Chapter 15 - 5

Western Quadrant:

Di Tian opened his eyes. In a moment, his eyes saw every corner of the battlefield; with his power, only a few individuals could hide from him, and only two people or groups could do it if he went all out.

'Wang Wei has been making a lot of moves,' he thought. He was not surprised by this fact; it could be said he anticipated this outcome. Wang Wei's nature and Dao indicated he would manipulate people from the shadows for his benefit.

So, Di Tian's fundamental tactic for this battle took this into account.

'He is a Dao Overlord, so I won't be able to outwit him–even with my experience,' he analyzed. Since he knew and admitted this fact, Di Tian knew it would be pointless to act the same way as Wang Wei.

'The purpose of his manipulation is to give him small advantages, advantages that can give him a slight edge or reverse the situation at the last minute.'

If two people have similar strengths, the small advantages are enough to give one person the advantage.

'It's pointless to try to compete with him in the area of intelligence and cunningness,' continued Di Tian. 'So, there are two ways to deal with the situation: always be on the lookout for his small advantages; with enough precautions, they will become useless.

'Second, closely observe his actions and intervene when necessary to prevent him from gaining too much advantage.'

His gaze focused on the Central Quadrant, the battlefield between Mo Xingyun and Wang Ju. A terrifying power blocked his vision; he knew he could not see what was inside unless he mobilized all his power. And even then, it might not succeed.

'Mo Xingyun…the Heaven-Devouring Emperor.'

Di Tian was not surprised by the latter's presence. All his failures during his Nine Extremity Foundation involved one Eternal Emperor or another. So, he was not surprised when the Heaven-Devouring Emperor showed up in the form of body possession.

In some ways, he has karmic connections to all the Myriad Emperor World's Eternal Emperors since the Ancient Emperor Era.

Di Tian did not dwell long on the subject before focusing on the Eastern Quadrant, where Wang Wei's group is located. And once again, he discovered the same power obstructed his vision.

He wondered whether Wang Wei and Huo Fenghuang would enter an alliance. Di Tian worried his enemy would acquire another supreme general. An alliance of this magnitude is enough to shift the balance of the war in Wang Wei's favor.

'What exactly are they discussing? Should I be more forceful and try every means to break the blockage?' His mind worked faster than any quantum computer analyzing the situation.

Di Tian did not know their conversation was not technically something he could not know. However, Wang Wei actively blocked him for a reason. He had already planted the seed in Di Tian's mind not to kill him since he would be useful as a subordinate to help him gather merit. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm

His idea of reverting the environment to innate is a great idea to gather a large amount of merit. So, Wang Wei did not want to reveal such information and reduce his value.

Although Di Tian will immediately know once he leaves the battlefield, Wang Wei only cares about the present. If Di Tian knew about this idea, he might think Wang Wei's value had diminished and decided to eradicate him.

After all, it's an extremely dangerous thing to keep a Dao Overlord as a subordinate or slave–especially one that used to be the enemy.

So, Wang Wei did not want Di Tian's mindset to change by the tiniest amount and affect his battle strategy for this battle.

Di Tian continued his observation of the Eastern Quadrant. Although he did not know Wang Wei's objective, he knew the latter's actions had a deeper meaning behind them. So, he analyzed a few possibilities and prepared for them.

Then, he focused on analyzing Wang Wei's power based on the blocking methods he used in these locations.

'How did he break the limit and reach Ten Supremacy? Did he have another Limit Breaker? Did Empress Wu give him one?'

After seeing Wang Wei at the entrance of the battlefield, he knew the latter was the same as him and achieved Ten Supremacy; to be precise, he confirmed his suspicions after hearing about the Divine Thunder Punishment that appeared above the Dao Opening Sect a while ago.

Regardless, he wondered how he did it.

'His aura is slightly different from mine, so he must have used another method.'

Di Tian secretly sighed; he was awed and jealous–he wished for anything else in the world to be a Dao Overlord.

He took a moment to remove all these distracting thoughts, ensuring his mind was at its peak.

'It doesn't matter whether he has achieved Ten Supremacy since I have a major advantage over–Nine Pillar's inheritance.'

The Empyrean Nine Pillar was obsessed with the Ten Supremacy Foundation and spent countless Yuan Epochs researching it. As such, although he never achieved it, he created many ideas and theories regarding that level.

And Di Tian inherited all these things.

His mind became more peaceful after figuring this out. Furthermore, he was even more relieved after sensing Huo Fenghuang's departure from the battle. If she joined Wang Wei, he would have to hunt down another general.

Di Tian then closed his eyes and continued his meditation.

Central Quadrant:

Wang Ju looked directly at the Heaven-Devouring Emperor, raising her aura to the pinnacle. She waved her hand to summon her Proving Dao Artifact–two all-black daggers.

She disappeared before reappearing before the Heaven-Devouring Emperor; her speed was beyond the proud Emperor's reaction speed. She sliced toward his neck, her dagger slashing through his passive Domain like a hot knife passing through butter.

Swish!

Blood flew out of Mo XIngyun's beautiful white neck. Luckily, the Heaven-Devouring Emperor acted swiftly, exercised his absolute control over his body, and closed the wound.

His application of the Duyi was better and subtler than Wang Ju, so he healed almost instantly.

Unfortunately, this was not the end. Wang Ju kept disappearing and reappearing, leaving after images of herself due to her immense speed. And each time she reappeared, she would leave knife wounds on her opponent.

The Heaven-Devouring Emperor felt overwhelmed–especially in the speed department, so he took action. He used a secret technique based on the swordsman's Sword and Human Unification principle.

With this method, he became one with his Dao Artifact, thus can temporarily borrow all its power without any trouble–at least on the surface.

Unfortunately, his actions only allowed him to block a few dagger strikes with his sword. Any attempt to use his Devouring Power became futile. Wang Ju's attack would either use pure physical force to destroy her power or use some mysterious method to bypass it.

So, the Heaven-Devouring Emperor ignored his multitude of injuries to analyze that power.

'Freedom Dao?' he analyzed. 'She became free from me, free from devour.' He immediately knew this was one of Wang Wei's Dao.

Bang!

A powerful repulsion emanated from his body, trying to push Wang Ju away. One of the markers of top Heaven Chosens is Yin-Yang Balance.

They will always study the opposite of their Dao to better understand it and prevent others from using their antithesis against them. Some Heaven Chosens will even cultivate their opposite Dao as secondary or sub- Daos, while others–like Wang Wei–will fuse their opposite Dao with their main Dao.

So, the Heaven-Devouring Emperor had a profound understanding of the antithesis of his Devour Dao–Expulsion and Repulsion.

The first wave of his attack was useless, failing to achieve his goal. However, his purpose was to gather information on his opponent and find a countermeasure.

The Heaven-Devouring Emperor knew the best method was to use the power of Fate to counter Wang Ju's, Freedom Dao. Unfortunately, his Fate Abilities and Techniques mostly involved divination.

Even when he was alive, the Heaven-Devouring Emperor never had the chance to swallow a potent Fate Dao Cultivator due to how rare this law was.

So, with his experience, he realized the solution to this problem was the most versatile yet accessible Dao throughout All Heaven Myriad World–Yin-Yang Dao.

(AN: All Heaven Myriad World of All Heaven Myriad Realm is a term used to refer to the many Chaos Worlds in Primordial Chaos; it's also another name for the Chaos Universe.)

With the power of Yin and Yang, the Heaven-Devouring Emperor controlled the power of fate to counter Wang Ju's spell.

Sadly, this attempt also failed after the initial success. Wang Ju used Wang Wei's Yin-Yang Dao to delay or cancel her opponent's Yin-Yang Dao before continuing her mission of killing him.

'Damn it, her aura has not changed,' thought the Heaven-Devouring Emperor. He believed Wang Ju's strength was a temporary boost using a secret technique that allowed her to borrow Wang Wei's strength.

However, she discovered the latter's aura did not have the tiniest change of instability. This phenomenon indicated her current 5-Root strength was her own.

'Could it be that she can use his powers as long as he is alive and is near her?'

This was the only way he could explain the current situation.

'Damn it, how frustrating. Do I have to use this method so soon in the battle?'

Chapter

The Heaven-Devouring Emperor had an unwilling look as more injuries piled upon his body. So, he contacted someone:

'Chen Chen, where are you?'

'What do you want?' asked a cold and emotionless voice.

'Let's team up to kill one of Wang Wei's most powerful pawns.'

'I'm doing something important.'

'You don't have to test Di Tian anymore.'

'I'm doing something more important,' replied Chen Chen, his tone was plain and never fluctuated. Immediately, the Heaven-Devouring Emperor seemed to have figured out something.

'So, you've betrayed our alliance?' asked the proud Emperor.

'Didn't you expect this outcome already?'

'Yes, but I thought you could wait until the last moment.'

'It is the last moment,' replied Chen Chen. 'At least for you.'

'Do you think I will die here?'

'I know you will.'

'And why is that?' he asked, not hiding the sneer in his tone.

'I will give you one last piece of information,' added Chen Chen. 'There is a mysterious power hiding your battle. And from my analysis, it is unlike anything I have seen–even from the best Dao Ancestors.

'If I guess correctly, our communication was allowed on purpose.'

The Heaven-Devouring Emperor's face changed; the trembling of his body opened his many wounds, thus increasing the blood all over his body. And during this conversation, Wang Ju never stopped talking.

