"Pine Town? Never heard of it."
"There has never been any town with that name around here, young man."
"Are you sure you got the name right? Because I've been living here for two decades and never heard of a place called Pine Town."
Those were the standard answers they had gotten from the townsfolk and villagers living close to the area where Pine Town had been in.
It was as if they were the only ones who remembered the existence of the small town. The implications were scary, to say the least.
Among the three of them, the only one who didn't look shaken out of wit was Yuen Zhou, something that Han Xuhan noted mentally.
Thinking back to her behavior since they had met in the Holy Land of Laws and gone through all those thrilling incidents, Han Xuhan had come to realize that Yuen Zhou either had an impenetrable mental fortitude, or she knew something that he and Mu Ran did not.
Despite the countless ups and downs they had faced, her constant stoic, expressionless demeanor had left a deep impression on him. What had she been relying on that gave her so much confidence? Han Xuhan would've liked to know, but he felt that it'd be rude to poke his nose into her business. So he patiently waited for a more suitable moment to have a good ol' friendly exchange.
For now, he was busy feeling the slight chill under his skin, goosebumps forming all over his limbs. His body and soul were notifying him:
Quit courting death! Stop the investigation! Run for the shelter, bitch!
It was a difficult feat to remain calm right now. Han Xuhan wasn't particularly scared of a face-to-face battle or a duel of wits, but this?
'The unknown is always the scariest'- this particular ancient saying was proving itself to be true in a very pronounced manner. And he did not like this frightening feeling one bit. It reminded him of how vast and mysterious this world of cultivation truly was; that he was nothing but an ant-like being that had gained the intelligence to realize his insignificance.
So, despite Yuen Zhou's insistance on further, deeper investigations, Han Xuhan had convinced Mu Ran to head back.
"If all the people who should have been familiar with the town have forgotten its existence, then why do WE remember it? That, I think, is the most important question right now. Because we are likely to be the last humans who came in contact with them. Perhaps that makes us special, somehow?
Or have we unknowingly become a target for 'erasure' as well?
Maybe the only reason our memories are still intact is because we were inside the Holy Land of Laws, and thus evaded the power that erased the existence of the town? What's to say that now that we're out, we won't be attacked on the way? Or even forget our memories of the town by the time we return to the sect to report the details of the mission?"
Sitting on the deck of the small boat that they had reserved for the journey back to the sect, Yuen Zhou tried to connect the dots during their hushed discussion.
"In that case, it's a good thing that we are already on our way to return back to the sect as fast as possible to avoid the disaster," Mu Ran said.
"I agree," Han Xuhan added. He didn't want to end up being cursed or memory-wiped. It sounded like shady business. Moreover, there was one major issue Yuen Zhou had forgotten to add to the bucket list.
"Sister Zhou, don't forget to include Shen Kai's agenda," he said, making Mu Ran's eyes light up in a realization. Yuen Zhou looked rather confused for a second.
"Shen Kai? You mean that guy who you think is a demonic cultivator? Your scapegoat?" She asked curiously. Han Xuhan couldn't understand why she looked so uncertain about accepting this particular piece of detail. His suspicion of the fact that she might know something about the reason behind the disappearance of the town was getting stronger by the second.
"Yeah, that's him. From the clues we found in Pine town, it can be theorized that Shen Kai is a member of the demonic cultivators who was using the mortals of the town as their cannon fodder," Mu Ran explained to her while Han Xuhan was staring at her with an inscrutable expression.
Yuen Zhou's eyebrows creased. She didn't remember any demonic factions being able to send their representatives to the Neutral Territory, especially on planets like this one which was a part of the underdeveloped Spatial Sector where none of the bigwigs of the upper ranked worlds dared to step in.
So where did this demonic cultivator Shen Kai appear from? A rogue faction of cultivators who had veered off into an immoral path? It was hard to decide...
"Guys, if we're talking about the demonic cultivators, then Shen Kai is the least of our worries right now," Han Xuhan suddenly came out of his reverie and interrupted the two of them before their doubt-filled conversation could go any further.
