"Need to consult this immortal again, don't you?" Immortal Fairy was more than happy to answer Lu Yang's question.
"First, go ask the little ones from the other immortal sects and see how much they still remember." Immortal Fairy was in no rush, guiding Lu Yang to find the root of the matter himself.
"Lan Ting, do you still remember the battle just now?"
Lan Ting rolled her eyes at Lu Yang, finding the question utterly foolish. "Of course I do. Wasn't it Senior Sister Yun Zhi displaying her divine prowess and suppressing that Tribulation Transcendence cultivator?"
"What about before that?"
"You mean the fight between the Provincial Governor and the ancient Body Integration cultivator? Didn't the governor use..."
Lan Ting suddenly drew a blank. She felt the answer right on the tip of her tongue, yet she could not recall it no matter how hard she tried.
*What did the governor use again?*
Lu Yang did not probe further. He had gotten his answer from Lan Ting: she had completely forgotten about the national destiny and the Taishang Sword projection. He turned to ask Yan Tianzhi, "Do you still remember Eldest Senior Sister?"
"Senior Sister Yun Zhi. I remember."
"What about the combat method the Provincial Governor used?"
Yan Tianzhi blinked and answered bluntly, "Forgot."
"Old Meng, what about you? Is your head still clear?"
"Bullshit! When has my head ever not been clear? Didn't the Provincial Governor use the national destiny transformed into the Taishang Sword projection to fight the ancient Body Integration cultivator, and then Eldest Senior Sister suppressed the ancient Tribulation Transcendence cultivator?"
Lu Yang fell into thought. Ordinary cultivators had forgotten both the national destiny and Eldest Senior Sister. The three including Lan Ting had forgotten the national destiny. Only he and Meng Jingzhou remembered the entire course of the battle.
*The key lies in the national destiny? The national destiny erased everyone's memories. Meng Jingzhou hails from the Meng Family, which once contended for the realm against the imperial family and later intermarried with them many times. Old Meng is part of the Meng Family and carries imperial blood, which is why he can remember the national destiny?*
*Then what about Eldest Senior Sister? She didn't want to make a fuss, so she erased most people's memories, but spared the five of us?* Lu Yang felt he had found the answer and sought confirmation from Immortal Fairy.
"Close enough. The national destiny wiped everyone's memories. However, it wasn't that Girl Yun refrained from erasing your memories, but rather that she deliberately preserved them. Do you understand the difference?"
Lu Yang lowered his head in thought, then gasped in sudden horror. "The erasure of others' memories by Eldest Senior Sister and the national destiny happens automatically!"
"Correct. That is an immortal characteristic. It automatically causes the world to forget immortal methods, unless the immortal deliberately allows the world to remember them."
"Both the national destiny and Girl Yun making a move fall under the category of 'immortal methods.'"
"The Provincial Governor oversees this domain, so he won't forget the national destiny. That fellow named Xia Qun carries imperial blood, so he won't forget the national destiny either. The same logic applies to that Meng kid."
Lu Yang suddenly noticed another detail. "Wait, among the immortal methods you mentioned, does a Dao fruit count as one?"
Immortal Fairy was very pleased with how quickly Lu Yang connected the dots. "Your mind works fast! As the primary characteristic of an immortal, a Dao fruit naturally counts as an immortal method."
"Things like Immortal Ying Tian's Tribulation Responding Dao fruit and Immortal Suiyue's Suiyue Dao fruit are typical immortal methods. Even though Immortal Suiyue wrote his ability right into his name, the world still cannot remember the Suiyue Dao fruit, nor do they know his methods are related to time."
This was one of the reasons immortals were so enigmatic.
"Then how can I remember all of this?"
Immortal Fairy said proudly, "What kind of question is that? With this immortal sheltering you, how could you possibly forget?"
"You are the dignified Second-in-Command of the Immortal Lineage! If you knew nothing about other immortals, it would make our Immortal Lineage a laughingstock!"
Only then did Lu Yang realize how precious this knowledge was.
