Chapter 4: The Great Erasure and a Lazy Companion
The "Inpenetrable Fog" surrounding the mountain was working, but not in the way Ye Chen had hoped. Instead of discouraging the people of the Eastern Region, it had turned the mountain into a literal magnet for every greedy sect leader, rogue cultivator, and "destiny seeker" within ten thousand miles.
From his position on a floating lounge chair made of Cloud-Whale Silk, Ye Chen could see them through the Sect's sensory array. They were like a swarm of mosquitoes hovering around a screen door. Some were throwing high-grade talismans at the fog; others were trying to use "Spirit-Seeking Hounds" to sniff out an entrance.
"Master, the Blazing Sun Valley has returned with two neighboring sects," the Silent Empress reported. She stood perfectly still behind him, her dark aura casting a long, cold shadow across the jade tiles. "The 'Cloud-Sect' and the 'Iron-Blood Hall.' They have brought three Quasi-Saints and nearly five hundred disciples. They are currently attempting to set up a 'World-Breaking Formation' at the base of the ladder."
Ye Chen groaned, placing a silk sleeping mask over his eyes. "A World-Breaking Formation? Do they have any idea how much noise that makes? It's like trying to sleep next to a construction site."
"Shall I go out and execute them?" the Empress asked. Her hand drifted to the hilt of her blade. The air around her dropped by forty degrees.
"No, no. If you kill them, their sects will send 'Vengeance Teams.' Then the 'Grand Ancestors' will come out of seclusion. Then we'll have a whole 'Great War of the Eastern Region' on our doorstep," Ye Chen muttered. "Too much paperwork. Too much blood to clean up. I just want to nap."
He sat up, rubbing his temples. Being an Eternal Divine God was supposed to be the ultimate freedom, but he was starting to realize that the "ants" of the world didn't know how to take a hint.
"System," Ye Chen said internally. "I'm tired of being a tourist attraction. Give me something to handle this that doesn't involve me moving from this chair."
[Ding! Sensing Host's desire for peace and quiet.]
[Special Reward Issued: The 'Eye of Oblivion' (Passive Skill).]
[Description: Allows the Host to rewrite the collective consciousness of a region. Cost: None. Effort: A single thought.]
[Supplemental Reward: Personal Pet — The 'Primordial Void Cat'.]
Suddenly, a weight settled onto Ye Chen's lap. He looked down to see a ball of fur so black it seemed to absorb the ambient light. It was a cat—fat, fluffy, and currently yawning with such intensity that its tiny mouth looked like a gateway to another dimension.
"Meow," the cat said. It didn't even look at Ye Chen. It simply turned around three times, kneaded his expensive robes with its claws, and fell fast asleep.
"Wait, is this thing a God-beast?" Ye Chen asked, poking the cat's belly.
[Name: Xiao Hei (Little Black)]
[Species: Primordial Void Cat]
[Cultivation: Unknown (Grows with the Host's laziness)]
[Abilities: Can sleep in the void, eat divine treasures like kibble, and ignore all laws of physics.]
"Perfect," Ye Chen chuckled. "He matches the vibe."
The Great Erasure
Ye Chen looked back at the "System Mirror," watching the Quasi-Saints of the three sects chanting and pouring their energy into a massive, glowing array at the foot of his mountain.
"Alright," Ye Chen whispered. "If you guys want to find the 'Sacred Land' so badly... how about you forget it ever existed?"
He didn't stand up. He didn't even take the sleeping mask off his forehead. He simply focused on the concept of forgetting.
In the eyes of an Eternal Divine God, the memories of mortals and "Saints" were just lines of code written on the fabric of reality. With a mental "delete" key, Ye Chen swept his consciousness across the entire Eastern Region—billions of square miles and trillions of sentient beings.
Snap.
The ripple went out silently.
At the base of the mountain, the Sect Leader of the Blazing Sun Valley froze mid-chant. He looked at the glowing array at his feet. He looked at the two other Sect Leaders beside him.
"Uh... Elder Wang?" the leader asked, scratching his head. "Why are we standing in the middle of a wasteland throwing spirit stones at a patch of fog?"
Elder Wang blinked, looking around. "I... I don't know. Weren't we going to a banquet?"
