Chen Chang'an nodded slightly, agreeing to the Heavenly Demon Venerable's proposal. He then raised his hand to signal for patience.
"However, you must wait a few more days. His current condition cannot withstand any turmoil."
The Heavenly Demon Venerable frowned, clearly somewhat unwilling. "My Lord, that old thing may look half-dead, but his soul may not be so fragile that—"
"He has been trapped in the Void for so long that he is nearly at his limit." Chen Chang'an interrupted him. Though his tone was light, it brooked no argument. "If I hand him over to you now, I'm afraid he would die before you could extract any information."
A trace of visible regret flashed across the Heavenly Demon Venerable's face. There was even a hint of anxiety beneath it.
Chen Chang'an could clearly sense his suppressed hatred. It was like a volcano on the verge of eruption, needing only a trigger to explode completely.
"Rest assured, since he is already in the Immortal Spirit Holy Land, do you still fear he might escape? Besides—" Chen Chang'an smiled. "I will personally take action when the time comes."
"My Lord will personally take action!?" The Heavenly Demon Venerable took a deep breath and finally bowed.
At this moment, he gradually calmed down. "Yes, My Lord!"
The Heavenly Demon Venerable bowed and took his leave, somewhat disappointed. Just as he turned to go, Chen Chang'an suddenly called out to him.
"Wait."
The Heavenly Demon Venerable paused and immediately turned back. "Does My Lord have any other orders?"
Chen Chang'an's gaze was calm. His fingertips lightly tapped the table. "Although I said that matter must be delayed for a few days, I have another task to see if you can accomplish it."
The Heavenly Demon Venerable bowed without hesitation. "I am willing to share My Lord's burdens!"
Chen Chang'an narrowed his eyes slightly. "What method can you use to obtain those memories of Zhou Moran from before he left the Upper Realm?"
The Heavenly Demon Venerable was stunned. "My Lord wishes to perform a soul search?" He frowned slightly, his tone somewhat concerned. "This subordinate does not recommend doing so. If that traitor is bent on death and forcibly resists during the soul search, he would likely become a complete idiot."
Chen Chang'an shook his head. "No, I have no interest in soul searching. I only want to know his memories from before he left the Upper Realm."
The Heavenly Demon Venerable breathed a sigh of relief. A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. "That is easy to handle. If it is only some insignificant memories, I simply need to cast my Heavenly Demon Wisdom Heart Technique on him while he sleeps. He will only think he dreamed of the past and will not be alarmed in the slightest."
Chen Chang'an nodded. "Then go handle it now. Present those memories to me as soon as possible."
A trace of excitement flashed in the Heavenly Demon Venerable's eyes. How could he not tell that Chen Chang'an was preparing to take personal action? He immediately cupped his fists, his voice rising several degrees. "Yes, My Lord!"
...
Only after the Heavenly Demon Venerable's figure completely disappeared outside the door did Chen Chang'an turn to look at Ji Hongli, who had been standing silently nearby.
"Hongli." He suddenly spoke, his voice low. "Of the Seven Forbidden Lands, besides the Three Primordial Forbidden Lands and the Myriad Ghosts Cave, what are the other three?"
Ji Hongli raised her eyes to look at Chen Chang'an. A trace of confusion flashed through them, but she did not ask further. She simply said softly, "The remaining three are... one is the Candle Dragon Secret Realm within the Northern Frontier demon territory. One is the Myriad Poisons Cave in the Southern Wasteland. And one—"
She looked at her husband, somewhat embarrassed. "Is the Demon Sealing Valley in Qing Province."
"Demon Sealing Valley? It's in Qing Province? Why have I never heard of it?" Chen Chang'an was taken aback.
Ji Hongli turned her head away. "Because it is now called by another name."
"What is it called?"
"Immortal Spirit Valley."
"..."
Alright, Chen Chang'an smiled bitterly. Another mystery he had never understood was now clear.
He wisely did not ask who that demon in Demon Sealing Valley referred to.
After all, thinking back now, the overwhelming resentment in that small body when they first met...
Chen Chang'an decided that after Zhou Moran's matter was settled, he must visit these two places.
Especially the Northern Frontier... What was this feeling of bringing his wife back to her parents' home...
Of course, that was definitely not the ultimate goal.
It was the achievement called "Lower Realm Wanderer."
Chen Chang'an recalled that many things he had done seemed to be guided by the system through so-called achievements.
Now, as more and more clues emerged, he had reason to suspect that even if he was not the Holy Lord, this system must have countless connections to the Holy Lord.
And completing this achievement would mean unlocking the information that "Holy Lord" wanted to leave behind for him.
...
As for Zhou Moran's side.
Actually, he was not truly afraid that Zhou Moran would be tortured to death by the Heavenly Demon Venerable.
For a traitor, even if he had not betrayed him personally, the act of betraying his own master for a scoundrel of a woman meant any result was what he deserved.
The main issue was that he believed this matter was not so simple.
Since Zhou Moran was a chess piece laid down by that so-called great figure behind the scenes, perhaps some methods had also been left on him.
If illusions and similar techniques were exposed at that time, it would likely be even harder to obtain answers from him.
The Heavenly Demon Venerable thought that simp dogs were easy to deal with, but Chen Chang'an felt exactly the opposite. As long as it involved the Upper Realm, it always gave him a strange feeling. This feeling was similar to what he got from watching brainless short dramas in his previous life.
If a simp dog had really simped to that extent, it would truly be hard to say.
And now, with only the final clues remaining for all the mysteries, Chen Chang'an was determined to succeed.
However, when dealing with such a calculating old fox, he must learn from that Holy Lord predecessor's experience.
Since he had decided to act, he must be completely certain of success.
This was why he opposed the Heavenly Demon Venerable taking rash action.
...
So, just now, he had suddenly thought of a method. Although it was a bit troublesome, it could ensure that even if the person behind the scenes had heaven-defying means, they would absolutely not be able to see through the mystery.
Since illusions had too many weaknesses, he would focus on being real.
The inspiration for this came from a classic movie he had watched in his previous life—"The Truman Show."
In that movie, the protagonist Truman had lived in a giant studio since birth. Everything around him—family, friends, neighbors, even sunrise and sunset, wind and rain, thunder and lightning—were all artificially created illusions. Yet he himself knew nothing of this, believing he lived in the real world.
Thinking of this, the corner of Chen Chang'an's mouth curved upward slightly.
"Crude sets and actors are ultimately just tricks of mortals..." he murmured to himself. "But what if I use Immortal Venerable means to construct a real Truman world?"
A cold glint flashed in his eyes.
Wasn't Zhou Moran stubbornly persistent? Didn't he still long for that woman who betrayed him?
Very well—
He would fabricate a false reality and let him see with his own eyes the "truth" he longed for day and night.
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