Tong Tong was still as obedient as always. She nodded her head and blinked her big eyes before saying to me, "Tong Tong definitely misses sister. I haven't seen sister for a long time. Brother, where did sister go?"
The last time I came to the Fire God Temple, Tong Tong wasn't there. She didn't see the scene of Tao Wu being taken away by the Heaven's Will. Afterwards, I also didn't mention it to her, so she didn't know about Tao Wu and just thought that she was temporarily away.
I pursed my lips and said to Tong Tong, "Sister has been taken away by bad people to a faraway place."
Tong Tong's expression changed as she asked me doubtfully, "Brother, why don't you go and save sister?
Let's go together and bring sister back, alright? Tong Tong is very powerful now. "
Tong Tong's words made me feel bitter. I shook my head. "That bad person is very powerful. We can't defeat him yet, so Tong Tong, you have to work hard to cultivate. When the time comes, we'll go and defeat the bad person together and bring sister back."
Tong Tong nodded with all her might. Her small face was filled with seriousness. "Brother, I'll definitely work hard to cultivate and protect you and sister."
After saying that, she didn't wait for my reply before returning to the jade bracelet, leaving me alone on the stone bed, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
It was the easiest to calm one's mind when one was alone. After Tong Tong returned, I didn't think too much about it. Currently, time was precious. No matter if it was to save Tao Wu or to take revenge for my parents, I had to make the best use of my time to cultivate.
The next two days were peaceful. During this period, the fatty came over once to bring me some food. He also told me about the Heaven Measuring Ruler. He said that he had stayed up all night before finally understanding the Heaven Measuring Ruler.
Currently, the Heaven Measuring Ruler had a broken corner. In addition, it had been used to maintain the Near, Yet World's End great formation for many years. It hadn't been nourished, so it was more or less a defective product. However, it was still a fragment of the legendary instrument that could measure the heavens and earth, so it naturally had its extraordinary points.
Fatty said that he had already enchanted the Heaven's Measuring Ruler with a few auxiliary formations. After nourishing it for a period of time, it could be used again. It was estimated that it could carry people hundreds of kilometers away. However, the prerequisite was that they had to leave a formation mark at the destination in advance. Moreover, because it was incomplete, it would take about three months to recover after using it once.
Although we could feel that the fatty was a little regretful towards the end, we were both very satisfied with the power of the Heaven Measuring Ruler. Although there was a limit to teleporting over a hundred kilometers, it could only be used once every three months. However, if we used it at the most crucial moment, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that we had an extra life.
After the fatty left, I continued to cultivate until the appointed day arrived. I stopped cultivating and sat cross-legged in my room, quietly waiting for Bi 'an's arrival.
However, from morning until noon, not to mention Suan Ni, even the silver-eyed man did not appear. The entire Fire God Temple was cold and quiet, without a trace of movement.
I began to worry.
This was the first time I had returned to this place after the so-called Heaven's Path had separated me and Suan Ni.
Although we had agreed on a half-year appointment, since the so-called Heaven's Path could prevent me and Suan Ni from meeting, it could naturally change its mind and overturn our half-year appointment.
Moreover, half a year wasn't a short period of time. Anything could happen in between.
The more I thought about it, the more worried I became. I couldn't sit still in my room, so I got up and went outside the Fire God Temple. I stood at the entrance of the main hall and continued to wait.
As time passed, I became increasingly anxious as I looked at the empty riverside. I couldn't help but pace back and forth at the entrance of the main hall.
If the silver-eyed man's half-year appointment was fake, could it be that everything he said was a lie? Could it be that Suan Ni and I would never see each other again?
The more I thought about it, the more afraid I became. I wanted to immediately call the silver-eyed man out to confront him. However, no matter how anxious I was, there was no movement in the surroundings. There was no sign of the silver-eyed man.
Could it be that the silver-eyed man that I saw was just my own delusion?
Could it be that the stories he told me about the Desolate Antiquity were also my own imagination?
Could it be that Suan Ni would never return?
In Daoism, there was a saying that the devil in one's heart gave birth to delusion that could disturb one's mind.
I seemed to have really fallen into the devil in my heart. Extreme thoughts kept popping up in my head. I couldn't help but recall the illusion that I had fallen into in the Yinshang Royal Tomb.
In my hazy state, I saw myself become a half-human, half-beast monster that even swallowed young children.
I had fallen into an illusion. Could it be that the agreement with the silver-eyed man and the fight with the Heaven's Path were all illusions?
Even the meeting with Suan Ni was fake?
I didn't dare to think any further. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to bear it. After experiencing the grief of my parents' passing, I was really scared. I would never be able to forget the pain of watching my loved ones leave me. If I lost Suan Ni as well, I didn't know if I would go crazy. Even now, I felt that I was about to collapse.
My gaze left the signboard that read 'Fire God Temple' and looked into the distance. I felt that the entire sky was overcast and indescribably stifling.
"Father, don't let the delusion take over your mind. Wake up quickly."
A dignified voice resounded in my head, startling me. I abruptly lifted my head.
It was the voice of the silver-eyed man!
However, I immediately reacted. Could this voice be my delusion? There was no silver-eyed man at all, so where did the voice come from? Moreover, I had only heard one sentence. I looked around, but I still didn't see any silver-eyed man. This undoubtedly confirmed my guess.
