Chapter 1688: Visit From An Old Friend

’This power resembles the nurture core,’ Wang Wei thought. ’No, the fundamental rules are different. This one is time-related. Its purpose is to reduce the effect of cultivation time on cultivators. No wonder the Primogenitor Devil had so many powerful followers.’

On average, it can take as little as 50,000 years or as long as a billion years to cultivate a Great Emperor, depending on the cultivation realm. Empyrean usually takes between 50,000 and 100,000 yuan epochs, and Paragon can take as long as 1 million to 100 million yuan epochs. However, the artifact can circumvent the rules placed on cultivators that artificially raise the time requirement for cultivation. Although Wang Wei doesn’t know the full capability of the artifact in its current state, he wouldn’t be surprised if it could cultivate a Paragon in less than 100,000 yuan epoch — not accounting for deaths during the tribulation.

’It’s a shame the thing can’t even be used to cultivate Peak Paragons, let alone Primal,’ he sighed. Regardless of this truth, he wasn’t too sad. There is a chance the artifact will improve after removing the foreign Saint Will. More importantly, there might be some effect after combining it with his Saint Dao Heart.

Wang Wei did not waste a single minute as he rushed toward the Disaster Relief Department to deal with the Saint Will. Wu Hong has already left for the Infinite Trichiliocosm with his clone, but she also left an avatar to take charge of her duty. With her help, he successfully solved his issue and returned to his seclusion to refine the artifact by leaving his soul mark.

"I wonder if this thing can be repaired with merit?" He knew the answer, so the real question was how much merit was required. After a quick divination, Wang Wei immediately gave up. With such a number, he can buy all the resources he needs to sanctify. Instead of wasting time, he focused on the alternate fixing method he had conceived: by nourishing this item with the Perfect Aura from his [Existence], he could slowly fix the flaws in this weapon and make it flawless — perfect.

Although this would require a significant period of time, it was worth it — especially since progress can be accelerated by using materials related to perfection. Wang Wei had a feeling that refining Saint Artifacts was not easy. Maitreya has been a Saint for a while, but Wang Wei has never seen or heard her use a Saint Artifact. Albeit he has only seen her fight on a few occasions, he believed his intuition about such things.

The refining process took some time, but eventually, Wang Wei established a deep connection with the black orb, becoming its new master. The following few hundred yuan epochs were spent mastering the artifact’s power in combat and other applications. After the training, one thought suddenly plagued Wang Wei’s mind: what was the cause of this artifact’s destruction? Intrigued, he decided to peep through time to see the truth.

Suddenly, his body froze, his heart beat accelerated, and sweat began dripping from his back and forehead. "What a horrible foreboding feeling," he murmured. He knew if he did such a risky thing, he would have garnered the gaze of a Saint. This sudden warning was a good thing, but it also reminded him of something: this artifact might be a hot potato. He assumed the owner was dead, hence why he was so bold in trying to uncover its origin, but now he had doubts.

’There is a high chance that the danger I sense is because of the attacker, not the owner. But if that’s true, why didn’t they take the artifact with them?’ Wang Wei analyzed. There are only a few logical explanations for this situation, but each of them seems highly improbable.

’I should be more wary of this thing,’ Wang Wei thought. The most significant use of this item was not the rapid cultivation of Paragons or other cultivators, but instead reducing the time required for precious spiritual herbs and ores to grow. As such, he was prepared to lend this item to the sect and his wife for use once his "military service" ended, but now he decided to seal it.

The Saint was aware of everything happening in this world, so logically speaking, she should be able to detect if something was wrong with the thing and warn Wang Wei. However, if another living Saint is involved, it’s possible to hide from her.

Wang Wei waved his hand to summon the exchange list. Ignoring the horrible pain in his heart, he bought an [Existence Defense Talisman]. Although this was a one-use item — meaning it would break after suffering a large enough blow — Wang Wei was more than satisfied. If a Saint is behind the artifact, it could only want two things: a pawn to do its bidding or a method of revival. Regardless of the truth, this talisman should play a significant role in either of these attempts, and it will also help deal with the other Saints during the expedition.

’If only I had the money to buy a proper artifact,’ Wang Wei sighed. All Existence Artifacts are Saint-Tier, and they all stand at the top of the list. A part of him believed Heavenly Dao did not intend to actually trade such treasures, so it placed an exorbitant price to deter everybody else. The worst part is that the talisman contained a protection spell that prevented people from studying it, thus ruining Wang Wei’s plan to use it as a blueprint to improve his Existence Acupoint Technique.

Wang Wei used his finger to calculate the time passed outside: 8976 yuan epoch, meaning there was still some time before the expedition. Time he could use to do something productive. However, as he was about to continue his retreat, he sensed that a Fate Nexus of the war was about to occur soon.

"Let’s check it out," he murmured.

The first destination was his Resource Management Department. Things were proceeding accordingly and without many issues. After synchronizing with the memory of his avatar, he prepared to head to the War Room to check on the situation. However, he received a talisman that was waiting for him when he left his retreat. A smile crept on his face after reading the content. He teleported home and brewed some of his finest tea before waiting.

A few minutes later, two people walked into the cozy room. The one in the front was a Peak Empyrean that resembled a young man in a red robe, with profound eyes. Walking half a step behind him was a robust middle-aged man in black military armor, with a thick beard, a rune over his right eye, a deep killing aura that it couldn’t perfectly hide, and a cultivation of a Third Heaven Boundless Paragon.

"Old friend, it’s good to see you again," Wang Wei smiled as he stood up.

"See? What did I tell you? He won’t change because he’s now a Primal," the young man said. He walked over and hugged Wang Wei.

"How have you been?"

"I’ve achieved my dream of turning the Wu Clan into an Emperor Lineage — no, a Paragon Lineage — so, to say I’m on cloud nine is an understatement," Wu Ming responded.

"I can see that," Wang Wei smiled. Wu Ming’s body was exuding an aura of pure joy and contentment, which was somehow in great harmony with Heaven and Earth. Wu Ming’s cultivation talent has never been the best, but in this state, he could truly be considered a genius. Unfortunately, he’s only a Pseudo Eternal, but with the exchange list, he still has a bright future ahead of him.

"And this must be your Wu Clan’s Qilin Son."

"Indeed," Wu Ming smiled. "You can call Wu Jing or by his title, Totem Origin."

Wu Jing secretly sighed in relief. He was worried his ancestor would use his title — Totem Ancestor — from the lower dimension. Luckily, the latter was tactful. He took a deep breath before bowing ninety degrees: "Wu Jing has seen Primal Fate Dominator."

"You can be at ease and call me by name," Wang Wei smiled. "Your father and I are old acquaintances, and in some ways, I can even be your uncle."

"I’m honored by your words, but there are rules about superiors and subordinates, so I will respectfully decline, sir."

Wu Ming sighed while shaking his head. "If there is one critique I have, it is how rigid he is. Sadly, I can’t blame him since I’m at fault. I probably shouldn’t have put that much pressure on him."

"Rarely, if at all, perfection is truly achieved," Wang Wei commented.

"Yes, there is always a price to pay," Wu Ming nodded.

"Let’s not dwell on this," Wang Wei motioned with his hand. "Sit, and let’s catch up. I want to know what you’ve been up to." Wang Wei had already seen the rise of the Totem Ancestor in the lower dimension, but he still needed to maintain the conversation. Plus, he was interested in what happened afterward and the purpose of Wu Ming’s visit.

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