Chapter 2392: Chapter 2392 Lost Memories
"Alright then, I’ll head over and take a look first."
Ye Liuyun agreed without hesitation. He used the Conveyor Formation to reunite with Qiong Qi and learn about the situation on-site.
"Where’s the prisoner you captured?" Ye Liuyun asked Qiong Qi the moment he arrived.
"Dead!" Qiong Qi replied with a casual shrug.
"Alright." Ye Liuyun had no choice but to accept it and proceeded to gather information from Qiong Qi in detail.
However, he soon realized that Qiong Qi didn’t actually know much about what was happening on the island. So, Ye Liuyun decided he would have to capture a soldier from the island himself to get a clearer picture.
Logically speaking, Qiong Qi shouldn’t have been this clueless after conducting an investigation. But Ye Liuyun simply assumed he had been too focused on searching for resources and didn’t dwell on it.
"They only come here once every ten days to stock up on supplies. If you insist on waiting, it’ll be another seven or eight days."
"Why don’t we scout out the area ourselves first? I’ve already prepared a flying vessel. Seeing it with our own eyes will help us get a better grasp of the situation," Qiong Qi suggested.
"Alright. We’ll head out tomorrow. I’ll do a bit of recon around here first." Ye Liuyun agreed.
He just wanted to get a sense of the area. That way, if anything unexpected happened, he could use this place as a fallback point.
Afterward, Ye Liuyun pulled Qiong Qi along for a casual stroll around the area.
They were in a small coastal town. Although it wasn’t large, it had everything one could need. To the east of the town lay the boundless sea.
"Why’d you come all the way out to such a remote place?" Ye Liuyun asked casually.
"I was just wandering around and ended up here." Qiong Qi replied offhandedly.
Ye Liuyun didn’t think much of it and casually asked Qiong Qi, "Anything new lately? Any gains?"
"Gains? You mean in cultivation? I’ve broken through to the Omnipotent Level!" Qiong Qi responded. He felt a bit puzzled by the question at first, but then began boasting proudly about his advancement.
Ye Liuyun frowned slightly. That wasn’t what he meant at all. He had been referring to whether Qiong Qi had captured any Formation masters, weapon-refining masters, or martial practitioners lately. But Qiong Qi seemed to have completely forgotten that part of his mission.
What puzzled Ye Liuyun even more was the fact that he already knew Qiong Qi had reached the Omnipotent Level. So, why was he bragging about it now, as if it were news?
A sense of unease crept into Ye Liuyun’s heart. He immediately released his Divine Sense, sweeping it across the entire town.
In an instant, he detected several subtle traces of Divine Sense. The moment he touched upon them, they swiftly retracted and disappeared.
Realization hit him like a jolt—this place was a trap.
"Would Qiong Qi really set me up?" The thought seemed absurd to him.
"Could he be in trouble, trying to secretly warn me by making me suspicious?" he thought to himself.
But as he observed Qiong Qi’s expression, he saw no hidden cues or signals in his gaze. If this was all an act, Qiong Qi would’ve at least shot him a look or given some kind of subtle hint.
Suppressing his doubts, Ye Liuyun played along without missing a beat. "Must be the Emerald Essence Liquid helping you out, huh?"
"Emerald Essence Liquid?" Qiong Qi blinked in surprise, but quickly recovered. "Well, maybe a little. But it was mostly my own hard work. Resources don’t mean much!"
Ye Liuyun chuckled and shook his head, as if tired of listening to Qiong Qi brag. He kept up the facade perfectly.
But inwardly, his mind reeled.
"What’s going on? Has this guy lost his memory?"
It was clear to him that Qiong Qi seemed completely unfamiliar with the Emerald Essence Liquid.
Ye Liuyun decided to continue observing Qiong Qi, so he accompanied him on a stroll to the merchant guild and went in for a look.
He mentioned he wanted to buy more meat and said he planned to roast some for Qiong Qi.
However, the guild steward informed Ye Liuyun that their stock of meat was running low, claiming there hadn’t been much demand lately. They only had a few dozens in inventory.
Ye Liuyun didn’t mind the price. Without hesitation, he bought up all the feral beasts in stock.
