As the rolling black mist engulfed everything, the scene before her eyes changed. The green mountains and bright daylight, the ancient temple—all of it vanished.
A foam-like substance, layered and overlapping, suddenly collided and then continuously expanded. Thunder intertwined within, and blood-red light clashed, reflecting countless scenes: mortal dynasties, the rivers and lakes of the human world, immortal realms, Buddhist temples, and Taoist halls.
The white-clad beauty standing beside her showed a flicker of surprise and shock in her eyes.
She had long heard of the strangeness of the Heavenly Decline Faction. It was said that the Heavenly Decline Faction was the most mysterious of the Eight Follower Tribes.
The Heavenly Decline Realm was formless, traceless, desireless, and colorless—a realm beyond the heavens, beyond reality. Beings could neither find nor see it.
Even if one knew the entrance to the Heavenly Decline Realm, it was impossible to step into it, for what one saw and encountered might all be false. What was real one moment could turn into illusory bubbles the next.
"Priestess Qiluo, you flatter me. Such a simple illusion could never deceive your eyes."
Looking at the scene before him, Wu Xuzi remained calm, still smiling as he spoke.
"Since the Heavens collapsed, the ancient Eight Tribes no longer exist. The remaining Eight Follower Tribes evolved from the Eight Tribes and are incomparable to the original. However, it seems now that the Heavenly Decline Faction is anything but simple, as if it is reviving the glory of the ancient Heavenly Decline Faction. No wonder you dare to discuss such a dangerous matter with me…"
Priestess Qiluo also smiled, her charming demeanor fading away.
Her eyes were as clear as a mirror, staring at Wu Xuzi as if she could see through his soul.
"Priestess Qiluo, you overpraise us. The Heavenly Decline Faction is merely struggling to survive in the cracks. Without some tricks, we would have been destroyed by the Heavenly Faction long ago."
Wu Xuzi smiled faintly and said no more, gesturing for her to proceed.
Priestess Qiluo's eyes sparkled as she glanced lightly at the white-clad beauty beside her and said, "Liuyun, wait for me outside."
"Yes, Priestess Qiluo," the white-clad beauty replied respectfully, bowing her head.
With that, Priestess Qiluo took light steps, her fragrance trailing behind her, and walked straight into the foam-like illusory substance, seemingly unafraid of any danger within.
Soon, ripples spread out, and the foam-like substance reassembled and shattered, engulfing Priestess Qiluo's figure.
Wu Xuzi followed closely behind, quickly disappearing as well.
As the ripples vanished, the scene returned to calm, and the ruined temple reappeared as if nothing had happened.
Liuyun, her head still bowed, showed a flicker of surprise in her eyes but remained obediently standing there.
She glanced at the villager who had been frightened out of his wits, thought for a moment, and then erased his memories of this event, sending him to the foot of the mountain hundreds of miles away.
The Heavenly Faction and the Eight Follower Tribes had always been enemies.
The Heavenly Faction, having inherited the majority of the Heavens'底蕴, had always claimed to be the rightful successors of the Heavens. Over the epochs, they had repeatedly sought to exterminate the Eight Follower Tribes, leaving no trace of them.
As the fourth-ranking priestess of the Heavenly Faction, Priestess Qiluo had come alone to the entrance of the Heavenly Decline Realm and entered it.
If anyone said there was no connection between her and the Heavenly Decline Faction, Liuyun would not believe it.
Yet Priestess Qiluo had so openly and confidently revealed this in front of her, unafraid of being discovered.
Liuyun did not know whether this was a deliberate test by Priestess Qiluo or if she simply did not care, unbothered by the consequences of being found out.
Did Priestess Qiluo suspect her identity, suspecting that she had been sent by the Grand Priest to monitor her?
Thinking of this, Liuyun bowed her head even lower.
The Heavenly Faction, though seemingly controlled by the Grand Priest, was in fact a place of undercurrents and intrigue. Each priestess represented different factions and interests.
Even the Grand Priest's close confidants, the other high priests, might not fully stand on the Grand Priest's side.
This time, the Grand Priest had acted unilaterally, forcibly launching the black tide to wreak havoc across the world and conduct the grand sacrificial ritual. This had already encroached on the private interests of many priestesses.
If not for the Grand Priest's immense authority and the fear she inspired among the Heavenly Faction members, who dared not voice any complaints or objections, there might have already been a backlash.
As far as Liuyun knew, the peace treaty between the Alliance of Righteous Unity and the Heavenly Faction had been signed because several priestesses had forcefully intervened and negotiated with the Alliance's higher-ups.
This was how the current situation had come about.
