"This self-destruction, so sudden, whether real or fake, has already proven a possibility to me."

"What is he trying to achieve by saying this?" Ye Chu Xiao wondered, but didn't ask.

The so-called self-'exposure' is also a contest for control of the conversation.

Once you step into the other person's rhythm, you will gradually be led by the nose.

Although Ran Xing seems weak, he is, after all, considered a 'Jin Bu Yu,' not to be underestimated, at least not to be treated too casually.

The necessary scheming and tactics cannot be spared in the slightest.

As for violent interrogation, that is always the last resort.

After all, Ye Chu Xiao is not a clerk rushing to complete a task; he only needs to be responsible to himself.

Answers obtained through violent means are actually more distorted than one might imagine.

This has nothing to do with whether the person being tortured is lying.

Rather, in the midst of barbaric whipping, the 'truth' obtained is often the 'answer' that is more beneficial to the interrogator.

It's like left eye twitching means wealth, while right eye twitching is just superstition.

Seemingly perfect control can also cause real clues to deviate from the correct track, becoming no longer objective.

"Alright, my questions have all been explained. This exchange ends here." Ye Chu Xiao actively stopped this mutual 'self-exposure' that he had initiated, near its climax, and didn't push it any further.

Ran Xing was obviously stunned, some words stuck in his throat, feeling like he had to say them, but saying them just like that felt like a great loss.

And the self-exposure questions Ye Chu Xiao asked earlier, whether true or false, didn't touch the core of the information Ran Xing wanted to obtain.

For example, why Ye Chu Xiao insisted on getting involved in this battle for the Heart Pill.

"Don't you want to know why we are undertaking this time walk?" Ran Xing finally couldn't help but ask.

The moment he proactively asked this question, he had already fallen into Ye Chu Xiao's trap like prey.

Of course, Ye Chu Xiao wanted to know the answer to this question, wanted to know it desperately.

But he couldn't proactively bring it up, because that would put him in a passive position.

Having already grasped almost absolute initiative, it would be too foolish to fall into passivity due to a lack of information.

In fact, even if this guided conversation didn't go smoothly today, Ye Chu Xiao would re-evaluate it and arrange another meeting, step by step luring Ran Xing into his trap.

He just didn't expect Ran Xing to be so cooperative.

To enter the topic that Ye Chu Xiao really wanted to know so quickly.

This shows that Ran Xing has something in his heart that he is even more eager to express.

He is more anxious than Ye Chu Xiao, and even more unable to restrain himself.

"Perhaps the 'splitting' of Jin Bu Yu is not completely out of control. As the previous main body, Jin Bu Yu should still have the means to clean up the mess, or it's not that simple, but certainly not without any solutions."

"Ran Xing knows about this, so he is anxiously trying to get my help, to obtain my assistance."

Without deliberately showing indifference, Ye Chu Xiao revealed a rather interested expression: "Oh? Are you willing to talk?"

"Then let's chat!"

Ran Xing said: "Of course, I can't just tell you like that."

"Promise me two requests, tell me one answer, and I'll tell you the reason."

Ye Chu Xiao smiled.

Then he took out a curved needle from his hand.

It was a serpentine curved needle, radiating an ominous cold light.

"I have lived for many years and accumulated quite a bit. Thanks to you, I returned to my own treasure trove and took them all out. For example, this needle... It was a trophy I obtained a long time ago."

"Compared to other magical treasures, it is neither fast nor powerful, and it doesn't have outstanding armor-piercing or drilling abilities. Its only advantage is probably... creating pain."

"That's right, its characteristic is to bring extreme pain to people. When my domain covers it, this pain will be amplified."

As Ye Chu Xiao spoke, he constantly played with and stroked the needle in his hand, as if he were stroking a lover's finger, filled with a perverted aura.

"According to people who have been stabbed by it before."

"After being hit by it, at first it feels like ten thousand ants are gnawing at your internal organs, and then there is intense, all-over pain, as if someone is using a rusty knife to tear your skin inch by inch, and then slowly break your bones. After that, there is pain that penetrates deep into the soul, a pain that has reached the point where it cannot be described with words."

"I have seen extremely strong men, because of a light touch, kowtow at my feet like a dog, begging for death. I have also seen chaste and proud women tear off their clothes in front of me in order to escape the pain."

"Only in this extreme pain will people remember that humans are just animals."

Ye Chu Xiao spoke slowly and with great involvement.

Each word, each pause and acceleration, was very rhythmic.

So much so that Ran Xing felt very immersed, and the originally weak expression now added a bit of fear.

"Pfft!"

