With no small anticipation, Xu Bai soon approached the mountain valley ruins from his memories.
Back when Li Chenfeng had returned to the Empire, his true body had already monitored him through the Formless Killing Intent and learned the location of the entrance leading there.
However, he had lacked the opportunity to visit before. He was taking advantage of this chance to make the trip.
In his sea of consciousness, the prismatic crystal radiated multicolored brilliance once more, enveloping the Heavenly Profound Treasure Mirror below.
Under Xu Bai's deliberate manipulation, illusory scenes manifested within the glow, distorting the Heavenly Profound Treasure Mirror's perception.
Then he flew swiftly toward the entrance.
After a meticulous search, he indeed uncovered a spatial passage concealed by some special method.
Xu Bai glanced at the Heavenly Profound Treasure Mirror; it gave no warning.
"It works after all."
Xu Bai nodded to himself, in no rush to enter.
Sweeping his divine sense across the area to ensure no cultivators were nearby, he brought out an End Disc and laid down a formation to mask the entrance.
Only then did he soar into the spatial passage.
As far as the eye could see, there was boundless darkness.
This scene was not unfamiliar to him; it was remarkably similar to the void carved out by countless Realm-Rifting Whales when traversing the Immortal Severing Formation.
Only, it seemed even more profound and fathomless here.
After a moment of contemplation, the Pure Light Glazed Robe crafted by Fang Zaiji materialized over his body. With this additional layer of protection, Xu Bai sped forward.
He had flown through the Immortal Severing Formation countless times and was already thoroughly familiar with it.
The journey went without incident. After smoothly crossing the formation, however, he saw no sign of the pocket world.
What greeted him was still the boundless, dark void.
"It seems the Realm-Rifting Whales have carried it far from its original position," Xu Bai mused thoughtfully.
Standing in the void, Xu Bai closed his eyes and concentrated his senses.
Mere moments later, he faintly detected a familiar fluctuation of aura far off in the darkness.
Following that aura, Xu Bai flew swiftly through the void.
As he drew near, a resonant whale song suddenly rang out.
Xu Bai abruptly halted his flight.
As if triggering a chain reaction, one whale call followed another, rippling out from near to far in cascading succession.
The calls echoed into the farthest reaches without ceasing.
It was impossible to tell just how many Realm-Rifting Whales lurked in the dark void. Calling and echoing to one another, they sounded like a grand orchestral symphony.
Surrounded by these countless Realm-Rifting Whales, Xu Bai felt not the slightest sense of danger.
He could hear that they were simply singing in unison to vent their joy, as if welcoming his arrival.
"Fascinating." Xu Bai's eyes flickered, and he continued forward.
Along the way, the pods of Realm-Rifting Whales actively parted to make way for him upon sensing his presence.
Before long, Xu Bai arrived outside the Empire.
Looking from the dark void, it was an oval-shaped world. Vast bodies of water could faintly be seen, along with...
the corpse of Chi Jiutou floating in midair.
While Xu Bai was observing intently, the space ahead suddenly rippled with an inexplicable tremor.
Seven cultivators clad in Beast God Armor, riding atop an exotic beast resembling a giant loach, abruptly appeared before him.
"Who goes there!"
Their coordination was exceptionally smooth. The moment they spotted Xu Bai, their expressions shifted slightly, and they quickly fanned out into a battle formation, surrounding him.
The Beast God Armor they wore was only at the Golden Core realm. How could they possibly be a match for Xu Bai?
Xu Bai smiled faintly. With a gentle flick of his folding fan, he subdued all seven of them before they could even react.
"Mmph... mmph..."
Their faces registered terror, yet they could not utter a word.
What followed made their expressions twist even further in shock.
Xu Bai merely beckoned with his hand, and the Void Roaming Dragon—which they had nurtured with painstaking devotion since youth and could only control by combining their strength with the Concentric Heart Art—docilely swam straight toward him!
It even nudged its head forward in a fawning manner, rubbing against him.
Its sycophantic display nearly made the seven believe they were hallucinating! Since when was the ferocious Void Roaming Dragon ever this obedient?
Feeling the loach-like beast's affection, Xu Bai placed a hand on its head, stroking it gently.
Before long, blurred images surfaced in his mind.
Through them, Xu Bai learned its name.
"Quite a domineering name. Still, being able to traverse space over short distances is impressive even in the Xuanhuang Realm."
Xu Bai nodded slightly.
"Lead the way," he instructed.
The Void Roaming Dragon let out a joyful cry, swaying its body and voluntarily taking Xu Bai onto its back.
Xu Bai did not forget to seize the seven immobilized figures at his side.
With a ripple in space, Xu Bai arrived within the Empire in the very next moment.
A mortal nation founded upon the corpse of Chi Jiutou.
Standing atop a Void Roaming Dragon, trailing seven Beast God Armor warriors behind him, and possessing such extraordinary bearing—
the moment Xu Bai appeared, he drew the gaze of nearly everyone nearby.
After a brief stupor, chaos erupted in the surroundings.
"Enemy attack!"
"It's a cultivator!"
"Where is the guard unit?!"
"Quick, go summon Saint Teacher Qing!"
...
Amid the rising clamor, hundreds of figures came whistling through the air from across the city.
Some wore Beast God Armor, while others rode atop various exotic beasts.
A few were even flying by physical prowess alone, their aura clearly that of immortal cultivators like Xu Bai.
Although they were numerous, the strongest was merely at the Nascent Soul realm.
Protected by the Pure Light Glazed Robe, Xu Bai naturally felt no fear.
"Who are you, sir?"
Sensing Xu Bai's extraordinary presence, they cautiously refrained from attacking outright, instead calling out to probe him.
Xu Bai gave no answer, merely scanning his surroundings.
"What is your purpose in coming here, sir?" a guard cultivator shouted once more.
Just then, a streak of azure light flew out from the center of the Empire's city and landed before Xu Bai.
"Fellow Daoist..."
Xiao Qing came to a halt. But the moment the words left her mouth and she clearly saw Xu Bai's face, she froze as though struck by lightning.
"Mas..."
Before the word "ter" could leave her lips, Xiao Qing sensed something was amiss.
Forcefully suppressing her shock, she scrutinized Xu Bai for a long time before asking, "Who are you...?"
Thick confusion laced her voice.
"Fellow Daoist Qing, do you know that your Empire is on the brink of catastrophe?" Xu Bai asked with a smile.
"Insolent madman! How dare you spout such wild nonsense!"
"How dare you act so brazenly before Saint Teacher Qing!"
His words instantly provoked collective fury among the crowd, who began shouting curses at him.
Yet the astonishment in Qing's eyes only deepened. "You know me?"
Xu Bai nodded slightly and asked, "Does Fellow Daoist still remember the Myriad Realms Association?"
Chapter 745