Good and Evil Are Hard to Judge

"Running into them really comes down entirely to luck. You have to fly through the clouds from place to place and search for them yourself." Xu Ke sighed, patting a rainbow-hued pouch hanging at his waist, and grumbled, "Even finding one isn't enough—you still have to figure out a way to catch it. "Don't let their massive size fool you; these fellows are slicker than loaches. "At the slightest rustle of wind or grass, they tear through the void and bolt. Several times now, I've been on the verge of grabbing one, only for it to slip away. "Sigh, who knows when I'll be able to finish the task Senior Brother Lu Ya gave me. This is the first time he's ever trusted me with something so seriously. I can't mess it up no matter what." ... Xu Ke rambled on, while Li Fan listened, lost in thought. According to Xu Ke's description, the Realm-Rifting Whales of this era were quite different from the ones Li Fan had seen thousands of years later. The ones Li Fan had encountered thousands of years later were not only several times larger, but had also become no longer skittish, even acquiring fierce aggressiveness. *More like a subspecies with different habits.* *With Xu Ke's karmic luck, capturing a pod of Realm-Rifting Whales shouldn't be difficult.* *Once a sufficient number are caught, they can be selectively bred using Beast Taming Sect techniques...* Connecting this to the conversation between Lu Ya and Di Sanmo he had overheard in his previous life, Li Fan pondered. *Was capturing the Realm-Rifting Whales actually Mr. Bai's request?* *In that case, was the pod of Realm-Rifting Whales swimming outside the pocket world also his handiwork?* Tugging hard on Xu Ke's hair, Li Fan couldn't help feeling somewhat puzzled. When he first saw the Realm-Rifting Whales traveling in pods to push the mortal pocket world away from the cultivation world, Li Fan had once lamented: *Just how much did the cultivators of ancient times resent mortals?* From his perspective back then—when he had been single-mindedly seeking immortality—cutting mortals completely off from the cultivation world and severing their path to immortality naturally seemed like a punishment inflicted upon them. Yet now, having truly experienced the cultivation world and learned how cultivators treated mortals, Li Fan saw things in a different light. Cultivators viewed mortals as ants, taking and demanding whatever they pleased. They even kept mortals penned like livestock, using formations to drain their vital essence. And that was now, when mortals carried immortal-mortal miasma in their bodies and cultivators were forced to exercise some restraint. In the ancient cultivation world, the plight of mortals had been far more tragic. Mortals were used as ingredients to refine Rebirth Longevity Fruits, and cultivators battling one another paid no heed whatsoever to mortal lives... Breaking free from the immortals' grasp might not actually be a bad thing for mortals. *Could it be that, just as those orphans in Ningyuan City said, Mr. Bai is a truly benevolent soul with the world at heart?* The thought couldn't help but surface in Li Fan's mind. *Whatever the truth may be, it's too early to jump to conclusions.* *I need to gather more information.* With that, Li Fan gave Xu Ke another fierce scratch with his claw, urging him to hurry up and search for the Realm-Rifting Whales. Meanwhile, Li Fan nestled in the hair, practicing and contemplating the Creation Furnace Technique while simultaneously channeling the secret technique Destiny Is Mine. He helped Xu Ke gather karmic luck. After coming back empty-handed time and time again, even the usually thick-skinned, easygoing Xu Ke couldn't help growing anxious. "Realm-Rifting Whales, Realm-Rifting Whales, where on earth are you?!" He muttered repetitively, his eyes burning with yearning. Li Fan looked up abruptly. He observed that the purple luminescence of karmic luck above Xu Ke's head seemed to disperse in part along with Xu Ke's whispering. Vanishing off to who knows where. The disappearance of that karmic luck had an immediate effect. Where he had previously caught trace of a Realm-Rifting Whale only once every ten-odd days, sightings grew increasingly frequent. Through continuous trial and error, Xu Ke gradually figured out how to draw near a Realm-Rifting Whale without alerting it. However, capturing an extraordinary beast alive using the Myriad Beasts Pouch was no easy feat either. Especially for a novice like Xu Ke. After a brief standoff, the beast managed to break free in the end. Drenched in sweat and on the verge of collapse from exhaustion, Xu Ke sat dejectedly on the ground, full of vexation. Soon, however, he rallied his spirits once more and set off to track down the next Realm-Rifting Whale. Through his relentless efforts, the pillar of purple-gold karmic luck continued to deplete. The rate of drain far exceeded the rate at which Li Fan could replenish it with his secret technique. In the end, it appeared slightly dimmer than before. Yet the effort was not in vain. Four months later, after enduring countless hardships, Xu Ke finally succeeded in capturing a Realm-Rifting Whale. The Myriad Beasts Pouch floated quietly in the void, no longer shaking violently. Overwhelmed with excitement, Xu Ke clutched it tightly and let out a jubilant shout. "I finally finished the task! Now I can report back to Senior Brother Lu Ya!" "Xiao Qing! Let's go home!" Xu Ke summoned the qingluan and hopped gleefully onto her back. Li Fan's gaze sharpened, studying the qingluan carefully. The qingluan ignored Li Fan completely, affectionately rubbing her neck against Xu Ke. She then spread her wings and flew toward the skies outside. *Who would have thought that thousands of years later, she would become the Empire's Saint Teacher.* Sensing the faint trace of familiarity in Xiao Qing's aura, Li Fan felt a touch of astonishment at having his earlier suspicion confirmed. Not having seen her for more than three years, the qingluan looked even more majestic than when Li Fan had seen her in the Fallen Immortal Realm during his previous life. Not only was her flying speed several times faster, but as she flew, a faint azure radiance emerged from her body, enveloping Xu Ke and Li Fan to block out the roaring wind and make the ride far more comfortable. Having gone without rest for so long, Xu Ke promptly fell fast asleep on the qingluan's back. Xiao Qing flew on diligently. After gazing at her for a long while, Li Fan slowly drew back his gaze. As the qingluan flew higher and higher, Li Fan stood atop Xu Ke's head and looked down. Only then did he realize that this pocket world, rather than being a gorge resembling a "thread of sky," was more like a scar slashed open with a sharp weapon. Yet this scar was precisely what brought life. For aside from this long fissure, the rest of the world was scorched earth. Crimson flames scorched the ground, and grotesque rivers of lava flowed unchecked. All of these destructive forces, however, were halted outside the fissure. The power that had cleaved the canyon still lingered, resisting the encroachment of the flames. Thus, in a pocket world that could only be described as purgatory, such a vibrant paradise had been carved out. *Looking at things from different angles yields completely different answers.* Li Fan thought back to the question of mortals breaking away from the Xuanhuang Realm, gaining a flash of insight. Passing through an invisible channel in the sky, their group returned to the Xuanhuang Realm. As the faint white light gradually faded and Li Fan took in the view before him, he was immediately taken aback. For just moments ago, they had flown straight out of a painting.