Chapter 471: Good and Evil Are Hard to Define

"Meeting them is entirely a matter of luck; you have to fly into the clouds, examining one spot after another."

Xu Ke sighed, touching a colorful brocade pouch hanging from his waist. He muttered, "Just finding them isn't enough; we still need to figure out how to catch them."

"These creatures, despite their size, are actually more agile than loaches."

"The slightest disturbance around them sends them hurtling through the air. Several times, I was on the verge of catching them, but they still got away."

"Ugh, I wonder when I'll be able to complete the task Senior Brother Lu Ya assigned. This is the first time he's given me such a serious responsibility, so I absolutely can't mess it up."

As Xu Ke rambled on, Li Fan listened, lost in thought.

According to Xu Ke's description, the Rift Whales of this era were significantly different from those Li Fan had encountered thousands of years later.

Not only were they several times larger, but their temperament had also changed; they were no longer timid and had even become highly aggressive.

"They seem more like a subspecies with different behaviors."

"Given Xu Ke's luck, capturing a group of Rift Whales shouldn't be difficult."

"After catching a sufficient number, they could then use the Beast Taming Sect's methods for selective breeding..."

Remembering a conversation he had overheard between Lu Ya and Emperor San Mo in his previous life, Li Fan became pensive.

"Was catching Rift Whales actually Mr. Bai's request?"

"In that case, were the groups of Rift Whales that roamed outside the minor world also his doing?"

Tugging hard at Xu Ke's hair, Li Fan couldn't help but feel a little confused.

When he first saw swarms of Rift Whales attempting to push the mortal minor world away from the cultivation realm, Li Fan had once exclaimed, "How much did the cultivators of that era resent mortals?"

From his perspective at the time, focused solely on achieving immortality, completely separating mortals from the cultivation realm and severing their path to immortality naturally seemed like a punishment for mortals.

However, now that Li Fan had truly experienced various aspects of the cultivation realm and understood how cultivators treated mortals, he began to have different ideas.

Cultivators regarded mortals as mere ants, taking whatever they desired.

They even herded them like livestock, extracting their vital essence using formations.

This was even with the immortal-mortal miasma in mortals' bodies now, which somewhat curbed the cultivators' various actions.

In the ancient cultivation world, the plight of mortals was arguably even more tragic.

They were used as materials for refining Rebirth Longevity Fruits, and cultivators completely disregarded mortals' lives during their battles...

From a mortal's perspective, escaping the immortals' control might not truly be a bad thing at all.

"Could it be that, as the orphans in Ningyuan City claimed, Mr. Bai is truly a great philanthropist who cares for the world?"

This thought couldn't help but surface in Li Fan's mind.

"It's too early to draw conclusions now."

"I still need to gather more information."

With another sharp scratch from his claw, Li Fan urged Xu Ke to quickly resume searching for Rift Whales.

Meanwhile, Li Fan himself nestled in the hair, cultivating and comprehending the Creation Furnace Art while simultaneously activating the Heaven's Mandate Is Mine secret art.

He was helping Xu Ke accumulate luck.

After returning empty-handed time and again, Xu Ke, usually carefree, couldn't help but grow anxious.

"Rift Whales, Rift Whales, where are you?!"

He kept muttering repeatedly, his eyes filled with longing.

Li Fan suddenly looked up.

He observed that a portion of the purple aura of luck above Xu Ke's head seemed to dissipate with Xu Ke's whispers.

He didn't know where it went.

The disappearance of luck, however, had an immediate effect.

Originally, they would only find traces of Rift Whales once every ten days or so, but afterward, detections became increasingly frequent.

Through continuous attempts, Xu Ke gradually discovered methods to approach the Rift Whales without being detected.

However, capturing exotic beasts alive with the Myriad Beasts Pouch was no easy feat.

Especially for a novice like Xu Ke.

After a stalemate, the creature ultimately broke free.

Sweating profusely and nearly collapsing from exhaustion, Xu Ke slumped to the ground, filled with frustration.

Soon, however, he regained his spirits and set off to find the next Rift Whale.

As he continued his relentless attempts, the pillar of purple-gold luck continuously diminished.

The rate of depletion far outpaced Li Fan's ability to replenish it with his secret art.

Eventually, it appeared somewhat dimmer than before.

But it was not in vain.

Four months later, after enduring countless hardships, Xu Ke finally succeeded in capturing a Rift Whale.

The Myriad Beasts Pouch floated quietly in the void, no longer shaking violently.

Xu Ke excitedly clutched it tightly, letting out a triumphant shout.

"I've finally completed the task! Now I can go back and report to Senior Brother Lu Ya!"

"Little Qing! Let's go home!" Xu Ke called out, summoning the Azure Luan bird and gleefully mounting her.

Li Fan's gaze sharpened as he intently scrutinized the Azure Luan bird.

The Azure Luan bird completely ignored Li Fan, instead affectionately rubbing its neck against Xu Ke.

It then spread its wings and carried him off towards the sky.

"I never would have thought that thousands of years later, she would become the Empire's Saint Master." Sensing the faintly familiar aura emanating from Little Qing, Li Fan felt a touch of surprise as his previous suspicion was confirmed.

After more than three years apart, the Azure Luan bird appeared far more magnificent than what Li Fan had seen in the Fallen Immortal Realm in his previous life.

Not only was its flight speed several times faster, but during flight, a faint blue light enveloped Xu Ke and Li Fan, blocking out the wind and making the ride much more comfortable.

Xu Ke, who hadn't rested in a long time, fell into a deep sleep on the Azure Luan bird's back.

Little Qing, meanwhile, continued flying diligently.

After gazing for a long time, Li Fan slowly averted his eyes.

As the Azure Luan bird ascended higher and higher, Li Fan, standing atop Xu Ke's head, looked down.

It was then that he realized this minor world, rather than resembling a narrow, sky-piercing gorge, was more like a scar, savagely carved into this form by a sharp weapon.

Yet, this scar also brought forth life. Beyond this long fissure, the entire world was nothing but scorched earth.

Fiery red flames seared the land, and grotesque lava flowed unhindered.

All these destructive forces, however, halted at the edge of the fissure.

The power that had carved out the gorge still lingered, preventing the flames from encroaching.

Thus, within this minor world, which could otherwise be described as a purgatory, a vibrant paradise had been created.

"A different perspective on a problem yields a completely different answer."

Li Fan then thought of the previous issue concerning mortals departing the Xuanhuang Realm, and he seemed to grasp something new.

Passing through an invisible passage in the sky, they returned to the Xuanhuang Realm.

As the faint white light slowly faded, Li Fan's eyes widened in surprise at the sight before him.

They had, remarkably, just flown out of a painting.