"Wait, why is my 'World-Breaking Formation' active?" the third leader shouted, looking horrified. "These stones cost a fortune! Who started this?!"
Within seconds, the three "Grand Sects" were arguing with each other, completely unaware that the "Great Treasure" they had been hunting was standing right in front of them. To their eyes, the fog was just... fog. The mountain was just a boring, empty rock that had no spiritual energy at all.
Across the entire Eastern Region, history books shifted. Maps blurred. People who had been talking about the "Golden Light" suddenly stopped, frowned, and started talking about the weather instead. The memory of the Eternal Divine Sacred Land was wiped clean from the mind of every living thing—save for those currently standing on the mountain peak.
"There," Ye Chen sighed, petting Xiao Hei. "Now it's quiet."
The New Order
The Silent Empress watched the "ants" scatter in confusion through the fog. She turned back to Ye Chen, her cold eyes showing a flicker of genuine shock. To wipe the memories of an entire region without harming a single soul... that was a level of control that even she, a 1st Stage Eternal Divine God, couldn't fathom.
"Master's power is truly beyond the Dao," she said, bowing deeply.
"Whatever," Ye Chen said, yawning. "Listen, since we're actually a 'Sect' now, we need some structure. I'm too lazy to manage the day-to-day stuff. Empress, from today on, you are the Grand Elder of the Eternal Divine Sacred Land. You handle the security, the arrays, and making sure the disciples don't kill themselves during training."
The Silent Empress straightened her back. "I accept the appointment, Sect Master. None shall disturb your rest."
Ye Chen then looked over at the training grounds, where Lin Feng was currently trying to lift a boulder five times his size while General Yan barked orders at him.
"And General Yan!" Ye Chen called out.
The bronze-skinned giant instantly blurred across the courtyard, kneeling before Ye Chen. "Yes, Sect Master!"
"You're doing a good job with the kid. From now on, you are officially the Personal Protector of the Direct Disciples. When Lin Feng—or any future disciples—leave the mountain for training, you go with them. If a leaf falls on them the wrong way, you handle it. Got it?"
"I shall protect the Young Master with my life and my spear!" Yan roared, his voice shaking the koi pond.
"Great. Now everyone leave me alone," Ye Chen said, pulling the sleeping mask back down. "Xiao Hei and I have a very important three-hour nap to attend to."
The First Test of the Disciple
While Ye Chen slept, the atmosphere in the sect was anything but lazy.
Under General Yan's watchful eye, Lin Feng was undergoing a transformation. The Nine-Suns Primordial Scripture was a terrifying technique. Every time Lin Feng circulated his qi, his blood would boil, and a faint golden flame would erupt from his skin.
"Again!" General Yan bellowed. "Your Sun-Devouring physique isn't a candle! It's a star! If you can't even melt this 'Cold-Iron Boulder,' how do you expect to follow the Master into the higher realms?"
Lin Feng gritted his teeth, his muscles bulging under his Eternal Sun Robes. He punched the boulder.
BOOM.
The cold iron didn't just break; it turned into white-hot slag.
"Good," Yan grunted. "Now, Young Master, the Sect Master has cleared the outside world's memory. You are safe here, but a flower in a greenhouse never becomes a World-Tree. In three days, you will descend the mountain. You will go to the Iron-Skull Canyon to hunt the 'Crimson-Flame Lions.' I will be in the shadows, but I will not interfere unless a Saint-level threat appears. Do you understand?"
Lin Feng wiped the sweat from his brow, his golden eyes burning with excitement. "I understand, General! I won't embarrass the Master!"
In the shadows of the palace, the Silent Empress watched the boy. She knew that while the world had forgotten the mountain, they hadn't forgotten the greed. Soon, the disciples of the Eternal Divine Sacred Land would start appearing in the world, and even without their memories, the people of the Eastern Region would soon realize that a new, terrifying power had risen from the mist.
[Ding! Mission Update: The 1st Direct Disciple has reached the 'Combat Ready' stage.]
[Reward for Lin Feng's first successful hunt: 1x 'Void-Storage Ring' (Direct Disciple Grade).]
Ye Chen, half-asleep, muttered in his dreams, "Make sure... he brings back... some good tea leaves..."
End of Chapter 4