Chapter 1414: The Truly Good Mr. Bai
Chapter 1414: The Truly Good Mr. Bai
"The [Dao Origin] function has been unlocked."
"[Dao Origin]: When [Truth] can be activated, you may designate an area to revert along with you to the state of a set anchor point."
"Alternatively, you may forgo this use of [Truth] to designate an area and nullify a [Dao Annihilation]."
...
Before Li Fan could even process the meaning of this message from [Truth], countless memories exploded in his mind like a cascade of starlight.
Most were fleeting, discontinuous fragments of time.
But the sheer volume of memories contained within this eternal remnant of a skull was overwhelming. It was as if this undying thought had been constructed layer by layer from innumerable different consciousnesses.
Even with a divine soul and will as resilient as a True Immortal's, Li Fan nearly lost himself in the torrential, relentless flood of memory fragments.
They were like beacons in a white mist, lighthouses on a boundless ocean, the North Star attended by a thousand constellations.
They consistently guided Li Fan, marking the way and preventing him from becoming completely lost.
Boom!
Li Fan's consciousness slowly merged with Su Bai's remaining memories.
It was a world of ruins, the air thick with the stench of blood. A veritable inferno on earth, littered with mountains of corpses.
Not a single sound remained between heaven and earth; it was utterly silent.
Blood flowed, converging into rivers.
In the dark red reflection, Li Fan saw the face of this body—it was the Heavenly Doctor!
However, the "Heavenly Doctor" reflected in the river of blood had eyes filled with confusion and terror.
His body trembled uncontrollably.
A voice echoed from within his mind.
It was identical to Su Bai's own.
Yet it was steeped in malevolence.
"Well? Are you satisfied?"
"What you've always wanted to do—I've done it for you."
The "Heavenly Doctor's" face contorted, quivering, before reverting to Su Bai's original appearance.
"'What I've always wanted to do?'" he questioned, his voice trembling with despair.
Evil Su Bai's voice was full of scorn. "Wasn't it? You, a venerable being of this realm, reincarnated your heavenly soul into the Xuanhuang Realm, scheming to use the Dao of 'Medicine' to stir internal strife and leave them with no time to consider another expedition..."
"What I did for you, isn't it the same in essence as what that 'Heavenly Doctor' did?"
"Only... a bit more thorough."
"Hahahahaha..."
Evil Su Bai's laughter thundered, filling the entire space of consciousness.
"Oh, oh, oh, the main event has arrived."
"Look at the expression on his face. It's truly delightful!"
Su Bai gritted his teeth and snarled, "You damn beast!"
His fury, no longer contained, erupted like a volcano. His body shuddered, and his aura shifted back to that of Mr. Bai from the Xuanhuang Realm.
Evil Su Bai continued to clamor, but his voice grew fainter and fainter.
"No need to be so angry."
"It doesn't matter how many of these ants die. What I've seen in my life is a billion times worse..."
"Heheheh, far more brutal than this. At the very least, I was kind enough to leave their bodies intact."
"Besides, I am you, and you are me..."
His voice faded to a mosquito's buzz, then became inaudible.
Sensing the approaching figure of the Heavenly Doctor hurrying from a distance, Su Bai's face contorted in agony.
But in the end, he clenched his jaw and fled at top speed.
...
In the endless, gloomy void.
Su Bai reached out to touch the High Wall, but an invisible barrier blocked his path, preventing him from advancing any further.
"The High Wall..."
Urgent, excited, and insistent thoughts constantly echoed in his mind.
Su Bai pondered for a moment, then took out the legacy of the Xuanhuang Great Heavenly Venerate—the immortal artifacts bestowed by the Immortal World.
He lined them up in a row.
"The self-destruction of so many immortal artifacts, combined with the aid of the Xuanhuang Realm, should be enough to get me over this threshold."
After a long hesitation, Su Bai finally detonated the immortal artifacts.
In that instant, it was as if countless suns had risen simultaneously at the edge of the Star Sea, illuminating even the darkest corners with a brilliant white light.
But all that infinite light and heat converged upon Su Bai alone.
His features became indistinct, his expression unreadable. He was merely a dazzling white silhouette.
The silhouette took a step forward.
As if vanishing into thin air, a part of his body disappeared.
With half a foot across the threshold of the High Wall, just as he was about to completely escape the Dark Star Sea it enclosed, Su Bai cast one last, reluctant glance back at the Xuanhuang Realm.
So many things he cared for were there.
