"Earlier, I heard you say that the Empire's Saint Emperor might very well be our common ancestor. I took quite an interest in him, so I went to a bit of trouble and commissioned an investigation," Xu Bai said nonchalantly, looking toward the Imperial Daughter.
Before the Imperial Daughter could react, Xiao Qing and Xiao Hong were already agitated. "What did you find?"
"You want to know too?" Xu Bai smiled faintly. "Then trade it for the Sacred Blood Embryo Transformation Method."
Xiao Hong was about to reply, but Xiao Qing raised a hand to stop her.
Calming her emotions slightly, she took a deep breath and addressed Xu Bai: "Does Fellow Daoist expect something for nothing with just that single line? At the very least, you must let us see that the intelligence you gathered is truly worth trading for."
"Fair point." Xu Bai nodded approvingly and extended his right hand.
An instant later, a pitch-black feather appeared in his palm.
From that feather, both Xiao Qing and Xiao Hong sensed a familiar aura.
"Xiao Hei?" Their bodies shook violently, and they cried out in unison.
Just as they moved to take the Feather of the Profound Bird for a closer look, they found Xu Bai had already withdrawn it a step ahead of them.
"It seems you are no strangers to this Heavenly Destiny Profound Bird. That makes things easy—saves me the breath of explaining.
"Thanks to the convenience of the Myriad Realms Association connecting myriad realms, I was fortunate enough to discover Xiao Hei's remains in a pocket world.
"This Feather of the Profound Bird was the only thing left of its remains. Along with it was a segment of Xiao Hei's memories from when it lived."
Having said this, Xu Bai suddenly stopped.
"Xiao Hei is dead?" Xiao Qing and Xiao Hong were stunned at first, then stared intently at Xu Bai.
Having thoroughly whetted their appetites, Xu Bai glanced at them and sneered, "Xiao Hei was far more loyal than you. To track down my ancestor, it spared no expense of its own lifespan, determined to scour every pocket world in the Xuanhuang Realm.
"Though it ultimately failed to find Xu Ke before it died, it did not return entirely empty-handed.
"Xu Ke... is very likely still alive," Xu Bai said slowly.
The softly spoken words struck Xiao Hong and Xiao Qing like thunderclaps.
"Impossible!" they denied in unison.
"If Master were truly still alive, we would certainly be able to sense it. But long ago, we lost our connection to him."
Xiao Qing's brows furrowed, a murderous glint flashing in her phoenix eyes. "To swindle us out of the Sacred Blood Embryo Transformation Method, you actually fabricated a lie regarding Master's life and death..."
Facing Xiao Qing and Xiao Hong, who looked ready to erupt at any moment, Xu Bai remained utterly unperturbed. He shook his head and sighed, "So that's why Xu Ke favored and trusted Xiao Hei the most back then. There was indeed good reason.
"If even you could sense Xu Ke's life and death, could Xiao Hei really have failed to do so? Yet why was it still convinced that Xu Ke wasn't dead, crossing thousands of pocket worlds just to find him?"
As he spoke, Xu Bai flicked a finger into midair.
An image manifested before him.
It was taken from Xiao Hei's remains—memories of it traveling between pocket worlds, tirelessly searching for Xu Ke.
Looking at the scenes of various pocket worlds flashing past one after another, and Xiao Hei's movements growing increasingly sluggish from aging...
Xiao Qing and Xiao Hong trembled slightly, deeply complex expressions surfacing on their faces.
The projection abruptly stopped. Xu Bai remained silent, merely looking at them quietly.
After a long time, he spoke again: "The pocket worlds of Xuanhuang may be called countless, but we all know there is in fact an upper limit.
"Xiao Hei visited some of them in person back then and had already ruled those out.
"And first of all, it is certain that my ancestor never left the Xuanhuang Realm back then.
"Therefore..."
Finally understanding, a flicker of hope flashed in Xiao Qing's eyes as she stared at Xu Bai. "Master is in one of the remaining pocket worlds?"
Xu Bai neither confirmed nor denied it.
Instead, he casually shifted the topic: "Originally, even knowing this, facing the sheer multitude of remaining pocket worlds would have left us virtually helpless despite our desires. But now, things are different.
"The Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals seeks to unify Xuanhuang now; every single pocket world will be thoroughly swept and conquered by them.
"Under the fearless campaigns of countless cultivators risking life and limb, the secrets of many pocket worlds have already been uncovered. As a result, the range of places where Xu Ke might be has shrunk even further."
Xiao Hong could finally hold back no longer and spoke up: "Then wouldn't that mean Master is very likely in danger?"
Xu Bai nodded. "If the Alliance finds Xu Ke before we do, judging by their current conduct, I'm afraid things will bode ill for him."
Xiao Hong's face instantly turned exceedingly grim. "No, I must—"
"Calm down, Hong," Xiao Qing said, managing to keep her composure.
Stopping Xiao Hong's actions with a glance first, she then said to Xu Bai, "This reasoning of yours simply doesn't hold up under scrutiny.
"Setting aside the fact that there is no evidence proving Master is still alive, even if he still exists in this world, how can you guarantee that in the pocket worlds the Alliance has explored..."
Before she could finish, she was cut off by Xu Bai's hearty laughter.
"Fellow Daoist Qing, oh Fellow Daoist Qing, you truly are rational to a fault. Yes, I admit everything I just said is speculation based on Xiao Hei's memories. But do you dare deny the possibility that Xu Ke still exists in one of the remaining pocket worlds?
"Back then, facing an endless sea of unknown pocket worlds, Xiao Hei wasn't afraid in the least. Now that the scope has narrowed significantly, you still don't dare face reality.
"What exactly are you afraid of, Fellow Daoist Qing?" Xu Bai's gaze burned like torches as he stared straight at Xiao Qing, interrogating her.
Xiao Qing's body trembled violently, as if struck by a heavy hammer.
Her mouth opened, yet not a sound came out.
"Besides, all I ask for is merely a technique that Xu Ke casually passed down in the past. Who knew that with the passage of time, those closest to him would disregard his very life and death for the sake of a mere Sacred Blood Embryo Transformation Art," Xu Bai said with a trace of mockery.
Just as Xiao Qing was about to speak, the Imperial Daughter, who had remained silent at the side the entire time, finally spoke up.
"I agree to your condition. Whether the Saint Emperor is dead or alive, I will never let him remain stranded in foreign lands again," the Imperial Daughter said resolutely.
Facing the Imperial Daughter's decision, Xiao Qing and Xiao Hong fell silent.
Xu Bai nodded in praise. "A wise decision."
With a gentle wave of his hand, a map of the Xuanhuang Realm appeared before everyone's eyes.
"Over the past several millennia, earth-shaking changes have overtaken the Xuanhuang Realm.
"However, our Myriad Realms Association has quietly monitored and recorded everything in secret, so the pocket worlds Xiao Hei visited in those memories can still be matched up today."
Chapter 769