"Is she truly a spirit?"
After they had walked a considerable distance, Yang Ruoyun could no longer resist asking.
Though she was also a cultivator, it was her first time meeting a divine being.
"How should I put it? She isn't exactly a god, nor is she human. She's more like a collective consciousness?"
"A collective?"
"Yes, they are born from faith. As their believers disappear, so too will they. For example, Cui Can and Zhong Yan, because they lost the support of faith, their divinity was ultimately extinguished. Only that little girl still has a trace of divinity. The laugh she let out earlier was probably an attempt to lure us over."
"I see. But why? Did she want us to believe in her and then recover? But that doesn't seem right either..."
"That's not necessarily the case. She might have been drawn to us out of curiosity. After all, this desert is desolate, and in ten, perhaps even hundreds of years, it's possible we were the only two people here."
"As for later, I merely acted in passing. Although the ancient city has perished, due to faith, many lingering souls still surround their deities, existing beneath the hills. I simply lent her a hand, reawakening these believers and providing her with the light of faith once more. However, this is only a one-time opportunity. Once this light of faith is depleted again, she will still disappear unless she finds new believers."
"That seems difficult."
Not just difficult, there wasn't a trace of human activity in this desert. Was she supposed to make the sand dune monsters believe in her?
"Who's to say? That's why I asked if she was willing to leave with us."
Yang Ruoyun looked at Liu Nanfeng with a hint of surprise.
"What's with that look?"
"Nothing," Yang Ruoyun turned her head away.
"So peculiar."
Liu Nanfeng muttered, looking up at the sky. There was no sign of it darkening.
"How long have we been walking?"
"Probably over ten hours," Yang Ruoyun replied.
"So long. It seems unrealistic to wait for nightfall to return to Guanshanhai. How about we go back and eat something first?" Liu Nanfeng suggested.
"Let's walk a bit further. I'm not too hungry right now. But how big is this desert? When will it end?"
Yang Ruoyun placed her palm on her forehead, forming a brim like a hat and looking into the distance, much like Sun Wukong, adding a touch of playful cuteness.
"How would I know?"
"I thought you knew everything?" Yang Ruoyun rolled her eyes.
Liu Nanfeng ignored her and reached out, preparing to draw a circle in the air to open a portal.
"How many times have we teleported now?"
"The ninth time, I believe."
"Nine times already?" Yang Ruoyun couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
After traversing nine portals, they still hadn't reached the edge of the desert, demonstrating its immense size.
It was fortunate that both of them were not ordinary people, otherwise, they would have already died of thirst or heat.
At that very moment, a vast expanse of yellow sand in front of them suddenly surged up, like a giant carpet, rolling towards the two of them.
This was not merely yellow sand, but a monstrous beast of peculiar size.
However, before the beast could get close, it was split in two, sliced down the middle and falling to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Yang Ruoyun, who had just tried to dodge, froze, completely unaware of what had happened.
"Have you decided if you want to come with us?" Liu Nanfeng, however, asked with a smile.
"Hee hee~"
Following a burst of laughter, Chu Yang's figure appeared not far from them. The monstrous beast just now was killed by her.
"If that's the case, then come with us."
Liu Nanfeng didn't ask further, simply extending his hand.
However, Chu Yang was clearly uncooperative, tilting her little head, carrying her spear, and walking forward.
"Wait,
Do you know where we are going?" Liu Nanfeng asked.
Chu Yang replied disdainfully, "In this direction, we are certainly going to the Heavenly Palace."
"You know about the Heavenly Palace too?" Yang Ruoyun asked, surprised.
"Of course, all spirits are enfeoffed by the Heavenly Palace. Any spirit not enfeoffed by the Heavenly Palace is an evil god."
Chu Yang's tone carried both pride in being an officially recognized deity and disdain for evil gods.
Chu Yang was not only childlike in appearance but also identical in behavior and emotions.
"Have you been to the Heavenly Palace? What does it look like?" Yang Ruoyun asked with curiosity.
"I... I've certainly been there..." Chu Yang stammered, her tone clearly a little shaky.
"Really?" Yang Ruoyun asked with a sly expression.
"Of course, it's true." Chu Yang, perhaps after thinking something through, immediately became righteous again.
"Then tell me, what does the Heavenly Palace look like?"
"I don't know." Chu Yang replied stubbornly.
"You just said you'd been there."
"My grown-up self has been there, so you'll have to ask the grown-up me," Chu Yang said.
Yang Ruoyun was momentarily confused by her words, unable to react.
"She means Cui Can and Zhong Yan have been there," Liu Nanfeng explained with a smile.
"Big guy, you're so smart."
Chu Yang praised Liu Nanfeng again, while also looking at Yang Ruoyun with disdain. Her little gaze seemed to say she was a big idiot, making Yang Ruoyun grind her teeth in anger.
"That was all you, how can you not know?" Yang Ruoyun still insisted stubbornly.
"Then can you know what will happen tomorrow?" Chu Yang asked.
Yang Ruoyun subconsciously shook her head. How could that be possible?
However, she also understood the meaning behind Chu Yang's words.
The three states of Chu Yang's divine body were akin to the Buddhist concept of the Three Bodies, symbolizing the past, present, and future.
"By the way, I haven't introduced ourselves yet. My name is Liu Nanfeng, and this is Yang Ruoyun. Don't call me 'big guy' anymore, you can just call me by my name."
"Hello, nice to meet you, Big... Liu Nanfeng." Chu Yang replied, happily waving her little hand at Liu Nanfeng.
Seeing Chu Yang greet Liu Nanfeng and then directly turn to continue forward, Yang Ruoyun felt immensely displeased.
"Aren't you happy to meet me?" Yang Ruoyun asked.
Chu Yang looked at her disdainfully, "You are just a little demon."
"What do you mean? Is a little demon without human rights?" Yang Ruoyun said, greatly displeased.
Although she didn't understand what "human rights" meant, Chu Yang roughly grasped her intent.
So she said disdainfully, "I am a spirit. Little demons like you used to have to avoid me when you saw me, and not even look directly at me. Unlike now... alas."
Chu Yang sighed deeply, as if lamenting the passage of time and the decline of human morals.
Liu Nanfeng was amused by her demeanor, while Yang Ruoyun was seething.
However, she soon remembered something and became smug again.
Seeing her like this, not only did Liu Nanfeng find it strange, but even Chu Yang felt her judgment was correct; this little demon indeed had low intelligence.