"A key?" Chang Sheng's expression clearly faltered, then he chuckled, "You mean that? It's not very useful, just for you to play with. When your strength reaches the Great Nether Fiend, you can use this key to enter the Chang Sheng Realm."
Fang Ming stared into Chang Sheng's eyes, but Chang Sheng was too good at disguising himself, and Fang Ming couldn't discern anything unusual for a moment.
However, he was certain that things were definitely not that simple.
"I'm asking you, how many keys did you give me?" Fang Ming pressed.
Chang Sheng's expression remained unchanged. He smiled and said, "One. How could I give you more than one?"
Fang Ming smiled and revealed the runes on the backs of both his hands.
"Then explain why I have two."
Chang Sheng paused, not knowing what to say for a moment. He scratched his head helplessly and slumped onto the chair.
"Tell me, what's going on?" Fang Ming asked with a half-smile.
Although Chang Sheng's strength was far greater than his, Fang Ming inexplicably couldn't feel any fear towards Chang Sheng.
"Alright, it seems I can't hide it anymore," Chang Sheng sighed. Suddenly, he pointed outside the door and exclaimed, "Fang Dao Long, why are you here?"
Fang Ming and the others instinctively looked towards the door. Without even opening it, there was no sign of Fang Dao Long.
"Damn it!"
Fang Ming quickly turned back. Chang Sheng, who had been sitting in the chair just moments ago, had vanished without a trace.
"Damnable!" Fang Ming angrily slammed the table, annoyed that the guy had slipped away.
"Nannan, can you sense Chang Sheng's aura?"
Nannan and the other two shook their heads helplessly. They had no ability to sense Chang Sheng. If Chang Sheng wanted to hide, perhaps no one in this world could find him.
Fang Ming glared furiously at the door, thinking of the man.
He then helplessly pinched his brow. "Sit down, everyone. Since he's gone, there's nothing we can do."
However, Nannan and the others had lost their appetite, all of them preoccupied with thoughts of Chang Sheng.
Suddenly, Number One seemed to have an idea.
"Fang Ming, I have a guess," Number One said mysteriously.
"What guess?" Fang Ming looked at it in surprise. What kind of guess could this guy have?
Number One's expression immediately turned displeased at Fang Ming's look. "Hey, hey, what's with that look? I, Holmes Mister, am also a renowned detective!"
"A detective, you? Forget it," Qing Mian added expressionlessly.
Number One: "..."
"Hmph, listen closely, and see if my guess makes sense!" Number One puffed out its chest, acting as if it were the smartest.
"Go ahead, tell me, let me hear the great detective's thoughts," Fang Ming teased.
Number One conspiratorially lowered its head, leaning close to the dining table, and whispered, "I guess, Chang Sheng might not be alone."
"Not alone?" Hearing this guess, Fang Ming's heart immediately confirmed it.
"I suspect Chang Sheng might be twins or something. The Chang Sheng you met wasn't just one person," Number One explained.
Qing Mian was also inspired by this guess. "Could it be similar to what happened on the eighteenth floor?"
Fang Ming knew what Qing Mian was referring to. It was the incident on the eighteenth floor, in the Yin-Yang layer, where Zheng Zhu Six was split into two by a strange rune formation: one dark and ambitious, the other kind and indecisive.
His father, Fang Dao Long's thoughts were not wrong. The Chang Sheng from just now was also not wrong.
Indeed, one Chang Sheng had always wanted to invade the real world, and the Chang Sheng from just now truly had no intention of invading!
He had always felt that a third party was interfering, constantly altering and influencing the entire situation. Now, it seemed the third party was none other than another "Chang Sheng"!
The one he had met in Bai Mu Village!
But then another problem arose.
That Chang Sheng's strength was at most at the Nether Fiend level. He was no match for Fang Dao Long and the others. So why would Fang Dao Long and the others be so wary?
"Could it be..." Fang Ming bit his thumb. "Will the Chang Sheng from just now also participate in the final war? Or is my father mistaking the troublemaking Chang Sheng for the one from just now?"
Thinking of this, Fang Ming decided to meet Fang Dao Long and explain the whole situation to him. Otherwise, the current situation would only lead to a clash between the legitimate parties, while the true mastermind, Chang Sheng, would watch from the sidelines.
Fang Ming was too annoyed to even eat. He stood up, intending to leave, but then remembered he couldn't leave here. He slumped back down dejectedly.
"What's wrong, Fang Ming?" Number One asked curiously.
