yī dào wān zhé de qū xiàn ， jiāng dì tú yī fēn wéi èr 。 qí zhōng yī biān ， dì tú xìn xī shí fēn xiáng jìn 。 zhōu yù míng chēng ， dì xíng dì shì ， yī lǎn wú yú 。
一道弯折的曲线，将地图一分为二。其中一边，地图信息十分详尽。州域名称，地形地势，一览无余。
A curved line divided the map into two halves. On one side, the information was extremely detailed, with names of states, terrain, and geography laid out clearly.
ér qū xiàn lìng wài yī biān ， zé shì hǎo sì lǒng zhào zài mí wù zhōng 。 lián zhōu yù dà zhì de lún kuò dōu nán yǐ fēn biàn 。
而曲线另外一边，则是好似笼罩在迷雾中。连州域大致的轮廓都难以分辨。
On the other side, it seemed shrouded in mist, making it difficult to discern even the general outlines of the state territories.
zhǐ shì dà zhì fēn wéi le wǔ gè qū yù 。
只是大致分为了五个区域。
Only five main regions were roughly distinguished.
“ wǔ lǎo huì nà biān ， chù zài wǔ wèi cháng shēng tiān zūn yán gé zhǎng kòng xià 。 shí zài nán yǐ shèn tòu 。 jiù suàn wǒ men wàn jiè lián hé huì ， duì qí liǎo jiě de yě bù duō 。” xǔ bái shuō zhe ， zài dì tú shàng shùn jiān biāo jì chū le shù qiān gè hēi diǎn 。
“五老会那边，处在五位长生天尊严格掌控下。实在难以渗透。就算我们万界联合会，对其了解的也不多。”许白说着，在地图上瞬间标记出了数千个黑点。
"Over at the Five Elders Association, they are under the strict control of the Five Longevity Sky Venerables. It's hard to penetrate there. Even with our Interdimensional Alliance, we don't know much about it," Xu Bai said as he instantly marked thousands of black dots on the map.
dà bù fèn dōu fēn bù zài wàn xiān méng lǐng dì nèi ， zhǐ yǒu shǎo shù chù zài mí wù zhī zhōng 。
大部分都分布在万仙盟领地内，只有少数处在迷雾之中。
Most were distributed within the territories of the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect, while only a few were in the mist.
“ zhè xiē jiù shì nà xiē yǐ jīng kě yǐ pái chú de xiǎo shì jiè ， tā men jué dà duō shù ， réng rán méi yǒu bèi wàn xiān méng de xiū shì suǒ fā xiàn 。 dàn yǒu xiē ， yǐ jīng bào lù le 。” xǔ bái qīng qīng yī zhǐ ， yǒu sān shí qī gè hēi diǎn ， bèi chā shàng le yī méi
“这些就是那些已经可以排除的小世界，他们绝大多数，仍然没有被万仙盟的修士所发现。但有些，已经暴露了。”许白轻轻一指，有三十七个黑点，被插上了一枚
"These are the small worlds that can be excluded for now. Most have not been discovered by the sect's cultivators yet. But some have already revealed themselves," Xu Bai said as he pointed lightly at thirty-seven black dots, each marked with a "immortal" (Immortal) flag.
“ xiān ” zì xiǎo qí 。
“仙”字小旗。
"Some of these places are known to the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect but haven't been explored by Little Black for years." Another four hundred and thirty-five "immortal" flags flew towards different corners of the map.
“ hái yǒu xiē ， shì wàn xiān méng yǐ jīng tàn míng 、 xiǎo hēi zhè xiē nián què méi yǒu shè zú de 。” yòu shì sì bǎi sān shí wǔ méi xiān zì qí ， fēi xiàng dì tú gè gè bù tóng de jiǎo luò 。
“还有些，是万仙盟已经探明、小黑这些年却没有涉足的。”又是四百三十五枚仙字旗，飞向地图各个不同的角落。
"The whereabouts of Xu Ke should be within one of the remaining small worlds in the Xuanhuang Realm," Xu Bai said as he stood before the map, speaking calmly.
