Journey of the Fate Destroying Emperor

Chapter 1980: Central Court: Immigration Department

Emperor Sui sat cross-legged in the void, surrounded by this infinite cluster of gray matter. His presence seemed to be suppressing the void, preventing a chaotic power from entering. The previous spears embedded in his body remained, along with the hole in his chest, but his expression was rosier than before.

He opened his eyes. "You're finally back."

"I am," Wu Hong said, nodding. "How is the situation?"

"Everything has been set up, and the timeline can operate at a basic level, except for the outer spatial membrane," Emperor Sui replied. "Space and Time Dao is not really my specialty, and without the others' help, I'm at my wit's end. Luckily, that little Qilin is giving me some help."

Wu Hong nodded. "How is the situation in the court? Any casualties?"

"The war casualties were only at a lower level. However, after I separated the timeline, the worlds near the edge were swallowed by the chaotic temporospatial energy from the Boundless Realm. I couldn't save them in time."

Wu Hong sighed. "It's sad, but it couldn't be helped." Did a few trillion or more people—including mortals and cultivators—die in that incident? Yes. But in the cultivation world, this is the norm. Without strength, death is always lurking in the corner.

"What about Gu Chang'an?"

"I'm here, aren't I? What do you think that meant for him?"

Emperor Sui nodded. "What about the other two?"

"Dead."

Emperor Sui wasn't too surprised. The moment these two chose a shortcut for their Saint Path, their fate was set. Still, after so many years as allies and enemies, a tinge of sadness flashed in his heart at the news.

"Three Virtue was obsessed with his legacy. Maybe you can spare his holy land."

"That will be up to you."

"You're leaving?"

"I've accomplished everything I came here to do; there is nothing left for me here."

"Do you have to leave now? The world still needs your presence to settle a bit."

"I still need to heal, so I won't leave immediately."

"That's good."

Wu Hong helped Emperor Sui stabilize the spatial border of the timeline before returning to the court to heal. With the merit she had saved and Lady Ai's assistance, the process took only 32 yuan epochs, and Wu Hong returned to her peak shape. Afterward, she spent the next ten yuan epochs finishing the last preparations needed before leaving.

Wu Hong helped completely stabilize the hidden rules, build a new world/timeline boundary, rebuild the merit system, reinstate the full function of the Six Grand Constructs, and finally, reinstate Grand Dao's presence. The last one was a bit challenging since Wu Hong wanted to continue using Grand Dao as a pseudo-artifact spirit for the Heavenly Court.

Her first idea was to divide her Grand Dao remnants: one part would leave with her, and the other would grow and become the controller of the Myriad Vitality All Heaven. However, with Lady Ai's reminder, Wu Hong had a better plan: she summoned the main Grand Dao from the Primordial Timeline and had it set up a new branch.

This method was much better, as it also solved all the other issues this timeline was facing. The truth of the Myriad Vitality Timeline was just a broken vase badly put together. Still, with this new branch, a higher power was in charge of fixing the cracks or putting things together much better than Wu Hong or Emperor Su could.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with me?" Wu Hong asked. "With the current state of this timeline, it will be a while before higher stages of cultivation can be reached."

"I'm sure," Emperor Sui replied. "Plus, repairing this timeline is a part of my cultivation."

Wu Hong sighed. "What a shame." Wu Hong didn't care about Emperor Sui. After spending years fighting and being influenced by the power of a Tribunal Lord, he'll need an extremely long period of recovery to prevent his potential from being affected.

What Wu Hong truly valued was Elder Wong. About 40% of this world's best talent accepted the offer to return to the Primordial Timeline with her, including Han Guo, the Holy Lord—whose name is Yang Li– and the Battle Peak Master (Cao Kai). The Origin Seal Continent always lacked managerial talents, which is why Wu Hong still acts as the sect master. With her new disciples and these new talents, she can finally let go of power and become an Ancestor/Supreme Elder. Unfortunately, the one she wants the most does not want to leave the Emperor Path Holy Land.

"Well, I hope we see each other again," Wu Hong said. Now that she had a token to the Infinite Exchange Hub and Emperor Sui was also a member, there was a chance they'd meet again in the future.

"Farewell, fellow Daoist."

Wu Hong entered the Time Boat that was waiting for her, and without hesitating or looking back, she entered the World Net through the River of Time. The Infinite Trichiliocosm is vast and infinite, but one thing connects it all: the World Net. The River of Time has a main branch in the Primordial Timeline, and countless smaller or other branches in other timelines, all interconnected by tributaries, forming a net that cultivators use to navigate. Using the talisman she had left for Nie Rouxin, Wu Hong found and headed to the location of the earliest group that had left; she didn't enter that unknown timeline, instead summoning the people.

