"That's natural, it's all in what Old Ancestor Tudi said."
"How so?"
"Do you know the 'Book of Changes'?"
"Of course I do, it's the foremost of the Five Classics!" Bai Suxiang replied with certainty.
"The Book of Changes has sixty-four hexagrams, and isn't one of them called 'Earth over Water' (Dì Shuǐ Shī)?"
"I'm not familiar with that, but what does it have to do with us finding Misty Sea?"
"What does it have to do with it? I'll tell you, it has everything to do with it!" Fu Ruhai, full of confidence, began to explain the reasoning.
It turned out that as soon as they entered, Old Ancestor Tudi had said "Earth conquers Water!" In the Book of Changes, there is a hexagram "Earth over Water" (Dì Shuǐ Shī), which signifies that when elements are in opposition, conflict arises. And later, he had intentionally or unintentionally reminded them that water and earth are in harmony, which would be "Water over Earth" (Shuǐ Dì Bǐ).
Furthermore, Old Ancestor Tudi had said "turn back and you'll reach the shore," which meant to go back. According to the directions of the eight trigrams in the Book of Changes, by finding the corresponding position, they could locate Misty Sea.
After Fu Ruhai finished his explanation, he casually took out a compass from his懷.
"This is something only found in the mortal realm, do immortals use it too?" Bai Suxiang asked curiously.
"Hahaha! The mortal realm and the immortal realm are connected, and even more so for establishing the positions of heaven and earth!" Fu Ruhai said with a smile, then carefully checked the compass.
The direction of "Earth over Water" (Dì Shuǐ Shī) belongs to the West. To "turn back and reach the shore" meant to go to the boundary of Old Ancestor Fuling and Old Ancestor Tudi's territory. Coincidentally, their boundary was also a place where the two often fought. From there, walking in the direction of "Water over Earth" (Shuǐ Dì Bǐ) should lead them to their destination. And the direction indicated by "Water over Earth" (Shuǐ Dì Bǐ) was precisely North, which further corroborated that Old Ancestor Tudi's words held hidden meaning.
Upon hearing Fu Ruhai's explanation, Bai Suxiang's mind was suddenly enlightened. The affairs of immortals were truly convoluted. They clearly knew where the place was, yet they beat around the bush, trying to persuade people to turn back and give up!
Bai Suxiang followed Fu Ruhai and flew for a long time, but they still hadn't seen the so-called Misty Sea, nor even a hint of water.
"Could we have gone the wrong way?"
"Probably not, let's keep going forward!" the two said as they continued their journey. Although Fu Ruhai was very confident, he felt uneasy. After all, he was an immortal who had successfully passed his tribulation, so his comprehension should be fine. Could the direction be the problem? To ensure they weren't heading in the wrong direction, he took out the compass again and checked it. The needle indicated that North was indeed ahead! But strangely, further on, there was nothing. It was a vast, barren land, stretching endlessly, devoid of even a single blade of grass.
"Is our direction correct? Could the compass needle be malfunctioning here? I mean, could the magnetic field here interfere with it, causing us to go in the wrong direction?" Bai Suxiang asked anxiously.
"I'm not too sure, but it shouldn't be," Fu Ruhai said, shaking his head.
"Could this Misty Sea, perhaps, not be a sea at all, but just a name, with no water inside?" Bai Suxiang speculated boldly.
"No, no, no. When we used to drink, Liu Sandao said that 'Misty Sea' was beautiful, very beautiful, with waves! There must be water, let's keep going!"
"Is that so? Alas, damn Liu Sandao. If only he were conscious, we wouldn't have to go through so much trouble to find Misty Sea!"
"Hey, that's right! Why don't we have Liu Sandao lead the way?" Inspired by Bai Suxiang, Fu Ruhai suddenly thought of a method. He took out Liu Sandao's divine consciousness pearl from his懷 and held it in his hands.
"Liu Sandao, Brother Dao, listen carefully, we are sending you back to Misty Sea. If you have any conscience, tell us its location!" Fu Ruhai said to the pearl.
Hearing his words, the pearl suddenly flickered.
"Hey, it's moving, it's moving, it can understand you!" Bai Suxiang exclaimed excitedly.
Fu Ruhai watched as the pearl moved a few times, then suddenly flew up and headed forward. Fu Ruhai and Bai Suxiang followed closely. Their speed was much faster than before, and in just a short while, it felt like they had covered more ground than they had in half a day previously. It turned out that it wasn't the direction that was wrong, but rather their own confusion, which made their journey arduous.
The pearl flew faster and faster, so fast that Fu Ruhai could barely keep up; Bai Suxiang, though more adept at flying, was still mortal and was left far behind. If the terrain hadn't been so vast and open, she might have lost them entirely.
"You damn Liu Sandao, we're kindly sending you back to Misty Sea, can't you fly a little slower and wait for us!" Fu Ruhai shouted angrily.
The pearl seemed to ignore his words and continued to fly forward rapidly.
"Sigh!" Fu Ruhai had no choice but to sigh and wait for Bai Suxiang.
"Alas, I'm sorry, it's all my fault for flying too slowly!" Bai Suxiang finally caught up, feeling utterly exhausted.
"It's alright, if you can't catch up, we won't chase anymore! Let's rest for a while," Fu Ruhai consoled her. Who could know what the pearl intended? It couldn't speak, so communication was impossible.
Bai Suxiang stood still, unable to stand up straight, feeling as if she would fall over at any moment.
"Alas, look how tired you are. Sit down quickly, I'll teach you a meditation method that can quickly restore your strength!" Fu Ruhai said, helping Bai Suxiang to sit down. He demonstrated the posture, and Bai Suxiang followed his instructions.
Indeed, the meditation method of immortals was effective. The moment Bai Suxiang closed her eyes and focused her mind, she felt a surge of energy within her. All her fatigue vanished instantly. She closed her eyes and slowly felt the circulation of that energy. The energy gradually approached, seeping into her heart. In a moment, she found herself in a sea of flowers. They were vibrantly colored, emanating a peaceful radiance everywhere. In this sea of flowers, she felt joy and contentment, and couldn't help but stand up and run towards the distance...
While Bai Suxiang was meditating, Fu Ruhai also sat down to meditate. He had intended to just adjust his breathing, but unexpectedly, upon entering a state of deep concentration, he found himself in an ocean. The seawater was a brilliant blue, and though there was no sun, light emanated from everywhere. The water gently lapped at his feet, feeling incredibly comfortable, and he involuntarily stood up. As he stood, the water level rose with him. However, it didn't seem to intend to drown him; it only reached his thighs before ceasing to rise.
Fu Ruhai understood. This was Misty Sea! He remembered the instructions of Old Ancestor Fuling and quickly held his breath, focusing his mind to circulate the divine consciousness within his body throughout his entire being. Old Ancestor Fuling had said that bathing in Misty Sea could stabilize one's foundation. Having just successfully passed his tribulation, he desperately needed such a fortuitous encounter. With these thoughts in mind, he slowly let go of his worldly concerns and focused on experiencing all the beauty of this place!