Chapter 138: Not in the Xuan Realm

"The sky is high and the earth vast; I sense the boundlessness of the universe."

Perhaps because Xu Xing did not reply, the voice repeated itself.

"When joy ends and sorrow comes, I realize the finite nature of abundance and scarcity."

He had forgotten this content for a time, but as his realm gradually rose, he remembered it again—the faint ripples in the void finally ceased, and the faint red glow brightened slightly.

"I'm glad to meet you this way, fellow countryman."

The clear voice sounded utterly clean, with no trace of interference.

"If I'm not mistaken, you must be the one from the Xiang Jianzong."

"The method I used to leave this message is decent—it's probably only you who could have cracked it within a hundred years."

This message will only exist for a hundred years.

"Even if other fellow countrymen come later, they likely won't grow strong enough to see through my technique in such a short time."

"Don't misunderstand—I'm not stingy, it's just that what I hid here isn't anything valuable; those with too low a realm are better off not touching it."

Xu Xing listened in silence, without replying.

The next instant, light and shadow swirled in his eyes, and everything in this space seemed to reverse before him.

Ten years ago, twenty years ago, thirty years ago…

Thirty-seven years ago, Huo's figure appeared and noticed the anomaly here.

After several failed attempts to respond, he did not force his way in, but simply left.

Continue forward.

Forty, fifty…

He rewound all the way back eighty-three years.

The layout of the space was nearly the same as now, except the bookshelves held more books than they do today.

A young man with a slightly handsome face, dressed in a black overcoat, black hair and purple eyes, appeared, sitting before a workbench.

On the workbench eighty-three years ago lay many surveying instruments; the small Three Layers Celestial Globe emitted a bright light.

On the wall hung scabbards and masks, along with numerous relics now displayed on exhibition stands.

Without doubt.

This man was the founding Chairman of the Righteous Alliance, the Holy Emperor Yuan, whose name reverberated across the Central Continent for a thousand years.

Eighty-three years ago, this place still lay within the Righteous Alliance's protective boundaries, so nothing was triggered.

At this moment, Yuan was leaving the very message Xu Xing had just heard.

But suddenly, Yuan as if sensing him, spun around sharply, his purple eyes locking directly onto him.

Yet soon he smiled again.

"I knew you'd come straight here to look—you all do this."

"Tsk!"

"Sometimes you really are a pain—can't you just respect someone's privacy?" Yuan grumbled.

Though spoken to him, this was likely a complaint aimed at a specific person.

Xu Xing's eyes showed a flicker of pity.

Poor kid—he's clearly been psychologically scarred by Huo.

"Enough nonsense!" Yuan's smile vanished. "If you're hearing this message, it means I'm no longer in the Xuan Realm."

As expected.

Then Yuan paused for a moment before continuing.

"I've heard of the things you've done, and I understand what you aim to accomplish."

"So I wonder whether you're satisfied with the current state of the Central Continent when you hear this message."

"Sigh~" Yuan let out a long breath, though Xu Xing felt he was clearly showing off. "Even if I'm not satisfied, there's nothing I can do—I've reached my limit already."

"Come to think of it, I owe this much to how ruthlessly you killed back then."

Ripples spread across the space before him—likely the final touches.

"There—"

"That's all the message contains. Handle the things hidden inside."

"I'll probably leave more later."

"You should be able to find them."

Here, Yuan fell silent for a long while. "Finally—"

"If you're a friend of the Alliance and cracked my technique, I hope you'll help deliver this message to the Xiang Jianzong."

Thus ended the message.

Out of caution, the message contained little.

In Xu Xing's view, Yuan rose from the workbench after completing everything.

"I originally wanted to appear more profound…" he muttered as he walked away. "Nah, that's not me."

The next instant, all images shattered and vanished; Xu Xing's perspective returned to the present.

Ripples once again surfaced in the void; several vivid red objects fell from them, hovering silently before Xu Xing.

They were a single red jade shaped like a teardrop, bright and vivid, saturated in hue, and nine droplets of blood, trembling gently, radiating powerful life force. "So this was made by him."

Ignoring the nine droplets of blood, Xu Xing gestured and drew the red jade toward him.

It felt warm and smooth to the touch; by drawing out the life force of the Cang blood within, it could replenish magic power and enhance comprehension.

Compared to the two held by the Zhang siblings, this one's crafting was still crude—it was the original version; cultivators with lower realms who wore it long-term risked being influenced by the Cang blood within.

As for the nine droplets of blood, they came from a deceased powerful Cang, the same kind Xiao Fan had consumed back in Xuan Sword City.

It is also raw material for making Red Jade.

"The crafting technique could be worth borrowing."

The kind of Red Jade Yuan ultimately made is still quite excellent for cultivating the younger generation.

He planned to improve the crafting technique and produce a few similar ones, then give them as small gifts to any young disciples he encountered in the future.

With a light gesture, nine drops of blood trembled slightly—the lingering will within them tried to resist, but as a slender blade of light flashed, that lingering will was instantly obliterated.

Soon, the nine pure drops of Cang blood were also collected by Xu Xing.

…………

Above the hall, Xiang Yuanjun was still listening to Jiang Yuqi as she explained how Yuan had once persuaded the various Zhengdaoda Sects.

"Apologies for keeping you waiting."

As the voice came, Xu Xing's figure seemed to step forth from illusion, appearing at her side.

Yet in the perception of others, Xu Xing had been beside her all along.

"It was nothing," said Xiang Yuanjun. "Did you find anything below, Elder Brother?"

Because of Xu Xing's presence, she could not discern what had just transpired below.

"Yuan left behind a few things and some words."

Saying this, Xu Xing took out the Red Jade.

"This… is Cang blood," she said, effortlessly seeing through its essence. "The technique is excellent, the conception clever—but there are still many areas for improvement."

After offering her critique, she asked: "What did the message say?"

"Yuan said he is no longer in the Xuan Realm, and asked me whether I am satisfied with the current Central Continent," Xu Xing said without concealment. "An interesting man—pity I never got to meet him."

Xiang Yuanjun pressed her thin lips together.

Sure enough, Yuan's message was meant specifically for Elder Brother.

Yet during the time Yuan appeared and vanished, Elder Brother was in seclusion—why did Yuan do this? And Elder Brother seems to have anticipated this very thing.

There can be only one possibility—

Xiang Yuanjun paused, then said: "Since the purpose of this journey has been achieved, will Elder Brother be leaving now?"

Elder Brother has always been direct and decisive.

"Not yet. Yuan mentioned in his message that he will likely leave behind more things."

Xu Xing looked at the Red Jade in his hand—this was what Yuan had left. Following the connection, finding his other remaining items would not be difficult.

And also, Yuan's final words from eighty-three years ago.

If anyone in the Alliance cracked the mechanism he left behind, he hoped they would bring the message to the Xiang Jianzong.

This proves that, at the time, he deeply trusted the Zhengdaoda Alliance he had founded.

At the very least, he trusted those capable of cracking his methods.

But now…

Is this Zhengdaoda Alliance still the one he believed in?

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(End of chapter)