When Nan Zhi saw Liu Ruhe, she didn't look too disheveled, though she seemed a bit listless.
She was still wearing the black uniform of the Special Investigation Bureau, her hair tied back. Her hands were bound by a black clasp resembling electronic handcuffs, which was densely covered with intricate patterns.
—It was the spirit-locking shackles developed by the Special Investigation Bureau, capable of temporarily sealing the flow of human meridians.
A person could disguise themselves as someone else, but expressions, movements, and small habits were very difficult to fake.
After “Liu Ruhe” was escorted into the stone room, she first cast a disdainful glance at Nan Zhi, who was sitting behind a stone table sipping tea. Then, her gaze swept across the stone room bit by bit, revealing a hint of nostalgia.
Finally, she sat down quite naturally on the futon opposite Nan Zhi, looking toward Qin Yue, who stood to the side.
“Section Chief Qin, aren't you going to take this off? Or do you plan to feed me tea yourself?”
Even though the body was a woman's, the moment she spoke, her voice was deep, clearly a man's rough voice.
Qin Yue was startled and subconsciously looked at Nan Zhi. The latter held her teacup, took a light sip, and chuckled.
“Take it off. This thing might be somewhat useful for you all, but against him, it's not quite enough.”
Having received permission, someone immediately stepped forward to remove the spirit-locking shackles from “Liu Ruhe.” “She” rotated her wrists, a trace of resentful energy surfacing between her brows before quickly dissipating—
“Ma... Ma Guniang.”
“Liu Ruhe's” expression changed drastically, her gaze locking onto Nan Zhi's face. Although he could tell that the person before him seemed to be disguised and probably wasn't showing her true face, he couldn't see through it no matter what.
This startled “Liu Ruhe” somewhat.
To think that in his past, before his cultivation regressed, he was also a deity transformation stage powerhouse. Although he was later forced to confine himself in this small world and could not escape, causing his cultivation to plunge to the point where he wasn't even considered a Qi Refinement practitioner, his divine sense was still at the Nascent Soul realm.
The person before him was only at Foundation Establishment Level 1, yet she could evade his divine sense probe.
There were two possibilities. First, the other party's cultivation was far above the Nascent Soul realm, and she was merely intentionally suppressing her cultivation level.
Second, the other party truly was only at Foundation Establishment Level 1, but she wore some dharma treasure that could conceal her appearance, or possessed a unique cultivation technique that could mask her true face.
Whichever possibility it was, it meant that the current him could not afford to offend her.
Especially since the other party was likely from the Demon Suppression Division, with a Demon Suppression Commissioner who was at least around the Nascent Soul realm standing behind her.
Unfortunately, the person he possessed knew very little about “Ma Guniang's” origins, nor had she found out the name of that commissioner. She only knew that the commissioner could command insect swarms, possessed numerous methods, and had even slain a fallen immortal—
Thinking of this, “Liu Ruhe” felt as if the blood in his entire body had frozen.
He immediately shifted his sitting posture, his eyes becoming amicable, trying his best to look humble and polite:
“Hehe, Daoist Ma, you should have already read that jade slip. There is no need to speak further of my origins and background to these few mortals.”
Nan Zhi smiled with a mysterious, unfathomable expression, remaining silent.
The locust-headed Ma San had possessed Liu Ruhe, and his understanding of the outside world could only come through Liu Ruhe's memories. She was not yet certain how much the authorities knew about her cover identity as Ma Guniang.
Therefore, the best method was to remain silent and take the initiative to let the other party speak first.
“As fellow Daoists, since you pointed out my soul-snatching in front of mortals, I won't hold it against you, for the sake of the various demon suppressors of the Demon Suppression Division who fought to the death in the past.”
Sure enough, seeing Nan Zhi's calm and composed manner, “Liu Ruhe” grew a bit restless:
“Many cultivators perished in this secret realm, and there should still be cultivation resources and techniques left in their storage bags. If you are interested, I can guide you a bit so that you won't have made this trip in vain.
If you wish to find spirit herbs and ores, I have been in this secret realm for over a thousand years and know where to look. Things like Sun-Burning Stones and Metal Essence Mud are merely worthless trinkets.
The Spirit Swallowing Grass, Life-Sorrow Flower, and demon beast cores produced in this secret realm are the most important things.”
Nan Zhi watched “Liu Ruhe” talk eloquently in front of everyone and couldn't help but feel emotional.
Time was truly a terrifying thing.
The Ma San she had first encountered was a foul-mouthed, money-obsessed scoundrel, yet who would have thought that one day, he could become such a refined beast.
“Daoist, you have said so much. Could it be that you want me, or rather, the Demon Suppression Division behind me, to do something?”
