In the azure blue architectural complex.
Zhang Rongfang took a step across the tall archway that looked unassuming and simple.
Entering the realm that belonged to Spirit Flying Heaven.
He quickened his pace, a few flickers, and he closed the distance between him and Moon God.
The two stopped just meters apart.
Moon God smiled, his body suddenly dispersed, transforming into moon-white light points that scattered.
When he reappeared, he was already hundreds of meters away, beyond a tenth of the chain-like stairs.
The chain, which didn’t appear long from a distance, was actually nearly ten thousand meters in length when truly traversed.
Zhang Rongfang said no more, he merely continued to engage his Body Technique, transforming into a blood shadow to follow closely.
One man and one god, silently without words, constantly advancing along the chain.
A cold wind from Taoyuan gently caressed the surrounding area, slightly swaying the entire chain.
Zhang Rongfang paused silently, now standing in the middle region of the chain stairs.
He looked down.
Below was the pitch-black deep abyss of oblivion.
The hazy white mist, like living creatures, rolled and flew with the wind, gathering and dispersing at times.
"Have you ever seen the sky?" Moon God’s voice suddenly came from ahead.
"What?" Zhang Rongfang frowned, who hasn’t seen the sky?
Such a question, could it mean something else?
Moon God continued forward without answering, in fact, moving faster than before.
Zhang Rongfang was bewildered but chose to follow.
Soon, they finally reached the highest point, the floating Celestial God Hall of Spirit Flying Heaven.
The hall was constructed with enormous blue crystals, resembling a vast crystalline ice palace.
The walls, the ground, and everything else were all blue crystals.
The ubiquitous rough natural beauty made the hall look more like it was naturally formed.
Moon God’s footsteps fell upon the somewhat rough and steep blue surface.
"The truth is right here."
He did not look back, seeming completely unworried that Zhang Rongfang would attack him from behind, and continued towards the crack-like entrance at the center of the hall.
Zhang Rongfang indeed considered trying to attack.
But he still gave up, his goal from the start was not to kill Moon God, but to awaken Yue Shi.
Before thinking of a way, he would temporarily make no reckless moves.
Watching Moon God continue forward, he too had no hesitations and followed closely.
At this point, he possessed the sacred blood body, his body no longer had a vulnerability, as long as the Blood River flowed, he would not perish.
Unless his spiritual consciousness was utterly destroyed.
But, in essence, does the soul truly exist, Zhang Rongfang dared not conclusively claim, even though he possessed targeted skills.
Crisp footsteps.
The two arrived together at the entrance that resembled a gigantic crack, standing side by side.
Moon God looked up at the blue crystal entrance ahead.
There stood an irregular blue-black door.
The door was also crafted from crystal, its surface smooth as a mirror, perfectly reflecting their appearances.
"Actually, I have planned this for centuries, now, I too have anticipation and fear in my heart." Moon God said softly.
"What are you anticipating? And what are you afraid of?" Zhang Rongfang asked solemnly.
"I anticipate everything might be different from what I originally thought. And afraid...." Moon God did not continue.
He stepped forward, appearing before the door.
Raising his hand, he gently tapped the door.
Rumble...
A tremendous vibration slowly spread from the base of the door.
The irregular, seemingly long-bladed door, erupted with gray dust from the very bottom.
The dust was blown away by the wind.
The door slowly ascended, opening a crevice.
Inside the crevice was pitch black and devoid of light.
The thousand-meter-high door continuously rose, opening more of the entrance.
And inside the entrance, it was still pitch black and devoid of light.
Moon God and Zhang Rongfang stood at the gate, gazing inward.
Compared to the thousand-meter-high entrance, their figures were akin to ants, entirely inconspicuous.
Instead, the mysterious light within Taoyuan shone obliquely from behind them.
Carving a pure white trace into the darkness.
"This is the source of Spirit Flying Heaven. Do you dare to enter?" Moon God glanced at Zhang Rongfang on one side.
"Why wouldn’t I dare?" Zhang Rongfang was also filled with deep curiosity at this moment.
Moon God smiled faintly, stepping forward and leaping into the darkness.
Zhang Rongfang’s face remained calm, dark red bat wings suddenly unfolded behind him, flapping gently, enveloping him in blood mist as he flew in, closely following Moon God.
The two continued downward along the beam of light shining from the door.
The temple was too deep, too vast.
Their flight was like small fish swimming in the deep sea, a distant view only revealed noticeable movement after a long wait.
From time to time, Zhang Rongfang looked back at the entrance.
The thousand-meter-high door, initially massive and towering, quickly shrank to the size of a face basin.
After a while, it became the size of a fist.
Soon after.
Moon God gently landed, setting foot on a platform.
He took a few steps forward, reaching the edge of the platform, and looked further down.
"Finally.....arrived!"
With a soft step, Zhang Rongfang landed behind him, retracting his wings, and slowly approached.
"Where is Spirit Flying Heaven?" he asked.
"Isn’t that it?" The Moon God extended a finger, pointing downward ahead.
