Xuanzang smiled faintly.
"Lijiang City is considered our Mani Temple’s residence."
Lu Ren was also secretly surprised in his heart. It seemed that over the many years, the Buddhist Sect had never given up its desire to return to the Li Luo Realm.
Perhaps Lijiang City had long ago left various backup measures a thousand years ago.
It’s astonishing how they quietly took over an entire city like Lijiang City.
Indeed, these people with lofty aspirations will pave their way persistently across different eras to achieve their goals.
For a moment, Lu Ren also wasn’t sure whether Xuanzang was a villain or a pioneer striving for a supreme ideal.
Compared to him, Lu Ren felt like he was somewhat aimless!
Lu Ren couldn’t help but mutter inwardly.
After entering Lijiang City together with Xuanzang, Lu Ren felt as if he had returned to the mortal world. The bustling sounds around him poured into his ears at that moment, slightly easing the tension that had been tightly wound within him.
Humans are indeed social animals.
Ever since arriving at the Beidou Emperor Star, the tension in Lu Ren’s heart had been taut, since the power limit of this world was very high, leaving him feeling insecure.
Especially with Xuanzang by his side; he still couldn’t fathom Xuanzang’s ulterior motives.
As for the other’s courteous demeanor, Lu Ren didn’t pay it the slightest attention.
When someone acts overly attentive all of a sudden, it’s often because they have something worth noticing that will bring great benefit.
The two of them found a restaurant and went to a private room on the third floor, where, dining on dishes meant specifically for cultivators, Xuanzang turned to look at the mighty river. "It has been many years since I last walked the world, and there have indeed been changes and developments occurring," he remarked with emotion.
Watching the steam train slowly moving along the distant tracks, Lu Ren was unsurprised.
Although the Beidou Emperor Star esteemed personal martial power, and the cultivation civilization focused on all power converging within oneself, after tens of thousands of years of historical development, there were bound to be those who researched external matters, thus initiating early technological means.
However, because extraordinary beings exist, powerful weapons like nuclear arms definitely cannot be developed. Perhaps under high pressure, the technological development of the Beidou Emperor Star would take a skewed path.
Seeing Xuanzang eating meat and drinking wine with bold gusto, Lu Ren was taken aback but was not to be outdone and joined in the hearty eating and drinking.
After all, this table full of dishes could be considered medicinal meals with great benefits for the body.
On the Beidou Emperor Star, there are many exotic beasts, greatly beneficial for body nourishment.
After eating and drinking their fill, Lu Ren remarked, "The Beidou Emperor Star truly is a sacred land for cultivation. Even a pig could gain spirit here as long as it doesn’t die."
Xuanzang’s eyes flashed slightly and asked, seemingly inadvertently, "Where does the Buddha’s Son come from?"
"From beyond the heavens." Lu Ren didn’t hold back at all, having meant to bring this topic up with his previous statement.
His eyes sparkled as he looked at Xuanzang.
"Back in the day when Shakyamuni and Laozi traveled together, Shakyamuni had a Golden Lion while Laozi rode a Cyan Ox. They came from the very beginning to stay for a time before moving on. Does Master Xuanzang know if there are any records in the Mani Temple regarding where Shakyamuni and Laozi went last?"
At this, Lu Ren couldn’t help but feel a sense of weirdness.
He couldn’t tell if Shakyamuni and Laozi left behind the extraordinary, or if the places they arrived naturally contained the extraordinary.
The actions of Shakyamuni and Laozi conveyed a sense of sowing seeds to Lu Ren. Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn NoveI[F]ire.net
Why would they do such a thing? Was it really to pursue the tides of the extraordinary?
Xuanzang slightly shook his head, "Time has passed for thousands of years, and ages have changed. How would we know what truly transpired then or what they encountered?"
But on Earth, it is clearly documented that the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods are only around two thousand years ago at most.
Unless the Beidou Emperor Star truly is an Exotic Realm, or although they exist under the same sky, this region’s entropy increases faster than Earth’s.
Or there might be a massive gap in Earth’s historical records, causing everything to have vanished entirely for some reason.
While pondering myriad thoughts, Xuanzang continued, "However, the Venerable Shakyamuni did leave something behind, kept safe within our Mani Temple. Even when we faced the trial of the eradication of Buddhism a thousand years ago, our forebears took it far away, and perhaps after you see it, you might understand everything."
Speaking of this, Xuanzang could not help but feel slightly excited, after all, resolving secrets that had plagued countless generations for thousands of years would feel like a weight lifted off anyone’s shoulders.
This was why he traveled a million miles to the Li Luo Realm to find Lu Ren.
After regaining some composure, Xuanzang inquired, "I wonder, where beyond the heavens does the Buddha’s Son come from? Is it the origin of myths?"
"What is the origin of myths?" Lu Ren asked with some curiosity. After all, many things remain unknown until reaching a certain level.
"It’s the birthplace of the Venerable Shakyamuni and Laozi, the Ancestor of Taoism."
Xuanzang was equally curious, "Would the Buddha’s Son care to elaborate on the state of the origin land now?"
Lu Ren’s expression remained calm, "The origin land is currently undergoing unimaginable transformations, neither good nor bad, with the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Mechanism severed, becoming a land of the end of magic."
Xuanzang’s expression was touched, as spiritual energy dries up and all things wither. If that’s the case, many would perish, and even the whole world changes drastically, requiring beings and plants that depend on spirituality to perish as well.
And those cultivators who rely on spiritual energy for practice would revert to mortal bodies, suffering the agony of life, old age, illness, and death.
This would be more painful than killing them.
Having carefully assessed Lu Ren’s demeanor, Xuanzang, utilizing the Buddhist Six Techniques from his Buddhist cultivation, could clearly perceive that Lu Ren wasn’t lying in the slightest.
He promptly abandoned any thoughts of exploration.
With matters on the Beidou Emperor Star still unresolved, dreaming of reaching for the sky was akin to dreaming, and only by truly letting the Buddhist Sect establish its presence over the Beidou Emperor Star and claiming a vast territory could further exploration be justified.
The path of cultivation is not solely about introspective understanding but requires astonishing resources as support for every step forward.
Early the next morning, Lu Ren and Xuanzang arrived at the pier, boarded a large ship already prepared for them, and crossed the river without incident to the opposite bank.
"From here on, it is wilderness, far removed from the Li Luo Realm,"
Xuanzang stated earnestly, "Through the upcoming journey, there will most likely be no signs of any humans."
Lu Ren remained unfazed, "Master Xuanzang, just lead the way."