"Good. You're not dead."
"Why does everyone keep saying that," said Wang Wei. Even his mother stated he was glad he was not dead during their brief conversation.
"Well, every time you leave the sect, you either end up exiled, missing limbs, or dead," Wu Hong casually replied. "It's beginning to become a pattern."
"Aren't I fine now?" he replied as he embraced her.
"Are you happy that you did the bare minimum of surviving?"
"No, I'm showing you I've grown and can barely protect myself."
"At least you know your limitations," added Wu Hong. "So, what happened?"
Wang Wei explained to her in detail what happened during the clean-up. "By the way, do you know the Devil Primogenitor?"
"Never met him, but you can say we have a special fate." After hearing what happened, new memories appeared in her mind. In the other timeline, the Primogenitor was not defeated by an alliance of all the influential factions of the upper dimension. After that battle, he escaped with severe injuries.
After her ascension, he blamed her for her failure and created a lot of trouble for her. Luckily, people like Maitreya and the Sword Empress protected her. And when she reached the peak of a Boundless Paragon, she slaughtered the injured Devil Primogenitor. That fight was one of the most difficult of her life–not because of the opponent's strength. But because of a magical artifact, he had it in his hands.
In this timeline, future her not only wanted to remove the entanglement between Wang Wei and Xu Junyao or make his path smoother; she also wanted to fix one of her biggest regrets.
'Meng Xiaohui,' thought Xu Shi.
While the devil race forces hunted her in the upper dimension, she met a young girl who ran away because her family wanted to sell her to a rich young master in the city.
…
"You said your name is Meng Xiaohui?"
"Yes."
"What a beautiful name."
"T-Thank you."
"You said your village sold you?"
"Yes. They keep saying it's the blessing of my ancestors to be desired by the Young Master Lin. Damn then. I've seen the fate of the women favored by that stupid young master," said Meng Xiaohui with her young voice.
"You remind me of a young me."
"Really? Does that mean I can one day be as powerful and beautiful as you?"
"Probably not, since between heaven and earth, I'm unique. But you can try."
Wu Hong's eyes moistened a little as the memories flooded in.
"Master, can I be your apprentice?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"I will only bring you trouble. I should never have stayed here for so long."
"Master, when are you going to teach me cultivation?"
"I'm not your master."
"No, master. So, when?"
"…Master, master, I've succeeded in practicing the sealing technique."
"Indeed. Congratulations," said Wu Hong with a smile. She had not smiled in a long time. But recently, she found herself doing it more and more often.
"Unfortunately, it took me so long."
"The Sealing Dao does not suit you. Even the Origin Path System is not perfectly suited for you."
"But master, I want to be like you."
"You should walk your own path. If you focus too much on being like me, you'll only become a copy and have no chance of ever surpassing me."
"I-I understand."
"We will go to the Heavenly Temple of Record to find the cultivation system perfectly suited for you. We need to be quick and discrete and not be discovered."
"It seems you're talented with the Spear. I, your great master, will get you the best Spear Dao Emperor Scripture and refine the best spear for you."
"...Master, I'm sorry I disappointed you."
"You don't need to feel sorry. Comprehending a silver of Existence and walking the path of Nine Extremity is not something anyone can achieve."
"But you did it."
"I didn't. I used an alternative method," Wu Hong's eyes became bright. "A method that could work for you. Wait for me, and make sure to hide and not leave the cave."
A year later.
"This is for you."
"Master, what is it?"
"There is this genius in the devil race territory with a 2-Root Nine Extremity Foundation. I took his Dao Foundation and power. I will help you observe. Huh, why are you crying?"
"Master, thank you," said Meng Xiaohui, who could see the slight pale complexion of her master. Although she tried to hide it, she could tell.
"Silly little girl, I am your master, am I not?"
"…Master, my Heaven Will Battle is coming. Any advice?"
"Always be calm to respond to any situation. Be ruthless and use everything you've learned during your cultivation journey."
Meng Xiaohui nodded like a little girl listening to her mother nagging. Although she had lived for a long time, she would always be the little girl running away from him in front of her master. Then, she hesitated to say something.
