Journey of the Fate Destroying Emperor

Chapter 1897: The Final Battle IV: First Clash

Wang Wei glanced at the True Saint broadsword and summoned five rings on his right hand. When he ransacked the holy, only a few pieces remained, which made sense, since most True Saint Artifacts must be refined by the individual and on command. As such, there were many raw materials and very few finished products. Wang Wei knew the Tribunal Lords would want these artifacts, so he took only one — a fact he now regrets, given that all of them are dead.

Death Reverence did not immediately go on the offensive. Instead, he clasped his hands together and uttered a short prayer: "Lord, forgive me for I'm about to sin. I do not wish to harm your chosen vessel, but this is the only way to do your bidding. I'm willing to be punished once everything is over."

Wang Wei calmly gazed at him, deep in thought, "I don't know how I feel seeing such a powerful and capable individual showing such worship or fervor toward another." A thought suddenly popped into his head: he wanted to free this man from his servitude; he wanted to return his free will, to rid him of his eternal servitude to the Beyonder.

Death Reverence refocused on his opponent and immediately frowned, "Your eyes disgust me for some reason." Without waiting for another moment, he teleported above the mountain, directly in front of Wang Wei, and slashed his sword.

Wang Wei was slightly surprised, and not because of the latter's speed or strength. He had figured that, given who Death Reverence's master was, his fighting style would be more mage-like or spellcasting, rather than fighting like a knight or warrior. However, this was a minor issue that he swiftly adapted to, surrounding his fist with a protective aura before clashing with the broadsword.

"As expected, a 12-pillar foundation," Wang Wei sighed to himself. Death Reverence's ascension came after the Ultimate Taboo, implying he had used a crooked method. But based on the strength revealed, this was either a ruse and he used a normal method, or he found a way to improve his foundation afterward. Wang Wei thinks it's the former.

Death Reverence slashed a few more times, and by the fourth attack, Wang Wei's protective aura had decayed, forcing him to evade rather than clash directly. Death Reverence pressed forward, but Wang Wei distanced himself before blasting his opponent with a concentrated ball of death energy; he wanted to test his power of decay against his opponent.

However, what happened next made him squint. Death Reverence didn't block or evade the attack, letting the black ball strike his body as he continued his domineering offense. This was odd. If Wang Wei were still a Paragon, it would make sense for him to ignore such an attack, but now it seems stupid — until the death ball reaches its target and nothing happens.

Swish!

Wang Wei evaded the sword, and his body instinctively kicked Death Reverence's stomach, who raised his knee to block the foot.

"One of the worst-case scenarios has occurred: he is immune to all my Death Attacks," Wang Wei thought. His attention was immediately diverted to his foot as the part that touched Death Reverence was instantly decayed. With a thought, Wang Wei's decay injury rewinds in time, returning to a perfect state. He also activated one of the effects of his five rings: defensive boost.

The effect of his True Saint Artifact was basic, but it had to do for now. And with an additional set of protection, Wang Wei had no problem clashing with his opponent. Death Reverence knew Wang Wei well, but the same cannot be said for him; therefore, the first step in winning this battle is to gather as much information as possible.

Wang Wei's fist and Death Reverence's bone sword clashed, but at the moment of impact, a shriek echoed from the sword, sending a terrifying shock through Wang Wei's mind. His body paused slightly, and only because he had previously activated the ring; otherwise, he would have frozen for a good minute.

No decent cultivators would waste such an opportunity, let alone someone of Death Reverence's caliber who engineered everything. A black cage suddenly surrounded Wang Wei, trying to capture him. However, for some reason, the cage couldn't reach him no matter what.

"A passive space-time domain?" Death Reverence frowned. While the distance between the cage and Wang Wei was only a few feet, it was apparent only to the naked eye. In truth, endless dimensions and, more importantly, countless years separated the two; in other words, the cage not only needed to travel an endless distance to reach its target, but also to travel through time.

"Even time will one day end, meaning it also cannot escape death," Death Reverence sneered before slashing his weapon, cutting through the space-time domain. However, this brief reprieve was enough for Wang Wei to regain his composure, and the first thing he did was activate two rings: the power-boosting ring and the speed-boosting ring.

"Is this [Death] truly eternal? What happens after all life is gone? After the universe dies, and there is no time, no space, and nothing at all? What purpose will death serve?" Wang Wei chanted as he distanced himself from the attack, then used one of his own. And as soon as his words ended, his spell or technique was activated.

Another domain manifested, but this time, it targeted or surrounded Death Reverence. And in this domain, death did not exist because it had served its purpose; without life, without a universe, without any concepts to sustain it, death had accomplished its purpose and most disappeared.

Death Reverence frowned as he sensed his power rapidly vanishing; he had to admit, this was a brilliant technique. However, he swiftly found a counter: he was life, and as long as life exists, death is permanent. With one wave of his hand, the domain crumbled.

"So, you admit you're a living creature?" Wang Wei smiled. "Good. You may rule over the domain of death, but I am the Master of Life." A colossal phantom of a man with red skin, a long, pointy beard, and elongated earlobes, dressed in ancient court official robes and hats, manifested behind Wang Wei. Holding the Book of Life and a mighty brush, King Yama wrote the characters for [Guilty].

Death Reverence scoffed, "You want to test the limit of my powers? But I have nothing to hide. Life and Death are intertwined, and I rule over both." He ignored the flying guilty character attacking him and waved his sword — which suddenly turned into a bone whip — and struck Wang Wei faster than he could react, sending him flying.

Wang Wei's momentum only stopped after he had reached the sun and crashed into the core. However, this was the perfect opportunity. Using the environment, he created a True Samadhi Flame and fused it with his body. Then he transformed into a Golden Crow and flew back to the world, heading straight for Death Reverence.

He did not believe the latter's [Death Power] was absolute. There is no absolute in this world. So, whether out of pride, a desire to improve, or a desire to gather more information, Wang Wei was dedicated to breaking through Death Reverence's power.

Death Reverence immediately felt uncomfortable as the flame's light reached him. Buddhists pursue Nirvana, escaping the cycle of reincarnation and achieving freedom of the mind and soul. And this flame was the true embodiment of this concept.

"This battle has just begun, and you already annoyed me," Death Reverence grunted as he flashed his sword to clash with Wang Wei's Crow Form. An explosion separated the two, even forcing Wang Wei to return to his human form. Blood trickled from his nose and mouth due to internal injuries, but he wasn't alone; Death Reverence was bleeding from a broken arm.

At the Saint Level, there is no need to use True Will, since their willpower — in all its forms — has already fused with their essence. As such, every injury is serious; this also makes rapid healing techniques even more valuable. And in this regard, Wang Wei was at a severe disadvantage. As a false Saint, he did not have many techniques of this caliber.

He had updated many of these techniques in preparation for this battle, but he did not have many Saint Arts, which was different. Saint Arts and Saint Techniques were different. Saint Arts represented the pinnacle of a Saint technique, the full mastery of their powers, and the application of the hidden rules. Saints have countless techniques, but only a few Saint Arts, and most cannot say they have a Healing Saint Art — let alone Wang Wei.

[AN: I'm aware that I'm retconning information I've previously revealed about Saint Arts. But I'm still figuring out some of the aspects of the Saint Realm]

The good news is he had something else: his healing-boosting ring. With his power, he dared to challenge a Saint such as Death Reverence; no, not just challenge — he dared to try to kill him.

"So, the Buddhist's concept of nirvana is useful against you," Wang Wei commented. "Good, good, good. I know there is no absolute power in the universe — even your so-called Lord."