Many within the Heavenly Faction were unwilling to expose themselves to the world at this time, let alone launch the black tide to sweep across the vast expanse.
This matter was too extreme, and the Heavenly Faction would face united resistance and opposition, paying a heavy price.
Over the years, the Heavenly Faction had regained some of its former strength, but it was still incomparable to the Heavens at their peak.
Though the Heavenly Faction appeared powerful, intimidating the various clans and civilizations of the vast expanse, this premature launch of the grand sacrificial ritual had already depleted much of their previous底蕴 and resources.
The factions behind each priestess had also paid a heavy price.
After all, the counterattacks and resistance from the various clans of the vast expanse were not to be underestimated—they were severe and terrifying.
Yet the Grand Priest completely disregarded the consequences, unconcerned with the cost, her sole focus being the grand sacrificial ritual to revive the former Lord of the Heavens.
For this, she was willing to sacrifice everything, even if it meant the destruction of the current Heavenly Faction.
Her obsession and madness had become a taboo within the Heavenly Faction, something no one dared to mention.
"Priestess Qiluo knows I was sent by the Grand Priest to her side, yet she openly conspires with the Heavenly Decline Faction. Does she no longer regard the Grand Priest?"
"What did Wu Xuzi mean when he asked me to deliver that message?"
"What is he afraid of being held accountable for?"
Liuyun stood quietly in front of the ruined temple, her mind swirling with thoughts.
The Grand Priest, knowing that Priestess Qiluo would suspect her, had still sent her to Priestess Qiluo's side.
And Priestess Qiluo had never restricted her freedom or minded her presence.
Even when speaking ill of the Grand Priest, she did so without hesitation or concealment.
Liuyun sighed inwardly, her bright eyes looking at the caged dragon-sparrow. What difference was there between her and that dragon-sparrow now? Like a plaything in someone's palm, she had no control over her fate.
If she could turn back time, would she still choose to fall into darkness?
For beings like her, who had willingly allowed themselves to be corrupted by dark matter, was there still a chance for redemption, a chance to regret?
As the foam dissipated, the layers of illusory scenes before her eyes shattered, and Priestess Qiluo appeared in a vast field. Looking around, she saw crisscrossing paths and orderly houses.
Green wheat swayed in the wind, exuding a fresh, natural aroma. In the fields, many women wearing straw hats bent over, weeding and fertilizing, creating a harmonious and peaceful scene.
No one who saw this would associate it with the legendary Heavenly Decline Realm.
Even Priestess Qiluo's expression wavered slightly.
But in the next moment, the scene before her changed. The rural fields vanished, replaced by the bustling atmosphere of a marketplace.
People came and went, carriages and horses crowded the streets, and the air was filled with the sounds of vendors hawking their wares. She even caught the scent of meat buns, something she hadn't smelled in a long time.
"Illusion and reality, truth and falsehood, formless and traceless, desireless and colorless. The Heavenly Decline Realm truly lives up to its reputation. If I chose to believe that all of this was real, would it become real?"
Priestess Qiluo laughed, her eyes showing no change.
The scene before her began to collapse and crumble as if washed away by the power of time. The entire space disintegrated, turning into falling leaves that scattered and vanished into the air.
"What you see is real. Since Priestess Qiluo refuses to believe it is real, it must be false."
Wu Xuzi's voice came from behind Priestess Qiluo.
He still looked the same as before—old and hunched, unchanged.
Priestess Qiluo did not turn around, asking indifferently, "It is said that the founder of the Heavenly Decline Faction once controlled the Dao of Reality and Illusion, and the art of turning falsehood into reality could even resurrect real people from the annals of lost history, transcending the six paths of reincarnation and the laws of causality. Is this true or false?"
Wu Xuzi smiled. "There is no true art of resurrection in this world. What is called resurrecting a real person is merely a similar flower. Perhaps a fragment of the soul is similar, but it is ultimately not the same person."
Priestess Qiluo pondered this, then shook her head.
As the scene before her shifted again, thick fog rose around her, sometimes expanding, sometimes collapsing, as if depicting the birth of worlds and the death of universes.
Within the fog, faint stone steps could be seen, leading deep into the mist. Shadows and gazes seemed to peer from the surroundings, and the deeper one went, the thicker the fog became.
Faint figures could even be seen carrying oil lamps, guiding the way, while flickering eyes occasionally flashed in the nearby fog, their gazes cold.
This was an extremely eerie path.
However, as the fourth-ranking priestess of the Heavenly Faction, Priestess Qiluo was no ordinary person. She walked forward calmly, engaging in conversation with Wu Xuzi behind her.
