Chapter 605: Before and After

Sensing the aura returning to Mountain Qingyuan, Fang Chunyang asked, "Captain, aren't we going to meet the Void Emperor?"

"No," Li Pin replied calmly. "I've told you, all we need to do is wait patiently."

"Wait patiently... this should be his last return to Xiaya City in human form. The next time he comes back, he will no longer be Baili Qingfeng, but the Void Emperor."

Fang Chunyang paused briefly before continuing, "A being who has grown weary of playing games, choosing instead to reveal to the world what true invincibility looks like. An unparalleled and unmatched, Transcendent existence."

"I've been waiting for this moment. The Void Emperor..." muttered Li Pin.

Fang Chunyang felt a sense of helplessness as he watched Li Pin remain utterly indifferent.

Our captain, the first person in history to make contact with Baili Qingfeng without suffering any harm. Even with such an advantage, he still made no move to seize it.

Instead, he simply watched from the sidelines, letting events unfold. Baili Qingfeng, who could have still been influenced in his human form, would soon be gone, leaving behind only the Void Emperor, a being driven by absolute reason, bent on creating a perfect world.

Fang Chunyang no longer knew what to make of his captain.

"I see no hope of breaking this divine treasure world in this cycle," Li Pin said after a brief pause. "At least, that's how I see it."

"But... it feels like we've done nothing," Fang Chunyang said.

"That's just your perception," Li Pin replied. "I've already done everything necessary."

He continued, "In fact, to break this world, I even suppressed the urge to force Baili Qingfeng's hand. I told him that if things reached a true crisis, he could come to me for help."

Li Pin glanced at Fang Chunyang and then at Xu Anping, who looked equally resigned. "Now, it's up to him. If, in the end, he insists on bearing all the burdens himself, then no matter what we do, it will be meaningless."

"Bear all the burdens?" Xu Anping mused with a touch of emotion. "To be honest, I can't quite comprehend the actions of the Void Emperor's human form. It doesn't seem like he's trying to unify the Celestial Barren Domain, nor does it make sense to say he's acting for the sake of justice.

"Throughout the entire cycle, aside from a handful of True Gods and Ancient Gods, he's the one who has killed the most. Yet, to call him evil... he has genuinely dedicated himself to the Celestial Barren Domain, working tirelessly for its sake."

Xu Anping shook his head again. "I don't get it, not at all."

Li Pin said, "The intelligence department claims that Baili Qingfeng has always aimed to rule the Three Domains. But after following me, you've all had the chance to see what kind of person he really is. Do you think that's true?"

"I can't speak for the future Void Emperor, but the Baili Qingfeng we know doesn't seem to have that ambition," Fang Chunyang said firmly.

Yet after saying that, he hesitated. "But, like Xu Anping said, I can't understand him either. What is he trying to achieve? Why is he doing this?"

"Why?" Li Pin said slowly. "Maybe... he's just an incredibly simple person, someone who truly believes the world is either black or white. As long as he works hard, never betrays the world or the trust placed in him, and gives everything for peace, he thinks he can rid the world of darkness and evil."

His words left Fang Chunyang, Xu Anping, Lie Qingqing, and the others silent.

They had considered this possibility before but found it hard to believe.

"Does someone like that really exist? If this isn't just a game, can anyone truly hold on to such an unrealistic belief?"

"Is a life like that interesting?"

"Perhaps there's some background we don't know? Or maybe Baili Qingfeng's actions are driven by some kind of motive of cultivation? Or perhaps he set this rule for himself?"

They all dismissed these possibilities.

Li Pin didn't respond, instead keeping his gaze in the direction where Baili Qingfeng was.

Seeing this, they stopped their instinctive denials. The reason they had rejected it so quickly... was because if it were true, Baili Qingfeng's shining human qualities and pure goodness would have blinded them.

They couldn't believe someone could be so simple and selfless. His purity and kindness made them feel like hideous monsters in the darkness, so repulsive in comparison.

To the point where... they even had the impulse to tarnish that purity, drag him into the mud, and make him as filthy as they were.

After a long pause, Lie Qingqing looked up at Li Pin. "Captain, Baili Qingfeng is the Void Emperor. Backthen, he committed many heinous acts to lay the foundation to be the Void True God.

"I won't deny his contributions to the peace of the Twin Moon and Celestial Barren Domains by defeating the Four Great Ancient Gods, but that doesn't mean much. After all, the Four Great Ancient Gods and he were rivals from the start..."

