Chapter 338: Lost and Dazed
The moment Shen Qingwu, the Heavenly Demon Superior, clearly saw Chen Chang'an's face, his entire body began to tremble violently.
His eyes widened, his lips quivered, and the arrogance on his face vanished without a trace, replaced by an almost unbelievable ecstasy. "Ho-Holy Lord! It really is you!"
His voice choked, and his eyes instantly turned red.
Before Chen Chang'an could react, the self-proclaimed Half-Step Immortal Venerable suddenly dropped to his knees with a loud thud. In the blink of an eye, he lunged forward and hugged Chen Chang'an's thigh tightly.
"I knew Holy Lord you were blessed by fate and would survive!" the Heavenly Demon Superior wailed, smearing snot and tears all over Chen Chang'an's robes. "After you left, we lived miserably! The eldest and second brothers were besieged by the righteous path and died, and I was ambushed by that vile woman from the Joyous Union Sect, nearly having both body and soul destroyed…"
He lifted his tear-streaked face and looked at Chen Chang'an pitifully. "Holy Lord, you must seek justice for us!"
Chen Chang'an froze completely.
He lowered his head and looked at this "Half-Step Immortal Venerable" clinging to his leg and crying like a two-hundred-jin child, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
"You…" He opened his mouth, yet did not know what to say.
Seeing this, the Heavenly Demon Superior cried even harder and continued sobbing accusations. "That vile woman attacked me while I was in seclusion, destroying my physical body. If not for the book you left behind back then…"
As he spoke, he suddenly hiccupped from crying and continued howling. "Right, that book has already been taken away by your subordinates. Holy Lord, where have you been all these years? We searched for you for so long…"
Chen Chang'an's temples throbbed violently.
He tried to pull his leg free, only to find the other party holding on tightly, just like a koala clinging to a tree.
Chen Chang'an sighed helplessly and reached out to press on the Heavenly Demon Superior's shoulder. "I am not your Holy Lord. Let go, or I will make a move."
Hearing this, the Heavenly Demon Superior paused, and his crying stopped abruptly. He slowly stood up and stared intently at Chen Chang'an's face for a moment, then suddenly burst into loud sobs again.
"Do not try to fool me! Even if Holy Lord turned to ashes, I would still recognize you!"
Both annoyed and amused, Chen Chang'an raised his brows and asked, "Then let me ask you. What is my name?"
"Holy Lord's name is of course—" the Heavenly Demon Superior answered without hesitation, but the words suddenly stuck in his throat.
His eyes widened in terror. "What is going on? Why can I suddenly not remember Holy Lord's name?"
The Heavenly Demon Superior's expression froze completely.
His pupils contracted sharply, and his lips trembled uncontrollably. "Holy Lord's name… Holy Lord's name…"
He pressed his fingers hard against his temples, his nails carving bloody marks into his skin. "Impossible… This is impossible! I followed Holy Lord in battle for three thousand years. How could I… not even remember Holy Lord's name?"
Suddenly, he let out a howl and grabbed his own hair. "Why can't I remember it? Why!"
As he spoke, veins bulged on his forehead, the whites of his eyes filling with blood. His entire body convulsed violently, as though bound by invisible chains.
"Ahhh—!" He abruptly dropped to his knees and began smashing his forehead against the ground.
Each impact produced a dull thud, and blood quickly dyed the ground red. "Let me remember! Let me remember!"
His voice had become hoarse beyond recognition, yet he continued the mechanical act of smashing his head.
Blood flowed down the bridge of his nose into his mouth, then sprayed out along with his hysterical roars, drawing shocking streaks of red across the ground.
Seeing this, Chen Chang'an shouted in a deep voice, "Enough!" The shout carried Immortal Venerable pressure, shaking the Heavenly Demon Superior's body and finally stopping his self-harm.
"Let us put this aside for now," Chen Chang'an said, his tone easing. "You said you had a secret of the Upper Realm you wanted to exchange with me. What secret is it?"
