(Thanks to GavinTheGrape for the gift.)
Gu Xuan watched as the weak mortal before him turned into this massive purple cloud-like creature with a terrifyingly large mouth with razor-sharp teeth. The spiritual pressure released by the creature sent shivers down his spine, making his soul unable to move.
Then, he remembered a legend he had read about ancient times–especially during the middle stages of the Second War of Origin.
"The Myriad Devour!" he almost screamed.
"Myriad Devour? This name seems to resonate with me," said Wang Wei, his voice booming throughout space, making it tremble. Then, he no longer wasted time and went for the kill.
"No, no," screamed Gu Xuan as he tried to escape. Wang Wei opened his mouth, trying to swallow him. A flash of light emanated from Gu Xuan's body, but Wang Wei ignored it and continued biting down.
Crunch!
He chewed something for a moment before muttering, "Escape?" He could tell he did not swallow all of Gu Xuan's soul but took a significant piece. So, he decided to go after him to finish the job when Wang Wei suddenly felt something: his body was on the verge of explosion.
His flesh could not contain his soul, so he hurriedly placed the seal back and attended to his injury. Of course, he did not forget to notify Ancestor Wucheng to be on the lookout for Gu Xuan's remains.
Meanwhile, after leaving the Pagoda, Gu Xuan's soul was pale and on the verge of collapsing.
'Damn it. How could I be so unlucky? How could this guy be related to the Myriad Devour?'
If it was before, he could have sold this information to the parasites for an excellent price. But in his current state, if he showed up in the upper dimension, he would not survive for long.
'Now is not the time to be distracted. I need to act swiftly; there is still hope.' Gu Xuan looked toward one of the mansions and headed there. He ensured to hide his aura since he knew these participants had Dao Protectors, many of whom were Insurgents.
Gu Xuan first headed in the southeast direction before stopping. Then, he gritted his teeth and changed direction to the southwest. He soon found himself before a mansion with a formation. As the creator of this trial, he had some control over the entire small world and used that power to bypass the formation.
He headed directly to the room where he sensed the most extraordinary presence. Inside, he saw a young man in deep cultivation; he could tell this person seemed to be waiting or preparing for something and wanted to get in the past state beforehand.
'Chu Luo, it is you.'
Gu Xuan did not hesitate to enter Chu Luo's Sea of Consciousness, accessing his soul.
"G-Gu Xuan?" asked Chu Luo, his face suddenly changed as he thought of something. He reacted swiftly to activate his power. Regrettably, he only saw Gu Xuan waving his hand to manifest four chains that bound his arms and legs.
Chu Luo resisted by mobilizing all the power of his Nine Extremity Foundation, but it was useless. Despair overcame him as he watched Gu Xuan walk before him with a weird symbol on his palm.
When the latter's palm was only a few inches from his forehead, Chu Luo's heart sank as he knew the fate awaiting him; he would die, his body possessed by that vile old monster. His life flashed before his eyes, and all he could think about was his myriad of regrets–especially for his parents.
He thought he would never see them again, telling them how much he loved and appreciated what they did for him. He would never repay their kindness by ensuring they lived a life of pride, richness, and joy.
Chu Luo struggled more fiercely; he did not want to die. Unfortunately, it was useless.
Swish!
Two white lights appeared next to him. And from them emerged two handsome individuals: a man and a woman.
"Father? Mother?"
They looked at Chu Luo and smiled. With a wave of the man's hand, he removed the Soul Chains binding his son.
"Luo'er, you know what to do."
Chu Luo ignored the tears in his eyes to create a Soul Swallowing Pot. Then, his father and mother used their energy to power up the pot. Meanwhile, Gu Xuan knew the situation had gone out of control. In his current state, he could not deal with an Emperor Level threat.
He immediately tried to run away, but another power locked him in position. And before he could think of a countermeasure, Chu Luo's pot suspended above him and swallowed him. He tried his best to resist, but Wang Wei had weakened him to an unimaginable level.
After a few seconds of resistance, the pot swallowed him.
Chu Luo did not care about the final result. Instead, he looked at his parents.
