Watching the figure leave, Zhang Rongfang’s gaze turned slightly dark.
This Sea of Oblivion is like an enormous prison, only the prisoners held too long within it will be digested and swallowed.
Only those individuals strong enough can persist until the end and become the various creatures within.
’So.... continue....’
Zhang Rongfang felt that his consciousness and spirit had at least increased by thirty percent.
He understood in his heart that whether or not he found clues here, at least treating it as a kind of cultivation was not bad.
"Stranger.... what exactly are you searching for?"
Not far away, from the black seawater, a distorted black humanoid figure slowly emerged, asking him.
"I want to create an absolutely peaceful world. A world with no disputes, no dangers, where everyone can live in peace and enjoy the life they desire...."
Zhang Rongfang was not surprised by the figure’s appearance. Since people like Bit Crawling could appear, it indicated that this lower layer of the Sea of Oblivion naturally housed many consciousnesses that had forgotten themselves.
"But even with such a simple wish, there are always various hardships and difficulties obstructing me."
His eyes, pulsating with red blood flames, stared at the figure.
"That’s why I came here to seek a solution."
"This is nothing but a gathering of failures, and failures have no right to answer that question." The humanoid figure replied dismally.
"Sometimes, the difference between success and failure might just be a fine line." Zhang Rongfang responded.
By now, as long as he could think of ways to cope with the possible strengthening of the Skydawn, he could continue to live securely.
From the various investigations outside the sky curtain, he had also figured it out in the past few days. Outside was nothing but ruins, nothing at all.
Instead of desperately rushing out like the Moon God, it was better to stay here and enjoy life.
The interaction zone had everything. Why bother trying so hard to rush out?
Wasn’t his wish from the beginning to have a quiet, easy, and leisurely life?
"You are very special..." continued the twisted figure in the Sea of Oblivion. "You seem to ignore the vastness of the Sea of Oblivion."
"I am not ignoring it, I just... have many bodies still left outside." Zhang Rongfang replied.
"Then take us with you." The figure suddenly said. "We have been forgotten here for too long, if you are willing, you can go directly to the core of the Sea of Oblivion, where you’ll have control over this entire space."
"Control?" Zhang Rongfang was instantly interested.
"The Sea of Oblivion is a shared space connected to all interaction zones. When creating the gods and Buddhas initially, it was considered that since they live eternally, over time, there would certainly be systemic chaos.
Thus, the Sea of Oblivion was created to periodically reduce the number of gods and Buddhas, maintaining balance." The distorted figure explained.
"If you can grasp the core of the Sea of Oblivion, perhaps you might find a way to leave all suffering behind."
"A way to leave all suffering behind? Are you saying, to stay away from the Skydawn?" Zhang Rongfang realized.
"Yes, this is the method all interaction zones are seeking. It is also the hope that all powerful beings outside search for.
When the strongest god and the strongest body combine, they create an unparalleled perfect being. From there, they can leave the white pupils and head to the boundless void in search of a new home."
"Then let’s give it a try...." Zhang Rongfang straightened up, developing some interest in the core of the Sea of Oblivion.
If he could control this Sea of Oblivion, perhaps he could grasp an enormous amount of information in a very short time.
"From here, fly straight to the center, and you will see a solitary island. On the island, there is a special guardian. Defeat it, and you will earn the qualification to enter the core of the Sea of Oblivion.
But be warned, there, divine power and influence are useless, just like the outside, there is no sky curtain enhancing everything. Only the most real contest between individuals exists." The humanoid figure said in a deep voice.
"I understand...."
Zhang Rongfang spread his wings and gently floated upward.
He gazed at the boundless Sea of Oblivion, planning to head straight for an attempt, hoping to gain some different benefits.
*
*
*
Outside the sky curtain.
"Is it here?"
Zhaoyu Pavilion curiously gazed at the enormous black fissure below.
The surroundings here were a vast stretch of black earth. Apart from wandering evil spirits, there was nothing else.
"It’s really well hidden, no wonder no one discovered it for so long."
She commented with admiration, glancing at the Moon God who was leading the way.
"Let’s go down and take a look." Laf looked over at Rongxin beside him.
"Alright, alright, I’m the one doing the dirty and tiring work again." Rongxin reluctantly took a step forward.
He took a gentle leap, spreading a pair of wings woven from black spiritual lines behind him.
With the wings flapping, they propelled him downwards.
In an instant, Rongxin disappeared into the dark underground crevice.
But soon, in just a few minutes.
Rongxin emerged from the fissure again, shaking his head slightly towards Laf.
"There’s nothing inside."
Laf’s expression turned somber, looking towards the Moon God.
"What do you say?"
"I told you, my interaction zone might have already been destroyed." The Moon God said in a deep voice.
"Destroyed?" Laf smirked without humor. "Are you forcing me to act against you?"
"Whether you act or not is your decision, but the interaction zone is gone, that’s an established fact." The Moon God’s response remained calm.
If the opponents continued to press him, he might as well fight and flee.
If he feared death, he wouldn’t have charged alone out of the sky curtain towards the unknown outside world back then.
Laf and his companions clearly understood this as well.
Next to the ground’s fissure, all four of them fell into silence for a moment.