"What do you mean, underling?" Mu Ran asked in puzzlement while Yuen Zhou's eyes suddenly widened as realization washed over her.
"Ah, I think sister Zhou has caught up to what I'm trying to say.
Think about it, boss. Pine Town actually does not exist, or has ceased to exist due to the intervention of some greater powers that we are unable to fathom at the moment. This can assure us of one clue, and that is that there is definitely an extremely powerful cultivator who was inside or near Pine Town for reasons we can't specify right now. If that is so, then were the demonic cultivators using the denizens of the town as cannon fodder by relying on that powerhouse?"
This time Mu Ran's expression contorted in horror as he realized the gravity of the situation.
"Back then, we theorized that it's impossible for a normal gathering of a few rogue cultivators to run such a huge operation so smoothly and leave without any traces. What if it was that powerhouse who was in charge of the entire operation? The land of laws is obviously a delicious piece of pie to outsiders. But we all know that powerful cultivators are restricted from entering that place due to the existence of the circle of laws. So, let's revise our theory a bit and combine all the clues we've gathered so far."
In one breath, Han Xuhan finished explaining his reasoning, which seemed to suck up the temperature inside the deck by a couple of degrees. Rubbing off the goosebumps on his arms, Xuhan slowly reconstructed what had happened in the backstage while they were inside the Holy Land.
"Firstly, the portal leading to the land of laws opens up, giving off whatever hints of its existence that attracted cultivators from all over the place like insects toward a lamp in the dark.
"Second, the demonic cultivators come into the picture. And as their leader, a powerful expert, cannot get in, he uses the people of the town nearby as a source of cannon fodders and instructs his disciples to help him explore the world fragment.
"Third, with the continuous disappearances of the denizens of the town, the news reaches our sect, which is in charge of protecting this area from normal and supernatural threats. So they issue a mission for the outer court disciples, probably without realizing the level of threat this incident carries.
"Fourth, we come here as investigators, something that they might have already predicted, and we fall into the trap they set for us by manipulating the town chief. We leave with Shen Kai, a demonic cultivator who leads us to the woods and ambush us thinking that he can subdue us and use us as cannon fodders too. A cannon fodder cultivator is much more useful than a normal human after all.
"Fifth, Shen Kai fails, runs away and informs his master who should have been hiding near Pine Town to watch over the process. A few hours later, many cultivators get kicked out by me, some of whom were likely to be demonic cultivators as well. They all inform their master about what is happening inside.
"Sixth, finally tired of these scuffles and afraid of leaving their own traces, the powerful demonic expert wipes off the entire town, possibly because it contained important clues related to them that couldn't be easily removed, or maybe there are bigger secrets involved here that we do not know yet.
"Now, except the three of us who were out of his reach, all the mortals have been memory-wiped, and all traces of the town has evaporated into thin air."
Holding up the six fingers he had raised to emphasize his points during the explanation, Han Xuhan took a breath and gazed at his two companions steadily.
Mu Ran looked intimidated, a natural response that he expected to see. Gauging their reactions was one of the reasons why he had been so verbal about his opinions.
And as he had planned, his speech did bring out the one oddity among the three of them.
Yuen Zhou had not looked scared at all while he had been speaking. Instead, she was frowning hard, seemingly deep in thought. Han Xuhan didn't waste the chance to swoop in. This was his only chance to strike.
"Martial sister Zhou, you look like you've managed to figure something out...? Please feel free to share even if it is nothing but a guess or a hunch."
Tugged out of her thoughts, Yuen Zhou silently met his eyes reproachfully for a moment before she cleared her throat.
"There is a certain legend that I've heard before, about extremely powerful cultivators with unfathomable abilities."
Han Xuhan and Mu Ran attentively listened to her. Mu Ran was genuinely curious, not realizing the undercurrents flowing beneath their hushed discussion. Han Xuhan, as one of the people manipulating the discussion indirectly, understood that unless Yuen Zhou wished to harm them, she was likely to tell the truth, albeit in a roundabout manner to ward off anyone's suspicions. So his attention on her was even more intense.
