"I told you he would survive," said Wang Wucheng.
"Yes," replied the familiar voice. "However, this is still not enough to beat the kid from the Di Clan."
"It doesn't matter. As long as he survives the Heaven Will Battle, we can search for Karma Washing Water for him so he can compete in the next generation," replied Wang Wucheng.
"Oh, you want to go that far?"
"I truly believe this kid will be the greatest Emperor we will ever cultivate."
"*Sigh* The sect has reached a plateau and could even be described as declining. No, the entire Myriad Emperor World has been declining for a long time now. Maybe, this kid is the key to revert the current situation."
"What about the Di clan brat?" asked Wang Wucheng.
"Honestly, I have a bad feeling about him."
"In that case, why don't you kill him."
"Don't make such a stupid joke."
Wang Wucheng smiled but did not say anything else. He knew the consequences of doing such a thing: Wang Wei would not live long. If an Immortal-Tier cultivator broke the Immortal-Avenue Pact and attacked a Heaven Chosen of another sect, they can do the same.
And unless Wang Wei decided to spend the rest of his life coop inside the sect, he would not live long even under extreme protection. And even then, all the Emperor Lineages would band together to pressure the Dao Opening Sect to hand him over.
Unfortunately, the sect cannot fight all the Emperor Linages all at once.
Meanwhile, after leaving the secret realm, Wang Wei's Primordial Spirit flew toward the Wang Clan Mountain. And before he even arrived, three people instantly arrived in front.
"My son, thank Heaven, you're alright," said Yu Yan as she tried to embrace him. Unfortunately, her hands passed through his soul, so she had to use her Spiritual Strenght and Origin Essence to hold him.
"Look how much of a terrible shape you're in. I swear, every time you go out on your own, you return in worst shape than before."
"There is no need to thank Heaven since it has nothing to do with my safety," said Wang Wei with a smile.
"I'm glad you're okay, brat," said his grandfather.
"What's wrong with you? Why are you so pale? Plus, why does the sect look like a tornado had ravaged it?" asked Wang Wei to his father.
"Well, things got a little complicated," said Wang Tian as he explained the World Collision and the confrontation with the Blood Race. After the initial peace because of his slaughter, the blood race did not stop attacking as he expected.
Instead, they regrouped and allied before beginning the second wave of attack. So, Wang Tian had to forcefully heal before going on another rampage. Wang Wei immediately knew this was the method Heavenly Dao used to prevent the sect from helping him in the trial.
"I have to thank your team; otherwise, the casualties would have been even worse."
"Oh, what happened?" asked Wang Wei, intrigued.
"Whether it was Li Jun's Slaughter Army or Tie Gang's Undead Army, they ravaged the enemy on the battlefield. Plus, Yang Liling used her new weird cauldron to support most of the sect's need for pills."
"Oh, she succeeded in creating the Automatic Cauldron?"
"According to her, it is a half completed product since so far, it can only make a few Heaven Tier Pills."
"Did she get any merit?"
"Quite a bit," replied Yu Yan this time. "There was a Heaven and Earth Vision because of her creation. But she said she would leave for you to decide what to do with it since it was your idea."
Wang Wei shook his head: "I'll just take a small bit to recondense my fleshly body. She can use the rest to complete the cauldron."
"So, what happened to you?" asked Wang Chang. "Your clone disappeared, and we were worried."
"Yes. Luckily, your Soul Lamp was still intact; otherwise, your mother would have fainted."
Wang Wei was not surprised by this news. When Zhen Chao broke his Spirit Particles, he could detect the latter used the power of Karma to eliminate the secret backhand he placed on the clone.
So, Wang Wei explained what happened to him and his confrontation with Zhen Chao. He even mentioned the appearance of Empyrean Black Heart.
Thinking about how close their sons came to death, all of them shuddered.
"It seems we have to thank Hong'er," said Yu Yan. As smart as they are, both she and Wang Tian knew how complicated their son's relationship was because of Wu Hong's identity. So, they still have some reserved because of it–albeit they never voiced them since they understood this was their son's choice.
But now, they were delighted because Wu Hong's identity saved their son's life.
