Chapter 1964 Face-to-Face

Wu Hong opened her eyes and exhaled. Three thousand six hundred yuan epochs — that's how long her injury took to heal completely. And that's even though she also used other Saint Pills for assistance. To avoid trouble, she used the court's power to force the time acceleration beyond 12 times; in fact, she achieved a record acceleration of 36 times, meaning only over 100 yuan epochs had passed outside. Luckily for her, Grand Dao was under her control in this timeline, or she would have suffered terrible punishments.

"Does healing in the Saint Realm take that long?" Wu Hong thought. She had never spent so much time in seclusion, which truly highlighted the situation after sanctification. A Saint's power is so intense and integrated that they cancel each other out, which makes them behave no differently from mortals in certain aspects.

Wu Hong suddenly remembered Lady Ai's scarred face. In the Immortal Stage of cultivation, someone can't have such a scar unless they wish to. If there is an issue with their body, they can just destroy it, revive, and grow an intact one. However, in the Saint realm, such things are not possible.

The price of reviving is too high, and it takes too long. More importantly, depending on the individual, removing the damage from a Saint Will can range from easy to impossible. In the end, a system formed in which the way Saints behave or present themselves mirrors regular mortals in many ways.

"A perfect cycle," Wu Hong thought. "First, we start as [Mortals]. Then, we become godlike and inhuman through the [Cultivation] and [Immortal] stage, and then we return to a status that combines all three previous stages…After sanctification, it might be a good idea to live like a mortal often as a form of cultivation."

Wu Hong slowly walked out of the pool, and a long, floaty, purple robe slowly fitted into her body as she exited the room.

"Your Majesty!" A group of soldiers in golden armor who were standing outside the healing room immediately knelt. Wu Hong nodded to her as she walked back to the throne room. News of her exit immediately spread everywhere, and before she had arrived at her destination, all the court officials available had already rushed back for the meeting.

As she sat on the throne, Wu Hong did not ask any questions. Instead, she synchronized with the avatar, instantly catching up on the situation. Her eyes then shifted to Xu Yuhan, who still had his dignified aura, but now had a pale complexion.

"How are things on your side?"

"Not good." His voice was soft, almost as if it was difficult to speak.

"Thank you." If not for Emperor Sui and his group, Wu Hong knew the court would never have a hundred-year epoch of freedom. After the previous attack, it was obvious that Gu Chang'an and the Red Cloud wanted to eradicate this timeline as soon as possible.

"When will you attack?"

"I only have a few things to deal with, and we can begin the Red Cloud Expedition."

"Will they take long?"

"It shouldn't."

"Good. I'll be waiting then." After saying that, Xu Yuhan's body fell to the ground, immediately entering a coma. Someone from the Xu Clan—after asking Wu Hong's permission—rushed over to take care of the body. The original Xu Yuhan was not completely dead, and more importantly, this body could still serve as a vessel for Emperor Sui.

Wu Hong's gaze turned to the Holy Lord, Han Guo, and everybody else. "The preparations should be completed, correct?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." The Holy Lord stepped up to report. The preparations for the Red Cloud Expedition were even more extensive than for the Four Direction Expedition. For this war, the court was prepared to go all out and use every trump card.

Wu Hong listened to the reports for a few hours just to double-check everything. For a war of this magnitude and of such significance, it's never a bad thing to be extra careful. After all, one mistake could mean the annihilation of all life in this timeline.

For the rest of the meeting, Wu Hong barely spoke, just checking everybody's work. And once she was reassured that everything was ready, she asked one question: "Where is my merit?" After spending so much time healing, she realized hope energy wasn't a good enough method of healing. So, for safety's sake, Wu Hong wanted to prepare something better: merit.

The Financial Peak Master stepped up to hand her a space ring. As the person in control of Grand Dao, Wu Hong could easily verify if the amount of merit was correct. And of course, no one was stupid enough to touch her merit, but human greed is a potent force — especially for cultivators.

A satisfied smile hung on Wu Hong's face after checking. Although the Merit System was only partially repaired, she had essentially reversed the fate of the Myriad Vitality All-Heaven in this timeline. As such, the reward was enough for her to spend lavishly from the Exchange List back in the Primordial Timeline. Unfortunately, most of it will probably be used to heal from the damage of the upcoming final battle.

Once everything was settled, Wu Hong only had one more thing left to do before the expedition. Over the past years, the Three Virtues have requested a meeting three times, wishing to meet on neutral ground for a discussion. Wu Hong—who also wanted to meet this possible variable—decided to converse with him before the expedition.

So, after sending a response talisman, Wu Hong teleported to the Source Qi Space a few hours later. A young man dressed in blue awaited her by a small lake of Cloud Qi, with a table of wine. He looked exactly like the memory Wu Hong saw, except his aura was different now: a bit calmer, peaceful, and even less prideful.

"Please," Three Virtue motioned with his hand, and Wu Hong did not hesitate to sit down. Three Virtue wanted to pour the wine, but Wu Hong stopped him and did it herself. No matter what, this man was a true Saint, and she wasn't; the last thing she needed was for their karma to get entangled and her luck to be ruined.

"I'm surprised."

"By what?"

"I thought you would be more arrogant," Three Virtue replied.

"Only lesser men allow pride and arrogance to control their behavior."

"Is that a dig at me?"

"Is it?"

Three Virtue paused. "Maybe it is."

Wu Hong didn't comment. Instead, she focused on this wine. After Grand Dao had analyzed its safety, she savored it. "Wonderful," she thought. The taste, texture, and ingredients were perfectly refined; more importantly, it seemed to have aged to perfection.

"I have been so focused on saving this world that I never stopped for a moment to enjoy its culinary scene. A civilization is all-encompassing, including culture. How can I make such a stupid mistake?" Wu Hong thought.

In the past, one of the first things she did after visiting a place was taste its cuisine before creating new dishes based on its unique ingredients and culture. But now, she didn't do any of that. Since she arrived in this world, she has only tasted a few meals and nothing more.

"Now that I think about it, I haven't truly immersed myself in cooking in a long while — since probably before the Ultimate Taboo," Wu Hong thought. "I should rectify that. Life shouldn't just be about cultivating, family, or whatever crazy events are going on. I should focus on myself and the small things that make me happy."

"Did she just have a sublimation of her state of mind? Such talent — how envious," Three Virtue thought, sighing deeply.

"My apologies."

"It's fine." Three Virtue waved his hand. By now, he was used to how unfair Heaven and Earth were. Some people were born extraordinary—a simple and heartbreaking truth, but a truth nonetheless.

"Can you tell me why you wanted to meet me?" Wu Hong asked. Time was of the essence, so there was no point in beating around the bush.

"I wanted to meet the person who destroyed everything I spent my entire life building."

"And?"

"I don't know. Do I feel unwilling? Yes. Do I understand why you succeeded? Also yes. Will I do something about it? I honestly do not know."

"Your feelings of confusion are because you haven't truly comprehended the situation, or you have but refused to admit."

"Go on."

"What was your original goal?"

"Reverse the fate of the Qi Paragon Path."

"Do you think you succeeded?" Wu Hong asked.

"I'm pretty sure that's obvious."

"Is it, though? Is fate so easily overcome?"

"...You saw the situation of the Emperor Path before you came? You saw how Qi Cultivators were the dominant force, ruling everything under Heaven and Earth, with only the Emperor Path barely holding on. If that isn't success, what is?"

Wu Hong looked at him intently. "It seems you're purposely refusing to admit the truth."

Three Virtue felt his emotions about to lose control and swiftly controlled himself. "What truth?"