“ xǔ kè de xià luò ， yīng gāi jiù zài xuán huáng jiè yú xià de xiǎo shì jiè lǐ 。” xǔ bái zhàn zài zhè zhāng dì tú miàn qián ， dàn dàn dì shuō dào 。
“许克的下落，应该就在玄黄界余下的小世界里。”许白站在这张地图面前，澹澹地说道。
"I hope you can find Xu Ke before you've thoroughly searched all the small worlds left in the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect."
“ xī wàng nǐ men zài jiāng wàn xiān méng jìng nèi shèng xià de xiǎo shì jiè quán dōu fān biàn zhī qián ， néng chéng gōng zhǎo dào xǔ kè 。”
“希望你们在将万仙盟境内剩下的小世界全都翻遍之前，能成功找到许克。”
"Otherwise, if he is located at the entrance to a small world within the Five Elders Association's territory, it will be almost impossible," Little Red couldn't help but ask. "You call yourselves the Interdimensional Alliance. Can you not provide us with the entrances to your known small worlds?"
“ fǒu zé ， ruò shì bù xìng tā shēn chù xiǎo shì jiè de rù kǒu wèi yú wǔ lǎo huì jìng nèi ， nà jiù jī běn méi yǒu xī wàng le 。” cǐ shí ， xiǎo hóng rěn bú zhù wèn dào ：“ nǐ men bú shì hào chēng wàn jiè lián hé huì ma ？ jiù bù néng jiāng nǐ men suǒ zhǎng wò de xiǎo shì jiè rù kǒu tí gōng gěi wǒ men ？”
“否则，若是不幸他身处小世界的入口位于五老会境内，那就基本没有希望了。”此时，小红忍不住问道：“你们不是号称万界联合会吗？就不能将你们所掌握的小世界入口提供给我们？”
"Is it that I am some great figure in the Interdimensional Alliance?" Xu Bai asked in return.
“ hóng dào yǒu mò bú shì yǐ wéi ， wǒ shì wàn jiè lián hé huì de shén me dà rén wù ba ？” xǔ bái què fǎn wèn dào 。
“红道友莫不是以为，我是万界联合会的什么大人物吧？”许白却反问道。
"To ensure the safety of each small world, our alliance usually only has designated envoys responsible for contacting specific small worlds. Envoys know nothing about other small worlds except their own," Xu Bai explained.
“ wèi le què bǎo gè gè xiǎo shì jiè de ān quán 。 wǒ men lián hé huì nèi ， wǎng wǎng zhǐ yǒu gù dìng de zhuān shǐ fù zé gēn jù tǐ de xiǎo shì jiè jìn xíng lián luò 。 chú le zì jǐ fù zé de yǐ wài ， zhuān shǐ duì yú qí tā xiǎo shì jiè de qíng xíng ， yī gài bù zhī 。” xǔ bái jiě shì dào 。
“为了确保各个小世界的安全。我们联合会内，往往只有固定的专使负责跟具体的小世界进行联络。除了自己负责的以外，专使对于其他小世界的情形，一概不知。”许白解释道。
"If you have the ability to capture Elder Liu He who accompanied me last time and torture him, perhaps we can get some information from him," Little Red was at a loss for words.
“ rú guǒ nǐ men yǒu běn shì ， bǎ shàng cì gēn wǒ yì qǐ lái de nà wèi hé dào liǔ zhǎng lǎo gěi bǎng le 、 yán xíng kǎo dǎ ， shuō bù dìng néng cóng tā zuǐ lǐ wèn chū diǎn shén me 。” xiǎo hóng dùn shí yǔ sè 。
“如果你们有本事，把上次跟我一起来的那位合道柳长老给绑了、严刑拷打，说不定能从他嘴里问出点什么。”小红顿时语塞。
Princess Empress looked at the Xuanhuang Realm map before her, feeling a sense of helplessness. Her eyes no longer held their former resolve: "This... it's like searching for a needle in a haystack."
dì nǚ zé shì kàn zhuó yǎn qián de xuán huáng jiè dì tú ， dùn shí yǒng qǐ yī zhèn wú lì gǎn 。 yǎn shén zhōng yě biàn dé bù zài nà me guǒ gǎn ：“ zhè …… jī hū jiù shì dà hǎi lāo zhēn a 。”
帝女则是看着眼前的玄黄界地图，顿时涌起一阵无力感。眼神中也变得不再那么果敢：“这……几乎就是大海捞针啊。”
"How could you possibly regret this so quickly?" Xu Bai was surprised.
