Chapter 1209 Another Piece of the Puzzle

"Can I ask you something important? What Dao does Maitreya cultivate?" w.a.n.g Wei asked.

"It's a unique Buddhist Focus Dao called Form/Formless Dao."

"Not Time Dao?"

"No."

"I see. Well, thank you for the information," w.a.n.g Wei said. "I'll be leaving now. Say hi to Grandpa for me, and welcome to the family." w.a.n.g Wei had a lot to do and many things to ponder, so he did not waste much time in the afterlife. He opened a portal, preparing to return to the world of the living.

"Wait," said Mao Yue's voice. "This is for you." A small cauldron appeared before w.a.n.g Wei.

"This?"

"A Supreme Chaos Treasure called the Moon Cauldron. It's a Soul Protection Treasure," Mao Yue explained. "It seems you're used to relying on your soul's uniqueness for defense, but that won't work anymore in the upper dimension. Be careful since this thing is only for protection and not for battle."

"Are you sure? If you're going to be in trouble "

"No need for concern," Mao Yue replied. "I can spin this as a reward for your achievement of a [Three Realm Emperor]."

"Twisting the rules? You're really my grandma."

Mao Yue chuckled. "Go and take care of yourself. When your father ascends, tell him to come see me."

"Alright."

w.a.n.g Wei returned to the White Lotus Temple with the artifact. He did not spend another second and instantly teleported to the Masked Clan since he had already been there and knew the spatial location. He sat in his room, pondering about his meeting with Maitreya.

'The greatest information I've pieced together from that meeting is that Maitreya used the River of Time for her transcendent path,' w.a.n.g Wei thought. He concluded this for a few reasons. Maitreya's main Dao is Form Dao, and yet, when they meet, she stops time. w.a.n.g Wei reviewed the experience in his mind repeatedly and concluded it was not something she did on purpose or some utilization of law but an instinct.

'This is one of the missing puzzles. Paragon often uses the River of Time to navigate the vastness of Primordial Chaos or the Source Qi s.p.a.ce. Their battle usually involved traveling to the past, eliminating their opponent when they were weak, and, on rare occasions, exploring the Infinite Trichiliocasm.

'Supreme Unity wanted Paragons or their breakthrough to affect the Eternal Ascension World, while Maitreya focused on protecting this world's branch of the River of Time.'

His eyes lit up.

'How to use the River of Time to become transcendent? Do you just absorb the enormous power from it? Or is it something like imitating its essence in our souls/Sea of Consciousness?' Both were possible, but they could also be far from the truth.

'There is no point in thinking about this now. If she's telling the truth, I'll eventually know which method she used.' An idea for achieving transcendence is one thing, and a concrete technique with specific instructions is another.

w.a.n.g Wei then s.h.i.+fted his attention to what Maitreya said about his birth. He found another anomaly in his life, and now, he wanted answers. 'I can try to go back and experience it after becoming a Paragon.' This was the only way he could think of, but that might not work. After all, if a power is involved that can even slip through Maitreya and Supreme Unity's eyes, the chances of him discovering it are almost zero.

'Why is my life so complicated?' w.a.n.g Wei complained before summoning the Moon Cauldron. 'Habit is a terrifying thing. I would have suffered tremendously had she not reminded him.' w.a.n.g Wei was so used to not having to worry about his soul that he almost suffered a terrible loss before learning from this mistake.

'From now on, I must gather Paragon Tier Soul Cultivation Techniques and Resources.' He imprinted on the artifact before waiting for everyone from the Mask Clan to gather. He spent his time reviewing all the clan's information and a.s.sessing their information-gathering capabilities.

A month later, w.a.n.g Wei stood before a large field with countless members of the Mask Clan kneeling before him.

He glanced at the Prime Mask at the front. "Is that everyone?"

"Yes, Lord."

"But from what I know, this is only 70% of your clan."

"ThisIt's like this. Our"

w.a.n.g Wei raised his hand to stop him. He looked in the distance, and with a thought, a countless karmic thread manifested from his palm. He tugged them, dragging countless more members into this dimension. Their leader was a confused woman baffled by how she suddenly returned to the clan against her will.

