“So then, go tell the others, so they do not worry. Then we will depart!” came the voice from the willow tree—an image of decisiveness and swiftness, prepared to set out as soon as those words were spoken.
“Alright!” Xiao Bud didn’t hesitate or ask further questions. He spun around and rushed into the courtyard of the village chief, quickly informing everyone about what was happening. Shi Yun Feng and the elders stood in stunned silence, while those like Shi Fei Jiao who had come upon hearing the news wore expressions of shock as well. Everyone felt anxious on behalf of Xiao Bud—what kind of a place was that?
How could he be entering a realm where one must battle offspring of legendary beasts such as the Qiong Qi, Bi Fang, and Jiao Tu—and possibly even encounter Shi Yi with the double pupils! Such thoughts filled them with alarm.
“Child, you must absolutely be careful,” pleaded the elders. “What kind of place is it? How can it house the progeny of ancient ferocious beasts? Promise us you’ll stay safe!”
“This test appears terrifying,” someone murmured. “Is this some trial intended only for young deities?”
Greatly astonished and overwhelmed with concern, they all voiced their doubts inwardly.
Unwavering and resolute, Xiao Bud swiftly finished speaking to his people before rushing back immediately without wasting a moment. Without hesitation, he sat cross-legged in front of the charred tree stump, solemn and composed—a readiness etched across his youthful face.
“Well then, let us now begin our path toward celestial ascent!” spoke the willow once again, its tone still calm yet bearing undeniable majesty.
Five slender willow tendrils suddenly stretched skyward, transforming into radiant divine chains brimming with dazzling authority. They surged upward, piercing through the sky itself!
A mighty roar resonated through the land, bathing everything in brilliant emerald light. The five magnificent tendrils pierced right through the heavens, like opening an archway carved from cosmic laws themselves! Light and mist coiled above in ethereal brilliance—mysterious, distant, unfathomable.
Then came a gentle buzz—the subtle sound of energy vibrating—and instantly, Xiao Bud felt himself being lifted away from his former place. Through the shimmering passage of radiant fog, he passed beyond—into a strange, new world entirely.
“Where am I?” questioned Xiao Bud, finding himself surrounded by a swirling miasma of hazy vapors resembling primordial chaos; everything appeared blurred and uncertain.
“Come forth!” called forth a soft glow emitting from a group of willows ahead. Before him arose the scorched remains of a towering willow, rooted deeply into the fabric of heaven and earth, leading the way.
The mist parted slowly, revealing a wide open, empty plain, steeped in an immense feeling of desolation—an abandoned world stretching infinitely outward.
“It feels as if this might be some ancient ruined realm,” said Xiao Bud in astonishment.
The fog began to lift further. Now standing beside the ancient willow, Xiao Bud stared at the ruins before him. Once grand palaces now lay shattered, reduced merely to broken remnants and crumbling walls.
“Go see for yourself,” murmured the willow’s whisper in his mind.
He moved forward, his view filled with nothing but barren wasteland and scattered rubble, each ruin radiating a palpable sense of decayed glory. These great halls, once majestic temples—all reduced to lifeless ashes.
“What kind of place is this?” asked Xiao Bud for a second time.
“The Domain of Illusory Gods,” responded the willow cryptically.
“Huan Shen Jie?” His soul shivered. Just from hearing its name, Xiao Bud sensed something extraordinary—why else would it bear such weight?
“There is a tale,” explained the willow gently. “This may be the world all who become gods will eventually enter.”
“WHAT?!” Xiao Bud gasped, disbelief flooding his small frame. He’d stepped unknowingly into a divine realm—an idea far more fantastical than imaginable and quite terrifying too.
“There is another theory,” continued the willow. “The supreme beings venerated by ancient humans believed to have crafted this very realm through sheer spiritual force working in unison.”
“A spiritual realm shaped by ancient divine consciousness?”
Xiao Bud’s eyes widened, wonder replacing initial bewilderment as he examined the crumbling ruins underfoot and surveyed the vast expanse of jagged peaks rising faintly in the distance.
“This world… why does it feel so real?”
“Let me clarify one matter: you are not truly here—you exist purely as spirit and intent within,” corrected the willow softly.
Still unconvinced, Xiao Bud pinched his own arm hard—it throbbed with unmistakable pain. Not dream, nor illusion—just tangible suffering, proof of existence.
“Among all living beings, the truest mystery lies not within flesh—but spirit,” said the willow with knowing reverence. “You now journey as your spirit alone, yet it feels no different than being here physically, reborn in every sense.”
“But… I thought spirits weren’t supposed to feel this solidly,” persisted Xiao Bud, confused.
“That,” said the willow knowingly, “is both the enigma and the treasure of the Illusory God Realm—your spiritual training experienced here shall shape your mortal shell when you return. In effect, you train just as if in reality, though never having left!”
In awe of these revelations, Xiao Bud breathed out reverently, stepping forward onto loose stone with echoing crackles beneath small footsteps. Towering yet silent, those broken summits loomed with an overwhelming sense of sacred magnitude—even shattered mountains seemed divine.
