"Words alone are no proof. How can you prove it?"
Even though Xu Ke could already sense that familiar aura from him, the Xuanhuang malice sealed behind his back was simply too vital. Entrusting it to the wrong person would inevitably bring about an unimaginable catastrophe.
This was why, across so many years, Xu Ke had always borne the burden of sealing it entirely alone.
He simply could not find anyone who was both capable and trustworthy.
Seeing how cautious Xu Ke was, even refusing him, Li Ping did not take offense; his laughter merely echoed without pause.
"It is not for Us to prove anything to you. Rather, it is time you saw the truth clearly!"
With Li Ping's words, the ceiling of the Holy Emperor Throne hall—and even the sky of the Daqi pocket world—seemed to be torn open.
Xu Ke's vision snapped back to the Xuanhuang Realm in an instant, scene after scene surfacing before his eyes in rapid succession.
Where endless night held sway, specks of golden light emerged from unknown depths. Amid the sea of gloomy darkness, they stirred up waves of invisible ripples.
Upon a boundless ocean, crisscrossing golden chains formed what looked like a colossal net. From within that golden mesh echoed shrill, defiant, and venomously resentful wails. A consciousness was slowly being ground away. And at the center of the golden radiance, the Faceless Holy Emperor stood suspended in the void, exuding an imposing, solemn aura.
In a rather desolate province, an overbearing power of heaven and earth was bestowed upon the Faceless Holy Emperor. Beside him, an inky, pitch-black figure loomed faintly. Though nothing stood before them, Xu Ke felt an instinctive dread.
...
Every one of these flashing scenes attested to the intimate connection between the Faceless Holy Emperor before him and the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao.
And the increasingly violent struggles from the coffin on Xu Ke's back, as if the Xuanhuang malice could not wait to return, further confirmed this judgment.
Yet, for some reason, hesitation still lingered in Xu Ke's heart.
*Could it be that because I've stayed with this Xuanhuang malice for too long, I've been influenced without realizing it?* Xu Ke suddenly felt a jolt of alarm.
The Faceless Holy Emperor's image was simply too righteous and grand—so much so that Xu Ke, standing in opposition to him at this moment, could not help doubting himself.
"The Xuanhuang malice has been sealed for far too long. It is nearing the limit of what ordinary cultivators can contain. Furthermore, It is one and the same with the existing Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao; if It were to suddenly return, even the Heavenly Dao itself might undergo unpredictable and extreme upheavals.
"Only by having Us first suppress It, and then gradually grinding away every shred of that malice, can the Dao be restored to Heaven. In this process, We will likely require your assistance." After a moment of stalemate, Holy Emperor Li Ping spoke once more.
As soon as those words were spoken, two completely contrasting reactions occurred within the Holy Emperor Throne hall.
Xu Ke was pleasantly surprised.
Meanwhile, the lid of the coffin on his back fell quiet for a brief moment, only to begin violently shuddering with renewed frenzy.
Li Ping could even faintly see the gaze of the pale figure's face, a hundred times more venomous than before.
"Come with Us."
Li Ping did not press Xu Ke to hand over the Xuanhuang malice right away. Instead, he brought him to a vantage point high above the Daqi pocket world.
"Do you sense what is different here?"
"The fluctuations of the Xuanhuang malice are suppressed—I can barely feel them. Not just the malice, but also this pocket world, and even the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao itself..." A flash of astonishment crossed Xu Ke's eyes.
"This is the array eye of the Grand Formation of Heaven and Earth Myriad Spirits. This array seals heaven and severs earth. Never mind a world consciousness—even if a True Immortal were to descend, it could fend them off to some degree," Li Ping said flatly.
In his memories and understanding, this array truly could hinder a descending True Immortal somewhat.
Though Xu Ke had lived for a very long time, he had never actually witnessed the true might of a True Immortal, so he harbored no doubt regarding Li Ping's claim.
"With this array in place, even if It were released directly, It could not escape."
Xu Ke also had some knowledge of formations.
The more he observed it, the more shaken he became.
This Grand Formation of Heaven and Earth Myriad Spirits was indeed endlessly profound, exactly as Li Ping had described.
*If I had possessed such an array back then, I wouldn't have had to suppress it myself for several thousand years.* Amid his shock, Xu Ke felt a sense of dazed regret.
Having shown him the Myriad Spirits array, Li Ping brought Xu Ke to Master Yin.
It was like a schoolhouse, filled with young children studying diligently. Those innocent faces pulled Xu Ke's thoughts back a thousand years to the dilapidated little temple in Ningyuan City. The memories of the past overlapped faintly with the scene before him, leaving him slightly dazed.
