The captain was conflicted.
Xu Qing frowned.
They had previously attempted to approach the nine phoenix palaces within the area of the flesh and blood city wall, but encountered a strange power. Getting close would cause this power to reappear, while moving away would result in the erosion of the whole place.
The changes there were determined by the person who arrived.
However, if one got too close, unpredictable things would happen, and they would be trapped in a distorted state where time passed unnoticed.
"Little Qing, do you remember that you said you were familiar with that place just now? Was the feeling strong?"
The captain suddenly spoke.
"Very strong." Xu Qing nodded.
"Given that, do you think it's possible that we have already explored this place multiple times within these three days?"
"Although I also feel a sense of familiarity, it's very faint. In that case, is it possible that you were the one who entered it? So, your sense of familiarity is stronger than mine?"
The captain looked at Xu Qing.
Xu Qing narrowed his eyes and spoke softly.
"If that's the case, when we didn't receive the command sword's notice earlier and sensed the passage of time, according to the subsequent developments, I asked you, Eldest Senior Brother, to help me. I might have made use of the defense of the severed arm and merged into it, and then you threw the severed arm inside."
"If so, there's a high chance that I was able to pass through the restrictions. I then got out of the severed arm inside the courtyard and explored the phoenix palace."
After Xu Qing finished speaking, he looked at the severed arm, wanting to find evidence from it. However, the severed arm possessed strong recovery abilities. From the looks of it, there didn't seem to be any changes to it.
However, there were still some traces of newly-grown flesh. This discovery caused the two of them to narrow their eyes.
A dark glint appeared in the captain's eyes.
"So, you have indeed explored many times but you can't remember what you saw inside… Junior Brother, think about it carefully and see if you can remember."
Xu Qing fell silent and recalled carefully. However, the memories in his mind didn't have any flaws. Everything was connected perfectly and he couldn't find any gaps.
Xu Qing frowned. This was similar to D132, but there were also differences.
D132 exhibited two levels of phenomenon, external and internal.
Due to the influence of the power of luck, there was a relative balance there, making it appear normal to ordinary people. This was the external phenomenon.
However, the underlying truth was always present. It's just that most people were unable to see it. Nonetheless, its impact was still felt, and that was why previous guardians stationed there met with unfortunate fates.
Once someone awakened to the truth beneath the external facade due to various unexpected circumstances, their perception would be altered when they left D132 and they forgot everything.
As for the reason behind the repetitive cycle, it was because every day, Xu Qing would awaken inside and lose the cognitive memory of his awakening each day.
This caused a feeling of repetition.
The phoenix palaces in front of them didn't seem to have such dual phenomena. It was one layer which formed a cycle of its own.
Xu Qing quietly analyzed. He then circulated the Poison Restriction Pill and the Ghost Emperor Mountain. The power of the Heavenly Dao spread out at the same time and the might of D132 spread out.
In an instant, his life level rose. Amidst the surging wind and clouds in the surroundings, the captain, who was seeing this scene for the first time, had a strange glint in his eyes and clicked his tongue.
Xu Qing didn't pay attention to the captain. At that moment, as his level continued to increase, he looked toward the phoenix palaces.
Everything was normal.
Xu Qing was stunned. After some thought, he tried his best to circulate the golden threads in his god's body. A golden light flashed in his eyes as he looked over again.
This time, it was a little different.
The phoenix palaces were there but they were blurry and were enveloped by a purple light. The light seemed ethereal, giving a sense of being in between reality and illusion, as if time was passing by it.
This was just a feeling and was hard to put in words.
A while later, Xu Qing restrained everything and sighed softly. He looked at the captain at the side and shook his head.
"I can't remember."
The captain sighed.
"However, Eldest Senior Brother, I have a solution. There's a high chance that I can get that purple bottle." Xu Qing suddenly spoke.
The captain's eyes narrowed.
Xu Qing lifted his right hand. As D132 shook in his body, the stone lion and the head were extracted. The head had learned its lesson this time, so after they landed on the ground, it hurriedly put on a flattering expression and spoke loudly.
"Greetings to the great and supreme Lord Guardian!"
The stone lion didn't have a head or mouth and couldn't speak. However, its tail swayed rapidly while prostrating on the ground.
The captain had seen the head but he had never seen the stone lion before. When he saw it, he revealed an interested expression and sized it up a few times.
"Junior Brother, these are your friends, right? I've seen that head before. At that time, I felt that it was a little interesting. This lion also looks very good. I can smell the scent of a cloud beast from it. Also… these two friends of yours are very strange. Not only do they possess luck, but they were also cursed. These two powers seem to have reached a balance."
"To be able to reach a balance with luck, it means that there's a high chance that this curse came from a god… Junior Brother, you've heard of the term 'accomplice of a tiger', right? That 'accomplice' is referring to the ghosts of creatures that have been devoured by the tiger. It's rumored that those who are killed by a tiger will turn into a special kind of ghost that will linger around it. Your two friends are such 'accomplices'!"
The captain gave a spurious smile.
Upon hearing those words, the stone lion trembled and its eyes widened. It quickly glanced at the captain, filled with astonishment and suspicion. This was the second time they encountered someone who could immediately perceive the abnormalities around them.
The first was Xu Qing, and the second was the person in front of them.