"Nothing, I just have a guess. I need to find my father and tell him some things."
"What did you think of?" Qing Mian interjected.
Fang Ming nodded. "I have a rather plausible guess."
Then, Fang Ming shared his thoughts with them. Upon hearing it, they couldn't find any logical flaws.
However, Nannan still raised a question. "If that's the case, why didn't the Chang Sheng from just now step in and eliminate the Chang Sheng behind the scenes? Wouldn't that solve the problem once and for all?"
"Perhaps it's because they have some blood relation, and Chang Sheng can't bring himself to do it," Fang Ming speculated.
But after making this guess, Fang Ming thought of another problem. If he simply couldn't bring himself to do it, he could have just stopped him. With the strength of the Chang Sheng from just now, stopping the Chang Sheng behind the scenes would have been easy, wouldn't it?
Then why didn't he do it?
The situation was becoming increasingly mysterious.
"Number One, Qing Mian, you two are not the miners' targets. Go to the mine area immediately, find my father, and tell him to hurry over," Fang Ming commanded.
Fang Ming wanted to clarify things with Fang Dao Long and dispel any thoughts they might have about Nannan.
"We'll go now," Qing Mian knew the matter was urgent and pulled Number One towards the door.
"Remember, absolutely do not kill those miners!"
"Understood," Qing Mian gave a thumbs-up.
Number One was still shouting, "Hey, hey, why don't we eat first?"
Qing Mian ignored it and dragged it out. Number One looked utterly dejected.
Seeing this, Fang Ming smiled. "I'll cook another meal when you get back."
"You said it!" Number One exclaimed triumphantly. It was quickly dragged away by Qing Mian.
Fang Ming and Nannan exchanged glances.
"Let's eat first. This table of food shouldn't be wasted," Fang Ming said.
"Okay~"
...
More than half a day passed quickly.
Seeing that the two Fiends hadn't returned, Fang Ming, feeling worried, came to the entrance of the residential area to wait. At this time, miners were still continuously attacking the area, only to be decomposed and vanish by the runes in the sky.
"These miners' strength has all reached the level of Fiend Seed."
Fang Ming watched the miners, shocked.
After all, just half a day ago, these miners only had the strength of ordinary humans. In such a short time, they had improved so much!
And this was with the restraint of the runes. One could imagine how much faster they would improve without them.
At this rate, it wouldn't be long before the runes could no longer contain them!
Terrifying!
"My father said he's been preventing Chang Sheng from invading the real world in the Chang Sheng Realm, meaning he's been working on some plan. So why are they here?" Fang Ming suddenly pondered this question.
What secrets does this world hold?
All these questions could only be answered when his father arrived.
Another two or three hours passed. Two figures appeared in the distant mine tunnel, rushing towards this side.
Upon closer inspection, it was Qing Mian and Fang Dao Long. As for Number One, it was hidden nearby.
Soon, the three arrived at the residential area.
"Fang Ming, is something the matter?" Fang Dao Long asked.
"I have some guesses that I need you to verify," Fang Ming said grimly. "The matter is urgent, so I could only ask Qing Mian and the others to find you."
Fang Dao Long looked at Fang Ming. "Let's go, we'll talk inside."
The group found an empty room and sat on the sofa.
"Speak, what is it? Don't bother trying to persuade me to go back," Fang Dao Long said.
"It's like this..."
Fang Ming told Fang Dao Long everything that had happened, including all his guesses.
"You're saying, Chang Sheng was here just now?" Fang Dao Long asked gravely.
Fang Ming nodded.
"Let me see your hand," Fang Dao Long said, taking Fang Ming's arm. He indeed saw a "川" rune.
Then Fang Dao Long looked at the other rune, his expression becoming solemn as he fell into deep thought.
"What's wrong?" Fang Ming asked.
"These two runes, even I can't figure out their function. Their origin is even older, surpassing the runes I've learned," Fang Dao Long said in a deep voice.
"I don't know what this Chang Sheng is trying to do, why he's dragging you into this," Fang Dao Long looked up at Fang Ming, his eyes full of inquiry.
"Never mind these two runes for now. What do you think of the guess I just made, Dad?" Fang Ming asked.
"Guess?" Fang Dao Long shook his head with a bitter smile. "You're close, but far from the truth. I can't explain the specifics clearly, but just know this: no matter which Chang Sheng it is, they don't have good intentions towards the real world!"
"What you see and hear is all his lies and acting."