The familiar face appeared at the deepest part of the cave.

The person who had haunted his thoughts for five years without actually seeing them suddenly appeared before him, and Wu Liang instinctively pinched his thigh.

Ouch—it hurt a bit, so he wasn't dreaming.

But Wu Liang did not lower his guard, after all, he had the prior example of Wu Xiaoyao the Bionic Man; he couldn't be sure that the person in front of him was truly Yao Qingxue.

"Why start with foul language? Aren't you old enough to learn some manners? If I were really here, I'd definitely teach you a lesson!"

"The above are the words Saintess Yao wanted me to convey to you. Nice to meet you, Mr. Wu Liang, I'm Ah Yimu... You're finally here."

Yet the woman, with a face identical to his mother Yao Qingxue, spoke two profoundly significant sentences.

This left Wu Liang momentarily stunned.

The tone of the first sentence, whether in its somewhat bold intonation or the supremely confident expression on her face as she spoke, precisely matched the image of his strong-willed mother he had in his mind.

But when she uttered the second sentence, her expression instantly turned shy and her tone was so light that she seemed like a bashful young lady.

"Saintess Yao? Ah Yimu? Never mind, let me look through your memories, and I'll know!"

Wu Liang's tone gradually grew colder.

Clearly, the person in front of him wasn't his mother, but there was certainly some connection between her and Yao Qingxue.

No sooner had he spoken, before the woman could respond, his figure vanished from where he stood.

Take the initiative!

Having previously been in the Dongri Grand Hotel when the Wu Xiaoyao Bionic Man used an Unlimited Transmission Chip to escape during a moment of emotional instability, Wu Liang was determined not to repeat such a mistake!

Whoosh—

In an instant, Wu Liang's figure had thrust forward countless times, covering what must have been nearly a hundred meters according to his physical prowess.

But the opponent was still roughly ten meters away, suggesting physical methods wouldn't close the gap.

Mist! Ghost Shadow Following, switch positions!

The ten-meter distance remained unchanged.

Nightmare! Spiritual Body stealth!

The ten-meter gap persisted.

No matter what method Wu Liang employed to close the distance between himself and Ah Yimu, the brief ten meters seemed like an insurmountable chasm.

"Mr. Wu Liang... You can't get close to me, because it is a curse personally placed on you by your mother Saintess Yao." Ah Yimu said somewhat timidly.

"Darn... it's a type of plant, ahem, I didn't swear, what do you mean? My mom cursed me?"

Wu Liang almost blurted out another curse, but cleverly covered it up.

Seeing his figure reappear ten meters away and no longer attempting to breach the curse, Ah Yimu's tense expression slightly eased.

Then she cautiously lifted the collar of her clothing, revealing an ink-black necklace hanging around her neck, intricately engraved with exquisite reliefs and a series of numbers and name abbreviations.

What's strange is that this exquisite necklace was not just hanging from her neck on a silver string.

It was as if it were rooted like a tree, firmly embedded in Ah Yimu's collarbone, appearing to have perfectly fused with her flesh and blood.

"Mr. Wu Liang, this is..."

"This is the tenth-anniversary necklace from my mom's marriage, a gift from my dad on the seaside, and it was me, aged nine, who put it on her, I recognize it."

Before Ah Yimu could finish speaking, Wu Liang blandly recounted the necklace's origin.

Hearing this, Ah Yimu paused for a moment.

Then, with a reminiscent look, she began to recount what she knew: "I found this necklace four years ago when I encountered a Ghost Wall inside the Celestial Pool of Tianshan, and it guided me out of danger."

"It was at that time that I sensed a part of Saintess Yao's consciousness hidden within the necklace; she guided me to establish Utopia and instructed me to wait here for your arrival."

Having said this, her expression showed a hint of complex emotions, apparently unaware of the true origin of the necklace being Yao Qingxue's marriage memento.

Ah Yimu's expression revealed some disappointment.