“ zěn me ， nǐ men bú huì zhè me kuài jiù hòu huǐ le ba ？” xǔ bái yǒu xiē chà yì 。
“怎么，你们不会这么快就后悔了吧？”许白有些诧异。
"I can do what Little Black does. Friend Daoist, rest assured that the Empire will not break its word," Little Qing suddenly became resolute at Xu Bai’s words.
“ xiǎo hēi néng zuò de ， wǒ yě yī yàng néng gòu zuò dào 。 xǔ dào yǒu nǐ fàng xīn ， dì guó jué bù shí yán 。” zhè shí ， yuán běn huàn dé huàn shī de xiǎo qīng ， zé shì tū rán jiān dìng qǐ lái 。
“小黑能做的，我也一样能够做到。许道友你放心，帝国决不食言。”这时，原本患得患失的小青，则是突然坚定起来。
Under Little Qing's guidance, Princess Empress finally handed over the improved "Holy Blood Nurturing Embryo Method." Instead of being recorded in books or jade tablets, it was documented by a special imperial creature known as the Bookworm.
zài xiǎo qīng de shì yì xià ， dì nǚ zuì zhōng hái shì jiāng gǎi liáng hòu de 【 shèng xuè huà tāi fǎ 】 jiāo gěi le xǔ bái 。
在小青的示意下，帝女最终还是将改良后的【圣血化胎法】交给了许白。
"The Holy Blood Nurturing Embryo Method requires certain specific resources. I will have someone prepare them for you shortly," Little Qing said.
bú shì yóu shū jí 、 yù jiǎn jì lù 。 ér shì yóu dì guó tè yǒu yì shòu 【 shū chóng 】 suǒ jì zǎi 。
不是由书籍、玉简记录。而是由帝国特有异兽【书虫】所记载。
Xu Bai nodded slightly and did not immediately examine the content within the Bookworm. He temporarily stored it away, then pondered for a moment before suggesting: "Your top priority now is to race against time with the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect's cultivators."
“ xíng shèng xuè huà tāi fǎ ， hái xū yào mǒu xiē tè dìng de zī yuán pèi tào 。 xǔ dào yǒu shāo děng piàn kè ， wǒ men zhè jiù mìng rén qù wèi nǐ zhǔn bèi 。” xiǎo qīng jiē zhe shuō dào 。
“行圣血化胎法，还需要某些特定的资源配套。许道友稍等片刻，我们这就命人去为你准备。”小青接着说道。
"Besides using the Heavenly Xuan Treasure Mirror’s power to quickly and conveniently detect small world entrances, perhaps we can use derivation techniques to roughly determine Xu Ke's location."
xǔ bái wēi wēi diǎn tóu 。 méi yǒu zài xiàn chǎng zhí jiē chá kàn 【 shū chóng 】 zhōng suǒ jì zǎi de nèi róng ， xǔ bái zàn qiě xiān jiāng qí shōu qǐ ， ér hòu chén yín piàn kè ， zhè cái yòu jiàn yì dào ：“ nǐ men xiàn zài zuì zhǔ yào de ， jiù shì gēn wàn xiān méng xiū shì qiǎng shí jiān 。”
许白微微点头。没有在现场直接查看【书虫】中所记载的内容，许白暂且先将其收起，而后沉吟片刻，这才又建议道：“你们现在最主要的，就是跟万仙盟修士抢时间。”
"Do you know if there were any items he carried that year? Perhaps I could ask a senior in my organization to help with this," Xu Bai said with a smile. The Empire had many thieves of techniques within the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect.
