Three hundred years ago, Upper Dimension:
Supreme Unity suddenly opened his eyes from his temple. His eyes penetrated the lower dimension, and he watched Grand Dao manifesting and erasing three people from existence.
'The aura of taboo. And it's similar to the one emanating from the Prehistoric World. I knew this kid had many secrets.' He remembered a while ago when he sensed a power on par with himself secretly interfering with the Eternal Ascension World.
At first, he and Maitreya convinced themselves it was only some fleeting ent.i.ty sending some vague threat–especially since it was so brief that they could not detect it. However, now, he understood that event might be related to a taboo, and the key to everything was w.a.n.g Wei.
Supreme Unity left his magnificent temple, prepared to head to the lower dimension. With his power, nothing can stop him from interfering–except for the normal-looking nun that appeared before him.
"Why are you stopping me?" Supreme Unity demanded with a cold and indifference in his voice.
"You can't touch the kid."
"I can do as I please."
"And I can stop you if I desire."
Supreme Unity looked directly into her eyes. "Aren't you tempted? Whatever secret the Prehistoric World is hiding might be the key to finding the path forward."
At their level, where there is no single cultivation path of advancement, exploring taboos' secrets is another way to experience new things and possibly find the way forward.
"I do. But I prefer to wait until he reaches the same height as us and ask him."
Maitreya knew that with w.a.n.g Wei's personality of always paying his debt, he would tell her if he asked about the Prehistoric World. However, she would prefer to wait until they are on equal ground when he feels more secure and confident to ask. That way, they can have a genuine and open conversation.
"That is the mindset of the weak." Supreme Unity does not believe in this nonsense; he believes in the hierarchy of power. He will take what he wants from anyone weaker than him.
"You were once weak."
"The key word is 'was,' implying the past. Besides, your plan is flawed as it implied he could reach the same realm as us."
"Why not? You and I know that our realm became more common after the arrival of the Ultimate Taboo."
That was true. Qiyuan's Second Battle of Origin was one of the most critical events in the entire Chaos Universe. Most people believed he wanted to make the Eternal Ascension World the center of the universe; he tried to make it the Chaos World with the most luck or destiny but failed.
But that was only on the surface. Qiyuan's real goal was to start a war that spread throughout the universe. While everything was chaotic, he arranged p.a.w.ns across different Chaos Worlds to gather the Luck of the entire universe and summon the Ultimate Taboo.
And he succeeded in the end. The plan succeeded with the help of many allies both in the Eternal Ascension World and other Chaos Worlds. And after the event of the Ultimate Taboo, half-step Detached Individuals like Supreme Unity and Maitreya became more common in the Chaos Universe.
"Unlike our time, it is not so far fetch for someone to reach our level," argued Maitreya.
If the majority of people who partic.i.p.ated in the event did not die or were stubborn and would not settle for a perfect method of detachment, there would be more of them in the Eternal Ascension World.
"More is not necessarily better," countered Supreme Unity. "The more people in our realm, the fewer resources for us."
"Or, we can share our experiences and methods to find the path forward. You and I know this universe is somewhat of a cage. And only by working together can we escape."
"I don't need anyone's help to achieve detachment."
"It seems there is no point in arguing with you," said Maitreya, shaking her head. She realized the man opposite her was not the person she once knew. Back then, Supreme Unity partic.i.p.ated in the Second Battle of Origin. He was one of the people who knew the ultimate goal, and he benefited from it.
However, now, he suddenly was arrogant enough to think he could create his own unique method of detachment. Maitreya often contemplated whether Supreme Unity was always like this or the result of whatever method he got from the Ultimate Taboo.
"Anyway, you cannot lay your hands on the kid."
"Then, let's fight."
"Fine. Let's go to Primordial Chaos to not destroy the world."
The two left the Eternal Ascension World, fighting in Primordial Chaos for a few decades before Maitreya stopped the battle. While standing in the endless dark s.p.a.ce, she looked at Supreme Unity.
"I've had enough. I don't want to waste my time fighting you. Stop. Otherwise, suffer the consequence."
"And what would that be?"
"I'll destroy the Eternal Ascension World and rebuild it."
"If you're going bluff, use a better one. The world's destruction will also be detrimental to your realm."
"Yes, but not as bad as you."
Supreme Unity frowned as he calculated things. He understood they both needed the Eternal Ascension World to take that half step in the realm of Detachment. However, her method relied less on the world than his.
Supreme Unity also realized he was in a race for time. If Maitreya could get rid of her attachment to the Eternal Ascension World before him, he would be in great danger.
Thus, he considered the situation and decided it was not the time to be boggling down and directly confronting Maitreya. After dealing with Heavenly Dao, he can completely swallow it and become free from its restraints. Without saying anything else, he returned to his temple.
Meanwhile, Maitreya looked at his departing back. A few minutes later, her face began to change rapidly, forming all kinds of facial expressions indicating different emotions, desires, or odd behavior. Simultaneously, she could hear many voices in her mind; an infinite number of them were all speaking simultaneously. This excruciating process lasted for more than ten minutes before stopping.
'Still unstable. I need more time.' She exhaled softly before looking in one direction.
'Why couldn't I divine the changes to the Chaos Universe but the All-Seeing Temple could?' The temple only had a peak Paragons with Divination Dao. Many people decided to seal the temple during the Second Battle of Origin since their divination could affect the entire operation.
Wu Hong oversaw the seal, and she even made sure no one could release them and even made sure they could not partic.i.p.ate in the Ultimate Taboo.
'The upcoming turbulence of the universe is a sign that something as big as the Ultimate Taboo is coming. I need to prepare to not be swept by the tide and maybe find a way to move forward.'
After thinking for a few seconds, she looked toward the Prehistoric World before leaving Primordial Chaos and returning home. She did not go to her temple or see her followers. Instead, she went to see an old friend.
"What do you want again?" asked Wu Hong.
"I just came to chat."
"Are you ready to explain what happened?"
"I needed the stabilization of the world. I could not allow anyone to break become Paragon."
"I can deduce as much. But so many things are unexplainable. Why did you settle with a flawed method? You were as dedicated to the cause as us. The way you acted was weird and erratic."
"Did you regain your memories?" asked Maitreya.
"No. Don't change the subject."
"I can't say, for now."
"When you can say, we can talk." Wu Hong closed her eyes, indicating the end of the conversation. Maitreya sighed and prepared to leave. Then, she thought of something:
'What would that kid do in that situation? He would act shameless.'
A glint flashed in her eyes as she sat down before Wu Hong.
"What is it now?"
"I came here to drink tea with an old friend. I'm not leaving until I do."
Wu Hong stared at her, and she did not flinch.
"When it comes to patience, you cannot defeat me. I have no issue with sitting here for a few million Yuan Epochs."
"You're really not going to leave?"
"No."
"Fine." Wu Hong waved her hand to manifest a tea set and serve the guest. However, she drank her tea in silence, not saying a word. Maitreya did not mind and simply enjoyed the company.
After finis.h.i.+ng her tea, she thanked Wu Hong before leaving with a smile. Unfortunately, Maitreya did not even have time to sit down before sensing something. She disappeared before teleporting to a corner of the Eternal Ascension World.
Supreme Unity arrived at the same time as her. Both of them looked at something with somber looks on their faces.
"The Dark Truth," muttered Maitreya, looking at the gray fog that appeared in the upper dimension.
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