Chapter 1969 The Three Thrones

Wu Hong flew toward the library's entrance, but before she could even get near, a tentacle suddenly attacked her. She casually waved her hand to deflect the attack before turning her gaze toward the Red Mother. The beast stared at her with immense hatred. However, it did not speak, just stared for a moment before attacking again.

"Have you forgotten about me?" Emperor Sui said. With a flicker of his hand, the terrifying pressure of an overlord descended on the tentacle and instantly crushed it into millions of tiny pieces. Five Element and Three Virtue's broken shell attacked him, but Emperor Sui released an [Emperor character] that suppressed these two while he continued his attack on the Red Mother.

"I was going to ignore you, but since you ask for this, I'll happily oblige."

Wu Hong waved her hand to manifest 13 Holy Creation Pillars to form a circle. She engraved runes around them, forming a magic circle, before they fused into the surrounding void. "Give me a drop of blood."

Emperor Sui didn't ask questions and shed a drop for her, which she quickly turned into the array's control core and returned to him. Bang! A pillar of light descended on the Red Mother and the horde of Destructo Beasts behind her. Most of the beasts turned into Creation Beasts, but more importantly, the Red Mother's strength decreased by 5-10%.

Wu Hong next pointed at the legion of Creation Beasts, and they all suddenly turned into golden lights that rushed into Emperor Sui's body. His aura rose dramatically, and a few of the smaller wounds healed. "Not enough," she thought before casting the [Causality Feedback Technique].

A projection of the River of Fate appeared above the sky, and under Wu Hong's control, a red thread reached from the sky and connected to Emperor Sui. The ancestor of the holy land was confused, but he didn't ask questions; he also controlled his instincts to evade. Then, a pure and intense power rushed into his body.

"This is?"

"You've had such a tremendous effect on this world, serving as its protector; this power is the result of your efforts."

Emperor Sui was briefly silent. How much had he paid for this world? With his power, wouldn't it be easy to escape? It's not like he was bound to Gu Chang'an like the other two. But no, he didn't run away and chose to face this adversary head-on.

"Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me. On the contrary, it's this world that needs to thank you."

Emperor Sui smiled but did not comment on those words. He didn't need thanks because he saw the entire timeline as his kingdom to rule. And since it was his domain, as a ruler, it was his duty to protect it and fight for its survival until his last breath.

Wu Hong didn't tell him how to use the power of causality. As an experienced Saint, she was sure Emperor Sui knew best how to utilize this rare resource. However, just as she was about to continue her journey, Three Virtue spoke: "Can I also get access to this power?"

"Why not?" Wu Hong condensed two more, handing the other thread to Emperor Sui. "Try and see if you can help Five Elements using his causality thread."

Emperor Sui's eyes lit up: "I'm on it."

Wu Hong flew toward the entrance, and the Red Mother and a horde of beasts tried to stop her. Emperor Sui intercepted her, but many of the Destructo Beasts still reached her; their number was too large, and in the presence of the Red Mother, their number never stopped increasing. However, these creatures turned into grains of sand as soon as they reached thirty meters from Wu Hong.

Bang!

A powerful kick forced the door open; the expected backlash from a formation or protective force didn't arrive, making Wu Hong pause. Was Gu Chang'an this weak, or was this a trap to lure her into a sense of false security?

"Regardless of the truth, I just need to remain focused."

An endless corridor, with a ceiling as tall as five kilometers, welcomed her. White and gold decor spread throughout the building, along with decorations of luxurious gems of untold value. No books in sight, though. "Is this a library or a royal mansion?" Wu Hong thought, internally shaking her head.

She walked forward since she sensed two auras at the end of this corridor. On the way, she saw signs of battles everywhere. Oddly enough, though, most of the structures remained intact. After a quick check, she realized it was a special material that could remove a Saint Will and heal on its own.

The restriction inside this place was even more severe, so not only could Wu Hong not teleport, but her flying speed was also drastically reduced. However, none of them mattered as much as the trail of corpses in this corridor.

"All of them are Saints, and the closer I am to the end, the more powerful they are."

A serious expression appeared on Wu Hong's face, and when she was close to the exit, she landed. Glancing at the four bodies in front of her, a light flashed in her cold eyes. "Four Second Step Powerhouses: all dead." She didn't know whether it was permanent death with their Time Nexus wiped out, but in the grand scheme of things, it didn't matter.

Wu Hong exhaled deeply. "Let's hope my plan works." She didn't continue flying and walked instead. Beyond this endless hall, Wu Hong finally saw the people she'd been searching for. Two chairs sat opposite one another. On one side sat a middle-aged man with white sideburns, wearing a white-and-gold robe. At first glance, he looked pristine, except for the hole in his chest. Wu Hong did not care about the hole. Instead, she focused on what was inside: a cube made of exactly 3800 parts, serving as his heart. Opposite the man sat Lady Ai, with her burned face, a hole on the other side of her head, and a transparent body.

"Come. I've been waiting for you," Gu Chang'an uttered, and a third throne appeared in the room. Wu Hong didn't immediately sit down. Instead, a third eye manifested on her forehead, peeping into the true essence of the current situation. As expected. A hidden battle had taken place, with an immense cloud of hatred and obsession binding most of Gu Chang'an's powers.

And despite his pristine appearance, Gu Chang's power was rapidly leaking from him and entering the cube. If not for another source of power coming from the Red Cloud supplementing his loss, he might have been sucked dry by the artifact. "His situation is worse than I thought, which is good, but Lady Ai is also weaker than I anticipated," Wu Hong thought as she sat down.

"I can't believe my grudge with you will be decided by a mere Paragon."

"Don't be so sure she's on your side," Gu Chang'an calmly stated.

"You think I would side with you?"

"There are no eternal enemies and no eternal friendship — only interest," Gu Chang'an calmly stated. "You should know what I'm offering: endless knowledge." He spread his arms: "The content of this entire library can be yours if you make the right choice."

Lady Ai didn't say anything to persuade her; she just watched calmly. Wu Hong shook her head. "That's not happening."

"I understand you have reservations, but in my current situation, there is no room to trick you. I'll sign any binding agreement you choose — just make the right choice."

"Gu Chang'an, you don't understand: I despise you. And it's not because you tried to kill me countless times or ruin my path. Those contributed, but they're not the main reason. I simply despise you on a fundamental level.

"While you practice the Dao of Heaven, you have no respect for the sanctity of knowledge. You hoard all of it just for the sake of hoarding; you destroy valuable pieces of history on a whim and for no reason, one might argue. You strip knowledge of its self-improvement aspects and merely use it as a means to an end."

Wu Hong looked him in the eyes. "The level of disdain I have for you is so deep that you can't imagine. So, even if you didn't try to kill or ruin my Saint Path, I would still never choose your side."

The room fell silent for a moment before Lady Ai began to laugh maniacally; her voice ricocheted off the walls. "I knew I liked her for a reason. Gu Chang'an, Gu Chang'an, how many years I've spent telling you how vile a human being you were. Now, other people are finally catching up."

Gu Chang'an remained calm. Glancing directly at Wu Hong, he asked: "Are you really giving up an opportunity for a smooth Saint Path? A chance at achieving omniscience?"

"That's another difference between you and me," Wu Hong replied. "To me, omniscience is a dead end — a cage. I don't want to know everything; I want the endless pursuit of knowledge, of the truth — that's what will give my life and my Dao meaning."