“ chú le kě yǐ jiè zhù tiān xuán bǎo jiàn de lì liàng ， kuài sù 、 fāng biàn de chá jué dào xiǎo shì jiè rù kǒu zhī wài 。 huò xǔ hái kě yǐ tōng guò tuī yǎn zhī shù ， dà zhì pàn dìng xǔ kè suǒ chù de fāng wèi 。”
“除了可以借助天玄宝鉴的力量，快速、方便的察觉到小世界入口之外。或许还可以通过推衍之术，大致判定许克所处的方位。”
With the Endless Disk provided by Xu Bai, they could search for small world entrances without revealing their identities.
“ bù zhī dào ， dāng nián xǔ kè yǒu méi yǒu shén me suí shēn xié dài wù pǐn liú xià ？ wǒ huò xǔ kě yǐ qǐng zǔ zhī nèi de qián bèi chū miàn ， bāng nǐ men tuī yǎn yī èr 。”
“不知道，当年许克有没有什么随身携带物品留下？我或许可以请组织内的前辈出面，帮你们推衍一二。”
After hearing Xu Bai's words, Little Qing and Little Red exchanged glances, hesitating for a moment before Little Qing said: "When our master left, he did leave some personal items behind. We have kept them well."
“ bì jìng wǒ duì zì jǐ zhè wèi zǔ xiān ， yě zhe shí hào qí dé jǐn a 。” xǔ bái wēi xiào zhe dào 。 dì guó zài wàn xiān méng nèi ， yǒu zhe bù shǎo dào fǎ zhě de cún zài 。
“毕竟我对自己这位祖先，也着实好奇得紧啊。”许白微笑着道。帝国在万仙盟内，有着不少盗法者的存在。
"Please come in," she said as they entered a small, unremarkable room at the top of the tower palace.
rú guǒ zài pèi shàng xǔ bái zèng yǔ de zhōng mò yuán pán ， zú yǐ zuò dào zài xún zhǎo xiǎo shì jiè rù kǒu de tóng shí ， ér bù bào lù zì jǐ shēn fèn 。
如果再配上许白赠与的终末圆盘，足以做到在寻找小世界入口的同时，而不暴露自己身份。
Unlike the luxurious room from their first meeting, this one was decorated simply and showed no signs of being an imperial creator's residence.
zài tīng dào xǔ bái de huà hòu ， xiǎo qīng yǔ xiǎo hóng duì shì le yī yǎn 。 yóu yù le piàn kè ， xiǎo qīng zhè cái shuō dào ：“ zhǔ rén dāng chū lí qù zhī shí ， dí què yǒu xiē suí shēn wù pǐn méi yǒu dài zǒu 。 wǒ men dōu yǒu hǎo hǎo bǎo cún 。”
在听到许白的话后，小青与小红对视了一眼。犹豫了片刻，小青这才说道：“主人当初离去之时，的确有些随身物品没有带走。我们都有好好保存。”
"This is where our master lived back then. Everything remains untouched. Initially, we held hope that he might return, but after so many years, we realized it was a vain wish," Little Red said with a touch of sadness in her voice.
“ dào yǒu qiě lái 。” shuō zhe ， zài xiǎo qīng de dài lǐng xià ， xǔ bái lái dào le gāo tǎ gōng diàn zuì dǐng duān 、 qí zhōng yī jiān háo bù qǐ yǎn de xiǎo fáng jiān zhōng 。
“道友且来。”说着，在小青的带领下，许白来到了高塔宫殿最顶端、其中一间毫不起眼的小房间中。
Xu Bai scanned the small room and suddenly felt a jolt as he noticed a thin red string in one of the drawers on his wooden table!
bù shì gāng gāng huì miàn shí fáng jiān nà bān háo huá ， qí nèi zhuāng shì ， shí fēn pǔ sù 。 sī háo kàn bù chū shì dì guó de sù zào zhě de jū suǒ 。
不似刚刚会面时房间那般豪华，其内装饰，十分朴素。丝毫看不出是帝国的塑造者的居所。
It was only a few threads, seemingly about to break. But its appearance and faint aura were familiar to Xu Bai.