"Father, wake up quickly …"
The dignified voice rang again. It reverberated in my head like a huge bell. I didn't bother with it anymore. Gradually, the voice became softer and softer until I couldn't hear it anymore.
I left the Fire God Temple alone and walked into the distance aimlessly in this dark world. It was as though I had lost my soul.
To me, losing Suan Ni was the same as losing my soul.
The red shadow in the past. Then, I called her sister. In the underground palace, she lifted the veil herself. When I was forced to a dead end by the dozens of Heaven Masters, she was the one who brought me to the Fire God Temple. Then, in the Fire God Temple, she called me husband and I lifted the red veil for her …
Every time I was in danger, she would appear in front of me. It was like that when I was young. It was still the same after I entered the world of Metaphysics. Although I didn't interact much with her, the feelings between us didn't need to be expressed in words. I knew that she had been silently protecting me all these years. But now, where were you?
I didn't know how long I had walked. I couldn't see the Fire God Temple behind me anymore. However, it was still a desert in the distance. The river in my memory was nowhere to be seen.
"Father, stop. You can't walk any further. Heart Cliff is in front of you …"
The familiar voice rang again, but this time it was very soft. It was indistinct and the voice sounded anxious.
I looked at the world in front of me. It was a vast expanse of grey land. There was no cliff at all.
I didn't stop and continued to walk forward. At that moment, there was a long sigh in my head.
Then, I saw the surrounding land suddenly burn. The fire grew fiercer and fiercer, burning further and further away. The desert was burning, the mountains were burning, and the dusky sky was also burning.
The entire world was burning. The raging flames lit up the dim world. Everything was burning, but I was safe and sound in the midst of the flames.
The fire burned everything on the ground, burning up the gray sky. It was as if the clouds had parted to reveal the sun, and the sky suddenly became clear. The fire was extinguished in an instant, and the sun shone in. The world seemed to have regained its color, and the depression in his heart also dissipated.
I felt a surge of emotions. When I looked again, I realized that I was still standing at the entrance of the Fire God Temple. The world in front of me returned to normal. Everything that had just happened seemed to have disappeared in a blink of an eye.
I stood in front of the door and looked at the scene in front of me. I couldn't react in time.
At that moment, the silver-eyed man suddenly appeared in front of me. But this time, he wasn't the majestic silver-eyed man, but a faint shadow. He looked very weak, as though he could be blown away by a gust of wind.
"Father, you've been grieving recently. In addition, your obsession with Tao Wu is too deep, so much so that it created a demon in your heart and gave birth to delusion. However, I've already used my true flame to burn them away." The silver-eyed man said to me in a weak voice.
"I'm about to enter a deep slumber. Father, please take care. I hope that when I wake up again, the world will have changed."
As he said that, the silver-eyed man's shadow trembled and started to dissipate at a speed visible to the naked eye in front of me.
Looking at this scene, I couldn't help but feel sorrow. It was as though a loved one had passed away. My heart felt empty and there was an indescribable feeling.
It wasn't until the silver-eyed man had completely disappeared that my mind finally woke up.
Thinking back to the situation just now, I instantly felt a lingering fear.
For cultivators, after reaching the Celestial Master realm, their cultivation speed would slow down. At the same time, every step in the path of cultivation would require the coordination of one's mental state. If one's cultivation speed was too fast and their mental state couldn't keep up, it would create a demon in their heart.
In the Earth Master realm, my foundation was originally extremely stable. However, after advancing to the Celestial Master realm, I used the powerful cultivation resources in Wangwu Grotto-Heaven to successfully break through to the middle stage of the seal realm.
From then on, my foundation was no longer stable. Afterwards, the continuous battles in the Allheaven Competition made me tired, but at the same time, my cultivation increased. When I left Wangwu Grotto-Heaven, my strength was only a step away from reaching the late stage of the seal realm.
The speed at which my strength increased was really too fast. In addition to the exhaustion of my body, as well as the thoughts that I had when paying my respects to my parents after returning to my hometown, I lost control of my emotions as I waited for Tao Wu, causing me to fall into a demon in my heart.
Creating a demon in one's heart was a very scary thing. Who knew how many geniuses in the Metaphysics world had their cultivation speed increase too fast, causing their mental state to be unable to keep up, resulting in a demon in their heart.
If it wasn't for the silver-eyed man who woke me up, it was highly possible that I would be the next one!
Ever since I first met the silver-eyed man, I hadn't seen him display too many divine powers. However, this time, he was actually able to use fire to burn the demon in his heart. This had really broadened my horizons.
As I was thinking about random things, the space in front of me suddenly fluctuated.
I hurriedly raised my head and saw a ray of light streaking across the sky. Following that, a figure dressed in red appeared along with the ray of light.
The instant I saw the red figure, my expression froze. I forgot everything that had just happened and the corner of my lips curled up slightly.
Chi.
She leisurely walked over from the sky and directly walked in front of me, looking into my eyes.
After a long while, she smiled gently and softly said, "Husband."
I finally couldn't control my emotions and quickly ran over, hugging her tightly in my embrace.
"Chi."
I stopped after saying her name. I couldn't say a single word of the words that I originally wanted to say to her.
Under the afterglow of the setting sun, she gently rested her head on my shoulder. I hugged her tightly and kissed her cheeks.