w.a.n.g Wei looked in the distance before flying to a specific spot. He sighed before taking out a gourd and began to spill alcohol into the void.
"Ancestor, I'm sorry I was weak and could not do anything. Death is a sad and lonely place. But don't worry. We will one day be reunited. Before then, consider the stay a terrible vacation."
After emptying the gourd, he knelt in the void and kowtowed three times. A look of determination flashed deep in w.a.n.g Wei's eyes. He was responsible for Ancestor Wucheng's death and would do what was needed to make things right.
"So, exactly what happened? Who was that hooded figure?"
"It seems your future self is involved in some shenanigans with Grand Dao, and your present self got involved,' replied Wu Hong.
"Is that so? Then, why didn't he intervene? Why didn't he save Ancestor Wucheng?"
"Who knows? It could be he wanted to temper and motivate you, it could be your future self has become so jaded that he does not care, or it could be a completely different reason."
"I have to say, this situation is frustrating. Although I'm technically the one making these decisions, I really want to beat up my future self." Being powerless and being used as a p.a.w.n–even by himself–is not a good feeling for someone like him.
"I know the feeling,' Wu Hong replied as he hugged his left hand. w.a.n.g Wei then became dazed as he looked into the distance. After a few minutes of silence, Wu Hong asked, "What are you thinking?"
"The cultivation world is genuinely unpredictable. One minute, I'm c.o.c.ky after scheming and dealing with a Dao Monarch. The next moment, I died under the siege of a bunch of Great Emperors. You never know what's going to happen."
"Struggle is a fundamental aspect of cultivation–especially for people with great luck like yourself."
"I get that, but I don't like the unpredictability of the world."
"Isn't it this one of the reasons you wanted to be free and unfettered? To be able to control your destiny."
"Of course."
"So, you should have expected this path not to be easy."
"I know. I'm just taking this opportunity to complain."
"As long as you know," nodded Wu Hong. "Anyway, don't you benefit from these catastrophes?"
"That's true." After his revival, w.a.n.g Wei could feel that his understanding of [Existence] had drastically increased compared to before. For now, he could not use much of this advantage, but it should be helpful when proving the Dao.
Furthermore, his Life and Death Talent had evolved. After experiencing true death, his understanding of Life and Death Laws also strengthen his Talent. And now, w.a.n.g Wei was confident of turning the Life and Death Talent into a Longevity Talent, granting him a few more lives after proving the Dao.
He also had some ideas on using the data he gathered from Monk Wuzhi since he had just experienced Nirvana. In general, the benefit of dying and reviving was many.
"I always felt the concept of [Existence] was odd. So, what exactly is it?" asked w.a.n.g Wei.
"In layman's terms, it is the Dao of Eternality combined with other stuff. Grand Dao separated the Eternal Dao to create the concept of [Existence]."
"So, Eternal Emperors, Everlasting Empyreans, and Boundless Paragons have to cultivate two Primidary Dao: their own and Eternal Dao. Is this why they are so powerful and hard to kill?"
"Basically."
"Then, what about the Dao of Eternity itself? What happens if a cultivator cultivates it?"
"Depends," replied Wu Hong. "In a Source Chaos World, they would be just a normal cultivator with a regular Dao. Maybe even weaker. No one can achieve true 'eternity' with it as a Dao.
"However, in a Normal Chaos World, some people can acquire the power and abilities of Eternals through the Dao of Eternity. However, it is probably the most difficult Dao to cultivate since Grand Dao has perfectly made it so. Only heaven-defying genius can cultivate to such a level after countless years of effort."
"Another example of Grand Dao favoring the Emperor Path?"
"Yes."
"I almost felt bad for the other paths. Alright, let's go home. I need to recuperate."
The two Emperor Palms destroyed his Divine Sea, Law Altar, and Law Tree. After Wu Hong reconstructed his [Existence], she only recreated his Primordial Spirit and fleshly body. And even his flesh did not return to its peak state, so he needed to recultivate.
w.a.n.g Wei was about to ask her to teleport them back home but then remembered her pale complexion. So, he summoned his Golden Chariot, and they traveled home, taking this opportunity to spend time together.
"Something must be done to ensure you can survive peacefully until the Heaven Will Battle."
Wu Hong was not happy that, on three occasions, the powerful talismans she gave w.a.n.g Wei did not work because the enemy directly targeted her power.
"Have the sect refine a talisman of the First Cla.s.s Great Emperor level for you."
"That's not a bad idea," acknowledged w.a.n.g Wei. Usually, he did not use Emperor Tier artifacts or resources because it was difficult to use their powers. However, with his Nine Extremity Foundation, he can now bring out much of their power.
