Journey of the Fate Destroying Emperor

Chapter 1940: The Truth (III)

"Emperor Gu, the All-Knowing," Three Virtue replied. "However, he likes to call himself the [Destined Omniscient]."

"All-Knowing? Does he practice the Dao of Heaven?"

"It's either that or Divination; I'm not sure."

"You don't even know his Dao?" Emperor Sui frowned.

"What do you want from me? I'm not close with him."

"Isn't he your master?" Five Qi asked.

"No. After the competition, he said none of us met his requirements. However, he was willing to give us an opportunity of sanctification if we did something for him."

"That item you retrieved? What exactly was it?"

"I don't know."

Emperor Suit squinted.

"I'm telling the truth. My memory of the item itself was memorized. However, I was able to deduce that it was one missing part of a larger whole."

"How so?"

"As I said, this was not the first time that competition was held," Three Virtue explained. "More importantly, the requirements are always the same: no Saints allowed, and it has to be individual with great talents, deep foundations, and immense luck.

"Before I signed up, I did some research, and before I accepted his offer, I also searched for rumors and basic information about him. Everything he did was legit; even the Saint opportunity had predecessors to back his capabilities.

"So, after I checked everything and also learned of the danger, I asked him if I could bring a partner, and the rest is history."

Emperor Sui frowned, analyzing this information.

"As I've told you, there is no evidence that he's responsible for this."

"So, you really think it's a coincidence that not long after you sanctified, an unknown force descended on our timeline and began to destroy it?" Emperor Sui asked coldly.

"The world is vast, and there are plenty of coincidences."

"But I don't believe in coincidences," Emperor Sui said. "Now, let's go to that hub to investigate Emperor Gu."

"It's not that simple," Three Virtue Saint shook his head. "The only way to access the hub is by finding one of the entrances or being invited by someone who is already a member."

"Aren't you a member?"

"You're dreaming if you think I'll sponsor you."

"Then, let's prepare for war."

"Emperor Gu, the All-Knowing," Wu Hong muttered. "What a boastful title. I hope you're worthy of it."

The memory changed to another white room with minimal decoration. The Three Virtue Saint and the Five Qi Harmony Saint waited for a few seconds until Emperor Sui walked in.

"Fellow Daoist, have you verified the information? Can we proceed now?"

Emperor Sui did not answer. Instead, he turned to Three Virtue, his face full of contempt: "I've always been puzzled by how you were able to create such a perfect system in such a short period. Now, I understand: you just took another civilization's technique and passed it as your own."

"So what?" Three Virtue replied, with his fist secretly clenched under his robe. "For all eternity, I will forever be the Dao Ancestor of the Qi Path in our timeline."

"A fake will always be a fake," Emperor Sui sneered. "And so what if you're the Ancestor? The rise of the Emperor Path is the trend of Heaven and Earth."

"The trend?" Three Virtue sneered. "I already defied fate once, and I can do it again. The Qi Path will prosper and reign supreme."

"We'll see about that."

Five Qi sighed deeply, feeling exhausted from dealing with these two. The memory changed again, and this time, everybody was in this well-decorated room with beautiful art on the wall, expensive furniture, and well-crafted vases; the entire thing screamed luxury.

"How much did you say it will cost? Please, repeat that for me again," Emperor Sui asked, looking at the elegant scholar in front of him dressed in a deep blue robe.

"Yes, did you make a mistake?" Three Virtue asked.

"I'm sorry, but that is the price for the information you requested," the scholar calmly replied.

"I could spend billions of yuan epochs working every day, and I still wouldn't be able to afford it," Emperor Sui said, his voice slightly raised. "You have to be joking with me."

"You are asking for detailed information from a Second-Step Being — and not just a regular one, but someone so close to the Third Step, he might have been considered one. Truthfully, the price I offered you is quite generous."

"What if we wanted basic information only?" Five Qi asked.

"In that case, this is the price," the scholar replied, handing them a talisman, but after seeing the content, everybody's face paled.

