Chapter 590: Forgotten Memories

"Which one?" Cen Qiaofu asked instinctively as he was led inside.

"Red-clad?""Holy Servant?""Ghost Beast?"The masked man listed three options, chuckling to himself. "These beings... I don't even think highly of them myself. Do you think they would?"

Cen Qiaofu's face darkened. "You're the Chief of the Holy Servants. Is that how you belittle yourself?"

"Heh." The masked man seemed to know what he was thinking and was immediately amused.

"But in this White Cave, besides these three, who else could catch the Holy Emperor's eye?" Cen Qiaofu paid no mind and continued, "The rest are insignificant youngsters... Could it be a stowaway?"

"They'd think even less of those who sneak around," the masked man replied.

"Then... an experience seeker?" Cen Qiaofu was surprised. "So it really is a young person?" He found it hard to imagine that the Holy Emperor's plan would ultimately focus on a young person. "Young people still need to grow, don't they?" "Leaving aside whether they might perish midway, can *they* wait for young people to mature?" Cen Qiaofu didn't believe it.

The masked man smiled at his words. "They've waited this long; why would they be in a hurry now?"

"Who is it, then?" Cen Qiaofu pressed anxiously. He couldn't think of any young person in the White Cave who could possibly catch the Holy Emperor's attention. Luo Leilei? Lei Shuanghang? No. One wasn't qualified. The other had their own mission; when would they have time? So, someone from the Holy Temple?

"No." The masked man's eyes shifted, knowing Cen Qiaofu had guessed incorrectly. "You know that person, and you've even 'met' him."

"'Met'?" Cen Qiaofu was confused by the Chief's emphasized tone. Suddenly, a hedgehog-like figure flashed through his mind. "Is it him?"

"Yes, the one I fancy..." The masked man didn't answer directly. Instead, he shifted his gaze towards the White Cave's direction. "Theoretically, after this trip to the White Cave, I might not be the only one to have noticed him."

"Wen Ming!" Cen Qiaofu blurted out. At that moment, the vague figure in his mind solidified, forming into a young man. However, during that collision at the Heavenly Mulberry Spirit Palace, they had merely encountered each other, and he hadn't discerned how powerful this young man truly was. But why did the Chief always praise him so highly? And even recommended him to the Storyteller just before entering the White Cave?

"Is he really that strong?" Cen Qiaofu asked, curious.

"We'll see!" The masked man smiled noncommittally. "If this person I've taken an interest in doesn't die prematurely, then, at least in this White Cave, several parties might have their eyes on him: the Holy Temple, the Ghost Beasts, and the Holy Emperor's plan..."

"Tsk tsk." A strange emotion suddenly flickered in the masked man's cloudy eyes. It felt like a child's favorite toy, too dazzling, had been spotted by others. The joy of having something exclusively was suddenly compromised, adding a hint of the feeling that it might have to be shared... It truly stung!

"Let's go." The masked man said no more and stepped outside.

"Where are we going this time?" Cen Qiaofu immediately followed.

"To see if the Storyteller can successfully bring Wen Ming, or perhaps..." The masked man suddenly stopped, seemingly noticing the commotion from outside. He chuckled softly. "To join the fun."

***

The White Cave.On the other side.

Xu Xiaoshou landed with a thud, golden light shattering as he returned to human form. Feeling his empty Qi Sea, he finally had a moment to glance back, then clenched his fist and swung it forcefully. "Yes! Escaped!"

To be able to take that step forward when both the Storyteller and the Night Watch were attacking simultaneously... It must be said that it required all the courage he had accumulated throughout his life. He was fortunate to have succeeded. The energy unleashed by the compressed "Song of Ice and Fire" was simply something ordinary people couldn't withstand. That was enough power to destroy the entire Spirit Smelting Marsh! The collision force of the "Ashen Illumination Original Seed" and the "Three-Day Frost Tribulation" wouldn't diminish just because they had been subdued. On the contrary, under Xu Xiaoshou's deliberate manipulation, more energy was compressed into their equilibrium point. The resulting explosive power would only be more terrifying.

However..."Hiss." Gulping down pills, Xu Xiaoshou's body spasmed repeatedly. He watched, both in pain and relief, as his cracked body and his left hand, completely corroded by destructive energy until it was barely bone, slowly recovered.