"Hahaha! You didn't believe it, did you!" Ye Chu Xiao waved his hand in front of him, and the pressure that had been built up seemed to be vented at this moment.

"Just kidding! Just kidding!"

"How could a gentle person like me have such a vicious magical treasure?" As Ye Chu Xiao spoke, he also showed a gentle smile, but set off by the needle, the smile seemed strange instead.

"Besides, what boring craftsman would create this kind of artifact that only tortures people?"

"That's definitely impossible!"

Ye Chu Xiao retracted the smile on his face: "I was just telling a joke to liven up the atmosphere."

"You understand, right!"

Originally, Ran Xing didn't believe it, but the more Ye Chu Xiao explained, the more suspicious he became, and he gradually believed it instead.

And then he had a deeper sense of immersion.

Although the needle had not yet pierced him, he already began to feel pain on his skin.

Of course he would feel pain!

Because Ye Chu Xiao was quietly mobilizing his domain, using invisible sword energy to 'blow' over his body, again and again, from the surface of his skin.

Why is watching a movie in a movie theater more immersive?

Because the environment can give an added boost to the experience.

"Ah? You don't seem to believe me?" Ye Chu Xiao looked at Ran Xing, revealing a troubled expression.

Ran Xing's face stiffened: "No! I believe you!"

"No! What you mean is clearly that you don't believe me!"

"Come! I'll stab you, I'll just stab you lightly, one stab and you'll believe me!" Ye Chu Xiao approached with the needle.

Ran Xing immediately panicked and screamed: "No! I believe you, I believe you, don't try it on me, I don't want to try it!"

Ye Chu Xiao said: "If you believe me, why aren't you telling me the truth?"

"If you believe me, why don't you tell me the answer?"

The voice gradually became forceful, and the volume gradually increased.

This was a moment to seize Ran Xing's ability to judge.

Only for a moment, but if it succeeded, Ye Chu Xiao would have made a huge profit.

It didn't matter if it didn't work out.

In fact, Ye Chu Xiao, who had control of the initiative, had enough room for trial and error.

Ran Xing shouted loudly: "Because of Tang Su Dong! Because of Tang Su Dong!"

The moment he said the three words Tang Su Dong, it was as if all his strength had been drawn away.

The following words became much smoother and easier.

"Tang Su Dong's sacrifice to the Dao with his death is the foundation for refining the world. Without his sacrifice, the incomplete world will feed the largest defect back to the person who refines it."

"The Wuding Realm (Realm of Uncertainty) is a choice whose outcome cannot be determined from beginning to end."

"The reason it's called Wuding (Uncertainty) is because it has no fixed answer."

In Ye Chu Xiao's mind, all the clues were instantly connected.

This made sense.

Why would Xiao Chi choose to 'take a step back,' returning from the dignified Wuding Realm to the Intent Realm, and even occupying Xiao Bao Er's identity to hide?

Because he was waiting!

Waiting for Tang Su Dong to choose to sacrifice himself to the Dao and complete the Heavenly Dao after his reform became hopeless.

He was waiting for Tang Su Dong to make a choice.

And this choice may have been deliberately guided.

Whether Xiao Chi appeared in the form of Wuding (Uncertainty), or Xiao Bao Er appeared in the form of Wuding (Uncertainty), it would inevitably interfere with Tang Su Dong's final choice.

Tang Su Dong's selfless sacrifice was the beginning of Xiao Chi and Jin Bu Yu's conspiracy.

At this time, Xiao Chi's self-sealing, the late Emperor's 'death,' and the appearance of Jin Bu Yu all had appropriate reasons.

But this reason made Ye Chu Xiao feel a sense of depression.

Perhaps 'Jin Bu Yu' seemed to be unqualified.

But his 'unqualifiedness' might not have been a deliberate act by Xiao Chi.

In order to calculate Tang Su Dong to death, he sealed himself, released 'split souls' like Jin Bu Yu, but also chose Jin Bu Yu, a 'split soul' with some ability, some brains, but not too much, as the main controller for the next period of time, in order to return accurately.

Because he had calculated that any 'resistance' from Jin Bu Yu would ultimately lead to the ending he had set.

"So, the doubt that Ying Shu expressed to Jin Bu Yu before she was nailed to death in the 'future' relayed by Ye Chu Qi meant this?"

"Had Jin Bu Yu at that time already reverted to Xiao Chi?" Ye Chu Xiao touched his arm, and goosebumps rose on his arm.

The curved needle swept across Ye Chu Xiao's arm, and then was easily shattered by his tough skin.

