Wang Wei reacted swiftly by using one of Maitreyaâs Time Techniques: [Timeline Branching]. Mingyunjun wanted to change his past, so Wang Wei turned whatever past the latter created into an alternate timeline of his life. His plan worked, but not completely. The Fate Chaos Demon Godâs technique was of a higher essence than Maitreyaâs, resulting in Wang Wei suffering a backlash.
"Time was running out," Wang Wei thought. He now had less than 20 minutes before the Mirror Seedâs effect dissipated. No longer hesitating, Wang Wei began using his trump card:
[Karmic Summoning]
With a flicker of his wrist, a red thread flew into the void before pulling something across space-time. Mingyunjunâs face became ugly as he sensed the aura coming from the other side of the space crack. His paw reached out to stop it, but a golden palm blocked his way. Then, a beautiful nun with a shaved head and a peaceful demeanor appeared in this hidden dimension.
"Something told me you were behind all this madness," Maitreya sighed.
"No time for talk. Letâs suppress him," Wang Wei said. The two instantly formed a perfect synchronization. Two colossal golden Buddhas materialized behind them before fusing into one. The Supreme Golden Buddha raised its humongous palm to suppress Mingyunjun.
"Damn you, little rat. I was so close to success, but you had to barge in," Mingyunjun roared as he felt his body, soul, and Dao being suppressed. Everything was going according to plan. All he needed to do was go through the motion for the sectâs battle, and then, he would be set for life. But the bastard Wang Wei had to ruin everything by summoning a taboo.
"Little bastard, die!" Mingyunjunâs eyes turned cold. Without hesitation, he used another secret technique, and this time, he instantly returned to his peak state. With a thought, a cage surrounded Wang Wei and Maitreya, and their senses of danger immediately went into overdrive.
Mingyunjun looked at them with hatred. After his attack, heâll probably lose all his cultivation, literally becoming a mortal. However, it didnât matter. While his strength would be no different than a regular mortal, he will still have eternal life, meaning he can take as long as needed to recuperate. His success will only be delayed, not cut off.
"How beautiful," Wang Wei thought as he glanced at this cage of fate. He saw it. Inside the cage, everything about him and Maitreya was determined: their age, sex, birth, personality, memories, experience, and finally, death. Every second they spent inside the cage, Mingyunjun was writing their fate â dictating their lives. And once enough of it was written, he could also determine that they had died today, at a specific date.
"I understand now," Wang Wei thought. "Everything can be divided into Yin and Yang. The Grand Dao Source I have been comprehending is the Yang Aspect. Meanwhile, if I want to condense a Fate Dao Quintessence, I need to comprehend the Yin Aspect, which encapsulates all the hidden rules or mechanisms of Fate that Grand hid for one reason or another â most likely because she deemed them too dangerous for anyone to wield.
"I donât want to do this, but now is not the time for an epiphany. If we donât do anything, we will all die here," Maitreya transmitted to Wang Wei through divine senses.
"Donât worry. Heâs been checkmated," Wang Wei smiled. He had already predicted that Mingyunjunâs greatest trump card was the ability to return to his peak. However, Wang Wei thought he could at least fight for a few minutes; he didnât expect Mingyunjunâs injury to be so severe that he could only use one attack.
The cage closed on those two, and they disappeared from the face of the world: their fate was determined. Mingyunjunâs aura immediately deflated like a balloon, and his body also shrank to the size of a deer. "Damn it, how long will it take me to heal?" the Three-Eyed Qilin complained.
Bang!
A chain flew out of nowhere and embedded itself in Mingyunjunâs heart. "Who?" he roared, but no one answered him. Instead, more and more chains began to dig into his body. He tried to resist, but with the strength of a human male, what could he do?
Mingyunjun composed himself and glanced in the direction that the first chain originated, and sighed deeply. Three people floated not too far from: Maitreya, and two Wang Weis. "Summoning a second-step future version of yourself? I guess I can accept defeat at his hands."
"Is this some desperate act to preserve your ego?" Wang Wei asked.
