Chapter 883: Recreating the Beast Wheel
The entire Empire Small World trembled under the terrifying might.
The ocean below churned, raising monstrous waves that scraped the sky.
The city built upon the body of the nine-headed beast quaked relentlessly, threatening to plummet from the heavens at any moment.
What horrified Xiao Qing and Xiao Hong even more was that under this crushing pressure, it wasn't just the strange beasts commanded by the Imperial Guard that were paralyzed. Even the two of them felt fear bloom in their hearts, utterly extinguishing any thought of resistance.
"The gap in our strength is just too vast! Even if we unleashed the fusion beast, it would be no match for him!"
"If we try to fight back, he could destroy the entire Empire with a single thought."
Xiao Qing and Xiao Hong exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with a mixture of helplessness and bitter resentment.
"We can only feign compliance for now and look for an opportunity later," they thought in silent agreement.
"Senior, we are willing to surrender," Xiao Qing said, biting her lip as she bowed.
His gaze swept over Xiao Qing and Xiao Hong. "You'd be wise to abandon those petty little plans of yours. The Federation of All Worlds has been watching you for a long time."
"I know every single one of your so-called trump cards."
"I wouldn't fear Di Yi himself, let alone that crude imitation of his."
Li Fan's words were outrageously arrogant, but to Xiao Qing and Xiao Hong, who had no idea of his true power, they were so shocking that their heads snapped up in disbelief.
The profound depth in his eyes sent a chill straight to their hearts.
The Myriad Forms Fusion Beast was the Empire's most guarded secret.
Only the successive emperors and the two of them knew of its existence.
And yet, this powerful stranger from a Federation of All Worlds they had never even heard of knew about it as well?
Didn't that mean they were completely exposed, with no secrets left to hide?
Worse, they had no idea when or how their secret had been compromised.
A wave of despair and terror washed over them.
Not even long ago, back in the Imperial Beast Sect, had they felt so powerless, even when facing Longevity cultivators.
"Come," Li Fan commanded coolly, judging his intimidation to be sufficient. "Take me to the Empire's treasury."
They were meat on the chopping block. At this point, Xiao Qing and Xiao Hong had lost all will to resist.
They could only obey Li Fan's command.
Soon, Li Fan found himself once again within the imperial treasury, a vault containing countless treasures and records.
It was no different from what he had seen in his previous life.
After a brief tour and a final inspection of the Myriad Forms Fusion Beast's condition, Li Fan revealed his true intentions.
"Now, hand over Xu Ke's research notes on the Ten Thousand Reincarnation Beast Wheel."
Li Fan turned, his gaze fixed on Xiao Qing and Xiao Hong, and his voice was grave.
At his words, the two birds could no longer maintain their composure.
"Who... who are you?" Xiao Qing stammered, her beautiful eyes wide with terror, her body trembling uncontrollably.
He knew their master Xu Ke's name, and he even knew, in perfect detail, about his research on the Beast Wheel.
That, combined with the name "Federation of All Worlds," sparked a staggering possibility in Xiao Qing's mind.
"The Imperial Beast Sect?"
Seeing the utter shock on her face, Li Fan broke into a sinister grin.
"What? Are you thinking of resisting?"
"Fine. I'll grant you your wish."
"Tsk, tsk. That boy, Xu Ke... he'd be devastated to hear you'd died, wouldn't he?" Li Fan chuckled menacingly.
Xiao Qing and Xiao Hong hurriedly exclaimed, "Senior, you misunderstand..."
"Wait... Senior, what you mean is...?"
They stared blankly at Li Fan.
"You guessed right. That boy, Xu Ke... he's still alive," Li Fan snorted.
The news was so staggering that Xiao Qing and Xiao Hong were overcome, nearly collapsing where they stood.
"Enough. Stop wasting my time. Death..."
"...or submission!"
Seeing the impatience in Li Fan's expression, Xiao Qing and Xiao Hong's hearts clenched.
"We..."
"...are willing to submit," Xiao Qing said, lowering her head.
After a moment's hesitation, she offered him a jade pendant engraved with a green luan bird.
The pendant had belonged to Xu Ke, and she had carried it with her all these years.
As she handed it over now, her gaze was filled with reluctance.
At the same time, a faint image of Xu Ke's face surfaced in her memory.
While she was lost in a daze, Li Fan had already scanned through the entire contents of the jade pendant.
"The Ten Thousand Reincarnation Beast Wheel..."
"Truly worthy of being the supreme treasure of the Imperial Beast Sect. How marvelous."
Back when the Imperial Beast Sect migrated to the small worlds to seek refuge, they had selected their elite disciples to study the Beast Wheel.
They were attempting to find a way to control demon beasts without cultivating the True Beast-Taming Technique.
Li Fan didn't know if they had ultimately succeeded.
But Xu Ke, who later escaped, had developed the Unified Heart Technique on his own to command the strange beasts of the Empire Small World.
Li Fan was already familiar with the Unified Heart Technique.
What truly interested him were the mysteries of the Beast Wheel itself.
And Xu Ke, a prodigy chosen by Mr. Bai and the founder of the Empire, had certainly not disappointed.
The level of detail recorded in this jade pendant surpassed even Li Fan's expectations.
"With such detailed information, once the Medicine King True Cauldron returns, Fang Zaiji might actually be able to forge a simplified version of the Beast Wheel."
Although it would still be some time before the Medicine King Sect returned...
...Li Fan had already prepared a work assignment for them in advance.
Seeing Xiao Qing's crestfallen expression, Li Fan smiled and tossed the jade pendant back to her.
"I know about your plans to escape the Xuanhuang Realm..."
"...but I can tell you this with certainty: that path leads only to death."
"Beyond the endless void, dangers abound. It is far more perilous than the Xuanhuang Realm..."
Li Fan sighed softly before his expression turned stern. "Your only chance of survival lies with us, with the Federation of All Worlds! Join us to counterattack the cultivation world and reclaim the Xuanhuang Realm!"
Hearing Li Fan's declaration, Xiao Qing became even more certain of her earlier guess.
This so-called Federation of All Worlds had to be an alliance formed by the ancient sects that had fled to the various small worlds.
"This place of yours... it's a bit weak, but it has its unique strengths."
Li Fan offered a brief critique before assigning them their mission. "For example, that spirit energy synthesis technology of yours is quite useful for the many small worlds that lack it."
"However, its current efficiency is far too low."
"Even if you used the full power of your world to raise these strange beasts just for slaughter, you couldn't possibly meet the needs of more than a few small worlds."
"Therefore..."
Feeling Li Fan's intense gaze upon them, Xiao Qing and Xiao Hong shuddered.
"You are to upgrade the spirit energy synthesis technology, at any cost."
"I will give you three years. After three years, I will return to inspect your progress."
"If the results satisfy me, you will be rewarded."
"If not..."
"...well, the useless are just a waste of resources. It would be better if they simply died."
Li Fan let out another chilling, monstrous laugh, his words laced with a deadly killing intent.
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