'Chen Chen, what about what I promised? How are you going to deal with your situation?' asked the Heaven-Devouring Emperor after swiftly calming down.

'My problem will be solved after proving the Dao and becoming an Eternal,' replied Chen Chen.

'Do you think it's that simple?' countered the Heaven-Devouring Emperor. Unfortunately, he received no reply.

"Damn it," he cursed out loud.

'The target has reached a critical state,' analyzed Wang Ju. 'Now, we can proceed to the next step.'

She waved her wrist to flicker her dagger. Then, countless gray strings appeared around him.

[Fate String Cutting]

The Heaven-Devouring Emperor saw something flash before his eyes before an intense pain emanated from his right side. As he glanced, he saw a fountain of blood gushing out of his body: his right hand was missing.

[Phoenix Flame]

He hurriedly used Huo Fenghuang's power, which he had previously absorbed. Although he did not get enough of her blood to acquire her bloodline, he could use some of her powers that he absorbed.

However, as soon as he grew the right arm, he lost the left one.

'This attack is unblockable by the current me,' he thought as he detected how this technique was extremely fast as it ignored space-time. Furthermore, it locked on his karma, luck, and fate, making it virtually impossible to dodge or escape.

The Heaven-Devouring Emperor secretly sighed, calming himself down in the process. He predicted this possible outcome when planning for this battle. He knew there was a difference between Wang Wei with 5-Root Dao Ancestor prowess, and someone like him who used items or artifacts to acquire such strength.

As such, he never thought he would win easily.

Clink!

A shock bounced Wang Ju's attack, forcing her to fly back hundreds of meters. Although she was unharmed, she was surprised the latter blocked her attack. Of course, the emotions a well-trained assassin displays cannot be trusted.

She gazed in the distance and saw a dark gold armor around the Heaven-Devouring Emperor's armor.

"Another Dao Artifact," she muttered with concentrated eyes. Then, she detected something else as she looked at his boots and felt the unique Dao Rhymes emanating from them.

"An Artifact set based on attack, defense, and speed."

However, this was not the end. The Heaven-Devouring Emperor activated his Pseudo Dao Body and turned into a giant trillion kilometers tall. A red flag floated above his head, releasing a lot of blood energy.

'An Emperor Artifact used for healing by absorbing and storing blood energy,' analyzed Wang Ju. 'His body and soul cannot sustain using such a powerful Dao Artifact, so he used the Emperor Artifact to provide him with enough energy.'

She concentrated her senses. She sensed that her opponent's activation of the Emperor Artifact had almost reached the same level as her young master. That's a scary thing, given the young master's current strength.

'That's understandable since he was an Eternal Emperor. If not for the limit of Mo Xingyun's flesh and soul, he would have been an even scarier opponent.'

Before the battle, the Fate Shadow, Wang Wei, and the team had many meetings analyzing the power of every Heaven Chosens. They stimulated the possible development of these geniuses based on the data displayed.

They also stimulated possible trump cards they would use.

And because Yan Liling created an Immortal Pill and Tong Ruobing refined an Immortal Talisman, they even stimulated the possibility of the Heaven-Devouring Emperor creating a Dao Artifact.

However, the team believed the latter's greatest trump card should involve using an Emperor Artifact to borrow some power from when he was alive. Although they knew Heavenly Dao would not allow such a thing, they had to prepare for the worst-case scenario.

'Should I finish the job or continue tempting?' Wang Ju analyzed. She worried the enemy had another trump card.

'If he uses his control over Emperor Artifact for a last-minute attack, this will be devastating. I need to watch out for this.'

[Fate String Cutting]

A gray string tried cutting the Heaven Devouring Emperor's head. However, his armor easily blocked the attack this time.

[Singularity Devouring]

A black down only a few centimeters appeared before the Heaven-Devouring Emperor, releasing a terrifying swallowing power. With this dot at the center, all matter, space, time, and energy were devoured.

Even more, this singularity even swallowed all concepts, like life, death, shadow, and even fate.

'This technique has reached the pinnacle of Devouring Dao,' commented Wang Ju as she felt an irresistible power attracting her. 'His Devouring achieved the ultimate purpose of Destruction Dao–destroy all things and concepts.'

With her knowledge, she could tell the Heaven-Devouring Emperor used Destruction Dao as a template for this technique. The ancient sages said all Dao leads to the same destination, and this technique perfectly represents this.

Wang Ju's body flew closer to the singularity. Unfortunately, no matter what technique or law she used, it was futile–the thing swallowed it. But she never gave up, as there was still hope.

"I know what you're thinking, but I won't let you," groaned the Heaven-Devouring Emperor. He could tell his opponent wanted to buy enough time until his power dried up.

His current situation was not ideal. Activating all these Artifacts was draining all his stored absorbed power at an alarming rate. Furthermore, he did not dare use the power he absorbed from Wang Ju; after all, who knew what Wang Wei did with these things.

So, he went all out to kill Wang Ju since he knew his situation would only worsen after success.

'After dealing with Wang Ju, I will have to face Wang Wei and his pawns' thunderous attacks. So, I need to reserve enough strength to run away and hide.'

His best option is to retreat and refill his power. Although it's impossible to reach the same level before coming to the battlefield, he can still store a significant amount of energy by using the battlefield.

Then, he can use his current state a second time to deal with Wang Wei.

'Even then, my situation will not be ideal since there is still Di Tian. I won't have a chance if he sees me as a threat and decides to eliminate me as swiftly as possible. So, the best choice is to hide until the two finish fighting.'

The Heaven-Devouring Emperor was confident in his hiding method. After all, he was hunted down for years by countless Emperors. However, he needed to deal with this situation first.

Boom!

An energy shock wave emanated from the singularity after absorbing Wang Ju. Then, the Heaven-Devouring Emperor did not hesitate to punch through the protective film surrounding their battle.

Bang!

'No wonder Chen Chen said this power was odd.'

He could tell the power was on par with a Dao Ancestor who controlled 4.9999% of the Grand Dao Source.

'This Wang Wei is truly a talent; he cultivated to the limit of the Dao Ancestor Realm.'

The Heaven-Devouring Emperor did not hesitate and summoned an offensive Emperor Artifact and broke through the protective film.

'Damn it. My situation is even worse.'

As soon as he broke through, he teleported away.

In an unknown star field, he appeared. However, his body was as thin as a mummy with long white hair and age spots–he had turned into an elderly woman.

The red flag floated above him, supplying him with blood energy. Otherwise, he would have died long ago.

'The situation is more complicated but still manageable.'

He gazed in the distance, where he saw Li Jun and his group searching the battle's location.

'Let's heal first.'

He sat cross-legged in a secret room he had prepared. Then, countless tattoos appeared on his body. The Heaven-Devouring Emperor looked horrified at his body since these tattoos were not his. Furthermore, he discovered he was incapable of moving.

Swish!

A perfectly intact Wang Ju appeared before him.

"You!"

Wang Ju ignored him as she began casting a spell. The Heaven-Devouring Emperor tried to resist, but he was at his weakest in every sense of the word.

So, a few seconds later, his eyes suddenly changed from the usually cold, indifferent, and intense desire to swallow all living things to one of confusion and fear.

"Young Lady Mo, are you awakened?" asked Wang Ju.

"You are…"

Chapter

Mo Xingyun was confused as her consciousness slowly recovered. The last thing she remembered was her struggle to fight another Will inside her body. Unfortunately, all her struggles were futile; all her methods were useless.

She had to watch as she rapidly lost control of her body; the fear of watching herself become someone else was indescribable.

Then, everything went black, and she entered a state similar to deep sleep.

Mo Xingyun frowned as she suddenly remembered multiple memories that were not hers. Well, they were hers, but her behavior in these memories was odd; many of them were things she would never do or even incapable of doing.

She took a moment to absorb all these memories. Finally, she heard a voice talking to her, so she focused:

"You are…Wang Wei's paw…I mean, person?"

"That's correct," replied Wang Ju calmly.

"I did not expect he would be the one who saved me. Why did he do it?"

After calming down and assessing the situation, Mo Xingyun returned to her calm and composed side.

"The Young Master said you owe a great karmic debt," replied Wang Ju.

"I see," muttered Mo Xingyun with no expression; no one knew what she was thinking. However, Wang Ju did not care. She waved her hand, and the seal on the little devil's body–which looked like scattered tattoos–gathered into one shape.

Then, she took a small imprint out of her body, surrounded by a shield.

"I can't believe I lost to a mere slave," said a harsh voice from the imprint; the voice contained immense killing intent.

Mo Xingyun's body instinctively trembled after hearing that voice. Then, she looked at the imprint with an even higher killing desire.

"You should be glad that it was this slave who took action. Otherwise, you wouldn't even have a chance to breathe before being annihilated," replied Wang Ju, who secretly sighed.

She remembered how much had changed since her cultivation journey. Her talent was subpar, but she was beautiful, hence why the Wang Clan made her the Young Master's maid.

The Young Master was lazy and did not want to spend time finding another information handler. Thus, she also took the spot. Wang Ju knew without the young master's support, she would never succeed in becoming his shadow and pass all the tests.

And she realized her limitation during the Luck Trial after becoming useless in preventing the Young Master's assassination from the Death Order Palace. After this incident, she feared becoming useless, fearing she could not follow the Young Master's footsteps.