"Thank you for your help. We're sorry for wasting your time," Emperor Sui said.

"No, no, it was my pleasure."

The three walked out of the room quietly.

"What now?" Three Virtue asked.

"We must think of an —" Emperor Sui raised his guard as a man dressed in all black with his face covered suddenly appeared in front of him. He never sensed his presence, meaning that if it was an assassination, he might be seriously injured or worse, die.

"Who are you?" Everybody was tense, but luckily, they remembered the hub had strict rules about attacking others — rules that even someone such as Emperor Gu cannot violate.

"My master wants to see you."

"Whose your master?"

"You only need to know you share similar interests with the same person."

The three turned to each other, and after a quick communication, they decided to follow. Right now, their safety was guaranteed, which also meant they would lose all advantages if they were attacked or approached after leaving the hub. The shadow soon led everybody to this small garden where they saw a woman carefully watering a plant.

She did not wear hanfu, but tight martial clothes that perfectly accentuated her hourglass shape. Although they couldn't see the woman's face, the three knew she would be beautiful — heavenly so.

"Master," the shadow bowed, and Lady Ai waved her hand to dismiss him. After fulfilling her watering duty, Lady Ai slowly turned around, and it took all the restraint of those two not to react. Half of her face was indeed beautiful, but the other half was badly disfigured — mutilated even.

"Oh, sorry about that. I usually hide it with an illusion, but I'm home, so I like to be in my natural state."

Emperor Sui was the first to bow. "The name is Emperor Sui. It's an honor to meet you — no matter what state." He could tell how horrifying this woman's power was. More importantly, he sensed the Saint Will on her face that prevented her from regenerating—it was terrifying, too.

"What a charmer," Lady Ai smiled, but then she frowned. "Your name is too close to that bastard Gu Chang'an. Do you have another one?"

"Sui Zhi is fine."

Lady Ai nodded. "A fine name. Now, can you tell me your relationship with Gu Chang'an?"

"It's like this," Emperor Sui stated before explaining everything that had occurred, not hiding a single thing, including the appearance of the Red Cloud.

"Did he already acquire the last piece? Damn it, I thought I had more time," Lady Ai uttered. "Show me your memory of this Red Cloud."

Sui Zhi did not hesitate; he pointed at his brow to project his experience with the Red Cloud. He showed how he faced it the moment it arrived; how he tried to eliminate it and failed; and finally, how he was forced to use a temporary array to stop its advance.

"Is he sacrificing the timeline to refine the artifact?" Lady Ai uttered. "No, if that were the case, the process would have been instant. No, this is more like a last resort. So, did something go wrong during the refinement process? Is this an attempt at saving his life?"

"So, he is responsible for what's happening?"

"The moment these two used the [Tree of Omniscience] to sanctify, they had become his pawn."

"What do you mean by that?" Three Virtue immediately asked.

"For the rest of your life, all your knowledge, experience, and memories will feed back to the tree for its growth," Lady Ai calmly explained.

Three Virtue and Five Qi's complexion paled. Meanwhile, Emperor Sui was not surprised by this news; he understood there is always a price to pay for taking shortcuts, especially when it comes to something as important as sanctification.

"But why us?" Emperor Sui asked with gritted teeth. "He has other pawns; why our timeline? Could it be that we were just unlucky?"

"It's probably not a coincidence," Lady Ai muttered. Her eyes suddenly lit up, and in a moment, she reviewed the entire history of their timeline. "So, that's how it is."

Emperor Sui waited respectfully for her to explain.

"It's because of him."

"Me?"

"You successfully defied fate and prolonged the Qi Path, but as a result, Grand Dao no longer cares that much about your timeline," Lady Ai explained. "Gu Chang'an used it because the consequences of destroying it are much weaker."

"Do you think he was behind the revival of the Qi Path? Was he secretly manipulating things from the shadows?" Emperor Sui asked.

"I am no one's pawn," Three Virtue said with gritted teeth.

"I don't know; he could be, or it could be a coincidence."