"Why did you betray the clan?" w.a.n.g Wei asked.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Red Elder Mask, this is the Lord from the main sect, coming to regain control of the clan," Prime Mask swiftly said.

A slight surprise flashed in Red Elder Mask's face, but she remained stoic as she stared at w.a.n.g Wei.

"What are you doing? Quickly acknowledge your mistake." The Red Elder Mask remained unmoved.

"I see," w.a.n.g Wei uttered. "You're an ambitious individual, so you resented that such an incompetent person was chosen as patriarch instead of you."

She gritted her teeth. "Our a.s.sa.s.sination Branch performs the most demanding tasks with a low survival rate while these b.a.s.t.a.r.ds stay comfortably in their position. Yet, we are looked over for the Patriarch Position every generation."

"Don't talk nonsense," yelled Prime Mask.

"No, let her speak," w.a.n.g Wei said.

"We simply refused to be overlooked anymore," she finished. w.a.n.g Wei's eyes suddenly became profound, as if the fate of all sentient beings existed in them. Red Elder Mask's face turned pale. With that single gaze, she felt so tiny and weak; it was as if she was a bug facing not a human but a towering dragon. Her first instinct was to activate her Inner World to resist, but her battle senses as a Dao Ruler warned her that she would die faster if she did.

As she was about to explode from the pressure, it suddenly dissipated. w.a.n.g Wei smiled. "I like ambitious people, but only when they are competent. Luckily, your group is the only one I consider barely competent in this clan."

He raised his palm, and the fate lines of all the Mask Clan members wrapped around his finger and palm. A rune emanated from his soul and fused with the line. "Your fates are now mine," he declared before fixing his gaze on another Elder of the Black; this one was the Yellow Elder Mask.

"Have a problem with what I did?" The Yellow Elder Mask's body trembled, and he swiftly lowered his head. "You didn't have a problem when the sect supported you for who knows how long. Didn't you already know your fate from the day of your inception?"

No one said a word, so w.a.n.g Wei focused on the group at large.

"As I said, only the a.s.sa.s.sin Squad is barely competent, meaning you'll need to undergo training," w.a.n.g Wei announced. "From now on, you're members of my Fate Shadow Guard. I'll advise you to abandon all ideas and notions about your previous life. Do not cling to your former status and power since they are meaningless.

"This is the mindset you'll need to survive, grow stronger, and regain your honor and dignity. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir," everyone replied in unison.

"That's the spirit. Go prepare," he ordered. "We will leave here in a few days." w.a.n.g Wei walked away, waiting for w.a.n.g Qi's arrival. Red Elder Mask looked at his back, deep in thought:

'Maybe this is not a bad thing.' All she wanted was an opportunity to display her talent and receive the power and honor she deserves. The Mask Clan's corruption blocked her path, but she might have a chance with this new leader and system.

Three days later, w.a.n.g Qi arrived at the Mask Clan and was directly teleported to w.a.n.g Wei's room.

"You're late." He contacted w.a.n.g Qi a month ago as soon as he arrived.

"Patriarch, you don't understand how chaotic the situation is," w.a.n.g Qi replied. "Everyone is looking for you. There are random checks in almost every territory, so it was difficult to get here while hiding my ident.i.ty."

"Is that so?" w.a.n.g Wei muttered. "It seems we will need an independent Transportation System."

"That is a must," w.a.n.g Qi swiftly nodded. "Otherwise, our work will be a hundred times more challenging."

"We can create a Subs.p.a.ce System for our people to travel."

"Like the ones we build for mortals?"

"Exactly," w.a.n.g Wei nodded. "The only issue is how to hide it from everyone else."

"If we had a s.p.a.ce Chaos Supreme Treasure, we could use it, even adding the Heaven-Deceiving Array. However, such treasure is rare," w.a.n.g Qi's eyes suddenly lit up. "Should we ask the sect for support?"

"No need to involve them especially since we have a better option."

"Better option? You mean our base and the former residence of the Dao Burial Ground?"

"Exactly."

"We used the Ascending Treasure Qi you provided, evolving the treasure from Chaos to Supreme Innate Treasure. However, it's a long way to the Supreme Chaos Treasure Tier."