Journey of the Fate Destroying Emperor-Chapter 1513: The State of the World
[Unedited Chapter]
----
Wang Wei dismissed the Ma Clan people, had a brief chat with Yan Hai before returning to his mountain. Matriarch Xie Huan was already waiting for him. "Where is Wang Qi?"
"He's preparing for his Immortal King Tribulation," she replied.
"So, he finally listened to me and took his cultivation seriously?" Wang Wei muttered. "Follow me." He headed to his fishing pond and summoned the Fate Rod to test his luck. Wu Hong should still be reuniting with Maitreya, meaning he had some time.
"What do you need to report?"
"The first thing is about the Flame Blacksmith," Xie Huan said. "His memory was perfectly erased, and before he returned to the association, he left a note."
Wang Wei took the note. It was mainly about thanking him for everything he's done for him. The Flame Blacksmith also suggest their alliance continued and be expanded to their respective faction. "I wonder if you would feel this way if you knew the thing was in my hands."
He put the note away before asking: "What happened with copying the tablet?"
"I don't know, but Sir Wang Bo said to see him once you were out."
"I'll go see him in a while," Wang Wei nodded. "Continue."
"Three main events occurred during your retreat. The first one is about the increasing confrontation between the Demons and Innate Demon Gods. The Sacred Mountain publicly slaughtered all the Heaven Primarchs before accusing the temple of hiding traitors. Then, they launched a campaign to turn the world against the temple."
"Interesting. Did the temple kill their primarchs or fall into civil strife?" Wang Wei asked. He caught some rubbish material for Saint Tier cultivator, so he tried again.
"Internal strife," Xie Huan replied. "They refused to kill their Heaven Primachs, leading to infighting."
"How bad is it?"
"About 3000 Yuan Epochs ago, there was a full-scale battle between two Paragons and Heaven Primarchs in the temple, and someone had to stop them forcefully."
"And you're sure this was not a show to deceive the public?" Wang Wei asked.
"Our information indicated a 95% chance of this fight being real."
"What is the public's response to this campaign?" Wang Wei asked.
"The loose cultivators are in an uproar, but it's more because they see this as a chance for chaos and plunder. Many have even attacked the resource centers of the temple. The Limitless Exchange Hall has publicly denounced the actions of these people."
"The other Overlords?"
"That's where the second major event comes into play," Xie Huan replied. "The Tribal Sacred Mountains have called for a [Grand Assembly], calling for all the Overlords to discuss the possibility of the temple being a liability."
Wang Wei squinted. The Grand Assembly was a meeting of all the Overlords and lineages with a Primal Paragon. It can only happen when seven out of the thirteen Overlords agree.
"How many have agreed so far?"
"Five," Xie Huan replied. "Every few years, someone publicly announced their willingness to discuss this issue."
"So, they are trying to put pressure on the temple to deal with this matter internally," Wang Wei analyzed. "Have we said anything yet?"
"Not yet, but the demon race came and talked with Ancestor Yan Hai. However, I don't know what the final decision was."
Wang Wei took out his Primal Seed Token and accessed the Elder Council Communication Hall to check Yan Hai's decision on the matter. As expected, Wang Wei was right. The consensus is that it would be best for the temple to deal with this internally, but if necessary, a Grand Assembly will be held to discuss whether to intervene.
"Things are not so simple," Wang Wei muttered. "The assembly has the power to intervene in a faction's affairs, but only if the faction's affairs are a security threat to everyone else, and the majority decides to enforce the ruling.
"The temple knows this, and the existence of the Primarchs can be argued to be a threat with the upcoming catastrophe. So, why haven't they solved the problem yet?" The temple could have easily alleviated the situation by temporarily sealing the Heaven Primarchs.
"It is indeed odd. Their Temple Lords are Primal Paragons, so why haven't they forcefully suppressed the situation?" Xie Huan nodded.
"Unless they can't — at least, without paying a price," Wang Wei said with squinted eyes.
"How is that possible?"
