Neo burned his Life Flame without hesitation.

The familiar heat spread through his chest, like a blade being drawn partway from its sheath.

His perception stretched outward like a tsunami.

He scanned the flow of Qi in the street, the lingering distortions in space, the faint impressions that powerful existences always left behind when they passed through a place.

Nothing.

There was no residual pressure, warped causality, or any sign.

It was as if the Celestial Worthy had never been there at all.

Neo stopped in the middle of the street and slowly exhaled.

His gaze shifted toward the beggars sitting nearby, their clothes ragged, bowls placed in front of them in practiced positions.

Just moments ago, one of them had been Mu De. He was certain of it.

He stepped closer.

"Where did Mu De go?" Neo asked, keeping his voice even. "The man who was sitting here. Where does he live? When does he usually come here?"

The beggars stiffened.

A few of them exchanged confused looks.

Another glanced at Neo's clothes, then at his calm but heavy gaze, and quickly lowered his head.

Neo reached into his pocket and flicked a Ji coin toward them. It clinked softly as it landed between two bowls.

"There is no Mu De here," one of the beggars said after a pause.

"That place is always empty," another added.

A third frowned and muttered, "Weren't you just talking to empty air?"

Neo's brow furrowed.

They weren't lying. He could hear it in their voices, and see it in their reactions. This wasn't fear-driven denial. It was genuine confusion.

'I remember them reacting when I let him touch my hand. They were clearly surprised,' Neo thought.

Back then, several of them had stared openly when a well-dressed man like him had allowed a filthy beggar to grab his wrist.

He burned more of his Life Flame.

This time, he didn't just observe the surface.

His perception pierced deeper, brushing against the memories of the beggars and the passing pedestrians.

He moved carefully, quickly, taking only fragments so as not to damage fragile mortal minds.

And then he froze.

There was no Mu De.

Not a single trace.

In their memories, the spot had always been empty. Neo had stood there alone, speaking to no one. Some remembered him pausing strangely. Others recalled him staring into space.

But the beggar named Mu De did not exist.

Neo withdrew his perception and extinguished the flame. His expression darkened.

'It's like he was erased after the meeting. No… erased might not be the right word.'

This was worse.

Why would the Celestial Worthy appear like this? Why hide his existence so completely, yet speak to him directly? Why allow Neo to remember when no one else could?

Neo was still piecing the question together when a hand touched his shoulder.

"Dad, why were you ignoring me?"

He turned.

Vivi stood there, pouting slightly.

In her other hand, she held a girl who was calmly licking a sweet on a stick, entirely focused on the task.

The sight was so normal that it momentarily clashed with the tension still lingering in Neo's mind.

"Nothing. I was just thinking about something," Neo said after a moment.

He didn't bother asking Vivi whether she had seen the beggar behind him.

There was no need.

If even the beggars themselves didn't remember Mu De, Vivi certainly wouldn't.

She tilted her head, studying his face for a second longer, then nodded.

"Alright. But before we go, I want you to meet someone."

Neo raised an eyebrow.

"This person is helping us against Apollyon. I was waiting for him earlier. That's why I came late to find you."

Only then did Neo notice the presence beside her.

It wasn't that the person was invisible. It was subtler than that. A Technique Spirit was at work, bending attention away, smoothing over awareness.

Since Neo had stopped burning his Life Flame, his senses hadn't pierced through it.

Now that he noticed, the man was suddenly very much there.

Neo straightened.

"Hello," he said, instinctively polite despite the lingering unease. "I am Neo Hargraves. Thank you for—"

He stopped.

His eyes locked onto the man's face.

For a heartbeat, nothing happened. Then Neo's expression twisted violently.

"You bastard. What are you doing here?"

His aura surged.

"Dad, stop!"

Vivi rushed forward, spreading her arms as if to shield the man behind her.

Neo was already igniting his Life Flame again, anger flaring fast and sharp.

"Get out of the way. This man is the leader of the Eternals."

"I know!" Vivi said quickly. "I know, but—"

She faltered, clearly struggling to explain.

At that moment, the man spoke.

"I'm on your side, Hargraves."

Neo's eyes narrowed. "You want me to believe that?"

"Yes."

The man took a step forward.

His aura rose explosively.

Power pressed outward.

Vivi reacted instantly, erecting a barrier around the three of them.

The street blurred slightly as pedestrians and beggars unconsciously diverted their gazes, their senses dulled.

"I'm a Stage Nine Divinity God outside. And even here, I'm a Third Realm Martial Artist. If I were on Apollyon's side, you'd already be dead."

Neo clenched his jaw.

He hated that the man was right.

The pressure he felt wasn't false.

The Martial Realm matched the claim.

"Why would you betray Apollyon?"

For the first time, the man's expression shifted.

"He killed Master," he said.

Rage flickered across his face, like something that had been suppressed for a very long time.

Then it vanished, replaced by composure.

"Outside, I couldn't do anything. Everything was under his gaze. But here, in this place, his control is weakened. This is my only chance."

Neo stared at him.

Every instinct screamed at him to tear this man apart.

Leader of the Eternals.

Responsible for countless deaths.

Even if he stood against Apollyon now, that didn't erase the past.

But Vivi was standing in front of him.

Protecting him.

The man smiled faintly and placed a hand on Vivi's shoulder.

"Miss Vivi, it's fine. Your father can't defeat me. You don't need to protect me."

The air turned sharp.

Neo's gaze snapped to the hand.

"Did you just touch my daughter?" he said coldly.

Life Flame and consciousness surged together, his killing intent no longer restrained.

The man stiffened.

Then he turned his head slightly, frowning.

"Cultivators. They're coming. They sensed your Qi."

Vivi's eyes widened. She looked at Neo, urgency clear on her face.

Neo clicked his tongue.

"Tch."

He extinguished the ignition with effort, though the anger didn't fade.

"Let's move."

They left the area quickly, blending into the flow of the street before turning down a narrower path that led away from the market and toward the sect grounds.

For a while, no one spoke.

Finally, Neo broke the silence.

"So," he said, voice rough. "What exactly are you helping us with?"

"Apollyon got into contact with cultivators related to the ones you've killed, and he revealed the fact that you can generate Qi (World Energy) without a Spirit Root. Now, the entire Heavenly Sect is searching for you," Veydran said.

He continued, "A Martial Artist helping a cultivator of the Heavenly Sect is seen as treason."

"And the Marital Alliance believed you when you told them Apollyon is working with Heavenly Sect?" Neo asked.

"Apparently, last time I entered the True Blessed Lands, I was something like an assistant to the True Martial King, the strongest in the Righteous Martial Alliance."

Righteous Martial Alliance was the name of a clan formed by various Martial Sects coming together.

Of course, just because they called themselves "Righteous" didn't mean they were good.

Rather, the others were much worse than them and practitioners of evil arts.

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