"Who are you?" Jiang Wen looked at the little girl before him, his heart filled with doubt.
He had absolutely no memory of encountering this child, not even the slightest recollection of her.
Yet, the little girl spoke with such certainty, possessing a thorough understanding of his experiences. It was truly strange.
Hearing Jiang Wen's words, the little girl smiled without a word. She sat at the table and devoured a large meal. Only after she was full did she wipe the grease from her mouth and leisurely say, "Actually, you and I are old acquaintances. As for who I am, that's a secret for now. You just need to know that in the future, I will become your Dao Companion."
"…" Jiang Wen felt this was truly absurd. How could he possibly want someone who wasn't even an adult as his Dao Companion? He sized up the little girl, suspicion growing. He stealthily touched his forehead, preparing to activate his Celestial Eye to see just what this child was.
But at the moment his hand reached his forehead, the little girl raised her eyes to look at him: "If you're thinking of using your Celestial Eye to see through me, you're thinking too much."
"How do you know I have a Celestial Eye?" Jiang Wen frowned. Very few people in the world knew about his Celestial Eye ability, not even Mo Xiang and the others were very clear on it.
The only ones who truly knew his abilities were probably Ziyun and Yan Gongli.
Now, this little girl had been added to the list. It was as if she had traveled from the future, knowing his background inside and out. He wondered if this little girl knew anything else.
Jiang Wen was curious, so he calmed himself and asked, "Since you say you're from the future, do you know where I came from?"
"Of course, I know that," the little girl said, looking at Jiang Wen with confidence. "You came from Jingxu Mountain in Qingzhou, and you're the master of the Jingxu Temple. If I'm not mistaken, you even went to Taicang hundreds of thousands of years ago."
Hearing these words, Jiang Wen was astonished. However, he didn't show much surprise on his face. Instead, he frowned slightly and sized up the little girl. After pondering for a moment, he smiled and said, "I didn't expect you to even know that. It seems you really are someone from the future. You say you're my Dao Companion, so how will we meet in the future?"
"When we meet…" The little girl described her encounter with Jiang Wen in vivid detail, with just the right amount of information, making it seem real.
After listening, Jiang Wen sighed and said, "I see, I understand."
"That's right, I'm your Dao Companion, so I definitely wouldn't lie to you." Seeing that Jiang Wen believed her words, the little girl's face was filled with excitement.
She looked around and leaned in close to Jiang Wen, whispering, "Now that you believe I'm your Dao Companion, you have to listen carefully to what I'm about to say."
"What is it? Tell me," Jiang Wen said, tilting his ear.
"This matter is greatly related to you, you know? In the future, you will die and your Dao will be extinguished!" The little girl said with a serious face, the meaning in her words shocking Jiang Wen.
"Die and my Dao be extinguished? Are you talking about me?"
"Yes, you will have a great tribulation in the near future. I came back to save you. If you listen to my words, perhaps there will still be a chance to survive."
Hearing the little girl's alarmist words, Jiang Wen felt a little doubtful. Although this girl explained everything clearly, she was vague about his most crucial origins. There must be a reason for this, or perhaps this little girl had some opportunity that allowed her to know his background.
He grew curious about this little girl, certain that this was his first time in this Sumeru Realm. Understanding this, he pretended to suddenly understand and followed the little girl's words, saying, "Please save me."
"Of course," the little girl nodded, pointing her small finger at Jiang Wen. "I am your Dao Companion, of course, I will save you."
"But since I came here, all my Daoist cultivation and magic power have dissipated. You need to protect me well so that I can help you overcome this tribulation."
"I see, then it's settled." Jiang Wen and the little girl clapped hands and swore an oath, both of them revealing happy smiles. However, the little girl's smile was more genuine, while he found it amusing.
"Let me see what kind of opportunity you had that allowed you to know about me," Jiang Wen thought. After the little girl finished eating, he paid the bill.
As they left the restaurant, Jiang Wen looked around and asked, "Where should we go now?"
This was his true thought, after all, he was unfamiliar with this Sumeru Realm. He had been blown here by the formless astral winds after coming out of the Yuyun Clan's Sumeru Illusion. He was planning to find a way to leave the Sumeru Realm, then go to the bottom of Buzhou Mountain to find Agu and Zile. Then, he would return to Dingzhou to find Yan Gongli and Ziyun.
He was also somewhat uncertain about what to do after that. Perhaps he would go to Guangshu to take a look, or perhaps he would go to the Imperial Capital to find Li Yunshang. In any case, getting out of this Sumeru Realm was his top priority.
There was also the matter of Jiang Wenji. Her remains were still in his storage bag. He also needed to collect her remains so that she wouldn't be buried in all directions.
"You should have come out of the Pure Yang Palace, right? Let's go back there first," the little girl said. "There's a magic treasure there that we need to get our hands on. It will be of great help to you in overcoming the tribulation."
"Alright. But after saying so much, what's your name?" Jiang Wen asked.
"Me? My name is Changyin." The little girl raised her head and looked up at Jiang Wen, earnestly telling him her name.
"Changyin? A good name."
"Of course, it is, I also like this name." Changyin skipped and hopped, then walked with Jiang Wen towards the Pure Yang Palace.
The road back to the Pure Yang Palace was simple, one could reach it by passing through a cave stone gate.
"Oh? Such a powerful immortal gate, why has it become like this now?" Jiang Wen asked, looking at the surrounding ruins in confusion.
"Alas, this is a long story. Do you know what the Sumeru Realm is?" Changyin asked.
"A place where immortal sects independent of the mortal world are located. I've heard people say that the Sumeru Realm is even more vast than the mortal world. It is unaffected by the great mist, has abundant spiritual energy, and is rich in natural treasures, making it an excellent place for cultivators," Jiang Wen said, stating what he knew. Changyin nodded repeatedly after hearing this.
"You're right, the Sumeru Realm is actually another mortal world. The spiritual energy here is more abundant than in the mortal realm, making it a sacred place for cultivation. But do you know that the Sumeru Realm also has immortal gates, and there are also mortals?" Changyin stared at Jiang Wen and said slowly. "The discovery of the Sumeru Realm by the immortal sects of the mortal world was also an accident, and they have only been settled in the Sumeru Realm for 100,000 years."
"A long time ago, this was also a place where many immortal sects existed."
