Volume One, Chapter Forty-Six: The Sacred Lotus Artifact

Chapter 46: The Lotus Divine Artifact

Mu Xiulouto looked at Tu Zhe and said, “I have one more fortune to bestow upon you. How much benefit you can gain depends on your own effort and luck.”

Doggy cried out excitedly, “There’s more? Quickly, tell us what else there is!”

Mu Xiulouto pointed to the dome of the great hall and asked, “Do you know how this hall came to be?”

Tsk, no one strings people along quite like you. Want to say it or not? If not, maybe you should go count your treasures. Mara couldn’t stand this woman’s roundabout way of speaking.

Mu Xiulouto ignored him and continued to Tu Zhe, “Do you know why this heaven is called the Heaven of Auspicious Times, or the Segmented Time Heaven?

“It is because this palace was born from a lotus blossom.

“With each opening and closing of the lotus, day and night revolve. In other words, this lotus itself is a divine artifact containing the laws of time.

“My ability to grasp certain laws of time and even reverse the flow of time all comes from cultivating and comprehending within this lotus.

“Now, I’m giving you the Celestial Soul Crystal, so that you can refine and cultivate within the lotus. I’ll accelerate the time within the lotus to ten thousand times the outside world. Three days inside will be thirty thousand days—let’s see what fortune awaits you.”

Damn, three days outside is thirty thousand days inside the lotus.

What on earth did that even mean?

Tu Zhe rubbed his nose, at a loss for words.

Mara was so moved he nearly wept as he grasped Mu Xiulouto’s hand. “Brother Mu, I’ll thank you on behalf of my disciple. But such a great kindness goes beyond words—how could the child ever repay you?”

With a flick of her hand, Mu Xiulouto said, “Go away, what has this got to do with you? Those three Supreme Divine King Stones he gave me are not worth a single Celestial Soul Crystal.”

Mara immediately put his hands behind his back. “That’s true. After all, that crystal is the sum of the spiritual energy of three hundred and sixty lesser heavens. In fact, it’s a bit of a loss for you, haha…”

Mu Xiulouto transmitted the method of refining the Celestial Soul Crystal into Tu Zhe’s mind, then said, “I’ll send you into the heart of the lotus. Cultivate well, and we’ll all look forward to the surprise you bring us.”

Tu Zhe did not stand on ceremony. He bowed to Mu Xiulouto. “Then I must trouble you, elder.”

The so-called Heart of the Lotus was a treasure pool deep within the palace, shrouded in a strange, ancient power.

The pool was eight yojanas wide, filled with crimson mist that ebbed and flowed with a rhythm, as if a living heart was beating with powerful vitality.

Not by the ear, but in the sea of consciousness, the sound of thumping heartbeats echoed—thump, thump, thump—making the soul want to move with the rhythm, and the body to dance to the beat.

Mu Xiulouto said, “Just walk right in, sit in the center, and refine the Soul Crystal while comprehending the laws of time. This is all I can give you…”

Tu Zhe kissed Doggy on the head. Doggy was a little reluctant—his rogue brother was going to leave him for three whole days! Three days! That was far too long.

Tu Zhe strode into the heart of the lotus and soon vanished into the red mist.

Mu Xiulouto reversed the flow of time, and with Mara and Doggy, returned to the main hall. The two Lords of Heaven finally had time to discuss matters concerning Doggy.

With a divine thought from Mu Xiulouto, a flash of light appeared in the hall, and several celestial maidens materialized. When they saw Doggy, their eyes immediately lit up with delight. With shouts of excitement, they pounced, each calling “sister” as they tugged and pulled, nearly tearing Doggy apart.

Mu Xiulouto gave a cold snort. “I told you to take Doggy out to play, what on earth are you doing? If you pull him apart, you’ll be the ones to pay!”

The girls stuck out their tongues, calling, “Father, we weren’t doing anything, really!” Giggling, they each grabbed Doggy by a paw and whisked him out of the hall like a gust of wind.

Doggy struggled and shouted, “Rogue brother’s master—help! I’m being kidnapped! Murder! Help!”

The two men watched the girls leave with amused smiles, then their expressions grew serious.

Mara asked, “Well? What did you discover about Doggy’s condition?”

Doggy had been taken away by Mu Xiulouto’s daughters to allow the two lords to discuss his situation without worrying about upsetting him with any harsh truths.

Mu Xiulouto said, “After more than a day of secret probing with my divine sense, I found that some of Doggy’s memories have inexplicably disappeared.”

Mara asked, “How much is ‘some’? We can’t afford to be careless about this.”

Mu Xiulouto frowned. “I checked carefully. It’s memories of his life in Yama Heaven—they’re all gone. He doesn’t know who I am, and upon returning here, nothing familiar stirs any reaction in him.”

Mara asked, “Are you sure they’re gone? Not just sealed away?”

Mu Xiulouto nodded. “Absolutely. If memories are sealed, a careful search always reveals traces of the seal and the energy fluctuations. But I found nothing. So I’m certain—they are gone, not sealed.”

Mara asked, “Is it only those memories? Were any others lost as well?”

Mu Xiulouto said gravely, “Yes, memories related to his origins, including those of her brother, Yanmoluocha, are also gone.

“In other words, she knows her brother is Lord of Hell, but doesn’t know he is her brother. She knows she is one of the Kings of Equality in Hell, and she knows everything about Hell itself. But she quarreled with her brother and ran away—yet as for where she wanted to go, she doesn’t know herself.”

Mara nodded. “So, after she met Tu Zhe, all information about her past and her family has mysteriously vanished, correct?”

Mu Xiulouto nodded. “Exactly. In other words, Doggy’s amnesia is selective. What does this mean?”

Mara waved his hand. “It’s definitely not a case of divine sense disorder—there’s a real problem here.”

Mu Xiulouto’s gaze turned cold. “What do you think, Lord?”

Mara began pacing in circles as he analyzed the situation.

“Look, old friend. Divine sense disorder could result from a cultivation mishap—going mad, which would affect memory, causing confusion. Sometimes she’d remember this, sometimes she’d forget that, even physical functions could be affected. But have you noticed? There’s nothing wrong with her body, right?

“And her memory isn’t confused at all, is it? Only the memories of Yama Heaven and her brother are missing. Everything else is normal, right?

“So what does that tell us?

“It means some mysterious power, without her knowledge, stripped those memories away.

“Yes—stripped, not shielded, hidden, or sealed.

“Which brings us to the crucial question:

“Who has the ability to do this to her? Could I? Could you? I know for a fact that Indra couldn’t.

“In fact, even you or I, if we wanted to strip away some of her memories without her realizing it, it would be impossible—let alone selectively stripping them away.

“This selectivity means that this presence spanned across both Yama Heaven and the mountain hell of Chakravarti, spanning hundreds or even thousands of years, and within such a long timeframe, selectively stripped away bits and pieces of her memories about her lineage and family.

“Old Mu, even if Doggy agreed to let us do it openly, could you manage it?”

Mu Xiulouto shook his head without hesitation. “Absolutely impossible.”