Nan Zhi took a sip of tea, exposing in a single sentence that Ma San must have a request. The latter pondered for a long while before suddenly asking a bizarre question:
“What exactly is the state of the Four Provinces Continent now? I have been trapped in this secret realm for over a thousand years and cannot leave. I could only learn a thing or two from the mortals who occasionally wandered in here.
Are there truly no immortals or gods left in the world now?”
As he said this, his face was filled with blank bewilderment, and a genuine trace of sadness appeared.
Nan Zhi lowered her eyes slightly, concealing her realization:
Ma San did not have a game system, so he had absolutely no idea that the Four Provinces Continent had appeared in another world after collapsing.
He believed that the outside world was still the familiar Four Provinces Continent.
Nan Zhi glanced at Qin Yue, who was intently taking notes. Suddenly, a bold and bizarre idea naturally sprang to mind.
“The Four Provinces Continent... has long since collapsed.”
She first feigned surprise, then sighed softly, speaking slowly in a tone filled with nostalgia and melancholy:
“In the past, when the heavens and earth underwent a great change and the Four Provinces Continent suffered its great calamity, the cultivation world was transformed into scattered secret realms, strewn across the mortal realm.
In today's mortal world, let alone immortals and gods, even the traces of cultivators are hard to find. The inheritance of techniques has been severed, and all sects have withered away.
If not for the fact that our Demon Suppression Division still has a sliver of heritage left, hiding within a certain realm to eke out a meager existence, I would have joined the seniors long ago.
Fortunately, now that the great calamity of heaven and earth has passed and the Spiritual Resurgence has begun, we have finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel. We can rebuild the Demon Suppression Division, so as not to betray the original intentions of Empress Shenlong of the past.”
In the corner, Qin Yue took notes frantically. The accompanying scientific researchers beside her had eyes shining with excitement, wishing they could press their ears right against Nan Zhi's lips to record every word.
Nan Zhi's eyes flickered slightly.
That's right. The one she was going to deceive this time was the entire world.
Whatever landed within the borders of Great Xia was Great Xia's territory.
—What game world? What main world?
It was merely a cultivation world independent of the mortal realm.
Did they not understand the sheer weight of the phrase “since ancient times”?
“To think it was so!”
“Liu Ruhe” eyes flashed with ecstasy. He hypocritically wiped away non-existent tears from the corners of his eyes, leaning forward urgently to press further:
“How did you all escape from the secret realm back then? Why is it that despite my repeated attempts, I have never been able to leave this place, as if trapped to death here by the laws of heaven and earth?”
What you felt was likely the rejection of the game world by this world.
—Essentially, something akin to a planar barrier.
If the world's consciousness were personified as the “Heavenly Dao,” then an invading foreign creature would naturally not be welcome.
Previously, she had felt that using the Demon Suppression Division as a front was a difficult act to pull off, but who would have expected Ma San to barge in halfway through?
It all fit perfectly.
Didn't it all connect now?
Nan Zhi knew the reason full well but kept it to herself, merely saying:
“A secret realm is different from the mortal world, after all. We were only able to escape by relying on the Demon Suppression Tower, a dharma treasure of the Demon Suppression Division.
However, as I looked at that jade slip and the murals, it seemed as though something was missing—I wonder, how did Daoist Ma end up in that bizarre form of a locust head on a human body?”
“Sigh... I am ashamed to speak of it.”
“Liu Ruhe's” face darkened slightly, seemingly extremely reluctant to bring up the past:
“Back when the Four Provinces Continent shattered and scattered, my fellow Daoists and I hid in this secret realm. We originally intended to seal ourselves here to survive the great calamity of heaven and earth. Who would have thought that the spiritual energy would run dry? Out of options, we gathered the strength of all our fellow Daoists to construct a grand teleportation formation, hoping to escape to the mortal realm.
Yet for some reason, despite consuming a vast amount of spiritual energy, the teleportation formation did not react at all.
My fellow Daoists refused to give up. After several attempts, they died from spiritual energy depletion. Some even ended their own lives here in despair.”
Speaking of this, his tone grew even deeper:
“Later, for reasons unknown, though I could not leave this secret realm, mortals would wander in here every few hundred years.
Seeing me command the Golden-Winged Flying Centipede, they mistook me for a god. Thus, they offered incense day and night, allowing me to prolong my life. It should have been a good thing—
But, but these damned, incredibly foolish mortals!”
“Liu Ruhe” suddenly flew into a rage, glaring at Qin Yue and the others as his facial expression grew increasingly distorted:
“The poison of incense is worse than any natural disaster! The seven emotions and six desires of mortals, their greed, anger, ignorance, and obsession, all transformed into specks of red dust poison. Slowly, I became less and less like a human.
Until finally, I became what has been passed down through generations by those mortals.”
“The Locust God.”
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