Chapter 1894: The Final Battle I: Last Resort Preparations |
"Well, I don't totally disagree with you. The way this universe is designed: our lives are truly too long," Wang Wei uttered. After proving the Dao, cultivators began to experience time in clumps of trillions of years. How absurdly long is that? How many generations of mortals will be born and die in just one trillion years? However, for immortals, that's just one yuan epoch. After seeing and experiencing time like this, it's truly impossible to see mortals' lives as nothing but meaningless.
"However, I disagree that life is supposed to end. Life is beautiful; it's full of wonders and countless possibilities. Death is a terrifying thing; it's the end of all dreams, the ultimate separation. So, if there is a way to escape its shackles, a way to continue experiencing the joy of life, there is nothing wrong with pursuing it. It may not be for everyone, and that's alright. But to make a general statement that it is completely wrong? I disagree."
"What about all the pain and suffering?" Maitreya countered.
"Weren't you the one talking about the natural part of life? Pain and suffering are of that natural balance."
"That doesn't have to be true, but that's not what I'm talking about," Maitreya shook his head. "I'm referring to all the pain and suffering caused by immortal creatures such as us. In our endless pursuit, how many tragedies have we created? How many atrocities? How many lives ruined?"
"It seems to me that your problem is not with eternity itself, but the consequences of acquiring eternal life," Wang Wei commented. "Cultivators are selfish, and with how cold they become over time, their actions can indeed be considered unnatural — antithesis to the natural laws."
"The consequences, you say? Maybe you're right," Maitreya uttered. "But, isn't the easiest solution to this problem to eliminate the root?"
"Do you think the world would be without pain and suffering if cultivators couldn't achieve immortality? No, go even further and remove cultivation altogether — do you think the world would be at peace and without any issue?"
"No, it would not," Maitreya shook her head. "Unless I'm the only one with powers — unless I'm the one who makes the rules."
"How so?"
"You could do the same thing if you were the most powerful being between Heaven and Earth. You wouldn't need to remove immortality or cultivation, and you could set the rules. You could create the perfect utopia in which cultivation is used for the betterment of society."
"That's true," Maitreya said, eyes squinted with an unknown glint. If she had the strength of a True Transcendent, the limits of what she could achieve would be her thoughts and desire.
"But are you sure this is the path you want to walk on?" Wang Wei asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Absolute power corrupts absolutely," Wang Wei replied. "You may not have noticed it, but the way you are talking is quite demonic. You want to instill your will on others, just for the sake of your ideology. Although they are altruistic, your mindset is still similar to that of a tyrant."
Maitreya's body paused, and she immediately clasped her hand, closed her eyes, and chanted, "Amitatha." A black light constantly flashed around her body while another golden light fought it. Wang Wei calmly waited, and it took him more than 20 years before Maitreya finally removed the black substance from her body.
"Is this the side-effect of the Mother Devil?" Wang Wei asked.
"Indeed."
"I thought you stopped cultivating it?"
"In this situation, I need all the strength I can muster to help you."
"I'm touched, but there is no need to put yourself in danger for me."
"What? Now that you have found a more powerful ally, are you throwing me away?" Maitreya joked.
"More or less," Wang Wei chuckled. "But, on a serious note, I need you to hide in the Sword Saint's sub-array."
"Why?"
"If my prediction is correct, Death Reverence should be attacking soon."
"The more reason I should stay and help."
Wang Wei shook his head, "Leaving is not only the best option for you, but for me as well."
"You don't know that. What if he attacks the Sword Saint's array first?"
"That one has a third-step weapon as its core — although a former one, it's still a third-step weapon," Wang Wei replied. "The amount of time and effort he'll need to break through it is a hundred times more challenging than ours. Plus, I won't give him this chance."
"I —"
"Wait, I have something for you," Wang Wei stopped her before she could continue disagreeing. Then, he summoned three small cubes — one blue, one red, and one black — to hand to her.
"The blue one contained a piece of my soul. If I were to be captured, immediately open it and use it to revive me," Wang Wei explained. The red contained another piece of my soul. Once it starts to fluctuate, this is a sign that I'm on the verge of death. I need you to use your Saint Authority to resist the [Existence Hierarchy]. If you can, try to convince the Primordial Heaven Sword Saint to help as well."
Wang Wei had already handed one of those to the duchess, but he was not the least bit confident. Ultimately, the Beyonder is a third-step powerhouse, and those two — maybe three — cannot resist his authority as a higher being.
"The black one is the last resort," Wang Wei continued. "If everything fails and I die, I need you to memorize all my memories. Then, found a body with a different soul and [Existence] and injected these memories into them."
Maitreya was silent for a few seconds, "Even if they have your memories, is it really you?"
"Probably not, which is why it's the last resort," Wang Wei replied. He did not mention how this plan has a high chance of failure. At his level, his memory is a part of his [Existence]. And if the Beyonder successfully turned him into his vessel, then Wang Wei's memories will now belong to him. In other words, even if some poor schmuck received Wang Wei's memories, the person they become is not Wang Wei but another clone of the Beyonder.
But, despite knowing all this, Wang Wei wanted to try. Miracles can still happen, and with his obsession with the pursuit of freedom, maybe he can attach it to his memories before his death, leaving an opportunity for a comeback.
"How confident are you?" Maitreya couldn't help but ask.
"As confident as you can be in this situation," Wang Wei replied.
"Knowing you, this means you've prepared all you can prepare, and all that's left is to execute the plan."
Wang Wei smiled. He has never gone into a situation with the mindset that he was going to lose, no matter how dire things are. Even the backup plans he handed to Maitreya were just the result of his cautious nature.
"Be careful," Maitreya warned.
"You know me," Wang Wei nodded. "Oh, one last thing." He handed her an information talisman.
"This is an effective self-sealing method that I created with the duchess. If you truly run out of lifespan, this should buy you a bit more time. I don't know if living longer will matter at that point, but as long as you're alive, there's still hope."
"...Thank you."
The two conversed for a few hours before Maitreya headed to the Primordial Sword Dao Array. Wang Wei had already contacted the Primordial Heaven Sword Saint and came to an understanding. Now, all he had to do was wait, and it didn't take long. Three Yuan Epochs had passed, and their team detected the deaths of two more Tribunal Lords.
"I wonder who is the last survivor," Avatar A asked.
"Who do you think?"
"Probably that bastard Trinity Venerable," he replied. "Slaughter Ancestor's strength might be on par with his, but he's outclassed in the strategy department."
"The good news is the Slaughter Position is open, which will make Li Jun's path easier," Wang Wei smiled.
"I wonder how he's doing?" Avatar A couldn't help asking.
"Better than us for sure."
"True," the avatar nodded. "Do you think he'll charm another beautiful woman in the underworld?"
"He's evolved past that stage now," Wang Wei shook his head. Li Jun was a married man with a grown child. In his youth, he felt inferior, so he craved attention, and women were one way he acquired it. But now, after so many years, he's grown into a powerful and respected cultivator; he no longer needs the false adoration a large harem provides.
"I don't know. Some instincts, or maybe I should say, privileges, cannot be easily abandoned. And without Liling to supervise him, I wouldn't completely rule it out."
"He wouldn't disappoint her like that. By now, he —" Wang Wei and the Avatar both suddenly sensed something and turned their senses toward the Death Beam.
"Here we go," Wang Wei sighed.
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