Chapter 770: A Perilous Situation and a Thought of Truth
Chapter 770: A Perilous Situation and a Thought of Truth
After their conversation, Xu Bai ended the communication.
His expression, however, immediately darkened.
"A single slip in a foolproof plan, and a flaw is finally revealed."
"That Liu San always seemed so improper, but who would have thought his mind was so sharp."
That was right. In what had seemed like a normal conversation with Liu San just now, Xu Bai had made a mistake.
When Liu San informed him that a disciple had successfully reached Foundation Establishment, he had paused for a moment.
This silence stemmed from his distrust of Liu San.
He knew the difficulty of achieving Foundation Establishment through his method. He knew it was patently impossible.
Normally, upon hearing such news, he should have reacted with either surprise or doubt, immediately questioning Liu San about its authenticity.
And yet, he had chosen that moment to fall silent.
He could, of course, find a thousand reasons to explain that silence.
But Xu Bai knew in his heart it was useless.
Liu San hadn't spoken continuously; he had delivered the first half of the sentence and deliberately waited for Xu Bai's reaction.
It was, in itself, a test.
Liu San had gotten what he wanted. From that brief silence, he had discerned Xu Bai's distrust.
When masters cross swords, even the slightest misstep means defeat.
"Still, things haven't completely fallen apart. The restrictions of the Truth Inducing Fruit aren't so easily broken. Even though they've sensed something is wrong and confirmed their suspicions, they still can't act against me."
"Besides rewriting their thoughts, the more crucial factor is that the Medicine King True Cauldron is still in my hands."
"With the many sleeping Medicine King Sect cultivators inside the cauldron as hostages, they wouldn't dare to act rashly."
"For now, I'll ignore them. When the time comes..." A vicious glint flashed in Xu Bai's eyes.
Thus, the relationship between the Medicine King Sect and Xu Bai settled into a strange, delicate balance.
Xu Bai communicated with them only remotely, through communication talismans.
Meanwhile, Liu San and the others carried on as usual, seemingly unaware that anything was amiss.
During this period, Xu Bai found the time to return to the Empire.
As he flew over the capital, Xu Bai detected the faint, lingering scent of blood in the air.
Clearly, a great purge had just recently concluded.
Xu Bai revealed himself, and Qing quickly came to greet him.
Inside the towering palace, Xu Bai once again met with the Emperor's Daughter and Hong.
Xu Bai was surprised to find that in the short time since he had last seen her, the Emperor's Daughter had transformed from the budding young girl she once was into a voluptuous, mature woman.
Moreover, the look she gave Xu Bai had lost its timidity and gained a measure of confidence.
"It seems your Empire still has some secret techniques you failed to mention," Xu Bai remarked coolly.
The Emperor's Daughter chuckled, her full figure trembling slightly. "The Empire has endured for a millennium. We would never bet our survival on a single path."
"You of all people should understand that, shouldn't you?"
As she spoke, her deep, bright eyes locked onto Xu Bai.
Her gaze held a touch of moving vulnerability, mixed with blatant seduction.
Xu Bai's eyes, however, were as clear as a lake, without the slightest ripple. Instead, he flashed her a brilliant, innocent smile.
The Emperor's Daughter's facade shattered instantly, a flicker of panic and embarrassment appearing on her face.
"My apologies, fellow Daoist." At that moment, Hong bowed slightly, stepping in front of the Emperor's Daughter.
The Emperor's Daughter took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a long moment before regaining her composure.
Without blaming or mocking her for the overreaching attempt at seduction, Xu Bai asked with great interest, "If I'm not mistaken, the Emperor's Daughter is pregnant?"
Hearing this, the three women present all looked somewhat awkward.
Qing waved her hand, setting up a barrier around them, before explaining in a hushed voice, "After you left, fellow Daoist, we followed your suggestion and purged the imperial nobility. All those whose will did not align with ours were arrested."
"Of course, the Empire has existed for several millennia. The power these nobles have accumulated over the years is not to be underestimated."
"Before taking action, we had already considered the possibility of failure. To ensure the imperial bloodline would not be severed, the Emperor's Daughter performed the Holy Blood Embryo Transformation technique ahead of time."
Qing glanced at the Emperor's Daughter before continuing, "In truth, the Holy Blood Embryo Transformation technique that our master passed down has seen significant improvements over the years, thanks to the imperial family's continuous research."
"It can now draw upon external forces to induce gestation, even when the user's own conditions are not met."
"The embryo produced under these circumstances is less a new generation and more a type of avatar, to be precise."
"However, there is a drawback. The avatar cannot inherit a cultivation base; it is merely a physical body."
Qing said no more, avoiding the unspoken question.
Xu Bai, however, narrowed his eyes, his expression unreadable.
For the moment, he didn't press the matter. Instead, he announced to Qing and the others that they had passed the review.
After a review by several elders, they had unanimously agreed that the various technologies demonstrated by the Empire were worthy of investment from the Federation of All Worlds.
The Empire would now become one of the few small worlds currently under the Federation's protection.
With that, Xu Bai took out three Terminal Discs from his storage ring.
He then explained the formation that could amplify the effects of the Terminal Discs and conceal the entrance to their small world.
Of the three, the Emperor's Daughter was completely bewildered.
Qing and Hong, however, showed expressions of delight.
They accepted the Terminal Discs with utmost gravity. Then, at their signal, the Emperor's Daughter handed over a storage ring.
The ring was engraved with the image of a Mystic Bird of Heavenly Mandate. It had an ancient aura, clearly an item of considerable age.
It was remarkably similar to the spirit pet, Little Black, belonging to Xu Ke.
"The items we showed you before are all inside."
Qing and Hong looked at the storage ring, a flicker of nostalgia in their eyes.
"This was left behind by our master long ago; we never used it. I'm sure he wouldn't blame us for using it today to trade for the Empire's future," Qing said with a sigh.
Xu Bai glanced inside and saw that the various materials, including the "Melting Ten Thousand Beasts into One" technique, were all present. He didn't bother to verify their authenticity on the spot.
He put the ring away and looked at Qing and the others again.
Sensing that Xu Bai had more to say, they all looked at him expectantly.
"The transaction between the Empire and the Federation of All Worlds is complete."
"Next, I have a personal transaction I'd like to make with you all. I wonder if you would be willing?"
Qing's expression grew serious. "Please, speak, fellow Daoist."
"I am very interested in your improved Holy Blood Embryo Transformation technique," Xu Bai said calmly.
Qing's expression changed slightly, and she was about to refuse.
But Xu Bai's next words made it impossible for the three of them to remain calm.
(End of Chapter)
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