As Wan Yanmei was about to leave, she sensed something from the mirror and frowned. After hesitating for a few seconds, she activated it. A woman with a cold expression dressed in a simple blue robe, luscious black hair tightened in a phoenix bun, piercing purple eyes, and a domineering aura.
"Patriarch," Wan Yanmei bowed politely.
"Why am I receiving complaints from the other family that youâve ruined their people?" Wan Huazi asked, her voice as chilling as her demeanor.
"We are in a war, and injuries and casualties are inevitable," Wan Yanemi replied with a blank face. "If they didnât want to take the risk, they shouldnât have signed up for this expedition."
"Donât use sophistry to hide your incompetence," Wan Huazi snorted coldly. Wan Yanemi felt the pressure of a Saint even from across the mirror, but she remained composed.
"Incompetence? The Minister just praised my achievements and rewarded me with great merit. Are you insinuating Lord Chu canât do his job properly?"
Wan Huazi squinted. "Your incompetence is ruining our clanâs relationships with the other royals."
âRuining relationship? Youâve already done that yourself,â Wan Yanmei thought to herself. However, her expression remained as expressionless as a brooding maiden in a painting.
"The people are not dead, and the Minister has already promised to send the necessary resources to cure them. Our relationship hasnât reached the point of being ruined."
"Words will not get you out of this punishment," Wan Huazi countered coldly. "Youâve broken the clan rules, and as the patriarch, I ordered you to return immediately to receive punishment."
Wan Yanmei looked at her with his mouth open for a few seconds before chuckling. "Youâre getting bolder and bolder, arenât you? You now dare to interfere in the courtâs expedition."
"You dare disobey me?"
"Disobey you? So the courtâs laws that say all matters of the Highest Sovereign take precedence over any clan or sectâs rules donât matter as long as you say so? I didnât know you had such power. My apologies. I will report this new information to my superiors before immediately returning home."
Wan Huazi stared at her little sister. The temperature in Wan Yanmeiâs room drastically dropped, but she remained calm. "Iâll make you pay when you return."
"Iâm sure youâll try," Wan Yanmei replied as she ended the communication. This was a weird conversation, but after a brief analysis, everything made sense. The mad woman was scared. All her life, Wan Huazi has been the pearl of the Wan Clan â their only hope at cultivating a third Ascendant Saint.
Unfortunately, her Dao and personality can be summed up in one word: domineering. Over the years, the elders have indulged her so much that she has offended so many people. Before sanctification, she was a junior and somewhat protected, but now, as a Saint, the other clans have begun suppressing her.
âIf I return home, she can use the excuse of holding the clanâs honor and repaying my incompetence to be selected as the Saint to be sent to the primordial timeline. With the merit for this expedition, her strength can be drastically increased, and she can even see the road ahead for the second step,â Wan Yanmei sneered.
She exhaled deeply. The road ahead was already decided: make enough merit, sanctify with 12 pillars, become an elder, and just wait for this womanâs past to catch up to her. Then, she will finally prove to everybody that she has always been the future of the clan.
"Iâm done living in your shadow," Wan Yanmei muttered, her mind feeling at peace as if a heavy weight had been lifted.
Dao Opening Sect:
After checking his body, Wang Wei asked his wifeâs avatar to use the best seal available to protect it. A part of him wanted to seal it in the lower dimension, but Heavenly Dao wouldnât allow it, so he had to think of something else. Luckily, the Origin Seal Continent had a terrifying seal that used all the artificial Grand Constructs, and with Maitreyaâs additional power, Wang Wei felt more secure.
Once that was dealt with, Wang Wei had a few last-minute preparations before the expedition in less than 2000 yuan epoch. The first was healing. Grand Dao was not cheap and gave him enough merit to return to his peak in record time.
So, after dealing with the problems in his [Existence], condensing another powerful body, and regaining his cultivation, he did not hesitate to pop out of the Hong Protective System to use the karmic connection to Earth to contact Hongjun. Their spirit meant in the communication space of the Soul Network Ability.
