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"Why... ask this?"

The Mirror Demon’s heart felt panic for the first time. It didn’t know why such panic had arisen—a mysterious sensation, much like how Chen Qing seemed to recognize its trail at first glance, which made it feel incredibly unreasonable...

"I have been with you for some years now. Since the day I took you from Mister Hua Pi, we have shared our fair share of ups and downs. It’s been what, three years?"

"Hmm... It has been some years..."

"Yet, I always feel like you’re hiding something from me," Chen Qing said, looking at the Mirror Demon.

"Why do you say that?" The Mirror Demon’s voice carried an inexplicable tone.

All these years, it had been diligent and honest. When Chen Qing chose the other city’s Mountain Gods and Gate Deities in Jiangnan, it was the one keeping watch.

Under Xuu Hu’s command, those in the War God Army with potential could get promoted quickly.

The overall quality had improved so much in three years thanks in part to Xuu Hu’s clear rewards and punishments but also due to its own strong ability to judge people.

It had never worked so hard when it was with Mister Hua Pi. Of course, it was also because it didn’t dare to slack off. Chen Qing was different from Mister Hua Pi; he seemed to understand its abilities more clearly than it did itself at times...

"I don’t know either..." Chen Qing shook his head, feeling that something was off...

In fact, he had always felt this way. Ever since the Mirror Demon had started following him, it truly had been very diligent. Whenever he had questions or requests, the Mirror Demon hadn’t played any tricks and honestly revealed the person’s trail and future fortunes, never once acting deceptively.

Initially, Chen Qing didn’t trust it and tested it several times. But after a few trials, he confirmed that the Mirror Demon truly had no intentions of deceit and slowly started to trust it.

But trust is one thing; he still often felt like the Mirror Demon was holding back on him.

It never volunteered information about who had potential; every time, Chen Qing had to ask before it would respond passively. He could clearly feel that it was observing him, being reserved, and not fully siding with him.

The Mirror Demon should have been the being that understood the benefits of his divine path the most, and yet, it still seemed to look down on him.

Why was that?

Before, Chen Qing didn’t understand, thinking it was just the Mirror Demon’s cautious personality, but now, knowing about the existence of the Third Life Eye, he suddenly had a new idea.

"Just answer my question," Chen Qing said to the Mirror Demon.

The Mirror Demon silently looked at Chen Qing, sensing his seriousness as if any further concealment might prompt an unfavorable reaction.

"A thousand years ago..." the Mirror Demon began, earnestly.

"A thousand years ago?" Chen Qing’s pupils constricted. "You haven’t undergone the great cycles of reincarnation? The ones Tianji spoke of, the great cycles?"

After a few moments of silence, the Mirror Demon finally said, "No... I was born in the Sorcerer Dynasty, and I don’t know who created me. I only know the first person to find me was a magician named Yu Ji."

"Yu Ji..."

Chen Qing rubbed his fingers, his heart pounding!

He hadn’t heard of this person...

This world didn’t seem to be as he thought... there was something wrong with this world!

Chen Qing suddenly felt that something was very wrong.

The Mirror Demon’s presence meant that many things altered later were also present.

The emergence of the Third Life Eye indicated that the deletions and changes made by his team in the past were in vain, which was very alarming, and even the manner in which the Mirror Demon appeared was problematic.

In the original design, the Mirror Demon was a tool created by an ancient demon craftsman to change his naturally weak destiny after the Marvels of Heaven Manual appeared in the world.

Later, it was broken apart by several major forces, and the Heavenly Demon Instruments scattered among the people, deliberately avoiding ancient times and waiting for the fated ones to find them.

The fated ones referred to the players; these items were the players’ future opportunities. This setting was full of adventure and playability.

But there was an obvious change here...

"A thousand years ago? You don’t know how you were born?" Chen Qing stared intently at the Mirror Demon. "You don’t know about the Heavenly Lord Manual?"

The Mirror Demon: "..."

"It seems you do know," Chen Qing’s eyes turned cold. "What are you trying to hide from me?"

The Mirror Demon: "I’m not hiding anything. I’ve heard of the Heavenly Lord Manual and know about my origins, but my memory only goes back a thousand years, and I haven’t lied to you."

Chen Qing: "..."

Having signed a contract, the other party cannot lie outright. If the Mirror Demon says so, it means that the memory of a thousand years is true.

The Artifact Demon does not undergo reincarnation; destruction leads to its obliteration, but due to their immense value, it is rare for anyone to destroy them.

Thus, many Artifact Demons have survived for extremely long periods and can use their rich experience and knowledge to help destined players avoid many detours.

But this Mirror Demon only has a memory of a millennium?

He remembered that the settings were not like this. The other party was not supposed to lose its memory like the Reincarnating Demons. If it says a millennium, then it must have been awakened just a thousand years ago.

This is unreasonable!

Even if the earliest batch of players changed history, if the birth of the Artifact Demon didn’t change, then it should have existed for many years. Why would something as valuable as the Mirror Demon fall to the mortal world?

Why was it awakened a thousand years ago?

Somethings not right...

"Are you hiding something from me?" Chen Qing asked bluntly.

"There is..." The Mirror Demon couldn’t lie and could only say, feeling cornered, "But I can’t tell you now."

Chen Qing, "Why not?"

"Because I don’t know what the consequences will be if I tell you, and I am not sure whether you can still protect me after knowing certain things, especially since your very existence is quite abnormal."

"My existence? What’s wrong with it?" Chen Qing asked with narrowed eyes.

"Aren’t you curious why there are two Pu YunChuans in this world?"

"You indeed have a problem!!!" Chen Qing’s gaze was fixed on the Mirror Demon.

Pu YunChuan... Tianji has never discussed this name with him in depth because Tianji is still not sure whether it is he or the King of Qin who is the counterfeit.

But this guy clearly knows something!

"Do you know something?"

"I know some things, but I can’t tell you!"

"What can’t you tell? The ancient times of this world have not fully awakened yet. At the moment, I am at least capable of protecting myself for a while. Could it be that if you reveal it now, some Divine Skills will descend from the heavens to obliterate me?"

Mirror Demon: "...."

"Really?" Chen Qing was stunned.

"You better not ask any more. In due time, you’ll eventually find out..."

This time, Chen Qing did not press further but slowly sat down, his emotions fluctuating wildly!

He had never felt such a tumult in his heart before, a nameless fear rising within him.

This feeling was new to him because no matter how difficult the situation was, he had always felt a designer’s superiority at heart, but now, he was not so sure anymore.

Am I really the designer of this world?

Chen Qing looked up at the sky. This world was not the one he had improved upon, and it felt... like a world where patches kept being added later on.

Yes, patches...

That’s the only explanation. This world is the blueprint for the original game, and the Mirror Demon and the others are patches...

The content of the patches was designed by his own team. Whether it was the Mirror Demon, Dragon Palace, or Ancient Worm, everything was identical to his later designs, but... it all seemed to be added on the fly.

So the question arises...

Who is applying the patches?

Chen Qing gazed silently at the sky. He was not afraid of the so-called guild that Tianji spoke of.

He and his allies had infinite chances for reincarnation, and even if they failed this time, there would always be opportunities to try again.

Moreover, he did not believe he would lose; no matter what advantages those players attained, he was not scared.

He had designed the rules, and no one knew better than him how to catch up.

But what if there were things beyond this world?

Once this terrifying thought arose in his mind, he found it impossible to shake off.