But Wang Ju took this moment to look at her achievements. Her strength was on par with the best Dao Ancestors for a period of time, and if she uses her Ultimate Attack, the world will awe at her presense.

Additionally, she efficiently dealt with an Eternal Emperor trying to revive itselves.

'I will never forget the person who gave me all this.' This phrase has been her motto for all the millions of years she spent cultivating; it has been ingrained deep in her blood and soul.

"Tell Wang Wei this is not over," said the Heaven Devouring Emperor through the bloodline imprint. "When I revive, we will meet again, and I will deal with him."

"When you revive, my Young Master will reach a realm you can only look up to," countered Wang Ju. "By then, if you are smart, you will stay far away to save your pitiful life."

Wang Ju heard a cold snort but did not care; she completely sealed the imprint before putting it away. Finally, she focused on Mo Xingyun and said:

"Now, please give up this battle and exit the premises."

Mo Xingyun frowned as she paused for a moment, "Well–"

Before she finished uttering her following sentence, she felt a terrifying aura locking her body. She knew if she resisted, her fate would be a devastating blow that would instantly kill her.

"Relax, relax, I give up," said Mo Xingyun with a lonely sigh. Her complexion became even worse as she watched a white light envelop her.

"Wise choice," said Wang Ju before waving her hand to take Mo Xingyun's space ring. Then, her expression suddenly became grave, and she kicked to her right side.

Boom!

Something else fought back, and their clash generated a powerful shockwave that even Mo Xingyun could not bear. Wang Ju looked at the intruder and uttered:

"Di Tian's shadow."

Numerous thoughts flashed in her mind as she understood why it happened. After allowing the Heaven-Devouring Emperor to escape and lower his guard, Di Tian must have paid attention to him and even placed something in his body to follow.

And now, his shadow took action to prevent her from getting more benefits.

'Mo Xingyun, take your space ring and leave,' communicated the Shadow through Divine Sense.

The little devil looked at these two people before glancing at her space ring. Without hesitation, she rushed to take it. Wang Ju tried to block her, but the Shadow intercepted her.

After a few seconds, Mo Xingyun disappeared from the battlefield. The Shadow glanced at Wang Ju before also leaving. His task was only to observe, gather information, and prevent Wang Wei's group from getting too many opportunities and advantages.

So, he returned to report to his boss, and Wang Ju did the same.

"Young Master, I'm sorry I did not complete the mission," she said with her head bowed.

"It's fine," replied Wang Wei, who opened his eyes. "Our main objective was Mo Xingyun and the bloodline imprint."

Wang Wei knew the most valuable object from that ring was the Mo Clan's Eternal Artifact–the Heaven Swallowing Pot. Unfortunately, this thing is troublesome even for the Dao Opening Sect.

Emperor Artifacts bonded by a faction's Luck are extremely difficult to use. Wang Wei would need to either destroy the Mo Clan or use the sect's luck to wash away the pot's connection with the Mo Clan.

And neither of these two things was easily achievable–especially since the Heaven-Devouring Emperor might leave some hidden things in his artifact.

Lastly, Luck-binding Emperor Artifacts are different from the ones a sect acquires through other fortunate encounters–they are the foundation of their factions.

As such, the Mo Clan would never allow their family to lose the Heaven Swallowing Pot. So, they would not hesitate to start an Emperor-Dao War with the Dao Opening Sect.

Although Wang Wei would not care about such a thing–especially after proving the Dao–it is possible for the Mo Clan to use this time to cause trouble.

The political strength of the sect has been drastically increasing in this generation, making many people unhappy and worried. So, if they have a legit reason or opportunity to make trouble, many will take it.

So, Wang Wei did not care about losing the ring. It would be good to have it and use that Dao Artifact Set for his team, but it's fine if he did not.

"Tell them what happened," said Wang Wei as he took the bloodline imprint from her. So, Wang Ju repeated her experience, not missing a word.

"This is not over?" he muttered with a sneer. "He's wrong about that."

Wang Wei looked in the distance before grabbing the empty hair. Then, the space around twisted before a young man with black hair and red eyes appeared before him; the stench of karmic sins was also palpable.

"Young master, this is?"

"The Heaven-Devouring Emperor's backup plan," replied Wang Wei. "This person is secretly a member of the Mo Clan from his lineage."

"He has his bloodline imprint?" she asked in surprise.

"Yes. So, even if Mo Xingyun failed, he had another way to revive and continue the battle."

However, Wang Ju frowned after seeing the silent young man, "This person is too weak; there is nothing he can do."

"As long as he hides well enough and attacks after Di Tian and I are done fighting and are in a weakened state, he has a high chance of succeeding."

"So, he has a third Dao Artifact?"

"Very likely," replied Wang Wei. "Plus, this guy's real purpose might be something else."

"Survive the battle," added Wang Ju after thinking about it for a moment.

"Yes. As long as the Heaven-Devouring Emperor survives, he can find other ways to revive himself."

Wang Wei sighed–no one should underestimate a Dao Lord. The Heaven-Devouring Emperor lost because he could not completely hide his arrogance and because of his twisted psychological mindset, he had toward him.

Based on his analysis, Wang Wei believed the latter saw their battle as a competition to show that he was not any worse than a true Dao Overlord.

In his mindset, the Heaven Devouring Emperors believed he was not a Dao Overlord because he did not take the trial, but his intelligence was not worse than Wang Wei or any other Dao Overlord.

'Unfortunately, he failed to understand that being a Dao Overlord is not just about intelligence, but also knowing your mind and weakness and not allowing anyone to use it against you.'

If the Heaven-Devouring Emperor could control his pride and arrogance, and accept the fact his current self was nothing compared to his day as an Eternal, then it would not be so simple to scheme against him.

"Young master, do you think there is also a third bloodline imprint?" asked Wang Ju

Wang Wei paused, "Logically speaking, the conditions for bloodline imprint are harsh and require the descendants to not only be powerful but also have a certain fit.

"However, the Heaven-Devouring Emperor's technique seemed unique. Or, it might have something to do with his Devouring Dao that allows him to adapt to any of his descendant's bodies.

"However, it doesn't matter whether there is a third one since I already guessed where it would be."

"Where?" asked Wang Ju.

"The Devil God World."

Her eyes suddenly lit up, "He wants to absorb the Devil Gods to revive himself?"

"Most likely."

Chapter

Wang Wei frowned after coming to this conclusion. Under normal circumstances, he did not think the Heaven-Devouring Emperor's plan would work because of Wu Hong's seal.

However, in the last cleanup, the Spirit Genesis Sect forcefully altered the Nine Devil God World, which in turn affected her seal. So, normally, the Heaven Devouring Emperor's plan would have no chance.

But it's a different story now.

After thinking about it for a moment, he decided to deal with it after the battle. After all, no matter how weak the seal has become, it is not something the Heaven-Devouring Emperor can deal with easily, even in his prime, let alone his current state.

And even if he could revive himself, Wang Wei did not care as long as he won the battle. By then, the Heaven-Devouring Emperor will be a bigger ant to him compared to others. If the latter ascends to the upper dimension and hides, Wang Wei will not care about him.

But if he wanted revenge and intervened in his plan, Wang Wei would erase his Existence and remove him from history.

And honestly, he would not even care about the Heaven-Devouring Emperor even if he lost the battle. With Sword One and Desolate One, it is not a problem to deal with a non-Eternal Supreme.

So, he looked at the young man before him before taking out another imprint from his body. Then, the latter disappeared inch by inch, scattered as he turned into space dust. In the process, he never had a chance to say a single word.

He looked at the second Bloodline Imprint and shook his head with slight disappointment; he wished he could gather some memories from these two imprints and learn more about the Heaven-Devouring Emperor's life–especially his experience of being hunted down in the upper dimension.

'It doesn't matter. There are other ways to benefit from this imprint,' thought Wang Wei. He could study a technique similar to it. However, he would not leave his imprint in his descendants but in a clone created by the Science and Technology World.

The only issue with this idea is whether Hongjun's protection will remain if he ever enters a state of Limbo where he is both dead and not dead.

Another benefit of these imprints is to allow Wang Wei to study the secrets of the Emperor Realm. So, he closed his eyes to comprehend their essence. Meanwhile, Wang Ju disappeared as if she was not there.

She wanted to deal with the issue of the Heaven-Devouring Emperor and the Nine Devil God World. However, after seeing how her young master did not care about it, she knew the situation was not as dangerous as she had imagined.

So, she continued with her mission.

Central Quadrant:

A man whose entire face and body appeared before Tong Ruobing. Immediately, she felt his aura was strange and weird.

"Who are you?" She remembered seeing this odd individual at the entrance and decided to keep an eye on them.

"It's perfectly normal if you don't recognize me," said a cold and emotionless voice.

"Do I know you?" she asked, frowning at the latter's insinuation.

"Yes, you are my last shred of humanity," said the hooded figure before removing his long robe.

Despite her high state of mind, Tong Ruobing flinched after seeing the fact behind the hood. He saw someone who was a mixture of metal, wood, and flesh.

"Chen Chen? What happened to you?" she asked, gazing at his emotionless eyes that resembled a puppet or machine.

"This is the price of power and hubris," he explained. Then, for a short moment, a look of reminisce and regret flashed in his eyes.