"Ah... that needle...!" Ran Xing widened his eyes and looked at this scene in surprise.

Ye Chu Xiao said: "I already said, this is a joke, how could there be such an artifact? No divine craftsman would be so bored."

Ye Chu Xiao did get a lot of artifacts in the Immortal Treasure Realm.

But in fact, most of the effects of the artifacts are quite overlapping, and some of them have degenerated into embryos after losing their original owners and no longer have their original characteristics.

The general-purpose artifacts that do not have overlapping effects are at most one-fifth of the total.

It was impossible for Ye Chu Xiao to take out a corresponding artifact whenever he encountered a problem, like Doraemon with endless gadgets.

He was just taking advantage of the cognitive bias, under the premise that Ran Xing thought he was a multi-treasure cultivator, and deliberately created such a verbal trap.

Having learned the 'truth' behind the scenes, Ye Chu Xiao didn't feel relaxed, but heavy instead.

Because this also confirmed a problem.

Jin Bu Yu, the opponent he had been fighting all along, could not be considered a true opponent.

All the plans made with 'Jin Bu Yu' as the hypothetical enemy had become unusable.

He had to re-formulate the entire plan.

However, his understanding of Xiao Chi was too limited.

After all, Xiao Chi was active more than a hundred years ago.

As for Xiao Chi having the additional identity of the 'late Emperor,' understanding the late Emperor's past life was a way to go, but the effect should not be great.

Xiao Chi at that time had already begun to actively hide, and there might not be many traces left.

According to what was known, the late Emperor basically didn't care about things in the last few decades of his reign.

It was precisely because of this 'not caring' that the previous Empress, now the Empress Dowager, became powerful.

During the late Emperor's reign, after Tang Su Dong rose to prominence, the late Emperor almost gave all matters, large and small, to Tang Su Dong, allowing him to handle them.

This was also the reason why many of Tang Su Dong's reforms were able to be implemented relatively smoothly in a world with the defect of 'indifference.'

However, this smoothness all came from the Emperor's delegation of power and tolerance.

After the late Emperor, who relied on Tang Su Dong, died, restraints emerged everywhere.

Even if Tang Su Dong's cultivation was unparalleled in the world at the time.

But as long as Tang Su Dong hadn't thought of launching a massacre to clean up the upper-class buildings of the entire Great Heng Dynasty, this hidden confrontation would not stop or be avoided.

And this confrontation... must have been the result of Xiao Chi's pre-arranged plan.

Otherwise, even if Tang Su Dong hadn't actively formed a faction, after decades of wielding power, he should have had a group of core like-minded people around him.

Instead of ending up with only fools trying to rescue him from prison after he was imprisoned.

"All coincidences and accidents are not coincidences and accidents."

"They were designed long ago. For Xiao Chi, his opponent was Tang Su Dong, and the rest were not his opponents, but just his pawns."

"When Tang Su Dong stepped onto the trajectory he had designed, then the ending was already destined for Xiao Chi."

"In addition to letting Jin Bu Yu, this personality, control the situation, what other backup plans does he have to ensure that this destined ending arrives?" Ye Chu Xiao furrowed his brows.

"And Xiao Bao Er in the Yunmeng Cauldron is a breakthrough on the surface, but in reality, it's a bomb to me."

"Because Xiao Bao Er holds secrets that cannot be spoken, I haven't touched him even though I have the ability to control souls."

"It's just to worry that when I mistakenly raise a certain question, I will inadvertently point out the direction of the Wuding Realm."

"If I knew about it before stepping into that realm, perhaps I would never be able to reach that realm."

Thinking, thinking, Ye Chu Xiao's thoughts entered a dead loop.

"No! If Jin Bu Yu has independence, then was Ying Shu's Heart Pill given to all the 'Jin Bu Yu's, or just to Jin Bu Yu?"

"If it was simply given to the unique Jin Bu Yu, then as long as I win the Heart Pill battle before Xiao Chi awakens, I can break into the Wuding Realm first."

"As long as the strength is equal, then even if the calculation is a bit shallow, I will be safe." Ye Chu Xiao thought.

What is conceived can be done.

Ye Chu Xiao prepared to take Ran Xing to see Ying Shu.

If Ran Xing didn't have the Heart Pill on his body, then it would mean that the Heart Pill was only 'exclusive' to Jin Bu Yu.

"Thank you for resolving my doubts."

"Now, I have something I want you to cooperate with." Ye Chu Xiao said gently to Ran Xing.

But Ran Xing shuddered upon hearing this, and looked at Ye Chu Xiao with a slightly flustered expression.

What kind of trick is this guy... playing again?