"Lord Hongjun," Wang Wei saluted.
The old man nodded before immediately asking. "Is it true that they escaped the prison?"
"Itâs true."
"Cause and effect â even a Saint cannot completely escape," Hongjun sighed. A brief moment of lamentation flashed in his old manâs eyes before he regained his calm, sage-like bearing. Did he regret his actions? The answer is yes. By burning his flesh, soul, and even Dao, he was able to reincarnate into Panguâs world. Hongjun did so because he saw a chance to reach the third step and even achieve true transcendence. Sadly, fate played a trick on him. Instead of seeing the path ahead, he escaped one prison for another.
"What is their current situation?" Hongjun asked.
"By now, most of them should have already returned to the Peak Paragon Strength, maybe even Primals," Wang Wei said truthfully.
"What about their attitude toward me, or the Prehistoric World?"
"That I donât know," Wang Wei shook his head. "Theyâve been hiding quite well, and the situation of my world is currently chaotic, and I havenât had the opportunity to come across them."
"Odd. One of them should have been able to sense my or Panguâs aura on you and acted."
Wang Weiâs lips twitched. Any cause-and-effect related to these Saints was always a pain in the ass. "By the way, lord, do you have a way for me to search for these people?"
"Search, no, but I can give you a technique to detect once one of them is close to you," Hongjun replied.
"Thatâs fine by me."
Hongjun waved his hand to condense a talisman that Wang Wei put away.
"Did you need anything?" Hongjun knew Wang Wei wouldnât contact him unless there were an emergency. Wang Wei did not hesitate to tell him about his request. Hongjun gave him a knowing glance before nodding. "Thatâs not a problem." His Dao still involved Destiny, so itâs very easy for him to fool most of this worldâs Saints if he puts some effort into it.
"Thank you, Lord Hongjun."
"Iâm just settling some cause and effect," Hongjun calmly said. He knew this person before him was a walking trouble magnet, and a part of him regretted getting involved in all this trouble. Unfortunately, he still needs Wang Weiâs help to survive the upcoming catastrophe.
"Before I leave, a few words."
"Please."
"I know the karma between you and Ying Zheng."
Wang Wei was not surprised by this. He would never believe Ying Zheng had regained complete control of that artifact. Saints operate on a different level; hence, Wang Wei is always wary of the [Time Skipping Ord]. And based on his analysis, even if Ying Zheng had succeeded, Wang Wei would still not be surprised that Hongjun knew of the ins and outs of the Eternal Ascension World.
As the former Destiny Chaos God, even if Hongjun had abandoned most of his Dao, some things cannot be wiped out by even samsara. Not to mention that Wang Wei suspects that a few artifacts that once belonged to Pangu are now in Hongjunâs possession. With all these powers, the Hong Protective System cannot block this manâs sight.
"No matter the final outcome, do take into account that we need as much help as possible."
Wang Wei looked him in the eyes before nodding: "I understand."
"Secondly, if you meet the other transmigrators, there is no need to become antagonistic."
"Iâm not that kind of person," Wang Wei said. "My relationship with Ying Zheng only deteriorated to this point because he antagonized me first."
Hongjun would not debate the right and wrong of their relationship. At this point, itâs pointless. All he cared about was protecting the others and ensuring the same thing did not happen again.
Hongjun raised his palm to condense a token. "During the expedition, do everything possible to survive and come back alive. If everything else fails, use this token to surrender to the Infinite Divine Court."
"You have connections with them?" Wang Wei asked.
"Iâve tried many approaches to solve the current situation of the Prehistoric World, and my path eventually led to the court."
"By any chance, you wouldnât happen to know what the Highest Sovereignâs Dao is?"
"Iâm not worthy enough to find such secrets, nor do I dare try," Hongjun revealed. Even before her reincarnation, he wouldnât dare try to peep at the secrets of a Grand Dao Saint.
"I see."