Chapter 2322: Mist Unveiled

"A Scribe of the Ages?" Zu'an was startled. He had never heard of it. "What is that?"

"A Scribe of the Ages, like a cultivator, is a special profession, or perhaps a follower of a certain entity," Mi Li explained.

"What entity?" Zu'an asked, his curiosity piqued.

Mi Li shook her head slightly. "It cannot be spoken of. With your current cultivation, it's better not to hear its name."

Zu'an rolled his eyes. He was used to this; Mi Li always spoke in riddles. However, he also knew that the names of some exceptionally powerful entities in this world could not be casually mentioned. If they sensed it and cast a glance his way, he would likely be reduced to ashes with his current strength.

He had initially doubted this, as he was quite strong now, but the entity summoned during the Heaven and Earth Sacrifice Dance, and later the matter of Emperor Fengdu, had all confirmed this claim.

Seeming to notice his displeasure, Mi Li hesitated before explaining, "For example, the Doomsday Beast that brought destruction to this demon world is actually a follower of another powerful entity. Both entities are almost equally powerful."

Zu'an's expression immediately turned grim. The demon world was incredibly powerful; just a few demons sent by them had nearly caused the cultivation world to fall. Yet, their own world had been steadily defeated by this Doomsday Beast for thousands of years, with almost all its civilization destroyed, leaving only this sole remaining underground city.

Now he was learning that this terrifying Doomsday Beast was merely a subordinate and follower of some entity?

How terrifying must that entity be?

The entity that Scribes of the Ages followed had comparable power. Were there really so many absurdly powerful beings in this world?

Zu'an sighed. "I suddenly feel that being a local emperor in the cultivation world is quite good. I wouldn't have to deal with these terrifying entities."

"There's no escaping it," Mi Li said, giving Zu'an a complex look. "The entity that the Doomsday Beast follows is your enemy. One day, he will find you."

Zu'an: "???"

He had only spoken casually, never expecting Mi Li to drop such a bombshell.

He felt utterly numb. "What have I ever done to be considered an enemy by such an entity?"

The Doomsday Beast under that entity... No, there were many beings stronger than him even in the demon world that the Doomsday Beast easily destroyed.

Hearing this, he couldn't help but feel the absurdity of an elephant considering an ant its lifelong enemy.

"You don't need to worry too much. Precisely because you are too weak right now, that entity won't notice you for a while," Mi Li said, a slight smile curving her lips as she saw his world-ending expression.

"Your comfort is worse than no comfort at all," Zu'an muttered, feeling thoroughly depressed.

"Weren't you the one constantly asking about these matters and complaining that I don't tell you much? Now that I've told you, this is your reaction?" Mi Li rolled her eyes, scoffing repeatedly.

Zu'an: "..."

He quickly chuckled apologetically. "It seems I didn't understand the empress master's painstaking efforts before. My mistake."

The demon envoys standing nearby exchanged glances. Why was this guy making all sorts of strange expressions while talking to thin air?

It wasn't surprising; he was suspected of murdering Steward Pei and had just narrowly avoided being exterminated by their lord. Being so terrified, it was understandable he might be a little unhinged.

Zu'an knew they couldn't see Mi Li and didn't bother explaining. He continued to ask Mi Li, "Empress sister, that entity is too far removed from me. Let's talk about the Scribes of the Ages for now."

A flicker of admiration appeared in Mi Li's eyes. Upon hearing such dreadful news, he had quickly adjusted his mindset and remained unaffected. Years of tempering had indeed given him the heart of a powerful being.

"A Scribe of the Ages, as the name suggests, is a person who records the Historical Annals of the Ages," Mi Li replied.

"Historical Annals of the Ages?" Zu'an felt a faint sense of familiarity. He had seen the term on the internet in his previous life.

"The Historical Annals of the Ages isn't really a physical book. Some say it has the form of a book, yet it's omnipresent across all the myriad worlds," Mi Li explained.

A trace of bewilderment flashed in Zu'an's eyes. How could a book be omnipresent across all myriad worlds?

Didn't that mean the Historical Annals of the Ages were around him right now?

He looked left and right, but where could he see any book?

Not to mention now, even when he was in the cultivation world, wielding the world's authority, he hadn't sensed the presence of any book.

