Chapter 784: No One in Taiyan
“What are you talking about...” the Taiyan Sect cultivator muttered, glancing at Fang Zaiji.
“After so many years, even a monkey would have gained sentience, to say nothing of our Transformation Dao Stone Mother.”
They scoffed at Fang Zaiji’s question.
Fang Zaiji, however, shot Xu Bai a pointed look and sent a mental message: “Sect Master, something’s not right. I remember back in the day, the Taiyan Sect considered the idea of the Transformation Dao Stone Mother gaining self-awareness to be an absolute taboo.”
“After all, a cultivator’s lifespan is limited, while the Transformation Dao Stone Mother’s is infinite. If it truly gained intelligence...”
“It would be hard to say who’s really in charge of this sect. We should be careful,” Fang Zaiji cautioned.
Xu Bai nodded slightly, though his expression remained impassive.
Feigning deep curiosity, he asked, “To be honest, since we’ve come all this way, we’ve naturally learned a bit about your Taiyan Sect.”
The middle-aged Taiyan Sect cultivator was quite surprised to hear Xu Bai’s words. Then, his expression grew even more delighted. “So you understand a little about the art of deduction? It seems you truly have an affinity with our Taiyan Sect!”
“As for your concerns...”
He announced with a smug air, “Who said our Taiyan Sect has been isolated for millennia? In fact, the sect periodically dispatches specialists to gather all sorts of intelligence from the Xuanhuang Realm, all to correct the Stone Mother’s deductions.”
“Think about it—the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance's campaign across the myriad worlds wasn't that long ago. How could we have reacted so swiftly if we hadn't seen it coming?”
“Corrections, I see,” Xu Bai remarked, nodding thoughtfully.
“Alright, I’ve said enough. Are you going to join our Taiyan Sect or not!”
By now, the group was rapidly approaching the floating city in the sky. Among the Taiyan Sect disciples, a short, hunchbacked cultivator finally lost his patience.
“I’m actually quite tempted,” Xu Bai said, stroking his chin.
At his side, Fang Zaiji shot him a sharp glance.
Hearing this, the faces of the Taiyan Sect disciples lit up with joy.
“But I do have some reservations. You see, before coming here, I had already joined another sect. And for certain special reasons, I can’t leave it. I wonder if you would mind?” Xu Bai inquired with utter sincerity.
“Huh?!” The Taiyan Sect disciples froze collectively, their flight coming to an abrupt halt. They all whipped around to stare at Xu Bai.
“Are you just here to cause trouble?!” the short cultivator roared in fury.
Just as he was about to lash out, the middle-aged cultivator stopped him with an outstretched arm.
“When Senior Brother gave us the assignment, he never said this wasn’t allowed,” he mused for a moment, scrutinizing Xu Bai once more.
He gritted his teeth and said decisively, “I can’t make the final call on this. How about this: you come back to the sect with me first. Whether it’s acceptable or not, we’ll let Senior Brother decide.”
Xu Bai hadn’t expected the Taiyan Sect to be so desperate for new disciples that they would even tolerate such a condition.
But he had nothing to fear, so he saw no reason to refuse and simply nodded.
As they arrived before the floating city, Xu Bai finally noticed that the entire metropolis was encased in a protective layer of transparent crystal.
When the crystal reflected the middle-aged cultivator’s face, the barrier shimmered with a blue light that was deeply familiar to Xu Bai.
In the next instant, the middle-aged cultivator transformed into a streak of blue light and shot into the city. The other disciples followed suit.
“You can come right in,” the middle-aged cultivator called out from behind the crystal wall a short distance away.
Seeing this, Fang Zaiji moved before Xu Bai and flew toward the city.
Just as he was about to make contact with the transparent wall, it was as if the barrier didn’t exist at all; he passed through it without the slightest resistance.
Fang Zaiji glanced around, finding nothing out of the ordinary.
Only then did he signal to Xu Bai that it was safe to enter.
The moment Xu Bai passed through the crystal wall, he felt as though he had entered a space made of countless mirrors.
He saw infinite reflections of himself, each one seemingly living through a different series of events.
An instant later, he was back in reality.
“Let’s go. I’ll take you to see Senior Brother,” the middle-aged cultivator said with a smile, glancing at Xu Bai.
Walking through the suspended city, they could see numerous Taiyan Sect cultivators all around.
Their cultivation levels varied wildly, from Qi Refining to Soul Transformation.
There were even one or two white-bearded cultivators whose presence made Fang Zaiji’s expression turn grave. They were clearly at the Dao Integration stage.
They all seemed remarkably relaxed; some were chatting quietly amongst themselves, while others were lost in their own thoughts, pinching their fingers as if making calculations.
A few were toying with an object that resembled a Rubik's cube. Judging by the constantly shifting images on its surface, it looked somewhat similar to the Heaven Lock Treasure Box that Li Fan had found in Yi Xing’s tomb.
As Xu Bai’s party walked past, these cultivators merely cast a casual glance their way before looking away again.
They paid no particular attention to Xu Bai’s otherworldly beauty.
Stranger still was how they greeted their guides.
They all addressed one another as “Senior Brother” or “Junior Brother.”
Even the white-haired Dao Integration elders did the same.
Xu Bai couldn’t help but frown slightly.
“Sect Master, have you noticed anything... off?” Fang Zaiji transmitted furtively.
“It is a bit strange. The Taiyan Sect’s strength seems a little too well-preserved. Just on our way here, we’ve seen at least a dozen Dao Integration cultivators, haven’t we? Is the Taiyan Sect’s foundation really this profound?”
“And on top of that, Dao Integration masters are addressing Qi Refining cultivators as brothers...”
A look of keen interest flickered across Xu Bai’s face.
“No, that’s not it!” Fang Zaiji’s tone was laced with urgency.
“I didn’t realize it when I first entered, but after observing closely for a while, I finally see it...”
“This place is a phantom city!”
Xu Bai’s steps faltered slightly. “A phantom city? Elder Fang, what do you mean?”
“Sect Master, look closer at these people. They’re not actually real!” Fang Zaiji’s voice was hollow with dread.
“Even this city beneath our feet is probably an illusion!”
Hearing Fang Zaiji’s warning, Xu Bai’s eyes narrowed.
He continued to walk at a slow pace, but his observation became much more intense.
As expected, Xu Bai’s talent was among the absolute best in the world.
Focusing his senses, he did indeed perceive something deeply abnormal.
The cultivators in this floating city, from the highest Dao Integration masters down to the lowest Qi Refining disciples...
The faint auras they all emitted were exactly the same!
It was as if they were all the very same person!
Just wearing different faces.
At that very moment, the middle-aged cultivator leading the way seemed to sense Xu Bai’s reaction.
He suddenly turned his head, a chilling smile spreading across his face. “What is it, fellow Daoist? Do you have some questions?”
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