Journey of the Fate Destroying Emperor

Chapter 1996: The Price of Isolation

Bang!

Liang Shixian unleashed a soul attack that manifested as twin transparent dragons. Wang Wei didn't even move; his passive defense activated and easily blocked the attack.

"It's not fair; it's not fair — it's not fucking fair," Liang Shixian cried as he released blast after blast of attacks. "That destiny means nothing to you; you could live without it, strive without, and even reach the highest height without it. It wouldn't kill you to hand it over, so why not? It wouldn't cost you anything — not your glory, not your fame, and not all your other accomplishments."

Wang Wei waved his hand, condensing an invisible barrier around Liang Shixian that rejected all phenomena and effectively rendered his powers useless. Liang Shixian felt his power being neutralized and immediately tried to teleport away. Unfortunately, no matter where he went, the invisible barrier the Saint Will Prototype created followed him.

Wang Wei had had enough of him buzzing around, so he immediately released terrifying pressure from the barrier, crushing Liang Shixian into the ground. Wang Wei walked over, towering over Liang Shixian on the ground. "Is this what it's been about? Jealousy?"

The Soul Ancestor stared at him, saying nothing.

"What happened to you?" Wang Wei asked. "What happened to the man in the lower dimension who showed disdain for the Emperor Path? The man who wanted to threaten his own path? The man who wanted to show the world the Way of the Emperor wasn't absolute? Did the world change you, or did I never know you in the first place?"

"You don't know me, so don't act as you do."

Wang Wei didn't respond; instead, he began reading Liang Shixian's Fate Line, from birth to the present. In seconds, he experienced everything in this man's life: the good, the bad, and everything in between.

"Time is truly a terrifying thing," Wang Wei said. "Most cultivators think because of their infinite lifespan that they've escaped its shackles, but they couldn't be more wrong. Time may no longer influence our bodies, but it's still the nemesis of our mind; the worst part is that it is as silent and undetectable as an assassin.

"It can subtly warp the mind of the best of men; it takes someone as prideful and confident as you, and turns it into a fame-seeking, jealousy-filled, ingrate."

"You…don't…know…me."

"Maybe," Wang Wei replied, raising his foot. "But I know your story is a warning — a warning of what fate lies ahead of me if I let the silent killer known as [Time] get its paws on me."

"I —"

Bang!

Wang Wei slammed his foot down with the full force of his Supreme Saint Will Prototype, annihilating every atom of Liang Shixian's body. Or so it should have been. "You really are stupid."

"I've been waiting for this opportunity for eons. And now, your soul and everything will be long to me," Liang Shixian said while inside Wang Wei's Sea of Consciousness. "With your talent, the future will be limitless."

"Can I tell you something interesting?"

Liang Shixian didn't like how calm and composed this man was, but he couldn't care right now; this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and he wouldn't miss it for anything. As long as he found the Paragon Soul, his plan could be successful.

"This trial was designed to be completed in only one day. I was in a hurry because I had a meeting three days later, but you took so long. Now, I'll probably be late."

A sense of dread slowly crept into the back of Liang Shixian's mind, but he pushed it down and moved at top speed, trying to find the central core of the Sea of Consciousness.

"Do you know why it took you so long?" Wang Wei asked with a sneer.

Liang Shixian suddenly paused as a question popped into his mind: Why did it take so long to find the core?

"It's because your talent for Soul Dao is absolute trash. Even after simplifying this trial for you, it still took almost three times the allocated time. And with that kind of talent, you actually try to possess my soul? I have to say: I admire the level of delusion you live by every day."

"You! What have you —"

An unknown force suddenly swallowed Liang Shixian before he could react, leaving half of a golden orb inside the Sea of Consciousness. Wang Wei recognized the orb as the Soul Path Destiny and immediately summoned his half to combine it with his own. His True Vision instinctively activated, and Wang Wei peered into an unknown dimension with a multi-colored dragon lying down, rapidly fading away.

