1031 [Hello]
Pei Lang thought momentarily, "Brief them on the world's current situation. Afterward, use the Reflecting Mirror Heart Trial to determine their personality and who is genuinely willing to fight for our cause."
"Then, will we give them the Heaven Will?"
"Yes, but don't forget to have them sign the contract first," nodded Pei Lang. "I will come to see Yang Guowei and Xiao Songxi after the mirror test."
"As you wish. Then, what about Emperor Wang's reward?" asked Old Ma.
"Give him what he promised." These people were the first batch, and he was very satisfied. Their cause needs upper-level talents/powerhouses as the world is about to enter an era of strife and chaos.
...
Wang Qi received a space ring from a stranger and used his Divine Sense to check. The patriarch told him what to check, and he did not want to make any mistake.
"Are you satisfied?"
"I am," nodded Wang Qi.
"That's good," nodded Old Ma. "We are also happy with this trade and hope this alliance can continue."
"This is only the first group. However, the patriarch asked me to pass on a message: "Do not expect the next group to be as talented as this one."
"That's understandable," nodded Old Ma. He had read distant history and knew the Myriad Emperor World was unique in the lower dimension for some unknown reason. So, it's understandable they would have so many Eternal Talents.
"Do you know exactly when the next batch is coming?"
"It should take a while since we must gather them from other World Communities."
"I see. Well, you know how to contact us."
"Excuse me."
"Is there something else?" asked Old Ma.
"Could you tell me if there is a way to see Empress Wu?"
"Why do you want to see her?"
"That's rather personal."
Old Ma frowned, "Wait a moment. I cannot make such a decision."
"Please, take your time." Wang Qi did not want to take the risk to publicly search for news about her, even if it might be common. Additionally, the Rebellion would definitely know his next course of action, so it was best to use them and prevent any misunderstanding, which could lead to trust issues in their new and fragile alliance.
...
"He wants to see Empress Wu?" asked Pei Lang. At first, he thought something had happened since Old Ma contacted him so soon, but he did not expect it was for this reason.
"Do you know why?"
"He didn't want to say."
"You didn't pry?" They had too many ways to get information from a weak Immortal Venerable secretly.
"No. It's about her, so I thought it would be best to be careful and report to you."
Pei Lang groaned softly, "You made the right choice. Give him the information and have someone follow him to see if he actually goes to see her."
Immediately afterward, Old Ma gave Wang Qi the information on how to travel to the Origin Seal Continent. And he made his way to that destination with the utmost waste.
The Origin Seal Continent was vast, with trillions upon trillions of inhabitants. Wang Qi knew he would not be able to contact the Empress with his identity even if he knew she had a palace at the very center. So, she followed the patriarch's instructions.
He concentrated intensely, bowed ninety degrees, and muttered: Wang Qi, under the order of the patriarch, came to see the Empress." A rune with a unique aura appeared on his forehead. Wang Qi did not wait long before he felt the surroundings change, and he was in another place.
Sitting cross-legged opposite him was a woman of unparalleled beauty. Although she did not release any aura, he sensed her grandeur, power, nobility, and otherworldly nature. This was not the first he had seen her.
When the patriarch was still a mortal, he saw the Empress accompanying him. However, this one was completely different from what he saw, almost like a different person.
"Wang Wei sent you?" asked Wu Hong in her ethereal voice.
"That's...r-right," stuttered Wang Qi as he lowered his head, not daring to continue gazing at such power and perfection.
"What does he want?"
"The...p-patriarch asked me to give you this." He took out a space ring and held it in his hand. Wang Qi felt his hand was empty, but he did not dare raise his head.
Meanwhile, Wu Hong removed two things from the space ring: a jade talisman and a letter. She pondered briefly before first opening the letter: [Hello? How are you doing?
[I know this might be a cliche and boring for our first words, but after rewriting this letter more than a thousand times, countless drafts, and millions of words, these words best suit what I want to convey to you. After all, if all else fails, it will be good news to know you were okay.
[Anyway, I just want to hear from you.