“ zhè lǐ jiù shì zhǔ rén dāng nián suǒ zhù de dì fāng le ， lǐ miàn dōng xī dōu yuán fēng bù dòng 。 zuì kāi shǐ de shí hòu ， wǒ men hái xīn huái qī wàng ， zhǔ rén huò xǔ hái huì fǎn huí 。 dàn zhè me duō nián guò qù le ， wǒ men zǎo yǐ jīng míng bái le ， nà shì bù kě néng de shē wàng 。” xiǎo hóng de yǔ qì yǒu xiē yōu shāng 。
“这里就是主人当年所住的地方了，里面东西都原封不动。最开始的时候，我们还心怀期望，主人或许还会返回。但这么多年过去了，我们早已经明白了，那是不可能的奢望。”小红的语气有些忧伤。
"Is this the red string left by Mr. Bai for Xu Ke?"
xǔ bái mù guāng zài xiǎo fáng jiān zhōng sǎo guò ， hū de xīn zhōng yī zhèn 。 yīn wèi zài tā qí zhōng yī zhāng mù zhuō de chōu tì lǐ ， fā xiàn le yī chuàn yǒu xiē xī bó de hóng shéng ！
许白目光在小房间中扫过，忽的心中一震。因为在他其中一张木桌的抽屉里，发现了一串有些稀薄的红绳！
"He didn't take it with him when he left?" Xu Bai's heart trembled as he subtly shifted his gaze, looking at other items.
zhǐ yǒu duǎn duǎn jǐ sī ， sì hū suí shí huì duàn liè kāi lái 。 dàn wú lùn shì qí wài xíng ， hái shì qí shàng liú cún de dàn dàn qì xī ， xǔ bái dōu wú bǐ shú xī ！
只有短短几丝，似乎随时会断裂开来。但无论是其外形，还是其上留存的澹澹气息，许白都无比熟悉！
In reality, he was mentally reviewing the red string he had just seen.
“ zhè shì bái xiān shēng liú gěi xǔ kè de hóng shéng ？”
“这是白先生留给许克的红绳？”
"It must be the one on Xu Ke’s hand that can easily kill Red Nine-Headed,"
“ tā zǒu de shí hòu méi yǒu dài zǒu ？” xǔ bái xīn zhōng jù zhèn 。 bù zhe hén jì de jiāng shì xiàn zhuǎn yí ， hǎo sì kàn xiàng qí tā wù pǐn 。
“他走的时候没有带走？”许白心中剧震。不着痕迹的将视线转移，好似看向其他物品。
"But it doesn't seem to be its original form. It seems Xu Ke pulled out a single thread."
shí zé xǔ bái zài xīn lǐ bù duàn huí yì zhe gāng gāng suǒ jiàn de nà chuàn hóng shéng 。
实则许白在心里不断回忆着刚刚所见的那串红绳。
"Was it meant as a final safeguard for the Empire...?"
“ cuò bù liǎo ， jiù shì xǔ kè shǒu shàng ， nà gēn qīng yì kě zhǎn shā chì jiǔ tóu de hóng shéng 。”
“错不了，就是许克手上，那根轻易可斩杀赤九头的红绳。”
"However, considering how long it has been left here undisturbed, Little Qing and Little Red don’t seem to know just how terrifying this red string is," Xu Bai’s thoughts raced, his heart stirred with excitement.
“ bù guò hǎo xiàng bú shì běn tǐ 。 shì bèi xǔ kè dān dú chōu chū yī sī 。”
“不过好像不是本体。是被许克单独抽出一丝。”
He knew too well the horrifying power contained within that single thread. Even a fraction of it could pose a fatal threat to an Immortal Union cultivator.
“ shì wèi le gěi dì guó liú gè zuì zhōng de bǎo hù shǒu duàn me ……”
“是为了给帝国留个最终的保护手段么……”
Xu Bai naturally had the urge to claim it for himself.
