Chapter 785: Beyond the Variable
Chapter 785: Beyond the Variable
Yet, perhaps it was merely Xu Bai's imagination.
The chilling intent was fleeting, gone in an instant. A moment later, when he looked again, the man's face was once again alight with the same enthusiasm as before.
"It's nothing, really," Xu Bai said, feigning profound shock. "I simply hadn't expected your Taiyan Sect to have so many Dao Integration cultivators. It was just a bit of a startle, that's all."
"Truly worthy of a sect renowned since ancient times. The depth of your heritage is simply unimaginable," Xu Bai added, his tone full of admiration.
Flattery was a language everyone appreciated.
The moment he said this, it wasn't just the cultivators leading them who reacted.
Even the idle figures lounging by the path turned to cast satisfied glances his way.
This, however, only solidified Xu Bai and Fang Zaiji's conviction that something was deeply wrong with the Taiyan Sect.
"Mr. Fang, are you confident you can get us out of here?" Xu Bai asked Fang Zaiji quietly, even as he continued to chat amiably with the Taiyan Sect cultivators.
"Rest assured, Sect Master, I'm working on it," Fang Zaiji replied, his tone unusually solemn. "This damned place... the space here is incredibly stable. Tearing through it to escape will take some effort."
With their lives on the line, the usually cynical Fang Zaiji had finally become serious.
"There's no rush," Xu Bai placated. "Let's first see what's really going on with this Taiyan Sect."
In the time it took for them to exchange these thoughts, the Taiyan Sect disciples had led them to the city center, before a building of peculiar design.
It was constructed entirely from a transparent blue crystal.
From the outside, they could clearly see its interior, partitioned into a series of rectangular chambers.
Within each chamber, a cultivator was hard at work.
"This is..." Xu Bai and Fang Zaiji exchanged a glance.
"Let's go. My senior brother is already waiting inside," the middle-aged cultivator said casually.
The experience was similar to entering the Alliance's Array Strategy Hall. As Xu Bai stepped into the blue crystal building, he felt the floor beneath him begin to move.
Simultaneously, the transparency of the surrounding walls began to decrease, obscuring their view of the other chambers.
At the same time, the decorations and furnishings within their own space also shifted and changed constantly.
Only Xu Bai and his companions, standing perfectly still, remained unaffected.
When the crystal had completely opacified into the semblance of solid walls, an ethereal blue figure suddenly materialized before them.
"Greetings, Senior Brother Chen!"
The Taiyan Sect cultivators who had led them there all bowed in unison.
The blue radiance gradually solidified, revealing a rather handsome man.
"Chen Tianhai?!" Fang Zaiji cried out, his voice cracking with disbelief as he recognized the man's face.
Everyone present froze in that instant.
Chen Tianhai glanced at Fang Zaiji, seemingly unsurprised by his presence.
"You all did very well on this mission," he began, addressing the group. "You may leave now. I have a few things to discuss with this old friend."
Whatever reward they had been promised, the group of Taiyan Sect cultivators beamed with delight.
They quickly departed from the chamber.
Fang Zaiji had managed to compose himself slightly, but the shock in his eyes had yet to fade as he stared intently at Chen Tianhai.
"It's really him. I can't believe he's still alive..."
Muttering to himself, Fang Zaiji sent a sound transmission to Xu Bai. "Chen Tianhai was once the Taiyan Sect's first direct disciple, the designated heir. But something happened, and he was stripped of his status for reasons unknown. He vanished without a trace, and the sect even put out a warrant for him."
"Years ago, when Taiyan Sect disciples were hunting me, I couldn't shake them. It was this kid here who saved me, allowing me to find safe harbor in the Medicine King Sect."
"I was quite dismayed when I heard what had become of him. I never imagined..."
"A little surprised to see me?" Chen Tianhai finally spoke, a faint smile on his lips.
"It's been many years, and you haven't changed a bit. No, that's not right. For us, thousands of years have passed. For your Medicine King Sect, however, it was merely an instant."
With his opening words, Chen Tianhai revealed that he knew the Medicine King Sect had survived the Immortal Ruins and traveled thousands of years into the future.
"So, you also knew that the Medicine King Sect's plan to escape with the cauldron was nothing more than a suicide mission?" Fang Zaiji's eyes narrowed.
"I only found out after the fact," Chen Tianhai replied, his answer stunning Fang Zaiji. "Otherwise, with my temperament back then, I would have insisted on joining you."
"Joining us?" He couldn't hide his confusion.
"That was the Immortal Ruins! What lies within them? Don't tell me you aren't curious, Brother Fang?" Chen Tianhai countered.
"In the entire Xuanhuang Realm, how many people can witness such a spectacle and return safely? You, Brother Fang, are one of the very few lucky ones."
Fang Zaiji shrugged. "Then I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. Shortly after entering the cauldron, I went to sleep in the Great Dream Spring and Autumn Array."
Chen Tianhai nodded slightly. "That sounds just like you. You've always been a free spirit, Brother Fang."
Just then, Xu Bai interjected, "You're very interested in the Immortal Ruins? As it happens, we kept a record of our experiences."
For the first time, Chen Tianhai turned his full, serious attention to Xu Bai.
"Beyond the variable..."
He muttered under his breath, a flash of excitement in his eyes.
"Just as I thought! The variable comes from the Medicine King Sect!"
"Old Chen, what are you muttering about?" Fang Zaiji asked, perplexed by Chen Tianhai's words.
"Brother Fang, and this is...? You haven't made an introduction," Chen Tianhai prompted.
"Ah! This is..." Fang Zaiji glanced at Xu Bai.
Receiving a nod of approval, he told the truth. "This is the current Sect Master of our Medicine King Sect, Xu Bai!"
"Hmm?" A flicker of astonishment crossed Chen Tianhai's eyes.
He then stared intently at Xu Bai, frozen like a statue.
Only after Fang Zaiji called his name several times did he finally snap out of it.
The interest in his gaze as he studied Xu Bai only intensified.
"The Sect Master of the Medicine King Sect, wanting to join our Taiyan Sect... You lot certainly don't have the purest of intentions, do you?" Chen Tianhai said, shaking his head slightly.
"The Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance intends to unify the entire Xuanhuang Realm. Medicine King Sect, Taiyan Sect—in the future, all will be absorbed into the Alliance. We'll all be members of the Alliance, so what's the point of sectarian distinctions? Frankly, if you offered enough benefits, I wouldn't be opposed to actually joining your Taiyan Sect," Xu Bai replied, his expression perfectly composed.
Chen Tianhai was rendered speechless.
"You're not wrong," he conceded with a hint of melancholy. "The era of the sects is over."
"But as for you joining our Taiyan Sect..." Chen Tianhai's movements froze for a fraction of a second.
Then, he slowly shook his head.
"Let's forget it. We can't accommodate a figure like you."
"Besides, the price of joining us..."
"...is one you might not be willing to pay."
Chen Tianhai's tone was inscrutable.
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