"It is said that the Lord of the Heavens once pointed out the flaws in the Heavenly Decline Faction's art of turning falsehood into reality. It was only after he resolved these flaws that the founder of the Heavenly Decline Faction pledged loyalty to the Lord of the Heavens, leading to the birth of the Heavenly Decline Faction."
In the thick fog, her red robe stood out like a blazing flame.
The swirling fog stopped at her feet, as if blocked by an invisible force.
Wu Xuzi noticed this, his eyes flickering slightly, then he smiled and said, "That is indeed true. Of the Eight Tribes of the Heavens, aside from the Lesser Yin and Lesser Yang, the rest were renamed after being brought under the Lord of the Heavens' control. The founder of the Heavenly Decline Faction was not originally called the Heavenly Decline Ancestor."
"Oh? Then is the Heavenly Decline Ancestor still in this world?" Priestess Qiluo narrowed her eyes slightly and asked.
Wu Xuzi gave a mysterious smile. "If Priestess Qiluo believes, then the Ancestor is still alive. If you do not believe, then he is not."
Hearing this, Priestess Qiluo fell silent, as if deep in thought.
Wu Xuzi, following behind her, continued, "The Ancestor has survived several epochal cataclysms, traversing the past and future alone. Starting from a single grain of dust, he created a world that belonged only to him. Because he believed the world he created was real, he used it to resurrect his former friends, family, and homeland. But the price he paid was eternal loss, sinking into the illusory dream that belonged to him alone."
"The Lord of the Heavens once pointed out the flaws in the Ancestor's art of turning falsehood into reality and showed him a new path. But that new path also had its flaws…"
At this point, Wu Xuzi did not continue.
Priestess Qiluo did not ask further.
Soon, the two reached the end of the stone steps. A grand and ancient palace stood there, shrouded in gray mist, as if it had existed since the beginning of creation.
In front of the palace gates was a nearly withered ancient tree.
Hanging from the tree was a thin, withered figure of an old Taoist, bearing the signs of the Five Decays. His clothes were filthy, the flowers on his head wilted, and his cloudy eyes showed no trace of vitality.
Priestess Qiluo glanced at the figure with slight confusion.
She could clearly sense that this was an Ancestral Dao Realm existence. In any faction, such a being would be a pillar of strength, a top-tier figure.
Yet here he was, hanging from the tree, his life force and cultivation slowly draining away.
Wu Xuzi glanced at the figure without any change in expression and explained, "This is a sinner. He was tasked with finding the whereabouts of the first-generation civilization treasure, the Gate of Eternal Life. But due to personal greed, he allowed the civilization treasure to fall into the hands of others. That is why he is being punished."
Priestess Qiluo's eyes immediately showed interest.
The first-generation civilization treasure, the Gate of Eternal Life? Wasn't that in the hands of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance's leader?
It seemed the Heavenly Decline Faction had already secretly contacted the Heaven-Slaying Alliance.
However, she did not believe Wu Xuzi's explanation. Such a crime was not enough to warrant such punishment for an Ancestral Dao Realm existence.
Clearly, this involved some deeper secret.
"The elders have been waiting in the hall for a long time. This humble Taoist will not accompany Priestess Qiluo further," Wu Xuzi said.
Priestess Qiluo nodded and then stepped forward.
The grand palace gates opened silently. Inside, the fog was at its thickest, a gray haze that made it impossible to see anything clearly. Only the figures seated on the surrounding cushions could be vaguely discerned.
In the center of the hall, hundreds of candles flickered, their light casting shadows that made the hall seem even darker.
"Priestess Qiluo, it has been a long time."
On a gray cushion, a pair of green eyes suddenly lit up, and a figure with a human body and a ghostly face appeared.
"Stop playing tricks."
Priestess Qiluo remained calm, scanning the surroundings. The scene inside the hall did not surprise her.
The Heavenly Decline Faction was different from the immortal or divine Dao civilization systems. This system existed somewhere between the two, best described as the Path of Guile or the Path of Unorthodox.
"It has been hundreds of epochs since we last met. Priestess Qiluo's cultivation has become even more profound and unfathomable," another voice spoke, its gender indistinct—it could have been a child or a young girl.
"Why have you summoned me this time? What deal do you want to make?"
"It's not a deal. We simply wish to remind you, Priestess Qiluo, that a great calamity is about to befall you."
"From deep within the hall, an eerie, chilling laugh echoed."
The laughter seemed to whisper right against her ear, as if it had a life of its own, burrowing deep into her mind. It was utterly chilling, making her scalp prickle as if it were about to explode.