Who Decides Right and Wrong

"Still, this Source Power you gave me seems... compared to what one obtains from normal cultivation..." "Higher grade?" Daoist Baihua weighed her words carefully before asking slowly. Li Ping naturally would not tell her that the reason this Source Power was far superior to ordinary power was that he had attempted to use the power of faith from all living beings to sublimate Source Power into Source Power Essence. However, all of his attempts thus far had ended in failure. After all, even something discarded by a True Immortal was a power surpassing the mortal realm. It was not so easily brought under control. "Merely your imagination. How is your recovery? If you are nearly ready, you should be on your way," Li Ping said flatly. Daoist Baihua smiled awkwardly. Having no other choice, she sighed, took her leave, and set out on her long journey. *Once the base camp's absolute safety is ensured, I can consider conquering the other pocket worlds.* *With an exact grasp of each pocket world's location, I can even infiltrate them in advance and relocate their entrances into the void near Great Qi.* *Spirit Wood, the Empire...* *And the Nether Realm.* Just as Sacred Emperor Li Ping returned to the Sacred Emperor Throne and sat contemplating the future course of the Sacred Dynasty, his disciple Sun Erlang requested an audience. "Uh, Master... regarding an item caught earlier from the fishing pond..." Sun Erlang appeared somewhat uneasy. "Speak your mind." Sun Erlang then recounted the entire situation. It turned out that after the conclusion of the previous fishing tournament, nearly all the anglers who received rewards had been absorbed into various institutions of the Sacred Dynasty. Among them, a middle-aged man named Quan Ruochu had caught Sun Erlang's eye and was taken under his wing. What he had pulled from the fishing pond was a white light orb. At the time, Li Ping had personally inspected it and found it to be an ordinary item called the Nether Orchid Dark Flower, so he had not paid it much mind. Yet now, according to Sun Erlang, this Nether Orchid Dark Flower—which ostensibly possessed at most the quality of the Nascent Soul realm—had, after a period of meticulous cultivation by Quan Ruochu, displayed abilities that defied all common sense. "Quan Ruochu is a man who, despite reaching middle age, has accomplished nothing in life. His parents are dead, and he has neither wife nor heir. His only loves are fishing and cultivating flowers. He has a placid temperament and harbors no ambition. Thus, after reeling in a white light orb, he was not in the least disappointed. In fact, compared to other treasures, he was even more fond of this Nether Orchid Dark Flower. "He initially assumed that the Nether Orchid Dark Flower was like any ordinary blossom, growing in soil and nourished by spiritual energy. But after planting it, no matter how lovingly he tended it, it remained on the verge of death, as if ready to wither at any moment. In his desperate love for the flower, Quan Ruochu actually did something unthinkable in order to save it," Sun Erlang said, bowing his head as he spoke in a low voice to the Sacred Emperor. "He actually planted the Nether Orchid Dark Flower inside his own body! Using his flesh as soil, he watered it with his essence-blood... "Within just a few days, he transformed from a reasonably robust man into a bag of skin and bones, his breath like a gossamer thread! Yet he still did not give up, fully intending to water it with the last drop of his heart's blood. "Having not seen him for days, I went to his dwelling to check on him, and that was the scene that greeted me." Sun Erlang's voice grew heavy. "I originally intended to eradicate the demonic flower directly, but Quan Ruochu threatened his own life, claiming that as long as the flower lived, he would live, and if the flower died, he would die with it... "Furthermore, considering it was a treasure bestowed by Master, I hesitated and held my hand. But seeing his body grow weaker by the day, not far from death's door, I ultimately could not just stand by and watch." The moment Sun Erlang spoke, Li Ping had already locked onto Quan Ruochu's location and closely examined the internal state of his body. After all, it was only a blue light orb, containing nothing profoundly mysterious, and a single glance laid it entirely bare. Once Sun Erlang finished speaking, Li Ping shook his head, his tone chilling. "Erlang, you have sorely disappointed me." Sun Erlang's body trembled slightly, and he buried his head even lower. "One who commands an army must look to the whole. One cannot allow one's emotions to waver over an individual—or even a small contingent of dozens or hundreds. "Since you joined my sect, this is the first time you have actively sought an audience with me, is it not? And it was merely for this?" After a long silence, Sun Erlang said hoarsely, "Master sees clearly. Had he died in an instant, I might have remained indifferent. But to watch someone familiar slowly have their life drained away, withering before my eyes... I truly could not keep my heart at peace. "I await Master's punishment." Li Ping's voice rumbled like heavenly thunder, echoing through the chamber of the Sacred Emperor Throne. "I am disappointed in you not merely because of your indecisiveness, but because you cannot distinguish right from wrong. A demonic flower...? "Go back and look closely!" With a wave of his sleeve, Li Ping expelled Sun Erlang. Sun Erlang's heart tightened at first, but then he seemed to understand something. Overjoyed, he hurried back to Quan Ruochu's dwelling. Guided by his master's pointer, Sun Erlang observed carefully once more and finally uncovered the secret of the Nether Orchid Dark Flower. Though on the surface the flower was continuously devouring Quan Ruochu's essence-blood, at the same time, it separated out a strand of miraculous power that kept his flame of life burning. Hovering between life and death, the Nether Orchid Dark Flower thrived and flourished. At the same time, Quan Ruochu was slowly undergoing a complete metamorphosis. "His single thread of life is entirely tied to this Nether Orchid Dark Flower. Had I rashly severed it back then, both flower and man would have perished. I almost committed a grave mistake!" Sun Erlang felt a surge of lingering fear. He sealed the entrance, forbidding anyone from disturbing him. At the same time, he moved a miniature Furnace of Heaven and Earth nearby to ensure the concentration of spiritual energy in the vicinity. Only after completing all this did Sun Erlang breathe a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness for Master's guidance," he remarked with relief. Yet what Sun Erlang did not know was that the Nether Orchid Dark Flower indeed preserved a thread of Quan Ruochu's lifeline—not out of gratitude for his nurturing, but purely out of survival instinct before finding a new host. With only a Qi Condensation stage cultivation, Quan Ruochu could not possibly withstand the flower's wanton drainage; complete death was merely a matter of time. That was, if there were no outside assistance. And the reason his complexion seemed to be improving was purely because Sacred Emperor Li Ping had lent a helping hand. "Righteous or evil, right or wrong... "Before the final outcome is reached, no one can judge properly. "Only by taking it step by step to the very end can one vindicate oneself. "The process... is not important." Sacred Emperor Li Ping sat upon the Sacred Emperor Throne, his thoughts gently churning. ... Within the endless white mist, inside one of the lost realms. "How... how many frozen corpses are there here?!" Having been brought into the Grand Formation of Inverting Life and Death by Sacred Embryo Li Fan, Young Lord Shang looked upon the horrifying scene before his eyes and cried out in shock.