No matter how one looked at it, the red string in Xu Ke’s hand appeared utterly ordinary—just a common object.
However, given that Mr. Bai could effortlessly bestow the supreme True Profound Art of Creation with a mere casual remark, how could he possibly gift the children something so mundane?
Especially when Li Fan’s gaze swept over Xu Ke, and the moment he slightly eased the killing intent in his heart, an overwhelming sense of imminent danger surged within him.
Li Fan instantly understood that if he truly lost control and attacked Xu Ke…
Then the first to die would undoubtedly be himself.
Yet Xu Ke remained completely unaware of the red string’s value. He simply felt immense joy, solely because it was a gift from Mr. Bai.
“Let’s go. It’s time.” Lu Ya’s gaze was deep as he took one last look at Xu Ke.
Then, he silently flew out of the Ten Thousand Beasts Ark and formed a hand seal.
A dim light enveloped the flying vessel in absolute silence. The Ten Thousand Beasts Ark tore through the void, sailing toward an unknown homeland.
Then, just like an old photograph weathered by time, the colors gradually faded away.
In the end, everything shattered into countless fragments, dispersing like falling stars.
Li Fan understood—this was because he had resolved the lingering obsession of the Heavenly Fate Black Bird and completed the [Beast Taming Sect’s Upheaval].
However, unlike before, he did not immediately return to the real world.
Instead, he found himself back inside the distorted, transparent bubble where he had been after entering the Fallen Immortal Realm.
Before him, a new light projection emerged.
In the rapidly shifting images, a vast, spiraling abyss could be vaguely seen. Within it stood a colossal stone sword. Thousands upon thousands of cultivators toiled like ants beside it, fervently refining countless materials into the sword’s core, using the raging flames of the earth itself.
“This seems to be unlocking a new storyline… It looks like…”
“The Heavenly Sword Sect, and the World-Sundering Divine Weapon?”
Li Fan narrowed his eyes.
Unfortunately, perhaps because he had just left the Fallen Immortal Realm, he was not yet able to enter this entirely new scene.
“I’ll have to wait until next time.”
In the flickering imagery, countless cultivators came and went, streaking through the sky like flowing lights. Yet that World-Sundering Divine Weapon stood immovable, its presence growing ever more imposing as time passed.
It exuded a peculiar power, drawing Li Fan’s gaze for a long while before he finally looked away.
When he turned his attention to the first two completed light projections, he noticed subtle differences between them despite both being marked as “cleared.”
The projection of Quest [Ningyuan’s Longevity Frui] shone like a perfect sphere, radiating light in all directions—pristine and flawless.
However, the projection of [Beast Taming Sect’s Upheaval] was only partially illuminated, with most of it still shrouded in darkness.
Li Fan mused, “Perhaps Xiao Hei’s obsession, like Senior Brother Zhang’s, is merely a surface-level illusion. The true master of the Beast Taming Sect’s time-space continuum… may be someone else entirely.”
He carefully reflected on his experiences within the Fallen Immortal Realm, piecing them together into a coherent narrative.
Even as the surrounding distorted space grew increasingly unstable, he still had no clear answer.
Then, the bubble shattered.
Li Fan returned to the real world. At the same time, a black feather appeared in his hand.
“The Remnant of the Black Bird…”
Accompanying the Heavenly Fate Black Bird’s feather was a fleeting, blurred memory.
A moment from history—a real event that had once happened to Xiao Hei.
Just like what Li Fan did, Xiao Hei was full of confidence in himself. Ignoring Xu Ke’s dissuasion, he insisted on taking the “Heart-Linking Ring” test.
However, after all, he was merely a demonic beast and did not have Li Fan’s extraordinary fortune of possessing the Immortal Heart Mantra.
Without a miracle, the final result was inevitable—he failed to pass the “Heart-Linking Ring” trial, which required him to never harm his master.
Originally, Xiao Hei was destined to be executed along with the many other demonic beasts that failed the test. However, due to Xu Ke’s desperate pleas, Lu Ya was moved by compassion. In the end, he made an exception and spared Xiao Hei’s life.
To prevent any leaks of information, Lu Ya requested Emperor Sanmo to intervene, banishing Xiao Hei to a desolate small world where he was forbidden from leaving for a thousand years.
“Xiao Hei, we will definitely meet again.”
At the moment of their reluctant farewell, Xu Ke spoke with tear-filled eyes.
The Heavenly Fate Black Bird was also overcome with sorrow, letting out mournful cries. Yet, it understood that without the restriction of the Beast Control Technique, it could not suppress the violent nature within its heart. If it insisted on staying by Xu Ke’s side, it might end up harming him instead.
Forcing itself to remain calm, it gently brushed Xu Ke’s head with its wing as a sign of comfort.
“Xiao Hei, by the time we meet again, a long time will have passed. We will have grown up—will you still recognize me then?” Xu Ke asked with a trace of worry.
Xiao Hei was about to mock Xu Ke for this seemingly foolish concern when he suddenly saw Xu Ke slap his forehead, then extract a drop of his own essence blood.
Placing it inside a brown jade bottle, Xu Ke solemnly handed it to Xiao Hei.
“Here, take this. You must not forget me.” Though Xu Ke’s little face had turned slightly pale, he still forced himself to smile bravely.
The Heavenly Fate Black Bird let out a sorrowful cry and swallowed the brown bottle into its stomach.
After parting ways with Xu Ke, Xiao Hei was banished by Emperor Sanmo’s spell, exiled to a barren small world.
The scene shattered, and the memory ended there.
…
Li Fan recalled the final image that flashed in his mind—the desolate and ruined scenery reflected in the Heavenly Fate Black Bird’s eyes. A sudden sense of familiarity struck him.
It was the very same small world that Han Yi had accidentally entered earlier—the one filled with various hybrid creatures of man and beast.
“So, the fallen Heavenly Fate Black Bird really was Xiao Hei.”
Li Fan pondered for a moment, and suddenly, a thought sparked in his mind.
“I wonder if Xu Ke’s drop of essence blood is still there.”
“The Imperial Royal Bloodline… The method to control beasts…”
A vague plan began to take shape in Li Fan’s mind.
Xiao Qing, Li Chenfeng, and the other members of the Empire had been extremely cautious.
Ever since Li Fan had warned them that the Xuanhuang Realm was about to face a great war and that they should halt all transactions for a time, they had completely withdrawn and disappeared.
According to the final surveillance scene from the Formless Killing Intent, they seemed to have temporarily returned to the Empire.
“I’ve never tried creating a clone using a cultivator’s essence blood. If Xu Ke’s drop of blood is still there, I might just be able to give Xiao Qing and their people a ‘surprise’.”
Li Fan’s eyes flickered. After a moment, he temporarily suppressed this thought and carefully examined the [Remnant of the Black Bird].
The gains from the Fallen Immortal Realm this time included not only this feather but also some residual memories of Xiao Hei’s innate divine ability—[Mandate of Heaven is Mine].
Although he did not possess the bloodline of the Heavenly Fate Black Bird, with the help of this feather, he could still manifest some of its effects.
As he absorbed the [Remnant of the Black Bird] into his body, a familiar sensation, akin to when he had possessed the Black Bird for cultivation, surged through him.
His perspective suddenly shifted upward, allowing him to observe his own destiny.
A nearly imperceptible white pillar of smoke lingered around him, as if it could be blown away by the slightest breeze.