Chapter 682: The Capping
"I am Xu Xuanling, Sect Master of the Kongxuan Sect." The first to extend an olive branch to Bu Landu was Xu Xuanling, who followed behind Bai Mo.
After emerging from the pillar of light, her entire body was enveloped in a shimmering, hazy silver light. Whether viewed from afar or up close, only a faint outline could barely be discerned.
This was the most crucial protective measure.
Of course, it wasn't to protect herself, but to shield others from harm.
If ordinary people, or even low-tier cultivators, were to look directly upon the true form of a True Immortal without protection, they would immediately be driven mad by the backlash.
Thus, the Federation personnel following behind her, those well-versed in the situation, had long since donned invisible protective glasses and special miniature earplugs.
Whether it was encountering the immortals' voices or their images, both were equally fraught with peril.
Yet, despite this, countless fearless individuals were willing to risk their lives, scrambling to run errands behind the great True Immortals.
For perhaps one day, should the venerable elder be in a good mood, she might bestow an opportunity.
…
Xu Xuanling did this, on one hand, to give face to Bai Mo; on the other, she harbored intentions of cultivating her own direct lineage of subordinates.
As a minority from the Manghuang Realm, she naturally felt a degree of estrangement from the Federation's native cultivators. Perhaps by finding individuals also from other worlds, she could integrate better with them.
"That guy's hit the jackpot…"
Those behind, witnessing this scene, cast gazes of envy sharp enough to kill.
That Xu councilor's boyfriend, a supremely fortunate poor boy from when she had amnesia, was, without regard for cost, forcefully elevated by her to the fifth-tier Xuanhua Stage within fifty years, achieving the legendary status of a "soft rice king."
Of course, there was an element of his personal effort involved; at the very least, no one could assist him with the Dao Merging Tribulation required to advance to the Xuanhua Stage – he had to endure it himself.
Bu Landu hesitated for a moment.
He looked towards Bai Mo's projection, wanting to know his opinion, for it was Bai Mo he had originally come to know.
However, Bai Mo didn't even glance back.
"Could it be that this lucky native still harbors designs on the Great Demon King?" The surrounding captains, observing from behind, keenly picked up on this.
"I understand."
"Master."
Bu Landu removed his crown and presented it to Xu Xuanling as a gesture of apprenticeship.
The crown, passed down for centuries by the royal family, symbolizing supreme royal authority and longed for day and night by countless nobles, was thus casually given away.
The surrounding guards who witnessed this scene, as well as Merlin standing nearby, were utterly speechless at the Emperor's actions.
"What happened to 'The Son of Heaven Dies for the State'?!!!"
Though these extraterrestrial visitors indeed possessed overwhelming military might, surely one needn't be so spineless as this… to surrender to the enemy right off the bat.
"A gift…" Xu Xuanling took the crown from Bu Landu's hands, then suddenly remembered she didn't seem to have anything suitable to give in return.
"Spirit Art's Profound Truths: Immortal Eye!"
A golden-yellow spark of light emerged from Xu Xuanling's left index finger, leaping onto the central sapphire of the crown in her right hand. The already shimmering sapphire now seemed to possess a soul, capable of observing the outside world.
Everyone scanned by the sapphire's "gaze" felt a chill run down their spines.
"Come, wear it properly, don't let it be crooked." With a light backhand tap from Xu Xuanling, the crown returned to Bu Landu's head.
After decades of cultivation, she could now perfectly control her strength, preventing embarrassing incidents like accidentally blowing off Bu Landu's head with a single tap.
Having experienced this "capping" by his master, Bu Landu felt a subtle sense of discomfort, yet he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was that bothered him.
"How about 'Crown of Sin' for a name?" Xu Xuanling revealed her rather poor naming skills, oblivious to others.
…
The others desperately wanted to laugh, but dared not, not even venturing a single opinion.
"Its original name was 'Falling Star'…" Only Bu Landu himself mumbled softly.
"'Falling Star' is also quite good, actually," Xu Xuanling said. "Let's just keep calling it 'Falling Star' from now on."
…
"Focus your attention, and the gem, inscribed with the Immortal Eye in its center, will become your new way of observing the world."
"This is a heart… these are ribs…" Bu Landu, like a child with a new toy, enthusiastically used the Immortal Eye to observe the guards around him.
"I've permanently solidified a Spirit Energy Vision onto it. This is the true way high-tier superhumans observe the world."
Bai Mo's very first awakened ability back then – Divine Sense – had now become a mandatory Spirit Art for all mid-to-high-tier cultivators: Spirit Energy Vision.
But unlike Bai Mo, the Spirit Energy Vision they cultivated later could be toggled on and off, and did not replace their ordinary eyesight.
Only during combat or research would they activate their Spirit Energy Vision, using Divine Sense in place of their physical eyes.
For ordinary people, Spirit Energy Vision presented everything as walking corpses, and using it routinely would severely distort one's aesthetic sensibilities.
…
"Whom do you intend to use to resurrect your wife?" Bai Mo asked Merlin.
Compared to the Emperor, who remained aloof from worldly affairs, Mei Lin, the Chief Strategist, was the true supreme administrator of this nation. If he were willing to cooperate, Water Blue Star would be far easier to take over.
"You wish to resurrect her now?"
"Yes."
Mei Lin swallowed, struggling to maintain his composure.
Yet, his slightly trembling hands still betrayed his inner turmoil.
"Anyone can be a sacrifice?"
"Mm."
"Bring Zero over." Mei Lin took out his phone and commanded the person on the other end.
…
Just a few minutes later, several guards brought in a young girl, her eyes blindfolded, hands and feet bound, and tied up securely.
Ever since learning that his wife could be resurrected by sacrificing others, Mei Lin had used his position to secretly select the most optimal sacrifices from across the nation.
Although Bai Mo had said not to concern himself with who the sacrifice was, Mei Lin clearly didn't think so; everything had to be done to perfection.
The girl serving as the sacrifice was someone he had meticulously chosen from hundreds, even thousands, of potential targets. She was a top-tier choice in every aspect, yet at this moment, she could only be a sacrificial lamb.
"Wheel of Time!"
Bai Mo swept a glance over the girl, tied up like a zongzi, and summoned a phantom clock from behind him. Behind the phantom, there was a seemingly boundless net, stretching deep into the void.
The tip of the clock's longest second hand soon began to slowly emit black smoke outwards.
Dense plumes of black smoke, one after another, surged in from all around the girl's torso, seemingly vying with each other, appearing as if even her skin would be dyed black.
The girl's face contorted in pain. She struggled desperately with her hands and feet, but to no avail.
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