The powerful unlocking force instantly shattered the slave seals within Mu Gaoqi's consciousness. Waves of seals could be seen fracturing throughout his sea of awareness, crumbling into nothingness in the blink of an eye.
The next moment, Mu Gaoqi clutched his head with both hands, groaning in agony.
Jiang Chen knew this process of seal-breaking was excruciating. It was a tremendous form of torture for one's consciousness.
Fortunately, Jiang Chen's skills were exceptional. Had some mediocre practitioner attempted this, the unsealing process could easily have left behind all manner of aftereffects.
But with Jiang Chen's meticulous technique, such concerns were unnecessary.
Thankfully, the torment did not last long. After roughly a quarter of an hour, Mu Gaoqi's sea of consciousness gradually stabilized. His thoughts steadied as well, and his normal memories began to resurface one by one. The memories that had been suppressed and repressed slowly came flooding back.
Mu Gaoqi let out a soft moan and opened his eyes.
He found himself in a completely unfamiliar environment, with an unfamiliar face gazing at him with a faint smile. Looking to his side, he saw his benefactor, Elder Yun Nie, lying there like a walking corpse—looking as though he had aged tremendously.
"What's going on? You... who are you?" Mu Gaoqi stared at the scene, a nameless panic seizing him.
His normal memories were still stuck from thousands of years ago, before the sect's destruction. Back then, Elder Yun Nie had been spirited and vigorous—nothing like the withered figure before him now.
So when he suddenly saw Elder Yun Nie in this state, Mu Gaoqi was naturally horrified. Memories of the sect's collapse came rushing back, and a vague unease about his current situation crept over him.
But after the initial shock, Mu Gaoqi managed to steady himself.
"Friend, who exactly are you? Why am I here?" When he asked again, his emotions were noticeably more composed.
"Gaoqi, it's been so many years. If you don't recognize my face, perhaps you still remember my voice?" Jiang Chen smiled faintly and shifted his voice back to its normal tone.
Mu Gaoqi wouldn't forget Jiang Chen's voice even after another ten thousand years. The moment he heard it, his whole body trembled and an incredulous light blazed in his eyes: "You... you're Brother Chen?"
Jiang Chen removed his mask, revealing his true face. "Gaoqi, who would have thought that after all these years, we brothers would have the chance to meet again."
Mu Gaoqi froze, then a look of wild elation spread across his face—but it stiffened almost immediately. "Brother Chen, back during our expedition to the Spirit Wood Spring, there was you, me, and Senior Brother Shen Qinghong. Do you know what's become of Senior Brother Shen?"
Jiang Chen blinked. The Spirit Wood Spring expedition? There was no Shen Qinghong.
"Gaoqi, you..." But then Jiang Chen chuckled. "Gaoqi, you've grown up. These years of suffering haven't been in vain. You can drop the act—I'm really Jiang Chen. Back at the Spirit Wood Spring, it was just the two of us and a few fellows from other sects. There was no Shen Qinghong, no Senior Shen. Oh, and we took out an elder from the Carefree Sect along the way. Right, and during the Forbidden Ground of Illusory Waves Mountain, you were ambushed by Wei Qing of the Carefree Sect and Du Lihuang of the Holy Sword Palace. In the end, the two of them were killed by me. You still remember all that, don't you?"
As Mu Gaoqi listened, the wariness gradually drained from his face, replaced by a look of pure astonishment. "Brother Chen, it's really you? Am I not dreaming?"
Everything Jiang Chen had said—these were secrets known only between him and Mu Gaoqi. The expedition to the Spirit Wood Spring had indeed never included any Shen Qinghong. The killing of that Carefree Sect elder was something only Mu Gaoqi knew about. And the events within the Forbidden Ground of Illusory Waves Mountain—the slaying of Wei Qing and Du Lihuang—those had been witnessed by Mu Gaoqi alone. He had been on the verge of breaking down at the time, but he remembered it clearly.
Now that Jiang Chen had rattled off so many secrets, Mu Gaoqi had no reason to doubt any longer.
Seeing Mu Gaoqi's vigilance, Jiang Chen felt genuinely reassured. After enduring so many tribulations, Mu Gaoqi had finally grown. His temperament had been tempered, and he hadn't simply taken Jiang Chen's face at face value. Instead, he had tested him first—and the test had been watertight.
If Jiang Chen had been an imposter, Mu Gaoqi would surely have caught it.
"Gaoqi, you're not dreaming. Though these years have certainly felt like one." Jiang Chen sighed softly. "All right, close your eyes and rest for a bit—let your memories recover. I'm going to help Elder Yun Nie break his slave seal now. Stay nearby and don't make a sound."
Even the densest person would have realized by now: once again, it was Senior Brother Jiang Chen rescuing them from their suffering.
About half an hour later, Elder Yun Nie's slave seal was also broken.
The moment Elder Yun Nie regained consciousness, two familiar faces greeted him—the two faces he most wished to see.
"Jiang Chen... Gaoqi?" Elder Yun Nie cried out in disbelief.
With his memories restored, he naturally recalled the fall of the Dan Qian Palace, as well as the process of being forged into a slave.
But these two young men held an irreplaceable place in Elder Yun Nie's heart. As long as they were alive, the Dan Qian Palace would absolutely have hope of being rebuilt.
"Master, heaven has shown mercy—we are free once more." Mu Gaoqi's eyes reddened, his voice catching with emotion.