Just like Ke Xun and Mu Yiran's first experience after ascending the altar, this time the time travel process was completed in an instant.
Ke Xun originally thought the process would last for a while, but the next second after stepping into the spacetime rift, he saw the hall in the painting "Harmony" with a somewhat familiar feel.
Time was still extremely tight.
They not only had to spend time collecting blood, but also had to guard against the time tunnel entrance disappearing at any time, and their biggest worry was how much longer their companions left on the altar could hold out.
The exit of the spacetime tunnel was still some distance from where Mu Yiran had been injured and fallen, but fortunately, both of them had good memories and found the right direction to run over quickly. Sure enough, they saw "Mu Yiran from back then" lying on the ground unconscious.
For Mu Yiran, this experience of seeing his past self was still incredible, but there was no time for him to savor the feeling. The two rushed over and quickly took out the IV bottle used to collect blood from their backpacks, emptying the emergency medicine that Qin Ci had prepared inside.
"It's really hard for me to do this." Ke Xun looked at the other Mu Yiran, covered in blood, struggling to control his heartache and the urge to hold him in his arms.
"Don't forget, you've already done this." Mu Yiran even had the heart to joke with him.
Ke Xun shook his head, helplessly joining him in taking advantage of the situation.
"Should we wake him up and tell him what happened later?" Ke Xun asked.
"I don't think you can wake him up," Mu Yiran said. "The Nian beast's teeth are poisonous, and I'm still in a deep coma right now. Besides, if we could wake him up, everything that happened afterward wouldn't have turned out the way it is now. Remember, whether it was then or now, everything that has happened is the result of time travel."
"Why didn't we record the whole story on our phones and put it with him?" Ke Xun persisted.
"Have you forgotten? In 'Reboot,' all the messages Tian Yang recorded on his phone that were related to the painting were blocked," Mu Yiran said. "Although we left them for 'me,' it concerns the final answer. I think neither of those forces would want us to know the truth beforehand, thus shaking our resolve to sacrifice or not."
"Then should we wait a bit after we finish drawing blood, until he wakes up?" Ke Xun said, then shook his head. "It's no use. What happened back then was already affected by our time travel. No matter how long we wait, he'll only see our departing backs when he wakes up."
"Besides, we don't have time to wait any longer," Mu Yiran said. "The time tunnel isn't necessarily stable, and we don't know how long everyone on the altar can hold out."
"…Alright." Ke Xun finally gave up and continued drawing blood with his head down.
The hall was so quiet that only their breathing could be heard. And this silence was becoming increasingly unbearable.
"Yiran…" Ke Xun began softly, but didn't know what else to say.
"Ke Xun," Mu Yiran seemed to have much more to say, speaking quickly as if afraid the remaining time wouldn't be enough for him to make his point clear, "Ke Xun, perhaps everything isn't so hopeless that all hope is lost. Just like every painting we've experienced, it's about finding a way to survive amidst near-death experiences. This last 'painting' of ours may be a high-stakes gamble, even though the chance of winning is only one in trillions. But as long as there's a glimmer of hope, there's still hope."
"Is this glimmer of hope you're talking about related to the 'God's Space' you mentioned before?" Ke Xun remained calm throughout.
"Yes," Mu Yiran said. "Regarding dimensions, zero dimension is a point, one dimension is a line, two dimensions are a plane, three dimensions have length, width, and depth, four dimensions have an additional timeline, five dimensions can travel through time at will, six dimensions can change and manipulate time, and travel to parallel universes at will, while seven dimensions can change the past and future at will, and correct anything on any timeline, without needing to concern themselves with causality, the order of timelines, or any logical chain.
"It can be said that the 'abilities' of seven-dimensional space are equivalent to the capabilities of gods in our imagination, or even capabilities that we cannot even imagine. Therefore, seven-dimensional space is called 'God's space' by some Western scholars, because God is omnipresent and omnipotent.
"But I have a doubt. I doubt that the higher dimension outside our 'painting' is seven-dimensional space.
"The reason for this doubt is that modern physics believes that the universe is a very three-dimensional structure, and the dimensional space in the universe is like a pyramid; the closer the dimension is to the top of the pyramid, the more complex the structure and the greater the energy."
"And speaking of pyramids, what comes to mind?"
Ke pondered, unconsciously raising his eyes to look at a certain spot in the hall, then suddenly exclaimed in surprise: "—Here! 'Harmony'! That NPC showed us a pyramid!"
Mu Yiran smiled: "I think this is probably the last and most important clue the entire 'Entering the Painting' incident has given us. The pyramid the NPC showed us has seven layers. If each layer represents a dimension from low to high, then this pyramid, having reached the seventh layer, represents the seventh dimension, the God's space.
