81st Floor
“I wonder why Reverend Xuan Jizi has to set up this sort of bewildering illusion formation. I can’t even see the end of the ocean on this bloody 67th floor. I don’t even see a seagull. What’s the point of it? This island is what, twenty square metres? Why does the exit have to be a hole in the ground? We have to wait six hours to get off this island, too,” Xiaoshuai complained, bored out of his skin.
“Beats me. You reckon your lover, shy Momo, would be in this ocean?” teased the dragon vine, relishing every bit of it.
“I’ve already forgotten how she looks!”
“Hahaha, I remember, so I can help you remember. The upper half of her body is that of an ape’s. Her lower body is that of a big octopus. She’s tanned and muscular. Whenever she sees you, her cheeks turn red. She might be hiding in the ocean right now.”
Splash!
Xiaoshuai staggered backwards, falling onto his bottom. “Y-you can’t be serious. M-Momo?!”
“The upper half of her body is that of an ape’s. Her lower body is that of a big octopus. She’s tanned and muscular. Whenever she sees you, her cheeks turn red… That accuracy…” Mu Yu blankly uttered.
Momo gently touched Xiaoshuai and said something to him.
“How did she get here?!” the dragon vine blurted.
“That’s not here. That’s an illusion. This ‘Primordial World Creation Formation’. As the name suggests, nothing exists here as the world is a blank slate, but it will materialise if you purposely think about it. What you manifest will only be an illusion, but its presence will be real to the point that you can’t tell unless you’re aware it’s an illusion. The more complex what you’re trying to materialise is, the more taxing it will be mentally. I couldn’t cast this if I tried now,” Mu Yu elucidated.
“Does that mean I can materialise Big Earthworm if I imagine Big Earthworm?”
Xiaoshuai conjured an image of the dragon vine, albeit with just one horn.
“Roar!”
“Rodent, is that your declaration of war?” fumed the dragon vine, seeing its appearance with only one horn. “I’ll materialise you without a mouth so that you can’t eat!”
Thus, the two started a contest of materialising each other in all sorts of demented forms. Meanwhile, Mu Yu tried to solve the implied purpose of Primordial World Creation Formation.
“You two better give it a rest before you burn out mentally.”
By the time the two finally went to sleep due to the fatigue, the comical traffic jam in the sky disappeared.
Once the domain formation is dismantled, Ghost Gate’s group won’t have any reason to hold back on killing me. I’m sure that cunning Gui Yuzi will find a way to live on, and I’m sure they can find a way to make it happen given their field of expertise. If I can figure out how to cast and make use of Primordial World Creation Formation, I can probably find an escape.
After four hops and fourteen hours of travelling later, Mu Yu arrived on the 81st floor through an oscillating hole in the azure.
I mean… this lush mountain, the waters and serene scene is something I’ve seen plenty of times before. I have a feeling that I’ve seen this mountain before, yet I can’t recall it given the number of mountains we’ve seen. Let’s go check the mountain out.
Strange, we’ve been flying for a while when I should’ve reached the mountain in the blink of an eye, Mu Yu noted. Upon looking over his shoulder, a light bulb lit up for him. Th-this is So Close Yet So Far. There’s no way I’m going to defuse the formation at my level. I’m going to need to dance to Reverend Xuan Jizi’s tune to reach the mountain. Wait! That’s no mountain. That’s World Manifestation Cycle Seal!
Since flying to the mountain was impossible, Mu Yu descended at the foot of the mountain. As expected, an eight trigrams diagram was there.
Eyes trained on the top of the mountain, Mu Yu internally proposed, I remember there’s a cave halfway up the mountain and a platform. Why do I have a feeling the cave is the passageway to the past? I hope Gui Ximing hasn’t found his way here yet. We’re in trouble if he knows how to return to the past, as well.
So Close Yet So Far didn’t work when Mu Yu climbed the mountain on his legs while his two buddies were sill sleeping. The flowers and plants going on the side of the path up the curvy stone path were actually real. There were crickets, frogs, squirrels and flying chickens among the forestry.
This is more like a small than a formation, thought Mu Yu.
A poem titled “Warning for Mountain Climbers” carved onto a small stone slab read:
The world manifestation cycle is everlasting.
Follow your heart for immortality, and do not demand it.
The past is still replaying.
There is plenty of time for things to change.
Live in the present and give your best to today.
So he’s telling us that World Manifestation Cycle Seal and immortality are linked on some level in the first part and then encouraging the climber to not build themselves out of their past. Instead, he wants them to focus on living in the present. I guess this confirms the seal grants the ability to return to the past. Well, there’s nothing I want to demand right now – besides Gui Ximing’s death. I suppose I wouldn’t mind being able to locate where their Walk-in Heart Genesis is.
Ironically, Mu Yu needed Gui Ximing’s help to identify Walk-in Genesis for he had no clue how it looked.
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