Master Yin's reaction, however, was rather terrifying.
In the middle of teaching the children, he suddenly froze completely.
After that momentary freeze, he shot to his feet and glared fixedly at the coffin behind Xu Ke.
After violent tremors ran through him, his body split open right down the middle, revealing another self he had kept concealed.
All four eyes were filled with unprecedented greed.
Xu Ke frowned slightly. That predatory gaze made him intensely uncomfortable.
What caught his attention even more was the reaction of the Xuanhuang malice inside the coffin behind him.
It was strange.
It had suddenly gone quiet. The curses and seductive whispers that had constantly plagued Xu Ke's ears vanished once more.
Yet unlike before within the Grand Formation of Heaven and Earth Myriad Spirits, the Xuanhuang malice itself had not been suppressed by an external force.
Rather, it was as if it had been frightened and withdrew into silence of its own accord.
A moment later, the Xuanhuang malice resumed slapping against the coffin lid, asserting its presence.
Yet to Xu Ke's eyes, this looked far more like posturing out of sheer fright.
Li Ping stepped between Master Yin and the Xuanhuang malice, which finally allowed both to regain their composure.
The two halves of Master Yin's split body knit back together, and he grinned. "Who would have thought that a part of the grand Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao would actually end up in such a state?
"If my brothers knew about this, who knows how thrilled they'd be."
Master Yin smacked his lips. "I've devoured plenty of garbage world specters, but I've never tasted an intact world consciousness. I wonder what it tastes like."
Hearing this, Xu Ke shuddered in alarm.
Then he heard Li Ping's sound transmission explaining Master Yin's origins.
"A world specter left behind after being swallowed by the Xuanhuang Realm, someone who holds immense admiration for Mr. Bai?"
Xu Ke was skeptical at first, but after seeing the white rib bone that Master Yin treasured, all lingering doubts vanished from his mind.
Even though it looked just like an ordinary person's rib bone, nothing special on the surface,
Xu Ke knew with a single glance that it belonged to Mr. Bai.
Mr. Bai's smiling face surfaced once more in Xu Ke's mind, only to shatter abruptly an instant later.
Leaving behind only this white rib bone.
Sorrow welled up inside Xu Ke without warning.
And once Master Yin learned of Xu Ke's special bond with Mr. Bai, he too put away his savage demeanor and became amicable.
His eyes, however, still glanced toward the rotting coffin from time to time.
"With Fellow Daoist Yin here, even if It were to escape the layers of restrictions, It would only end up as food on a plate," Li Ping said calmly.
With his emotions settling, Xu Ke finally came around to believing the identity and plan of this Faceless Holy Emperor.
The moment he let go of the obsession in his heart, Xu Ke felt a lightness he had never experienced before.
*I have held on for so long. Now, let the Xuanhuang Realm take over,* Xu Ke thought to himself.
"What, you're interested in It too?" Master Yin looked at Li Ping with some surprise.
Li Ping gave a brief account of what had happened earlier in Luoyan Province, then added, "It will be of immense help to me."
Master Yin shrugged. "Then I won't fight you for it. Even if I ate it, it'd just be a treat for my tongue at most, and I'd still have to excrete it anyway."
Li Ping remained silent and did not respond to that.
"That silver needle..." Master Yin suddenly projected an image to Li Ping.
"Did it look like this?"
Li Ping nodded. "Why? Have you seen it?"
"I seem to have some impression of it, but it was a very long time ago." Master Yin narrowed his eyes, dredging his memory. "Right. Long ago, I saw it in this place. But it wasn't me back then; it was part of the remnant memories of a piece I had devoured. So I can't recall the exact details clearly. If you're interested, you could go there and look around. You might turn something up."
Master Yin transmitted a location to Li Ping.
Perhaps because as a world specter, he still retained a faint resonance with his original body, the location Master Yin transmitted was an exact spot in the present-day Xuanhuang Realm.
"Understood. We will settle the matter at hand before looking into that. With my current strength, even if I did discover something, I would hardly be able to investigate it deeply," Li Ping said with complete candor, hiding nothing.
"Indeed, the Xuanhuang Realm has far too many freaks and monsters," Master Yin grunted softly.
Li Ping then turned to Xu Ke. "Fellow Daoist Yin and I previously planned to gather Mr. Bai's scattered bones and lay them to rest in peace. After this is over, if you are willing, you may assist us."
Xu Ke agreed without the slightest hesitation, his voice trembling: "Good. Good."
Having successfully persuaded Xu Ke, the guardian, the next step was to release and absorb the Xuanhuang malice.
Although Li Ping possessed absolute confidence, he did not get careless.
