Journey of the Fate Destroying Emperor-Chapter 1431: Reunions (Finale)

’I now understand why the upcoming catastrophe targets the Overlords. After ruling the world for so long, all of them have become arrogant, prideful, and corrupt,’ Wang Wei thought. Why do loose cultivators hate clans and sects? It’s not just because they hoard all the wealth but also because dealing with their members is a nightmare due to their overinflated pride and ego.

’I bet the decadence of the Golden Era started before the Ultimate Taboo; better yet, the taboo should have been the solution to this problem,’ Wang Wei analyzed. ’Sadly, the taboo failed, and the subsequent era became an opportunity to suppress these Overlords’ arrogance and pride. Sadly, they did not respect any of the Moon’s rules, so they just buried that pride until things returned to normal.’

Wang Wei reckoned that even if Time Eater were not present, Heavenly Dao would have weeded out the Overlords before the start of the Transcendent Era. ’It seems class solidification is bad for development in any world,’ Wang Wei shook his head before returning to his peaceful life.

Now that he had met all the Overlords, he had no more meetings and could focus on enjoying the few hundred years. Wang Wei was glad he recreated his garden or started fishing again, as the peaceful environment did soothe his loneliness somehow. However, he was wrong, as he had a few more unexpected guests.

"I didn’t expect to see you until the trial," Wang Wei said as he stood up from his fishing spot.

"I wanted to come sooner, but I was finishing some last-minute training," Ji Lanfang said. He summoned two gourds, and Wang Wei noticed that both his arms were slightly brown. Wang Wei was even more surprised after checking his [Existence].

"This wine is called Swordstrike — try it."

Wang Wei caught the battle and took a sip; he immediately felt the effect. His spirit entered an empty space and started battling countless swordsmen. For a moment, Wang Wei experienced the pride and heroism that his father and all swordsmen often boast about, and he understood why these men loved their weapons more than their wives. He still thought it was stupid, but he understood.

"Great wine," he commented. If he were a swordsman and of lower cultivation, this would be a supreme wine for training and improving his strength.

"It is, isn’t it?" Ji Lanfang smiled as he sat down next to him. "Your father — he’s fine, right?"

"All I know is he’s alive," Wang Wei sighed.

"After ascending, I’ve met countless great swordsmen, but none can click with me as your father," Ji Lanfang complained. "It would be terrible to lose such a friend."

"I understand that sentiment," Wang Wei nodded. He and Li Jun just clicked after that fateful meeting when they were children. The only person he had felt this way toward was Xu Shi. Still, their different factions made it impossible for their relationship to develop genuinely. Since they were not as pure as those swordsmen, their conversation usually had too many underlying things — especially after ascending.

The two chatted for a few minutes, reminiscing about their experience with Wang Tian. Wang Wei even learned some things about his father that he previously did not know, realizing that while he had his own adventure, his father had a life outside of being his father.

Wang Wei, after allowing himself to get a little tipsy, asked: "Are you here for the Power of Nothingness?"

"I knew I couldn’t hide it from you — not as I was trying in the first place," Ji Lanfang nodded as he showed his two arms, which were a bronze color compared to his fair skin on the other parts. "My sword has only one purpose — absolute speed. However, if I want to achieve that, I cannot have any resistance when I slash."

Ji Lanfang stabbed his finger in the air, and he was so fast most people would not notice he had moved in the first place.

"I’ve conquered resistance, inertia, matter resistance, space-time resistance, and even countless other conceptual resistance — leaving only nothingness. Only when my sword can move in an area of absolute nothingness can I reach the speed I want. But…"

"Nothingness is a bitch, and every time you swing your sword, you lose your arm," Wang Wei commented.

"Exactly," Ji Lanfang nodded. "I was inspired by you and changed my body refining method to adapt slowly to the Power of Nothingness. Surprisingly, it allowed me to enter the Emperor Taboo Battle Realm, so I figured I could do the same in the Empyrean Realm. Unfortunately, I underestimated that power when I tried, almost killing myself."

"That’s understandable," Wang Wei replied as he raised his hand to condense a talisman with his knowledge about nothingness.

"Thank you," Ji Lanfang nodded as he carefully put it away. "I have prepared a great gift for your father. And if you ever need help tracking him down, don’t hesitate to call."

