"That's exactly why I've been trying so hard to break through. And now that I have the Sword of Time, it's certainly going to be easier than before," Long Chen agreed with the statement of the Snake Monarch.
Because of that sword, he was certainly in a better situation than before.
The realm he was currently in would have taken him at least a thousand years to reach if it hadn't been for the Sword of Time.
Instead of being concerned about it before, Long Chen was excited about becoming strong to face Tian Shen.
He wanted to show Tuan Shen that he wasn't going to be a pawn in someone else's plans. Instead, he was going to be the Ruler of his own destiny.
Snake Monarch closed in to Long Chen before he whispered. "By the way, this Xun... She really wanted to sacrifice you?"
"Not actually a sacrifice. I was going to be left alive, but they were going to steal my bloodline and my cultivation, making me a waste in the process," Long Chen explained.
"Why did you still keep your friendship with her? Were you acting? Until now, I really thought she was your best friend. Who knew she had an ulterior motive, and you even knew that?" Snake Monarch commented.
"I wasn't acting. She is just a misguided girl whose whole life was a lie. If I were in her place, I would have done the same thing. Now she will see the reality for herself, and she will be free of these false memories," Long Chen explained.
Snake Monarch glanced at Xun, who was sitting in the distance, trying to comprehend the book.
"I honestly didn't expect this from you. If it were me, I would have killed her for scheming against me," Snake Monarch commented.
"No, you wouldn't," Long Chen let out, smiling wryly. "Alright, let's make it like this. I'll tell you a scenario. And you tell me what you would do."
" What Scenario?" Snake Monarch asked.
"If tomorrow, you found out that you I was fooled by someone from my childhood, from even before I met you. And that I was to sacrifice you to save a person I considered my mother, all because of false memories. What will you do?" Long Chen asked. "Can you kill me?"
"Of course not! You're my right hand man! I'll just tell you what an idiotic a*shole you are to be fooled so easily. I'll tell you the truth and then kill the person who actually schemed against me. You were just a pawn," Snake Monarch firmly stated.
"Is that so? Then tell me, how is my situation any different?" Long Chen asked the Snake Monarch.
Since they were both talking through their thoughts, Xun didn't hear a single word.
"Moreover, she was the Treasure Spirit of this ring. She had some influence on the Fake Bloodline Temple. It was going to be stupid to tell her the truth when she wasn't going to believe it," Long Chen explained.
"At Least now I can make her know the truth with that skill. Moreover, I can use her help in the future against Tian Shen," he further stated. "Even though most of her memories are fake, she still knows more about some things than anyone else could."
"That's true as well. I think she would be helpful if she's all that you're bragging her to be," Snake Monarch agreed.
"There's only one person here who likes to brag, and it's most certainly not me," Long Chen commented, rolling his eyes.
"Now stop talking and look through the windows. Do you still see Royal Guards outside?" he asked the Snake Monarch, comfortably lying on the bed.
Snake Monarch flew towards the window and looked outside.
"Yeah, I still see some of them outside," he agreed.
"Good. It seems like they're suspicious of this place. It doesn't matter though. I have finished the process. There would be no trail to lead them here now," Long Chen commented as he closed his eyes.
" Yeah. They're never going to find what we did. Snake Monarch commented, laughing.
" Yeah. I doubt they can even find that thief, let alone us," Long Chen muttered.
Throughout the night, all the guards kept searching the entire city, trying to find anything, but they didn't find anyone.
....
"Did you find anything?" The Western General asked the Captain of their guards when they returned.
Even though he asked a question, in reality, he already knew the answer to the question. The answers were already written on their disappointed faces. It was clear that they couldn't find anything.
"We couldn't find anything," the Captain replied, as per expectations. "But there was certainly something strange that a few of our men reported.
"What was it?" The Western General asked.
"They reported a strange phenomenon where most of the Qi in a big area had suddenly decreased as if all of the Emperors were cultivating at the same time," the Captain answered.
" Did you verify these claims?" The Western General asked.
"Yeah. When I reached there, I was able to feel it as well. That place had certainly recovered a lot of its Qi until I reached there, but I was able to feel it. The men were telling the truth."
" What was causing it? Were you able to find out?" Western General asked, curious about which place it was.
"Our men searched everywhere, but we weren't able to find the source of it," the Captain answered.
"Alright, lead me to the place. I want to see it for myself," the Western General let out, telling his men to lead him to that strange place.
As per his orders, his men led him near the hotel Long Chen was staying in.
...
It was early morning. Throughout the night, Long Chen hadn't slept. He spent his time trying to comprehend the Skill of Saint King.
In the meantime, Xun also comprehended the skill the Long Chen had given him. As a human, it was the first skill he had learned.
Without telling Long Chen that she had comprehended the skill, Xun started using it to see if her memories were actually manipulated.
As she used her skill herself, her lips opened slightly. Everything that Long Chen said was true. Tian Shen wasn't trapped in the Bloodline Temple. And she wasn't created by the owner of this bloodline.
In fact, she was even able to remember the moment when she truly came into existence. The face she had seen wasn't the face of any higher being. Instead, it was the face of Tian Shen.
She also remembered the first words she had heard.