In that fleeting moment of Su Bai's distraction, a torrent of images suddenly flooded his mind.
And their content sent a profound shock through the soul of this innately kind Xuanhuang Great Heavenly Venerate.
Mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Countless worlds were being annihilated one after another. And the perpetrator of this monstrous carnage looked exactly like him!
At the same time, Su Bai felt an unprecedented sense of crisis.
His thoughts raced. Without a shred of hesitation, he pulled back the leg that had already crossed the High Wall!
The searing light around him gradually faded.
Still shaken, Su Bai paid no mind to the bewildered consciousness of the Xuanhuang Realm, which had thrown a fit over his inexplicable reversal.
"What... was that just now?"
As his expression flickered through a storm of emotions, he suddenly heard his own voice in his mind.
The tone and inflection...
were indescribably strange.
"Hmm? There's another one hiding here."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk..."
"Still as foolish as ever."
The change in his voice even affected Su Bai's body.
A hint of malevolence and madness appeared in his eyes.
Consequently, the consciousness of the Xuanhuang Realm's Heavenly Dao attached to him also began to lose its reason, spewing forth an endless stream of vicious words.
...
The Heavenly Sword Sect.
Within the Sword Tomb, countless swords stood erect, thrust into the ground.
A spectral figure hovered over each blade—sword spirits, born from the swords themselves after being tempered by the long river of time.
But now, these innumerable sword spirits were all fighting against a single person.
It was Su Bai, seated cross-legged at the center.
Myriad streams of sword qi crisscrossed the air, like scalpels, carving into Su Bai's divine soul and consciousness.
Su Bai's face remained calm throughout.
But he couldn't stop a flicker of pain from crossing his features from time to time.
At the edge of the Sword Tomb, the Eldest Senior Brother of the Heavenly Sword Sect, Situ Yao, watched this scene with an inscrutable expression.
He took one gulp after another, drinking nonstop.
Only this time, what flowed from his wine gourd was not wine.
It was water.
An unknown amount of time passed.
Humph!
A violent shockwave suddenly erupted from Su Bai.
The Sword Tomb was instantly thrown into disarray.
Countless sword spirits dissipated into nothingness.
Situ Yao's brow twitched.
But this was no time for regrets. He flashed to Su Bai's side.
"Lord Heavenly Venerate, how is the situation?"
A long silence followed.
After a great while, Su Bai's weak voice finally sounded. "I've severed all the infected parts of my divine soul. It's temporarily suppressed."
"But..."
"Just as he said, this will only buy some time. He will come for me again, sooner or later."
Situ Yao's expression grew grim.
"So, are you still willing to proceed with that plan? To gamble the lives of your entire Heavenly Sword Sect," Su Bai asked softly.
Situ Yao took another long swig of water from his gourd.
"Even if we stay here, destruction is inevitable."
"We are sword cultivators. Why should we fear death?"
"Besides, he's after you. It's unlikely that ants like us will be noticed." His words made it clear that his decision was made.
Su Bai's expression was solemn. He trembled as he rose to his feet. In his capacity as the Xuanhuang Great Heavenly Venerate, he gave Situ Yao a deep bow.
Situ Yao accepted it without flinching.
...
The Xuanhuang Realm.
Ningyuan City.
The life force of mortals was as tenacious as weeds.
Upon the former ruins, a bustling city had once again emerged.
It was even more prosperous than before.
Su Bai wandered the streets, his face a mixture of gratification and melancholy.
Finally, he reached his destination.
His old little house.
Recalling the memories made here, Su Bai was overcome with emotion.
Seeing the adorable children he once knew now grown into adults, his eyes filled with joy.
"I shouldn't... rob them of their hope for life."
"I... must die."
He spoke softly.
"Before I die, let me do one last small thing for this world."
Reverse the logic of heaven and earth, to attain Longevity!
A profound change descended upon the Xuanhuang Realm.
...
The Immortal Ruins.
A tall, skeletal figure sat cross-legged upon the earth, at the center of a mysterious script.
A silhouette quietly appeared behind her.
Yet this Enlightened True Immortal remained completely unaware.
That figure was Su Bai!
But at this moment, he was dressed in black robes, his eyes filled with an unspeakable madness.
"This is the culprit behind the calamities of your Xuanhuang Realm, and even this entire Star Sea."
"Just give the word, and I'll kill her right now."
Su Bai flicked the Hunger Immortal's head with his finger, producing a crisp sound.
Yet, this Enlightened True Immortal was utterly oblivious.
She remained completely absorbed in her own comprehension.