"It was terrifying." "Using this move is truly a devastating sacrifice: it's like killing a thousand enemies only to cripple seven hundred and fifty of yourself, leaving you severely depleted." "At the Master level, it's completely unsustainable..." Feeling that even with "Endless Vitality," his arm injuries were still recovering at a snail's pace, Xu Xiaoshou no longer dared to relax even slightly. One moment of laxity led to such consequences. Who would dare relax? And for this arm to fully recover on its own, it would likely take at least half a day. The only fortunate thing was that this was still a problem that could be solved with time.

"So, where to escape next?" Xu Xiaoshou, holding the Four Swords, looked around, a little lost. Theoretically, ordinary White Cave experience seekers who wished to abandon their training only needed to crush a Linglong Stone to receive assistance from the red-clad figures and exit the boundary. But... "That's too unscientific." Xu Xiaoshou didn't even dare to keep a Linglong Stone in his ring now, fearing he would receive special attention from the red-clad. To break through the boundary, he had to rely on himself!

"Buzz, buzz, buzz—" The surrounding space pulsed, and its power grew increasingly intense. Xu Xiaoshou knew this was his explosive ice-fire seed taking effect. He figured that once the time came, even if the explosive energy was stopped at the last minute, the White Cave would inevitably shatter! But... It needed time!

"So, where can I go during this time?" "Find a place to hide, wait for the White Cave to shatter, and then slip out in the chaos?" Xu Xiaoshou had this idea. He even wanted to take out his Yuan Mansion and directly hide inside it. But... As he looked at the message that refreshed in his information bar every so often, a heavy weight pressed on his heart, preventing him from settling down. "Who could it be?"

Xu Xiaoshou felt a little flustered. The Night Watch couldn't have caught up. In the final moments, his "perception" had seen the red-clad figure bravely sacrifice himself, choosing to swallow the ice-fire seed whole. Tears almost welled up in Xu Xiaoshou's eyes as if to mourn the Night Watch. After forcefully taking that attack, the other party couldn't possibly have any energy left to pursue him. So... The Storyteller?

"No, that's not right." Xu Xiaoshou's "perception" couldn't even detect the slightest trace of the Storyteller. The Night Watch's ability to catch up earlier was purely due to Lu Ke's famous sword, Azure Scaly Spine. Now, not to mention he had used "Ascend to Heaven in One Step" while in a vanished state... even if he hadn't used it and had stayed put... the Storyteller would likely have chosen to save himself and leave, no longer paying attention to the blast's epicenter. So, there was no reason he could have caught up.

"Then who could it be?" Xu Xiaoshou faintly felt he had overlooked something. He pondered hard and finally remembered that during his battle with the Storyteller, almost every time he checked the information bar, he would occasionally glimpse the "Being Watched" message. At that time, he thought it was because the Storyteller was constantly watching him. But now? The other party was gone. So, who was this "Being Watched" message from now?

"I'm so flustered..." "I should be feeling very panicked, but why do I only feel a little anxious and not overly worried?" Xu Xiaoshou always felt that his current state was very strange. In the past, whenever he saw "Being Watched," he would be terrified, his scalp tingling. But this time... It appeared again! Yet, why did he feel indifferent after merely thinking, "It's here again?"

"Something's wrong with me!" His Qi Sea had recovered a little spirit energy. Xu Xiaoshou clearly felt he *should* be panicked, but he was too calm, abnormally calm. "Vanish." He waved his hand, vanishing instantly from his spot, and only then did he feel a little better.

"Who's watching me?" He surveyed his surroundings... All was silent, utterly desolate. Besides Ah Jie Stone, there were no other beings spying on him. "Calm down..." "No, be more anxious." "Who exactly is watching me?!" The information bar flashed again, and Xu Xiaoshou's pupils abruptly constricted. He realized something was wrong! "Vanishment Art" was supposed to be absolute disappearance. How could it be that he had vanished, yet someone could still see him?

Upon closer thought... When he battled the Storyteller before, even when he vanished... it seemed this "Being Watched" message had appeared then too?

"What the hell!" Xu Xiaoshou, in his vanished state, finally began to feel a hint of panic. It seemed that some external force silently influencing him had also been blocked by "Vanishment Art." But, *people* couldn't be blocked? How on earth could that unknown entity still see him?