Just thinking—if all this came from mental creation, what power it required!
Sighed the willow sorrowfully: “Ancient legends speak of upheaval—conflicts which caused even this world’s collapse into decay, creating so much devastation.”
Perhaps some divinities revered during old ages were not true gods but instead creatures—Zhugan, Chiwen, Yayu, and other primal beings of myth—an era entangled between history and mystery.
“Won’t there be nothing here at all?” asked Xiao Bud doubtfully, seeing naught but abandonment.
“You misunderstand,” corrected the Willow Divine Sage, gesturing outward expansively. “This realm extends endlessly—I show only the edge.”
“Inhabited then—are others wandering about?” curiosity blooming within.
“All those who project their spirits here from outside,” explained the willow patiently. “Multitudes share this domain.”
“People besides me actually come here often?” he asked, genuinely amazed.
“Indeed—this realm is alive as if any true nation were,” nodded the sage.
Elaborated the spirit willow: “Ever heard tales of mass rites performed nationwide, worshipping heavenly deities?”
Xiao Bud nodded slowly in understanding.
“Some nations keep rituals despite their god’s demise, continuing faithfully generation after generation simply because certain boons await descendants loyal to ancient pacts… Gaining entry into the Spirit God Dimension is one legacy gifted by long-forgotten divinities,” shared the willow somberly. “Once belief endures, year after year ceremonies persist—they awaken a connection allowing adepts access.”
“So mystical…”
Heart thundering, eyes alight with clarity, Xiao Bud contemplated long and deeply. He felt wiser today.
Continued the willow: “When an entire kingdom offers unified worship accepted by the universe’s laws, blessings flow—and trained souls may traverse the realms spiritually.”
Stone Village, deep in wilderness remote from kingdoms and absent ritual, naturally bore no means accessing this world alone. Thus, bypassing standard customs ensured solitude amid ruins untrodden.
“Now proceed, traveler. You’ll soon reach proper grounds of challenge,” whispered final guidance.
The willow fell silent—its role ceased beyond this threshold. Alone, Xiao Bud advanced boldly beyond ruins of past echoes.
Though riddled with unresolved questions lingering unsolved, the voice urging ahead faded. Answers would wait until farther along the path revealed themselves.
Slowly, the surrounding vapor cleared. Dawn-light beckoned ever near.
Finally, emerging beyond desolation, Xiao Bud found himself standing upon an imposing slate of raw enchanted rock—its dark surface studded beautifully with several lustrous beast-bones.
“Are these primeval treasure bones?” marveled Xiao Bud softly. Rare and priceless, their glimmer fascinated him.
Reaching forward curiously to probe and pry them free…
*WHOOSH!*
Before he touched even a single bone fragment, brilliant golden lights engulfed him entirely—a channel sprang up around him in a sudden flash, teleporting Xiao Bud away in a blink!
Everything shifted instantly.
Suddenly, he reappeared elsewhere—another slab nearly identical save its array of glowing glyph patterns and embedded treasure relics.
This time, Xiao Bud drew in a breath, knelt beside one, fingers tracing its smooth contours before pressing firmly against it in attempt of loosening.
But resistance emerged fast.
Despite strength pouring into efforts, neither broke easily—the stone defied force, reacting violently as protective glyphs flared across all artifacts simultaneously, warding off intrusion!
“What’s this fool doing breaking a pathway meant to connect lands?”
“By the stars—he dares dig up sacred treasures built directly into travel routes? Impossible!” voices rang loudly through the chamber as multiple spectators clustered closely watching.
Stunned, Xiao Bud rose slowly as the enchantments flickered dim around him—his view finally clear of magic distortion revealing many gathered nearby, all staring.
“So young! Probably ignorant—thinking to sabotage transport lines and steal precious bones!”
“And how careless—where were his mentors teaching protocol in Illusory God Dimensions?” muttered another disapproving crowd.
Scratching his head bashfully at the scrutiny, Xiao Bud muttered sheepishly:
“You said the treasure bones here—were they already claimed? I just wanted to examine one…”
Everyone froze, exchanging bewildered glances.
Back-and-forth discussion failed… and apparently—still, he planned to excavate treasure? Disbelief reigned.
“He truly doesn’t understand!” gasped someone incredulously.
Another added, exasperated: “Was this child raised wild in dense forest somewhere, oblivious?”
Others burst out laughing nervously, almost fond of his innocent persistence. Where did he belong? Discovering the identity behind this curious lad would certainly bring embarrassment on his clan back home. Unheard behavior—absolutely hilarious!
“Since divine minds shaped this space,” countered Xiao Bud quietly in explanation, “I assume these bones contain wisdom worth uncovering—not just greed—but discovery…”
Speechless again. None knew quite what to say in response.
Eventually laughter ruled the gathering once more.
Even if they stood within the humble beginnings of this dimension—merely a foundational gateway rather than higher sanctums—it wasn’t easy prey to manipulate carelessly.
One elder chuckled slyly:
“If you truly manage extraction,” he jested, “I’d trade generously with fine jades in exchange!”
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