Wang Yuyan stood still, dumbfounded.
Her cousin Murong Fu had only had two sips of wine, yet he was already acting strange—eyes wild, muttering about gods and destiny.
Then he burst into laughter, proclaiming the "path of the divine."
"What in the world happened to him…?"
She nervously glanced around the room. Thankfully, they were alone. If anyone else had seen him in that state, they might have truly thought he'd lost his mind.
"Cousin… please come back to your senses."
Her voice trembled, a thin veil of tears glistening in her eyes.
"If you really want to restore the kingdom, then work hard. That's all it takes.
All this talk of gods and demons… it's nonsense. Delusion!"
She feared he was spiraling into madness.
Murong Fu blinked, as if snapping out of a trance.
He turned to her, smiling faintly.
"Don't worry, Cousin. I haven't gone mad. I've simply… found the truth. The path. The Great Way."
His voice carried both clarity and confidence.
"And you—so gifted, so beautiful—you must serve the Eternal God too, when the time is right."
Wang Yuyan's heart skipped.
"What does he mean… serve the god?"
Murong Fu's mind flashed back to the sacrificial scriptures.
Three animals, six offerings—even blood sacrifices were accepted.
But looking at her… he hesitated.
The Eternal God was powerful beyond comprehension—if beauty alone could be a worthy offering, she would qualify beyond doubt.
Still…
"I must be cautious. The gods' desires are vast. I can't risk offending Him."
Wang Yuyan's hands trembled at her sides, but she didn't resist.
"Even if my cousin is mad… I'll follow him. If I must give up everything for his dream, then so be it."
She had read about women in stories who gave their hearts entirely.
Now she understood them.
Murong Fu noticed the softness in her gaze, the tremor in her voice.
A rare warmth stirred in his chest.
"Yuyan… I'm on the verge of breaking through to the Innate Realm.
Let me pass the meditation technique to you.
You don't need to cultivate. Just… chant it. Concentrate. That's all."
She nodded quickly, though she barely understood.
"If this is what it takes to bring him back, I'll do it."
But as she repeated the chant—word for word, line by line—something strange happened.
The world dimmed around her. A vast, dark void stretched beyond her consciousness.
And then…
A glow.
Brilliant. Celestial. Endless.
A figure loomed within it, draped in multicolored radiance.
She couldn't see His face—only feel His presence.
It crushed her soul with awe and reverence.
"This… this is the Eternal God?"
Her heart pounded in her chest. She couldn't breathe.
She couldn't look away.
When she opened her eyes, she gasped.
Her body felt light. Alive.
A power surged within her, one she had never known.
Her cousin's voice pulled her back.
"Yuyan… did you see Him? Are you beginning to understand now?"
She nodded, stunned.
"Cousin… this Eternal God… is real."
"I never believed in myths… but now… I've seen Him with my own eyes."
Her tone had changed. From doubt to conviction.
Murong Fu smiled proudly.
"Then you understand. With His help, Dali will rise again. And our names…
will be carved into the annals of the new divine age."
"But whether it's Empress Nuwa or any of the so-called celestial Buddhas…"
Wang Yuyan's voice trembled with emotion.
"None of them ever showed such divine power."
She clenched her fists, heart still pounding from the meditation's afterglow.
"And yet with just a single chant… I, a woman who couldn't even gather Qi, now have the strength of a third-rate martial master."
Murong Fu's eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
"Exactly. This is the true path. Cousin, you see it now too, don't you?"
He turned toward the open window, letting the cool breeze sweep across his face.
"But building a kingdom from scratch is slow. Laborious. Bloody. It might take decades."
He exhaled.
"But if I enter the Song Court… use their bureaucracy, their wealth, their temples… and convert it all into faith offerings to the Eternal God… isn't that a far greater plan?"
Wang Yuyan bit her lip, thinking deeply.
"If you're going to leverage another country's strength, Cousin… why not Dali instead of Song?"
Murong Fu paused. She continued.
"It's a Buddhist kingdom. Their devotion to false gods and rituals is unmatched.
If we take meditation to them—and the Eternal God's power destroys their doctrine—faith will shift overnight."
Murong Fu's eyes lit up.
He clapped once and laughed.
"Brilliant, Cousin! That's absolutely brilliant!"
"Dali is close—just half a month's journey. And once we dismantle their sacred beliefs and replace them with the Eternal Faith…"
He trailed off, smiling like a man who had just seen destiny laid before him.
"Forget conquering… we'll convert. Dali will become our holy ground."
And if the Eternal God was pleased?
He wouldn't need to lift a sword ever again.
Murong Fu summoned his remaining men.
That very night, they set out—headed south toward Dali.
A quiet kingdom.
A land of monks and mysticism.
A ripe target.
Meanwhile… In the Time-Space Thread of the Sui Dynasty
Inside the grand reception hall of the Li Manor, Li Shimin—the second son of the Li clan—sat calmly, sipping fragrant green tea.
Across from him stood a pair of robed emissaries.
One of them was unmistakable even through her veil—Shi Feixuan, envoy of Cihang Jingzhai.
She wore a white silk robe, and though her face was half-covered, her voice was like a flowing spring.
"We thank you for your hospitality, Lord Shimin," she said politely.
"To see the rising sun of the Sui with our own eyes is truly a blessing."
Li Shimin returned her smile with a nod.
Then, setting his cup down gently, he asked,
"Lady Shi, there's a question that has long lingered in my heart."
She tilted her head slightly, curious.
"What question troubles the famed Dragon of the Li family?"
He stared at the flickering lantern above them.
Then turned back to her, eyes calm—but sharp.
"Do gods and Buddhas truly exist in this world?"
"And if they do—why has no one truly seen them?"