“ bù guò kàn qí yì zhí bèi diū zài zhè lǐ méng chén de qíng kuàng ， sì hū xiǎo qīng hé xiǎo hóng ， bìng bù zhī dào zhè hóng shēn jiū jìng yǒu duō me kě pà 。” xǔ bái sī niàn shùn jiān zhuǎn dòng ， tóng shí xīn zhōng yòu yǐn yǐn yǒu xiē nán yǐ yì zhì de jī dòng 。
“不过看其一直被丢在这里蒙尘的情况，似乎小青和小红，并不知道这红参究竟有多么可怕。”许白思念瞬间转动，同时心中又隐隐有些难以抑制的激动。
"Derivation techniques are complex and profound. It would be best to take several," he explained.
tā kě shì tài qīng chǔ ， zhè gēn hóng shéng suǒ bāo hán de kě bù lì liàng le 。 jí biàn rú jīn zhǐ shèng xià yī sī ， kǒng pà yě zú yǐ duì hé dào xiū shì chǎn shēng zhì mìng wēi xié 。
他可是太清楚，这根红绳所包含的可怖力量了。即便如今只剩下一丝，恐怕也足以对合道修士产生致命威胁。
"It doesn't matter, they are just mundane objects. To increase our chances of finding our master, you can take more," Little Qing said indifferently.
xǔ bái zì rán ér rán de ， xīn zhōng shēng qǐ le jiāng qí jù wéi jǐ yǒu de xiǎng fǎ 。
许白自然而然的，心中升起了将其据为己有的想法。
Xu Bai took a pen and some of Xu Ke's clothes from the room. After pretending to search around, he finally retrieved the red string.
“ tuī yǎn zhī fǎ ， xuán ér yòu xuán 。 zuì hǎo néng duō qǔ jǐ yàng 。” tā jiě shì zhe 。
“推衍之法，玄而又玄。最好能多取几样。”他解释着。
"Is that all?" Holding the treasure, Xu Bai still found it hard to believe. After discussing details with Little Qing and others, he left after bidding farewell.
“ wú fáng ， dōu shì xiē fán wù 。 wèi le jǐn kě néng zēng jiā xún zhǎo dào zhǔ rén de gài lǜ ， dào yǒu duō ná xiē biàn shì 。” xiǎo qīng bìng bù zài yì dì shuō dào 。
“无妨，都是些凡物。为了尽可能增加寻找到主人的概率，道友多拿些便是。”小青并不在意地说道。
Only after leaving the Empire did he realize how easily he had obtained Mr. Bai's red string.
xǔ bái yú shì cóng zhè fáng jiān lǐ ， ná chū le yī zhī bǐ 、 yī shēn xǔ kè céng jīng chuān guò de yī fú 。 zuì hòu ， yòu zhuāng mú zuò yàng sì chù chá tàn le yī fān ， zuì hòu cái jiāng hóng shéng qǔ zǒu 。
许白于是从这房间里，拿出了一支笔、一身许克曾经穿过的衣服。最后，又装模作样四处查探了一番，最后才将红绳取走。
"I just need to study its usage further," Xu Bai didn't linger as he rushed back to the Xuanhuang Realm without returning to Heavenly Cool City. Instead, he went to a nearby Lecture Hall Villa and closed himself in for seclusion.
A curved line divided the map into two halves. On one side, the information was extremely detailed, with names of states, terrain, and geography laid out clearly.
On the other side, it seemed shrouded in mist, making it difficult to discern even the general outlines of the state territories.
Only five main regions were roughly distinguished.
"Over at the Five Elders Association, they are under the strict control of the Five Longevity Sky Venerables. It's hard to penetrate there. Even with our Interdimensional Alliance, we don't know much about it," Xu Bai said as he instantly marked thousands of black dots on the map.
Most were distributed within the territories of the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect, while only a few were in the mist.
"These are the small worlds that can be excluded for now. Most have not been discovered by the sect's cultivators yet. But some have already revealed themselves," Xu Bai said as he pointed lightly at thirty-seven black dots, each marked with a "immortal" (Immortal) flag.
"Some of these places are known to the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect but haven't been explored by Little Black for years." Another four hundred and thirty-five "immortal" flags flew towards different corners of the map.
"The whereabouts of Xu Ke should be within one of the remaining small worlds in the Xuanhuang Realm," Xu Bai said as he stood before the map, speaking calmly.
"I hope you can find Xu Ke before you've thoroughly searched all the small worlds left in the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect."
"Otherwise, if he is located at the entrance to a small world within the Five Elders Association's territory, it will be almost impossible," Little Red couldn't help but ask. "You call yourselves the Interdimensional Alliance. Can you not provide us with the entrances to your known small worlds?"
