Chapter 1642: Soul Path’s Future

"You dare to use the word Saint in the same breath as that thing?" Hundunxi sneered. In his era, it was unheard of for any of his brothers and sisters to have less than nine pillar foundations. And even those stupid Primordial Races would at least have 4 to 6 pillars.

"Could you have done what he did?" Lin Fan asked.

"What are you getting at?"

"I know your race is born as Paragons, but let’s say your existence was injured, and a ’weak’ Saint was hunting you. Could you have done what he did?"

The silence that followed that question was deafening.

"Okay, let’s say you were still a Paragon. Would that help?"

"You know it’s not the same. Without the one called Maitreya, he would have been instantly annihilated."

"Fair point," Lin Fan nodded. "Can you interfere and immediately capture him yourself?"

"Why are you asking such nonsense? Are you trying to anger me?"

"My point is that you are unable to intervene and will need to use me as a medium to deal with Wang Wei. That’s the exact situation Supreme Unity was in, and look what happened to him."

"...I’m not that failure of a human called Supreme Unity."

"And Wang Wei is no longer that weak and inexperienced Empyrean," Lin Fan argued. "He’s on the threshold of beginning his Saint Path, and given he has been growing at a rate unlike anything in history, do you dare gamble you can recuperate faster than he?"

"We can’t do this and we can’t do that," Hundunxi sneered with a dangerous light in his eyes. "Have you forgotten our agreement?"

"Our deal was for me to help you recuperate, not to help with your revenge," Lin Fan countered. "And I’m saying all these to make you understand that there is a better approach."

"Which is?"

"While I don’t have a concrete plan, I have some understanding of Wang Wei’s character. No matter what the circumstances, he would never willingly serve Hongjun or Pangu. So, his connection to them is either because they have the same objective, or they offered him something he cannot refuse.

"Our goal should be to find what that connection is. If it’s the former, we can deduce what those two have been up to and plan the next step. If it’s the latter, we can offer him an even better price; he’s greedy by nature, and as long as it doesn’t break his bottom line, he won’t have any issue throwing those two under the bus."

"You know what, you make an excellent point. Let’s use your approach."

"Huh?" Lin Fan muttered. He did not expect this man, whose pride could fill the world from Earth to the Heavens, to agree so easily. He was prepared for an arduous debate, and maybe even a falling out. "So, you agree with my approach?"

"Yes, so go on and execute it," Hundunxi said before waving his hand and sending Lin Fan’s spirit out. As soon as he was alone, the Primordial Chaos Demon God closed his eyes and entered a deep state of meditation. Thousands of runes manifested and formed a dome around him before a dark-red aura leaked from his body. His face contorted into extreme agony before turning a deep shade of red. The process lasted for a few minutes before Hundunxi returned to normal.

"It almost leaked," Hundunxi muttered with a deep sigh. "Hmm?" As soon as he dealt with the issue, he noticed two things he hadn’t before. First, a great warning was explicitly created for Saints about the man known as Wang Wei. The power involved even sent a shiver down Hundunxi’s back.

’Does he have the backing of a Grand Dao Saint?’ he thought. Things would become complicated if that were true. ’It seems I made the right choice by choosing that boy.’ While Lin Fan was making a sound argument, Hundunxi realized something was wrong. His hatred for Pangua was never so deep and visceral. No, his hatred always stemmed from his envy that his youngest sibling surpassed and outshone him.

After realizing his emotions were not under control, he immediately checked that thing, and, as expected, he had been subtly influenced for a while now, to the point that even his already weakened senses didn’t notice Wang Wei’s uniqueness. Had he not been awakened, he probably would have acted irrationally, which would have led to his discovery. Then, all the effort he took for his future would have been in vain.

Hundunxi looked in the direction of Great Qin. That place reeked of Hongjun’s new aura. Although it had no Pangu, Hongjun’s was too prominent. ’That human ruler might know something.’

Heavenly Court, Soul Palace:

Liang Shixian carefully served the tea with the exquisite movements of a cultivator who dabbles in tea art; he may even have recently picked up a Tea Subdao. "What do you think?"

"Great tea," Wang Wei nodded as he sipped with the proper etiquette. One of the many things he had learned long ago, before beginning his cultivation journey, was about tea ceremonies and etiquette. Usually, he is more casual and open with his guests, but since Liang Shixian wanted to be formal, he’ll also play along.

"I have tested numerous hobbies that can influence the soul, and Tea Ceremony seemed the most effective to me," Liang Shixian smiled.

"It’s good to have hobbies. Since ascending, I’ve taken up fishing, and I enjoy it much more than I thought I would," Wang Wei replied. "So, what have you been up to?"

"As you know, the Soul Path is my life passion — what I was destined for. So, after my ascension, I put all my time and effort into completing it," Liang Shixing said in a tone that Wang Wei found rather strange. "There were many ups and downs, but the overall chaos killed a lot of people, which allowed me access to plenty of souls, ghosts, remnants, and resentments to study. Once the subsequent Immortal Stage Realms were created, the next step was to spread my idea.

"But as you know, the power of this world has already been carved up, and there were no rooms for any newcomer. Luckily, I witnessed the Buddha’s Wrath and thought the court was the perfect opportunity."

"An inspiring story," Wang Wei commented. Most people in Liang Shixian’s choice would never have reached his height. Throughout the world’s history, many people have harbored disdain or hatred for the Emperor Path and sought to change the way things are. All failed, and even Liang Shixian cannot be considered a success, but few have come as far as him.

"Have you thought of your next step?"

"I have."

"Oh?" Wang Wei only asked out of politeness; he did not expect Liang Shixian to truly have more up his sleeve. "Are you planning on spreading your version of the Soul Path to other Chaos Worlds?"

"That may be one of the actions I take, but it will not be my primary goal."

"Color me intrigued."

"My Soul Path’s status is on the level of the alternative paths, such as the Immortal and Dao Path, but I’m not satisfied with that," Liang Shixian said as a shining light of ambition flashed in his eyes. "I’ve realized it’s impossible to dethrone the Emperor Path — unless I can become a Grand Dao Saint and compete against Grand Dao. But I can elevate its status to be similar to the True Power Dao Realm."

Wang Wei calmly listened.

"As long as a sentient life has a body, they can open the endless potential it contains and ascend to the peak of the Immortal Stage. Why can’t it be the same for the soul?" Liang Shixian said, unable to sit still, and almost breaking his previous demeanor as a tea master.

"Based on the conversation I had with the Saint, I’m almost certain that’s how things used to be during the short period of the Soul Age. But something must have gone awry that lowered the status of the Soul Path, and my dream is to reinstate it to its former glory."

"It’s great to have grand ambitions, but you should be prepared since the path ahead will not be easy," Wang Wei encouraged. Other people definitely had similar ambitions as Liang Shixian, but the primary reason for his warning is the Ji Clan and the Heart Desire Palace. The Ji Ancestor is most likely responsible for the destruction of the [True Soul Path]. Knowing this, why doesn’t the Ji Clan try to repair the sin of their ancestors?

The answer is they cannot: either because they physically do not have the capabilities, or someone else (most likely Grand Dao) is not allowing them to intervene in the affairs of the Soul Path after being responsible for its destruction. However, once someone shows signs that they might succeed, the Ji Clan will try to intervene in one way or another. The intervention might be a cooperation, or it might also take the form of a takeover.

"I’m aware, which is why I invited you here."

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