"Mother, Father, how are you here?"
"We left some means to protect you in case something went wrong during your reincarnation."
Chu Luo lowered his head, ashamed. "Thank you for saving me, again."
"You don't have to thank us," said his mother as she caressed his head.
"You are our pride and joy; we are very proud of you," added his father.
"Yes, we are proud of you and all you've accomplished."
Not long after saying this, the two began to vanish.
"It seems our time is short."
"Mother, Father."
"I know you're worried about our injuries. But you don't have to. Not long after ascending, we had a fortunate encounter that allowed us to heal. We are doing great in the upper dimension and waiting to reunite with you."
"Really?"
"Of course. And luckily, that day will not be long."
The two finally disappeared, and Chu Luo cleaned his eyes after staring at their disappeared spot for half a minute. He eventually opened his pot, discovering two things: a mass of pure spiritual power and a book called Deceiving Heaven Longevity Art.
Meanwhile, Wang Wei finally opened his eyes in the Pagoda and immediately sensed something. He felt the latter's death by using the karma he had just made with Gu Xuan.
"Chu Luo? It seems your luck has run out."
Wang Wei then focused on Gu Xuan's memories he acquired, including the Deceiving Heaven Longevity Art, the latter's step by step of creating the scripture, and his understanding.
Moreover, Wang Wei discovered many memories about the upper dimension that he found necessary.
The first one was about Emperor Kong. The latter became an Empyrean not long after ascending. The reason was he discovered an Immortal-Tier Time Secret Realm and because of his diplomatic abilities.
He spread the concept of the academy throughout the Eternal Ascension World by coming to some compromises with the seven parasites and the two suns. No one knew how he convinced them, but he did. With all the merit gathered, he joined the list of the few individuals who became an Empyrean in only over 3 Yuan Epochs.
'3 Yuan Epochs? I can easily deal with that record.'
According to his calculations, if all his plans worked, he would become an Empyrean in a few million years, even before the next generation of the Myriad Emperor World. Meaning Wang Wei will probably be the youngest Empyrean in the Eternal Ascension World, one that is less than a Yuan Epoch.
News about Emperor Kong's cultivation was not why he focused on this information. Gu Xuan theorized that Emperor Kong secretly funded the revolution against the parasites. Although he had no proof, he believed in his analysis and gut feeling.
The other important formation Wang Wei received was about parasites. Gu Xuan analyzed these people in great detail, and Wang Wei paid attention to some of the latter's observations since they could be helpful.
The first one was about Time Eater, the most powerful of the 7. He was a Paragon with 99% control of Time Grand Dao Source and one step from reaching the peak. Time Eater was a Paragon during the Ultimate Taboo but did not participate for some reason.
Gu Xuan believed that Gu Xuan was the secret mastermind behind the 7, besides the two suns who used Seven Cauldron and Twin Flower as proxies to monitor and control the group. Time Eater was the one who suggested they usurped the entire world and ruled the era.
The second important piece of information was the relationship between the Undead Phoenix and the Five-Feather Phoenix. Undead Phoenix was a Pseudo-Eternal Emperor during the Incense Era.
Based on his talent, he should have long reached the peak of Paragon and participated in the Ultimate Taboo. However, something happened after meeting a young Five-Feather. They had a relationship, and something happened between them, which resulted in Undead Phoenix being stuck in the Empyrean Realm for too long, making him miss the Ultimate Taboo.
Although these two are now on the same side, Gu Xuan analyzed there was probably still animosity between the two. The third valuable information he learned was the possible existence of a hidden 8th moon. Gu Xuan was pretty confident that this was the parasites' hidden trump card.
Finally, he focused on Earth Emperor. According to Gu Xuan, this man might be the most ambitious of the eight and the one he was most weary of.
'Human Emperor, Earth Emperor, Heavenly Emperor.'
Wang Wei squinted his eyes as he felt the Human Emperor was planning something with the Earth Emperor. And the title of Heavenly Emperor will be important.
Wang Wei then focused on the Deceiving Heaven Longevity Art; he felt this scripture had so much potential, but it also made no sense.
