Chapter 1227: Borrowing Fortune to Devour the Heavenly Thought

"Words alone are not enough. How can you prove it?"

Xu Ke had already felt the familiar aura from the other party, but the Sealed Black-Yellow Evil Thought behind him was far too important. If it were entrusted to the wrong person, it would undoubtedly cause unimaginable calamity.

This was also why Xu Ke had been sealing it alone for so many years. He simply couldn't find anyone capable and trustworthy enough.

Li Fanping saw Xu Ke's caution and his refusal. He didn't get angry; his laughter merely echoed.

"It's not for me to prove it to you, but for you to see the truth!"

As Li Ping spoke, the roof of the Sacred Emperor's Throne, and even the sky of the Great Qi Minor World, seemed to tear open. Xu Ke's vision instantly returned to the Black-Yellow Realm, and scene after scene continuously appeared before his eyes.

In the boundless night, sporadic golden lights emerged from an unknown source. They stirred invisible waves within the dark sea.

Over the vast ocean, golden chains crisscrossed like a gigantic net. Within the golden net echoed sharp, unwilling, and resentful wails. A consciousness was slowly being worn away. In the golden center, the Faceless Sacred Emperor stood in void, his aura chilling.

In a rather desolate region, powerful heaven and earth energy blessed the Faceless Sacred Emperor. Beside him, a dark, ink-black figure flickered in and out of sight. Although there was nothing visible before them, it instinctively made Xu Ke uneasy.

All these flashing scenes indicated a close connection between the Faceless Sacred Emperor and the Black-Yellow Heavenly Dao. The increasing resistance from the coffin on Xu Ke's back, seemingly eager to return to the Black-Yellow Evil Thought, further confirmed this judgment.

Yet, for some reason, Xu Ke still hesitated.

"Perhaps I've been with this Black-Yellow Evil Thought for too long, unknowingly influenced by it?" Xu Ke was suddenly startled. The image of the Faceless Sacred Emperor was simply too positive, making Xu Ke, who stood in opposition, involuntarily doubt himself.

"The Black-Yellow Evil Thought has been sealed for too long. It's almost beyond the limits that ordinary cultivators can control. Moreover, it is one with the existing Black-Yellow Heavenly Dao; if it were to suddenly return, even the Heavenly Dao itself might undergo unpredictable extreme changes."

"Only by suppressing it first and then slowly grinding away all the evil thoughts can the Dao be returned to heaven. In this process, your assistance will likely be needed." After a moment of stalemate, Sacred Emperor Li Ping spoke again.

As soon as these words were uttered, two distinctly different reactions emerged from the Sacred Emperor's Throne. Xu Ke was overjoyed. The coffin lid on his back, however, after a brief period of quiet, began to vibrate even more frantically. Li Ping could even vaguely discern a gaze of a hundredfold more malevolence than before on the pale figure's face.

"Come with me."

Li Ping did not urge Xu Ke to hand over the Black-Yellow Evil Thought but instead led him to a location high above the Great Qi Minor World.

"Can you feel any difference here?"

"The fluctuations of the Black-Yellow Evil Thought are suppressed; I can barely sense them. Not just the Evil Thought, but also this minor world, and the Black-Yellow Heavenly Dao itself..." A hint of astonishment flashed in Xu Ke's eyes.

"This is the core of the Myriad Spirits Array of Heaven and Earth. This array seals the heavens and severs the earth; let alone worldly wills, it can even withstand the descent of a True Immortal to some extent," Li Ping said calmly.

In his memory and understanding, this array indeed had some deterrent effect on the arrival of a True Immortal. Although Xu Ke had lived for a long time, he had never truly witnessed the might of a True Immortal. Therefore, he had no doubts about Li Ping's statement.

"With this array in place, even if it were released directly, it wouldn't be able to escape."

Xu Ke also had some understanding of array formations. The more he observed, the more astonished he became. The Myriad Spirits Array of Heaven and Earth was indeed as mysterious and profound as Li Ping described.

"If I had this array back then, I wouldn't have had to personally suppress it for thousands of years." Amidst his shock, Xu Ke felt a sense of disorientation.

After touring the Myriad Spirits Array, Li Ping brought Xu Ke to Elder Yin. It was like a school hall, filled with young children studying diligently. Their innocent faces pulled Xu Ke's thoughts back to the dilapidated small temple in Ningyuan City a thousand years ago. The scene from back then surprisingly overlapped slightly with the current sight, causing Xu Ke to be momentarily stunned.