"Why didn't you return to the Primordial Timeline?"

"We couldn't enter," Nie Rouxin replied. "An unknown force blocked our entry; I even sensed a terrifying warning."

"Is that so?" Wu Hong muttered, deep in thought. The problem could be that these people are Origin Beings, or it could be because the Divine Court surrounds the timeline. Wu Hong sighed; thinking wouldn't solve her doubts, so she didn't dwell on it. Instead, she headed straight home to face whatever caused it.

At first, she was on guard in case the Divine Court mounted an attack, but until she descended into the timeline, no attack came her way. What happened next, however, caught Wu Hong off guard. Instead of entering the Primordial Timeline, she found herself sitting on a cushion in this open courtyard, facing an elderly man with a beard that touched the floor. Her Time Boat was shrunk and floated next to her inside a bubble.

"Who are you?" Wu Hong asked while already connecting to the court and Lady Ai.

"My name is Shen Kang, and welcome, Empress Wu, to the Central Court's Immigration Department."

"Central Court? Immigration Department? What nonsense are you spouting?"

"Recent events with the Divine Court have forced Grand Dao to reconsider its efforts on how to manage entry and exit to the Primordial Timeline. And we're the result."

"Something doesn't add up," Wu Hong immediately thought. She mulled it over for a few seconds before asking, "Are you saying Grand Dao established this Central Court just to regulate who enters and leaves the timeline?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Then why call it Central Court? The name and the way you said it implied there are other departments of this court; no, the very existence of a court signifies control, rules, and regulations."

"That, I don't know about," Shen Kang said, shrugging. "I only know I work in this department."

Wu Hong had a bad feeling; the appearance of this Central Court was not a mistake, nor was it something Grand Dao suddenly created out of the necessity for what the Divine Court did. No, everything felt calculated and planned.

"Anyway," Shen Kang continued. "You've brought a lot of foreigners with you, and according to our bylaws, they cannot enter without proper authorization."

"Which are?"

"It depends. First, oh, where are my manners? Would you like some tea?"

"Don't waste my time with your false gentleman demeanor. Get to the point."

"How rude," Shen Kang muttered under his breath. "If the people you're bringing are here for a temporary visit, we will grant them limited access after verifying their identity and experience; they'll also need to pay a minor fee.

"If they want to stay permanently, the verification process will be more extensive, and the fee much higher. And in the case of your Saint friend, she'll also need you to vouch for her before we grant her permission."

"Vouch for what?"

"That you'll be reliable for her."

"What does that mean exactly?"

"It means if she does something detrimental to the timeline and runs away, you'll be responsible."

"How is that fair?"

"It's not, but it's currently the best system we have."

"Best system my ass," Wu Hong thought. However, she didn't say anything. "Is there no other way to gain entry?"

"We do have a Work Program where the applicant offers its services to the Central Court for a period, but we are still ironing out the rules, so it's not available yet."

"And there is," Wu Hong thought while sneering. There is always a catch with Grand Dao. It's not hard to imagine the true purpose of this World Program. Any Saints who want to enter the Primordial Timeline to enjoy the benefit of the Transcendent Age and gain access to the Dao Transcending Road must sell their soul to Grand Dao for an exorbitant amount of time.

"Show me how much I have to pay for my people," Wu Hong said in a cold voice. Shen Kang handed her scroll, which she rapidly sifted through. The prices for Immortals weren't so bad, but Lady Ai cost a bit too much. The worst part was that more than 12% of the people she brought failed to meet the requirements and could not enter.

Wu Hong weighed the pros and cons and decided to compromise. As an organization sanctioned by Grand Dao, she had no power to resist. However, just as she was about to pay the fee, she noticed something.

"Wait a minute: why do I have to pay for those two? They are puppets."

"Are they? My mistake."

Wu Hong stared at him. "Your department probably just started, and you're already committing blatant corruption."

"Watch your tone, Empress. This was just a small mistake. As you said, we are brand new and still perfecting our system."

"Hehe," Wu Hong sneered. She no longer wasted any time with these people. After paying the fine and the voucher, she sent the people who failed the background check back home, then returned to the Eternal Ascension World.

[Volume 13, Arc 1: The Battle For Omniscience. End]