However, after hearing her words, Wu Liang simply sat on the ground, pondering, and said, "Are you saying this Utopia was established according to my mom's wishes, and she predicted that I would come here one day?"

Ah Yimu inspected the young man in front of her carefully, then seriously nodded.

Just then, the ink-black necklace suddenly gleamed for a moment.

Even though it was just for an instant, Ah Yimu's expression abruptly turned serious.

"Mr. Wu Liang, Saintess Yao asked me to tell you: once you enter the Celestial Pool of Tianshan, there's no need to worry about the 'Fierce Ghost's balance'; as long as Utopia exists, they won't come out, allowing you to focus all your efforts on reaching the end of the Celestial Pool, where she is trapped."

"Hmm?"

Before Wu Liang could voice his confusion, Ah Yimu continued, "Utopia is a retreat line of defense prepared by Saintess Yao for you."

"Though every member here is merely ordinary, due to the curse laid down by Saintess Yao, in the eyes of the Fierce Ghosts within the Celestial Pool, they would be mistaken for fellow beings."

"Thus, if you attempt to reach deep into the Celestial Pool and fail, you can retreat back here and regroup without worrying about the Fierce Ghosts hunting you down."

At this point, Wu Liang couldn't help but feel puzzled.

Given his sharp mind, he instantly grasped what Ah Yimu meant—

The interpretation of "Fierce Ghost's balance" by Mei Xin Mountain and others in Di Wu City could completely be wrong!

If what this girl said was true, then these ordinary people in his eyes are essentially equivalent to thousands of peers in the eyes of the Fierce Ghosts in the Celestial Pool of Tianshan.

Such a multitude of "Fierce Ghosts" encircling them naturally would deter them from acting rashly.

So it wasn't the Fierce Ghosts in the Celestial Pool of Tianshan forming a mutual threat balance.

Rather, they were contained within the Celestial Pool by the Utopia members and dared not venture out!

All of this had been prepared by Yao Qingxue for him!

"A truly whimsical plan... Did my mom really do all this? Do the other members know?" Wu Liang asked Ah Yimu.

She shook her head in response.

Then, in a serious tone, she said, "Saintess Yao said if the members knew the truth, it might lead villains to eradicate these ordinary people, so I have been the only one aware of the truth for four years."

Having said this, Ah Yimu showed a hint of fatigue in her eyes.

In reality, she was only in her early twenties, and the responsibility of establishing Utopia and keeping the secret should not have been such a burden for someone of her age.

But soon, this fatigue was replaced with zeal in her eyes.

Seeing that face identical to his mother, Wu Liang hesitated a bit and asked, "Was your appearance originally like this?"

To this, Ah Yimu shook her head again and said without a care, "Of course not."

"Due to my soul and consciousness engaging in deep communication with Saintess Yao's main consciousness trapped inside the Celestial Pool over a long time, my appearance and personality were also influenced by the powerful curse she bore."

"It's estimated that in a few months, I will completely lose myself and become part of Saintess Yao's consciousness."

Hearing this, Wu Liang's pupils involuntarily shrank, not expecting the girl to nonchalantly speak of such terrifying matters.

To lose oneself and completely become another.

How is this any different from being possessed?

But from what she implied, this was unlike the active consciousness invasion of the Pioneer.

It's merely that the curse trapping his mother was too potent, causing Ah Yimu, a mere ordinary person, to be passively affected each time she contacted it.

"Then as long as you avoid communicating with my mom's consciousness, you could..."

"Mr. Wu Liang! I think you've misunderstood!" Ah Yimu retorted immediately before Wu Liang could finish, her expression full of longing and happiness as she continued, "Saintess Yao also tried to stop me from continuing the consciousness exchange after realizing the circumstances, like you, she's kind-hearted."

"But this was my voluntary choice! Even if I ultimately become part of her consciousness, it would be my honor!"

"Because I know how grand Saintess Yao's goal is—she wants to save this world!"

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