For the sake of power, he went to the Mechanical Puppet World, searching for the taboo method of fusing flesh with the ultimate puppet. Chen Chen did not care about the warnings of the technique and believed with his accomplishment in refinings and his knowledge from another civilization, he could optimize this technique and remove the risks.

Unfortunately, fate played the biggest joke on him.

The man who created this Pupper Art was a 1 in a billion years genius like Wang Wei and Wang Tian, capable of understanding a small portion of [Existence] as a mortal.

However, that man did not walk the path of the Nine Extremity due to a lack of knowledge and destiny and primarily because he was obsessed with Puppet Dao. He wanted to create the ultimate puppet and fuse it with himself.

In the process of this endeavor, he traveled to other World Communities to learn more knowledge. And in the end, he succeeded–at least partially.

There was a problem with the final version of the technique, and the main reason it was taboo to the Mechanical Puppet World. The man had used his shallow understanding of [Existence] in the technique. freewebnøvel.coɱ

So, when someone fused with the puppet, their [Existence] would be changed or twisted into another creature similar to Cyborgs from Earth's science fiction. Unfortunately, with his small comprehension of [Existence], the process was wrong, resulting in Chen Chen's current state of half human, half machine, but not human or machine.

"What have you done?" asked Tong Ruobing, wondering what her old competitor did to become like this.

"I have lost most of my humanity," said Chen Chen. "And the only thing keeping it alive is you."

"Me?" Tong Ruobing was baffled as she never had such a close relationship with Chen Chen.

'Did this guy like me? But I never detected anything?"

"To be precise, it is my obsession to defeat you," continued Chen Chen, clarifying his situation. "Back in the Luck Trial, our strengths were relative to one another. You won not because of strength but because of scheming and wisdom."

Chen Chen and Tong Ruobing paused briefly, reminiscing about their youth.

"However, everything changed after you met with Wu Ming."

A look of unwillingness flashed in Chen Chen's eyes for a short period before swiftly disappearing.

"From that moment on, you rose like a comet as your strength reached a level that I can only look up to."

Tong Ruobing remembered the moment that changed her life. She severely injured Wu Meng during their Luck Trial and prepared to eliminate him. Then, her intuition or Luck manifested and told her a great opportunity awaited her if she could seduce him.

So, she blurred some of his memories, changed her face, and pretended to be someone who saved him after seeing him float in a river.

They spent a few months together, getting to know each other. And after building some level of trust and using some Spiritual Guidance Talismans, Tong Ruobing learned of Wu Meng's biggest secret.

She learned about Wu Meng's ancestors, the creation of the Formation Body, and all of Wang Wei's ideas on how to develop this idea even further. Then, Tong Ruobing took action.

She spent years studying runes and Talisman Dao before developing the acquired version of the Source Rune Physique. Then, like Wang Wei's idea, she connected herself to the Origin Talisman to increase her power.

This act allowed her to walk the path of breaking the barrier between Mortal and Immortal, thus achieving her current level of strength.

"I am unwilling," said Chen Chen, his voice slightly raised. "I'm unwilling to watch someone that was once so close to me reach such a height with only one fortunate encounter."

Tong Ruobing sneered, "Do you think one idea is not enough for me to have today's achievement? If not for years of work and my talent, an idea will always remain an idea."

To increase her status in the Great Talisman City and receive more resources for the sect, Tong Ruobing shared her plans with the upper echelons.

And like many factions, there are groups in the city. As such, a few people also tried her ideas with the hope of defeating her and becoming this generation's Heaven Chosens.

In the end, she was the only one who succeeded, rising above all the others like a phoenix rushing to the Nine Heavens.

"Yes, you're right," acknowledged Chen Chen. "But you cannot refute the fact that one encounter changed the course of your entire life. That's why I refuse to accept it. If I had the same encounter, I would not be worse than you."

"But you did," countered Tong Ruobing. "Whatever technique you received that turned you into this was your opportunity. Unfortunately, you did not completely grasp your destiny and ended in this state."

Boom!

A terrifying aura emanated from Chen Chen as another emotion appeared on his body–anger. He did not know he still had such emotions, but currently, he did not care.

"Shut up. What do you know?"

"Do you think it was easy for me to take the power of the Origin Talisman? Do you know how many times I was injured in the process? The fear I felt when confronting the vast power of the Grand Dao Source? The fear of being obliterated or assimilated?

"Do you know the pain I suffered to alter my physique? The countless nights of studying and researching runes? The numerous frustrations after repeated failures? The stressed when others doubted whether I would succeed?

"The unwillingness of not wanting to let this opportunity down? The doubts that my path was wrong and I was wasting my time and youth?

"You don't know any of this. All you saw was my success and your failure. So, you convinced yourself I was lucky, and your weakness was the result of fate."

Tong Ruobing did not hide her look of disdain. If she previously had any empathy for Chen Chen's current state, it was now all gone.

Was I…wrong?' thought Chen Chen. After his transformation, his brain changed, and his soul mutated, allowing him to remain cold and logical in most situations. In such a state, Chen Chen felt closer and more in tune with Heaven and Earth, thus drastically increasing his comprehension and analytical skills.

However, his emotional process capabilities became chaotic. He should have turned into a completely logical and emotionless life form, but his obsession with Tong Ruobing allowed him to retain some of his emotions to keep his humanity.

And now, after hearing things from her point of view, the foundation of his obsession began to crumble, immensely affecting his soul.

'Could I have done things differently? Could I have been better?' Chen Chen asked himself.

He thought of the fortunate encounter he had. Maybe, he could have only studied the thing and heeded the warning that this technique was taboo. He could have studied the orthodox cultivation system from the Mechanical Puppet World and refined an Immortal Tier Puppet.

Instead of wallowing in self-pity and denial, he could have unwaveringly followed in Tong Ruobing's footsteps, never giving up on catching up with her.

'No, it's useless,' concluded Chen Chen. 'My fortunate encounter was too late. By the time I acquired it, there was not enough time to study it in depth and make any achievements.

'Things would have been different if I had it around the same time Tong Ruobing met Wu Meng. If so, my achievements would never be lower than hers.'

Chen Chen's mind was no longer chaotic as he returned to his calm, cold, and logical state. His gaze toward Tong Ruobing was no longer confused but full of determination.

"I only need to defeat you and prove I was correct," said the sect master of Origin Weapon Mountain. "Then, my objective will be to prove the Dao, become an Eternal, and finish my ascension as a true Half-Flesh and Half-Puppet Lifeform."

Tong Ruobing shook her head, "Your obsession has already created a major flaw in your Dao Heart. In your current state, there is a high chance of becoming a Pseudo Emperor even if you win.

"As for your goal of becoming Emperor? Although I won't say the chance is 0%, it's still close to that number."

Tong Ruobing squinted her eyes and did not mention the other anomaly he detected from Chen Chen, like, why did he want to become a new life form?

Why did he not consider fusing with a puppet as a unique body-refining technique? Chen Chen's idea of becoming a half-flesh and half-puppet creature indicates his mindset has fundamentally changed. And now, he no longer viewed himself as human.

'The price he paid was more severe than even he could have expected,' she analyzed.

"My flaw will be corrected after defeating you," replied Chen Chen. "As for those two? I still have a chance with the right planning."

Chen Chen remembered the power he sensed when the Heaven-Devouring Emperor tried to contact him. Such a power made his soul and very core tremble. Regardless, he never thought of giving up.

"So, you know?" she muttered, thinking about the despair she felt after knowing the power of these two monsters. She thought how much she lamented that it was a blessing and a curse to live in the same generation as two Heaven-Defying Geniuses.

"Yes."

"Do you want to partner with me to deal with them?" suddenly asked Tong Ruobing out of nowhere.

"What do you think?" replied Chen Chen, his voice colder than normal.

"I thought I should try."

[Destruction Flame Talisman]

Tong Ruobing went for a sneak attack and used one of her most powerful blows. She did not want to have a legion confrontation with Chen Chen for many reasons, the main being resources and wealth.

One of the advantages of her legion is she granted them innumerable talismans. So, her troops can essentially use money or resources to defeat her opponent. However, she knew it was the same with Chen Chen, and the latter was even wealthier than her.

During their Luck Trial, she suffered at the hands of his troops, who battle by spamming powerful Origin Artifacts. Logically speaking, this tactic should not be usable since Chen Chen would need to refine countless high-level Artifacts.

But Tong Ruobing did not want to take risks. She knew Chen Chen's refining talent was no lesser than hers, meaning his success rate of refining Quasi-Emperor Artifacts was ridiculous to the point he could grant 100his million troops each a weapon set.

So, she watched a terrifying black mushroom cloud envelop the surrounding million galaxies. However, she soon frowned. Her Divine Sense detected her attack was effective, but Chen Chen was still alive.

She saw only his partially destroyed head floating in the empty vacuum of space. Then, with his usual cold and indifferent eyes, Chen Chen said:

"I have transcended the weakness of Flesh Lifeforms–including the soul."

Bang!

A tear from the void manifested behind Chen Chen's head. Then, someone slowly walked out from the space crack. Tong Ruobing's eyes involuntarily squinted as another perfectly intact Chen Chen appeared.

At first, the new Chen Chen looked dull and listless; it was like it was a piece of wood with no life or soul–it looked like a regular or normal puppet. Then, his eyes changed and became more vivid, more alive.

Tong Ruobing noticed the coldness and indifference of the previous Chen Chen from this new one.