"The legend describes a strange power of illusions. A power that can enable one to create a substitute reality that can integrate with the main world and give off the impression of being completely real. Once the illusion ends, all traces of the illusion fades from the real world, including even memories and similar vague concepts."
"You're guessing that Pine Town might have been a similar illusion?" Xuhan asked inquisitively.
"It's just a guess, to be honest," Yuen Zhou said rather uncomfortably.
"Remember those mortals who became zombies after coming into contact with the fog? While I was inside the platform for the third test, I sensed my mental connections with half of them vanish strangely. It was as if those zombies never existed, to begin with. If the expert in your theory was unable to reach within the Holy Land, it shouldn't have happened. The only way the disappearance of the zombies can be explained is by following the logic that they were illusory beings from the start, created by the powerful cultivator to act as realistic cannon fodder, and we all were fooled into thinking that they were real due to our low cultivation level."
The new information offered by Yuen Zhou changed Xuhan's perspective of their current predicament again. But before he could form a response and speak, Mu Ran cut in.
"But if it's really an illusory town that never existed previously, why the sect would acknowledge it as a town under its jurisdiction? A town cannot just pop out from nowhere, right?" Mu Ran interrupted her with a rather sound logic of his own.
Han Xuhan applauded his approach mentally.
That's right boss! Ask the right questions and shift her attention on to you! I don't want to go toe-to-toe with someone of her caliber yet!
"Indeed, that's what I've been pondering since martial brother Xuhan proposed his theory, " Yuen Zhou replied, passing the ball back to Xuhan in a slippery manner.
With both Mu Ran and Yuen Zhou looking at him attentively, Han Xuhan rubbed his temples and tried to mend his theory using the new piece of info.
"Guys, what if...there's a mole in the sect? A demonic cultivator who pretends to be a righteous person in front of others, wields considerable power over the administrative branch, and works as a high-level spy?"
"Pine Town? Never heard of it."
"There has never been any town with that name around here, young man."
"Are you sure you got the name right? Because I've been living here for two decades and never heard of a place called Pine Town."
Those were the standard answers they had gotten from the townsfolk and villagers living close to the area where Pine Town had been in.
It was as if they were the only ones who remembered the existence of the small town. The implications were scary, to say the least.
Among the three of them, the only one who didn't look shaken out of wit was Yuen Zhou, something that Han Xuhan noted mentally.
Thinking back to her behavior since they had met in the Holy Land of Laws and gone through all those thrilling incidents, Han Xuhan had come to realize that Yuen Zhou either had an impenetrable mental fortitude, or she knew something that he and Mu Ran did not.
Despite the countless ups and downs they had faced, her constant stoic, expressionless demeanor had left a deep impression on him. What had she been relying on that gave her so much confidence? Han Xuhan would've liked to know, but he felt that it'd be rude to poke his nose into her business. So he patiently waited for a more suitable moment to have a good ol' friendly exchange.
For now, he was busy feeling the slight chill under his skin, goosebumps forming all over his limbs. His body and soul were notifying him:
Quit courting death! Stop the investigation! Run for the shelter, bitch!
It was a difficult feat to remain calm right now. Han Xuhan wasn't particularly scared of a face-to-face battle or a duel of wits, but this?
'The unknown is always the scariest'- this particular ancient saying was proving itself to be true in a very pronounced manner. And he did not like this frightening feeling one bit. It reminded him of how vast and mysterious this world of cultivation truly was; that he was nothing but an ant-like being that had gained the intelligence to realize his insignificance.
So, despite Yuen Zhou's insistance on further, deeper investigations, Han Xuhan had convinced Mu Ran to head back.
"If all the people who should have been familiar with the town have forgotten its existence, then why do WE remember it? That, I think, is the most important question right now. Because we are likely to be the last humans who came in contact with them. Perhaps that makes us special, somehow?
Or have we unknowingly become a target for 'erasure' as well?
