1089 Liability
He Shiyi sat on his throne, his body releasing a very potent or intense flame-like aura. He suddenly opened his eyes, which had turned golden, but blood started to drip. He Shiyi calmly washed away the blood before looking at his palm, which had turned completely gray, as if it were a dead object.
He mobilized his regeneration to heal his palm to no effect and only succeeded after swallowing a pill. He waved his hand to mobilize an array that showed a refined young man with glasses and streaks of white in his hair and beard; he had a scholarly aura emanating from him.
"President," said He Shiyi.
"Lord He," saluted the Commerce Hub President. "Excuse me, for I will be direct given the situation. We just received news that the Star Beast World broke our rules and started invading the Endless Frozen World. You should understand what this means?"
He Shiyi understood. The Endless Frozen World is the closest world to the Star Beast World, with only a pseudo-Eternal Emperor. Although he acquired a unique Avatar Qi that allowed him to create nine perfect clones with all his strength, this would not change much. Everyone knows the Star Beast World will win this war, so why the focus?
It's the significance behind the invasion. The Commerce Hub forbade any of its members from invading each other and spreading the courts and other influences. But now, Mu Lei and his wife have blatantly challenged the Commerce rule, forcing them to act. If they do not respond, all the respect, prestige, and power built over trillions of years will be destroyed.
So, no matter what, they must sanction and punish the Star Beast World, which in turn meant fighting the First Heavenly Emperor - Wang Wei.
"I know," replied He Shiyi, his voice extremely calm.
"Then, according to our agreements, are you prepared to act?"
He Shiyi paused; if it were up to him, he would want to wait a little longer to better prepare. "I am."
"I'm reassured," smiled the president. "Do you need any help? Don't hesitate to ask."
"No need for now," replied He Shiyi.
"Very well. We'll await your good news."
The array ended, and He Shiyi was left to his own thoughts. He took many resources from the Commerce Hub in exchange for fighting and dealing with Wang Wei. His actions allowed the Spirit Genesis Sect to recuperate, but now, it was time to repay his karma.
He Shiyi's eyes penetrated the distance to secretly observe Gao Buqin and Desolate One. He considered for a moment to kill these people, knowing their affiliation with the Dao Opening Sect, but he knew Wang Wei would never allow such an Eternal Powerhouse to die and would intercept him.
He Shiyi did not want their battle to take place in the Battle Spirit World and destroy it in the process. He activated the formation a second time, and an all-black shadowy figure appeared opposite him.
"I already know who you are, so why the theatrics?"
"Given our enemies, you should never be too careful," the figure replied. "Are you about to move?"
"Yes, so what about what you promise?"
"It's already prepared."
A portal opened before He Shiyi, and a talisman rushed into his palm. He checked it with his divine sense before nodding.
"All the luck to you," said the hidden figure before disappearing. He Shiyi immediately left for a secret dimension of the sect to prepare for this battle.
An unknown place:
Five people showed up, all sitting at a table and all hidden by a black film or veil, each labeled from 1 to 9.
"Number 1, what happened?" asked Number 4 with a neutral voice.
"The fight is about to begin," replied Number 1. As soon as he said these words, the room immediately became quiet.
"Will our plan work?" asked Number 2.
"It already started on a bad start, so probably not," said Number 8. Their original plan should have started with Wang Wei killing Number 10, thus creating a karmic connection with him. They even had prepared a Memory Orb, which is a rare artifact in the upper dimension used by factions and clans to know when one of their Eternal members had been killed.
The orb would turn red, reminding the faction that they had forgotten someone close to them and seeing if it was still possible to revive them. These things are extremely difficult to find as the materials are rare.
"We can only hope for the best," said Number 1.
"Oh, how the mighty have fallen!"
"What do you mean by this, Number 10?"
"I am not fucking call Number 10," yelled Number 10, slapping his hand on the table. He even removed his veil, revealing an elderly man with disheveled hair and an unkept robe; if this was not a formation, these people could have smelled the alcohol on him.
"My name is Shao Weiyuan. I'm fucking tired of this life. We used to live like kings with our heads held high and a disdain for everyone else. But ever since we were sent on this mission, everything turned to shit."
"Put your protection back on. Do you want to be discovered?" warned Number 2.
"I don't give a f⌜"
"Enough," said Number 1, waving his hand to dismiss him from the meeting. He looked at everyone and said gravely, "Emergency mission: we will head to Number 10's world and kill him as swiftly as possible."
The meeting became quiet for a few seconds, "Is this necessary?" asked Number 5.
"He's become a liability, and I won't let that drunken bastard cause our death," said Number 1. His life has been terrible since he descended to the lower dimension, but he does not want to give up. They can return home with all their power and privileges as long as their plans succeed.
"Maybe this is for the best," added Number 2. None of them wanted to die, and since returning home without success was not an option, they had no choice but to make things work out here.
Myriad Emperor World, Heavenly Court:
A week had passed, and Wang Wei opened his eyes as he sensed an aura calling him. He gazed at it and saw He Shiyi waiting, so he turned his head to look at other places. He saw the Star Beast World had the overwhelming advantage, just like they did, but the enemy was resisting fiercely, and this war was still undecided.
The Endless Frozen World was prepared due to warnings from the Commerce Hub, and they had connections to their Lower Realm and reinforcements. Additionally, their Emperor was not afraid of using his Supreme Avatar Qi to its full use by turning his Eternal Class clones into suicide bombers.
'Everything is settled, so let's begin.'
Wang Wei sent a few talismans to communicate to the people in case something happened in this fight, and he could not be present to oversee the overall situation. He teleported to a Void Zone, a place between two world communities. Wang Wei guessed he chose this place as their battlefield to prevent the aftermath of their attack from affecting nearby worlds and even communities.
Wang Wei immediately checked for any hidden methods while looking at He Shiyi. His eyes narrowed, "So, you're willing to go to this extent to defeat me?"
"To kill you, but yes."
"Is it worth it?"
"What do you think?"
"What about the aftermath? On the unlikely chance that you kill me, what next?" asked Wang Wei.
"I can use the Commerce Hub's resources to reduce the corruption, and after a few reincarnations, I can wash away the artifact's aura and imprint," said He Shiyi calmly, his voice full of conviction.
"So decisive. I have to admit I respect you a little more," said Wang Wei. He Shiyi fused with the broken Empyrean Artifact, resulting in his Dao being corrupted. However, he seems to be willing to go to this extreme to eliminate Wang Wei.
"I don't need your respect; when you lay down at my feet, I will be at peace and avenge what you did to my sect." His body released a tangible fighting aura.
"Odd, from my character profile of you, you do love your sect but not to this extent," commented Wang Wei. "No, your actions are not out of a sense of duty or responsibility; it's pride and jealousy. You felt that all the power, fame, glory, and respect I received should belong to you - that it's something that was destined for you, but I stole it. Odd, where did you get this delusional sense of grandeur?" Wang Wei was genuinely perplexed.
"I don't have time for your nonsense," replied He Shiyi calmly, but his eyes became fiercer. "Let's get this over with."
"Alright, but this place is still not good enough for this fight," said Wang Wei, who suddenly appeared before him, grabbed him by his face and teleported him to his Void Battlefield. This place is not only his home but also prepared for the worst-case scenario.
