Chapter 1144: A Meeting Across the Ages
"Once you find Master Yin, persuade him to return with you to the Great Qi."
Staring at the sparse instructions, which consisted of only a few short sentences, Wang Xuanba couldn't help but scratch his head.
Though he didn't quite grasp the meaning behind the words, it didn't stop him from believing in them completely.
A low growl escaped him, and the shadow beneath his feet began to writhe. Moments later, a figure identical to Wang Xuanba crawled out from the darkness.
This was an ability he had awakened after absorbing and fusing with a strange beast known as the Shadow-Mimic. The shadow doppelgänger possessed half of his true strength, and its death would have no effect on his actual body.
It was the perfect tool for an errand that carried a degree of risk.
With that thought, Wang Xuanba's shadow-self transformed into a dark, serpentine dragon and tore through the sky.
More than ten days later, he finally located Yinyin Island.
Faint wails drifted from the island, making the hairs on Wang Xuanba’s neck stand on end.
"These things... they're even more disgusting than the beasts I've fused with," he muttered.
He pressed deeper into the facility and at last, before a transparent cage, he found his target.
"Sir, my master has sent me to invite you for a meeting," Wang Xuanba stated, his tone neither servile nor arrogant.
Master Yin offered no reaction whatsoever.
Wang Xuanba repeated the invitation several more times, but the man remained completely still.
Seeing this, Wang Xuanba decided to follow the Sacred Emperor’s instructions to the letter. "Sir," he said plainly, "would you like to know who created the Immortal-Mortal Miasma?"
Master Yin's body jolted. He slowly tore his gaze away from the test subject and fixed it on Wang Xuanba.
"What... did you say?"
His voice was a disquieting echo of two tones layered over one another, and Wang Xuanba swallowed hard.
Nevertheless, he mustered his courage and repeated the question.
Then, before Master Yin could respond, he added, "Sir, would you like to know the perfect method for 'Foundation Establishment Through Oneself'?"
Master Yin’s previously stooped body slowly straightened.
He stared at Wang Xuanba, a dangerous light glinting in his eyes. "Who exactly are you?"
Wang Xuanba chuckled. "I am merely an errand boy. If you wish to know the answers, sir, all you have to do is come with me."
"Lead the way!"
Wang Xuanba was stunned by how readily Master Yin agreed. raNObes
A thick mist erupted from the cage behind him, and several mortals inside screamed as they dissolved into nothingness.
Wang Xuanba’s body tensed, and he quickly nodded.
"Right, my master also wanted to remind you, sir. Don't forget that rib bone. Bring it with you."
Master Yin's gaze turned glacial, his killing intent now utterly undisguised.
Yet, looking at Wang Xuanba's fearless posture, he managed to suppress the urge to strike.
He searched his robes but found nothing.
In the end, he located the rib bone in the nest of a small, dog-like creature fashioned from a human hand.
He kicked the creature aside and gestured that he was ready.
Wang Xuanba took to the air and led the way, passing through the entrance to a small world concealed by an array and returning to the Great Qi Dynasty.
Master Yin was momentarily surprised by the sheer density of spiritual energy in this place, but his attention was quickly drawn to the tallest tower in the Sacred Capital. He could sense an immensely powerful presence dwelling within.
Soon, Master Yin stood before Li Ping, the faceless Sacred Emperor.
"Friend Daoist," Master Yin began, his expression far from pleasant, "to what do I owe this elaborate invitation?"
"I have long admired your talent, sir. Nothing more," Li Ping replied calmly, looking down from his high throne.
"What do you make of this method?"
Before Master Yin could react, Li Ping clapped his hands.
A screen of light unfurled before him.
At first, Master Yin was dismissive, but a single glance at the contents made his expression turn grave.
The gravity soon morphed into utter shock.
"This..."
He read it again and again, his eyes finally lifting to stare at Li Ping’s clone in disbelief.
"I hear you have a rib bone in your collection?" the clone asked, changing the subject instead of offering an explanation.
Master Yin nodded. "It is the bone of the first cultivator ever infected with the Immortal-Mortal Miasma..."
"May I see it?"
Master Yin hesitated, but in the end, he took out the bone and handed it to Li Ping.
Holding the rib, Li Fan felt a wave of reminiscence wash over him.
He let out a long sigh, his posture conveying a deep sense of melancholy and sorrow before he returned the bone to Master Yin.
The clone’s performance left Master Yin deeply unsettled and suspicious.
"You..."
"To meet an old friend again, only to see him reduced to this... It stirs some feelings, that is all. Pay me no mind, sir."
Li Ping's words struck Master Yin like a thunderclap.
"What? An old friend?"
His eyes filled with suspicion as he stared intently at Li Ping.
Unperturbed, Li Ping’s voice grew low. "Heh, besides myself, who else in this world even remembers him now?"
"The Xuanhuang Great Heavenly Venerate, a truly perfect man in this world. Su Bai. Mr. Bai..."
As he spoke, an image materialized before Master Yin, instantly capturing his full attention.
The man in the image was so perfect in his features that one could not find a single flaw.
His eyes overflowed with a gentle, loving light; even looking upon this illusionary projection, meeting that gaze, was enough to make one’s heart tremble.
Master Yin was lost in the sight for a long moment.
Then, recalling Li Ping’s words, he shuddered violently as the realization dawned on him. "What did you say? The Xuanhuang Great Heavenly Venerate?"
He instinctively clutched the rib in his hand, looking as though he had been struck by lightning.
His eyes went vacant, and he began to mutter, "Reverse the logic of heaven and earth... reverse the logic of heaven and earth..."
"Immortal-Mortal Miasma... two Heavenly Venerates..."
"How could it be?"
...
Master Yin staggered, collapsing weakly to the ground.
He seemed to have suffered a devastating blow, as if his very purpose in life had been stripped away, leaving him utterly lost.
Li Ping waited a long time, allowing Master Yin to slowly recover from the overwhelming shock.
Only then did he speak again, finally revealing his true intentions.
"The path to immortality is blocked, and the Dharma Propagator Celestial Venerable looms over all."
"Sir, will you help me fulfill Mr. Bai’s unfinished wish? To use this new method to shatter the foundation of the Dharma Propagators and rescue the Xuanhuang Realm from the abyss?"
Li Ping stepped down from his throne, approached Master Yin, and helped him to his feet, asking the question with the utmost gravity.
Master Yin quickly grasped the meaning behind Li Ping’s words.
"You mean to say... this flawless method for 'Foundation Establishment Through Oneself'... was his creation?" he asked, his voice trembling.
Li Ping nodded with a sigh. "Indeed. In the entire Xuanhuang Realm, who else could possess such talent?"
The shock that rippled through Master Yin was even more profound.
"Indeed... indeed..." he repeated, his voice barely a whisper.
As he looked once more at the characters on the light screen, it was as if he could see through the words, across the gulf of time, and meet Mr. Bai’s gaze.
"All my thoughts, all my research... was I unknowingly following a path he walked thousands of years ago?"
"And yet... he was so far beyond me..."
...
Watching the completely captivated Master Yin, Li Fan knew his plan had succeeded.
(End of Chapter)
Comments