Maybe the only reason our memories are still intact is because we were inside the Holy Land of Laws, and thus evaded the power that erased the existence of the town? What's to say that now that we're out, we won't be attacked on the way? Or even forget our memories of the town by the time we return to the sect to report the details of the mission?"
Sitting on the deck of the small boat that they had reserved for the journey back to the sect, Yuen Zhou tried to connect the dots during their hushed discussion.
"In that case, it's a good thing that we are already on our way to return back to the sect as fast as possible to avoid the disaster," Mu Ran said.
"I agree," Han Xuhan added. He didn't want to end up being cursed or memory-wiped. It sounded like shady business. Moreover, there was one major issue Yuen Zhou had forgotten to add to the bucket list.
"Sister Zhou, don't forget to include Shen Kai's agenda," he said, making Mu Ran's eyes light up in a realization. Yuen Zhou looked rather confused for a second.
"Shen Kai? You mean that guy who you think is a demonic cultivator? Your scapegoat?" She asked curiously. Han Xuhan couldn't understand why she looked so uncertain about accepting this particular piece of detail. His suspicion of the fact that she might know something about the reason behind the disappearance of the town was getting stronger by the second.
"Yeah, that's him. From the clues we found in Pine town, it can be theorized that Shen Kai is a member of the demonic cultivators who was using the mortals of the town as their cannon fodder," Mu Ran explained to her while Han Xuhan was staring at her with an inscrutable expression.
Yuen Zhou's eyebrows creased. She didn't remember any demonic factions being able to send their representatives to the Neutral Territory, especially on planets like this one which was a part of the underdeveloped Spatial Sector where none of the bigwigs of the upper ranked worlds dared to step in.
So where did this demonic cultivator Shen Kai appear from? A rogue faction of cultivators who had veered off into an immoral path? It was hard to decide...
"Guys, if we're talking about the demonic cultivators, then Shen Kai is the least of our worries right now," Han Xuhan suddenly came out of his reverie and interrupted the two of them before their doubt-filled conversation could go any further.
"What do you mean, underling?" Mu Ran asked in puzzlement while Yuen Zhou's eyes suddenly widened as realization washed over her.
"Ah, I think sister Zhou has caught up to what I'm trying to say.
Think about it, boss. Pine Town actually does not exist, or has ceased to exist due to the intervention of some greater powers that we are unable to fathom at the moment. This can assure us of one clue, and that is that there is definitely an extremely powerful cultivator who was inside or near Pine Town for reasons we can't specify right now. If that is so, then were the demonic cultivators using the denizens of the town as cannon fodder by relying on that powerhouse?"
This time Mu Ran's expression contorted in horror as he realized the gravity of the situation.
"Back then, we theorized that it's impossible for a normal gathering of a few rogue cultivators to run such a huge operation so smoothly and leave without any traces. What if it was that powerhouse who was in charge of the entire operation? The land of laws is obviously a delicious piece of pie to outsiders. But we all know that powerful cultivators are restricted from entering that place due to the existence of the circle of laws. So, let's revise our theory a bit and combine all the clues we've gathered so far."
In one breath, Han Xuhan finished explaining his reasoning, which seemed to suck up the temperature inside the deck by a couple of degrees. Rubbing off the goosebumps on his arms, Xuhan slowly reconstructed what had happened in the backstage while they were inside the Holy Land.
"Firstly, the portal leading to the land of laws opens up, giving off whatever hints of its existence that attracted cultivators from all over the place like insects toward a lamp in the dark.
"Second, the demonic cultivators come into the picture. And as their leader, a powerful expert, cannot get in, he uses the people of the town nearby as a source of cannon fodders and instructs his disciples to help him explore the world fragment.
"Third, with the continuous disappearances of the denizens of the town, the news reaches our sect, which is in charge of protecting this area from normal and supernatural threats. So they issue a mission for the outer court disciples, probably without realizing the level of threat this incident carries.
