"Is this the safe house?"
Ye Ling stood before the opened entrance on the surface of the black spire and asked the Lord of the Upper Realm.
The Lord of the Upper Realm looked at the entrance beside Ye Ling, pursed his lips, and then nodded, "It, it seems to be."
"Seems?" Ye Ling raised an eyebrow.
The Lord of the Upper Realm could no longer maintain his composure and said to Ye Ling, "My lord, I'm truly not trying to make excuses for myself, but the safe house in my memory should be this spire on my side."
"Perhaps you're mistaken?" Ye Ling asked again.
After all, the facts were laid out before them.
Ye Ling had already inspected the black spire several times and confirmed that the black spire on the Lord of the Upper Realm's side was not the safe house.
The Lord of the Upper Realm stated firmly, "My lord, I admit my strength is inferior to yours, but I am not as weak as you think. Mistakes like this should not happen to me."
"In this current situation, either someone has changed the location of the safe house, or someone has altered my memory... but no matter which possibility it is, this safe house might not be as safe as we think."
The Lord of the Upper Realm was, after all, a significant figure who had traversed the three realms. Although he appeared humble before Ye Ling now, it did not mean his intellect was lacking.
After a brief moment of awkwardness, the Lord of the Upper Realm calmed down, realizing that things might not be as simple as they appeared.
"Are you serious?"
Ye Ling saw that the Lord of the Upper Realm's expression was not joking, and he also became serious, instinctively moving away from the safe house entrance.
The Lord of the Upper Realm nodded, "Yes... please give me some more time, my lord. I want to confirm my designated 'safe house'."
"Alright, I can only give you the time it takes for one stick of incense to burn... The Twins and Seventeen are still searching the entire city for us. Even with the help of the Source Text, we cannot openly stay here forever."
"The time for one stick of incense is enough!"
Without hesitation, the Lord of the Upper Realm immediately began his work of inspecting the safe house entrance.
However, as the time for one stick of incense passed, the Lord of the Upper Realm still could not find a way to open the safe house in his chosen black spire.
It was just an ordinary black spire.
"It seems the real safe house is only this entrance."
Seeing that the Lord of the Upper Realm had found nothing, Ye Ling looked again at the safe house entrance he had opened.
After he touched the mechanism, the surface of the black spire had remained in a twisted and recessed state, with no changes.
However, he could not sense what was inside.
The Lord of the Upper Realm, still having found nothing, gave up and looked at the safe house entrance beside Ye Ling, frowning, "This spire I chose is truly just an ordinary building. My memory must have been altered. The real safe house is the one you chose, my lord."
"But I still don't understand, why would someone alter my memory regarding the safe house... what's the point of that?"
Ye Ling said, "Perhaps your memory has not only been altered concerning the safe house..."
"My lord, you mean other memories of mine have also been altered?"
"It's highly possible. After all, you cannot detect any changes in your own memory. Perhaps the existence of this safe house was deliberately implanted into your mind, a trap specifically set for us."
"My lord, you're not joking, are you?" The Lord of the Upper Realm was startled by Ye Ling's words and instinctively recalled his life, but he found nothing wrong with his memories.
"Don't waste your effort. I've already examined your soul. The person who tampered with your memory is very skilled. I couldn't discern any difference."
In fact, when the Lord of the Upper Realm raised his doubts, Ye Ling suspected that the Lord of the Upper Realm's memory had been altered, and the person responsible was likely Tian Ji.
Memory is related to the soul, and Tian Ji had absorbed the Primal Soul King, gaining its power. It would be incredibly easy for Tian Ji to alter the Lord of the Upper Realm's memory without leaving a trace.
This safe house of Mr. Bai's was likely a trap set by Tian Ji.
However, in Ye Ling's eyes, this was both a trap and an opportunity to find Tian Ji.
The Lord of the Upper Realm no longer believed in himself. He looked at Ye Ling pleadingly and asked, "My lord, should we still go into Mr. Bai's safe house? That place is likely a trap specifically left by Tian Ji."
"We've already wasted so much time here. If we don't go, all the time we've delayed will be wasted. Let's go... let's go inside and see what's happening."
Ye Ling no longer hesitated and walked directly into the safe house.
"My lord, wait!"
Seeing Ye Ling enter the safe house directly, the Lord of the Upper Realm dared not stay outside alone and quickly followed Ye Ling inside.
Not long after the Lord of the Upper Realm entered the safe house, the entrance on the surface of the black spire disappeared. The entire black tower became identical to the surrounding buildings, and even the mechanism on the spire's surface had vanished.
Meanwhile, Bai Lan, who was hiding on the outskirts of the city and looking for an opportunity to escape, suddenly couldn't sense Ye Ling's presence. His expression changed slightly, and he immediately looked in the direction where Ye Ling's aura had disappeared.
"Master?"
Ye Ling was unaware of what had happened in the city.
After entering the safe house, he arrived in a sealed space.
There was nothing in this room. The four walls, as well as the floor and ceiling, were all blood-red, making it feel as if one was submerged in a sea of blood, extremely uncomfortable.
Ye Ling stood in the center of the room, looking at the environment and said, "If this place is truly Mr. Bai's safe house, I'd have to question Mr. Bai's taste."
In this blood-red room, even without external dangers, one would be driven mad if they stayed for too long.
The Lord of the Upper Realm followed Ye Ling and, upon seeing the entrance disappear, his heart sank. He immediately scanned the room with his divine soul, trying to probe the situation outside, but the moment his soul power touched the wall, it was all absorbed.
"My lord, this room is quite sinister. It can absorb soul power!" The Lord of the Upper Realm was frightened by the bizarre room and immediately withdrew his soul power, saying to Ye Ling.
"Yes... I see it." Ye Ling nodded slightly. "Not only that, but I've also discovered that you've lost a portion of your memories concerning the Three Thousand Universes."
"I've lost some memories?"
The Lord of the Upper Realm was stunned and carefully recalled his entire life, but he found no abnormalities!
"After entering, I've been observing your soul. After your soul power was absorbed, your memory lost an unimportant portion, and what's more..."
"Even now, your memories are constantly fading. I estimate that in at most half an hour, you will completely forget who you are."
"I... I will completely forget who I am? What's the difference between that and death?"
The Lord of the Upper Realm was terrified. He looked at Ye Ling with a look of horror and begged for help, "My lord, you... you must have a way, right?"
"I'm afraid not..."
Ye Ling shook his head. "Even the Source Text cannot stop the flow of memories."
"Not just you, but me as well. My memories are also constantly disappearing. This place is indeed strange."
"Even you..."
Upon hearing Ye Ling's words, the Lord of the Upper Realm fell into despair and slumped to his knees.
It was over...