Chapter 744: The Only Future

Hearing the Empress’s confident reply and seeing her resolute expression, Xu Bai almost laughed out loud. “This is your plan?”

“Putting your hopes on a vague, elusive hero whom no one knows if they’ll even appear?”

Xu Bai shook his head repeatedly. “It seems the organization really overestimated your value.”

Despite Xu Bai’s evident disdain, the Empress showed little anger.

Instead, a determined look flickered in her eyes. “The savior we have awaited for thousands of years, the one we have desperately longed for, will ultimately appear!”

“Before the Profound Yellow Realm completely falls into ruin.”

“This is a devout belief passed down from the Saint Emperor. No matter what national policies past emperors of the empire formulated, they could not contradict this.”

At these words, Xu Bai, who had been about to mock her, suddenly remembered something and fell silent.

Undoubtedly, only Mr. Bai could have made Xu Ke believe so profoundly.

“So, Mr. Bai foresaw that, many years from now, a miracle worker would descend from the heavens to save the Profound Yellow Realm from its plight?”

Xu Bai couldn’t help but feel a sense of absurdity.

Yet, he also recalled the Calamity-Crossing Sect, which had persistently haunted him and seemed to be connected to him.

Perhaps… this was not impossible.

At least the “chosen one for the calamity” selected by the Calamity-Crossing Sect pointed to him.

Xu Bai couldn’t help but frown.

“Judging from Mr. Bai’s cultivation of new varieties of Fissure Whales and his efforts to move numerous mortal small worlds away from the Profound Yellow Realm, the Empire’s ultimate plan is actually consistent with that of other mortal worlds.”

“The only difference is that the Empire has greater subjective initiative, allowing it to move further away from the Profound Yellow Realm. The other worlds merely accepted it passively, not understanding what truly happened.”

“The source of this difference lies in the connection between Xu Ke and Mr. Bai. Perhaps this is what Lu Ya instructed Xu Ke to do before his death.”

“The current question is, could Mr. Bai and the Calamity-Crossing Sect truly have foreseen my existence, and that of Huan Zhen, a millennium ago?”

Just a moment later, Xu Bai dismissed this speculation.

Huan Zhen, with a single thought, could turn truth into falsehood, reality into illusion, returning everything in the world to its original anchor point.

Such an ability would surely be far beyond even a legendary True Immortal.

If Mr. Bai and the Calamity-Crossing Sect could truly predict the existence of Huan Zhen in the world, then why would they wait for a savior? With their own abilities alone, they could probably resolve the issues of the Immortal Ruins.

“The Calamity-Crossing Sect’s method should be similar to Senior Brother Zhang’s: they only turn their attention once certain conditions are met. They might even be casting a wide net. The so-called ‘chosen ones for the calamity’ might not be limited to just me.”

“As for Mr. Bai…”

Xu Bai fell silent.

He still didn’t know on what basis Mr. Bai was so certain that someone would emerge to save the Profound Yellow Realm a millennium later.

It couldn’t just be out of hope, could it?

“Infinite futures hold infinite possibilities. This means that no matter how small the probability, given infinity, everything is bound to happen.” Emperor Yi’s words suddenly surfaced in Xu Bai’s mind.

“Perhaps, among the countless futures Mr. Bai deduced, there truly appeared a possibility of the Profound Yellow Realm being saved. Just as I saw in my previous life when I transformed into an entity, although the Profound Yellow Realm experienced the decay of all things and the ruin of civilization, in the end, it still welcomed the sunshine of recovery. Even if it’s currently unclear what happened, in a sense, if the Empire can truly persevere until that time, perhaps their strategy would be considered a success.”

Xu Bai seemed to understand.

The Empress watched Xu Bai deep in thought and did not disturb him.

“Alright, if it’s my ancestor’s judgment, then there might be some truth to it. However, it’s regrettable that, given the current situation, without the help of our Ten Thousand Worlds Alliance, your Empire probably won’t last until that day,” Xu Bai said with a slight hint of sarcasm after regaining his composure.

“Although we’re distant relatives, I genuinely want to help you. But the right to use the supreme treasure that can conceal the Heavenly Profound Mirror is not something I can decide alone. If you don’t show some sincerity, it’s very difficult for me to proceed.” He shrugged, looking helpless.

The Empress nodded slightly, saying, “While you were visiting the Nine-Headed Temple, we also thoroughly investigated the changes occurring in the Profound Yellow Realm: the Rebirth Palace, the Heavenly Profound Mirror…”

“They have indeed exceeded what we can resist. After some discussion, if we can exchange resources for the help of your Ten Thousand Worlds Alliance…”

“No one in the Empire will object. After all, those nobles are not only extremely afraid of death but also greatly fear losing their current status.” The Empress spoke with a normal expression, as if recounting something utterly ordinary.

“Heh, it seems the Empire is more pragmatic than I imagined. That’s good; it saves me some effort. However…” Xu Bai paused, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. “The current situation is critical, and facing the immense pressure from the Myriad Immortal Alliance, our Alliance cannot provide equal support to everyone. There will certainly be varying levels of assistance based on the potential shown by different small worlds.”

“So, to receive more of our help, it depends on how many truly valuable assets your Empire possesses.”

“Let me be frank: the exotic beast cultivation techniques you are so proud of are, in our view, merely useful for cannon fodder. These alone are utterly incapable of impressing the mercenary old fellows in the Alliance,” Xu Bai said coldly.

The Empress nodded slightly, indicating understanding.

She then flew forward and said, “Follow me.”

After flying through the Imperial Treasury for a while, she stopped before a mechanical device.

The device consisted of several different, continuously moving rings, within which numbers flickered rapidly.

“This is the culmination of thirteen generations of emperors’ efforts, the Void Longitude and Latitude Orbital Calibrator,” the Empress introduced to Xu Bai, a hint of nostalgia flashing in her eyes.

“During void navigation, it can record and save data from the surrounding space. It then sets courses based on predetermined targets, preventing us from getting lost in the void. At the same time, it can also mark the coordinates of passing locations…”

“Somewhat useful, but not of great use,” Xu Bai said, cutting off the Empress. “Our main pressure now is how to survive the Myriad Immortal Alliance’s first wave of cleansing.”

The Empress nodded in understanding, then led Xu Bai to a round pearl.

“This is?” Xu Bai narrowed his eyes slightly.

From this pearl, he sensed both spiritual energy and the aura of a monstrous beast.