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--- Chapter 453 ---
"..." Han Yuan. This Xu Deming is a bit more eccentric than his fake-puppet self. Then, again, that is what makes him the real one. Weirdly enough, the actual Xu Deming might be more 'machine' than the puppet one.
Xu Deming chuckled at Han Yuan, "Ah, yes, I almost forgot. My friend, you haven't told me your name, or should I refer to you as Lord Han as this girl did?"
"Han Yuan is fine." Han Yuan wasn't that rigid in this aspect. As for why he let Ye Ziyun call him 'Lord Han,' that is because she insisted on it.
Xu Deming smiled, "Then, I will call you Brother Han for good sake."
"I don't know how old you are, but since you have saved my life, this life-saving favor will be repaid with a sworn brotherhood!"
Han Yuan's lips twitched in disbelief. "Who wanted to be your brother? Alright, continue. There are a few things that I am still curious about."
"First, have you ever made contact with the Asura God?"
"Second, does Ice God still exist as your puppet-self claimed?"
"And lastly, has Slaughter God told Asura God about your existence?"
Xu Deming sprawled onto the coffin, glanced at the ruined puppet, and then sighed helplessly, "You are asking loaded questions, my friend, but I will answer them."
"I haven't made direct contact with Asura God, as I know he was in direct opposition to my standing."
"The puppet me only realized this when you pointed it out, but I already knew that far in the future that hateful Tang San was the reason Abyssal Plane reached its claws to Douluo Plane."
"And not just me, several higher-ups in the Federation also knew about this matter, but they kept quiet and decided to observe because the existence of 'Shrek' and 'Tang Sect' is too dangerous to oppose."
"At the same time, Shrek Academy and Tang Sect connected directly to Tang San. It was too much of a coincidence that the connection of the Divine Realm and the Douluo Plane was cut off, preventing those Quasi-God Experts from breaking through to god-level."
Xu Deming glanced at Ye Ziyun, "As for the second question, Ice God still exists in the Extreme North, sleeping inside a closed plane under the Ice God's palace."
"Slaughter God has been trying to pry into my soul for years to look for the exact coordinate, but I guarantee you that neither he nor Asura God ever guessed where it was."
"It would be great if this girl could enter Ice God's Palace because she would be able to break away the restriction placed by Ice God's Heart."
"Restriction..." Ye Ziyun mumbled to herself. "Are you talking about me being the Ice God's priestess?"
"Mm," Xu Deming nodded calmly. "The restriction didn't prevent you from becoming a god as it placed an inherent limit on your cultivation to Quasi-God, though you are still able to access god-like power with Ice God's divine force."
"But if you don't have this restriction, you can reach a higher realm with the help of Brother Han. His cultivation system is more suited for you than this priestess path."
"Of course, there is an easier way. Brother Han can rip the restriction off your soul, and you can still keep Ice God's Heart for yourself."
"With his powers, I reckon it was easy to do."
"Yes, but that would harm her soul. The process is painful, too, and many would rather die than experience it," Han Yuan answered with certainty.
Xu Deming laughed, "Heh, that's a small price for freedom, no?"
"Ripping restriction... Freedom..." Ye Ziyun instantly looked at Han Yuan with fervent expectation.
Han Yuan rolled his eyes, "Alright, I understand, you don't have to give me that look."
"Also, you're changing the topic."
"You still haven't answered the most important question."
"Don't you know the answer yourself?" Xu Deming answered Han Yuan's probing with a smile. "With that divine artifact of yours, reading the soul of a divine entity shouldn't be difficult."
"If Slaughter God had told Asura God about my existence, he wouldn't have sealed me in that damned ice for so long and just killed me right away."
"However, he didn't. He had his own selfish motive, too."
"Although he spews loyalty and reverence to the Asura God left and right, you cannot forget that Slaughter God is cunning."
"In fact, his ambition is higher than heaven itself, but since he doesn't understand reality, he got his karma."
Han Yuan remained calm when Xu Deming suddenly mentioned the White Emperor Gourd, which he used to seal and torture Slaughter God's soul. Although he hadn't fully examined the latter's dirty soul, the information was pretty much the same as Xu Deming said.
Slaughter God is just a man who dreamed big, but couldn't reach it due to his own inability. Even though he had laid everything perfectly, there is no such thing as perfect in this world.
What a foolish god he is, yet that doesn't close the possibility of Asura God knowing about this matter.
That man, Asura, is much more cunning than Slaughter God.
Han Yuan finally accepted the 'Oh, well, I have changed this timeline with my appearance alone. While the possibility of Asura God knowing this is low, considering I have defeated his subordinate and imprisoned him, the future is uncertain.'
'Sigh, Alpha, oh, Alpha, you really left a real piece of mess for me.'
"Fine, recover your condition first." Han Yuan gazed at Xu Deming calmly.
"After that, we can discuss further about our cooperation..."
"Cooperation it is." Xu Deming smiled in return. He was pleased because talking with smart people of the same wavelength is satisfying.
"Oh, by the way, tell me the coordinates to Ice God's Palace." Han Yuan suddenly added.
"Uh..." Xu Deming's expression froze. "Damn, you didn't even let me breathe for a second before asking me for things."
"So?" Han Yuan responded flatly.
"..." Xu Deming now felt he understood how helpless the 'fake' must be facing this kind of unreasonable powerhouse. Even cyborgs have a right, too, you know?!
Xu Deming laughed helplessly as he tossed a spirit guidance map from his sleeve, allowing Han Yuan to catch it.
Han Yuan examined the spirit guidance map and nodded, "Hmm, this will do for now."
"Oh, yeah, I will give this back to you." He then casually tossed the 'heart' that fake Xu Deming had to the real one, leaving both Xu Deming and Ye Ziyun speechless at how nonchalant he was.
Xu Deming caught the metal 'heart' and gazed at it emotionally, "What a foolish copy of mine..."
"Being played by Slaughter God like that. Although you didn't inherit all my wisdom, you shouldn't be this foolish."
"Let's go, Ziyun." Han Yuan called out the current City Lord of Glory City firmly.
"Ah, yes, Lord Han!" Ye Ziyun didn't expect Han Yuan to call her directly like that. The sudden change of pace left her bewildered. Too many shocking things happened in a short time.
It wouldn't be an understatement that Ye Ziyun has experienced the so-called five stages of grief. All those emotions in less than an hour.
After that, Han Yuan and Ye Ziyun immediately left the chamber for the Ice God's Palace in the Extreme North. As for whether Xu Deming would do something foolish, Xu Deming himself knew that Han Yuan's power was too high for him to do any of that.
Xu Deming slumped on the coffin and gazed at the metal 'heart' wearily, "If such an existence like him exists in my original timeline, humans wouldn't suffer much."
"In fact, the Federation would prosper till the end of time."
Unknown to Xu Deming, those shocking words of his would become reality very soon.