After a brief conversation, Qu Huaiwei and Qiao Ling'er cautiously advanced towards the magnificent shadow in the mist.
The path beneath their feet seemed endless.
The surrounding mist was like a viscous liquid; every step felt like entering an unknown abyss.
"Maintain maximum vigilance."
Qu Huaiwei whispered, "Even if this existence might not have fully revived yet, its status is beyond our imagination."
"In front of it, we are not even ants."
"Mm." Qiao Ling'er nodded.
As they spoke, the two continued forward.
But no matter how long they walked, or how many silent streets they passed through, the colossal shadow remained suspended in the distant sky.
It didn't seem to have moved.
Yet, the distance between them seemed impossible to shorten.
Space here seemed to have lost its meaning.
It wasn't an ordinary distance, but rather a separation at the Law level.
"Teacher, it's no use, we can't get any closer." Qiao Ling'er stopped, panting.
"It seems it hasn't noticed our existence."
Qu Huaiwei looked at the distant and indifferent colossal dark shadow, deep in thought, "Or rather, its gaze isn't on our level at all."
"Our exploration, to it, might be too insignificant to mention, which is why we can't get close to it."
They tried again, with the same result.
The dark shadow was like a mirage, visible but untouchable.
"Excuse me, have you seen it?"
Not long after, a childish voice suddenly came from the mist in a nearby alley.
The two were startled and looked in the direction of the voice.
It was a small boy, about seven or eight years old, who emerged from the gray mist.
The boy was wearing cartoon pajamas, his face filled with curiosity, but not much fear.
"There's actually someone else."
Qiao Ling'er looked at the boy in surprise, "Little one, that thing is very dangerous, hurry and leave here!"
"You're lying!"
The boy blinked.
"What?!"
Qu Huaiwei was pensive.
The boy continued, "I just ran from under it, and it didn't even pay attention to me, it's not fierce at all."
Qu Huaiwei's eyes instantly lit up, astonishingly bright.
She quickly walked to the boy, knelt down, and tried to soften her tone, "Child, you said... you can get close to it? And talk to it?"
"Yes!"
The boy nodded vigorously.
Qu Huaiwei urgently asked, "Then what did it say? Could you hear it?"
The boy shook his head, "Its voice was humming, I couldn't hear what it was saying clearly."
"Is that so...."
Qu Huaiwei suddenly looked up.
Towards the unnameable existence a thousand meters high, she called out loudly:
"Unknown Your Excellency! Since you possess wisdom and have led my student here, what is your purpose?"
Finding no easy topic to broach, she could only initiate a conversation.
Having come to this place, she naturally had her own reasons.
Unfortunately, her voice was like a stone sinking into the sea, with no echo.
The gray mist silently churned, and the colossal shadow coldly overlooked everything.
....
High in the sky, at the core of the gray mist.
Xuan Hao's mountain-sized Physical Body floated silently.
He naturally sensed the situation; a few small crawlers had appeared in his Domain.
One was a woman with strong Mental Energy.
There was also a young girl, transformed by him into a Martial Artist.
Plus a small boy with good Mental Energy, and a few ordinary people with average Mental Energy.
However, he had no interest in bothering with them.
Just like a deity would not bend down to observe a few crawling ants.
Xuan Hao was currently concerned with only two things.
First, how to recover his lost Physical Body.
This was his Foundation, the key to whether he could achieve Physical Body sanctification.
But searching for a body in this vast world was like finding a needle in a haystack, requiring a long time to sense and locate.
This couldn't be rushed, only patience.
The years of waiting for awakening in the time-space rift had long since tempered Xuan Hao's heart to be like a Panshi.
For him, time was not an issue.
Second, absorbing Mental Energy.
Finding his true form couldn't be rushed, so he could only first absorb Mental Energy to repair and stabilize his Primordial Spirit.
As a True Immortal, almost no one could kill him.
As for the shouts from below....
In Xuan Hao's eyes, they were merely ants.
As long as these people didn't actively interfere with his "feeding," they could do whatever they wanted.
Time quietly passed.
Three days went by.
Xuan Hao's massive Primordial Spirit was entrenched deep within the sea of mist, like an invisible vortex, absorbing the scattered "spirits."
His Primordial Spirit form seemed to have solidified a tiny bit.
Night fell once again.
Qu Huaiwei and Qiao Ling'er reappeared in the gray mist world, both persistent in their attempts to get closer.
They observed repeatedly, making various attempts.
Behind them, a few ordinary people occasionally appeared, drawn into the Domain due to strong obsessions, accidental Mental Energy fluctuations, or by getting too close to the core area.
On the sixth day, one night.
Everyone met again in the mist.
"Teacher, this week seems to have been peaceful; it has maintained this state and has shown no malice towards us... at least not openly."
Looking at the boy playing alone, Qiao Ling'er's tone was complex.
"Teacher, you don't have to come in with me anymore, I'll be careful on my own," she said.
Qu Huaiwei stared at the colossal shadow, her expression complex.
Deep in her eyes was an intense, unresolvable desire for research, and a hint of an almost imperceptible... longing?
"Your matter is one thing."
Qu Huaiwei murmured, "But on the other hand, I'm also interested in it... I also have my own goals."
"But, they...."
Qiao Ling'er looked behind her, at some ordinary people.
A week had passed, and many ordinary people had been drawn in.
"We're not notifying the authorities; is it really okay to let this develop? What if it gets out of control...?" Qiao Ling'er was a little worried.
Just as the few of them were talking in low voices.
"You...."
A calm, unperturbed voice came from deep within the dense mist.
Everyone held their breath and turned to look.
They saw a figure slowly stepping out from the gray-white sea of mist.
He was tall and slender, with a face so handsome it seemed almost unreal, and a head of ink-black hair casually draped.
His eyes were indifferent, as if all starlight had been gathered within them.
"Who are you?"
Qu Huaiwei's pupils constricted slightly.
Everyone's nerves instantly tensed.
They could all feel the vast oppressive aura emanating from him.
Xuan Hao slightly raised his hand, his fingertip pointing distantly into the depths of the mist, towards the colossal three-headed, six-armed shadow: "An envoy."
"An envoy?!"
Qu Huaiwei's heart pounded heavily.
Beside her, several young people spoke with an unbelievable excitement in their voices: "Are you really His envoy?!"
The few were incredibly excited, speaking over each other:
"Really?!"
"Can that existence help us? We also want to become Martial Artists, just like this young lady!"
"Don't be naive!"
Qiao Ling'er immediately rebuked, "Trading with an Outer God, how many lives do you have?!"
"Naive?"
The man sneered.
The young man beside him had a fervent look in his eyes: "Little girl, you've enjoyed the benefits, so you're speaking without understanding the pain of others? What's an ordinary person in this shitty world worth?"
The man took over, saying:
"That's right, with monsters rampaging and divine abominations running wild, ordinary people don't even know how they'll die in the streets any day!"
"As long as we can gain power and survive, what if we live in the shadows?"
"There are also a few legitimate cults registered with the Martial Artist Guild, aren't there? That shows that as long as the 'God' is reasonable enough, the authorities will acknowledge them too."