"I know." Li Pin nodded. "I know it's hard to believe someone like that exists."

He continued, "It's like a perfectly refined, beautiful young lady. Children look at her and think she's beautiful and adore her. But what about adults? What thoughts come to mind? And those with power and influence? What kind of fate would await her in front of them?"

Fang Chunyang, Xu Anping, and the others felt a suffocating unease just from considering Li Pin's analogy from their perspective.

Was this... bias?

Have we, out of our preconceived notions, believed that Baili Qingfeng was merely a human form of the Void Emperor and naturally harbored ill will toward him?

To put it nicely, they were interpreting their opponent with utmost suspicion, out of caution.

To put it bluntly, they only wanted to believe what they saw and took it as truth, without ever truly trying to understand Baili Qingfeng.

Li Pin sighed and fell silent. "The world kissed me with pain, yet I repay it with a song."[1]

The innate True Spirit talent... was a cosmic miracle far more refined and enchanting than that perfect girl.

Xu Shi'an, Fang Chunyang, Lie Qingqing, and the others exchanged glances.

So, this was the conclusion Captain had reached during this time?

They couldn't fully agree with this view, but if their captain was right... then the world, and even the entire universe, were the greatest tragedies of Baili Qingfeng's life.

Yes, the world, the universe, were the greatest tragedies of his life.

In that moment, Fang Chunyang suddenly recalled something. "The Void Emperor!"

Xu Shi'an immediately understood his shock. "So, did the Void Emperor transform into Baili Qingfeng's human form, or... did Baili Qingfeng eventually evolve into the Void Emperor!?"

Most people would naturally lean toward the first possibility. After all, ninety-nine percent of the pioneers believed that for the Void Emperor, Baili Qingfeng was just a fleeting amusement in his long life, a blend of greatness and banality. But if it was the latter...

Baili Qingfeng had become the Void Emperor!?

The mere thought of it pressed heavily on their chests, suffocating them. And yet, a voice in their minds kept repeating: this was the truth. That Baili Qingfeng would eventually become the Void Emperor, not the other way around.

"How could this be!?" Lie Qingqing was stunned. "So Baili Qingfeng existed before the Void Emperor, not the other way around?

"This doesn't make sense! How could he have grown this powerful in his mortal years if he wasn't the human incarnation of the Void Emperor?

"And what about Li Wuzhi from the Blue Planet? Wasn't he another human form of the Void Emperor before Baili Qingfeng?"

"So, we need to observe. Watch carefully," Li Pin said calmly. "It won't be long. Soon, we'll know the truth."

Hearing Li Pin's words, Lie Qingqing, Xu Anping, Fang Chunyang, and Fang Zhiqian gasped for breath, as if they had just been rescued from drowning.

Did the Void Emperor come before Baili Qingfeng? Or was it the other way around? Who was right, and who was wrong?

They all understood that if they were wrong, this revelation would shake the entire Void Divine Treasury Hall, the Cosmic Radiance Astral Gods, and even the Supreme Council's understanding of the Void Emperor.

In that case, this information alone would hold value equal to a piece of Cosmic Radiance Divine Weapon.

***

Baili Qingfeng arrived but soon seemed in a rush to leave again, taking Shi Yiyi with him.

Li Pin stood quietly in front of the courtyard, watching everything unfold. He said nothing, even though he knew this was likely his last time seeing "Baili Qingfeng" in the Celestial Barren Domain.

As Baili Qingfeng hurried to leave, he saw Li Pin and wanted to say something, but he couldn't find the words. In the end, he just smiled at Li Pin.

It felt like the casual greeting between two people who aren't close but share the same roof, two neighbors crossing paths briefly, exchanging a smile as a simple acknowledgment.

After that, Baili Qingfeng quickly left with Shi Yiyi.

Li Pin remained standing, watching them go, not moving for a long time.

"Human potential knows no bounds," Li Pin said softly. "Don't you think Baili Qingfeng is like a perpetual motion machine? Always moving, never stopping?"

His question was directed at the other team members, but before they could respond, he continued, "But he's not a machine. His physical potential may be limitless, allowing him to keep moving without rest. Yet, his mind... doesn't share the same boundless potential."

The team members didn't speak, but there was a trace of sadness in their eyes as they looked in the direction Baili Qingfeng had gone.

"Let's go. We should wait at the Twin Moon Domain," Li Pin said. "The grand play is about to begin."

1. This phrase embodies the idea of maintaining a hopeful and resilient spirit even when faced with life's difficulties. ☜