When Nan Zhi saw Liu Ruhe, she didn't look too worse for wear, aside from being a bit spiritless.
She was still wearing her black Special Investigation Bureau uniform, her hair tied back, and her hands were bound by black spirit-locking shackles covered in intricate patterns.
These were the spirit-locking shackles developed by the Special Investigation Bureau, capable of temporarily sealing the flow of qi through one's meridians.
A person can impersonate another, but their temperament, movements, and small habits are far harder to fake.
After being escorted into the stone room, "Liu Ruhe" first cast a disdainful glance at Nan Zhi, who was sitting behind a stone table drinking tea, before slowly scanning the room with a hint of nostalgia.
Finally, she sat down naturally on the prayer mat opposite Nan Zhi and looked at Qin Yue, who was standing to the side.
“Section Head Qin, aren't you going to take these things off? Or do you plan on feeding me tea yourself?”
Though the body was that of a woman, the voice was deep and rough—distinctly male.
Qin Yue was startled and instinctively looked at Nan Zhi, who took a small sip of tea and smiled.
“Take them off. These things might be useful for others, but they're not enough to hold him.”
Upon her word, someone immediately stepped forward to remove the spirit-locking shackles. "Liu Ruhe" rubbed her wrists, a flicker of resentful energy appearing between her brows before quickly dissipating.
“Ma... Ma Guniang.”
The expression of "Liu Ruhe" changed drastically, her gaze locking onto Nan Zhi's face. Although she could tell the person before her was disguised, she couldn't see through it no matter how hard she tried.
This sent a shiver of fear through "Liu Ruhe"—or rather, the entity within.
In his prime, before his cultivation had regressed, he had been a Deity Transformation powerhouse. Although he had later been forced to seal himself in this small world, unable to escape, and his cultivation had plummeted until he was barely even a Qi Refinement practitioner, his divine sense was still at the Nascent Soul level.
The person before him was only at the first level of Foundation Establishment, yet she could evade his divine sense's detection.
There were two possibilities. First, the other party's cultivation was far beyond the Nascent Soul level, and she was merely suppressing her aura.
Second, she really was only at the first level of Foundation Establishment but possessed a powerful artifact or a unique technique that could hide her true appearance.
Whichever it was, it meant he couldn't afford to offend her.
Furthermore, the other party was likely from the Demon Suppression Division, with a Lord Commissioner at least at the Nascent Soul level backing her.
Unfortunately, the person he had possessed knew very little about "Ma Guniang" and hadn't discovered the commissioner's name. She only knew that the commissioner could command swarms of insects, possessed many methods, and had even slain a fallen immortal.
At that thought, the blood in "Liu Ruhe's" veins seemed to freeze.
He immediately adjusted his posture, his gaze turning friendly as he tried to appear as humble and polite as possible.
“Heh, Fellow Daoist Ma. You should have already read that jade slip. There's no need for me to explain my origins to these mortals, is there?”
Nan Zhi maintained a mysterious smile and said nothing.
The locust-headed Ma San, possessing Liu Ruhe, could only perceive the world through Liu Ruhe's memories. Nan Zhi wasn't yet sure how much the authorities knew about her "Ma Guniang" persona.
The best course of action was to remain silent and let the other party speak first.
“As a fellow cultivator, I won't hold it against you for exposing my soul-snatching in front of mortals, out of respect for the demon suppressors who fought to the death in the past,” "Liu Ruhe" said, growing restless at Nan Zhi's calm demeanor.
“Many cultivators fell in this secret realm. Their storage bags should still contain cultivation resources and manuals. If you're interested, I can point you in the right direction so your trip isn't in vain.
If you're looking for spirit herbs or minerals, I've been in this secret realm for over a thousand years and know exactly where to find them. Sun-Burning Stones and Metal Essence Mud are just worthless trinkets.
The Spirit Swallowing Grass, Life-Sorrow Flowers, and demon cores produced here are what truly matter.”
Nan Zhi watched "Liu Ruhe" talk confidently and couldn't help but feel a sense of irony.
Time truly was a terrifying thing.
The Ma San she had first encountered was a foul-mouthed, greedy scoundrel. She never expected that one day he would become such a refined monster.