'Can he transfer his soul into a new puppet like Body Possession?'

The frown on her face did not change as she felt there was an anomaly.

'This new Chen Chen is a puppet; no, it's a combination of flesh and puppet–just like its former body. It's a perfect copy. But that's not where the anomaly I sense is.'

She thought briefly before noticing what she felt was wrong,

'I didn't sense the soul transfer.'

Tong Ruobing immediately became serious.

'Does that mean Chen Chen's understanding of the soul has reached a realm beyond my comprehension?'

Tong Ruobing refused to accept this fact. The main reason was her pride, and secondly, she also saw Chen Chen's displayed strength was only equal 4-Leaf, which is far from her.

'This could only mean there is something else at play.' She concluded he was using a unique method that was not easily noticeable. However, she was confident she would find the truth after a period of observation.

[False Divine Punishment Talisman]

Tong Ruobing waved her hand to summon a colossal talisman that covered the sky. Then, black lightning bolts descended from the heavens, similar to Heavenly Dao's Divine Punishment.

[Immortal Artifact Body]

An ethereal, noble, and immortal-like atmosphere emanated from Chen Chen's body. Then, his body took on the properties of an Immortal Artifact.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Chen Chen fought the black lightning bolts, his expression always the same. He felt no pain, and his actions were precise and methodical. So, after blasting thousands of thunderbolts, the talisman finally dispersed.

Meanwhile, Chen Chen had lost both his arms and one of his legs. Then, three small space cracks appeared to transfer new limbs to him. He reattached them as if they were accessories.

Tong Ruobing even noticed some of the internal damage from her attack was also healed by the metal energy released from these new limbs.

'What an odd body,' thought Tong Ruobing. Her Dao Companion was a body refiner, so she knew and had experienced the weirdness of them regrowing limbs or even their entire body from a drop of blood.

And technically speaking, Chen Chen's actions are the same result using different methods. However, Tong Ruobing found his technique incongruous.

Furthermore, she could not explain why. And this fact brought some unknown fear to her mind. Luckily, she is a top Heaven Chosen with the best Dao Heart and Willpower. So, she rapidly controlled herself, trying to analyze her opponent.

Her fear derived from the unknown. So, she only needs to discover all of Chen Chen's secrets and illuminate her mind.

[Matter Atomization Talisman]

Tong Ruobing wanted to see what would happen if she left her opponent without a single piece of atom in his body.

"It's pointless," said a voice that echoed in this vast emptiness. Then, a space crack appeared before another Chen Chen walked out.

"You cannot defeat me," said the third Chen Chen before rushing toward her. Tong Ruobing did not care about the latter's words. Although Chen Chen's methods were weird, that's only because of her lack of information.

In general, her opponent's strength could not warner her cares.

[Soul Annihilation Talisman]

A terrifying power entered Chen Chen's body to eradicate his soul. However, he only paused for a second before continuing his pursuit. Tong Ruobing tried a few more soul and spiritual attacks but soon discovered it was futile.

With each attempt, Chen Chen became more resistant until her attempt was utterly useless. This fact confirmed Tong Ruobing's suspicions that something was wrong with Chen Chen's soul–especially when she discovered she could not access or detect his Sea of Consciousness.

Bang!

She punched Chen Chen's body into oblivion for the third time before waiting.

Chapter

Nine stars appeared in Tong Ruobing's eyes as she used one of her unique talismans–the Star God Talisman. The origin of the talisman is from studying the body of her Dao Companion–Mu Lei.

Tong Ruobing was not a body refining. Although her fleshly body was excellent compared to ordinary cultivators due to the runes, it was still not on par with true body refiners, let alone True Power Dao cultivators.

As such, she created this special talisman to increase her physical prowess–including defense, stamina, and regeneration–when needed for battle.

Regardless, after destroying Chen Chen's body for the third time, Tong Ruobing was not happy as she knew things were not so simple. And as expected, another crack appeared with another Chen Chen.

Tong Ruobing swiftly flicked her fingers to create a sword slash that left a mark on Chen Chen's body. Then, in less than a second, the wound naturally healed.

'The Duyu Realm is useless against him,' she analyzed as she sensed how fast and easily Chen Chen healed from her attack. 'The main reason seems to be that he can replace his injured body parts with already created replacements.'

Tong Ruobing frowned as she felt Chen Chen's method of fighting was too expensive. How many other parts did he have, and why were they all Immortal Tier?

'Has his refining achievement reached the stage where he could easily create Immortal Weapons?'

Based on the given fact, this was the most logical conclusion. However, Tong Ruobing had a hard time believing this fact. She knew how hard it was for mortals to refine any Immortal-related products. This fact was true for her and someone like Yan Liling.

'No, something else is at play,' she thought. 'Chen Chen disappeared before the clean-up, so this should be the time he received his fortunate encounter.

'From that time to now, only about 200,000 years have passed. So, even if he used time dilation, it was impossible for him to refine so many Immortal Weapons.'

Tong Ruobing knew that Immortal Venerables could not easily create Immortal Products for many reasons. The first one is that it took time to refine these things. The second reason is that they need to use a lot of Immortal Qi in the process.

A few talented Immortal Venerables can resonate with the Source Qi Space and use the Immortal Qi from there. But even then, their refining speed would not allow them to refine as many items as Chen Chen.

'If I want to find the truth, I must focus on discovering Chen Chen's ability.'

Tong Ruobing waved her hand to use a [Super Gravity Talisman] to crush Chen Chen's new body. Then, she focused on the space crack that sent his body.

She swiftly used her Divine Sense to detect the spatial energy released, trying to detect where this space was connected. Unfortunately, a mysterious power bounced her Divine Sense.

Furthermore, her actions seemed to have activated something. The surroundings changed as thousands of space cracks appeared, followed by millions of Chen Chen.

Tong Ruobing's face changed before calming down. She sensed that only a few hundred Chen Chen had the aura of Immortal Venerable, and the highest was still 4-Leaf, while the rest were between 1 to 3 Leaf. Meanwhile, most of the Chen Chens were peak Quasi-Emperors.

"Thunder-Sword Rain Array." said all the Chen Chens in a strange harmony. Then, they raised their hand to each manifest seven swords. All the Immortal Venerable Chen Chen had Immortal Artifacts, and Tong Ruobing noticed these artifacts were on par with 6-Leaf.

The swords then formed an array that showered Tong Ruobing with countless mighty thunder swords.

'Damn it,' thought Tong Ruobing as she watched the sky covered by powerful thunder and lightning swords. Her analysis of Chen Chen was that he was a lightweight and only relied on the weirdness of his body. But now, she realized he had means on par with her 7-Leaf strength.

'The previous conversation affected my state of mind.' She realized Chen Chen's accusations affected her on a subtle level. She was angered and thus decided to defeat him effortlessly to show the difference between the two.

However, such a mindset made her underestimate her opponent and become careless. So, Tong Ruobing reigned in her mind and entered a state of focus. Now, she only had one job–to destroy her opponent by all means.

[Elemental Immunity Talisman]

Tong Ruobing placed a talisman on her forehead. Then, with her current fleshly body on par with Mu Lei, she rushed into Chen Chen's group, intending to annihilate them one by one.

Her slim and petite body blocked all the swords and thunder, rushing forward with unparalleled momentum.

The armies of Chen Chen then suddenly changed tactics. Their Sword Array no longer released thunder attacks but focused on the sword's sharpness. This method rendered Tong Ruobing's elemental immunity useless.

Tong Ruobing followed them and blessed her with a [Physical Damage Immunity Talisman]. However, Chen Chen's group would respond by changing their mode of attack; their way of fighting was as versatile as hers.

Unfortunately for Chen Chen, Tong Ruobing's current state was the embodiment of what made body refiners terrifying–they were unkillable. No matter the obstacles or power thrown at them, their flesh can block it.

As such, although Tong Ruobing's progress was slow, she was steadily approaching the army. Then, when she was only a few kilometers away, Chen Chen changed his formation.

The Immortal Tiers one moved to the back while the Quasi-Emperors one moved to the front.

'Do he want to consume my stamina?'

Normally, Tong Ruobing would have sneered. After all, once cultivators reach a particular realm, numbers of lower Tiers simply do not matter. It's a fact that billions of Quasi-Emperors cannot kill even the lowest 1-Leaf Immortal Venerable.

However, she also knew there was no absolute between Heaven and Earth–she knew anything was impossible. So, she was on guard, which was the correct decision.

After punching the first Quasi-Emperor Chen Chen, she discovered their bodies were refined with the Absorption Rune with the purpose of draining her. She even deduced Chen Chen might have planned this battle down to the tiniest detail.

'Two can play at this game,' thought Tong Ruobing before taking out a talisman from her space ring. This talisman was not created by her Dao or using Law Resonance; this talisman was one of the physical Immortal Tiers talismans she refined.

[Clone Army]

Millions of Tong Ruobing manifested around the main one. So, a weird scene formed on this battlefield where an army of Chen Chens and Tong Ruobings faced each other.

'Although these clones have 50% or less of my strength, it's enough,' thought Tong Ruobing before ordering them to attack.

Eastern Quadrant:

Wang Wei had opened his eyes, gazing at the battle between these two. However, he had a pondering frown.

'Why is Chen Chen's fighting method, no, his essence, so similar to Cyborgs or robots from Earth?'