Instead, he made thorough preparations.
The very next day, a proclamation spread throughout the Sacred Dynasty.
Seven days hence, the Supreme Holy Emperor would bestow his grace.
Any subject who prayed with devout sincerity over these seven days would receive rewards from the Holy Emperor.
The more sincere the heart, the more lavish the reward.
Praying to the Holy Emperor was already a daily duty for the people of Daqi. Now that the Holy Emperor had explicitly promised rewards, how could anyone dare slacken?
Thus, within just half a day of the decree being issued, Li Ping felt the fortune of the Sacred Dynasty of Daqi coalesce to an unprecedented degree.
Even the power of fortune formed within his body by the Scripture of Heaven and Earth Qi showed faint signs of transforming from purple to gold.
"This method yields only a temporary surge; it cannot be sustained.
"If I break my word, there will be a backlash, and it is not impossible for my cultivation realm to drop as a result."
Feeling his strength climb steadily toward a peak, Li Ping remained exceptionally clear-headed.
Golden Source Power was channeled; the multitude united in one mind.
The Grand Formation of Heaven and Earth Myriad Spirits began to turn slowly.
It severed every connection with the outside world.
At this moment, not only was the Daqi pocket world undetectable from the Xuanhuang Realm, but even Daoist Baihua, who was just nearby in the Five Elements Great Grotto-Heaven, suddenly lost all sense of the Daqi pocket world.
Had Li Ping not notified her in advance, Baihua might have feared that Daqi had suffered some horrifying catastrophe.
During the process of devouring the Xuanhuang malice, the outer Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao still had to be kept at bay.
Otherwise, unforeseen complications might arise.
Seven days passed in a flash.
After seven days of gathering momentum and preparation, Li Ping's condition had reached its absolute peak.
Now, at the array eye of the Myriad Spirits formation, Master Yin, Xu Ke, and Yi Shu stood in a tripartite stance.
Li Ping sat cross-legged in empty air at the center of the three.
As a part of the Taiyan Dao Transformation Stone, Yi Shu had naturally sensed the unusual shifts occurring in the Daqi pocket world.
He had taken the initiative to come and ask.
With nothing to hide, Li Ping had simply told him the plan to devour the Xuanhuang malice.
After a brief daze, Yi Shu had immediately offered to assist.
He had even proposed deepening future cooperation between the Taiyan Sect and the Sacred Dynasty of Daqi.
After a moment's consideration, Li Ping had accepted Yi Shu's request.
Having the three of them present was merely for show.
Within the Grand Formation of Heaven and Earth Myriad Spirits, everything was under his absolute control.
If Yi Shu behaved, all was well; if he made any untoward move, Li Ping could refine him with a single thought,
devouring him right alongside the Xuanhuang malice.
"Array, activate!"
Li Ping barked coldly.
The three inside the array felt the sky instantly turn into a blur of chaos.
Purple specks of starlight flashed across it from time to time.
It felt as if they had plunged into the endless void, departing the world of reality.
All three felt a chill of awe.
Li Ping then lightly pointed a finger at the rotting wooden coffin set beside him.
There was no violent sound of destruction.
The wooden layers holding it shut dissipated like black smoke.
A figure transitioned from blurry to sharp, appearing within the formation before Li Ping.
Unlike the venomous visage Li Ping had glimpsed earlier,
the figure before him now looked indistinguishable from the Mr. Bai of his memories.
With a faint smile, It asked, "Are you going to eat me?"
There was no resentment in Its eyes, only gratification and relief.
"Mr. Bai?!" Xu Ke was the first who could not help crying out in shock.
It was not that Xu Ke lacked self-control; it was simply that this figure resembled Mr. Bai too closely.
Li Ping was unmoved, nodding coolly. "Indeed.
"To merge as one with Us—you can consider your death well served."
With just that simple sentence, the serene expression on the face of the Xuanhuang malice froze instantly.
"What kind of thing do you think you are?!"
Unable to maintain Its guise, the Xuanhuang malice shrieked in hysterical rage.
It abruptly transformed into a plume of black qi and lunged toward Li Ping.
Yet before Li Ping, there seemed to be infinite distance.
No matter how hard It tried, It could not draw near in the slightest.
"Noisy.
"Once you merge as one with Us, you will know what I am."
Li Ping cast a glance at the Xuanhuang malice.
A resplendent, colossal force descended from above,
instantly binding the black smoke into which the malice had turned.
"Will of myriad spirits, great millstone of heaven and earth!"
Li Ping chanted softly under his breath, and a purple-gold vortex slowly formed above everyone's heads.
Chapter 1237