"I've always suspected that the ancient shaman and that Qin Dynasty master possessed the power of observation to reach the heavens and the earth. And this so-called connection to the heavens most likely means glimpsing a corner of a higher-dimensional world, but with the understanding of humanity at that time, they couldn't comprehend it, nor did they have the corresponding theoretical basis to explain the strange phenomena they saw. So they could only hint at it in this way, using their own unique understanding."
"They may not understand what the seventh dimension is, but they might guess that the 'gods' in the seventh dimension created us. That's why there is the 'Heavenly Way,' the 'Heavenly Court,' and the 'Heavenly Gods' in human mythology.
"Heavenly Gods can travel through time, space, and parallel worlds at will. They can even dismantle and rearrange all the events that happen on all timelines like building blocks, and then rebuild them into new and completely different shapes. They can change all the results that have already happened at will without having to pay attention to physical laws and logical chains."
"It's like, gods can make people sometimes male, sometimes female, sometimes old, sometimes young, sometimes appearing ten thousand meters underground, sometimes returning to the womb, even making people grow into something like those described in the *Classic of Mountains and Seas*, with three heads, a large hole in their chest, and no intestines—things that defy biological science. And they can even...bring people back to life."
Ke Xun's eyes widened. "These things that defy human science and logic can only be done by beings in the seventh dimension. The pyramids in the *Hehe* (a Buddhist text), our ability to travel through time, the proof that consciousness can exist in higher dimensions, and—the *Classic of Mountains and Seas*—are all sufficient proof of the existence of the seventh dimension. That seal will open a passage to the seventh dimension!"
"So, the 'one line' I mentioned earlier..." Mu Yiran was about to continue when she realized the blood drawn from the IV drip was almost enough. She paused before saying, "Alright, let's go."
Ke Xun's body stiffened slightly.
This departure led to a separation of life and death.
Yi Ran's words were cut short before she could even finish speaking.
Despite having prepared for this moment days and months in advance, it still felt incredibly sudden.
Ke Xun leaned down and kissed the other Mu Yi Ran on the forehead, then picked up the IV drip filled with blood and said, "Let's go."
Without hesitation, the two strode towards the place where death awaited them.
On the cold altar, eleven companions lay silently, a stark contrast to the raging, chaotic whirlwind of demonic energy overhead.
The timid Wu You, the frail Gu Qingqing, the thoughtful Shao Ling… Ke Xun couldn't imagine how these three had mustered the courage to sever their will to live and end their own lives.
Brother Qin Ci lay the most serene, upright, a hint of relief even in his expression.
Yes, he was free. He had personally pulled several companions back from the brink of death, subjecting them to excruciating pain, and then watched them die tragically. He had even personally taken the life of the youngest member of the team.
He was truly exhausted. He was a doctor dedicated to saving lives… These were the things he shouldn't have been doing; they were both exhausting and difficult.
He was free.
Hao Wen'er, even in his departure, maintained his usual indifferent tone, tinged with disdain, a touch of mockery, and a rare hint of humor. One hand was under his head, his legs crossed, as if he were lying on a beach sunbathing.
His other hand held a thumbs-up, pointing in the direction Ke Xun and Mu Yiran had returned from.
The entire top of the altar was now covered in blood-red ghostly runes, leaving only two edges exposed, awaiting Ke Xun and Mu Yiran's sacrifice.
"Tell me, what kind of death should I choose?" Ke Xun asked Mu Yiran with a smile.
Mu Yiran didn't speak, only looked deeply at him, as if trying to etch that smiling face into his memory forever, even as a consciousness, even scattered to the farthest reaches of the empty universe, he would remember him, and find him.
"I can't destroy your brain, and I can't destroy your heart," Ke Xun looked around. "I need to preserve both of them intact so I can remember you and love you. I also can't die too ugly, otherwise you'll be disgusted when you kiss me goodbye. Maybe I should have some euthanasia too, hopefully Old Qin still has some extra needles... Hey, there really are some, I don't know how to inject... Oh, it doesn't matter, I'm going to die anyway, I'll just make do with whatever I can get—I didn't say anything dirty, I still want to leave you with a pure and lovely final impression. Let's die right in the center of the altar, this is the real center stage funeral, hahaha! I'm starting now, I'll push this needle in slowly... Do you want to hold me for a bit? I really want to die in your arms... like in those dramas, where the heroine dies beautifully in the hero's arms... After I'm completely gone, remember to kiss me goodnight. ...How about we hold hands before you die? ...Or we can hug, just use one hand to trigger the seal... That's fine. Today... I'm wearing your... favorite... men's perfume... Let's... make a promise... a... secret... code for... our next life... just... say... um... um... um... Yiran... I... love... I love you..."