Chapter 1731: The Society’s Backer

This chapter is updated by Novels.pl

"So, the rumored Destruction General truly exists," the Erudite Duchess murmured. Curiosity is one of her driving forces, and in some ways, it’s her fatal flaw. As such, the duchess has extensive research on many things, especially history. One of the mysteries of the world was what happened to the Chaos Demon God Age: why was it destroyed? Why did they disappear?

At some point in her research, the duchess traveled downstream of the River of Time, trying to observe and experience that era. Unfortunately, a sense of dread always overwhelmed her mind whenever she came close. One time, she became reckless and tried to force her way in, but a terrifying gaze stopped her. To this day, she still remembers those eyes. With one glance, her existence almost collapsed.

’If that general exists, the others must also exist. And the theory that the Grand Constructs were created from their bodies is also true,’ the Erudie Duchess analyzed. With the bit of information Wang Wei revealed, she was about to connect many things, prove countless conjectures, and create even more theories.

’A world made from the body of a creature is not rare, but if it’s from the body of a Grand Dao Saint…’ The duchess did not finish her thought, but she could imagine all the benefits of studying the unique rules of that world.

"Do we have a deal?" Wang Wei asked.

The duchess looked at him. She had a feeling he had access to even more secrets, and for a brief moment, she wanted to ask for more. However, it’s against her nature to cheat someone — let alone a future Grand Dao Saint. "Yes, we have a deal."

"Excellent," Wang Wei nodded. He did not ask her for any binding contracts. The duchess was a powerful cultivator, easy to talk to, and deeply curious about knowledge and secrets. So far, she has proven to be trustworthy, so Wang Wei plans to make friends. And if she does go back on her words, it only proves his assessment of her was wrong, and there is no need for any future contact.

"Once it’s done, I’ll send your share."

Wang Wei nodded. He was about to bow and leave when he suddenly thought of something: "Lord, do you know of the Impermanence Society?"

"I have."

"Do they have any relationship with you?"

"Why are you asking?"

"Just curious. I suddenly had a thought that you were somehow related."

"You would be correct," the Erudite Duchess calmly stated. "These scholars have done some outlandish things. Without my protection, they would have been killed or enslaved by now. However, they are truly some of the brightest minds of the universe."

"A lot of things are starting to make sense," Wang Wei uttered. Knowledge is power. While these scholars are not particularly powerful, their knowledge seems truly ridiculous. For example, Madman Chu is responsible for one of the sixth times that Grand Dao has ever bled. Wang Wei cannot fathom how a little Paragon achieved such a thing.

After learning about Saints and how strong the [Transcendent Stage] of cultivation was, and remembering Madman Chu, Wang Wei’s first thought was that he should kill such a dangerous man as soon as possible. The follow-up was why has no one done it. At first, he thought Madman Chu was just that awesome, and he had successfully kept himself alive. But as time passed and he truly saw the Saints’ strength, his doubt grew, and he wondered whether such a talented individual existed. Finally, the duchess answered his misgivings.

"Thank you for answering my question," Wang Wei bowed politely.

"Hmm, but I just realized I already regret my decision."

"Why?"

"You should be a new member, right?" the duchess asked. "Now, after knowing the truth, you’ll probably be more secretive about what information you’ll share."

Wang Wei was speechless. This woman did not shy away from the fact that she wanted to dig deeper into the secrets.

"Well, isn’t that true?"

"I won’t deny it, but even without knowing the truth, I would have been quite selective." Wang Wei had already labeled the scholars of that society as people with high intelligence but low emotional intelligence. With their infinite lifespan and no one controlling them (the duchess might even be indulging them), there are certain secrets that he would not share with them. Now, Wang Wei will be even more selective, so he can exchange these secrets directly with the duchess instead of giving them away for free through society.

"Whatever you say," the Erudite Duchess sighed before waving her hands to dismiss him. The thought of all the precious information she lost made him disgusting to look at. Once the visitors were gone, the duchess closed her eyes to enter the Infinite Library. A smile crept on her beautiful face as she looked at the rows of books, including many floating in the sky.

With a thought, the surroundings changed, and now, she was in the [World History] section. With a flicker of the wrist, all the rows of books and scrolls turned into pages of a singular book. The duchess flipped the pages before stopping at a particular section.

Her body floated into the air, then threw the book into the sky, where it transformed into a singular, continuous line with too many points. Scenes materialized in the sky as the duchess gazed at one of the points. In a matter of seconds, she navigated through trillions of years of the history of the Chaos Universe before stopping at a specific period: the Chaos Demon God Age.

The Erudite Duchess pointed at the line to add the new information she had received. In the process, her library — a manifestation of her Dao Quintessence — was slowly being perfected. Knowledge is power, and this library embodies those words.

Meanwhile, Wang Wei was prepared to relax after returning to his quarters. Maitreya was in retreat; his true body was still in seclusion. Everybody was preparing for the next deployment, meaning this clone had no work to do. But to his surprise, someone visited.

"I must admit: you are the last person I expected to visit me," Wang Wei smiled. "Sit. Do you want tea or wine?"

Wang Guo looked at him, memories flashing through his mind. They’ve only met a few times. The first time he noticed Wang Wei was in the lower dimension, and he was nothing but a mortal. During their first real conversation, Wang Wei was only an Empyrean, and the second time they spoke face-to-face, the latter was not even a Primal yet. Now, Wang Guo felt a slight threat. Of course, little did he know that the current Wang Wei could probably slaughter him relatively easily.

"Wine, but don’t give me those mellow things. I want something strong," Wang Guo replied as he sat down. Wang Wei remembered he had Immortal Flame Wine and the Blood Beast Desolate Wine that fit this category. After briefly mulling it over, he figured this ancestor of his would probably enjoy the blood wine, so he served it.

"This wine looks familiar," Wang Guo said just by smelling it. With one gulp, he felt an intense power rushing through his veins. Then, ancient memories of his youth, when he fought and slaughtered Demon Gods, flashed into his mind. "The blood wine from the Pure Desolate World?"

"I think that’s where Wang Chong got it."

"It’s been a while since I visited that place," Wang Guo commented. The Pure Desolate World is a place ruled by Innate Demon Gods, and for some reason, they keep it in this barbaric state full of desolation, killing, tribalism, and ruthlessness. Every time Wang Guo visited, he was reminded of his youth, so he used to visit frequently — that is, until he became too focused on the union’s politics.

Wang Guo took a few more sips before finally speaking: "What do you think about this expedition?"

"What aspect specifically?"

"Do you think we will succeed?"

"On paper, we have a great advantage," Wang Wei replied after enjoying his smooth and delicious wine. "But the final victory is not up to us — in fact, it’s not even up to the Tribunal Lords. Who will have the final say will depend on who plays the better game: Grand Dao or the Highest Sovereign."

"If what we’ve learned so far about the Highest Sovereign is true, he’ll probably do his very best to rescue his people and this timeline," Wang Guo commented. "But I’m worried about Grand Dao’s resolve. How much is it willing to go for success?"

"You’re worrying about Grand Dao’s lack of determination, but I worry it’s too determined."

Wang Guo squinted. In Grand Dao’s eyes, all lives are equal. If it’s for the greater good, anyone can be sacrificed.

"I’m sure these Tribulation Lords have taken precautions for this possibility, right?"

"Maybe so, but even if they did, they would only be able to save their own skins. We, at the bottom of the hierarchy, would be screwed."

"Let’s hope it doesn’t get to that point," Wang Guo sighed. "Alright, I’ll get down to business."