Chapter 1081: Mr. Wants to Save the World

After a moment of contemplation, Li Fan decided not to play coy any longer. He nodded and said, "That's right. How did you figure that out, fellow Daoist?"

With a slight chuckle, Xu Ke said in his somewhat low voice, "Where else in the Xuanhuang Realm, besides the Fallen Immortal Realm, would information about someone who is an enemy of the world like me possibly exist?"

Li Fan was slightly taken aback. "An enemy of the world? What does that mean?"

Now it was Xu Ke's turn to be puzzled. "Don't you know what I'm sitting on?"

Li Fan frankly shook his head.

"Then why did you come looking for me?" Xu Ke stared intently at Li Fan, his expression unreadable.

"I sought you out, fellow Daoist, first, to help the younger generation of the Empire fulfill their lifelong wishes."

"Secondly, it was to understand the various arrangements Master Bai left behind. After learning about his actions, I was deeply moved by his righteousness. However, the information I gathered in the Fallen Immortal Realm was incomplete, consisting only of fragmented memories from different periods. Therefore, it took me considerable effort to locate your hidden abode, and I hoped you could clarify things for me." Li Fan cupped his hands and spoke sincerely.

Upon hearing Li Fan's attitude towards Master Bai, Xu Ke's expression softened considerably.

"The Empire?" His eyes narrowed, seemingly lost in memories.

"It's the lineage, fellow Daoist, that you left behind in the world where Chi Jiutou fell, back then," Li Fan prompted.

"Ah..." Xu Ke finally recalled.

"Xiao Qing, Xiao Hong..." He showed a nostalgic expression.

"Both are still alive and well. However, the fated Xuanbird, in its search for your whereabouts, has already perished," Li Fan said, handing something over.

It was the last Xuanbird feather Xiao Hei had left in the Beast Seed Realm.

Xu Ke took the black feather, his hands trembling slightly. A hint of sorrow flashed in his eyes. After a long silence, he slowly said, "I failed it."

"This item... may I keep it?" Xu Ke asked.

"It's merely returning to its rightful owner. If Xiao Hei knew that the Xuanbird feather he left behind could eventually return to you, he would rest in peace," Li Fan sighed.

"Thank you," Xu Ke said, carefully tucking the Xuanbird feather into his embrace.

Absolute silence immediately enveloped the towering stone mountain once more.

At the peak of this desolate world, it seemed as if even the wind was absent.

Only the eternal stillness, lingering from ancient times, remained.

Li Fan was not in a hurry; he simply accompanied Xu Ke through this desolate, sky-high stillness, waiting patiently.

After a long while, Xu Ke finally spoke again.

Because of the impact of their earlier conversation, his attitude towards Li Fan was now significantly different.

"How much do you know so far?" Xu Ke asked.

"Years ago, when you and Xiao Hei traveled far to the Southern Underworld Sacred Beast Mountain, it was actually a task Master Bai assigned to the Beast Taming Sect. All the subsequent actions were aimed at ultimately cultivating the Fissure Whale, a creature capable of infinite proliferation and opening up voids. This was to ensure that mortals from various minor worlds, who were forced to migrate due to the birth of the Immortal-Mortal Miasma, could stay as far away from Xuanhuang as possible."

"And the so-called Immortal-Mortal Miasma was also a product of Master Bai's defiance of the Heavenly Principles. Despite being the Great Heavenly Venerate of Xuanhuang, he ultimately ended his own life because of it."

Li Fan slowly recounted the conclusions he had pieced together and deduced from the Fallen Immortal Realm and the real world, word by word.

"You really know a lot."

"It's clear you've put a lot of thought into this."

"How many people in this world still remember Master Bai?" Xu Ke actually bowed to Li Fan as a mark of his respect.

"However, I still have many unresolved doubts and things I can't let go of. I ask that you, fellow Daoist, enlighten me. Otherwise, I fear I won't be able to rest or sleep peacefully from now on," Li Fan said solemnly.

"Master Bai, as the Great Heavenly Venerate of Xuanhuang, was already the strongest in the Xuanhuang Realm at that time. Why did he choose to sacrifice himself and use a method like the Immortal-Mortal Miasma to protect mortals?"

"Do you think the Immortal-Mortal Miasma was useful? If the Immortal-Mortal Miasma had never appeared in the Xuanhuang Realm from beginning to end, how would history have unfolded?" Xu Ke countered.

Li Fan pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Without the Immortal-Mortal Miasma, the catastrophe of incompatible cultivation would still exist. Ultimately, cultivators would still fall into a desperate situation of mutual suspicion and slaughter. In that process..."

"When the city gates catch fire, the fish in the moat suffer. How could mortals find refuge in a desolate cultivation world? Even one in ten thousand surviving would be a blessing. Being infected by the Immortal-Mortal Miasma and then forced to migrate to minor worlds—although many would die in this process—compared to the fate they would face by remaining in the Xuanhuang Realm, the casualties are almost negligible," Xu Ke said, completing Li Fan's thought.

Li Fan nodded slowly upon hearing this, indicating his agreement.

"So, Master Bai foresaw the fate of the Xuanhuang Realm for thousands of years to come, right from the beginning of the great catastrophe?" Li Fan asked again.

"That was not difficult for Master Bai," Xu Ke said, as if stating the obvious.

"If that's the case..." Li Fan's tone and expression suddenly changed.

"The great catastrophe of incompatible cultivation was solely caused by the Transmitting Dharma Heavenly Venerate spreading the new dharma. If that culprit had been eliminated, perhaps things could have been set right! Why did Master Bai choose to retreat without a fight?"

"He didn't even care about his own life, yet he lacked the courage to fight the Transmitting Dharma Heavenly Venerate?" Li Fan's voice seemed to carry a strong undercurrent of resentment.

"The immortal path cannot be trod, and the Transmitting Dharma Heavenly Venerate stands above." After a moment of silence, Xu Ke sighed faintly and recited this sentiment Master Bai once expressed.

He then explained, "Leaving aside whether Master Bai was an opponent for the Transmitting Dharma Heavenly Venerate, who had already successfully defied natural laws at that time..."

"In reality, Master Bai's deductions showed that even eliminating the Transmitting Dharma Heavenly Venerate would not prevent the great catastrophe from befalling the Xuanhuang Realm."

"Ningyuan City, the underground secret chamber—have you ever seen that man-dog hybrid beast-seed monster?"

"I have."

"That beast-seed had a human body and dog limbs. Master Bai once tried to save their lives. He gathered suitable human limbs, intending to remove their dog limbs and reattach the human ones."

"However, because the dog limbs had long since merged with their bodies in their daily lives, Master Bai's multiple attempts failed without exception."

"Most died directly during the transfer surgery. Even those that appeared successful often didn't survive for more than a month after the operation, dying miserably due to the frantic loss of life force."

"No matter how hard Master Bai tried, the outcome remained the same."

Xu Ke explained this very calmly.

Li Fan slowly started to grasp the implications.

"Are you saying that the Xuanhuang Realm is facing a similar situation?"

Xu Ke sighed, "As the saying goes, 'spilt water cannot be gathered.'"

"The changes the Transmitting Dharma Heavenly Venerate imposed on the Xuanhuang Realm have already occurred."

"To reverse them would require an effort perhaps ten or even a hundred times greater."