Journey of the Fate Destroying Emperor

Chapter 1941: The Truth (Finale)

"Lady Ai, can I ask about your relationship with, well, you know," Sui Zhi asked.

"You can say his name in my presence," Lady Ai said. She gently caressed her destroyed face. "And what do you think our relationship is?"

"My apologies. I didn't mean to bring out your painful past."

"It's fine," Lady Ai casually said before switching the topic. "There is a high chance that bastard Gu Chang'an was injured while refining that artifact, meaning this is my only opportunity."

"What exactly is that artifact?" Three Virtue asked.

"His only chance at reaching the Third Step," Lady Ai calmly stated.

"We can't allow that," Five Qi immediately said.

"That's right, which means we must act as quickly as possible."

"But can we be of any use?" Sui Zhi asked.

"No," Lady Ai shook her head; these three were too weak. "Well, maybe you could provide some assistance."

"Please, tell us how to be helpful."

"The Red Cloud," Lady Ai said. "If I'm correct, he is using your timeline to heal his injuries. Your task is to stop its expansion at all costs."

"No problem," Sui Zhi immediately said. Even without her asking, he was already planning to deal with the Red Cloud.

"Excellent. Then, let's move."

"Wait, Lady Ai, one more thing," Three Virtue Saint said. "Is there any way you could help with our situation?" Three Virtue kept his eyes on Emperor Sui out of the corner of his eye, waiting to intervene in case the latter said something. However, Sui Zhi calmly watched everything, not uttering a word.

"I can put a seal in your body to block the information transmission and also stop that bastard from taking over your body. However, that is only a stopgap measure," Lady Ai explained. "I'm still way weaker than him, so unless you eliminate him or find someone more powerful, you'll remain his vessel."

"We appreciate your help," Five Qi bowed.

"Before I do, I feel I should warn you," Lady Ai calmly stated. "It's already virtually impossible for you to improve your foundation. But once I put the seal, it will be impossible."

"What? How can this be?" Three Virtue asked.

"Another Saint's power already contaminates your [Existence], and now, I'll add a second source."

Three Virtue clenched his fists. "Is there really no other way?"

"Maybe there is, but it's beyond my capabilities or knowledge."

"Heaven and Earth have always been about cause and effect," Five Qi said. "And this is the price for our actions. Thank you, Lady Ai, for the warning. I still want the seal."

"It's up to you." With a flicker of her hand, a purple chain entered Five Qi's body. "What about you?"

Three Virtue didn't answer.

"I don't have all day. If it's unacceptable to you, then don't do it. Anyway, the world is full of endless possibilities. Maybe you could find a solution."

"No, I'll accept it," Three Virtue said after taking a deep breath. "I appreciate the help."

Lady Ai did not hesitate. After leaving for a few hours to prepare, the four returned to the Myriad Vitality All-Heaven, which had not yet acquired that name. About 1% of the timeline was occupied by the Red Cloud, and Lady Ai did not hesitate to attack the central area. Meanwhile, the three Saints allied to block the Red Cloud.

Wu Hong calmly watched the memory change once again. Emperor Sui — who now had a scar on his left eye and had a slaughter aura emanating from his body — sat cross-legged, deep in cultivation. He suddenly opened his eyes and looked into the distance: "Come in."

The other two Saints teleported into the room, and they were also different. Three Virtue was missing his entire right eye, and Five Qi's right and left arms were made of an unknown metal.

"What is it?"

The two did not immediately answer until Five Qi decided to be direct: "We planned to attack the core of the Red Cloud, and we want you to go with us."

"I'm not interested."

"Why not?"

"We just need to wait for Lady Ai."

"It's been more than 10,000 Yuan Epoch."

"Which is not a long time for us."

"I know you're not stupid," Three Virtue added. "Haven't you realized she's gone? Everything was a ploy to lure her in?"

"You don't know that for sure," Emperor Sui snapped.

