1010 Bait
The group-which included Tong Ruobing's clone -walked into the throne room with Wang Wei waiting. They saw his pale face and his weak aura.
Immediately, they noticed something; this was the first time they could sense the Heavenly Emperor's aura. They could immediately tell his strength was only at Third Class.
"What is it?" asked Wang Wei, his voice soft and weak, no longer containing the confidence and hidden dominance or authority. Everyone gazed at Xu Shi, and she paused.
In this short moment, she realized many things and knew asking directly was not a good idea. So, she changed her tactic:
"Is that person in the Nether Hell really that powerful? Is he that much of a threat?"
"Indeed, he is."
"Is he alive?"
"Sadly, so."
"So, you lost?"
"Of course not. But I didn't win either," replied Wang Wei calmly before coughing out loud, even spewing some blood. "Is that why you're here?"
"No, I want to see the battle," replied Xu Shi.
"You mean you want me to place my battle in the Battle Tower."
"That's right."
"Hm, that's not a bad idea. However, you should be warned to be careful beforehand."
"What do you mean?"
"If you are weak of heart, it's better if you don't experience it," replied Wang Wei calmly.
"Is that so?"
"Do you need anything else?"
"No."
"Okay, you're dismissed."
No one immediately left as they gazed at each other until Xu Shi bowed respectively before disappearing. Feng Heng followed suit, and the others imitated them. Wang Wei smiled after seeing this. A few people had a quick flash of killing intent after seeing his state. Although extremely brief, his clone still detected it and told him.
"Interesting," he chuckled before closing his eyes and accessing the Dream World. He made his battle with Old Man Nether available but also put certain restrictions on it. For example, only Eternal Class Powerhouses can view this battle unless they have his approval. Afterward, he retreated to heal his injuries.
After returning to their respective factions, these people immediately checked the battle and understood the warning. Sensing the aura of these people was indeed a terrifying thing.
Without sufficient Dao Heart or willpower, no one could even finish watching the battle.
The Immortal Sovereigns were better since their essence was that of Tier 11. However, it was not the same for the others. Additionally, once they used the Battle Tower to become one of the fighters, allowing them to experience the strength of either Wang Wei or Old Man Nether, these people became intoxicated by the strength they acquired.
Like Wang Wei, no, even worse than him, they became lost in having such terrifying power. The situation worsened once the battle ended, and they lost such power. A few were shocked a second time, as they wished they could live their lives in a false reality so they could always experience this power.
Luckily, these people were either the best amongst Heaven Chosen or had lived long enough that their mind was tempered. So, they eventually quieted down and regained their bearings. Now, they had to decide on their action. The Heavenly Emperor was severely injured, and this could change everything.
Emperor Enlightening Academy:
Xu Shi exhaled before walking out of her seclusion room to see many people waiting for her; she was not surprised as these people sensed the terrible aura that leaked from the Void Battlefield.
"What happened?" asked former Headmaster Song.
"The Heavenly Emperor is severely injured," she replied truthfully.
"Is the taboo in the Nether Hell so dangerous?" asked a teacher.
"More than we realize."
"How severe are we talking about?" asked someone else.
"His [Existence] should be injured and his strength fallen to Third Class."
The room quieted for a few seconds before someone asked, "Should we do something?"
"Like what?"
"I don't know, but this might be an opportunity."
No one said anything for a while, so they looked at Xu Shi. She did not immediately expose her opinions but looked at her husband in the room.
"What do you think?"
Lin Fan was momentarily surprised that he became the focus. But he soon calmed down and answered calmly, "Knowing him, it's probably a bait."
"He wants to lure people to betray him? In other words, his injuries are fake?"
"I don't know if his injuries are real or not, but even if they are, he should have prepared before for such a possibility. Don't forget what his Dao is," reminded Lin Fan. "Plus, even if he's injured, doesn't the Dao Opening Sect have another Eternal Powerhouse? With their recent development, there might be more than one."
After the rush of the news calmed down, these people calmed down and analyzed the situation.