"No problem."

Ji Lanfang eventually left, but Wang Wei had a smile on the corner of his mouth. "I thought Huo Fenghuang had the most potential, but it seems I was wrong. I wonder who would win between them." This was hard to determine. Although Ji Lanfang’s foundation is deeper since he entered the taboo in the Emperor Realm, the actual value of the battle realm will only manifest in the Transcendent Realm — it’s a kind of foundation or preparation for that stage.

’Ji Lanfang’s attack potency is higher, but Huo Fenghuang has versatility with all five unique bloodlines. However, Ji Lanfang now follows the Ultimate Sword Path, meaning he no longer has the flaw of a weak body. Meanwhile, Huo Fenghuang’s cultivation is 1% higher than his, and given how close their other attributes or stats are, it’s enough to make a difference in this scenario.’

On paper, a battle between these two looked 50-50, but if Wang Wei had to bet, he would bet on Huo Fenghuang, and that’s because of their battle experience. He could tell from his battle with her that she had pushed herself in her training, experiencing countless battles — even life and death — in the past 10,000 yuan epochs.

Meanwhile, Ji Lanfang’s aura tells me his battles were mostly learning experiences; he has probably fought countless swordsmen but only to absorb the essence of their Sword Dao to complement his. So, in a life-and-death battle, Wang Wei would put his money on Huo Fenghuang.

’Everything can happen, so they might fight during the catastrophe,’ Wang Wei smiled as he continued his rest. However, a little over five years later, he received a request from another unexpected guest.

’Is he trying to ask for compensation?’ Wang Wei’s lips twitched before accepting the request.

"Old Ma — how have you been?" Wang Wei asked while checking the latter’s bloodline to see if he was related to the Ma Clan. Sadly, they only had the same name. ’It’s a shame. I could have claimed Ma Liqiu’s reward immediately after the trial.’

"I’m not here for your sweet words," Old Ma said directly without even sitting down. "You gutted our rebellion, leaving nothing but crumbs. The Lord sent me to get recuperation."

"Alright, we’re old friends, so why are you saying things to ruin that?" Wang Wei said as he poured out the tea. However, Old Ma refused to sit down or drink. "You should be here for the trial, right? I’ll offer you three free spots."

"Only three?"

"What do you mean only three?" Wang Wei argued. "That’s three future Paragons — that’s three spots that your broke Lord cannot afford."

Old Ma’s face turned red. He wanted to argue and yell, but he was telling the truth. Paragon Jimin was new, which also means he was broke. He came so late because they were trying to accumulate the wealth for the tickets, but they failed. Luckily, Old Ma’s face was thick, so he quickly recovered.

"After everything you’ve done, you only give us three spots? Aren’t you ashamed?"

"What have I done?" Wang Wei asked with pure and innocent eyes. "Those men I took wanted to follow me since your leader was absent — you can’t blame me for that."

"You!" Old Ma never thought he would meet someone more shameless than him. "What about what you did to our leader?"

"You mean saving his life?"

"You bastard! Don’t play innocent — you could have saved him instead of forcing him to cast that curse."

"The situation was complex, and I realized the only way for him to escape was death. I just ensure he was a normal death instead of a true death," Wang Wei argued. "In fact, he should thank me since I made his death worth something. Didn’t he receive some luck for assisting in eliminating one of Five Feathers’ lives?"

"You have an answer for everything, don’t you?" Old Ma said with gritted teeth.

"I don’t lie, so I usually have an answer for everything," Wang Wei boldly lied. Old Ma almost exploded. "Three is not enough," he nearly yelled.

"Three is quite generous," Wang Wei countered. "And tell Jimin that he owes me for saving his life." Wang Wei did not previously use any karmic threat after saving Jimin since he did feel a little bad, but now, he blatantly used it in front of Old Ma.

"You!"

’Trying to take advantage of me? Hmph, you’re a thousand yuan epoch too young,’ Wang Wei thought. "Alright, you have overstayed your welcome. Tell Jimin to choose his candidates wisely since he should understand how terrifying the Paragon Tribulation is."

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Old Ma’s demeanor suddenly changed as he bowed to Wang Wei: "As you wish."

"Life is truly like a play, and the best actors are the winners," Wang Wei murmured as he watched Old Ma fly away.