Chapter 772: Mr. Bai's Red String
A curved line bisected the map.
On one side, the information was exhaustive. The names of provinces, the lay of the land, the topography—it was all laid bare, clear as day.
The other side of the curve, however, was shrouded in what might as well have been mist. Even the rough outlines of the provinces were nearly impossible to discern.
It was only vaguely divided into five regions.
"The Five Elders Council's domain is under the iron grip of the five Longevity Heavenly Venerates," Xu Bai began. "It's nearly impossible to infiltrate. Even our Federation of All Worlds knows precious little about it."
As he spoke, thousands of black dots instantly peppered the map.
Most were scattered across the territory of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, with only a handful falling within the shrouded, misty region.
"These are the small worlds we can rule out," he explained. "The vast majority have yet to be discovered by the Alliance's cultivators. Some, however, have already been exposed."
With a flick of his finger, thirty-seven of the black dots were suddenly marked with small flags, each bearing the sigil of the Immortal Alliance.
Another four hundred and thirty-five immortal-sigiled flags shot out, landing on various corners of the map.
"Xu Ke's whereabouts must be in one of the remaining small worlds of the Xuanhuang Realm."
Xu Bai stood before the sprawling map and remarked coolly.
"I hope, for your sake, that you find Xu Ke before you've turned every last small world within the Alliance's borders upside down."
"Otherwise, if he was unfortunate enough to have entered a world whose gateway lies within the Five Elders Council's territory, then all hope is essentially lost."
At this, Hong couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you the so-called Federation of All Worlds? Can't you just provide us with the entrances to the small worlds you've already found?"
"Friend Hong, surely you don't think I'm some dignitary in the Federation of All Worlds, do you?" Xu Bai countered.
"To ensure the security of every small world, our Federation assigns specific envoys to liaise with them. These envoys know nothing about any world beyond those they are personally responsible for," Xu Bai clarified.
"If you have the means, you could always try kidnapping that Dao Integration Elder Liu who accompanied me last time. A bit of... *persuasion*... might pry something from his lips."
Hong was at a loss for words.
The Emperor's Daughter, meanwhile, stared at the map of the Xuanhuang Realm, a wave of powerlessness washing over her.
Her usually resolute gaze faltered. "This... this is like searching for a needle in a haystack."
"What, you're not regretting this already, are you?" Xu Bai asked, a hint of surprise in his voice.
"Whatever Little Hei could do, I can do as well. You have my word, Friend Xu. The Empire does not break its promises." At that moment, Qing, who had been fraught with uncertainty, suddenly found her resolve.
At a signal from Qing, the Emperor's Daughter finally presented Xu Bai with the improved Holy Blood Embryo Transformation Technique.
It was not recorded in a book or on a jade slip.
Instead, it was recorded by a unique creature native to the Empire: a "Bookworm."
"Performing the Holy Blood Embryo Transformation Technique requires certain resources as well. Please wait a moment, Friend Xu, and we will have them prepared for you," Qing added.
Xu Bai nodded slightly.
Without immediately inspecting the contents recorded in the Bookworm, Xu Bai put it away. After a moment of contemplation, he offered another suggestion. "Your main priority now is to race against the cultivators of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance."
"Besides using the power of the Tianxuan Mirror to quickly and conveniently detect the entrances to small worlds, you might also use divination to roughly pinpoint Xu Ke's location."
"I wonder, did Xu Ke happen to leave any personal belongings behind? I could perhaps ask a senior within my organization to perform a divination for you."
"After all," Xu Bai added with a smile, "I am quite curious about this ancestor of mine."
The Empire had numerous agents embedded within the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance—infiltrators skilled at acquiring forbidden techniques.
Paired with the Terminal Disc he had given them, they could search for the small worlds without ever revealing their identities.
After hearing Xu Bai's words, Qing and Hong exchanged a glance.
After a moment's hesitation, Qing finally spoke. "When our Master left, he did indeed leave some personal items behind. We have kept them well preserved."
"Please, follow me."
She led Xu Bai to the very top of the tower palace, into a small, unremarkable room.
Unlike the opulent chamber where they had met, the decor here was spartan.
It looked nothing like the residence of the Empire's creator.
"This is where our Master lived. Nothing inside has been moved," Hong said, her voice tinged with sorrow. "In the beginning, we still clung to the hope that he might return. But after so many years, we've long understood that it was an impossible dream."
Xu Bai's gaze swept across the small room, and his heart suddenly jolted.
In the drawer of a wooden desk, he spotted a thin, frayed red string.
It was composed of only a few short threads and looked as if it could snap at any moment.
But its appearance, the faint aura that clung to it—both were intensely familiar to Xu Bai.
"Is this the red string Mr. Bai left for Xu Ke?"
"He didn't take it with him when he left?"
Xu Bai's heart hammered in his chest.
He nonchalantly shifted his gaze, pretending to examine other objects in the room.
Inwardly, his mind was racing, replaying the image of the red string.
"There's no mistake. This is the very same red string Xu Ke had, the one that effortlessly slew Chi Jiutou."
"But it doesn't seem to be the original. It's just a single strand that Xu Ke pulled from it."
"Was it meant as a final protective measure for the Empire...?"
"But judging by how it's been left here to gather dust, it seems Qing and Hong have no idea just how terrifying this red string truly is."
Xu Bai's thoughts spun, and a faint, irrepressible excitement stirred within him.
He knew all too well the terrifying power contained within this string.
Even if only a single strand remained, it was likely potent enough to pose a lethal threat to a Dao Integration cultivator.
Naturally, the desire to claim it for himself ignited in his mind.
"The art of divination is profoundly esoteric," he explained.
"It's best if I take several items."
"It's no matter. They are all ordinary things. To maximize the chances of finding our Master, please take as many as you need, friend," Qing said nonchalantly.
Xu Bai proceeded to take a pen from the room, along with a set of clothes that Xu Ke had once worn.
Finally, after feigning one last look around, he took the red string.
"It was that simple?"
With the treasure in his possession, Xu Bai still found it hard to believe.
He discussed a few more details with Qing and the others before bidding them farewell and departing.
Only after he had left the Empire behind did the reality sink in: he had actually obtained Mr. Bai's red string with such ease.
"Now I just need to figure out exactly how to use it."
Not daring to linger, Xu Bai raced back to the Xuanhuang Realm.
Instead of returning to Tianliang City, he found a nearby Discussion Tower courtyard and immediately entered seclusion.
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