"Calm down, think, use your brain, Xu Xiaoshou!" Forcing his chaotic thoughts to stop, Xu Xiaoshou opened his arms as if to embrace this vanishing world. As his mind quieted slightly, he seemed to hear more sounds.

"Rustle, rustle, rustle..." The sound of wind!"Crack, crack—" The sound of space shattering! It came from far away; it seemed the White Cave was truly on the verge of breaking apart... So, what other sound had he been ignoring? He tried hard to clear his mind. Xu Xiaoshou unconsciously lifted his head, feeling as if his soul had left his body and completely merged with this world.

"Buzz." The Four Swords were trembling? Very slightly. Why? No, that wasn't it... The Four Swords shouldn't be enough to trigger "Being Watched." What else? What else had he been forgetting all this time? His Qi Sea was gradually running dry. Xu Xiaoshou felt he could barely maintain his vanished state.

Suddenly, his soul, merged with the Heavenly Dao, seemed to rise to its peak, touching something cold and icy. What was this? "Pitter-patter..." Rain was falling incessantly. From the heavens above, that curtain of rain, barely a zhang high yet falling throughout the entire White Cave, so effortlessly entered Xu Xiaoshou's "perception."

"Is it it?" With a whoosh, his Qi Sea bottomed out again, and his vanished state ended. Xu Xiaoshou felt something flash through his mind, but he couldn't recall it. "Rain?" "The White Cave, it's raining?" He seemed to only just realize it. Yet, deep in his memory, vaguely, there was a scene that seemed never to have existed: he had emerged from the ancient text space and seen the rain. "Did I forget?"

Xu Xiaoshou stared blankly at the curtain of rain from the heavens. After a long time, he lowered his head and began to ponder again. "Being Watched..." "Who, exactly, is emitting it?" The information bar suddenly moved, and another message popped up. "Hypnotized, Passive Value, 1."

Whoosh— At this instant, Xu Xiaoshou's hair stood on end! "Holy crap!!!" "Hypnosis?" "Rain?" He raised his eyes again in horror, saw the rain curtain from the heavens, and it was as if a bolt of lightning had struck his mind! "It's watching me!"

His breathing suddenly grew heavy. Xu Xiaoshou's pupils constricted abruptly, and his eyes widened as if they would split open. "And not only is it watching me, it's hypnotizing me?" "It..." "Huh?" Xu Xiaoshou suddenly felt something flash through his mind again, but he couldn't grasp it at all. "What am I doing?"

He twisted his neck, which felt sore as if from forcefully craning it, and Xu Xiaoshou frowned, slowly lowering his head. His pupils gradually dilated. Following that, his brows also unfurled. Even the anxiety in his expression seemed to be smoothed away by an unknown hand. Xu Xiaoshou subconsciously murmured. "Why do I feel a little uneasy..." "Who, exactly, is watching me?" He instinctively glanced at the information bar. But the information bar remained still, and Xu Xiaoshou felt somewhat confused himself. Why was he instinctively looking at the information bar even though he had already escaped danger? "What's wrong with me!" He pursed his lips and shook his head. Xu Xiaoshou cast aside the jumbled thoughts that felt like random musings but which he couldn't recall, returning to his original main objective.

"Damn it, how do I break through this White Cave?" His face was a tangled mess. Xu Xiaoshou was extremely troubled. "Something that could be solved with just one Linglong Stone..."

"Buzz!" The Four Swords suddenly trembled more intensely, reaching a violent state, as if sensing something. Xu Xiaoshou's expression brightened. He knew that because of his sword intent, this ominous sword had initially accepted him. Could it be that it sensed his thoughts?

"Do you have a way to break through the boundary?"

"Clang—" The Four Swords vibrated violently, seemingly wanting to break free from his grasp. Xu Xiaoshou quickly followed its movement. "Alright, I'm counting on you!" He loosened his grip slightly. Sure enough, the Four Swords, which had become docile, suddenly shot into the air on their own, carrying the person behind them directly towards a certain point. "Charge!" A hint of joy appeared in Xu Xiaoshou's eyes. As expected, at a crucial moment, he still needed the guidance of the White Cave's master, the ominous sword!

His entire focus was on scouting for dangers ahead, completely forgetting that he usually, no matter how dangerous the situation, would always spare even a sliver of his spiritual consciousness to monitor the information bar. Silently, the information bar flashed again.