The young man softly said, "Have you never doubted it? Why can overseas Chinese from all corners of the world come together to create such an unprecedentedly large commercial empire like the Four Seas Commerce Guild?" 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Li Mumu thought, why should I doubt this?

"In fact, the woman who studied abroad by crossing the ocean back then was the second Dragon Maiden. She and her lover created the present-day Four Seas Commerce Guild. You might have heard that within the guild, there is a specific hall called the Old Dragon Hall responsible for unifying the incense offerings of different beliefs, but no one can clearly say which dragon the ’dragon’ in Old Dragon Hall refers to."

"Because the real Dragon Maiden has disappeared from history, leaving only their legacy behind."

Li Mumu was baffled, "What does this have to do with me?"

"Did they make you believe that you carry that person’s blood in your veins, that you are his descendant?"

"But have you ever seriously considered that your flesh and blood were long buried in the future era, and all that drifted here is just a lost soul, with no lineage to speak of?"

"The world line you traveled through is different from here. Even if that child truly is your ancestor and destiny led to your birth, is the ’you’ on this world line the same person as you?"

Li Mumu’s mind felt a bit numb.

"You’re so smart that you shouldn’t overlook these logical gaps, but their false kindness made you ignore these issues."

"But it’s all false; all of your memories are fake, whether before or after the time travel. As for the reason, it goes back to the story I just told—"

The young man spread his hands and smiled, "The Dragon Maiden has already left, but her partner couldn’t accept this fact. After trying everything possible to retain her and failing, he thought of another solution."

"He decided to recreate a girl identical to her by using all the traces she left in this world."

"They had a mutual disciple. Speaking of whom, you should be very familiar—it’s that Master of Ten Thousand Transformations who now resides in Fusang. In the memories you crossed into, was there ever evidence of this Master’s existence?"

Our principal...

Li Mumu was about to say that there’s nothing he doesn’t know about our principal, but then he suddenly froze.

Indeed, in this world, there’s a subtle memory.

In the memories he crossed into, there was no "Master of Ten Thousand Transformations." The principal’s title was only "Black Dragon Princess," and she wasn’t any guardian deity of Fusang. Although few could explain her origins, everyone knew she became active just before the millennium, and it was confirmed she was a disciple of the "Dragon King."

"The so-called Master of Ten Thousand Transformations isn’t a commendation suggesting she can transform infinitely, but rather she devoured eight million gods, including Yamata Orochi, from Takamagahara. Think about it, how could such a thing be easily digested, and how could it be of her own volition?"

"In fact, the Master of Ten Thousand Transformations is just an experiment, created by that man, to retrieve his most beloved woman. He modified himself, that woman’s disciple, and even their descendants to complete this insane plan."

The young man pointed at Li Mumu, "You are not a descendant from the future era; you are his direct heir in this age! Think carefully, if not, why would those people be so kind to you?"

What? I’m a true daughter of a wealthy family?

Li Mumu was utterly stunned.

"Then why..."

"Because you’re just a failed product and didn’t meet that man’s expectations."

"Your body can’t bear the Dragon God’s status. Mentally you’ve completely collapsed, eventually turning into a monstrous aberration that can’t even maintain a fixed form, just like the Master of Ten Thousand Transformations."

"To save your life, he arbitrarily twisted and altered your memories."

The surrounding scenery kept changing, and all kinds of familiar yet strange memories rushed into Li Mumu’s mind.

In the dim basement, young girls were restrained on experimental instruments, their bodies plugged with wires, with electrical currents running through their brains. In extreme pain and torment, they subconsciously clutched the steel guardrails beside them tightly.

She saw a woman passing by, holding a notebook and continuously recording various data.

Uncontrollably, she called out, "Mom..."

"Don’t call me mom."

Not mom...

There was no school, only a grim prison.

The school was a prison; the warden was the principal.

The classmates who grew up with her were nothing but test subjects like herself.

Women’s self-defense technique was merely the traces of pain borne from clawing on the experiment table with one’s nails.

The only thing that never changed was the self-identity.

We are... failure products who didn’t pass the final selection, prepared candidates for Dragon Maiden.

Daylily, also known as the bliss flower.

Self-deception, a product of fantasy trying to forget the suffering.

All memories in her mind twisted and reshaped, exposing long-sealed scars, presenting to Li Mumu a terrifying yet real side.

The memories before crossing were false, and so were the ones after.

She saw herself crawling on the ground like a dog, competing with her sisters for the malodorous food without dignity.

Her body began to crack, with blood flowing ceaselessly like drooping red strings.

Finally, on that night, her body completely disintegrated, with numerous distorted flesh bursting out from the fragile shell.

There was no annihilation; there was no ruler of a billion fleshes.

I *am* annihilation.

The life-and-death battle was nothing but a fantasy left in the mind of a failed test subject nearing death as their body collapsed.

In her final moments, she saw the hooded girl walk over, cutting off her only intact head from the grotesque body of flesh.

In the cold, black night of Safo City’s deep winter, the girl silently carried the blood-soaked package through the alleys and knocked on the witch’s door.

"I brought you what you wanted."

"The real dragon’s flesh and blood? This is all that’s left?"

The witch glanced dismissively at the remains in the package, a bit dissatisfied.

"Though it’s a failed product despised by that man, it’s still the closest creation to the Master of Ten Thousand Transformations."

"You only snuck out this much?"

"Of course, it wasn’t stolen. I made a deal with them to let this child grow up safely as an ordinary person."

"You want me to wait for this child to grow up?"

"You can treat her as your own daughter."

"And then, what’s the benefit of raising her?"

"She has enough talent and potential, maybe she could grow into the second Master of Ten Thousand Transformations."

......

"You have now grown to the level where you’re qualified to replace the Master of Ten Thousand Transformations, which is why they are appearing around you. I am merely helping you unveil the scars so you can recall true memories and face your real self."

The young man softly whispered.

"You will eventually walk the path to ascend to divinity, replacing the Master of Ten Thousand Transformations to become the closest ’replica’ of the ’true dragon’. In countless dimensions, in the Circulation World, the beings of billions are all calling your divine name—Demon Monarch of Ten Thousand Changes!"

Hiss—

Li Mumu drank up all the cola in the bottle through a straw, making the sound of sucking in air.

"That story was well told."

She tossed the glass bottle high, caught it back in her hand, reversed the grip on the bottle neck, and smashed it hard towards the young man’s head.

With a muffled thud, the glass bottle shattered into pieces, and the young man fell backward in shock.

"But your skull isn’t hard enough."

If you want to pretend to be a man intimate with me, you should at least meet the basic requirement of being able to take a beating!

......

In the real world, the just possessed Huang Anshi was sweating profusely, standing frozen in place for a long while without moving.

Initially, his four disciples were intimidated by the ferocious aura he exuded, leaving them cold and speechless.

However, at that critical moment, Abao’s thick nerves showed their effect. Coming to his senses first in this state, he couldn’t help but quietly ask, "Master, aren’t you going to take action?"

Possessing the gods brings great pressure to both the body and mind of a Divination Master, making it difficult to maintain this state for long.

"However, Huang Anshi, drenched in cold sweat from just invoking the gods, stood frozen for a long time without any movement.

His four disciples were initially frightened by the imposing aura emitted, leaving them too cold and speechless.

Yet, at this crucial moment, Abao’s bold nerves came through. Perplexed by his master’s stillness, he ventured to ask, "What are you listening to?"

"Amusement."