Chapter 750: Nine Heads, Deathless
"This feeling..."
"It's absolutely incredible."
The young woman's voice grew dreamy. "It's like looking at a reflection of myself, but with a different face. I can't help but feel an instinctive closeness."
"Teacher Qing, what in the world is going on?"
Hearing the young woman's confirmation, an expression of utter disbelief flared in Xiao Qing's eyes.
"Could it be..."
...
Naturally, Xu Bai was unaware of what was happening just a wall away.
At this moment, his mind was completely immersed in a sudden enlightenment regarding the sword intent of the red string.
After an unknown amount of time, Xu Bai's eyes snapped open. He flicked a finger.
A nearly invisible red light flashed from his hand and shot toward the twisted mass of flesh before him.
The incessant wails echoing through the temple fell silent for an instant.
Though they resumed just a moment later.
But such a strange occurrence still left the woman in the gauze dress, who was waiting behind Xu Bai, utterly horrified.
"My lord..." she couldn't help but ask.
But Xu Bai raised a hand to stop her, his gaze fixed on a thin, bloody line that had appeared on his wrist at some unknown moment.
With the physique of a Nascent Soul cultivator of the New Method, even wounds from blades and swords would heal in an instant.
Yet this faint, bloody mark seemed as if it were innate, impossible to dispel.
"Such a severe side effect?" Xu Bai couldn't help but frown slightly.
"It seems Xu Ke's disappearance back then might have been related to his frequent use of the red string sword technique."
"The wooden sword, though it contains all the principles of swordsmanship in the world, cannot strike first."
"And the string sword, despite its unparalleled killing intent, requires one's own life as collateral."
A light flashed in Xu Bai's eyes. "So they both have their own limitations. Interesting..."
Next, Xu Bai visited the remaining eight temples one by one.
Besides deepening his insight into the red string sword technique, he also saw with his own eyes the three un-resting heads of the nine-headed beast.
The hair, flesh, and eyes of one head had been completely gouged out by the people of the Empire, leaving only a mottled white skull.
The other two, however, remained unnervingly lifelike, just as they were at the moment of death.
Even before getting close, he could feel the boundless malevolent energy and resentment radiating from them.
"What a monstrous beast!"
This was the first time Xu Bai had seen a true ancient fiend, and he couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart.
"A thousand years after its death, its ferocity still lingers. I can only imagine how savage it must have been in its prime. And Mr. Bai, who was able to slay it with just a single red string..."
Xu Bai's mind raced with speculation.
After finishing his tour, Xu Bai returned to the palace in the high tower.
Looking at the veiled woman sitting beside Xiao Qing, Xu Bai felt a strange connection stirring within him.
He tried raising his right hand.
To his surprise...
The veiled woman opposite him also raised her right hand, as if by an unspoken agreement.
There was no arrangement, yet their movements were almost perfectly synchronized.
It was as if a mirror existed between them.
Except for the difference in their faces, the veiled woman was almost like a reflection of himself.
"The Holy Blood Embryo Transformation." In that instant, Xu Bai understood the reason for this phenomenon.
He also knew the identity of the veiled woman before him.
The Emperor's Daughter.
Descendant of Xu Ke, the nominal ruler of the Empire.
But he obviously couldn't let it show.
Feigning utter astonishment, he shot to his feet, pointed at the Emperor's Daughter, and exclaimed, "What is going on?"
Xiao Qing carefully observed every flicker of Xu Bai's expression, trying to find any flaw in his act. But she was disappointed.
Xu Bai's reaction was almost identical to that of the Emperor's Daughter.
"It seems he doesn't know his own true identity either," Xiao Qing thought to herself.
"Fellow Daoist, what do you mean by that?" However, she still decided to probe further, asking as if she knew nothing.
Xu Bai seemed to have recovered slightly from his initial shock. He stared at the Emperor's Daughter, his eyes filled with deep confusion.
"Who is this? We've never met, but I feel an incredible sense of closeness and familiarity with her."
"It's not an illusion. I feel it too," the Emperor's Daughter responded softly.
At this, Xu Bai seemed even more shaken.
He turned back to Xiao Qing. "Fellow Daoist, what is happening?"
Xiao Qing met his gaze for a long moment before finally speaking. Instead of answering, she asked a question of her own, "Fellow Daoist Xu, what do you know of your own origins?"
"My origins?" Xu Bai paused, taken aback.
"I am merely the descendant of ordinary mortals. I originally lived in a small world. Later, by a stroke of fate, I joined the Federation of All Worlds and set foot on the path of cultivation. My blood relatives have long since passed away..."
"Why? Is there something wrong with my background?" Xu Bai asked.
Xiao Qing stared into Xu Bai's eyes, as if trying to discern the truth in his words.
After a long silence, she finally gave up.
Then, Xiao Qing took out a portrait. The person in the painting was nearly identical to Xu Bai.
"This is..." Xu Bai continued to play dumb.
"This is the founder of the Empire, and my master," Xiao Qing said, her voice distant. "His name is Xu Ke."
"Many years ago, he bid farewell to everyone and vanished without a trace."
Xu Bai stared at the portrait, seemingly stunned by this bombshell, and stood frozen on the spot.
After a long pause, he finally spoke slowly, "His surname is also Xu. Could it be... that I might be a descendant of Xu Ke?"
"At present, that is the only logical explanation," Xiao Qing replied, her tone also tinged with uncertainty.
"Fellow Daoist Xu, which small world is your home? From what I know of my master, he never seemed the type to marry and have children..." Xiao Qing asked, a hint of confusion in her voice.
"My homeland is in..." Xu Bai began, then suddenly stopped.
Coming to his senses, he turned the tables on them. He looked at Xiao Qing and the Emperor's Daughter, his face full of suspicion. "Fellow Daoist Qing, are you treating me like a child? How could there be such a coincidence?"
"Out with it. What is your true purpose?" Xu Bai stared coldly at Xiao Qing.
Faced with Xu Bai's sudden change in attitude, Xiao Qing was momentarily stunned.
Then, she gave a bitter smile. "To be honest, I find it hard to believe myself. But everything is just that coincidental. It's as if it were fated that I would meet you, thousands of years later, long after I had given up hope."
"As for whether what I've said is true, there is a way to find out."
After she spoke, Xiao Qing gave the Emperor's Daughter a meaningful look.
The Emperor's Daughter took out a scepter and tapped it lightly on the floor.
A hole suddenly appeared in the floor, swallowing the three of them in an instant.
Xu Bai didn't resist. In the next moment, he found himself in a vast space with no end in sight.
Row upon row of corpses from different strange beasts were arranged here.
Farther away, there also seemed to be all sorts of mechanical devices on display.
Xu Bai tried to move forward but found his path blocked by an invisible barrier.
"This is the Imperial Treasury. It holds the wealth the Empire has accumulated over thousands of years."
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