The King of Black Fog

"... Aren't you the black mist?"

"I might be the black mist, but it is ultimately a skill, it should manifest something, either turning into Dao Fruit or blossoming, but now..."

"Wait a minute," Guanyin raised her jade hand, "What are you talking about? I can't understand you."

"I also don't understand what Bodhisattva is saying—what does 'can't understand' mean?"

Guanyin pondered for a moment and suddenly realized something.

She hastily said: "Changzhou, how do you see yourself?"

"How I would see myself? Of course, just as myself."

Guanyin gazed at him and slowly said: "But in my eyes, you are a mass of black mist."

"What?" Li Changzhou didn't quite respond.

"From the very beginning, your physical body image only occasionally appears, which is why I advised you to cultivate the 'Black Fog Visualization', visualize yourself."

"Do you see me as black mist?"

Guanyin solemnly nodded.

Li Changzhou fell into self-doubt: "Could it be that I'm not human?"

Guanyin paused, bemused: "What is human? The soul doesn't have the concept of 'human', every individual, every life, each soul is unique, it's just that ordinary folks tend to be similar, like the same things, lack of personal perseverance."

Li Changzhou instantly understood.

Not because of Guanyin's explanation, but because he had a philosophy major wife who taught him 'God gave every soul uniqueness'.

The benefit of having a philosophy major wife is that even the most profound truths can be enjoyed and accepted, as they are part of his wife.

The 'ordinary folks tend to be similar, like the same things, lack of personal perseverance' Guanyin spoke of, Yang Qinglan also mentioned the same thing.

At that time, the two were chatting under the covers.

Li Changzhou asked her why she had no friends.

Yang Qinglan corrected him, saying it's not that she didn't have friends, it's that she didn't want friends.

She continued to explain, it's like loneliness and solitude are different, loneliness belongs to the strong, solitude is a character flaw, and she chose loneliness, avoiding friends, just to protect herself, doing what she wants to do, not wanting to become someone who prefers socializing and dining over reading and being alone.

She also quoted Tolstoy: "In socializing, one faces parts and crowds, while in solitude, one faces the whole and the source of all things."

Now thinking about it, her divine soul might also be unique.

Sigh, counting the time inside the Mountain and River Map, it's been almost three days since he saw her, wondering where she is now and what she's doing.

Guanyin waved her hand in front of his face: "Have you deviated?"

"It was an awakening." Li Changzhou returned to his senses.

"You look like you're entangled by a Heavenly Demon of lust."

Li Changzhou pointed at a flower on the Primordial Divine Tree: "I studied Buddhism, what demon can ensnare me?"

The flower bore a swastika, its petals reflecting countless Bodhisattva Arhats, whose chanting never ceased, as if they were offering homage to the swastika.

"Wait a minute," Li Changzhou suddenly realized, "How can Bodhisattva say I am black mist, yet know I'm smiling?"

"Because at that moment, you were so mundane, mundane enough to take human shape."

"Is love mundane?"

"My slip, not mundane, love just takes human form. Alright, enough nonsense, your sister is supposed to be protecting your remnants, and your Qinglan is outside, if you want to see them, you have to go out."

Li Changzhou turned his gaze to the Primordial Divine Tree.

All around was pitch black, only this tree emitted light, appearing particularly dazzling.

The flowers nourished by the Primordial Divine Tree were extraordinary, seemingly spirited, each one vivid and alive, as if ready for ascension.

Guanyin witnessed, Li Changzhou transformed into black mist again, the mist surged towards the Primordial Divine Tree.

In an instant, the Primordial Divine Tree morphed into a physical body, the black mist infusing within.

◇

"They're catching up!"

Cheng Huang, treading on lightning, fled like a stream of light: "Big Sis, you must act now!"

Another day has passed, and now those pursuing Cheng Huang are skilled flying beasts adept in speed.

Whoosh!

A golden Roc with a dragon's head flapped its wings, swooping close like a fleeting shadow!

Cheng Huang's fur stood on end with terror.

She held nothing back; she was truly being overtaken!

The Roc with a dragon's head flashed a look of brutality, extending a dragon claw from its golden feathers, swift as lightning, ferocious as thunder.

The claw, immense, enveloped Cheng Huang and Li Qianxia entirely.

Cheng Huang hurriedly evaded, the dragon claw crushed a mountain a thousand meters high.

"Not good!" Cheng Huang yelled.

A winged black panther kept pace with her, its mouth opened, fangs like a forest, spraying a black, unknown substance.

"Ah!!" Cheng Huang roared, unleashing her potential, dodging the attack.

The black unknown substance corroded a forest of ancient towering trees to ash, as if spring suddenly turned to nuclear winter.

Cheng Huang's hind legs landed on one mountain, and her front legs stepped onto another.

A large snake suddenly lunged, its long tongue licked towards the mountain, as if intending to swallow it whole.

Done for!

In order to avoid the winged black panther, Cheng Huang exceeded her speed limit, which meant she lost control over her speed.

Li Qianxia knew she really couldn't dodge this time, had no choice but to act.

Things happened in a flash, yet even with her speed, upon raising her hand, she noticed a peculiarity in her arms.

The egg-like object resembling a nebula suddenly shot into the sky, starting to absorb qi from all directions.

Huuu!!

The Mountain and River Map, tens of thousands of meters long, unfurled like a banner in the gale, endless qi rushing in, filling the abruptly appeared void.