After returning to the sect, he immediately mobilized the sect's resources to recultivate and reforge his foundation. He first recondensed his fleshly body to its original peak. To w.a.n.g Wei's surprise, his strength reached 34 Primordial Dragon Force instead of the original 33 due to optimizing a few things this time.
Then, he focused on his cultivation.
Recreating his Divine Sea was normal, with nothing out of the ordinary. However, he wanted to do something different for his Divine Altar/Law Altar.
w.a.n.g Wei was tired of losing his cultivation once this thing was destroyed, so he wanted to take some precautionary measures. After condensing his Divine Altar—which was in the shape of the Temple of Heaven from his past life, w.a.n.g Wei condensed his understanding of "Nothingness" into a core or jewel and inserted it as an ornament in the temple.
The power of Intangibility oozed out of the jewel and fused with the temple. Immediately, w.a.n.g Wei could see the difference. His Divine Altar was now in a semi-permanent state of Intangibility, meaning it was almost impossible to destroy.
As w.a.n.g Wei watched the red jewel in the temple, his eyes lit up. He knew after proving the Dao, Great Emperors would undergo a sublimation process where their cultivation and foundation would nourish their bodies and strength.
As a result, things like the energy inside their bodies, Law Altars, Law Trees, and Dao Fruits will be transformed by the power of the Grand Dao Source and turn into abilities or power of the Emperor.
For example, someone like w.a.n.g Wei has more Origin Essence than his peers. After the Grand Dao Source nourishment, his Origin Essense will wash over his body and grant him some power. Like an increase of 0.2% Grand Dao Source regarding power.
The nourishment will also grant him an increase in battle strength after considering his Silver Law Tree and his fleshly body. This nourishment is why Great Emperors have a different level of strength after proving the Dao–even if they have the same percentage of comprehension.
'After the nourishment, this Nothingness Core should make it easier for me to enter the Void Stage.'
w.a.n.g Wei did not care much about protecting his Divine Altar and Law Tree since these things would vanish after proving the Dao and would no longer be a weakness; he just wanted to prevent any trouble in the Mortal Stage of his cultivation.
However, he cares about the benefit of his Nothingness Dao.
After nodding in satisfaction with this new discovery, w.a.n.g Wei continued his cultivation. He condensed his Law Seed before cultivating it into a Law Tree. Then, he noticed another advantage. He could bless some of his laws with the power of Nothingness to bless them.
For example, he could bless his Destruction Dao with the power of Nothinessness, making it even more deadly. Before now, he always had to separate his Nothingness Dao from the others. Finally, they could intersect to some level.
w.a.n.g Wei stood up from the ground and cracked his bones. He walked out of the cultivation room while calculating his time in retreat.
"300 years, not that long." He took out a token and checked out some information he needed to take care of. Nothing of significance except Li Jun and Yan Liling had left their retreat and were traveling the world together.
Suddenly, someone appeared before him.
"Ances- -" w.a.n.g Wei paused as he remembered something, making him sigh.
"You can call me Elder Sword," said Sword One with a smile.
"Thank you."
"I can tell he met a lot to you."
"He did."
w.a.n.g Wei does not have many mentor figures in his life. He never had a proper teacher or someone to guide them. And w.a.n.g Wucheng served this purpose; he was someone he could ask for guidance and protection.
Although Yan Chen was his Dao Protector, he grew so fast that the latter's role became pointless. However, it was different with w.a.n.g Wucheng. Whenever he faced some trouble, w.a.n.g Wei knew he could count on the latter.
"These are for you." Sword One handed him two things: one s.p.a.ce ring and a talisman.
"The s.p.a.ce ring contained the blood of an Emperor who cultivated Divination. He was a slippery fellow. Unfortunately, I could only find a Second Cla.s.s Emperor. I've left a few First Cla.s.s Emperor blood vials for you."
w.a.n.g Wei's eyes lit up as he checked inside the ring.
"As for the talisman, it is the best work of Miscellaneous One. With it, you can run away from a Pseudo Eternal Emperor and survive a few minutes before an Eternal–enough time for us to come save you."
"I was just about to ask for something similar. However, I did not expect something of this caliber."
"This level of talisman is considered the true foundation of the sect and would only be used when we are facing calamities of extinction. However, you are too valuable and accident-p.r.o.ne. We have to ensure you survive until the Heaven Will Battle."
"Is this a compliment or criticism?"
"Both."
w.a.n.g Wei shrugged his shoulder. Then, he suddenly thought of something and handed it to her from his s.p.a.ce ring.
(AN: I still have a few gift bonus chapters. But they will be released next week.)
?