"Fourth, we come here as investigators, something that they might have already predicted, and we fall into the trap they set for us by manipulating the town chief. We leave with Shen Kai, a demonic cultivator who leads us to the woods and ambush us thinking that he can subdue us and use us as cannon fodders too. A cannon fodder cultivator is much more useful than a normal human after all.
"Fifth, Shen Kai fails, runs away and informs his master who should have been hiding near Pine Town to watch over the process. A few hours later, many cultivators get kicked out by me, some of whom were likely to be demonic cultivators as well. They all inform their master about what is happening inside.
"Sixth, finally tired of these scuffles and afraid of leaving their own traces, the powerful demonic expert wipes off the entire town, possibly because it contained important clues related to them that couldn't be easily removed, or maybe there are bigger secrets involved here that we do not know yet.
"Now, except the three of us who were out of his reach, all the mortals have been memory-wiped, and all traces of the town has evaporated into thin air."
Holding up the six fingers he had raised to emphasize his points during the explanation, Han Xuhan took a breath and gazed at his two companions steadily.
Mu Ran looked intimidated, a natural response that he expected to see. Gauging their reactions was one of the reasons why he had been so verbal about his opinions.
And as he had planned, his speech did bring out the one oddity among the three of them.
Yuen Zhou had not looked scared at all while he had been speaking. Instead, she was frowning hard, seemingly deep in thought. Han Xuhan didn't waste the chance to swoop in. This was his only chance to strike.
"Martial sister Zhou, you look like you've managed to figure something out...? Please feel free to share even if it is nothing but a guess or a hunch."
Tugged out of her thoughts, Yuen Zhou silently met his eyes reproachfully for a moment before she cleared her throat.
"There is a certain legend that I've heard before, about extremely powerful cultivators with unfathomable abilities."
Han Xuhan and Mu Ran attentively listened to her. Mu Ran was genuinely curious, not realizing the undercurrents flowing beneath their hushed discussion. Han Xuhan, as one of the people manipulating the discussion indirectly, understood that unless Yuen Zhou wished to harm them, she was likely to tell the truth, albeit in a roundabout manner to ward off anyone's suspicions. So his attention on her was even more intense.
"The legend describes a strange power of illusions. A power that can enable one to create a substitute reality that can integrate with the main world and give off the impression of being completely real. Once the illusion ends, all traces of the illusion fades from the real world, including even memories and similar vague concepts."
"You're guessing that Pine Town might have been a similar illusion?" Xuhan asked inquisitively.
"It's just a guess, to be honest," Yuen Zhou said rather uncomfortably.
"Remember those mortals who became zombies after coming into contact with the fog? While I was inside the platform for the third test, I sensed my mental connections with half of them vanish strangely. It was as if those zombies never existed, to begin with. If the expert in your theory was unable to reach within the Holy Land, it shouldn't have happened. The only way the disappearance of the zombies can be explained is by following the logic that they were illusory beings from the start, created by the powerful cultivator to act as realistic cannon fodder, and we all were fooled into thinking that they were real due to our low cultivation level."
The new information offered by Yuen Zhou changed Xuhan's perspective of their current predicament again. But before he could form a response and speak, Mu Ran cut in.
"But if it's really an illusory town that never existed previously, why the sect would acknowledge it as a town under its jurisdiction? A town cannot just pop out from nowhere, right?" Mu Ran interrupted her with a rather sound logic of his own.
Han Xuhan applauded his approach mentally.
That's right boss! Ask the right questions and shift her attention on to you! I don't want to go toe-to-toe with someone of her caliber yet!
"Indeed, that's what I've been pondering since martial brother Xuhan proposed his theory, " Yuen Zhou replied, passing the ball back to Xuhan in a slippery manner.
With both Mu Ran and Yuen Zhou looking at him attentively, Han Xuhan rubbed his temples and tried to mend his theory using the new piece of info.
"Guys, what if...there's a mole in the sect? A demonic cultivator who pretends to be a righteous person in front of others, wields considerable power over the administrative branch, and works as a high-level spy?"
