His cultivation advanced rapidly, essentially a small realm with every circulation of the heavenly cycle!
He had never experienced anything like it. The feeling of being so thoroughly unhindered and smooth was indescribable, making him want to shout out loud.
Overwhelmed by excitement, he almost fell into a qi deviation.
Fortunately, he managed to adjust his mindset in time, suppressing the impetuousness in his heart and guiding his spiritual energy with care, allowing it to circulate smoothly once more.
Soon, his cultivation reached the ninth level of the Saint Emperor, just one step away from the Pangu realm.
At this point, the euphoria in his heart could no longer be contained!
He also realized that continuing would inevitably lead to qi deviation and utter destruction, so he forcefully stopped.
Just then, he heard several deafening explosions from the pond.
The sounds were piercingly harsh, like a disaster unfolding, instilling a sense of unease in his heart.
However, the child by the pond was jumping for joy, exclaiming, "I destroyed a stone!"
"It's strange, the resistance within the pond seemed to weaken suddenly, and then I destroyed a stone." The child hopped into the house.
Although the shattering of the stone was not a major event, Mo Qi felt an inexplicable sense of unease, and it seemed connected to him. Thus, he left with a heavy heart.
All the way, he was preoccupied with these chaotic thoughts.
The entire situation reeked of strangeness!
Despite his greatly increased cultivation, he couldn't feel any happiness.
He had a nagging feeling that his cultivation advancement had come at the cost of something.
Yet, he couldn't pinpoint what exactly he had lost.
Perhaps, Zhu Yan could explain all of this.
With that thought, he hurried back, his steps swift and sure, retracing his path.
Upon returning to the dark world, he surveyed the surroundings. The Sun Star had dimmed considerably, and the star worlds drifting from the Jinhe world had become restless again, spinning rapidly, as if poised to break through the Milky Way world and collide with other stars at any moment.
Moreover, the air was filled with numerous fragments, remnants of destroyed star worlds.
This scene felt eerily familiar!
Mo Qi's heart sank. He considered a possibility, but immediately dismissed it as too absurd.
Regardless, only by finding Zhu Yan could he find answers to these questions.
Passing through several caves, he spotted Zhu Yan. It turned out she hadn't gone far.
Mo Qi was extremely agitated, stammering, "Are you trying to trick me?"
Zhu Yan's face was calm. "How could I possibly trick you? You bear the future of this world."
"But, I don't understand anymore. What kind of world is this world we're in?"
"It's like a flower in water, a moon in the mirror. You are in this world, and this world is in someone else's dream," Zhu Yan said, her demeanor one of having seen through the mundane.
"If that's the case, I shouldn't be destroying someone else's dream. Why did you lure me here?" Mo Qi said subtly.
At this moment, the shock in his heart was beyond words.
All his previous understanding had been overturned!
"You should feel fortunate to have had a moment to awaken from the dream," Zhu Yan continued nonchalantly. "Others don't have this opportunity. Don't you think they are pathetic?"
Mo Qi's heart churned like a stormy sea, but then his inner turmoil subsided into a calm. "You are the pathetic one. You know your predicament, yet you can never accept reality."
Zhu Yan sighed. "Perhaps. I can't escape the shackles of fate. What else can I do?"
"You should learn to adapt and strive, rather than constantly evade."
"What exactly do you want?" Zhu Yan's patience snapped, and she became angry. "You've benefited greatly, yet you're complaining. Your cultivation has increased so much, and you haven't even offered a word of thanks, instead, you keep condemning me. Doesn't your heart ache?"
Mo Qi shook his head. "If it comes at the cost of sacrificing star worlds, I would rather not have increased my cultivation."
"There was no one on that star world," Zhu Yan said. "The ways of the world are strange. When you gain something, it's always at the cost of losing something else. Moreover, what I'm asking you to do now is to actively advance and strive, not to evade and wait for death."
Mo Qi calmed down slightly and asked, "Who was that child?"
"Xiao Qi."
"And the old man inside the house, who is he?"
"Hongjun!"
Mo Qi was astonished. "How could it be Hongjun? No, absolutely not. I feel like that child is more powerful than him."
Zhu Yan gave him a disdainful look. "The Hongjun in this world is merely a clone of him, possessing less than a tenth of his strength."
"Where was the place I went to?"
"Wuliang Mountain," Zhu Yan looked at him deeply. "I sent you to Wuliang Mountain, first to improve your cultivation, and second, to make you realize our predicament. You've always asked me about my secrets; today, I will tell you all of them. You also said you have a way to change the current situation. Now, tell me, do you have a way to change this world's fate of being restarted?"
Mo Qi fell into deep thought. "The Milky Way world is just a pool of water in Wuliang Mountain. Then how vast is Wuliang Mountain?"
"Endless."
"And beyond Wuliang Mountain, are there even larger worlds? Could Wuliang Mountain also be in someone's bathtub?"
"No," Zhu Yan shook her head decisively. "The Wuliang Ancestor has experienced countless Wuliang kalpas and has seen through everything in the world. Wuliang Mountain, while seemingly boundless, is actually a place within a star world. Reaching Wuliang Mountain means reaching the end of that star world."
Could it be the Earth Star world?
But there's no place called Wuliang Mountain in the Earth Star world!
Mo Qi fell into deep thought again, suddenly recalling something. "Since Wuliang Mountain is a place within a star world, wouldn't it also be unable to escape if the world restarts?"
Zhu Yan shook her head. "Wuliang Mountain alone transcends the three realms and is outside the five elements."
"I can't understand. That means Wuliang Mountain is outside the star world, yet also within the star world. This, this doesn't make sense."
"This is the result of spatial distortion. I can't explain the specific reason," Zhu Yan said. "That's what my master said, anyway."
"Who is your master?" Mo Qi immediately asked.
Zhu Yan realized she had let slip a detail, but it was irreversible. She stammered, "Don't ask. You'll know in the future."
"I think I'm starting to understand some things," Mo Qi said after a long pause. "We, the people in the pool, continuously cultivate, absorbing spiritual energy and essence from heaven and earth. And they, in turn, absorb the spiritual energy released by the fallen people in the pool."
"You're quite sharp! You figured that out!" Zhu Yan glanced at him, surprise in her eyes. "That's exactly right. That's why they try to restart the world; it allows them to have a great harvest."
As they spoke, they returned to the palace. At that moment, Zi Luo rushed over, her expression panicked. "For some reason, star worlds of unknown origin are suddenly colliding with us, and we can't block them. Moreover, the stars from the Jinhe world have started to collide erratically, as if they are becoming uncontrollable."
Mo Qi glanced at Zhu Yan, then turned back to Zi Luo. "We understand. We don't have any better solutions right now. We can only activate the dark formation again."
"Alright." Zi Luo and Zhu Yan both agreed and began to make preparations.