Dong—

As Wu Liang heard these words, his foot landed on the ground with a "dong" sound, and he was stunned on the spot.

After taking a few deep breaths, he looked into the eyes of Sealed Yao Qingxue and said, "First, answer me... Is the origin of the Promised Land related to Dad?"

Seeing the complex emotions in her son's eyes, Sealed Yao Qingxue knew he had already guessed something.

A shimmer of tears appeared in her eyes as she forced a smile and said, "Xiaoliang, you are very smart, but I wish you weren't this smart."

"Because the cost of being smart is often knowing and bearing pains that ordinary people cannot accept."

"I hoped you could live a peaceful and happy life, rather than fighting for your life on the battlefield."

Listening to his mother's words, Wu Liang let out a heavy sigh.

He reached out to gently wipe away the tears at the corner of her eyes and said, "Let's talk about it at home."

With that, he headed towards Taohua Village.

Sealed Yao Qingxue sighed as she followed behind Wu Liang, feeling slightly dazed as she watched his unwavering back.

"Xiaoyao, our son will surely grow up to be like me! So handsome!!"

"I hope he becomes more like me, growing into a man who stands tall and upholds our family with solid shoulders."

"Ew... you're so cheesy! Hahaha..."

Memories from the past surged up, from the time when Wu Liang was born, when Wu Xiaoyao sat in the ward taking care of her shortly after her surgery, and the conversation they had.

Wu Xiaoyao said a lot that day.

Usually taciturn and always preferring action over empty talk, Wu Xiaoyao uncharacteristically spent a long time conversing with her.

As his confidante, Yao Qingxue could clearly feel the confusion of this man who was known to others as an authority in historical research, a renowned figure in archaeology, and the strictest teacher in school.

He was now quite lost.

In the face of various dangers within tombs, he could handle them calmly; in the face of artifacts that puzzled many archaeological predecessors, he could calmly spend years to get the answer; when his archaeological achievements were derided as grave-robbing, he could laugh it off.

But facing this newborn child, the newly-minted father Wu Xiaoyao was at a loss.

He didn't know if he could be a qualified father, nor did he know if the child's future would be beautiful, let alone what changes this child might bring to him.

He tried to ease his confusion through a heartfelt talk.

But when Yao Qingxue saw Wu Xiaoyao peering over the cradle with an uncharacteristic tenderness and determination in his eyes, she knew clearly — Wu Xiaoyao would be a qualified father.

Both of them would give everything for this child, including their lives if necessary.

"Xiaoyao, you guessed right this time. Xiaoliang is like you to the bone, in his intelligence, in his stubbornness."

Silently, the two returned to Yao Qingxue's residence in Taohua Village.

Upon entering, Commoner Yao Qingxue was already sitting by the table, looking at them with a complicated expression.

After Wu Liang closed the door, he took a deep breath and sat on the chair, speaking as calmly as possible: "Mom, tell me, what exactly is the relationship between Dad and the Promised Land?"

Hearing him say this, the two Yao Qingxue exchanged a glance before asking, "Xiaoliang, can you accept the idea that Xiaoyao's thoughts and ideals might not stand on the side of humanity?"

Dong dong—

His mother's words suddenly made Wu Liang feel as if the entire world had quieted down, and he could even clearly hear his own heartbeat.

He had already suspected this possibility!

Previously, both the Ghost Valley and the Pioneer had mentioned that their ideas came from Wu Xiaoyao, and even Wu Xiaoyao's Bionic Man chose to stand on the side of the Promised Land.

This made Wu Liang even more curious about what Wu Xiaoyao did when he restored his memory in the cave.

In the new world, after he restored his memory, he should have quickly turned into a soul fragment and made a deal with the Ghost Compendium to stay alive.

So how did Wu Xiaoyao manage to reconcile Wu Quanye and Yin Qiming, and jointly create an organization like the Promised Land during this process?

"After restoring memory, I realized Xiaoyao's state was peculiar, he seemed like a changed person, colder, less gentle," Commoner Yao Qingxue said.

But Sealed Yao Qingxue took a deep breath and added, "Rather than coldness and gentleness, Xiaoyao's state was more like the time back in the cave when he was determined to press forward to find the Immortal Realm, completely ignoring the physical states of the others, only seeking a result."

"That feeling of extreme rationality, devoid of human sentiment, more accurately felt like it had a divine touch but lacked humanity."

When his mother got to this point, Wu Liang felt a sense of bewilderment.

He had hidden and witnessed the whole exploration process of finding the Immortal Realm in the cave, so naturally, he understood what his mother meant.

Especially when it came to emotional changes, Wu Liang couldn't help but recall that his own emotions had also been sealed by the Ghost Compendium, clearing his mind of all emotional fluctuations, leaving only the rationality to research the essence of things.

He even felt god-like himself.

"After entering the cave, we encountered Yin Qiming and Quanye, and I decided immediately to leave Yin Qiming there forever, but was stopped by Xiaoyao."

"Oddly enough, Quanye didn't side with me either, almost as if all past efforts were a joke, the three of them sat around the campfire and chatted."

At this point, Sealed Yao Qingxue appeared somewhat exasperated.

She didn't understand why Wu Xiaoyao and Wu Quanye could calmly sit with that bastard Yin Qiming, talking about things she couldn't understand.

"What were they talking about?" Wu Liang asked, frowning.

This conversation probably involved why his father and that non-existent uncle of his had such drastic personality changes.

"They discussed the essence of humanity and Fierce Ghosts, like three emotionless scientific maniacs only driven to explore the unknown, their state was almost like they were possessed."

"Quanye said he had been a transparent man for over ten years and was no longer caught up in past personal grievances but considering the survival of humanity."

"Xiaoyao said his perspective had reached the peak, allowing him to comprehend what the coming of the supernatural awakening meant from a god's eye view."

"Yin Qiming said he saw another path to saving humanity in Xiaoyao, willing to become his disciple again."

"Only I was bewildered like a madwoman as to why they had undergone such a twisted change..."

The two Yao Qingxues spoke as they were on the verge of tears.

Only Wu Liang understood that the ultimate reason for this change was—the Ghost Compendium and the Stone Slab!

In the process of erasing the three men's memories about the existence of the Ghost Compendium, it fundamentally changed something in them as well...