Elder Yin's reaction, however, was somewhat unsettling. While teaching the children, he suddenly became completely still. After a momentary pause, he abruptly stood up, staring intently at the coffin behind Xu Ke. After a series of tremors, his body actually split open, revealing another self that had always been hidden within. All four eyes were filled with an unprecedented greed.

Xu Ke slightly frowned; that predatory gaze made him very uncomfortable. What concerned him more was the behavior of the Black-Yellow Evil Thought within the coffin behind him. It was very strange. It had suddenly quieted down, and the curses and seductive whispers that had constantly echoed in Xu Ke's ears vanished once more. But unlike its behavior within the Myriad Spirits Array of Heaven and Earth earlier, the Black-Yellow Evil Thought itself seemed unaffected. Instead, it seemed frightened, voluntarily retreating.

A moment later, the Black-Yellow Evil Thought resumed frantically hitting the coffin lid, asserting its presence. But in Xu Ke's eyes, this appeared more like bluster.

Li Ping's body blocked the space between Elder Yin and the Black-Yellow Evil Thought, which allowed both of them to return to normal. Elder Yin's torn body re-merged, and he grinned, saying, "To think that a dignified Black-Yellow Heavenly Dao would have a part of itself reduced to such a state?"

"If my brethren knew about this, they'd be overjoyed."

Elder Yin smacked his lips and continued, "I've consumed many world specters, which are like trash. But I haven't yet tasted a complete world will. I wonder what it tastes like."

Xu Ke was profoundly startled by these words. Then, he heard Li Ping transmit a message, introducing Elder Yin's origin.

"A world specter left behind after being devoured by the Black-Yellow Realm, and greatly admires Mr. Bai?"

Initially, Xu Ke still had some doubts, but after seeing the white rib bone that Elder Yin treasured, all other extraneous thoughts vanished from his mind. Even though it looked like an ordinary rib bone, just like any other, Xu Ke knew with just one glance that it belonged to Mr. Bai.

Mr. Bai's smiling face reappeared before Xu Ke, only to abruptly shatter in an instant. Only this white rib bone remained. Xu Ke was suddenly overcome with sorrow.

After Elder Yin learned of Xu Ke's special relationship with Mr. Bai, he put away his fierce demeanor and became more peaceful. His eyes, however, still occasionally glanced at the decaying coffin.

"With Fellow Daoist Yin here, even if it were to escape from all the seals, it would at most become a meal," Li Ping said lightly.

With his emotions somewhat calmed, Xu Ke now finally believed the identity and plan of the Faceless Sacred Emperor. The moment he let go of his persistent obsession, Xu Ke felt a lightness he had never experienced before.

"I've held on for so long. From now on, let the Black-Yellow Realm handle it itself," Xu Ke thought.

"Oh? You're interested in it too?" Elder Yin looked at Li Ping with some surprise.

Li Ping briefly recounted what had happened earlier in Luoyan Province, then said, "It was very helpful to me."

Elder Yin shrugged, "Then I won't contend with you for it. Even if I ate it, it would only be a temporary indulgence; it would still need to be expelled in the end."

Li Ping remained silent, not responding.

"That silver needle..." Elder Yin suddenly projected an image for Li Ping. "Does it look like this?"

Li Ping nodded, "Yes. Have you seen it?"

"I seem to have some impression of it, but it was a long time ago," Elder Yin squinted, recalling something. "Ah, right. A long time ago, I saw it in this place. But that wasn't me back then; it was a residual memory from a part of me that I had once devoured. So, the specific details are a bit blurry. If you're interested, you can go search there; you might find something."

Elder Yin transmitted a location to Li Ping. It seemed that as a world specter, he still retained a faint connection to his original self. The location Elder Yin conveyed was precisely the current exact location of the Black-Yellow Realm.

"I understand. Let's deal with this matter first. With my current strength, even if I were to discover something, it would likely be difficult to investigate thoroughly," Li Ping said frankly, without any reservation.

"The Black-Yellow Realm truly has too many devils and monsters," Elder Yin grunted.

Li Ping then looked at Xu Ke, "Fellow Daoist Yin and I previously planned to gather and bury Mr. Bai's scattered remains, so he may rest in peace. After this matter is concluded, if you are willing, you can assist us."

Xu Ke naturally agreed without hesitation, his voice even trembling slightly, "Good, good."

Having successfully persuaded Xu Ke, the guardian, the next step was to release and absorb the Black-Yellow Evil Thought. Although Li Ping had absolute confidence, he did not become careless. Instead, he made thorough preparations.