Cyborgs, robots, and puppets might seem the same thing from different civilizations, but Wang Wei knew their essence and ideologies were different.

Puppet Dao's origin was to create artifacts that imitated creatures, and the way Puppet Masters fought was similar to summoners.

'The way Chen Chen fights is similar to the robot of Skynet instead of a Puppet Master,' analyzed Wang Wei, who felt something important was at his grasp but could not catch it yet.

'Moreover, his mindset is also similar to robots who believe flesh life forms are limited.'

Wang Wei felt Chen Chen's last humanity was due to his obsession with defeating Tong Ruobing. Otherwise, this symptom would have been even more prominent.

'Am I overthinking about this, or is there really a mystery?' thought Wang Wei, his frown deeper. He decided to investigate.

Most of the time, when his mind cannot stop working, it usually indicates he is about to create some fantastic idea or theory.

Although the majority of the time, these theories are nonsense. But the time he was correct, he usually discovered some of the fundamental truths of the universe.

Wang Wei tried the easy way out and divined the answer he wanted. Of course, he found nothing; he expected this outcome, but he hoped he would be lucky and had to skip all the work his brain was about to do.

Then, he used a Karman Thread connecting Chen Chen to the Mechanical Puppet World. His eyes penetrated infinite distances and saw this Heaven Will in a far-distant World Community.

Wang Wei became cautious and read a small section of the entire world's Fate Line. He experienced countless battles with the people of this world.

'This world is weird, and Chen Chen is even weirder.'

The cultivators in this world developed Puppet Dao to the peak. And what Wang Wei found weird about them is the way they battle is not like typical summoners. Instead, they fought similarly to Iron Man, where their puppets were their exoskeleton suit.

'People and civilization change, so it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility for changes to occur,' analyzed. The cultivator world is very pedantic and obstinate, for lack of a better word.

So, it's normal for the way they do things to not change after trillions of years; this fact can be seen as one of the prices for their long life and immortality.

So, Wang Wei did not rule out that someone would have introduced a new method or ideology for Puppet Dao. Such a genius appeared in the shape of his ancestor, Qiyuan, who defined the entire civilization. freeweɓnovel.cѳm

'However, Chen Chen's mindset is indeed different from the rest.'

Chapter

The cultivators from the Mechanical Puppet World viewed the fusion with Puppets as a form of body cultivating. Their bodies will acquire certain properties of puppets, like wooden skins, indestructible metals, and enhanced physical stats.

When injured, these cultivators can use resources like Spiritual Ores and Woods to heal themselves swiftly. However, Chen Chen is different. The way he heals is similar to robots that mass-produced parts of their bodies and can replace them.

Chen Chen treats his body as a machine with replaceable parts, and his general attitude is not that he is a unique body refiner. Instead, he treated himself as a different race or species.

'So far, there is no indication he looked down on humans or flesh life forms. However, he did display some level of superiority by the tone of his voice and actions,' analyzed Wang Wei. Right now, he could tell Chen Chen was overwhelmed by his obsession.

So, he has not shown much for him to analyze. However, the thing he revealed made Wang Wei raise a few high eyebrows.

'So, what is it that my mind is telling me I miss,' thought Wang Wei for a moment before focusing on the Mechanical Puppet World; he hoped this direction would lead him to the answer he wanted.

'Could Chen Chen's change be explained by the person who created the Mechanical Puppet World's cultivation system? Could that person be someone from Earth?'

Wang Wei squinted his eyes as if this was a possibility. He and the Human Emperor were both reincarnated from Earth, so it was not impossible to have a third person.

One of Wang Wei's theories was Hongjun was responsible for the cracks that swallowed him before his reincarnation. And his purpose might be to reincarnate others into different Chaos Worlds.

Wang Wei focused on that world, trying to divine more information. He frowned because he could not gather any information from the person who created their system.

'The latter should at least be a Pseudo Eternal Emperor,' he analyzed before focusing on divining essential information.

'Huh? This world is a new Heaven Will World?'

Wang Wei discovered a significant piece of information. The Mechanical Puppet World was the world that replaced the Nine Devil God World. In the lower dimension, there is 3800 Heaven Will World, but one went missing after Wu Hong sealed the Nine Devil God World.

However, after a while, True Heavenly Dao chose a new world to upgrade and take the position, and that world is the Mechanical Puppet World.

Wang Wei frowned. Although this information was important, it was not the one he needed. So, he removed his gaze from that world and focused on Tong Ruobing and Chen Chen's battle.

'I cannot determine whether the shift of Puppet Dao is the result of someone else from Earth reincarnating,' pondered Wang Wei. 'However, my intuition tells me this is not the crux of the issue.'

Countless thoughts flashed in his eyes as he analyzed trillions of information, trying to connect the dot.

'Chen Chen's robotic aesthetic…Seven Deadly Sins…Buddhism…Phoenix…Western Ideologies and Mythologies.'

Click!

Everything suddenly clicked together.

'Western Influences–that's the core of this issue.'

He knew from Wu Hong that the entire Chaos Universe was based on Eastern Mythologies, Ideologies, and Concepts. And Earth is the only place with other races or ethnicities.

However, Western Influences can be detected throughout the Chaos Universe. The first example is Chen Chen's robotic aesthetics and how he composed himself. However, there are other examples.

The second was the Seven Deadly Sins from the Devil Primogenitors. Eastern Ideologies have things like seven emotions and six desires, but the concept of Seven Deadly Sins originated from Christian Mythology.

Then, there is Buddhism which originated in India. Buddhism was not brought to China during the Han Dynasty, which was more than 2000 years before modern times. When Buddhism reached China, the Human Emperor–the Qin Dynasty Emperor–had long died and reincarnated.

Well, unless he cultivated and was hiding somewhere in the world, most likely, his famous tomb.

'Chinese Culture has long assimilated Buddhism and become ingrained in its ideologies, myths, and way of life. So, maybe it's not the perfect argument,' analyzed Wang Wei. 'However, there is irrevocable proof for this theory–the Phoenix.'

The Chinese Phoenix is a bird that looks similar to the Peacock and has five colored tails. However, after Western influences, the Phoenix is more often portrayed by the Western Phoenix that looks like a Flaming Bird.

Even the concept of Nirvana and Immortality was a foreign concept assigned to the Phoenix in modern times.

'Maybe all the others can be described as statistical probabilities. However, the Phoenix is different,' thought Wang Wei. 'It's an Innate Demon, one of the noblest races between Heaven and Earth.

'Their births or designs should be created by only one person–Grand Dao.'

Wang Wei squinted his eyes.

'Grand Dao would never make a mistake. So, what's the reason for these anomalies? The answer is simple:

'Just like Grand Dao wishes to influence the Prehistoric World, it has also influenced the Chaos Universe and even Grand Dao.'

Wang Wei's breath became smoother and his mind calmer; he followed his line of thought and refined his theory.

This influence can take the shape of individuals reincarnating from the Prehistoric World. Or, it could even be on a higher level, affecting the essence of the entire Chaos Universe.

'The main point is Earth–there is something extraordinary about it.'

Wang Wei suspected the reason Science and Technology are taboo is not that it's from the Prehistoric World but because it is from Earth.

'Maybe, the Prehistoric World is not the Taboo, but Earth is.'

Wang Wei took a moment before noticing another anomaly on Earth.

'Hongjun is real, meaning the other characters from mythologies are real–including Tagatha, the founder of Buddhism.

'Tagatha should have lived for millions of years–if not more. Meanwhile, the founder of Buddhism, Gautama Buddha, existed more than 2500 years ago from modern times.

'Forget the timey winey things going on; unless Tagatha reincarnated as an Indian Monk, he could not have created Buddhism on Earth? So, how to explain the discrepancy?'

Wang Wei could not explain this anomaly. No, he did not have another wild theory, but there was not enough information or any substantial basis for this theory to even make sense to him.

Wang Wei reigned in his thoughts to prevent his mind from going on a tangent. Instead, he focused on Earth.

'If Hongjun is real, there is a high chance people like Yahweh, the Christian God, Odin, Zeus, Vishnu, Sango–the African God, and Amaterasu, are also real.

'Assuming that is true, what is the state of these people? How powerful are they? What are they planning? I have karma with Earth. Will it involve me?'

Wang Wei immediately had an intuition that the answer to this question was positive.

'Damn it, Hongjun. Although I'm thankful you helped me reincarnate, I'm not happy to get involved in all this mess.'

Wang Wei secretly cursed before taking a deep breath to calm down.

'Empyrean Realm is the minimum requirement to survive and navigate through Primordial Chaos, reaching other Chaos Worlds. However, I won't step foot in the Prehistoric World until I become a peak Paragon.

'If possible, I would like to wait until I become Half-Step Transcendence.'

Wang Wei secretly shook his head as he warned himself. Additionally, he will never return to Earth alone. As of right now, that place looked like a place of trouble.

'Anyway, I don't have to worry about my parents. Even if they die, I can revive them or travel through the River of Time to see them again.'

After making this decision, Wang Wei focused on his theory.

'If things from Earth are taboos, then why can the Human Emperor and I be reincarnated?' he deduced.

'Two possibilities: Hongjun–and possibly these other guys–protected the reincarnated individuals.'

This possibility is feasible since Honghun could protect him from Grand Dao after he created the Science and Technology World.

