"This feeling..."
"It is truly wonderful."
The young woman's voice took on a dazed lilt. "It feels like looking at myself in a mirror, yet with a different face. I can't help feeling a natural kinship."
"Master Qing, what is going on here?"
Hearing the young woman's affirmative reply, an expression of sheer disbelief flared in Xiao Qing's eyes.
"Could it be..."
***
Xu Bai, naturally, had no idea what was transpiring on the other side of that single wall.
At this moment, his mind was entirely immersed in an epiphany regarding the crimson cord's sword intent.
As his comprehension deepened, the crimson cord suppressing the black flesh seemed to come alive. It floated gently toward Xu Bai, swirling intimately around him.
After an unknown span of time, Xu Bai abruptly opened his eyes and lightly flicked his finger.
An imperceptible flash of red light flickered from his hand, darting toward the twisted flesh ahead.
The wailing echoes reverberating through the divine temple fell silent in an instant.
Although they resumed a moment later, such an anomaly still thoroughly horrified the gauzy-gowned woman waiting behind Xu Bai.
"My lord..." she couldn't help asking.
Xu Bai raised a hand to stop her question, merely gazing at a faint streak of blood that had appeared on his wrist at some unknown moment.
With the physical constitution of a new method Nascent Soul cultivator, even wounds from blades or swords would heal in an instant.
Yet this faint streak of blood seemed innate, impossible to dispel.
*To think it has such a severe backlash,* Xu Bai thought, frowning slightly.
*It seems Xu Ke's disappearance back then might also have been related to his frequent use of the cord sword art.*
*Although the wooden sword encompasses the sword principles of the world, it cannot strike first.*
*Although the cord sword possesses peerless slaughterous intent, it demands one's own life as collateral.*
A gleam flashed in Xu Bai's eyes. *Both come with certain restrictions. How interesting...*
Next, Xu Bai visited the remaining eight divine temples one by one.
Beyond gaining an even deeper comprehension of the cord sword art, he saw with his own eyes the three heads of Chi Jiutou that had died with unclosed eyes.
The hair, flesh, and eyeballs of one head had already been hollowed out by the people of the Empire, leaving behind only a mottled, ashen skull.
The other two heads, however, remained lifelike, looking just as they had immediately upon death.
Before one even drew close, one could feel the boundless baleful aura and rancor radiating from them.
*What a vile beast!*
This was the first time Xu Bai had ever seen a true ancient ferocious beast, and he couldn't help a quiet shiver in his heart.
*Even a millennium after its death, its ferocity still lingers. I truly wonder how terrifying it was in its prime. And Mr. Bai, who managed to slay it with nothing more than a crimson cord...*
Xu Bai's thoughts wandered.
Having concluded his tour, Xu Bai returned to the spire palace.
Looking at the veiled woman seated beside Xiao Qing, a strange resonance welled up in Xu Bai's heart.
He tried raising his right hand.
Then, something that surprised him happened.
Across from him, the veiled woman raised her right hand at the exact same time.
Without any prior agreement, the movement was almost perfectly synchronized.
It was as though a mirror stood between them.
Aside from a few differences in facial features, that veiled woman felt almost identical to him.
*The Sacred Blood Embryo Transformation Method.* In an instant, Xu Bai realized the cause of this phenomenon.
At the same time, he also knew the identity of the veiled woman before him.
The Imperial Daughter.
Xu Ke's descendant, the nominal ruler of the Empire.
Naturally, he could not let on that he knew.
Feigning utter astonishment, he abruptly stood up, pointed at the Imperial Daughter, and blurted, "What is the meaning of this?"
Xiao Qing scrutinized every nuance of Xu Bai's expression, trying to spot any flaw, but she was disappointed.
Xu Bai's reaction was nearly identical to the Imperial Daughter's.
*It seems he truly doesn't know his real identity,* Xiao Qing thought to herself.
"What does Fellow Daoist mean by that?" she asked, feigning ignorance to test him further.
By now, Xu Bai seemed to have recovered somewhat from his initial shock. He stared at the Imperial Daughter, deep bewilderment showing in his eyes.
"Who is she? Even though this is our first meeting, I feel an overwhelming sense of familiarity and closeness with her."
"It's not an illusion. I feel it as well," the Imperial Daughter replied softly.
Xu Bai appeared even more shaken.
Turning back to look at Xiao Qing, he asked, "Fellow Daoist, what on earth is going on?"
Xiao Qing held his gaze for a long time before finally speaking. Rather than answering, she countered with a question: "Fellow Daoist Xu, how much do you know about your own origins?"
"My origins?" Xu Bai blinked.
"I am merely the descendant of ordinary mortals, originally living in a pocket world. Later, by a stroke of luck, I joined the Myriad Realms Association, and only then did I step onto the immortal path. My blood relatives have long since passed away..."
"Why? Is there something wrong with my origins?" Xu Bai asked.
Xiao Qing looked into Xu Bai's eyes, trying to discern the truth of his words.
After a long silence, she finally gave up.
Xiao Qing then produced a portrait. The person depicted on it was almost identical to Xu Bai.
"This is..." Xu Bai continued playing dumb.
"This is the founder of the Empire, and also my master," Xiao Qing said in a wistful tone. "His name was Xu Ke."
"Many years ago, he bid farewell to everyone. Since then, his whereabouts have remained unknown."
Xu Bai stared at the portrait, standing frozen as if stunned by this bombshell of information.
Only after a long while did he slowly speak: "His surname is also Xu. Could it be... that I might also be a descendant of Xu Ke?"
"For now, that seems to be the only reasonable explanation." Xiao Qing's tone was somewhat uncertain as well.
"Fellow Daoist Xu, which pocket world was your hometown in? Given my understanding of Master, he didn't seem the type to take a wife and have children..." Xiao Qing asked quizzically.
"My homeland is in..." Xu Bai began, then suddenly stopped.
Snapping back to his senses, he struck first to put them on the defensive. Looking at Xiao Qing and the Imperial Daughter with a face full of suspicion, he snapped, "Fellow Daoist Qing, are you treating me like a fool? How could there be such a coincidence?"
"Out with it. What is your real goal?" Xu Bai looked coldly at Xiao Qing.
Faced with Xu Bai's sudden shift in attitude, Xiao Qing was caught off guard.
Then she gave a bitter smile. "To be honest, I find it hard to believe as well. But everything really is this coincidental. It is as if fate decreed that I would meet you thousands of years later, long after I had given up."
"As for whether what I said is true, there is a method to find out with a single test."
Having said that, Xiao Qing shot a glance at the Imperial Daughter.
The Imperial Daughter retrieved a scepter and tapped it lightly against the floor.
Immediately, a hollow opening appeared in the floor, and the three of them were swallowed in an instant.
Xu Bai offered no resistance. In the next moment, he arrived in an immense space that seemed to stretch on without end.
Rows upon rows of various exotic beasts' corpses were laid out here.
Farther off, all manner of mechanical apparatuses appeared to be positioned.
Xu Bai wanted to step forward, only to find an invisible barrier blocking his path.
"This is the Imperial Treasury, where the wealth accumulated by the Empire over several millennia is kept."
Chapter 748