Journey of the Fate Destroying Emperor
chapter-1178

1178 Loss

Wang Wei checked his personal dimensional space, using his divine sense to look at all the bodies he stored. During his fight with Old Man Nether, and before the explosion destroyed everything, he saved a few bodies of those Creation Lifeforms to use as resources later.

'If that bastard didn't blow himself up, I would have access to hundreds of bodies,' Wang Wei thought with gritted teeth. His heart pained every time he thought how much he had lost due to the bastard Old Man Nether's ruthlessness. Every time he thought about how much benefit he lost, he thought about reviving that bastard Old Man Nether and killing him again.

'There is no point in being angry, so let's calm down,' Wang Wei thought before summoning a sealed sword. 'This Creation Lifeform should be a decent material to build my Empyrean Artifact, but it's not enough to create an Ultimate Tier Artifact.'

He put the weapon away before focusing on these bodies. 'The next problem is how to deal with these bodies. I doubt Elder Dan or Yan Liling can process these bodies. Maybe Liling can after using an illusory Empyrean Ascension Pill, but she'll also need to create new Empyrean Formulas.'

He frowned for less than ten seconds before realizing this was not his problem. Yan Liling should be the one stressing about this. 'Anyway, she loves a challenge.' He waved his hand to send the bodies for her to deal with.

With a thought, 108 phantoms manifested before him. Anger flashed in his eyes as he looked at his [Future Buddha Selves] for the first time. His biggest loss in this fight was the 258 future selves. Many of his plans were calculated using the cultivation speed of the 356 selves, but now, he had permanently lost two-thirds of it. And since they were sacrifices, even using merit will not restore them.

On top of everything else, he wasted such a tactic as summoning strength from his future self on someone like Old Man Nether. From now on, once he's in a bind, Wang Wei knew Grand Dao would not allow the same tactic again.

'Old Man Nether is dead, but Cthulhu - don't let me get my hands on you. I promise you, you'll be the first cosmic horror to feel fear.'

Wang Wei exhaled to calm down. Now that he had suffered such a great loss, he needed a way to make up for the cultivation boost. 'This should be on the agenda.' Wang Wei left the throne for his cultivation room and activated all the formation before swallowing Yan Liling's pills.

Time passed, and Wang Wei focused on healing. Normally, people would not bother him unless it was an emergency, but he did receive a communication talisman that indicated his presence was needed.

'Why did someone contact me? It's only been 1500 years outside.' He frowned while checking the talisman. 'Hong Meiling wants to ascend?' Wang Wei sent a projection to the throne room before summoning her; he guessed she wanted to see her master, but wasn't this a rush?

"There is no need to panic," Wang Wei reassured. "After the war, our little contradictions are now water under the bridge." Hong Meiling secretly sighed in relief. Although she expected, no, wished for that to be the case, she did not want to have her hopes for and then to be wrong.

"What brings you here?"

"I'm leaving," she announced.

"So soon?"

"There is nothing left for me here," she replied. "The lower dimension is united, the world is at peace, and the people are happy. It's time for people to start the next stage of my life. Plus, I want to see the master."

"I understand how you feel, but listen to me and don't leave yet," Wang Wei advised. "I'm going to hold a Dao Banquet and invite all the immortals of the lower dimension for a Dao Discussion."

Hong Meiling's eyes immediately lit up.

"You should understand how much such an event will benefit your future cultivation."

Hong Meiling was immediately tempted. However, she also felt conflicted because the idea of seeing her master was exciting and something that held sentimental value to her.

"You've passed your master's test, so she will acknowledge your status," Wang Wei added. "However, from what I know about her, she's very strict. She loves teaching and giving people fortunate encounters, but only the ones she deems worthy - and she has high standards.

"You'll probably be tested after ascending, and your result will determine how much status you have in your eyes. So, staying to improve your foundation is your best option."

"You may have a point," Hong Meiling nodded. "Can you tell me more about her?"

Wang Wei sighed. "I would love to, but I doubt I know as much as I think I do."

"I see." Hong Meiling understood the implications behind these words as they confirmed some of her theories about her master's relationship status and situation. The two talked briefly before Hong Meiling returned home. Wang Wei accessed the Dream World and sent a server-wide announcement: [Supreme Emperor Wang: I will be hosting a world-wide Dao Banquet. There will be food, wine, and music unlike anything you've ever experienced in your life. All Immortals are invited, so prepare your sermon beforehand to not embarrass yourself before me and your peers. The banquet date and location will be announced a month in advance.] Wang Wei looked at this message and nodded in satisfaction. Normally, this kind of announcement is written by the Dream World's [system], so they are in a cold and indifferent voice. However, he chose a written form similar to Weibo or Twitter. He even shamelessly gave himself the title of [Supreme Emperor] since he found [Three Realm Emperor] mouthful.

'This announcement should prevent or delay some people from leaving early,' Wang Wei thought before disconnecting himself. His gaze scanned the Endless Void, focusing on all the Taoist Lineages.

'It's unsettling,' Wang Wei thought. 'Maitreya made her move with the Western Pure Bliss Land, but Supreme Unity was quiet.' He did not doubt for a second that the latter had no pawns in the lower dimension. As long as any Taoist Lineages existed, Supreme Unity could use them - primarily their Qi Luck - to intervene.

Wang Wei even thought of eradicating Taoism before realizing it was pointless since someone like Feng Heng would survive or appear with the destiny to revive them. With Supreme Unity having semi-control over True Heavenly Dao, the process would be accelerated compared to Maitreya or what Feng Heng went through.

More importantly, he saw no point in antagonizing a Half-Step Transcendent. Yes, they were enemies, but that differed from directly antagonizing the latter. However...

'His quietness bothers me,' Wang Wei thought. Things have been proceeding smoothly, and the overall situation seems to be to their advantage. However, the more so that was, the more wary he became, and Supreme Unity's lack of action or presence screamed that something major was about to happen - that his next move would not be simple.

'My theory was they were preventing each other from interfering in the lower dimension because of fear of allying with Death Reverence or the Outer Gods. However, no one showed up when I eradicated the Death World, and Maitreya supported my side in eradicating that eldritch creature.

'So, why didn't Supreme Unity make a move? Could it be that he still has a bit of empathy remaining, so he won't go as far as allying with outsiders?' Wang Wei frowned before shaking his head as all signs showed this was unlikely. Supreme Unity's character profile indicated that he had lost his humanity, becoming a machine-like entity that would do everything and anything for power.

'His lack of actions could be for myriad reasons. That creature was not as valuable as I think it is for someone of his level. Cthulhu is one of the thirteen taboos, so maybe there are consequences for allying with it. Supreme Unity used True Heavenly Dao - a sub-branch of Grand Dao - to gain his strength. It's possible that he would be stripped of his power if he had any connection with an Outer God.

'Another possibility is this was a calculated move. He gave up interfering now to not reveal his hand, and once he acts, it will truly be a severe blow.'

Wang Wei grunted, 'In conclusion, I am missing too much information to make any reasonable deduction.' He shook his head as he put these thoughts behind him. He focused on Han Shun, the first monarch of the Great Jin Dynasty - also known as the Human Emperor's new pawn after Song Jiaolong.

'Another person who showed no signs of making a move,' Wang Wei thought. He expected some reactions from the Human Emperor after he gained the [Three Realm Emperor] title. 'However, this is probably due to the current restriction of the lower dimension. I should be on guard against the Qin Saint Court after I ascend.'

He dispersed the projection before continuing his retreat.