"What is it? You know you can always talk to me," said Wu Hong.
"Master, couldn't you just get a Heaven Will for me? With your strength, you could get your hands on one by negotiating with one of the clans or sects. If not, take it from the devil race territory. Why do we have to go to the Emperor Path Arena?"
The Emperor Path Arena is mainly used by loose cultivators or people with no background to compete for a chance to prove the Dao, similar to the mortals from the lower dimension. Every 50 million years, 12,000 Heaven Wills appear in different territories and are usually snatched by powerful factions or cultivators.
However, there are 100 Emperor Path Arenas where people can compete. With her master's ability, getting her hands on one of them is not a problem.
"You have the wrong misconception," explained Wu Hong patiently. "The geniuses from these factions will never directly use a Heaven Will to prove the Dao. They will gather on Arena 12 and battle out to the death. Can you guess why?"
"To create more powerful Emperors."
"Exactly. The winner will prove he is the absolute best in his generation, sublimating his state of mind before absorbing the Heaven Will. The defeated will have their Dao Path cut off forever, and the survivors are also brilliant Heaven Chosens. They can return to their faction and absorb the Heaven Will."
"I understand," replied Meng Xioahui with determination in her eyes.
"You don't have to fight in Arena 12, but you will fight in the second strongest: Arena 6. Be prepared."
"...Master, master, I'm now an Emperor; I have escaped the shackle of death with a lifespan above Heaven and Earth."
"Why are you screaming? You're now a dignified Great Emperor: act like it." Meng Xiouhui stuck her tongue out, acting all cute. Wu Hong shook her head, "We need to run before the devil race finds us."
Wu Hong had tears in her eyes, staring into the distance.
"Are you alright?" hurriedly asked Wang Wei, extremely worried. The only time he saw his wife cry was during their wedding, which was out of happiness. However, he never saw her so sad during their entire time together.
Wu Hong did not answer her as she was lost in her memories.
She was bleeding on the floor with a spear stabbed in her chest. She slowly removed it from her body while thinking about how she had suffered numerous injuries in her life, was once brutally tortured before escaping, and survived three simultaneous tests of the Flesh Tribulation. However, nothing could compare to the pain of that spear.
Wu Hong looked at her disciple not far away, "Hui'er, why?"
No response. All she saw was a cold and indifferent stare–devoid of any emotions or remorse.
"No, she would not do that," groaned Wu Hong, trying hard to fight her fading consciousness. "Unless…Mo Yuan, you bastard, come out."
The space broke, and the Devil Primogenitor appeared, but he frowned. "Dao Heart is still intact?"
"Is this your doing? You controlled her?"
"Control? You underestimate me," he said with a sneer. "I created her in the first place. I went to extreme lengths to hide the secrets of Heaven and borrow the power of fate to make it seem as if your meeting was normal and nothing out of the ordinary."
As a Paragon–even an injured one–it was a great shame he had to go to such lengths to kill a little Emperor–even an extremely talented one. However, he knew his destiny was intertwined with hers, and she was blessed by luck. Adding her intelligence and cunningness, he had no choice but to be extra prudent.
"You!" Wu Hong's anger made her spew even more blood. She gazed at her disciple and watched as she slowly dissipated between Heaven and Earth, forever erased from this world.
"Enough wasting time. Die."
Unfortunately, before he could succeed, an enormous golden palm followed by a brilliant sword slash came from the distance heading toward him with unimaginable power.
"Damn it; it's those two again. I did everything correctly, so how did they discover me? Can't I escape my fate?" Before disappearing, he looked at Wu Hong with hatred, despair, and unwillingness.
"...Little Wu Hong, the world is a Sea of Bitterness, full of sorrow, pain, and suffering. But don't let it close your heart," said a young but ordinary female monk before leaving the room, giving her space to process this experience.
…
Wu Hong wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Are you alright?" Wang Wei asked again.
"I am; I just remembered something painful."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"Another time," she replied, going deeper into his embrace. She looked in the distance in a daze.
'Luckily, you don't have to experience that pain."
