“So, this is why he became a fool?”
Nangong Shirong looked at Guan Changge, who had reappeared but now resembled a dull-witted child, constantly grinning foolishly. His expression turned somewhat strange as he asked.
“That’s right.” Xu Bai nodded. “Most of his divine consciousness is immersed in comprehending the Sword Dao and refuses to return. There’s nothing I can do about it…”
“Cough, cough…” Xu Bai couldn’t help but cough.
Having part of his body devoured by the Boundless Wall, he could clearly feel a certain weakness overcoming him, as if his vital energy and spirit had been extracted, leaving him with an overall sense of incompleteness.
“This seems somewhat similar to my [Thread Extraction] divine ability, but while Thread Extraction leans more toward bodily disintegration, this one feels like a part of the body is being cut away…”
In an instant, Xu Bai was once again lost in comprehending divine abilities, momentarily dazed.
Thinking he was still suffering from severe injuries within the Boundless Wall, Nangong Shirong reassured him, “It’s fine. You’ve done your best. If that kid refuses to come back on his own, there’s nothing we can do.”
“Besides, as long as we return with his intact body, it will be enough to explain things to Old Guan. Now, go and rest. Leave the rest to me. I’d like to see whether Guan Xingshu will still cherish this foolish and dazed son of his.” After instructing Xu Bai to rest, Nangong Shirong let out a cold laugh.
The others assumed it was merely because of his injuries and paid no further attention to it.
Ten Days Later, in Tianliang City
Xu Bai suddenly woke from his epiphany, his eyes flashing with a sharp glint as he looked toward a bird soaring past outside his window.
With no warning at all, the bird—locked under Xu Bai’s gaze—suddenly lost control and plummeted from the sky.
It flapped its wings frantically, barely managing to stabilize itself midair, but its flight was noticeably slower than before.
Xu Bai withdrew his gaze, satisfied.
“To silently sever a living being’s life force… Compared to Thread Extraction, this technique is far more concealed. It can be cast instantly, making it nearly undetectable. Others would simply feel their body inexplicably weaken.”
“And if combined with [Thread Extraction], attacking both internally and externally… it could instantly erase someone from existence.”
“Together, these two techniques shall be called [Extracting Threads, Cutting Life].”
…
Xu Bai let out a long breath and slowly rose to his feet.
The saying goes: One who wields a sharp weapon is bound to harbor the intent to kill.
With his divine abilities advancing to a new level, a fleeting thought arose in Xu Bai’s mind—he wanted to find someone to test it on.
But before he could act on the impulse, the desire dissipated on its own.
His gaze sharpened as he noticed something unusual.
This clone of his had not cultivated the Xuanhuang Immortal Heart Mantra. If his true body had given rise to such thoughts, it would have taken considerable effort to suppress them.
But now…
Xu Bai recalled the sight of Guan Changge, willing to face death in pursuit of enlightenment within the Boundless Wall. Strangely, he felt a sense of pity and admiration—emotions that his true self would never have.
With Li Fan’s temperament, he would have simply dismissed it as Guan Changge seeking his own demise, a fool who didn’t know his limits.
“Is this the influence of this physical body?”
Xu Bai narrowed his eyes.
“Enjoying the benefits of a peerless comprehension ability… but also bearing the burden of a shifting temperament.”
“Xu Ke… Mister Bai…”
The main body carried the Xuanhuang Immortal Heart Mantra, but the clone did not pay much attention to this detail.
After leaving the resting courtyard and inquiring about the follow-up to Guan Changge’s disappearance, Xu Bai noticed something unusual.
Since Nangong Shirong had successfully brought the person before them, Guan Xingshou could no longer use this matter as an excuse to make trouble.
However, what Guan Xingshou did next shocked everyone in Tianliang Prefecture, who had originally been prepared to watch the drama unfold.
Right in front of Nangong Shirong and the gathered cultivators, Guan Xingshou summoned the Falling Star Divine Sword and directly executed the foolishly muttering, drooling Guan Changge.
“Such disgraceful behavior utterly tarnishes your mother’s reputation. Better to die early—eighteen years later, I will seek you out again.”
Before striking, Guan Xingshou spoke these words with absolute indifference.
Golden sword energy surged, leaving nothing behind—not even a trace of flesh or blood. Guan Changge was reduced to ashes on the spot.
The cultivators of Tianliang Prefecture were astounded by Guan Xingshou’s ruthless decisiveness.
Even Nangong Shirong’s expression turned stiff as he offered words of condolence.
Yet Guan Xingshou gave him no face at all, cutting through the void and leaving immediately.
Although Nangong Shirong’s face showed some displeasure, he ultimately sighed in relief—at least the bringer of misfortune had departed.
What happened next left Xu Bai somewhat perplexed.
By all accounts, he had been instrumental in resolving this situation. Yet for ten whole days, Nangong Shirong treated him as if he had been forgotten. Not only was there no reward—there wasn’t even a word of acknowledgment.
On the contrary, the three cultivators Yan Yiqiu and his companions, who had merely tagged along and repeatedly irritated Nangong Shirong, received various rewards.
Xu Bai meticulously reviewed every detail of his involvement, contemplating what might have gone wrong.
After a long time, he finally had an epiphany.
There had been no mistakes. From beginning to end, he had performed flawlessly.
And that was precisely the problem.
He had entered the Boundless Wall, despite knowing its unpredictable dangers that could devour cultivators at any moment, and yet had pressed forward without hesitation.
Within mere moments, he had discovered a way through the Boundless Wall and even managed to bring back Guan Changge.
If the one who had accomplished all this was a trusted cultivator personally trained by Nangong Shirong, then perhaps he would have been overjoyed.
But let’s not forget—Xu Bai was an outsider. A cultivator of unknown origins who had pledged allegiance only halfway through.
Nangong Shirong was not so naive as to believe that a few words alone could earn someone’s unwavering loyalty.
Which meant that Xu Bai’s excessive dedication only aroused his suspicion.
“So, in the end, I was too clever for my own good.” Xu Bai shook his head with a wry smile.
However, he didn’t dwell on it.
He simply continued to carry out his duties with diligence and professionalism.
At the same time, he subtly expressed grievances to his fellow cultivators about the injustice he had suffered.
As these murmurs reached Nangong Shirong’s ears, his doubts began to subside.
Yet he still did not entirely lower his guard.
Xu Bai pretended to be unaware, acting as if everything was as usual.
Time Flies.
Two years passed. Anchored in Year 22.
In Longevity Valley—
A dazzling white light suddenly burst from the Dissociation Disc in Li Fan’s hand.
Countless talismanic formations emerged from the disc, shifting and transforming at high speed.
As the brilliant light slowly faded, Li Fan keenly noticed that his Dissociation Disc had grown larger.
“This means that in the struggle of the Nine Discs, the first failure has occurred,” he thought to himself.
Before he could carefully examine the now-ascended Dissociation Disc, an ecstatic voice suddenly rang out.
“Sect Master! I have finally discovered the exact usage of this Endstone Plate!”
The Eye of Shared Vision flew to Li Fan, darting up and down in excitement, drawing streaks of golden light in the air.