"You can say that."
"Whatâs the point?"
"Iâm a powerhouse. Is there something wrong with preserving my dignity?" Mingyunjun replied.
"I guess thatâs the difference between us," Wang Wei said. Defeat was defeat. As much as it can hurt the ego, he wouldnât try to comfort himself if he loses to someone.
"I was so close," Mingyunjun sighed deeply. "If only you were not so lucky. Well, I guess I canât say that since Luck is an inherent aspect of Fate."
"Luck?" Wang Wei chuckled. "You donât need to deceive yourself to this extent."
"Am I wrong? Had Pangu not chosen to help you condense the Power Heart, you would have died."
"Not really. I would have just summoned "Him" during the fight instead," Wang Wei calmly stated. "Although this would have complicated things and I wouldnât be able to target you, I would have still escaped with my life."
Mingyunjun was speechless.
"And speaking on our performance, you could have still won this fight if you were ruthless enough," Wang Wei sneered. "Unfortunately, you have the same fatal flaw as most people who are smart and scheming: you donât like to suffer any loss. If you were willing to sacrifice the Power Core for that last attack, I wouldnât have survived even with my future self."
"Facing the possibility of becoming a Grand Dao Saint, how many people can resist the temptation?" Mingyunjun asked.
"Thatâs why I say youâre not ruthless enough," Wang Wei replied. "Life is more important. As long as Iâm alive, there are plenty of chances to reach a higher realm."
"You may have the luxury to have such confidence, but 99.9999% of people do not."
"Maybe youâre right," Wang Wei nodded. With a wave of his hand, Mingyunjun was sealed. Glancing at his future self, he asked: "Can you help me find his treasury dimension?"
"Here," Future Wang Wei raised his hand to condense a space ring connected to Mingyunjunâs hidden dimension.
"Thank you," Wang Wei nodded before checking the items inside. "Why is he so poor?" The ring contained a few second-step items and a dozen first-step items, but for someone of Mingyunjunâs status, this could be considered poor.
"He probably used most of it to consolidate his injury," Future Wang Wei said.
"Damn it, I should have rushed over faster," Wang Wei sighed. Of course, he was just saying that. Without using the Heaven Deception Array to change the nature of his Defensive Talisman, how could he have summoned his future self?
Well, it didnât matter â at least, thatâs what Wang Wei told himself. His primary objective was Mingyunjun himself and the Power Core, which he plans to use to recreate the Essence Source Realm. After all, without Essence Source, itâs impossible to enter the Ancestral Realm.
"See if there is anything in there you want," Wang Wei said as he handed the space ring to Maitreya.
"Alright." Maitreya did not try to display any humility in front of him; their friendship had passed that. Now that her foundation had returned to what it was supposed to be, Maitreya had two things on her mind: was it possible to achieve the 13-pillar, and how to perfectly harmonize her soul and body so she could start condensing her Flesh Quintessence.
"Future me, can you divulge some information before you leave?"
"No, and even if I could, itâs useless. My timeline is fundamentally different from yours. My experience will not affect you."
"Is that so?" Wang Wei sighed; he had already expected this answer, but he still wanted to try.
"You should prepare to leave as soon as possible," Future Wang Wei said. "The Destruction General is outside the timeline, and heâs about to eradicate it."
"She even sent him? It seems the situation did reach the highest level alert," Wang Wei smirked. "What about us? Did she give up on us and the expedition?"
"No. One of the Cardinals is coming to pick everybody up."
"It seems Grand Dao is still acting with intact rationality," Wang Wei squinted. His concern has always been whether Grand Dao has any emotions, and preliminary tests have revealed that she remains a cold, calculating machine.
"You know youâve crossed a line, right?" Future Wang Wei asked.
"Thatâs why I need you to do one last thing for me," Wang Wei smiled. His Future Self sighed before pointing his finger at Wang Weiâs forehead, leaving a hidden mark of causality.
"Alright, itâs time to face judgment," Wang Wei smiled.