"Then, why hasn't she contacted us even once? What about the visions of a Saint falling?"

"It could just be his ploy to weaken our morale."

"You don't really believe that, do you?"

"Tell me, if she's really gone, why hasn't he directly attacked us? Why hasn't he instantly conquered our timeline? We know he has the strength," Emperor Sui argued.

"...I can't believe it: you're afraid."

"What did you say?" Emperor Sui suddenly released a terrifying aura, which immediately made the other two unable to breathe. Over the years, while their strength hadn't improved much, Emperor Sui successfully condensed his 11th pillar.

Gritting his teeth, Three Virtue looked at his scar and continued: "Ever since you came from the border area of the core area, you've been acting like a coward. The prideful, arrogant, and confident Emperor Sui was gone, turned into a scared little bitch who can only wait for others to save him."

"You!" Emperor Sui suddenly appeared in front of him and raised him by the throat with one hand. "Say that again."

"W-W-What's… the …point of taking…it out…on me? Coward…Why don't…you fight…the real…enemy?"

Emperor Sui's eyes turned red, and he looked like he was about to snap.

"Fellow Daoist, you need to calm down." Five Qi's voice seemed to contain a soothing power that embodied the harmony of all things. Emperor Sui exhaled deeply before letting go; he walked back to his cushion, sat down, and conjured a pot of tea that he slowly drank.

"We are running out of time," Five Qi Saint continued.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Lady Ai's seal is failing."

Emperor Sui squinted. "Are you serious?"

"Its power has been decreasing for a while now, but recently, we've sensed a calling from 'Him.' His power seemed to be fighting the seal, and it won't be long before he wins," Five Qi Saint sighed. "We cannot wait for that to happen, so before we lose ourselves, we plan to try one desperate attempt.

"With your help, we'll have a much higher chance of success."

Emperor Sui frowned for a few minutes. "Let me think about it."

"That's fine, but please don't take too long."

The memory ended, and Wu Hong followed along to witness the last piece. Emperor Sui stood in front of the red Dao tablet and muttered softly: "Today, I will fight my way into the Red Cloud Core to find a ray of light for this world. I don't know if I will return, but in case I don't, I'll leave these pieces of memories. I don't trust Three Virtue.

"His obsession with the Qi Paragon Path has not abated despite the terrible condition of our world, and my gut feeling tells me he's planning something, and he wants me out of the way.

"I've tried to find his plan, but to no avail. However, divination has revealed that this is one of the best things I can do to stop him. My descendants, protect these memories until the right moment."

"The right moment?" Wu Hong muttered. "The Qi Path has already dominated; I'm pretty sure the right moment has passed."

"Maybe not."

"Hmm?" Wu Hong turned to the source of the voice. "You're alive?"

"I don't know. This is just a memory fragment."

Wu Hong nodded. Even in the Great Emperor Realm, memory is a fundamental aspect of a cultivator's [Existence], which means it can be manipulated.

"What did you mean by that?"

"Three Virtue had a great plan for the Qi Luck of the Qi Path; he probably planned to use the destiny of an entire timeline to sanctify it, but I stopped him. Later, before we left, I suspect he was trying to use it for another grand ambition, but I wasn't able to confirm it."

"Grand ambition, you say?" Wu Hong uttered. "Do you think he wants to use it to remove his status as a Vessel?"

"That's one possibility."

"However, even if this world were intact and he had the destiny of the entire timeline, it probably wouldn't have worked. According to my predictions, the gap between the First and Second Step is too vast."

"Even I don't know if it would have worked," Emperor Sui shook his head. "However, knowing him, he would also be satisfied with replacing Lady Ai's seal with one of his own."

"That's a more feasible approach," Wu Hong nodded. "And you believe he's still alive and will still enact his plan?"

"Ever since my real self disappeared, no Saint Tier Destructo Race has ever appeared. I believe this is our achievement, so yes, there is a high chance that one or all three of them are alive."

"I see."