The only answer to Evil Su Bai was a long silence.
Evil Su Bai didn't press, simply observing the scene within the Immortal Ruins with great interest.
"A pathetic 'Hunger' character, and after all this time comprehending it, this is all she's achieved."
"I've killed countless pieces of trash like this."
"And yet, garbage of this caliber was able to bring you thousands of years of suffering..."
Evil Su Bai's tone was thick with mockery.
"Good? Evil? In the face of survival, do they even matter?"
Evil Su Bai lifted his foot and began to grind it into the Hunger Immortal's face, trampling her again and again.
He even leaned in for a closer look.
He would occasionally let out a soft chuckle, as if amused by some thought.
And the Hunger Immortal showed no reaction whatsoever.
"Well, do you believe me now? I wasn't lying, was I?"
"Everything you saw, none of it was an illusion."
"It all truly happened."
"The cruelty of reality far exceeds your imagination."
"A good person like you can't adapt. Just leave it to me..."
He regarded a True Immortal as an ant, yet toward Mr. Bai of the Xuanhuang Realm, Evil Su Bai was exceptionally patient.
He chattered on, his persuasion almost nagging.
Mr. Bai's voice suddenly cut in. "You are so powerful..."
"Why does a single High Wall hold you back?"
Evil Su Bai's voice stopped abruptly.
He stomped down hard, with ferocious force.
The Hunger Immortal, sitting cross-legged on the ground of the Immortal Ruins, was sent tumbling by the kick.
The golden chains binding her rattled and clanked.
...
"That Evil Su Bai... he wasn't just a figment of Mr. Bai's imagination."
"He's real?"
Just as Li Fan's main consciousness was reeling in horror from the eternal remnant thought left by Su Bai, his sliver of divine sense in the Museum of Divine Treasures was led by Emperor Sanmo.
They arrived at a seemingly unremarkable architectural ruin deep within the museum.
The ruin was placed among other historical remnants from the Xuanhuang Realm, appearing to have no special distinction.
"Does the Immortal recognize this place?"
Disturbed by the earth-shattering scenes his main consciousness was witnessing in Su Bai's memories, he seemed distracted.
It took him a moment to come back to his senses.
"This place..."
After examining it for a moment, Li Fan was slightly taken aback.
"The Nanming Sacred Mountain?" he asked the old man beside him, a hint of uncertainty in his voice.
"The Immortal has a keen eye," Emperor Sanmo nodded.
"But this is not the Sacred Mountain from the Xuanhuang Realm. I brought this with me from my homeland and have preserved it here."
"I don't know how many years have passed since then," Emperor Sanmo said, his voice laden with the weight of ages.
Hearing this, Li Fan's expression gradually turned serious.
He contemplated the meaning behind Emperor Sanmo's words.
"The Xuanhuang Realm originally had no demon beasts."
"We... are refugees, having fled from another possibility."
Emperor Sanmo did not speak in riddles for long and stated it plainly.
Li Fan was visibly shaken.
"An infinite future holds infinite possibilities."
"But not all possibilities can continue indefinitely," Emperor Sanmo sighed softly.
"We have lived and multiplied in the Xuanhuang Realm for so long that we have even forgotten our ancient past."
"We thought we could continue to survive here. We never expected that this place, too, would face its final end."
"And so Di Yi once again led our people on an exodus. But this time, I decided not to go." Emperor Sanmo stepped into the ruin.
It was as if he had returned to his former home.
"Why?" Li Fan's avatar asked, curious.
"Even though the Immortal Ruins loom and the Star Sea withers, this place might be one of the few relatively safe havens left," Emperor Sanmo said with a smile.
Combining Emperor Sanmo's words with what he had seen in the eternal remnant thought, Li Fan's eyes narrowed, his mind racing with possibilities.
...
Within Su Bai's eternal remnant thought.
Li Fan's main consciousness reeled. In the memories of the departed Mr. Bai, he had seen just how powerful that Evil Su Bai was.
Just a slight corruption was enough to grant the Longevity-stage Su Bai the power to crush a True Immortal.
And as the corruption deepened, Su Bai briefly experienced the true power of his evil self.
The world was no longer singular.
Instead, countless possibilities arose simultaneously.
Su Bai saw the infinite possibilities that had been born in the Xuanhuang Realm since his death.
Amidst innumerable endings of total destruction, he seemed to glimpse the one and only path to survival.
And so, Li Fan faintly understood why this eternal remnant thought had been set up in this way.
(End of Chapter)
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