Chapter 751: The Eternal Empire
Chapter 751: The Eternal Empire
"Every ruler of the Empire, from the moment of their birth, must study within these walls. Only after they have mastered the countless volumes of knowledge preserved here can they formally inherit the throne."
"And the Imperial Treasury," Xiao Qing explained, "can only be entered by those who carry the royal bloodline."
"And yet, I can't get in, can I?" Xu Bai pointed out with a slight shake of his head.
"Perceive it with your heart, and this invisible barrier will cease to exist," Di Nv said softly.
With that, she demonstrated. Taking a single step forward, she passed straight through the barrier and into the Imperial Treasury.
Following her advice, Xu Bai closed his eyes.
As he did, a strange sensation washed over him.
In the boundless darkness of his mind, he could hear what sounded like a heartbeat, thrumming from all directions.
A flash of understanding struck him.
The Imperial Treasury was likely the heart of that beast.
All the strange creatures of the Empire were bred using Xu Ke's secret methods.
As someone who carried Xu Ke's own blood essence, this place naturally wouldn't bar his entry.
Acting on this intuition, Xu Bai stepped forward. It felt like passing through a transparent film, and in the next moment, he stood inside the Imperial Treasury.
He ignored the various artifacts displayed around him, turning instead to Di Nv and Xiao Qing. "So I'm in. But that doesn't prove anything."
"Only those with the royal bloodline can enter..."
"That's just a story," Xu Bai said, shaking his head dismissively.
Di Nv simply smiled. "You need not be so suspicious. A walk around this treasury will show you the truth."
"This place is filled with the Empire's greatest treasures. Aren't you afraid I'll just pocket a few?" Xu Bai challenged.
"If you so desire, you could empty the entire place. But in truth, the most precious things here are the memories of the Empire's past sovereigns," Xiao Qing replied, her tone nonchalant.
Di Nv, meanwhile, made a welcoming gesture for him to proceed.
Xu Bai scoffed, then flew toward the effigy of a strange, twin-winged turtle.
"Silent Flying Turtle: Lifespan can reach three hundred years. Its flesh can be used to treat hyperactivity, mania, and other such ailments. However, its blood is harmful and will shorten one's life if consumed."
A voice echoed in Xu Bai's mind, accompanied by a vivid image.
The figure in the vision looked remarkably like Xu Ke.
He was seated at an experimental bench, dissecting a Silent Flying Turtle while diligently taking notes.
Simultaneously, a flood of detailed information about the Silent Flying Turtle poured into Xu Bai's brain.
Before he could fully process it, a new image surfaced.
This time, a woman was recording the data. Her features still bore a resemblance to Xu Ke.
"New discovery: the wings of the Silent Flying Turtle can be used as a material for constructing airships. They maintain high speeds while reducing flight noise to a minimum."
...
The images flickered and changed in rapid succession.
The researchers changed more than a dozen times, and the study of the Silent Flying Turtle progressed continuously.
By the end, a technique had been developed to mass-produce the turtles, allowing them to complete a full life cycle in a mere three years, drastically cutting down the cultivation time.
When the visions faded, Xu Bai mulled over the immense amount of new information in his mind and looked at Di Nv.
"What was that?"
"The first ruler of the Empire was created by the Saint Emperor Xu Ke, using the Holy Blood Embryo Transformation technique."
"The second emperor was created in the same way."
"And so it has been passed down, generation after generation."
"Essentially," Di Nv explained with a smile, "every member of the imperial line and the Saint Emperor Xu Ke are one and the same person."
Though he had already known this, Xu Bai feigned utter shock. "What sort of dark art is this?"
"How can a technique be righteous or wicked?" Di Nv countered, shaking her head.
"Though we share the same flesh and blood, we each have our own consciousness. You can see us as different people if you wish."
"However, because of the link from the Holy Blood Embryo Transformation, we can achieve a kind of mental synchronicity."
"What you just experienced were the research findings on the Silent Flying Turtle from every emperor in history."
"Before their death, each ruler of the Empire, in addition to performing the Holy Blood Embryo Transformation, must leave their will and memories within this treasury."
"The new successor then inherits the vast majority of the wisdom and experience from all their predecessors."
"Thus, the sovereign of the Empire grows stronger with each generation."
"This is how we have built an empire that can endure forever."
Di Nv's voice was calm, but tinged with an undercurrent of pride.
"An eternal empire..." Xu Bai snorted, not bothering to humor her. "Forget a Longevity Heavenly Venerate—I doubt you could even withstand a single Dao Integration cultivator."
Di Nv froze, her face flushing crimson.
Xu Bai's gaze swept across the Imperial Treasury before he spoke again. "Although there's a wealth of strange data here, very little of it is truly valuable."
"I need to hurry back and report. Tell me, what are the Empire's most advanced technologies?"
"Provide me with sufficient bargaining chips, and I can fight for a better position for you within the Federation," Xu Bai added pointedly.
Di Nv looked toward Xiao Qing, who stood outside the invisible barrier.
Seeing Xiao Qing give a slight nod, Di Nv considered for a moment before saying, "Our definitions of 'valuable' may not be the same."
"From a strategic perspective, the Empire's highest technologies are, first, the method for breeding and controlling the Split Boundary Whales."
"Second is our Void Latitude and Longitude Positioning system."
"With these two technologies, the Empire can continuously open void passages and move as far away from the Xuanhuang Realm as possible," Di Nv stated slowly.
A mocking expression crossed Xu Bai's face. "I heard about your laughable plan from my colleague who unfortunately perished."
"It's a nice thought, but..."
"If it were that easy to leave the Xuanhuang Realm, someone would have done it thousands of years ago. What makes you think you're so special?"
"Think about those cultivators who fled into pocket dimensions to escape the great calamity. Why are they still so desperate to return to the Xuanhuang Realm instead of just escaping from their little worlds?"
"It's not that they don't want to. It's that they can't."
"I suggest you abandon this unrealistic fantasy and join our Federation of All Worlds..."
Faced with Xu Bai's ridicule, Di Nv's expression remained perfectly composed.
Her voice was unyieldingly firm as she cut him off. "What if our goal was never to escape the Xuanhuang Realm in the first place?"
Now it was Xu Bai's turn to be stunned.
"Not to escape? Then what is all this trouble for?"
Di Nv smiled faintly. "To buy time."
"We move as far from the Xuanhuang Realm as we can to reduce the chances of being caught in the fallout when disaster strikes."
"And at the same time, we wait patiently."
"Sooner or later, a savior will emerge to rescue the Xuanhuang Realm from the catastrophe of annihilation."
(End of Chapter)
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