Extra's Strategy: Cultivate Protagonists, Become Invincible-Chapter 132: Volume-1 Side Story: The Regressor’s Doubts

"He’s probably a regressor like me, right?" Xuanyuan Zhou muttered to herself in a low voice as she watched Han Xuhan following Mu Ran to pay a visit to the non-existent Pine Town.

"But if he IS a regressor, that makes things even more confusing. Back then, I searched the entire macrocosm for survivors of the war. I went through the remnants of every soul in contact with Mu Ran. Not one of them resembles him, nor does his activities ring a bell."

"If he was somebody who died during the Dao Severence Ceremony, then perhaps it would be a more logical conclusion to his origins. But in that case, why would he end up becoming a regressor like me? Someone that weak can’t be a regressor....

"And how is he taking advantage of the events leading up to the first wave of the war so we’ll? Even I, having personally investigated Mu Ran’s movements during the war, could barely gather any information about what went down in the Holy Land of Laws. Wasn’t this the place where Mu Ran’s real journey began?

"If Han Xuhan hadn’t teleported us out, then Mu Ran would definitely have been caught and thrown to the main body of the Abomination. But since that did not kill him or puppetize him in the previous timeline, it means he somehow managed to evade its clutches.

"Oh, no! Mu Ran’s personality was said to have changed slightly after he returned from the land of laws, occasionally revealing his true nature... Could it be that he was actually affected by the Abomination’s purification? A large-scale transfer of corrupt soul shards, perhaps?

"But Han Xuhan has prevented that from happening this time, as if he is aware of the consequences like I am. His explanation did not seem particularly credible, not to mention that he seemed to have an odd fixation with being Mu Ran’s underling...

"Who was he in the previous timeline? He must have been someone just as powerful as I, the Demon Empress! The possibilities aren’t many. Who could it be?"

She felt a headache coming up from trying to connect the dots. Back then, she had accidentally traveled to a higher-level civilization close to the central macrocosm.

She didn’t have clear leads on exactly how to change the future in a way that wouldn’t lead to the doom of this planet. But she at least knew not to be overly meddlesome in case the future took a turn for worse.

Now reliving the days of being weak and having to be careful to not cause too much of a ripple in the timeline was proving to be extremely difficult.

At this point, she couldn’t help but feel simply tired. Her last life had been rather fulfilling. Other than dying unexpectedly, leaving some small regrets behind, there were few things that she hadn’t liked about that life.

Millions of disciples who revered her as their ancestral master, sects that she had founded from scratch, monarchies under her rule, familial bonds and friends... She missed those days. It all felt pointless after her regression.

Leaving out the exploration of the mystery behind her regression, only pursuing the dao single-mindedly was perhaps the correct choice. Nothing else mattered in the face of the terrible, vast universe.

"The demonic faction does not have the right to sit upon the celestial thrones... yet. Joining the righteous faction to usurp a celestial throne would be a good target to stick to for now."

Even though she had originally decided to save the planet from being led to destruction, these days she often felt like simply killing off Mu Ran and leaving the sect, away from the chaotic world of cultivation, and living like a hermit in a cave somewhere until she became powerful enough to travel to the higher-level civilizations.

There wasn’t anything in particular she cherished on her birth planet. Her parents were long dead, to begin with. She didn’t consider her generally unpleasant relatives as her kin.

But she needed to stick with a righteous faction with deep roots in order to gain a foothold in the face of the oncoming changes. For that, the Crimson Snow Sect was a good choice...

While Xuanyuan Zhou was entertaining these dangerous thoughts, sounds of footsteps came from behind her. Han Xuhan and Mu Ran had returned.

Nobody was in a mood to make casual talk. After another period of rest for Han Xuhan’s sake, they headed out of the woods with their meager belongings. They walked toward the nearest river branch, avoiding the main roads to hide from anyone who might recognize them.

"...An entire damn town disappeared just like that? " Han Xuhan threw the rhetoric at the two of them after a long silence.

"Look at the bright side, you won’t need to explain to the poor townsfolk what a terrible death their family members got," Xuanyuan Zhou lightly replied. Han Xuhan gave her an odd look.

Mu Ran stayed silent, something that clashed with his usual demeanor. It looked like the incident had affected him quite significantly. Although she couldn’t be sure about whether the outcome would be good or bad compared to the previous time.

She did have a tiny guess about why or how the town had disappeared. Her memories told her that the Crimson Snow Sect might have some answers.

According to what she remembered, there was a legend of some experts of the Crimson Snow Sect cultivating a very odd Mystic Art. One of its byproducts was a small illusory world that could integrate itself with reality and act like a part of it.

She remembered how her zombie army had disappeared like illusory objects back when she was about to tackle the challenge of the third stage inside the Holy Land. Combining with it the fact that this town was a settlement under Crimson Snow Sect’s direct control, Xuanyuan Zhou was almost certain of her theory.

But that raised some questions... Why did the sect send Mu Ran and Han Xuhan on a mission to a town that didn’t actually exist?

The sense of mystery surrounding this large sect had been born in her heart a long time ago, during her previous life. It was one of the reasons why she had joined this sect in this timeline. The more days she spent in this sect, the more prominent her doubts grew.

"And that reminds me, my lady, didn’t you head out on a mission close to the town? Why don’t we head over there and ask the locals if they know anything about it?" Han Xuhan suddenly suggested, pulling her out of her reverie.

"Sure, attendant Xuhan," she answered curtly and led the way to a village nearby.

She wanted to confirm her suspicions as well. And she could also look for a chance to subtly interrogate him to see if he confesses something.

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