Chen Xia woke up, but not entirely, so much so that he first asked himself who he was.
"A good question," the Inner Demon nodded in response. "You are Chen Xia, a very powerful cultivator."
"Then who are you?" Chen Xia asked the Inner Demon.
The Inner Demon hesitated for a moment before replying, "I am also Chen Xia."
"Are you f***ing performing the 'True and False Monkey King' act for me?" Chen Xia frowned as he spoke, while also surveying the surrounding starry domain. He saw the massive phantom of the Ancestral Dragon, but he wasn’t nervous because he knew this Ancestral Dragon phantom was himself.
But the question was, who was he?
As for this question, Chen Xia had not a single trace of memory in his mind. All he knew was that he had crossed over, then lived for a very, very long time—so long that he couldn’t even remember how many years it had been.
The Inner Demon was also somewhat helpless, unable to figure out Chen Xia’s current state, so it could only explain to him.
"You’ve probably lost your memory."
Chen Xia tapped his head and frowned at the Inner Demon, saying, "Do I need you to tell me that? Don’t I know I’ve lost my memory?"
"...True," the Inner Demon nodded helplessly. Its usually domineering and unruly nature couldn’t assert itself in front of Chen Xia, leaving it with no choice but to concede.
It was thoroughly subdued by its main body.
At the moment, the most important thing was to find out the reason for Chen Xia’s memory loss. With Chen Xia’s cultivation at the level of a Four-Path Quasi-Emperor, his memory loss must involve injuries to his divine consciousness, possibly even affecting his Heart Lake. It was likely due to the immense damage caused by the last use of the Past and Future Method.
The Inner Demon sighed again and asked Chen Xia, "Are you fully awake now?"
Chen Xia was taken aback, hesitated for a moment, and then replied, "I don’t know. Should I go back to sleep?"
"That’s not necessary. Since you’re awake, there’s no need to sleep. The real challenge is how to restore your memories. I’ll look for a solution and consult some cultivators who specialize in divine consciousness."
Chen Xia shook his head and said, "I feel like there’s something wrong with my head. Everything’s hazy, and I can’t remember the past, but my common sense and cultivation seem unaffected."
"Hmm, perhaps it’s a restriction added during your slumber to repair your body, ensuring you could rest better," the Inner Demon speculated, then suddenly had an idea and said to Chen Xia,
"How about showing you some familiar things from the past? Maybe that will jog your memory."
This was an old method for treating memory loss.
"Let’s try it," Chen Xia nodded.
Without hesitation, the Inner Demon waved its hand, and a small world merged with the Great Death Realm appeared before them. The two were still within the boundaries of Weixi Town.
However, Weixi Town was no longer the same as before. It had transformed into a celestial sect, with drastic changes. Only the surrounding mountains and rivers retained some of their former appearance.
"Do you remember this place?" the Inner Demon asked Chen Xia, standing beneath the celestial sect.
Chen Xia looked around in confusion, his eyes flickering with a hint of understanding. After a moment of silence, he raised his head, his eyes shining as he smiled at the Inner Demon.
"Where the hell is this?"
He really had no impression of it.
The Inner Demon was slightly stunned but also surveyed the current Weixi Town, thinking it was normal for Chen Xia not to recognize it. With a gentle wave of its hand, the surrounding mountains and rivers blurred, and an ancient town emerged. Streets spread out, the calls of vendors echoed softly, and mist swirled around, giving the scene an ancient charm.
"Do you have any impression now?" the Inner Demon asked again.
Chen Xia looked around once more, gazing down the street, and nodded slightly, "A little, but not much."
The Inner Demon began to explain, "This is Weixi Town, the place you first arrived at when you started your journey. Back then, you were still very weak and lived here peacefully for decades. So, this place can be considered your starting point."
"Hmm, with you saying that, I now have absolutely no impression of it," Chen Xia shook his head, replying honestly.
"Expected," the Inner Demon wasn’t too upset. It took a step forward, waved its hand, and Weixi Town disappeared, along with the small world.
Countless stars rose out of nowhere, and a sea stretched across the starry sky, filled with swirling sword energy. In the middle lay a massive immortal sword, with the vast sky above it.
The Inner Demon continued to explain,
"This is where you grew up, the Blue Sky Sword Sea. It’s also the most important place for you. Your feelings toward it were complex—first annoyance, then nostalgia."
Chen Xia crossed his arms and sighed, "My emotions are really complicated, huh? Going from annoyance to nostalgia, I must have some masochistic tendencies."
"It’s not masochism. There’s too much involved, and it’s hard to explain in just a few words," the Inner Demon shook its head, then snapped its fingers. The scene changed again, this time to a small house in the lower realm.
"This was your residence afterward. You lived here for thousands of years. It was a transitional place, but the memories there were quite good..."
Chen Xia still shook his head, hesitating as he said, "Maybe we shouldn’t focus on locations. How about some objects instead? I really don’t recognize the places you’re talking about. I have no impression at all."
"...Alright," the Inner Demon hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement. After thinking for a while, it canceled all the current scenery and waved its hand lightly. A chessboard appeared before them—a Chinese chessboard. It smiled and said,
"This is your favorite pastime, one of the few hobbies you’ve maintained over the years."
"Oh, oh!" Chen Xia immediately got excited, pointing at the chessboard.
"This I remember! I must have been an unparalleled master at this, right? Undefeated across the world, having beaten countless chess masters under my belt."
"Damn, why do I know this so well? Is my memory about to come back? I feel like something’s rushing into my mind, it’s about to surface!"
The Inner Demon stared at him blankly and replied quietly,
"As long as you’re happy."
It seemed the chessboard wasn’t of much help either.