ground and fell to the ground, unable to move.
Mu Xue could hardly bear to see his corroded and scarred body. She gritted her teeth and placed him on a dry, rainless grassland, gave him medicine, and treated his wounds.
"It's okay, it's just a flesh wound." Cen Qianshan smiled and comforted her, "I'll rest for a while, I'll be fine soon."
Despite his hard work, he has become so cheerful recently.
Mu Xue knew that if it wasn't for protecting her, even if Cen Qianshan was injured, he would never be injured so badly. And if she went through alone, even if she racked her brains, she would never be so intact.
"You rest here, I'll go to the Endless Pool to take a look. Whatever you want, I'll get it for you." She asked Cen Qianshan carefully, but she was not sure whether Xiaoshan would be willing to tell her such an important matter with his current status.
"If you can, help me pick a Azure Nine-Transformation Black Lotus." Cen Qianshan said casually, "If you can't get it, don't force it. Now, this thing is nothing to me."
He closed his eyes lightly and no longer looked at Mu Xue.
It was as if the person who had just expressed his affection and loyalty in the rain was not him.