"We all hail from different pocket worlds, and compared to the Xuanhuang Realm, there is an inherent disparity in standing. However, we also possess an advantage that must not be underestimated."
"And that is diversity."
"Just as your Empire can control exotic beasts in battle, other pocket worlds have also developed unique, extraordinary abilities over the years."
"Even if they fall slightly short when compared to the immortal arts of the Xuanhuang Realm, if we pool all our strength and synthesize the advantages of the myriad realms, it is not impossible to study and formulate a system capable of contending with their immortal arts,"
Xu Bai spoke with calm confidence.
Xiao Qing's first reaction was to shake her head.
Before she could speak, however, Xu Bai raised a hand to cut her off, saying solemnly, "Human effort determines destiny. Everyone knows the odds are slim, but at this critical juncture, we have no choice but to fight with our lives."
"As for what kind of lives mortals lead under the rule of immortal cultivators, I imagine Fellow Daoist knows far better than I."
"The members of the Myriad Realms Association are all rulers of their own domains. Even in death, none would be willing to live like beasts of burden."
"The alliance of myriad realms is the prevailing trend. As for those who are unwilling..."
Xu Bai's expression instantly darkened. "While we won't necessarily turn our weapons against you, expecting us to continue offering protection will be entirely out of the question."
Xiao Qing said softly, "Fellow Daoist need not worry. Our Empire will never align with the Xuanhuang faction. Still, the affairs of the Empire are not for me to decide alone."
"Please wait here for a moment, Fellow Daoist. I must consult with Her Majesty the Imperial Daughter and the Imperial Council."
Xu Bai nodded in understanding upon hearing this.
At the same time, however, he put forward a request of his own: "I have heard that the Empire was founded atop the corpse of a Three-Headed Divine Bird."
"And the divine bird's heads were severed in a single sword strike by an immortal back then."
"Having come here, it would be a tremendous regret if I could not witness such a marvel with my own eyes. I wonder if Fellow Daoist might fulfill this long-cherished wish of mine?"
Xiao Qing looked at the smiling Xu Bai, her eyes flickering.
After a brief pause, she assented, "A trifling matter, nothing more. Since Fellow Daoist is interested, I will have someone escort you there shortly. However, sword qi and lingering obsessions remain where the heads were severed, so Fellow Daoist must exercise great caution."
Xu Bai showed a look of surprise, followed by delight: "After so much time, the sword qi still persists? That alone speaks to the splendor of that strike back then. Hearing you say that only makes me anticipate it more."
Xiao Qing smiled without answering.
After she departed, about half a day passed before a young woman of about seventeen or eighteen, dressed in a gossamer gown, walked in.
"My lord, please follow me."
With that, the woman in the gossamer gown summoned an exotic beast shaped like an inflated sphere.
An opening split across the sphere, and the young woman stepped inside.
Xu Bai followed her inside with a hint of curiosity.
Inside the sphere were seats for passengers. As soon as both stepped in, it expanded further.
It floated slowly out of the spire palace and drifted swiftly toward the distant Imperial Sacred Ground.
The spherical beast's body gradually turned transparent, allowing Xu Bai to clearly see their surroundings.
"This is a Flying Ball Beast. Once inflated, it can soar into the highest heavens and ride the wind at extreme speeds. Citizens of the Empire mostly use this means of travel when visiting the Sacred Ground," the woman in the gossamer gown explained in a soft, gentle voice.
"However, since you are visiting, Saint Teacher Qing has already given orders to temporarily clear visitors from the Sacred Ground so as not to disturb your peace."
...
Amid the woman's soft narration, they soon arrived at the site where one of Chi Jiutou's heads had been severed.
"This is one of the nine divine temples."
Xu Bai followed the young woman into the quiet structure. The moment he stepped inside, he faintly sensed savage screeches and agonizing wails.
The floor and walls were lined with jet-black stone slabs, lending the temple a solemn, gloomy atmosphere.
Without waiting for the woman to lead, Xu Bai followed the direction of the sounds, walking toward the temple's depths.
The deeper he went, the louder the wails of exotic beasts rang in his ears.
From the young woman's explanation, he learned these were not merely the sounds of Chi Jiutou's dying moments.
Rather, over the years, to suppress the divine bird's ferocious malice, the Empire had slaughtered and sacrificed countless exotic beasts; these were their collective cries of sorrow.
In every temple, untold numbers of exotic beasts had met gruesome deaths.
The entanglement of countless resentful souls would normally have turned any ordinary place into a purgatory of the netherworld.
Yet although the temple felt chilling, no spectral malice ran rampant.
All because an incomparably sharp sword qi suppressed them relentlessly.
*Whoosh...*
A strand of hair drifted down unbidden, and Xu Bai stopped in his tracks immediately.
Ahead of him, black flesh was coiled like tangled vines.
From time to time, it squirmed faintly. It was hard to believe this was the corpse of a demon beast dead for several millennia.
Directly above the black mass of flesh floated a strand of crimson sword qi.
Like a long cord, it drifted unsettled.
In truth, ordinary cultivators could not see this cord of crimson sword qi at all.
Much less the ordinary mortals of the Empire.
They could only infer that an immortal's sword qi lingered from the black flesh being continuously suppressed and the sword qi occasionally bursting outward.
Yet Xu Bai could see everything with utter clarity.
He even...
Xu Bai closed his eyes slightly.
A scene suddenly surfaced in his mind.
It was a flash of crimson radiance that lit up heaven and earth, seemingly faster than lightning.
The sharp intent within it felt as though it could cleave heaven and earth apart.
"It resembles a cord, but in truth, it is..."
"A sword."
Xu Bai gazed at the red line before him and murmured thoughtfully after a long time:
"A red cord bestowed by Mr. Bai..."
"Compared to the wooden sword he casually crafted that I saw in the Fallen Immortal Realm, this red cord sword carries a far heavier intent to kill."
"Rather than a pure sword, it feels more like it carries a tinge of punishment."
Countless insights surged continuously from the depths of Xu Bai's heart.
He seemed to see Mr. Bai's figure gently flicking out a strand of silk.
And then, the incomparably arrogant, peerless ferocious beast Chi Jiutou met a gruesome end on the spot.
...
Thus, Xu Bai immersed himself in comprehension, oblivious to the passage of time.
The maiden in the gossamer gown did not dare disturb him and stood quietly behind him.
Not far from Xu Bai, just on the other side of the temple wall, Xiao Qing and a shapely young woman were staring intently at him through a transparent partition.
"Well? Can you tell?" Xiao Qing asked, a rare hint of anxiety flashing in her eyes.
The young woman kept her eyes closed the entire time.
Her eyelashes trembled continuously, and drops of sweat slid down her face.
After a long while, she abruptly opened her eyes.
"How could this be?"
The young woman's face was filled with shock.
"When I look at him, it's like looking at myself!"
Chapter 747