"The Soul Path is indeed weakening. No wonder he's in such a hurry. Hmm? Is this a new ability? Soul Ancestor Manifestation — it's not bad." Now that he held the entire destiny, a new ability had awakened, useful under the right circumstances. "In that case, I can't let the Soul Path continue that downward spiral." It may have been a challenge for Lian Shixian to create a Foundation Strengthening Method, but the same wasn't true for Wang Wei.

"The only issue was what to do with these two different Soul Paths?" After Wu Hong's sermon, the Ancient and True Soul Path will make a comeback, which will harm Liang Shixian's Soul Ring Soul Path. "Maybe I can combine the two: use the soul rings to open the Soul Apertures. Yes, that's a good idea; let's do it."

Wang Wei turned around, preparing to recycle the resources he had wasted on this trial. However, his intuition suddenly activated, and his body acted on instinct, punching the sky. A towering black palm met his punch, but contrary to Wang Wei's expectations, his attack was quickly nullified, pushing him more than a dozen steps back and leaving minor scratches on his body.

"Who is it?" His gaze searched for the source of the attack, and he realized it came from far away.

"Wan Yanmei?"

"It's you? What happened to Liang Shixian?"

"So, you two are indeed in cahoots."

Wan Yanmei frowned as she calculated something. "You killed him?"

"I did."

"In that case, you can take his place."

A thousand black spears with the power of [Erasure] appeared above Wang Wei's head, then fell on him like rain on a cloudy night. Wang Wei was familiar with the Dao of Destruction, or any other law associated with it—such as Erasure—so he pushed his rejection of phenomena to the limit based on his understanding of this Dao and unleashed a terrifying punch.

In an instant, more than a quarter of the black spears were annihilated, and the rest would follow soon. However, at the last moment, a potent will manifested at the tip of these spears, neutralizing the punch.

"Saint Will Prototype? This woman has indeed been hiding her strength," Wang Wei thought. "She has probably reached a realm similar to the Quasi-Saint and is just waiting for the right opportunity for sanctification. But why do I feel like she cannot release her full power? Am I too sensitive? No, let's test it out again."

"He's so powerful? It's only been a few hundred yuan epochs. No, I can't let him live," Wan Yanmei thought, preparing to destroy him at any cost. But just as she was about to carry out her plan, a terrifying gaze fell on her: Maitreya.

"Count yourself lucky."

"I should be the one saying that," Wang Wei replied before releasing another attack, which was easily nullified.

"You wait!" Wan Yanmei said, breaking the karmic connection she used to attack and retreating from this battle. Meanwhile, Maitreya glanced around, sighed, and looked elsewhere.

Wang Wei looked around; Wan Yanmei was truly powerful. He reckoned that since coming to this timeline, she had never fully displayed all her power.

"Well, it makes sense. The Infinite Divine Court would only select the best individual for such a crucial expedition. If I had to guess, it wasn't just her; Cui Yi and the White Saber are probably extremely powerful, too. However, why hadn't they used such overwhelming power in the early stages of the invasion?"

Ever since his wife revealed that Wan Yanmei and the other commanders were in a realm similar to the Quasi-Saint, Wang Wei has been pondering this question. And today, after that clash, he might have found an answer.

"I was right. Her power is restricted. For some reason, the people from the Infinite Divine Court need to adapt to the Primordial Timeline. But why?"

Countless thoughts flashed in Wang Wei's mind as he analyzed the information he had gathered.

"While the Grand Dao Source is omnipresent, which means it's accessible even in an isolated timeline like the Infinite Divine Court, the same cannot be said for their bodies and souls; the isolation might not have any effect on their Dao, but it's affecting their bodies and souls.

"So, when they first arrived, these commanders were at their weakest. Their bodies and souls could not bear to use their Dao to its full potential. But now, they have adapted to at least 90%; they can finally flex their muscles fully."