"Just doing this isn't enough!"
Jiang Yan tried purifying for a while, only to find that the forbidden knowledge stuck to those memories like some kind of stubborn glue plaster.
Inside were King Deshret, the people of the desert, and… the Great Lord Rukkhadevata!
Unless he erased these people entirely, the forbidden knowledge would always remain.
The moment someone spoke that name, the forbidden knowledge would return like a parasite and contaminate the World Tree again.
This was also why the Great Lord Rukkhadevata had sacrificed herself to create another Nahida.
Damn! Why does this feel just like Cthulhu?!
Using the telekinetic power from the Rooster Talisman, Jiang Yan attempted to delete the memories of these people.
When the Great Lord Rukkhadevata brought him in, she had also given him the right to alter memories.
It worked!
Seeing a person's memory successfully wiped, Jiang Yan was overjoyed.
But when he saw the millions of memories lined up before him, the smile on his face slowly disappeared.
Crap! Why are there so many?!
Jiang Yan couldn't help but swear.
This would take him until the end of time!
He decided to abandon the method of deleting them one by one.
Suddenly, inspiration struck.
Right!
Since the forbidden knowledge originated from King Deshret…
Why not just delete King Deshret himself?
Then replace all information about King Deshret with the Great Lord Rukkhadevata.
Perfect!
Not only would it resolve the rift between Sumeru's desert and rainforest, it would also purify the forbidden knowledge.
Damn it! How did I not think of this earlier?!
To save time, Jiang Yan used the World Tree to filter every memory related to King Deshret and deleted them all.
Under his operation, the forbidden knowledge clinging to the World Tree gradually dissipated.
Because King Deshret's existence had been erased, all memories related to forbidden knowledge vanished from the minds of the desert dwellers as well.
Perhaps because he was a transmigrator, the World Tree had never recorded Jiang Yan's information.
So even though he knew about King Deshret and the forbidden knowledge, the World Tree would not be affected.
Finally, after removing King Deshret from the memories of the Great Lord Rukkhadevata, the forbidden knowledge was eradicated completely.
Then, converting all deeds of King Deshret into deeds of the Great Lord Rukkhadevata filled the missing history, erasing King Deshret's existence entirely.
Using the purifying power of the Horse Talisman, Jiang Yan bathed the entire World Tree in cleansing light.
Only after confirming there were no lingering residues did he stop and let out a relaxed sigh.
Sorry, King Deshret.
From now on… perhaps only I will remember you.
At the same time, outside—
Because Jiang Yan had deleted King Deshret's existence,
almost all of Sumeru experienced a strange, sweeping ripple.
Everyone forgot about King Deshret at the same time; the Golden Era of the Three Kings became the Golden Era of Two Kings.
It was now the Dendro Archon, the Great Lord Rukkhadevata, who established the nation in the desert, and later created the rainforest of Sumeru and relocated the nation there.
All inhabitants of the desert now unanimously worshipped the Great Lord Rukkhadevata.
Meanwhile, in the scorched badlands, the enormous shadow of a dragon emerged.
"The World Tree… someone has altered my memory!"
"Who?! What was deleted?!"
The Dragon King Apep thundered in fury.
It could feel that an important memory—something it had always been seeking—was missing.
It attempted to enter the World Tree, only to be forced out by the Great Lord Rukkhadevata.
"Apep, this is not a place you may trespass."
The Great Lord Rukkhadevata's cold voice rippled through the air.
"Dendro Archon…"
Apep's chilling voice echoed.
Here, in the domain controlled by the World Tree, it could not contend with the Great Lord Rukkhadevata, who was directly linked to it.
It despised her—but could not ignore the World Tree's power.
"Stay where you are. Otherwise, I won't mind altering your memory through the World Tree."
Her tone was icy.
The words struck Apep directly at its weak point.
It immediately quieted down.
Inside the World Tree, Jiang Yan also noticed Apep, one of the Seven Sovereigns of the elements.
Rubbing his chin, he thought: after I get out, I should go play with it. Maybe take it as a mount—sounds great!
Looking at the now-restored World Tree, Jiang Yan called out to the Great Lord Rukkhadevata.
"Great Lord Rukkhadevata, please sever my connection with the World Tree."
The surroundings flashed, and Jiang Yan's vision went black.
Closing his eyes, then reopening them—he returned to reality.
"It's been resolved, hasn't it?" she asked softly.
Jiang Yan nodded.
"Can you tell me what it was I asked you to deal with? I feel like… I've forgotten something."
A look of confusion flashed in her eyes. She clearly felt that a part of her memory had been altered.
Jiang Yan shook his head.
"That thing is special. It's not that I don't want to tell you—I can't tell you."
"And the only way to forget it is to delete your memories."
"If I say it aloud…"
"Everything we did today…"
"…would all be wasted."
The Great Lord Rukkhadevata nodded.
"I understand. I won't ask again."
"As long as the matter has been resolved."
Jiang Yan nodded, then added:
"It's completely dealt with now. It shouldn't ever appear again. Next, it's your turn."
"According to our agreement, you have to break off a pure branch of the World Tree for me."
She nodded. Although she didn't know what she had asked him to do, judging from the results, he had succeeded.
Even Apep had been alarmed just now—
clearly, Jiang Yan's modification had been thorough.
She flew up to the World Tree, as if conversing with it.
Then she reached into the trunk, and when her hand emerged again, she held a branch shimmering with pure white luminescence.
She descended and handed it to Jiang Yan.
His hands trembled as he received it.
Nahida!
My soft, sweet little Nahida!
She's finally going to appear!
Jiang Yan's eyes sparkled with excitement.
Carefully, he stored the branch away.
After he finishes visiting the Seven Nations, he would begin working on letting Nahida be born.
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