"Of course, not all immortals have the characteristic that makes people forget their immortal methods. This immortal is an exception—otherwise, how could the Immortal Cult exist?"
Immortal Fairy held up two slender, scallion-white fingers.
"Based on this characteristic, immortals can be divided into two categories. One category consists of immortals who possess the automatic ability to make people forget immortal methods."
"The other category is this immortal, who has no such characteristic!"
"These are actually two paths, two different choices."
Lu Yang fell silent for a long time. Then, he slowly raised his hands, cupped his fists, and said with utmost sincerity, "Fairy is truly magnificent!"
His earnest demeanor caught Immortal Fairy completely off guard. Her cheeks flushed faintly, and she hardly knew what to do with her hands and feet.
Crossing her arms, she tilted her pretty face up and pouted high. "Hmph! This immortal told you long ago how magnificent I am, but you just wouldn't believe it."
Having said that, she cracked open an eye to steal a glance at Lu Yang's reaction.
Seeing him still wearing that serious expression, she grew even more flustered.
"This immortal is going to sleep! Shoo, shoo, shoo, don't disturb my sleep if you have nothing else!" Immortal Fairy kicked Lu Yang out of his own spiritual space.
***
Venerable Calamity had seemed to flee for a long time, but the whole process was actually very brief. After Lu Yang and the other four waited in place for just a short while, they saw Eldest Senior Sister return to the Grand Qingzhou Festival, dragging Venerable Calamity's soul in hand.
"Eldest Senior Sister, you're back already?" Lu Yang was surprised. Hadn't the plan been to tail Venerable Calamity back to his lair? This speed was borderline absurd.
Yun Zhi: "..."
"There was a change of plans."
Yun Zhi was disinclined to explain in detail. How could she? Say that Venerable Calamity had neglected to check the almanac before going out, ran straight into four Body Integration cultivators at once, and conveniently helped her master and the Minister of Justice shave time off their sentences?
"S-Senior Sister Yun Zhi," Lan Ting greeted timidly, not daring to look Yun Zhi in the eye.
Yun Zhi's display of terrifying power high in the heavens had truly been frightening. Anyone would be intimidated seeing that.
Yun Zhi glanced at Lan Ting and nodded slightly. "I remember you. Your master brought you to propose marriage to Lu Yang. After I agreed, your master went back on her word and dragged you away."
Lan Ting fell silent for a good while, utterly unable to connect Yun Zhi's words to what had actually happened that day.
"Senior Sister Yun Zhi."
"Senior Sister."
Bai Ming and Yan Tianzhi greeted her nervously. They had not been this tense even when meeting the founding ancestors of their own sects.
"The Provincial Governor informed me that this year's Grand Qingzhou Festival concludes here. You may arrange your own itineraries freely," Yun Zhi kindly informed them.
Tugging at the chain in her hand, she added, "I still need to interrogate this man, so I shall return to the sect first."
Just as Yun Zhi was about to depart, she caught sight of Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou. Remembering something, she turned to Lan Ting.
"By the way, how did Junior Brother Lu and Junior Brother Meng perform during the Grand Qingzhou Festival matches? Did they accurately critique the strengths and weaknesses of the contestants?"
Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou both stiffened, cold sweat breaking out across their backs.
Sure enough, Eldest Senior Sister had sent them here to act as judges, not to take the stage as competitors!
Lan Ting pondered briefly, then offered a radiant smile. "Senior Brother Lu and Senior Brother Meng are true role models for our younger generation. Blessed with extraordinary talent and rich combat experience, their critiques struck right to the core—incisive, penetrating, every word a precious gem. The contestants were thoroughly convinced and all declared they would cultivate diligently upon their return."
Eldest Senior Sister nodded. "That is good. I was worried the two of them might jump into the ring to compete. It is fine as long as they didn't."
Hearing Yun Zhi say this, Immortal Fairy was no longer sleepy. She sprang up from her bed, eager to rat Lu Yang out, only for Lu Yang to clamp his hand firmly over her mouth.
Chapter 372