After pondering about things and reading the information Li Jun sent to him, Wang Wei decided to return to the trial. Before returning, he first checked on his parent’s Mortal Dust, the sect, and other things.
He saw someone waiting for him in his mansion after being received adequately with tea and snacks.
“Young master Liang, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Wang Wei asked after sitting down. He could tell the person next to him was a clone, but he did not mind the latter’s cautiousness.
“The pleasure is all mine,” replied Liang Shixian. “I’m sorry for the intrusiveness; I hope I am not bothering you.”
“Not all. I’m always happy to receive guess,” added Wang Wei, then the two had small talks about their thoughts on the trial, the other competitors, and what to expect when the Heaven Chosen from the upper dimension arrived.
“Have you heard of the God, or Divine Race?” Liang Shixian finally asked with some embarrassment. He thought Wang Wei would ask him about his purpose, and he would use this question to mention his goal, but the latter seemed to really enjoy talking and receiving guests.
Of course, Liang Shixian knew that was not true; his competitor likely wanted to dominate the conversation. And since he wanted something, Liang Shixian decided to no longer beat around the bushes.
“I’ve heard of the tragedy they suffered at the hands of the Absolute Beginning Emperor.”
“Well, I’m a member of the Divine Race.”
“I see. How fortunate for your kind.”
“You don’t seem surprised.”
“I’ve had my suspicions when I saw the mutation of your soul was incense-related,” Wang Wei replied.
“But that could have meant I used an Incense-based Cultivation System.”
“I’ve met people who use incense, and they have a less pure aura than you. Adding the fact the Absolute Beginning Emperor did not completely eradicate Buddhism, it is not far-fetched that some members of the Divine Race survived. So, I’ve had my suspicions about you but could never confirm it until now.”
Liang Shixian slightly squinted his eyes as he analyzed some information from this brief conversation. He theorized that something in the Myriad Emperor World affected the Absolute Beginning Magic, thus allowing the Divine Race to appear again in the world.
He previously did not have any proof and was uncertain. But now, he was sure the person before him was either responsible or knew something.
“You are correct. Before our extermination, we used help from the upper dimension to save many of our kind and sealed ourselves until now. We could not appear outside because of the Absolute Beginning Magic, but recently, we realized that some members could leave.”
“I’m guessing the God Race now wants your clan member to prove the Dao in some World Communities to completely unsealed the rest?” Wang Wei asked.
“Correct.”
“I’m curious; what kind of God are you?”
“I’m a second generation God, so I”m the God of River and Thunder. But from my cultivation, I’m also the God of Soul.”
“Second Generation?” Wang Wei had never heard this term from the secret archives.
“It’s understandable if you don’t know since this term has only recently become popular after the catastrophe,” replied Liang Shixian.
“First generation Gods are the ones born purely from incense and worship. They usually have one attribute or Divinity based on the people worshipping them at birth.
“Meanwhile, Second Generation Gods are born from two Gods mating; they usually inherit both their parents’ Divinity.”
“Fascinating. Are there any other differences?”
“Yes. First-generation Gods have a harder time cultivating laws not related to their Divinity. In fact, most of them don’t even try,” Liang Shixian said with a slight sneer.
“Second-generation Gods are more open-minded and not overly limited by their Divinity. Of course, it is also because it is easier for us to understand ‘foreign’ laws, and it also helps that we usually have two Divinities, making us stronger.”
“I can see the conflict such a division would create.”
“Indeed,” replied Liang Shixian. Second-generation Gods are way more talented and powerful than first-generation. Nevertheless, the first generations are the ones with most, if not all, of the power.
The main reason for this situation was the seal. First-generation Gods are the oldest, and many of them survived the annihilation. Second Generation Gods did not increase their population to a substantial level until after living in the sealed world.
As such, they were younger but with no power; the first generation had many Immortal-Tier powerhouses, but the second generation could not become immortals in the sealed world.
The only Immortal Tier powerhouses they had were the rare second-generation Gods that existed before the catastrophe and survived. But many of them are old fashion and share similar views as the first generation.
Luckily, only second-generations could leave the sealed world, and as soon as someone proves the Dao, the power scale will shift to their side.
“So, why are you telling me all of this?” asked Wang Wei when he realized Liang Shixian did not want to mention the inner conflicts of his race.
“I need your help with something.”
Liang Shixian took out a book before handing it to Wang Wei. After inspecting it, the latter read it.
‘What a good idea. How come I never thought of that? It’s perfect for my situation,’ thought Wang Wei.
“You want to create the fourth path of immortality?”
