Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Four: Memory and Reality

Shangguan Hong’s already furrowed brow deepened even further.

“I don’t understand why Miss Vilyric would ask that?”

Oh dear…

It seems the answer is quite obvious.

The black-haired girl shook her head helplessly.

“What I’m about to say may sound a bit strange to you, but please remain quiet and listen to me until I’m done, okay?”

After taking some time, Vilyric once again briefly summarized the information regarding the tomb and the Nameless Demon Lord, along with its power to deprive existence.

Of course, considering that the people here weren’t familiar with her, she only described the situation in general terms without going into too much detail; understanding the gist was sufficient.

By the end, one of the chief disciples and the others around him wore expressions of serious contemplation.

“What you mean is… I once had a younger sister, and just like me, she was a disciple of the Divine Mind Sect. Our team once had eight members enter that tomb together, but we were attacked by that Nameless Demon Lord, leading to three of us, including my sister, being lost and forgotten?”

“Though it’s merely my guess, it’s the only explanation.”

Vilyric swept her gaze over the members of the Divine Mind Sect again.

In this team of eight, excluding their master, there were originally four males and four females, a very balanced ratio, but now only four male disciples and one female disciple remained, while three had vanished without a trace.

If the Priestess remembered correctly, those three were the cold girl named Shangguan Yao who had battled Hen during the second sparring match, a girl with a short bob who had an ordinary appearance but fascinating eyes, and the most attractive girl among them with delicate features and blue-green hair.

Shangguan Hong frowned deeply.

“…Can you tell me more about them?”

“I don’t know much either, but your sister’s name is Shangguan Yao. Does that name ring no bells at all?”

“…”

However, the dual-eyed youth remained silent, seemingly deep in thought or perhaps confused.

“It really is a bit odd… So, Miss Hen and Liu Quan’s fight caused such a stir that it attracted the Black Scale Army from nearly ten miles away? What’s stranger is that I hadn’t even noticed this issue before; it all felt quite reasonable?”

Watching Shangguan Hong and Mu Ze’s respective reactions, Vilyric gradually came to understand.

The true principle behind the so-called deprivation of existence leads to a series of consequences.

It seems it isn’t about completely erasing a person’s existence from the very roots because human relationships and histories are so intricately woven, like an interlaced network. If everything centered on a certain node were to suddenly vanish, it would inevitably cause complicated chain reactions or even collapse entirely.

Thus, what disappears is the “trace” rather than the “reality.”

After all, if Shangguan Yao truly never existed from the beginning, then the incident of the Black Scale Army responding to the battle between her and Hen wouldn’t have occurred, and the subsequent developments would have become entirely different.

But even now, those events are still ongoing, which is clearly a paradox.

This indicates that even if someone’s existence fades, the events that transpired because of them aren’t erased from the roots; instead, they’re just hidden by some kind of “causal correction power,” disappearing from records and memories.

However, this “correction power” seems to be ineffective against those who have transcended causality and are elevated as names of “God.”

Speaking of which, gods really are quite convenient, aren’t they? Not only does that “information detection” nonsense malfunction whenever it encounters similar information, but they can also easily immunize themselves against various widespread negative effects. It’s no wonder everyone is eager to become a deity.

Secretly complaining, Vilyric took out a small vial from her backpack, opened the cap, and a bright orb of light floated out like a flickering candle flame.

Soon after, with a flash of light, three figures appeared before her.

Even upon seeing them, Shangguan Hong seemed to recall nothing—only realizing something through rational consciousness in the back and forth.

“What is this…”

“Remember, you owe me a favor.”

In fact, long before negotiating with Wen Zhengyang and setting about sealing the tomb, Miss Vilyric had already guessed what had likely happened to these individuals while casually searching the area.

At that time, the three of them stood together nearby, maintaining silence in various strange postures, just like those soldiers from the Black Scale Army in the secret room. However, the passing soldiers, including those from the Divine Mind Sect and even Murong Yun, didn’t notice them at all, as if three oversized stones were placed there instead.

Vilyric didn’t immediately reveal this matter; she quietly stored away those three girls—who had lost their existence and had even been deemed “items” by the rules—into her backpack and brought them here.

The beings representing “existence” were drawn by their origin, splitting into three in the air: two smaller orbs and one particularly large one, each floating slowly and sinking into three bodies that still had life yet looked frozen in time, merging back into one.

“…”

In that moment, not only Shangguan Hong but all people present except for the Priestess trembled, as if awakening from a deep dream, their faces changing slightly.

“How is this possible?!”

“I, I actually until just now…”

“Xiao Yao…”

Though the shock felt by Xiao Kong was less noticeable due to her lack of close ties with the three girls, she shook her head with a complex expression, showing a wry smile.

“The correction power of causality remains incredibly difficult to detect; even I find it hard to escape now. Thankfully, you’re here.”

The only one who seemed to have anticipated it, the silver-haired girl, spoke up at an appropriate moment, commenting, “All beings in this world are just tiny specks of dust in the face of the forces of the world, so it’s no wonder people are willing to risk everything to overcome that despairing chasm and seize control of their fate… how tragic.”

With their own existence restored, Shangguan Yao, Swallow, and the most beautiful pure girl gradually woke up, each looking around in confusion, as if they still didn’t quite understand what had happened.

But Vilyric wasn’t planning to waste more time re-explaining the situation to them; how the Divine Mind Sect would deal with this matter was none of her concern. The reason she stepped in to help was merely to validate some assumptions and to see if she could extract more information about the Endless Ruins Sea.

Taking advantage of the time while the Divine Mind Sect was communicating internally, the four who didn’t belong to their faction found a place to sit for a brief rest, preparing to discuss the subsequent business once the former had stabilized their emotions.

Who would have thought… that a girl would actively break away from the crowd and walk toward them?

“Hmm?”

“Hello, my name is Swallow… Miss Vilyric, right? Thank you for saving us.”

Dressed in the uniform of the Divine Mind Sect, with her hair styled in a peculiar swallowtail braid, the young girl, who was rather pretty but not exceptionally outstanding, bowed earnestly, offering her gratitude to the Priestess.

Raising her gaze to scrutinize the peculiar girl in front of her, whose only striking feature was her hair color similar to hers and Xiao Kong’s, Vilyric raised an eyebrow and simply shook her head indifferently.

“…It’s nothing. I didn’t go out of my way to save you. If you truly wish to show your gratitude, then express it through more practical actions.”

Swallow smiled slightly, as if undeterred by the eerie horrors she had previously encountered; in fact, she seemed to feel quite accomplished, hardly able to hide the joy shining through her expression. She glanced back at her peers behind her and then turned her gaze towards the four and the cat, who were also appraising her.

“Miss Vilyric, I’d like to talk to you about something privately. Is it convenient now?”

   

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