"Wei'er, you should not let Zhen Chao's family's death weigh on you. The Emperor Path is a cruel one, and innocent people being collateral casualties is a normal thing. Although cruel, it is how things are since the dawn of time," said Wang Chang, and Wang Wei nodded. He already knew this, so Zhen Chao's words only bothered him a little before he moved on.
After a little chat, the family returned home to have dinner together. And not long after they arrived, Li Jun and Yan Liling came to celebrate with everybody.
His mother even cooked soul food for Wang Wei so he could eat and enjoy it. Then, after a few hours, the dinner ended, and everyone went to sleep or meditate–especially Wang Tian since he was still injured.
As for Wang Wei, he floated to his room, where he sensed a presence a few hours ago. He looked at the beautiful woman waiting for him, and deep longing flashed in his eyes. However, he quickly controlled himself before saying with a sneer:
"So, you do know to be a shame."
Wu Hong sighed as she knew even time was not enough for him to forget.
"I'm sorry; I had no other choice."
"Are you truly sorry? Why do I get the feeling you make the same choice if another situation like this arises?"
Wu Hong did not say anything.
"Li Jun is my family; what made you think I would be alright with accepting his life so I can survive?"
"I figure if you survive, you can find a way to revive him."
"I understand the logic behind your thinking. What I don't like is the meaning behind your actions. So, in the future, if you have the choice to kill my family to save me, you won't hesitate to kill them?"
Wu Hong looked on the floor to avoid his gaze, and she remained quiet.
"How would you feel if I had the same thought as you?"
"I don't have any family."
Wang Wei paused before sighing deeply. "I understand you have lived a long life. And it is to the point you have not only accepted your family's demise, but they are now only fond memories buried deep in your memories.
"But I am different. Most of my motivation for cultivation is to protect them and experience the vicissitude of time and the Great Dao with them. So, no matter the situation, I cannot lose them–especially for survival."
"I'm sorry; I know what I did was wrong."
"It's not me you should apologize to."
Wu Hong nodded before disappearing to see Li Jun. Although it appeared he made the decision himself, the truth of the matter is she manipulated him. So, she owed him an apology.
Wang Wei sighed again as he looked in the distance. He understood the main reason for this disagreement is the thinking process of an Immortal and a Mortal.
As an immortal, Wu Hong has lived too long, so the way she sees and deals with certain things is fundamentally different from a Mortal like him. For example, because of her long life, she has a few things she cares about, and she will do anything to protect them. Most immortal beings are like this: fixated on the things they care for and willing to go to extreme lengths to protect them.
Well, at least the ones who do not abandon their emotions and become ruthless after living so long and being eroded by time.
Additionally, as a higher being, Wu Hong sees death differently from a mortal like Wang Wei. To them, death is nothing but another adventure to Samsara or Reincarnation.
Some powerful immortals can even visit their dead loved ones through reincarnation and watch their next life.
Wang Wei has noticed he is slowly becoming like these Immortals the longer he lives. So, he emphasized more on family since they are his anchor to prevent himself from turning into one of these cold and indifferent old monsters.
Half a later, Wu Hong returned to the room.
"How is it?" asked Wang Wei.
"I apologized, we talked, and he forgave me."
"That's fine," replied Wang Wei calmly, feeling relieved. Meanwhile, Wu Hong could detect he was still not in the best mood. So, she walked next to him and whispered in his ears.
"Don't be mad. How about I let you…."
Wang Wei felt these whispers were the ultimate temptation of the devil. But he used all his concentration to remain quiet.
"How about I add this, you can…." whispered Wu Hong, after not receiving any response. Wang Wei swears he has never faced any true adversity more difficult than the current moment.
Nevertheless, he used his terrifying Willpower to resist and remain quiet.
"Fine, you drive a good bargain. This is my final offer," she said before whispering sweet and delicious depravity in his ear.
Wang Wei–who felt he was about to lose his control–quickly said: "If you add this…I will agree to your terms."
"Don't push it," said Wu Hong with a warning tone, so Wang Wei quickly accepted the previous offer and hugged her; he could not wait for his fleshly body to recondense.
The waiting is about to kill him.
(AN: I receive two more 500 coins gifts, so here is an extra chapter with another coming later this week.)