'The second possibility is that we fit the Eastern Standard of the Chaos Universe, so we are not affected. However, if someone else of a different race or ethnicity were to try, Grand Dao would not allow it and annihilate them.'

Wang Wei frowned as the second possibility opened the doors to more speculation.

'I can rule out the possibility that Grand Dao is racist. Well, unless someone created it and made it that way,' calculated Wang Wei. 'If it's not this reason, then this will involve the Chaos Universe.'

Wang Wei has long speculated there were other Chaos Universes beyond this one. After reading so many novels, it is the only logical conclusion.

'So, this Chaos Universe is not very inclusive; the rules only favor Eastern Ideologies and Mythology. So, there should be other Chaos Universes, ones that are inclusive and ones that favor one race or ethnicity.

'If I follow this logic, Earth is special because it has a connection to other Chaos Universes.'

Wang Wei took a deep cold breath as he realized the significance of this discovery.

'This secret is a little too big.'

He could imagine the consequences if the universe knew Earth was connected to another Chaos Universe. No, the idea that other Chaos Universes exist is not something many people–including Paragons–could fathom.

If people knew of Earth's status, Wang Wei could imagine how many people would desperately try to go to another Chaos Universe–especially the peak Paragons who have reached the end of their cultivation journey.

'*Sigh* I'm just a little Quasi-Emperor; why do I need to know all these earth-shattering secrets?'

Wang Wei could not reveal the wry smile on his face. He finally understood what it meant to be burdened with knowledge.

Wang Wei exhaled softly, calming himself down. He continued to observe the battle between Chen Chen and Tong Ruobing. By now, the two were in a deadlock as Tong Ruobing's clones were on par with Chen Chen's army.

Tong Ruobing calmly watched the confrontation between these two groups. Her brilliant eyes indicated she was going more than just observing. Then, when the number of clones dying reached a certain threshold, she acted.

[Talisman Formation]

The clones stopped simultaneously before creating a small talisman before them; it looked like a small rectangular paper with writing on it. Then, the talismans floated in the air and fused into an enormous formation.

As such, an enormous talisman paper manifested between Heaven and Earth. Subsequently, a purple ball of destruction descended from the talisman and annihilated all of the Chen Chens, not leaving a single particle.

Regardless, Tong Ruobing did not celebrate her victory yet. And as expected, not long afterward, another Chen Chen manifested. However, the Great Talisman City's sect madam frowned.

'There is no spatial or any energy fluctuation–he just appeared here,' analyzed Tong Ruobing. 'He is losing more of his humanity.'

She understood the calm and rational part of Chen Chen's side was slowly taking over. And that's why the latter used more subtle means to send the army.

'He doesn't want me to track where the Spatial Cracks lead to,' continued Tong Ruobing. If Chen Chen's humane side made mistakes that he could exploit, then the other side would not make these mistakes.

Or worse, can rapidly learn from these mistakes.

'Luckily, it's already too late.'

The Talisman Formation above their heads did not dissipate. Instead, it changed the runes written on its surface. Then, a thread came from the talisman to somewhere in the void.

Tong Ruobing swiftly used a Void Breaking Talisman to travel in the direction of that thread. A portable swallowed her, and soon afterward, she found herself in a place with nothing but a mountain in sight.

'This place is full of Earth Energy. Even the Earth Laws are more active than the others.'

Unfortunately, Tong Ruobing did not have time to understand her surroundings thoroughly. So, after a brief scan with her Divine Sense and a short analysis, she focused on her objective.

She gazed in the distance and saw the thread led to another hidden dimension. So, she used another Void Breaking Talisman to rush to her destination.

Tong Ruobing stepped into the Void Portal, surrounded by one of her most potent defensive spells.

After reaching her destination, her eyes squinted because of what she saw before her.

"What a wonderful creation," she muttered, gazing at a towering city floating in the air. With her knowledge, Tong Ruobing could instantly tell this city was an Immortal Tier Artifact, and the grade was on par with 7-Leaf.

"Your compliment means nothing to me," suddenly said a grandiose voice emanating from the city.

"I don't understand," said Tong Ruobing. "Your accomplishments are not worse than mine. So, why the animosity?"

"I'm aware of this. Defeating is only the proof I need to show the world this fact. And what better way to display this fact than when everybody in the Myriad Emperor World is watching?"

Tong Ruobing secretly shook her head. Although her words were true, she knew she had an overwhelming advantage over the latter–her Dao Heart and state of mind were considerably above Chen Chen.

And even if the latter defeated her, his fate might not be ideal. The Chen Chen he knew would forever be dead, replaced by someone by someone or something else entirely.

Tong Ruobing's analysis was more correct than even she knew. Chen Chen's very [Existence] was twisted and changed after that technique, so it was hard to tell whether he was still the same Chen Chen.

"The victor has yet to be determined," countered Tong Ruobing. In the short interactions, she already discovered many of Chen Chen's anomalies. She looked at the Floating City and saw that only Chen Chens occupied the place.

Furthermore, a majority were refining puppets–to be precise, they were manufacturing themselves and their body parts.

'Has he dealt with the Clone Issue?' she pondered. All Professions will face the same issue–their lack of productivity. Every alchemist wished they could refine more pills, and the same for Weapon Refiners or Talisman Makers.

So, they've attempted to solve the issue, mainly through the use of clones and puppets. The idea is to have multiple versions of themselves refined, thus increasing productivity.

Sadly, this method failed. Most clone methods are useless, and the few unique ones are restricted since there is a limit to the number of clones that can be refined.

And the same issue appeared when puppets were used–they were incapable of refining anything, even if the Professional linked their souls to the puppet.

That's when the ancient sages discovered that this was one of the limitations of Heaven and Earth. After studying this method, the ancient sages and wise man concluded Heaven and Earth favored the development of the individual or the self.

So, if any professions want to increase their productivity, they only need to improve their ability to refine more things at once. For example, a talented Alchemist like Yan Liling can refine hundreds of furnaces of Quasi-Emperor Pill at once.

And the lesser the grade of the pill, the more furnaces she can refine simultaneously.

'But, it seems Chen Chen no longer has this limitation,' analyzed Tong Ruobing.

"Have you discovered it?" asked Chen Chen, his voice originating directly from the city. "I no longer have the same limitation as pure flesh lifeforms."

Tong Ruobing felt uncomfortable by his tone and words.

"Do you think this makes you superior to us?"

"Superior? No. Better in many ways? Yes."

"Birth, aging, sickness, and death–these are one of the many obstacles cultivators have to overcome during their journey of pursuing the Dao.

"I won't talk about the first three, but have you escaped the shackles of death?" asked Tong Ruobing. However, Chen Chen did not respond.

"I once read that the lifespan limit of all sentient beings that have not proven the Dao is 1 Yuan Epoch. Tell me, has your new identity broken through this limit?"

Chen Chen was silent. His body has no issue living past this limit. After all, as long as there are resources between Heaven and Earth, he can replace many of his parts.

However, the flesh aspect of his new evolution manifested in the form of his soul. And unfortunately, his soul cannot live for so long.

'Should I abandon my flesh?' pondered Chen Chen. 'No, my uniqueness derived from my soul, so nothing can happen to it. Plus, if I did that, I would be nothing but a Puppet Spirit Race.'

"I guess the answer is no," said Tong Ruobing with a sneer. "There are so many races superior to humans or flesh and blood lifeforms, as you put it. However, we have risen to the top of the food chain.

"So, your existence means nothing to me or other flesh and blood lifeforms. You cannot affect our status."

Tong Ruobing understood that as long as the system of Heaven Will exists and is the only way for any sentient being to escape the shackles of death, it did matter how powerful and unique a race was.

In the end, they will be mortals destined to die.

Eastern Continent:

Wang Wei watched this battle. However, unlike Tong Ruobing, he knew more and saw further.

'Chen Chen is deteriorating at an alarming rate. During his conversation with the Heaven Devouring Emperor, he talked about fixing himself after becoming an Eternal Emperor–most likely through Existence Reconstruction.

'But now, he believes he is a different creature, a new race.'

Wang Wei frowned as he felt something more was at stake,

'Chen Chen's behavior is similar to robots from Science Fiction back on Earth. This fact further proves that the Prehistoric World, or Earth, was influencing the Chaos Universe.'

However, Wang Wei felt things were not that simple. So, his brain began to work again, trying to analyze and deduce the truth.

"An experiment," he muttered to himself.

'What if Chen Chen was an experiment that Grand Dao was doing? Using robots or cyborgs as a blueprint, create a race that is half flesh and half machine.'

Wang Wei squinted his eyes as he connected many dots. From his knowledge, Qiyuan's actions made the Eternal Ascension World the center of the Chaos Universe.

And even if he did not completely succeed, a tremendous amount of destiny concentrated on this place.

'This would explain why things like the Ten Supremacy Foundation originated from this place. And in the future, there will be more.'

Wang Wei shifted his thinking to wondering why Grand Dao would create a new race.

'The reasonable argument would be that the creation of a new race benefits the development of the Chaos Universe. Thus Grand Dao created them. However, this argument falls apart after considering the racial characteristic of robots–resource destroyers.

'Give a robot a few Yuan Epochs, and they could mine the resources of an entire Heaven Will World. And give them a few million Yuan Epochs, they can do the same to a Chaos World like the Eternal Ascension World.