"Their faction is called the Primarch Origin Temple, but Emperor Path cultivators control 90% of its power. So, why not change it to the Innate Demon God Temple?"
"Isn't it because of luck?" Xie Huan asked. "The Heaven Primarchs' luck is ancient and has existed since the world began. I figured since it originated from the time when they ruled above the Emperor Path, it was more beneficial to them to keep it."
"You would think so, but how much of that luck remains after so long? After their defeat in the Innate-Acquired War?" Wang Wei asked. "In the current era, it's more beneficial for them to change their name and refine a secondary Luck Artifact to continue benefiting from the remaining luck of the Primarchs."
"You may be right, but the only logical reason the Temple Lords haven't changed the name would be because it would be detrimental to them. Does that mean the Primarchs have something capable of hurting a Primal? No, that doesn't make sense.
"The demon race has had an overwhelming advantage after they created the Bloodline Slaughter Talisman. If the temple had such a thing, they would have used it long ago."
The demon race did not have two Primals but two and a half. The Bloodline Slaughter Trial allowed a Peak Paragon the true strength of a Primal, with the restriction that it could not leave the primary domain of the Tribal Sacred Mountain. The talisman has allowed the Sacred Chiefs to attack the temple without worrying about someone infiltrating their bases.
Wang Wei knew Xi Huan was right. If the temple had any effective, true Primal strength in reserves, they would have used it already. He looked in the distance, and his eyes turned completely gray as he channeled the power of fate.
"It's a curse," Wang Wei revealed. "Every Innate Demon God must swear an oath before they absorb the Heaven Will. The backlash for breaking this oath is a Curse of Resentment woven through their [Existence] and through the temple's luck.
"These Primarchs were not stupid. They knew the Emperor Path was the future, and they would eventually rule their temple. So, they made preparations to protect their lineage."
Xie Huan looked at him. Such secrets cannot be calculated, and even if someone were successful, the backlash for such divination would kill them. However, her Lord did it so casually, and he showed no signs of being affected. 'As expected of a Fate Dao cultivator."
"A curse?" Xie Huan said. "How terrifying must it be for even Primals to have no solution?"
"It's indeed brilliant. As long as the oath is broken, the temple's entire Qi Luck will be instantly destroyed, and the backlash is enough to kill 70% of all their cultivators; moreover, the higher the cultivation, the greater the backlash.
"However, it's not foolproof."
"The Assembly?" Xie Huan asked.
"That's right. The demon's move was brilliant, but it also provided an opportunity for these Primals. If the Overlords can deem the Primarch a threat and decide to eradicate them, they only need to show slight resistance to fulfill their oath and acquire their freedom."
"That would explain their inaction," Xie Huan nodded. "But isn't this plan risky? They have a large population of Primarchs, and their death will weaken them."
"Maybe in their eyes, the Primarchs have always been a liability to the temple — a sickness to their control or the temple's prosperity. And something, it's best to cut off the cancerous part for the body to heal."
"Maybe you're right, but it seems too risky to me," Xie Huan said.
"That's because your thinking is too narrow," Wang Wei uttered. "A catastrophe where no one is safe. The last thing any faction wants or needs is liabilities or hindrances.
"While this move will weaken the temple against their enemy, the demons, it also has its upside. As long as they can buy enough until the catastrophe begins, the demon will not have the opportunity to take advantage of their plight."
"But no one knows when the catastrophe is coming. What if they make an error, and the demons do take advantage of their situation?"
"No plan is guaranteed success, and you seem to be operating under the notion that they must wait for the catastrophe to arrive."
"You mean they would forcefully bring it out?" Xie Huan asked in surprise. "Yes, if they are desperate, it's possible. But wouldn't that make them traitors?"
"Only if they are caught. Better yet, they only need to sacrifice someone to wash their hands of everything," Wang Wei sneered. There is also the fact that Heavenly Dao wants this catastrophe, meaning it could use the Innate Demon Gods' hands to do its dirty job.
