A winding curve split the map in two. On one side, the information was exhaustive, laying bare province names and topography at a single glance.
The other side seemed shrouded in mist, making it difficult to discern even the rough outlines of the provinces. It was merely divided into five broad regions.
"The Five Elders Association's territory is under the strict control of five Longevity Heavenly Venerables, making infiltration extremely difficult. Even our Myriad Realms Association knows very little about it," Xu Bai said, marking thousands of black dots across the map in an instant.
Most were scattered within the territory of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, with only a small portion hidden in the mist.
"These are the pocket worlds that can already be ruled out. The vast majority still haven't been discovered by the cultivators of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, but some have already been exposed." Xu Bai gave a light flick of his finger, planting miniature flags bearing the character for "Immortal" onto thirty-seven of the black dots.
"There are also some that the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals has already explored, but which Xiao Hei never set foot in over the years." Another 435 Immortal flags flew to various corners of the map.
"Xu Ke's whereabouts should be in the remaining pocket worlds of the Xuanhuang Realm," Xu Bai said calmly, standing before the map.
"Hopefully, you can find him before you finish scouring every remaining pocket world within the territory of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals.
"Otherwise, if he is unfortunate enough to be in a pocket world whose entrance lies within the Five Elders Association's domain, there will be virtually no hope left."
At that moment, Xiao Hong could not help asking, "Don't you call yourselves the Myriad Realms Association? Can't you provide us with the entrances to the pocket worlds in your possession?"
"Does Fellow Daoist Hong think I'm some important figure in the Myriad Realms Association?" Xu Bai countered.
"To ensure the safety of every pocket world, our association usually assigns dedicated envoys to liaise with specific worlds. Aside from the ones they are responsible for, envoys know nothing about the conditions of the other pocket worlds," Xu Bai explained. "If you have the ability to kidnap Dao Integration Elder Liu, who accompanied me last time, and torture him, you might pry something out of his mouth."
Xiao Hong was instantly struck speechless.
Looking at the map of the Xuanhuang Realm before her, the Imperial Daughter felt a wave of powerlessness wash over her, and the resolution in her eyes softened. "This... is practically finding a needle in a haystack."
"What? Regretting it already?" Xu Bai asked, somewhat surprised.
"If Xiao Hei could do it, so can I. Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Xu, the Empire never breaks its word." Xiao Qing, who had been wavering before, suddenly grew resolute.
At Xiao Qing's cue, the Imperial Daughter ultimately handed the improved Sacred Blood Embryo Transformation Method to Xu Bai.
It was not recorded in a book or on a jade slip, but by the Empire's unique strange beast, the Bookworm.
"Executing the Sacred Blood Embryo Transformation Method also requires specific resources to accompany it. Wait a moment, Fellow Daoist Xu; we will order people to prepare them for you right away," Xiao Qing added.
Xu Bai nodded slightly. Rather than inspecting the contents preserved in the Bookworm on the spot, he tucked it away for the time being. After a moment's contemplation, he suggested, "Right now, your highest priority is to race against time with the cultivators of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals.
"Beyond relying on the power of the Heavenly Profound Treasure Mirror to detect pocket world entrances quickly and conveniently, you might also use deduction techniques to roughly determine Xu Ke's location.
"Did Xu Ke leave behind any personal belongings back then? I might be able to ask a senior in my organization to step forward and perform a deduction or two for you.
"After all, I too am quite curious about this ancestor of mine," Xu Bai said with a smile.
The Empire maintained a considerable presence of Dharma thieves within the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals. Paired with the End Discs Xu Bai had provided, they were fully capable of seeking out pocket world entrances without exposing their identities.
Xiao Qing and Xiao Hong exchanged glances at Xu Bai's suggestion. After a brief hesitation, Xiao Qing spoke: "When Master departed back then, he did leave behind a few personal belongings. We have kept them well preserved.
"Follow me, Fellow Daoist." With that, Xiao Qing led Xu Bai to an inconspicuous little chamber at the very top of the soaring palace tower.
Unlike the luxurious room where they had just met, the furnishings here were extremely austere, bearing not the slightest resemblance to the dwelling of the Empire's founder.
"This is where Master lived back then, and everything inside remains untouched. In the beginning, we still held out hope that he might return. But after so many years, we've long understood that it's an impossible dream," Xiao Hong said, her tone carrying a hint of melancholy.
Xu Bai swept his gaze across the small room, and his heart suddenly jolted. In the drawer of one of the wooden desks, he spotted a sparse strand of red string!
It consisted of merely a few slender fibers that seemed on the verge of snapping at any moment. Yet both its appearance and the faint aura lingering upon it were entirely familiar to Xu Bai!
*Is this the red string Mr. Bai left for Xu Ke?*
*He didn't take it when he left?*
Xu Bai was thoroughly shaken. Effortlessly shifting his gaze, he pretended to examine other items.
Internally, however, he replayed the sight of that red string over and over.
*No mistake about it. It's the very red string Xu Ke held, the one capable of effortlessly slaying Chi Jiutou.*
*Though it doesn't seem to be the complete object—Xu Ke must have drawn out a single strand.*
*Did he leave behind a final measure of protection for the Empire...?*
*Judging by how it's been left here gathering dust, Xiao Qing and Xiao Hong clearly have no idea how terrifying this red string truly is.* Thoughts flashed rapidly through Xu Bai's mind, accompanied by a faint surge of excitement he could barely suppress.
He knew all too well what frightful power this red string harbored. Even with only a single strand remaining, it would likely pose a fatal threat to Dao Integration cultivators.
Naturally, the desire to claim it for himself welled up in Xu Bai's heart.
"The art of deduction is profound and mysterious. It's best to take a few more items," he explained.
"No matter, these are all mundane things. To increase the chances of finding Master as much as possible, feel free to take more, Fellow Daoist," Xiao Qing said indifferently.
Xu Bai thereupon took a brush from the room, along with a set of robes Xu Ke had once worn. Finally, after putting on a show of searching around, he took the red string as well.
*Just like that?* With the treasure in hand, Xu Bai still found it hard to believe. But after discussing a few more details with Xiao Qing and the others, he took his leave.
Only after departing from the Empire did he truly believe that he had secured Mr. Bai's red string with such ease.
*As for its exact usage, that will require further study.* Not daring to linger, Xu Bai sped along, returning to the Xuanhuang Realm.
Instead of heading back to Tianliang City, he went to a nearby annexed courtyard of the Dao Discussion Tower and entered seclusion.
Chapter 770