According to Shen Muzhi, the Heavenly Dao of this world could not possibly know anything about that other world. It was precisely because of this that You Siqi was always safe and unaffected whenever they encountered inner demon illusions.
Liu Buli agreed wholeheartedly with this point. After much thought, the only explanation for his spirit being able to directly reach another world this time, and for the Heavenly Dao to be able to manipulate that world and affect his memories, was that the stone they found had temporarily connected the two worlds. This allowed the Heavenly Dao to learn about the other world, thus enabling it to weave such a realistic nightmare for Liu Buli.
Now that the nightmare was over, this conclusion was naturally good news for them.
The bird that had been guarding the stone had vanished. Liu Buli reached out and took the stone into his hand.
It felt ordinary, no different from any other stone. If anything, its texture was smoother, and it was warm to the touch, as if it were alive.
Liu Buli raised an eyebrow.
Before he could examine it further, Lu Wuming snatched the stone and threw it back into Shen Muzhi's arms. Clearly, after what had happened, Lu Wuming now regarded the stone as something akin to a monstrous flood.
He felt the thing was extremely inauspicious. Since the ones returning to the other world were not him and his master, he did not want his master to touch the stone again, lest any further unforeseen accidents occur.
Everyone understood his intentions.
So, when the stone was tossed into his embrace, Shen Muzhi accepted it calmly.
Although Liu Buli was still curious, for the sake of his big dog's peace of mind, he had no intention of taking the stone. Instead, he withdrew his hand, leaned back against Lu Wuming, and asked from a distance, looking at the stone in Shen Muzhi's hand, "Hey, you've been here for the past few days. You must have learned something about this stone, right? Tell me, have you figured out how to go back?"
Based on his understanding of Shen Muzhi, Liu Buli knew he wouldn't waste time. So, while he claimed to be waiting for them to wake up, Shen Muzhi had undoubtedly thoroughly investigated the situation within the cave.
However, in response to his question, Shen Muzhi could only offer a wry smile and shake his head helplessly. "First, I can confirm that the Heavenly Dao did not lie to you. This stone is definitely a key to our return, but it's only a key, not the complete solution."
Liu Buli raised an eyebrow.
You Siqi, standing nearby, picked up the conversation. "I think that if I were the Heavenly Dao, and this stone could truly send people back directly, I wouldn't bother weaving some troublesome dream for you. I'd just kick you back. Because once you're gone, it's not easy to bring you back. The fact that the Heavenly Dao went to such lengths, trapping your spirit in a simulated modern world, only proves that this stone is indeed a bridge, but not a true teleportation device."
His reasoning was highly credible.
Liu Buli pondered for a moment and felt that You Siqi was absolutely correct.
Given the Heavenly Dao's animosity towards him, if it weren't bound by rules, it would have long ago struck him with lightning and reduced him to ashes, leaving him no chance to survive. The fact that it only bothered to trap him in a strange illusion could only be explained by the fact that it could do nothing else.
Thinking this, Liu Buli couldn't help but sigh. He shook his head gently and said, "If you put it that way, I don't know if we're lucky or unlucky. This trip seems to have yielded some results, but only partial ones. It doesn't seem very useful, does it?"
"No, it's still a great gain," You Siqi said with a smile, shaking his head. "At least we know now that we can find a way back to that world. And succeeding halfway is still succeeding. It's much better than being stuck in place with no progress. Not only that, but we've also found the materials you need. Hurry up and resolve your own physical issues, otherwise, I worry you might wake up one day and not be the person I know."
His last sentence was a bit chilling, but it was indeed something everyone was concerned about.
As for the encounter with the other soul within his body in the consciousness world just now, Liu Buli considered it and chose to remain silent.
After all, his big dog had already suffered enough blows recently. Bringing up that matter now would only add to Lu Wuming's worries without achieving any other positive outcome.
Having collected all the materials they could find in the cave, Liu Buli had no immediate plans to leave.
Instead, he took out the pill recipe that Xi Yu had given him earlier and reviewed it carefully. Once he confirmed that all the necessary ingredients had been gathered, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing his expression, the others knew that the matter was mostly resolved. Lu Wuming asked, "Master, are we going back now? There's nothing else we need to find in the Ghost Realm, right?"
Although this place was suitable for him, he could also tell that Liu Buli was not very accustomed to the environment of the Ghost Realm.
Furthermore, after what had happened, Lu Wuming truly did not want to stay here for another second. To him, the Ghost Realm was an inauspicious place, and the sooner they left, the more relaxed he would feel.
However, contrary to his thoughts, Liu Buli smiled faintly upon hearing his question.
Then, he shook his head and said, "Let's not rush to leave. Let's confirm that everything is alright outside first. Wuming, you can sense the condition of the ghost tribes who signed contracts with you, right? Confirm if the one who brought us here is still alive."