Chapter 1 The Beginning
The First Cardinal was indeed strong, but to be honest, Chen Fan did not take him seriously at all.
His priority was to gradually uncover the hidden strength of the Angelic Holy Assembly.
"Alright."
The old demon stopped talking.
He also realized that having someone by his side who could think was a good thing.
He himself was not one to ponder, always charging headfirst into matters.
Having someone make the decisions now was quite good.
As they entered the forest, the shielding array was even more potent than outside.
His divine sense probed outwards, but could only reach less than a thousand meters.
"This place is unusual."
The old demon's expression turned slightly serious. "This grand array can shield the divine sense searches of powerful individuals. No wonder those people ran in here."
It made sense. Given the power of the Angelic Holy Assembly.
Apart from some dangerous places, there was nowhere else they could flee.
If they ran into a city, they would likely be caught by the Angelic Holy Assembly the moment they entered.
"Be careful."
Chen Fan reminded him.
"Mhm..."
...
An hour later.
The two stopped.
"Why isn't anyone here?"
The old demon was somewhat incredulous. "We've been searching for an hour. Let alone people, we haven't even seen a living creature."
The entire forest was deathly silent, like a world without sound.
Tranquility was the dominant theme here.
"Why is there no trace of life at all?" Chen Fan refused to believe it.
He could accept not finding people.
But not seeing even a single bird or insect was too much.
What exactly was wrong?
The brows of both powerful individuals furrowed.
This was too surreal.
"Let me try."
Chen Fan had no choice but to take out the Dragon Rune Compass.
*Whirr.*
The needle spun, and for the first time, it lost its direction.
Even the Dragon Rune Compass was rendered useless here.
This time, Chen Fan was truly stunned. "What in the world is this place?"
The Dragon Rune Compass was a divine artifact. Ever since he obtained it, Chen Fan had been unstoppable.
He had never encountered any power that could restrict the Dragon Rune Compass.
Now, he had.
This lush, primeval forest had rendered the Dragon Rune Compass inoperative.
The old demon noticed Chen Fan's grim expression and suggested, "Perhaps... we should leave first?"
"...No need," Chen Fan shook his head.
Since they were here, they couldn't leave empty-handed.
Besides, a place that could neutralize the Dragon Rune Compass, he truly wanted to see what oddities it held.
"Continue searching."
The old demon was indifferent.
If you're not afraid, then I naturally won't be either.
Even if it were hell, he would dare to venture into it.
...
Another hour passed, and there was still no result.
This time, the sense of strangeness in their hearts deepened.
"Still nothing."
The old demon spread his hands. He was helpless and had done his best.
Chen Fan's expression was different from his, his brow furrowing and then relaxing intermittently.
"Did you discover something?" The old demon saw that Chen Fan was deep in thought.
"Old Demon."
"Mhm?"
"From now on, do as I say."
"Oh."
"Turn your back to me and walk forward a hundred steps..."
The old demon did not ask why and followed Chen Fan's instructions.
He walked a hundred steps and stopped.
Chen Fan watched him, and after a moment... the old demon seemed to look around, then directly walked away from Chen Fan.
Chen Fan said nothing and slowly followed.
After walking about a kilometer, the old demon suddenly leaped into the air.
*Swish.*
Chen Fan instantly caught up and patted the old demon's shoulder.
The old demon turned back, looking at him with a hint of confusion, then... his gaze turned sharp.
*Gasp!*
His body trembled.
"Do you feel anything?" Chen Fan pressed.
The expression in the old demon's eyes slowly turned to one of terror, and he stammered, "I... I seem to have forgotten you just now."
"It's as I suspected."
Chen Fan spoke, "It seems the power enveloping this forest is a kind of memory-controlling force. I was watching you the entire time, so I didn't forget you. You, however, were not looking at me, and therefore forgot me. This leads me to infer that in this forest, to avoid forgetting each other, one must not take their eyes off the other. Perhaps there's also a distance limitation, but we won't experiment with that for now."
"..."
Normally, on such topics, the old demon would choose to remain silent.
Chen Fan continued, "Since we were together all along, we didn't experience any forgetting. However, I think... I already know how to find those people."
"What do I need to do?"
"Do the same thing as before, one more time."
"Forget you again?"
"Precisely."
This was the gist of it: "Since this forest can make people forget, perhaps following this method, we might be able to find others."
"Alright."
The old demon did not want to use this method, but he could only grit his teeth and agree.
This place was extremely bizarre.
The sooner they finished their business, the sooner they could leave.
The old demon turned around again, forgetting Chen Fan.
After that, he began to walk aimlessly.
He forgot many things, forgot his name, forgot the purpose of their arrival.
...
Chen Fan calmly followed behind the old demon.
At first, the old demon would occasionally accelerate and use his powers.
But as time passed, he seemed to have forgotten even the powers he possessed, his movements becoming slower and slower.
Chen Fan could sense the old demon's physical condition; it was normal, his demonic energy surging, his blood and qi like a dragon.
But the other party seemed to have forgotten this, walking slower and slower.
Gradually, it seemed even his physical memory was forgotten.