[P.S. The talisman contains the experiment about [Existence] from a talented cultivator called Madmen Chu. I thought it might be useful for your injury. Be careful; you will owe him much karma if you accept his legacy.
[P.S.S. What is the best Tier 11 resource to break the Empyrean Bottleneck? I wanted to ask the Rebellion, but I thought you should be more knowledgeable than them.] A tiny smile crept on the corner of Wu Hong's mouth before swiftly disappearing. She thought for a moment before taking out a piece of paper.
"Give this to him," she said, and a letter appeared in Wang Qi's hands.
"Is there anything else?"
"No."
"Then, you're dismissed."
With a wave of her hand, Wang Qi disappeared from the room. Wu Hong looked at the two items in her hands, deep in thought. She carefully placed the letter away before focusing on the talisman.
She had heard of the name [Madman Chu]. During the Second Origin War, Qiyuan wanted to find the latter to help him complete his plan. Their group pursued countless rumors about Madman Chu in their attempt to locate him, but he was never found even after the event of the Ultimate Taboo. According to rumors, Madman Chu will only see someone that he wants to see.
With a decisive look, she accepted the inheritance.
...
Wang Qi sighed in relief when he realized he was somewhere in the Origin Seal Continent. He did not waste any more time and used the special space ring the patriarch gave him. He immediately sensed a weird aura protecting him; he no longer felt a potent power blocking his descent into the lower dimension.
Through his connection to the Myriad Emperor World, Wang Qi immediately descended to the previous location where he had ascended a few hours prior. He then rushed into the throne room.
"What did she say? Did she respond?" immediately asked Wang Wei when he saw Wang Qi.
"Y...yes," replied the tired messenger as he took out the letter. Wang Qi could not tell when the thing left his hand.
[Hello, back. I'm doing okay, considering the circumstances. How about you? From what I hear, you're doing beautiful things in the lower dimension.
[P.S. I would like to thank you for this and the previous gift. I will reciprocate when the time is appropriate.
[P.S.S. The best would be Yuandao Root: it takes the least amount of time to facilitate the breakthrough and has some effects in nourishing the fleshly body and the Empyrean Soul while also helping stabilize the Grandmist Wheel. However, it's a very rare spiritual herb, comparable to Tier 12 in value.] Although the letter was short, Wang Wei had an uncontrollable grin throughout reading it. He looked at Wang Qi, and through his mind, he saw her again after what felt like an eternity. He saw her unparalleled beauty, strange yet familiar aura, and gray hair.
In these short interactions, he had confirmed too many things and removed a heavy burden from his shoulders. Now, he knew she knew something about him, most likely the clone's memories or from his ancestors. More importantly, he knew she would at least give him a chance.
Isn't it just pursuing her again? He would gladly do it a million times if it meant they could get together again. As for her being different from the ones he met, it did not matter. He would get to know the new her and accept her as she was.
"Hahaha," laughed Wang Wei maniacally, and the world changed for him for the second time. A golden rain suddenly enveloped the world, puzzling everybody. However, when people noticed this rain could increase the life of mortals by at least ten years, low and middle-level cultivators by five, and upper-echelon cultivators by one year, everyone went crazy.
Emperor Enlightening Academy:
Xu Shi and a group of teachers stood outside, looking at this strange vision of Heaven and Earth.
"Heavenly Dao even wasted World Source because he's happy?" said a teacher, not hiding his shock.
"I wonder how much you have to be beloved for Heaven and Earth to treat you like this," a female teacher with slight jealousy added.
"Not just beloved, but powerful."
"That's true."
"Do you think any future Heavenly Emperor can recreate what he has done?" asked Song Li.
"Unless they can radically change the world for the better, I doubt it."
"I'm sure some people will fake these visions to embellish their reign."
"That's true." No one likes to admit they were inferior to their ancestors or the people that came before. Sadly, at least for a very long time, no one will ever come close to the First Heavenly Emperor's capabilities and achievements. So they could understand why some people would use such tactics.