“You've said so much, Fellow Daoist. Is it because you want me—or rather, the Demon Suppression Division behind me—to do something for you?”
Nan Zhi took a sip of tea, cutting straight to the point. Ma San fell silent for a long moment before suddenly asking a strange question.
“How is the Four Provinces Continent doing now? I've been trapped in this secret realm for over a thousand years and have only heard bits and pieces from the mortals who occasionally stumble in.
Are there truly no more immortals or gods in the world?”
As he spoke, a look of bewilderment crossed his face, followed by a genuine trace of sorrow.
Nan Zhi lowered her eyes, hiding her realization.
Ma San didn't have a game system, so he had no idea that the Four Provinces Continent had shattered and appeared in another world.
He thought the world outside was still the familiar Four Provinces.
Nan Zhi glanced at Qin Yue, who was focused on her notes. Suddenly, a bold and peculiar idea formed in her mind.
“The Four Provinces... have long since fallen apart.”
She first feigned a look of shock, then sighed softly, speaking in a voice filled with sentiment and melancholy.
“Years ago, the world changed, and the Four Provinces faced a great calamity. The cultivation world was reduced to scattered secret realms across the mortal world.
In the mortal realm today, let alone gods and immortals, even cultivators are hard to find. Legacies have been severed, and sects have withered away.
If not for the small legacy left by the Demon Suppression Division, hidden away in a certain realm to survive, I would have long since joined my predecessors. Fortunately, the great calamity has passed, and with the Spiritual Resurgence, we can finally rebuild the Demon Suppression Division. We must not fail the original intent of Empress Shenlong.”
In the corner, Qin Yue was writing furiously. The accompanying researchers' eyes were glowing, wishing they could lean in closer to catch every word.
Nan Zhi's eyes flickered.
That's right. This time, she was going to deceive the entire world.
Anything within Great Xia's borders was Great Xia's territory.
Game world? Main world?
It was all just the cultivation world, separate from the mortal realm.
Did they have any idea how much weight the phrase “since ancient times” carried?
“So that's how it is!”
A flash of wild joy appeared in "Liu Ruhe's" eyes. He feigned wiping away non-existent tears and leaned forward urgently.
“How did you escape your secret realm? Why have I failed to leave this place time and time again, as if the laws of heaven and earth have trapped me here?”
Nan Zhi knew that what he felt was likely the rejection of the main world toward the game world—a sort of planar barrier.
If the world's consciousness were personified as the “Heavenly Dao,” then invasive species would naturally be unwelcome.
She had originally worried that the Demon Suppression Division persona would be hard to maintain, but then Ma San had appeared out of nowhere.
It all fit.
Everything finally fit together.
Nan Zhi understood the reason but kept it to herself, saying only: “The secret realms are different from the mortal world. We were only able to escape by using the Demon Suppression Tower.
However, I noticed something missing from the jade slip and the murals... Fellow Daoist Ma, how did you end up in that strange form with the head of a locust?”
“Sigh... it's a shameful story.”
The expression on "Liu Ruhe's" face soured, clearly reluctant to discuss the past.
“When the Four Provinces shattered, my fellow cultivators and I hid in this secret realm. We intended to seal ourselves here to survive the great calamity. But our spiritual energy ran out, so we pooled our strength to build a teleportation formation to escape back to the mortal world.
But for some reason, even after consuming a massive amount of spiritual energy, the formation didn't react at all. My companions refused to give up. After many attempts, they died of exhaustion, and some even took their own lives in despair.”
His tone grew even more somber.
“Later, for reasons unknown, even though I couldn't leave, mortals would stumble in every few hundred years. When they saw me riding that Flying Golden-Winged Centipede, they thought I was a god. They offered incense and prayers day and night, which allowed me to extend my life. It should have been a good thing, but...
But these damned, incredibly stupid mortals!”
"Liu Ruhe" suddenly flew into a rage, glaring at Qin Yue and the others with a distorted expression.
“The poison of incense is worse than any natural disaster! The mortals' desires, greed, and attachments all turned into red dust poison. Slowly, I became less and less human.
Until finally, I became what those mortals called me for generations.
The Locust God.”
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