80: Chapter 80: Extra Memories?

After slaying the Delivery Ghost, Chu Xuan casually wiped the blood off on the entity's clothes. He packed the oil lamp and fruit knife back into his crossbody bag and hurried downstairs, paying no mind to the horrific corpse that had reverted to its monster form.

At that moment, [Future Tang Zheng] was still sending information regarding the Delivery Ghost.

Chu Xuan sent a message directly:

[I've already killed the Delivery Ghost. The oil lamp I got from Qin Qing earlier was very useful.]

The other party didn't reply again. Even after two minutes had passed, there was still no message. Chu Xuan guessed that [Future Tang Zheng] had likely already engaged his future self, who was fused with the Phantom Demon.

In his original plan, Chu Xuan intended to use the [Heart Bewitchment] skill to influence himself in the dream. By altering some of his own perceptions, he hoped to hide his talent skills and the secrecy of his communication with [Future Tang Zheng] before contacting the Night Watchers to see if they could detect anything.

If everything went smoothly, he could use the government's power to hunt Specters. This would allow him to rapidly increase his strength in a very short time and save him a lot of unnecessary trouble.

But the most urgent matter at hand was still slaying the Great Buddha to obtain the Curio from its body.

According to [Future Tang Zheng]'s instructions...

The eerie bus would pass by the train station at 3:30 AM. However, there were over a dozen train stations in Haicheng. Chu Xuan still needed to consider how to ask the other party which specific station it was.

Every dream entry cost a significant amount of spirituality value. Chu Xuan didn't want to lose an exploration opportunity because the Phantom Demon became suspicious and interfered.

“My friend, so this is your talent? Truly incredible, to be able to communicate with someone from the future... But your emotions seem a bit too stable. Is there something else I don't know that you're trying to hide from me?”

The Phantom Demon's voice echoed faintly, like a devil whispering.

Chu Xuan's expression flickered for a moment before he said coldly, “Phantom Demon, you're not trying to get me to increase my Charm attribute again, are you?”

“Don't!” the Phantom Demon said hurriedly. “It was my fault. Please forgive my lapse. I was simply too curious. Don't misunderstand; I didn't mean to provoke you intentionally.”

Chu Xuan sneered inwardly. This old schemer clearly wanted him to increase his Charm attribute, yet he pretended to be terrified while repeatedly testing him. He was even more cunning than the Night Demon.

This time, Chu Xuan didn't restrain his emotions. He let his feelings of disgust and hatred show before slowly suppressing them again.

Through his recent dream, Chu Xuan understood that unless the Phantom Demon found out about the [Purifier] status, it wouldn't easily turn against him unless absolutely necessary.

However, the occasional intimidation and testing would certainly continue.

Therefore, while remaining cautious, he also had to gradually try to seize as much initiative as possible under these circumstances, so as not to remain perpetually oppressed.

Otherwise, with his spirit constantly on edge, mistakes would be inevitable.

“Young man, where to?”

Just as he reached the road outside the building, a taxi pulled up in front of him. The middle-aged driver leaned out and shouted, “There aren't many ride-shares out at night. Hop in, I'll use the meter!”

His train of thought interrupted, Chu Xuan stared at the driver for a moment before nodding and getting into the back seat.

“Where to?” the driver asked as he started the car.

“Just drive for now, toward the nearest train station,” Chu Xuan replied casually. He then pulled his bag to his chest, unzipped it slightly, and reached his hand inside.

Having seen so many Strange Creaturess today, Chu Xuan wasn't sure if this driver was also problematic, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

“Hehe! Just started working, young man? Don't be nervous. I, Old Zhu, have been driving a taxi here for twenty years. I can guarantee you that our Haicheng is the safest, most civilized city. Theft and robbery are rare these days!”

The driver watched Chu Xuan through the rearview mirror for a while and teased, “Trains won't be running at this hour. Why don't I take you somewhere good?”

Seeing that Chu Xuan didn't seem interested, the driver winked. “Thirty-five yuan for a comfortable bath, free overnight stay in the second-floor lounge. For eight hundred yuan, you can go to a private room on the third floor. Full service, young and beautiful...”

“Thanks, but I'm not interested in women,” Chu Xuan waved his hand.

The driver looked surprised and clicked his tongue, his face lighting up. “No problem, I know another place...”

Just then, [Future Tang Zheng] sent another message. A silver light suddenly flashed in Chu Xuan's eyes, causing the driver's voice to stop abruptly as he drove obediently.

[Tang Zheng: Chu Xuan, things have taken a turn for the worse! That guy who ambushed me can actually enter a second-stage burst. My talent skill's time limit is up, and my spirituality can't maintain it anymore. I've been heavily injured by it again!]

Chu Xuan frowned. Suddenly, his heart stirred as his gaze fixed on the word "again"...

[Tang Zheng: But it's not all bad news... Chu Xuan, just now, another set of memories suddenly appeared in my head.]

[You don't need to say more; I already know some things. I have five tasks I need you to do for me. The first is that I need you to help me kill a Specter called the Great Buddha...]

The moment he saw this, Chu Xuan's heart shook. He immediately understood what [Future Tang Zheng] meant by these extra memories.

What [Future Tang Zheng] had suddenly gained were the memories from the previous dream!

The other party knew he was planning to kill the Great Buddha today and clearly knew about the Phantom Demon's existence as well. To hide this from the Phantom Demon as much as possible, he framed it as a task he needed Chu Xuan to perform.

Moreover, he specifically mentioned five things to do—didn't that correspond exactly to the five prerequisites for becoming a [Purifier]?

But why was this happening?

Could it be that his talent skill had caused a change in [Future Tang Zheng]'s end as well?

Or was it some other reason?

Chu Xuan suddenly recalled something [Future Tang Zheng] had told him in the previous dream.

—[This is a game of worlds. All the limitations, contradictions, conflicts, and irrationalities you perceive are the results of rules colliding and merging...]

While his mind raced, Chu Xuan's hands didn't stop. He cooperatively sent a message: [What do I need to do?]

[Tang Zheng: Before 3:30 AM today, get to the West Gate of the South Railway Station. Near Exit 4, there's a bus stop where an eerie bus will pass by.]

[Prepare to pay 10 spirit money. If you don't have spirit money, you'll need to press your hand against the card reader, which will automatically drain 20 points of your spirituality value. Once on board, find a seat and sit down. Remember, no matter what happens, you must follow the passenger rules.]

[The eerie bus will take you to a village below Shouguo Temple on West Mountain. Villagers will take you up the mountain to offer worship.]

[Regarding the specifics—because there is a Dark Rift there that has been tainted by the power of The Gloom for a long time, it is far beyond the Forbidden Domain the Night Demon can manifest through rituals. I cannot reveal too much to you. I can only give you some general hints. You must remember them!]