Zhaoyu Pavilion and Rongxin gradually and discreetly blocked the Moon God’s left and right, preventing him from escaping.
"Even if it’s destroyed, some ruins and remnants can be found. Large interaction zones have many things to scavenge...." Laf suddenly smiled slightly.
He slowly approached, patting the Moon God on the shoulder.
"I’ve been out for quite a while, so I really can’t remember the exact location." The Moon God suddenly revealed a trace of Yue Dewen’s signature smile.
"It’s okay..... we are companions. If you really don’t want to, then forget it."
Laf understood. "Let’s go back, it’s time to exchange goods at the Eternal Palace."
"Thank you, leader." The Moon God maintained a calm expression, but secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
This is indeed not the entrance to the interaction zone, just a similar fissure. He had deliberately led them in the wrong direction.
"Let’s withdraw." Laf waved towards Zhaoyu Pavilion and Rongxin. Then, with a slight touch of his toe, he turned and darted in another direction.
The Moon God squinted, watching the other, about to follow closely.
Suddenly, the other stopped abruptly.
"Here... someone passed by recently...."
Laf suddenly halted and looked down at the ground.
On the black muddy ground, just a few steps ahead of him, was a row of clear, small footprints, visible to the few people present.
"Jade Pavilion, go take a look."
"Alright." Zhaoyu Pavilion darted past the Moon God, starting to backtrack along the footprints on the ground.
In just a few minutes.
She quickly led the three to a brand new underground fissure.
The Moon God recognized it at this moment, this was indeed the place he came from....
"Do you recognize it?" Laf, standing by the side, obviously noticed something, smiled at him.
"My interaction zone is already destroyed. Naturally, I don’t recognize it here." The Moon God said coldly.
"Oh, really??" Laf laughed, "Then....."
Suddenly, his figure transformed into a black and red silhouette and jumped into the fissure, heading straight for the entrance of the interaction zone deep inside.
At the bottom of the fissure.
An invisible, transparent ripple was supporting Laf standing on it.
"Since it’s not your interaction zone, then we don’t have to be polite...."
He looked at the Moon God and the other three who followed behind.
He raised one hand and stabbed down heavily.
Squish!
The ripple below suddenly paused, then quickly turned black, reverting to the sky veil material made of black Spiritual Lines.
"How lucky.... Look at this, look at this, right near where the old Moon led us, we found another entrance to a large interaction zone. Such a coincidence.... wouldn’t you say?"
Laf laughed heartily.
"This time, I want to exchange for a new set of the Martial Arts Atlas! My furnace core hasn’t been changed for a long time!" Zhaoyu Pavilion said with excitement and expectedness.
"I also want to change my cultivation, I feel like I’m not suited for the current atlas furnace." Rongxin said with a playful raise of an eyebrow.
The Moon God remained silent, not speaking again.
He suddenly recalled the last time the skylight shone, breaking a large hole in the sky veil.
At that time, wasn’t it also like this, with intruders being digested and imprisoned by the interior, sent to Taoyuan?
He felt an unusually complex emotion within him.
Whether the Great Spirit was destroyed, he cared, but not to the extent of sacrificing everything for it.
At this moment, staying out of it was his best choice.
Yet..... at the very moment he made that decision, the memories of a hundred years with the Great Dao Teaching involuntarily surfaced in the Moon God’s mind.
Countless faces, countless expressions, flashed continuously in his mind.
And ultimately, it stayed on a few rare faces.
The remaining old friends, former lovers, the two disciples he had not asked about since leaving.....
All of these were Yue Dewen’s past, and likewise, his own past.
"Well then."
Laf suddenly stabbed, forcibly tearing a large opening in the sky veil below him.
"Let’s go."
His body transformed into a black line, suddenly diving into the rift.
The other two laughed as they followed quickly, diving into the rift.
Only the Moon God was left, he paused silently, but still followed.
The four passed through the extremely thick black sky veil and were suddenly met with open space ahead.
Laf was the first to fly out of the sky veil, lightly suspended in the spacious interlayer space.
His entire body was surrounded by a thick black arc of electricity, evidently his naturally produced divine power.
Looking down from the interlayer, just by observing from afar, he could perceive the vibrant vitality on the ground, far more lush than the other interaction zones.
"It’s been.... so long since I’ve encountered such a rich interaction zone.....!" He spread his arms wide, eyes showing enchanted admiration.
*
*
*
At the bottom of Taoyuan·Sea of Oblivion.
Zhang Rongfang, who was preparing to explore the Sea of Oblivion in depth, suddenly shivered, lifting his head sharply, as if seeing through all obstacles towards the direction of the sky veil.
"??" The sky veil that had always slightly annoyed him seemed to be forced open by some external power.
"So..... the sky veil doesn’t break completely after just one breach...." Zhang Rongfang suddenly realized.
It turns out that after the sky veil is damaged once, it can self-heal and recover....
"Does that mean I can also tear the sky veil myself and leave now?"
What he had always worried about was whether the interaction zone world wouldn’t be protected after he tore the sky veil.
And now, it seemed someone had helped him test that worry.
"This world is truly interesting.
When I wanted to leave, I couldn’t find a way that satisfied both sides.
When I no longer wished to leave, someone helped me, relieving my worries...."
He straightened up, and the wings on his back began to flutter slowly.