“Correct. Besides the Emperor Path, the Dao Path, and the Immortal Path, I believe a Soul Path is also viable. Just like there are Immortal Venerables, Dao Ancestors, I want to create God Kings.”
“Interesting. I like the idea, but why are you coming to me?”
“Because I want your help to help me create that path. I’ve observed your trials: whether it is the soul or Willpower trial, you excel at both of them.”
“I understand why you came to me. I want to know why you didn’t create this path on your own?”
“If I could, do you think I would ask you?”
“Of course, you could. Based on your work so far, it’s obvious you could create this path after proving the Dao.”
Liang Shixian quieted down for a moment. “I don’t want to become Emperor.”
“Excuse me?”
“It’s as you heard, I despise the Emperor Path. Why do I have to compete like Poison Gus stuck in a cave to be the final winner? I refuse to participate in Heavenly Dao’s cruel game. So, my goal is to create a path that is above the Emperor Path.”
“I understand how you feel and admire your conviction. But you understand your actions are futile, right?” said Wang Wei. “The Endless Void is a place dominated by the Emperor, to the point of strictly restricting the others.
“So, even if you create the Soul Path, no other individuals will be able to become a God King without an Emperor’s aid–including you.”
“I know. That’s why I wanted to use the Deceiving Heaven Longevity Art to deceive Heavenly Dao to allow me to become an Immortal Tier powerhouse.”
“You should understand that this is most likely impossible. Otherwise, this scripture would have been too valuable, and Gu Xuan probably would not have survived long.
Liang Shixian sighed aloud. “I’m aware, but I still choose to become a God King with an Emperor’s help instead of becoming one myself.”
Wang Wei shook his head before commenting. “No matter what you do, the best outcome is for you to become an Insurgent God King capable of killing Eternal Emperors.
“In the end, your Soul Path will probably be between the Dao and Immortal Path regarding strength.”
“Not necessarily. The way I envisioned it, God Kings can create Immortal Mansion inside their bodies while also borrowing the Grand Dao Source’s power.”
“Then, you are delusional. Heavenly Dao will probably restrict the Soul Path, making it separate and incompatible with the other paths. The best you could do was create an Insurgent technique that allows you to have the power of the other paths.
“But such a technique would never be universal or a fundamental aspect of the Soul Path.”
“How is that fair?” asked Liang Shixian with slightly clenched teeth.
“It is fair. The Emperor is technically a combination of the three. Great Emperors have powerful souls, can directly control the Grand Dao Source, and their Dao Bodies are immune or have high resistance to most high-level forms of energy.
“And as long as they understand enough about a particular energy, they can search for it in the Source Qi Space and directly use it.”
Liang Shixian snorted coldly. “I still refuse to be a performative puppet for Heavenly Dao. I despise the Emperor Path, and nothing will change that.”
Wang Wei shrugged his shoulder. He also did not like how the Heaven Will operated. However, he understood that sometimes, you must play the game before making the rules.
Heavenly Dao and Grand Dao above dictated the rules of the cultivation world. But, as long as he becomes powerful enough, he can dictate the rules. Now, if he reaches the top and realizes he cannot surpass these two using their rules, he will then walk his own path.
But so far, he has not found any evidence that proved such. So, there was no need to complicate his cultivation journey or goals because of his displeasure.
“I did not want to dissuade you; I just wanted to point the truth to you to eliminate certain expectations you might have.”
Liang Shixian calmed down, “I understand.”
“Quick question, do you have a name for the Tier 11 and Tier 12 Realm?”
“Tier 11? Tier 12?”
“The realms after Great Emperor, Dao Ancestor, and Immortal Venerable.”
Liang Shixian frowned after hearing this; he never thought about these realms far away from him. Although he suspected they existed, he never learned about them.
“Let’s call it God Lord and God Emperor.”
“Good name, I supposed,” said Wang Wei. In the Dao Language used by all World Communities, the character for Soul can also be translated as God, depending on the context. And adding Liang SHixian’s identity as a God Race, it made sense he used such a name.
“Last question: aren’t you worried I steal your ideas and leave you out?”
“I’ve observed you, and amongst all the people here, you have the least amount of Karma. I concluded that you’re the type of person who likes to repay his Karma and would not just abandon me.
“And if I’m, I can only blame my lack of ability to judge people.”
Wang Wei’s facial expression did change much. He knew he did not have much karma due to his Karma Unbound Physique. Nevertheless, Liang Shixian was correct about him: he was a person who paid his debt and also kept his word when not facing an enemy.
As such, he did not plan to kill Liang Shixian to swallow all the merit of creating the Soul Path. Anyway, he would still receive the majority upon completion.