"As the name implies, this 'book' records various histories across all myriad worlds. Once something is successfully inscribed, everyone, except for a very few entities, will consider those events to be true history," Mi Li replied.

Zu'an's heart stirred. "Isn't this like Grand Prophecy Art?"

A hint of disdain flashed in Mi Li's eyes. "How can this compare to Grand Prophecy Art? In the end, the Historical Annals of the Ages records false histories. Once someone exposes it, their previous records are proven false, and that record then vanishes from all myriad worlds, and everyone returns to their original memories, just like what you did this time."

Zu'an fell into thought. "From what you're saying, it seems the Historical Annals of the Ages only records false histories."

"Precisely. The Historical Annals of the Ages is used by some people to achieve their goals by altering true history, making beings across all myriad worlds believe that false history is what truly happened," Mi Li replied.

"These Scribes of the Ages are truly despicable. Don't they easily become public enemies of the entire universe, and why haven't they been eradicated?" Zu'an fumed, thinking of his recent experience.

If not for a stroke of luck and that miraculous tooth that could break all spells, he might have died without even knowing how this time.

"Indeed, the myriad worlds despise the Scribes of the Ages. However, the entities behind those individuals are incredibly powerful. Moreover, each Scribe's movements are secretive, and their actions are impossible to guard against. Few in the world even realize their existence. As for the rare few who do know of them, they understand how insidious these individuals are and are truly unwilling to provoke them unless absolutely necessary. Otherwise, who knows how they might be arranged in the Historical Annals of the Ages? No one wants to be constantly targeted by these people." Mi Li slightly furrowed her brows, evidently pained by the thought of the Scribes of the Ages.

She thought for a moment and added, "Furthermore, these historical alterations aren't always made with malicious intent, which is why the various great powers tacitly allow their existence."

"Altering history isn't always done with malicious intent?" Zu'an genuinely couldn't grasp what that meant.

Mi Li considered it, then offered an analogy: "You have some technological concepts in your memory. Let's put it this way: In a special system, there are countless inputs but only one output. If the conditions for each input are fixed, wouldn't the output also be fixed?"

Zu'an nodded slightly. That was true.

"What the Scribes of the Ages do is akin to changing some input conditions to see if they can alter that single output," Mi Li said softly.

Zu'an's heart stirred. "Do they know what the outcome will be? And how do they know if that outcome is good or bad?"

Mi Li shook her head. "That, I don't know. You'll have to find out for yourself in the future."

Zu'an gave her a deep look. "Empress Master, I think you're becoming increasingly mysterious. You mentioned before that only a very few entities across all myriad worlds know about the Scribes of the Ages, yet you're so familiar with these secrets."

"No need to try and trick me into talking," Mi Li rolled her eyes. "I've told you before, I'm gradually recovering some memories, but of course, there are many more that haven't returned. I'll tell you what I can, but for what I can't, it's useless to ask."

Zu'an smiled slightly. "As long as I know Empress Master won't harm me, that's enough. Thinking too much right now is indeed pointless."

Mi Li's expression turned serious. "Don't trust anyone without reservation, not even me. Otherwise, you might die without ever knowing how."

Zu'an, however, smiled. "If I'm unwilling to trust even those closest to me, wouldn't I become a lonely figure? That would be too pathetic. Besides, an individual's strength has its limits; there's always greater power in numbers."

Hearing this familiar exchange, Mi Li was momentarily lost in thought, but quickly sneered, "Have you forgotten that there are many arts in this world that can impersonate others, like your Myriad Life Transformation technique? And Scribes of the Ages can also alter people's memories."

"There are indeed some risks, but I'm still willing to trust the people around me, though I'll keep my eyes open at all times," Zu'an said, taking the opportunity to ask, "For instance, can you tell me if there are any limitations on how Scribes of the Ages change history? That would make it easier for me to expose them in the future."

Hearing his words, Mi Li became thoughtful. Strength in numbers... he had been struggling alone back then, no wonder now...

"Of course, there are limitations," Mi Li explained. "For example, Scribes of the Ages find it difficult to alter history out of thin air. Instead, they take a real event and make reasonable modifications. Otherwise, if a flaw is detected, the corresponding record in the Historical Annals of the Ages will disappear."