Hiss!
A pale moonlight sphere shot out from his fingertip, illuminating the surrounding area for several hundred meters.
The light sphere flew farther and farther away, descending as it went.
Gradually, it revealed an unimaginably large blue crystal statue.
The statue had no face, dressed in a long robe, crowned with feathers, seated in a gigantic high-backed chair.
Only its head was illuminated clearly by the light, while the rest of its body was merely outlined in a hazy glow.
What was astonishing was this.
The statue’s head alone was several hundred meters large.
It sat upright in the chair, looking upwards, as if gazing at something.
But there was not the slightest hint of features on its face, making it impossible to discern its expression.
"This is Spirit Flying Heaven," the Moon God murmured. "Throughout the long river of time, it has played countless roles we cannot even comprehend."
"What about the Holy Patrol? The Spirit Flying Church? If Spirit Flying Heaven is truly without consciousness, how did the three giants come to be?" Zhang Rongfang asked solemnly.
If Spirit Flying Heaven truly had no consciousness, he had too many questions that needed answers.
"We were once faced with two paths," the Moon God didn’t answer directly but instead spoke of something else.
"Spirit Flying Heaven shaped a path. A path that could be traced, constantly climbing, seeking hope... a dead end."
"A dead end!?" Zhang Rongfang’s heart tightened, sensing the heaviness in the Moon God’s tone.
"The other, is to break away from Spirit Flying Heaven and seek hope alone..." The Moon God didn’t finish.
Compared to the former, perhaps he himself wasn’t sure if he was on a path of life or a path of death.
He took a step forward, his body transforming into a point of moonlight, gathering again in front of the colossal statue.
Zhang Rongfang’s blood shadow flashed, following close behind.
The two soon discovered there was a specially carved winding staircase at the foot of the faceless statue.
One after the other, they ascended the stairs.
This time, the Moon God didn’t transform into a point of light to hurry, but walked honestly, ascending the staircase.
They climbed along the statue’s right leg, quickly reaching the knee.
Then, they followed the armrest of the chair, ascending further.
Finally, they arrived at the statue’s chest.
On the chest was carved the necklace pendant the statue wore.
The pendant was diamond-shaped, serving as a special entrance that could be entered or exited.
Without hesitation, the Moon God walked through, entering from the pendant.
Zhang Rongfang followed inside.
Inside the pendant was a dim, chaotic small hall.
At the end of the hall, a beam of light fell from above, illuminating a beautifully crafted blue-gold seal.
The light beam was pure white, dazzlingly bright.
The seal was about the size of a human head, covered with countless intricate patterns squirming like living things.
"The ultimate Spirit Seal... this is it," the Moon God walked step by step toward the seal.
"What about the truth?" Zhang Rongfang suddenly voiced from behind, "You said you would show me the truth. So now... can you tell me?"
"Of course." The Moon God stood before the seal but didn’t reach out to take it. "Do you know... why Spirit Flying Heaven is called Spirit Flying Heaven?"
"Why?" Zhang Rongfang furrowed his brow slightly.
"All souls ascend to the sky... that is Spirit Flying Heaven. It was once called the Flying Spirit Sect," the Moon God replied.
"But, when all souls are obviously living well on earth, why must they fly to heaven?"
Yes, why was there such a flaw in the doctrine of Spirit Flying Heaven?
Zhang Rongfang also noticed the problem.
Generally, religions preach what people most desire as a point of hope.
But the Spirit Flying Church uses flying to heaven as a wish, which is very strange.
Flight is indeed a beautiful wish. But not everyone wants to fly.
Like him, his greatest desire was to live peacefully, enjoying a quiet and stable life.
"Come." The Moon God extended his hand to Zhang Rongfang, "I’ll take you to see the truth of this world."
Zhang Rongfang squinted, remained silent for a moment, then took a large step forward, reaching out to grasp the Moon God’s hand.
At the same time, the Moon God’s other hand pressed firmly on the massive seal.
Swish!
Suddenly, their surroundings lit up brilliantly.
The previously dim environment transformed into a bright, dry, golden desert.
They stood atop a dune, in the ruins of a temple.
Surrounding them was an endless expanse of golden sand.
Overhead was a bright, scorching sun.
"Hold tight," the Moon God said in a low voice.
His hand gripped Zhang Rongfang’s hand, and he looked upwards, gazing into the sky.
"Look up!" he shouted.
Instinctively, Zhang Rongfang raised his head, looking up at the sky.
It was vast and blue, pure and unblemished.
Whoosh!!
In an instant, a tremendous force lifted him upward.
They were flying!
Without wings, without any light, just like that, calmly, they ascended against gravity.
Their speed was slow at first.
But as time passed, they accelerated, faster and faster...
The ruins below quickly shrank, turning to the size of a washbasin, then a block of tofu, finally just a tiny speck of dark yellow sesame.
Soon, Zhang Rongfang found himself beneath the clouds.
The strands of cloud overhead were thin and sparse.
They crashed into the cloud, then through it, speeding even faster.