The Heavenly Demon Superior gasped heavily and slowly calmed down.
He wiped the blood from his face and looked at Chen Chang'an with eyes still filled with reverence. "There is no need for an exchange. Since Holy Lord wishes to know, this subordinate will naturally tell everything without concealment."
After that, the room fell into silence.
Chen Chang'an waited for a moment, then frowned slightly. "Speak. What secret is it, exactly?"
The Heavenly Demon Superior gave a dry laugh and rubbed his hands. "The secret is… there is no secret."
Chen Chang'an's gaze gradually turned dangerous.
Seeing this, the Heavenly Demon Superior hurriedly explained in a flattering tone. "I dare not conceal anything from Holy Lord. That so-called Upper Realm secret was originally meant to deceive those people. I planned to make up whatever I liked, since they know nothing about the Upper Realm…"
Watching Chen Chang'an's expression grow increasingly unpleasant, the Heavenly Demon Superior quickly added, "But this subordinate is absolutely loyal to Holy Lord, with a heart of pure devotion. I would never dare deceive you in the slightest."
Chen Chang'an let out a cold laugh. "Then should I thank you for not lying to me?"
"Hehe…" The Heavenly Demon Superior scratched his head and revealed a fawning smile. "Holy Lord is too kind…"
…
Chen Chang'an stared at the Heavenly Demon Superior for a long while before finally asking, "Why are you so determined that I am the Holy Lord you speak of?"
Hearing this, the Heavenly Demon Superior straightened his back, his eyes shining with unwavering conviction. "The Holy Lord is the Holy Lord. There is no reason."
"This subordinate's life was saved by Holy Lord, and my entire life belongs to you. Moreover…" He stepped closer and took a deep breath. "Holy Lord's aura is something this subordinate will never mistake."
Seeing his resolute expression, which did not seem false, Chen Chang'an could not help but feel a trace of curiosity. "If that is the case, then tell me how you met the Holy Lord you speak of, and what happened afterward."
Upon hearing this, a trace of recollection flashed through the Heavenly Demon Superior's eyes.
He subconsciously rubbed his hands together, a look of both nostalgia and pain appearing on his face. "That was when…"
Just as the words left his mouth, his entire body stiffened, and his expression froze.
"That was when…" The Heavenly Demon Superior opened his mouth again, beads of sweat seeping from his forehead. He desperately tried to recall, yet found his memories shrouded in thick fog, impossible to grasp.
"How strange…" he muttered, his fingers unconsciously clutching his collar. "I should clearly remember it…"
…
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{A glimpse from future chapter:
"And then?" Lin Wan stared at the old man and asked.
A look of bitterness appeared on the old man's withered face: "According to the agreement, the loser loses everything."
A glint of reminiscence flashed through his turbid eyes. "But at the final moment, the Saint Master said many... strange words when bidding us farewell."
"What words?" Lin Wan leaned her body forward slightly.
The old man sighed, imitating the Saint Master's tone from back then:
"Come to think of it, you three: one is a renegade disciple of the Demon Blood Sect, one is an elder of the Joyous Union Sect, and one is the sect master of the Carefree Sect. Just hearing that, you are destined to be villains! Born with the Stepping Stone Saint Body! I am the Child of Destiny, but you aren't. That was a miscalculation..."
Lin Wan raised an eyebrow.
"Also, why is it that when other people transmigrate, the villains they meet all have lowered intelligence, but the ones I meet are all cunning old foxes!" The old man tried his best to mimic a tone of annoyance. "That chessboard was also problematic; my brain must have twitched to agree to that game."
In the firelight of the green lamp, it seemed to reflect the uninhibited figure from those years.
"However, if there is a next time—" The old man's voice suddenly became serious, and a strange light flickered in his eyes. "I absolutely cannot be so reckless anymore. I must lie low while gathering a whole bunch of true Children of Destiny."
"If we have to play a game then, I will definitely annihilate him completely! I'll teach him how to behave in every sense of the word!"
}
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