Journey of the Fate Destroying Emperor

Chapter 1989: DU CONG'S FATE

"Her? What does she want with me?"

"It's probably because of the Heavenly Serpent Empress," Wang Qi said. "Over the years, she has suffered a lot."

"Oh?"

"The Serpent Empress is ambitious, so like Ma Liqiu, she also began to build her factions. Unfortunately, she wasn't as successful. The establishment of the monopoly drastically affected her —"

"She's a Primal, so shouldn't she receive a share of the monopoly?"

"She did, but it wasn't enough for her ambition. Moreover, there is another reason for her struggle."

"What?"

"A Chaos Demon God."

"Which one?"

"To be precise, it's three of them: Yueliangwa (Yin), Taiyangdai (Yang), and YinYangxi (Yin-Yang)."

"They are interested in her bloodline?"

"Most likely."

"I'm surprised she survived with three of them attacking. Did her strength increase or did she use the court's protection?"

"Both, but the main reason is that the three do not get along; they get in each other's way."

Wang Wei pondered briefly. "How much chaos have these guys been causing?"

"Not as much as you'd think," Wang Qi replied. "The court had captured many of them before the expedition, which forced them to lay low. Afterward, they began hunting each other, then stopped and focused on other cultivators. Since then, their actions have remained hidden."

"They stopped attacking each other? Given how arrogant these creatures are, it's unlikely they suddenly became reasonable. Someone among them must have brokered a peace deal," Wang Wei analyzed.

"We had a similar analysis, but we failed to acquire any evidence," Red Mask reported.

"Nothing at all?"

"No."

"Not even through divination?"

"No."

"Could Mingyunjun be responsible?" Wang Wei muttered.

"The Fate Chaos Demon God?" Wang Qi said, frowning. "Possible, but boss, we're dealing with former Saints. It's normal if the Fatestealers couldn't deduce anything?"

"You're right, but my intuition tells me he's responsible, so let's operate as if he is. Send someone to investigate that line alone. I'll also provide you with his aura, which should help."

"I understand." Red Mask nodded.

"So, do you want to see Wrath?"

"Why not? But put her at the end of the list."

"As you wish. Do you want to see everybody now?"

"Do any of you have anything else to report?"

"Actually, I do," Wang Qi said, and Red Mask also nodded.

"Go ahead."

"I have two things. First, Old Ma came to visit you."

"He's not dead?" Wang Wei asked. He thought the old man from the rebellion died during the Mortalhood Trial or after Kong captured Jimin.

"No, he's not. He wanted you to rescue Paragon Jimin, but he had nothing to offer, so I sent him away. I don't know if you are interested."

Wang Wei suddenly stopped watering the flower and looked into the distance. "He's dead."

"Hmm?"

"I just calculated his fate. He was killed by one of the foreigners trying to make the same deal."

"Oh. Do you want me to avenge him?"

"No need. Oh, I remember he has no family, right? In that case, arrange a proper funeral for him."

"Understood."

"What's the second thing?"

"Oh, right. The Hong Family Project is a success. Chen Xue has cultivated an elite talent, pushing their clan to new heights regarding Cooking Dao."

Wang Wei smiled. "That's great news." He still hasn't forgotten his bet with Wu Hong. And now that their sanctification was approaching, their marriage was too. On that day, he'll make her swallow her words.

"They are protected, right?"

"Of course," Wang Wei immediately replied. "However, to prevent anyone from gossiping, I had their less talented members serve as cooks in the Heavenly Court."

"You did a great job." With his current strength and status, Wang Wei wouldn't care about people gossiping behind his back, but it was also a good thing he didn't have to. "What about you? What do you have to report?"

"There are a few things, sir," Red Mask reported. "First, the Mortal Civilization built the first Dao Ancestor Armor. Although it's only 1-root, they have succeeded."

"Really? I thought Grand Dao would limit them to Immortal Venerable," Wang Wei said. He had finished dealing with his garden, so he walked to his [Fate Fishing Pond]. "What happened to Du Cong?"

"That's what I was going to report next. He is dead, sir."