'Grand Dao–who is about balance–would never allow the existence of such a race. So, why create such a creature? Could my theory be wrong?'

Wang Wei's eyebrow furrowed,

'No, I fail to take into account the current situation. If it's true my future self is battling it out with Grand Dao, the latter might create such a race as one of its pawns to destroy me.'

Wang Wei could see how devastating it would be for a race like Chen Chen to become Paragons and take over an entire Chaos World. Their fighting potential in any war would be catastrophic.

'If I follow this logic, Chen Chen's existence is not a chess move of Grand Dao, but myself. He planted it here so I can know and prepare. No, even the existence of Cai Song has the same purpose.'

Wang Wei understood his future self's action–he needed to either subdue Chen Chen or steal his ability and destiny and transfer it to Cai Song.

'The only way to fight robots is with robots.'

Chapter

Wang Wei immediately elevated Cai Song's importance to the highest level as he knew she might be crucial to him. And he's not just referring to after she proves the Dao. No, she might be an essential asset for the later stages of his cultivation journey.

Additionally, he understood something about him–why he likes people to owe him Karma Debt.

'This is most likely a natural instinct influenced by my future self to create more valuable allies.'

Wang Wei knew the past, present, and future were not linear. The existence of the River of Time made all sentient beings–no matter how powerful–experience time in a linear way.

However, once a cultivator reaches a certain level, their future can naturally influence their past. It could be in the form of intuition, a whim, or even certain behaviors.

Wang Wei once believed the Intuition he had on Earth resulted from such a phenomenon. However, he was not entirely sure as there were other possibilities for this talent.

'This might also be why I was willing so easily to agree to save these people,' he pondered.

After figuring these things out, he continued observing the battle.

'So, Chen Chen, are you worth it for me to save?'

Wang Wei–as a person who saw Terminator and countless other AI taking over the world movie–knew how dangerous Chen Chen's current mindset was. So, he weighed his choice whether it was worth it to save him.

'If you can regain your humanity, we'll talk about it,' he decided. He would give Chen Chen one last chance. Otherwise, he can only succumb to his fate and become the resource for his future.

'I need to prepare beforehand.' Wang Wei sent a secret message before closing his eyes and continuing his meditation.

…

"I acknowledge your argument had some truths," finally replied Chen Chen. "However, my race is a brand new one. So, of course, we will need some time to grow and develop–to unleash our full potential.

"And I guarantee you, this potential is unlike nothing you can fathom."

'It's pointless to argue with you," said Tong Ruobing. "You are no longer the Chen Chen I knew."

"Yes, I am something better."

Tong Ruobing decided not to reply and let her actions speak for her. She waved her hand to manifest a cloud of purple thunder to descend on this floating city.

As expected, her attack was useless. However, she only wanted to take this opportunity to test the defensive capability of this artifact while also glancing at the array it contained.

Then, a mysterious fluctuation emanated from the floating city, changing the surroundings.

'A Domain?' thought Tong Ruobing before sensing the effect. Then, her expression changed.

'It banned Law Resonance.'

One of the main reasons Profession Daos are so powerful and versatile after cultivating to higher levels is the use of Law Resonance. Even after proving the Dao, these professional Dao can use Dao Source Resonance, allowing them to use or borrow the power of other Dao.

However, now, Chen Chen's Domain targets this aspect.

'And it's not a simple Domain,' analyzed Tong Ruobing, gazing at the sky where she saw a hidden array above her head. She could feel that this Domain and Array were affecting her passive Domain.

'Although I have reduced my versatility, my strength has not decreased much.'

Without resonance, many of her Talismans have become drastically weak–especially the ones using Outlaw and Supreme Outlaw Daos. And the only way to use these special talismans is by cultivating their related Dao or having immense knowledge regarding them.

However, Tong Ruobing's secondary Daos are the other professions, along with Five Elements Dao and Soul Dao.

So, she focused on them.

[Earth Titan Talisman]

[Array Breaking Talisman]

She waved her hand to create two talismans, one targeting the floating city and the other the array above her head.

A humongous creature made of rock manifested in this strange space, slamming its fists into the floating city. Meanwhile, a purple beam rushed from Tong Ruobing toward the array in the sky.

Bang!

An octagonal 8 Trigram Array appeared around the city, easily blocking the giant's attack.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The creature continued to release a fury of fists on this marvelous Origin Artifact. Unfortunately, it was pointless. Meanwhile, Chen Chen created another array for the Void Breaking Talisman to break and render it useless.

For any Profession to reach higher Tiers, they must study or have some knowledge about the others. For example, Weapon Refiners must know about Arrays in case they want to refine a huge artifact.

And when it comes to geniuses like Wu Ming, Yan Liling, Chen Chen, and Tong Ruobing, the boundary between these professions are often blurred.

Tong Ruobing made her next move. She summoned four other Titans, each for the remaining five elements. And as these creatures attacked the city, she divided her mind into two:

One part studied the floating city's formation to find flaws or ways to break it, and the other did the same for the Domain and Array.

And, of course, Chen Chen was not passive. Countless ballistae suddenly appeared in the city with a Chen Chen controlling them. They fired what seemed to be Lightning Spears.

Swish!

A streak of lightning rushed from the city and impaled the Earth Titan, leaving a terrifying hole in its stomach. This attack should have ended this creature, but it continued its attack. Furthermore, less than a second later, the hole closed itself.

And the same happened for the Water, Fire, and Wood Titan. The only exception was the Gold Titan, but that's only because the Thunder Spear did not break its defense.

However, this was the beginning of the attack. The Chen Chens controlled countless ballistae and fired millions of spears. The ballistae were powerful artifacts that could use energy and law to condense the Spears.

So, after seeing the first wave attack fail, he changed tactics. He used elemental attacks targeting the weakness of the Five Elements. For example, fire burned water, metal chopped wood, and wood opened up Earth.

Using the counter of each element, the Chen Chens used the appropriate means to destroy these Titans.

Unfortunately for him, Tong Ruobing had a great understanding of the Five Elements and did not leave such an apparent weakness. So, when Chen Chen fired a Water Spear at her Fire Titan, the giant creature suddenly turned into an Earth Titan and absorbed the Water Spear, and it did not stop its attack during the process.

The rapidly evolving new race realized his opponent's technique was not a simple talisman but also involved a Five Element Balance Array. So, he chose a different tactic.

An Immortal Tier Chen Chen flew out of the city's protective cover, garnering Tong Ruobing's attention. She took this opportunity to observe and analyze this version, trying to discover its secret.

However, this puppet was created with many anti-investigation methods.

A swallowing power emanated from Chen Chen and instantly swallowed all the Titans. Then, it opened its mouth to fire a terrifying light beam that destroyed the surrounding space.

Tong Ruobing felt a great sense of danger, so she evaded, but the beam followed her. Furthermore, the attack's speed was faster than hers. In the end, she layered herself with layers of shields, with five of these layers containing Five Elements.

Even then, she had to block the attack with her bare hands.

Tong Ruobing calmly looked at the blood floating in her palms. This attack would have eradicated her if not for the body reinforcement talisman.

'The Duyi Realm is extremely weak,' she commented. She felt the level was at the same level as when she first acquired its power after remodeling her Divine Sea.

She gazed at the puppet before her before rushing toward him. She blessed herself with numerous physical stat boosts. Meanwhile, the puppet entered a defensive mode.

The previous strength resulted from absorbing these Titans and a boost from the floating City called [Transformation]. However, the city's main design was not attack power but defense and manufacturing capabilities. So, Che Chen knew he could not rely entirely on it to defeat his enemy.

Bang!

Their fists clashed, pushing the puppet backward. However, Tong Ruobing did not only attack but made a dangerous move. Her Primordial Spirit rushed out of her body and entered the puppet.

As soon as she entered, she discovered the latter's Sea of Consciousness and tried to take over. The puppet activated its first instinct to self-destroy and preserve its secret from being leaked.

Regrettably, Tong Ruobing anticipated this possibility. She used her Soul Dao to overpower the puppet's Soul while using a Talisman based on Metal Dao to shut down its body. Finally, she surrounded him with a special shield to prevent him from receiving any information and signals from the outside.

Lastly, her body acted as a protector to prevent people from the floating city from sending reinforcement and stopping her actions. freēwebnovel.com

'It's time to find the core secrets of this thing,' thought Tong Ruobing.

Eastern Quadrant:

Although Wang Wei closed his eyes, he was still paying attention to this battle. And he secretly shook his head as he saw further signs of Chen Chen's change.

The latter could have placed some powerful Attack Array on the floating city but used defensive ones instead. And for his mode of attacks, he used things like ballistae or his army of puppets.

This behavior shows his mode of thinking has changed from the ways cultivators think to more like engineering or people from science and technology; he begins to rely more on mechanics, and his fighting method begins to resemble advanced science and technology civilizations.

'His mind is in a state of contradiction: lost between his humanity and identity as a cultivator and his new identity as a new species.'

Wang Wei analyzed the state Chen Chen was in when creating this artifact. And the contradiction of his mindset also resulted in many inconsistencies in the creation of the city.

'The City is equal to 7-Leaf. But Chen Chen's contradictions made its defense equal to 7-leaf, but its attack potency equaled his real power of 4 to 5 Leaf.'

Wang Wei internally sighed. Simultaneously, he found studying Chen Chen's mindset and evolving process fascinating.