However, he was puzzled. If this town were really supplying provisions for an army of two hundred thousand, there was no way their meat reserves would be this limited.
After they wandered around a bit more, Ye Liuyun quietly activated his Golden Phantom Eyes and began scanning the town for experts.
Soon, he discovered several formidable martial practitioners hiding in inns and private houses.
Judging by the levels Sero had once taught him to recognize, these cultivators were all at the Second Realm of the Celestial Tier. This place was definitely a trap.
"Let’s head outside the city and roast some meat. I haven’t had any in a long time. It’d be nice to indulge for once." Ye Liuyun suggested casually.
"We could just go to a tavern if we’re hungry." Qiong Qi replied, sounding less than enthusiastic about the idea.
"Can a tavern match my roasting skills? Come on!" Ye Liuyun waved him forward and started dragging him out of town.
"How about we head out on the mission instead? We can eat roasted meat anytime. Let’s take care of business first and eat later!" Qiong Qi suggested, clearly trying to hurry their departure.
"What’s the rush? Those mineral veins aren’t going anywhere." Ye Liuyun asked, eyeing him with a hint of curiosity.
"I’m just worried that delays might complicate things." Qiong Qi quickly explained.
"That mineral vein is buried deep underground. Do you think it’s going to vanish while we roast some meat?" Ye Liuyun ignored him and dragged him straight out of the city.
The moment they stepped beyond the gates, Ye Liuyun’s Divine Sense picked up subtle traces. Several auras were silently tailing them, probing from a distance.
These weren’t ordinary individuals. Their strength made it difficult to detect them without meticulous focus. If Ye Liuyun hadn’t been on high alert, even he might have missed it.
Given his bond with Qiong Qi, Ye Liuyun couldn’t bring himself to believe that the man would betray him. But now that things were clearly amiss, he began to suspect two possibilities: either Qiong Qi was being controlled, or he was deliberately sending a warning in the only way he could.
Whichever it was, Ye Liuyun needed more time to observe him. He had to uncover what was really going on.
They soon reached the seaside, where Ye Liuyun chose a spot to grill meat while chatting casually with Qiong Qi.
"Is there any Stygian activity around here?" Ye Liuyun asked, watching him closely.
"Stygian?" Qiong Qi blinked, clearly confused.
"A killer organization." Ye Liuyun reminded him.
"A place this small? No way an assassin group would be operating here." Qiong Qi quickly brushed it off and changed the subject.
But Ye Liuyun knew him far too well. Just from the flicker in his eyes, Ye Liuyun could tell what was going on. Qiong Qi didn’t just forget about the Emerald Essence Liquid. He had also forgotten all about Stygian.
Qiong Qi had infiltrated Stygian himself. So how could he not remember that?
There was only one explanation: his memories had been tampered with and wiped clean. Worse still, he might currently be under someone else’s control.
As if to distract him, Qiong Qi began chatting again, rambling about things he’d seen and heard during his time in the Sanctuary Dynasty. He carefully steered the conversation away from anything related to their past.
Ye Liuyun played along, but then asked offhandedly, "Which city did you come from before arriving here?"
"Sanctuary City." Qiong Qi replied.
"The Regalty of the Sanctuary Dynasty?" Ye Liuyun asked with feigned curiosity, encouraging Qiong Qi to share more about the city.
Qiong Qi gave him a general overview of the capital and began bragging about the strength of its martial practitioner.
According to Qiong Qi, the place was overflowing with Omnipotent Level martial practitioners. He claimed that even the regular soldiers there were overwhelmingly powerful experts, many of them having reached the Omnipotent Level.
Ye Liuyun responded with an expression of astonishment, playing along as Qiong Qi continued his enthusiastic account.
In truth, most of the soldiers in Ye Liuyun’s own legions were already at the Omnipotent Level. But clearly, Qiong Qi had forgotten all about that.
"Are their cultivators even stronger than my master?" he asked deliberately. By "master," he was referring to Li Yuanlang.
"Of course!" Qiong Qi said with certainty.
"Oh... then forming an alliance with the Sanctuary Dynasty might be harder than we thought. I wonder if they’d even be willing to support us!" Ye Liuyun muttered thoughtfully, pretending to be troubled.