"Is it that I am some great figure in the Interdimensional Alliance?" Xu Bai asked in return.
"To ensure the safety of each small world, our alliance usually only has designated envoys responsible for contacting specific small worlds. Envoys know nothing about other small worlds except their own," Xu Bai explained.
"If you have the ability to capture Elder Liu He who accompanied me last time and torture him, perhaps we can get some information from him," Little Red was at a loss for words.
Princess Empress looked at the Xuanhuang Realm map before her, feeling a sense of helplessness. Her eyes no longer held their former resolve: "This... it's like searching for a needle in a haystack."
"How could you possibly regret this so quickly?" Xu Bai was surprised.
"I can do what Little Black does. Friend Daoist, rest assured that the Empire will not break its word," Little Qing suddenly became resolute at Xu Bai’s words.
Under Little Qing's guidance, Princess Empress finally handed over the improved "Holy Blood Nurturing Embryo Method." Instead of being recorded in books or jade tablets, it was documented by a special imperial creature known as the Bookworm.
"The Holy Blood Nurturing Embryo Method requires certain specific resources. I will have someone prepare them for you shortly," Little Qing said.
Xu Bai nodded slightly and did not immediately examine the content within the Bookworm. He temporarily stored it away, then pondered for a moment before suggesting: "Your top priority now is to race against time with the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect's cultivators."
"Besides using the Heavenly Xuan Treasure Mirror’s power to quickly and conveniently detect small world entrances, perhaps we can use derivation techniques to roughly determine Xu Ke's location."
"Do you know if there were any items he carried that year? Perhaps I could ask a senior in my organization to help with this," Xu Bai said with a smile. The Empire had many thieves of techniques within the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect.
With the Endless Disk provided by Xu Bai, they could search for small world entrances without revealing their identities.
After hearing Xu Bai's words, Little Qing and Little Red exchanged glances, hesitating for a moment before Little Qing said: "When our master left, he did leave some personal items behind. We have kept them well."
"Please come in," she said as they entered a small, unremarkable room at the top of the tower palace.
Unlike the luxurious room from their first meeting, this one was decorated simply and showed no signs of being an imperial creator's residence.
"This is where our master lived back then. Everything remains untouched. Initially, we held hope that he might return, but after so many years, we realized it was a vain wish," Little Red said with a touch of sadness in her voice.
Xu Bai scanned the small room and suddenly felt a jolt as he noticed a thin red string in one of the drawers on his wooden table!
It was only a few threads, seemingly about to break. But its appearance and faint aura were familiar to Xu Bai.
"Is this the red string left by Mr. Bai for Xu Ke?"
"He didn't take it with him when he left?" Xu Bai's heart trembled as he subtly shifted his gaze, looking at other items.
In reality, he was mentally reviewing the red string he had just seen.
"It must be the one on Xu Ke’s hand that can easily kill Red Nine-Headed,"
"But it doesn't seem to be its original form. It seems Xu Ke pulled out a single thread."
"Was it meant as a final safeguard for the Empire...?"
"However, considering how long it has been left here undisturbed, Little Qing and Little Red don’t seem to know just how terrifying this red string is," Xu Bai’s thoughts raced, his heart stirred with excitement.
He knew too well the horrifying power contained within that single thread. Even a fraction of it could pose a fatal threat to an Immortal Union cultivator.
Xu Bai naturally had the urge to claim it for himself.
"Derivation techniques are complex and profound. It would be best to take several," he explained.
"It doesn't matter, they are just mundane objects. To increase our chances of finding our master, you can take more," Little Qing said indifferently.
Xu Bai took a pen and some of Xu Ke's clothes from the room. After pretending to search around, he finally retrieved the red string.
"Is that all?" Holding the treasure, Xu Bai still found it hard to believe. After discussing details with Little Qing and others, he left after bidding farewell.
Only after leaving the Empire did he realize how easily he had obtained Mr. Bai's red string.
"I just need to study its usage further," Xu Bai didn't linger as he rushed back to the Xuanhuang Realm without returning to Heavenly Cool City. Instead, he went to a nearby Lecture Hall Villa and closed himself in for seclusion.