The next day, a piece of news spread throughout the entire Sacred Dynasty. In seven days, the Supreme Sacred Emperor would bestow his benevolence. All citizens who sincerely prayed within these seven days would receive rewards from the Sacred Emperor. The more sincere their hearts, the more generous the rewards. Praying to the Sacred Emperor was already a compulsory practice for the people of Great Qi. Now that the Sacred Emperor had explicitly stated that rewards would be bestowed, how could anyone dare to be negligent?

Thus, within just half a day of the sacred decree's transmission, Li Ping felt the fate energy of the Great Qi Sacred Dynasty condense like never before. The power of fate generated by the Heaven and Earth Qi Canon within him even showed a subtle tendency to transform from purple to gold.

"This method is effective only for a short time and cannot be sustained."

"If I break my word, I will suffer backlash, and it's not impossible for my cultivation level to drop."

As Li Ping felt his strength continuously ascend to new heights, his mind remained remarkably calm.

Golden source energy was drawn forth, and the myriad people united in purpose. The Myriad Spirits Array of Heaven and Earth then slowly began to operate. All connections with the outside world were obscured. At this moment, not only was the Great Qi Minor World undetectable from the Black-Yellow Realm, but even Daoist Baihua, who was nearby in the Great Five Elements Grotto-Heaven, suddenly lost her perception of the Great Qi Minor World. Had Li Ping not informed her beforehand, Baihua might have mistakenly believed that Great Qi had suffered some terrible catastrophe.

The process of devouring the Black-Yellow Evil Thought required blocking the external Black-Yellow Heavenly Dao. Otherwise, unpredictable things might occur.

Seven days passed in a flash. Li Ping's condition, after seven days of preparation, had reached its peak. At the core of the Myriad Spirits Array, Elder Yin, Xu Ke, and Yi Shu stood in a tripod formation. Li Ping, meanwhile, sat suspended in the air in the center of the three.

As part of the Grand Evolution Dao Transformation Stone, Yi Shu naturally keenly perceived the unusual changes occurring in the Great Qi Minor World. He actively sought out Li Ping to inquire. Li Ping, having nothing to hide, directly informed him of the plan to devour the Black-Yellow Evil Thought. After a brief moment of stunned silence, Yi Shu immediately offered to participate and help. He even proactively suggested that the cooperation between the Grand Evolution Sect and the Great Qi Sacred Dynasty could be further deepened in the future.

After a moment of consideration, Li Ping still agreed to Yi Shu's request. He had invited these three merely for show. Within the Myriad Spirits Array of Heaven and Earth, everything was under his control. It would be fine if Yi Shu behaved honestly, but if he made any sudden moves, Li Ping could refine him in an instant. He would devour him along with the Black-Yellow Evil Thought.

"Array, activate!" Li Ping commanded in a cold voice.

The three within the array felt the sky instantly turn into a chaotic expanse. Purple specks of light occasionally flickered within it. It felt as if they had entered endless void, leaving the truly existing world behind. All three felt a chill.

At this moment, Li Ping lightly pointed a finger towards the decaying wooden coffin placed beside him. There was no violent sound of destruction. The wooden seal layers dissipated like a wisp of black smoke. A figure, shifting from blurry to clear, appeared within the array, before Li Ping.

Unlike the malevolent appearance Li Ping had seen before, what stood before him now was indistinguishable from Mr. Bai in his memories. It asked with a slight smile, "Are you going to devour me?" There was no resentment in its eyes, but rather relief and release.

"Mr. Bai?!" Xu Ke was the first who couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. It wasn't that Xu Ke lacked self-control; it was simply that this figure bore too striking a resemblance to Mr. Bai.

Li Ping remained unmoved and nodded faintly, "Indeed."

"To be able to merge with me, you can consider it a fitting end."

This single, simple sentence made the expression on the originally calm Black-Yellow Evil Thought's face suddenly freeze.

"What are you?!" The Black-Yellow Evil Thought could no longer maintain its disguise and shrieked in discomposure. It suddenly transformed into a wisp of black qi and lunged towards Li Ping. But before Li Ping, there seemed to be an infinite distance. No matter how hard it tried, it could not get close.

"Noisy."

"Once you merge with me, you will know what I am."

Li Ping glanced at the Black-Yellow Evil Thought. A tremendous, radiant force descended from above. It instantly bound the black smoke formed by the Evil Thought.

"Will of myriad spirits, great millstone of heaven and earth!" Li Ping chanted softly, and a purple-gold vortex slowly formed above everyone's heads.