They realized the situation had not changed much despite the latter's injury. They also realized they had been too focused on the Heavenly Emperor and ignored their former rival - the Dao Opening Sect.
Since the beginning of the era, they have been highly low-key despite all the things they have accomplished and all the benefits they've acquired.
"Why haven't you noticed how low-key they've become?"
"Previously, they were low-key, but not to this extreme." The previous Dao Opening Sect would take some time to remind the world who they were and not to mess with them. However, for a while now, everything about them was related to the Heavenly Emperor, while the other powerhouses rarely showed up.
"Do you know something, Headmaster?"
"It's because of the Balance Mechanism."
"Are you implying that they've become so powerful that they must stay hidden to prevent trouble from True Heavenly Dao?" asked Song Li.
"That's... both good and concerning."
The good news is the other factions will have more say in the world with the Dao Opening Sect's new approach. The concern is that their rival is not so powerful that no one knows their true depth. In some ways, they were no longer in the same league.
"Now, you should understand the situation. The Dao Opening Sect is our current greatest ally, so don't do anything stupid."
She dismissed everybody, leaving Lin Fan for a few minutes. After supervising his cultivation, she retreated. She replayed the battle in her head, trying to understand and improve.
'Besides his abnormal soul and willpower, the other things are not out of the realm of possibility.'
Xu Shi believed she could train her body to be on that level, her [Awakening], and Dao Will should improve after recasting her foundation, and she could refine a better artifact with the resources in the lower dimension - let alone in the upper.
So, the only remaining is Source Techniques. His should be one that granted a terrifying control over his Grand Dao Source - no, not just Dao but everything else.'
She pondered. Such a technique can be replicated with the correct method.
A flame appeared in her hands, "The extreme of control? I can start with Alchemist's Flame Control and go from there."
Western Bliss Sect:
Feng Heng looked at the few Immortal Tier powerhouses he had and said with a deep tone: "Remember, the Heavenly Emperor is an
Honorary Buddha of our sect, so please do not spot any more nonsense. Understand?"
"Understand, Reverend Buddha."
"Okay, you're dismissed."
Great Talisman City:
Tong Ruobing's clone returned and did not even mention the Heavenly Emperor's situation to her faction; she merely talked about the battle and how terrifying it was.
She knew it was bait - the fact was very obvious.
As such, even if it was possible that the latter was truly injured and was using such an "obvious"
tactic as a mind game, she only needed to remain silent and not do anything. Her only concern was to send every detail of the situation to her main body.
Ancient Clan:
Huo Fenghuang watched the elders walk out of the meeting room.
"Fox Shadow."
"Yes, my lady." A tall, thin woman with daggers appeared kneeling on the ground. Her black, tight clothes screamed shadows or assassins. She had an odd aura as she blended with void while exuding a natural charm that could make most men and women go wild.
"Observe these people. If you find anyone doing anything stupid, I grant you the power to kill before reporting to me."
"As you command," replied the shadow before disappearing. Fox Shadow's ability reassured Huo Fenghuang. After the final battle, she realized the importance of a good general and supporting team, so she began to build one.
Unfortunately, it was not easy to find talented individuals on the level of Wang Wei's team.
Luckily, she met someone with a hidden Void Fox Bloodline and seized that opportunity to turn her into her most loyal follower.
Huo Fenghuang looked in the distance while secretly shaking her ahead. Even after the ancestor's warning, some of these people refused to change and control their arrogance. These people knew what the word Dao Overlord represented, but a few still wanted to act foolishly.
'Maybe it's time to clean up some of these people.'
Ao Shen returned to the Northern Continent and did not say anything to anyone; he's not fallen for such an obvious trap. However, it was regrettable that this recent development delayed the business he was waiting for, but he was patient.
Anyway, the storm will soon pass.
Another person who reacted similarly to him was Jian Sha from the Sword Casting Villa; he did not mention anything about the injury and told everyone how the situation was handled.
Sea Race Territory, a meeting of the highest order:
"Are we just going to let this opportunity slide?"