"His soul finally succumbed to all these reincarnations?" Without his protection, no mortal could reincarnate so many times across so many yuan epochs.

"Yes."

"All of his troubles could be solved if he chose to cultivate. But I'm guessing, even in his last days, he only wanted to be a mortal."

"You would be correct."

"Did he select a successor?"

"No. He believed that even without him, the mortal civilization has and will continue to prosper."

"He's right about that." Mortals may be weak, but they are resilient and determined. And now that they have a common goal, a leader like Du Cong is not needed; the civilization will keep moving forward—whether out of pride against the cultivator or to show the world what they are capable of —their advancement will never stop.

"Did he have any last words?"

"He only regretted not seeing you before his death."

"That can be arranged." Wang Wei closed his eyes and sent a projection across time to right before Du Cong's death. They talked for half an hour about the future of Mortal Civilization, the last worry the dying man had.

According to Wang Wei, the civilization had two paths ahead of them: the cultivation and mortal path. The first means they will create a new cultivation system that uses these armors to absorb the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth, allowing them to evolve into higher beings. The mortal path means they will remain weak and have a limited lifespan, but continue using the world's resources to create wonders capable of challenging cultivators.

The Grand Dao will allow the first path and grant it a bright future. However, by then, they will no longer be mortals; they'll be cultivators with a unique system—one that combines the Dao of Weapon Refining with the Dao of Puppetry.

According to the universe's balance mechanism, cultivators must face all kinds of restrictions, trials, and tribulations to balance their power. Meanwhile, the second path will eventually hit a wall created by the Grand Dao when their power approaches the realm of Great Emperors.

Du Cong reached a similar conclusion, which is why he wanted to see Wang Wei and ask him to ensure his people took the mortal path. However, Wang Wei did not agree; civilization must evolve and improve. As such, Wang Wei will not stop mortal civilization from turning into a Cultivation Civilization; at the same time, he will not allow anything to happen to the Mortal Path. In fact, even if he did nothing, that path would continue to prosper; the Grand Dao wants a hierarchical system, which means there must always be mortals at the bottom.

"Even mortals cannot escape obsession," Wang Wei uttered as he opened his eyes. His hook caught something, and he yanked it: a peak Paragon Artifact. Wang Wei smiled: his luck was good today. "Continue."

"Jingwu Hua and Ao Tianyi are dead. They perished in the Demon-Innate God War."

Wang Wei paused. He wasn't particularly close to either of them, but they were still members of his generation. More importantly, they shared something Wang Wei particularly admired: their good father. Jingwu Hua's father went above and beyond to ensure his daughter could prove the Dao, while Ao Tianyi's father did the same to curb his son's arrogance—all in the hope that they could one day succeed on this cruel path of cultivation. Sadly, they could not escape a visit to death's door.

"Their father?"

"Also dead. They died before them."

"Maybe that's a relief," Wang Qi commented. No parents want to bury their children.

Wang Wei sighed. "The cultivation world just became a little more lonely. Alright, keep going."

"Wu Jing is severely injured, with his potential possibly destroyed. Wu Ming has been asking to join the sect on the condition that Wu Jing is healed."

"What happened to him?"

"The Origin Rune Palace and the Divine Court attacked him; he survived by chance."

"I understand the Origin Rune Palace's desire to kill him, but what's with the Infinite Divine Court? Is it because of the Totem Dao?"

"Correct. The Totem Warriors were a significant source of strength for the Heavenly Court, so their ancestor was a target. Liang Shixian was also attacked as part of their strategy, but he ran away in time."

"Hmm, how severe an injury are we talking about?"

"Here is the report."

Wang Wei read the content and immediately relaxed. Wu Jing's injury was indeed severe, and technically, the Golden Merit Scroll could heal him. Unfortunately, they were too expensive and not worth buying for a mere Paragon—even one with basic Saint Potential. However, now that the Dao Opening Sect had a true Saint Foundation, healing would be as simple as brewing water using one leaf from a Saint Herb.

"I'll visit Wu Ming once I've dealt with everything here."