Wang Wei saw a young man floating before him. The young man was handsome, with piercing red eyes that seemed to penetrate the soul. The person wore a black robe, but they were not actual clothes; it was more akin to a robe made entirely out of shadows.
Despite his young visage, he had an air of vicissitude around him, indicating he might be considered ancient compared to even his sect’s Ancestors he interacted it.
“Who are you?” Wang Wei asked again, already on guard and prepared to activate the talisman Origin One gave him.
“People used to call me the Devil Primogenitor, but my name is Mo Yuan.”
“Devil Primogenitor? You’re the True Devil responsible for the devil race’s invasion of the lower dimension?”
“You even know of this? I guess I should not be surprised. But yes, you are correct.”
“Shouldn’t you be dead?”
“I should, but things like resentment, regret, Willpower, and obsessions are powerful forces that can create miracles.”
“I guess they are,” muttered Wang Wei as he suddenly understood many things. He now knew who created the Heavenly Dao of this continent, who gave it its power and modified it to protect the devils in this place.
“What can I do for you, Lord Mo Yuan?”
“I did not expect to see another True Devil before I disappeared. I was curious, so I came to see you.”
“I don’t think True Devils are such a rarity.”
“They are. There are many seedlings in the Chaos Universe. People born resenting rules and restrictions, pursuing absolute freedom. However, few can walk the path of cultivation, and fewer can become enlightened on a True Devil’s identity and accept it.”
“If you put things that way, we might indeed be rare.”
“You don’t seem to care too much about being a True Devil?”
“Well, it’s not like there is any benefit in being one,” said Wang Wei while shrugging. “Plus, why would I let a title dictate how I feel, believe, or behave? Am I a true devil? Okay, it won’t change much in my life.”
Mo Yuan paused after hearing this before a burst of boisterous laughter emanated from him, “Maybe If I had a similar mindset, things would have been different.”
“So, what exactly happened to you?”
“Why should I tell you?” replied Mo Yuan with a relaxed smile.
“Common, help a fellow True Devil out.”
“Hahaha, what an interesting kid. Instead of answering your question, tell me what you think happened to me?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Based on the devil race’s fate in the lower dimension, your actions created too many enemies and not enough friends or allies. And the result was you dying through the besiegement of countless powerhouses.”
Mo Yuan’s joyous mood suddenly changed, replaced by anger, hatred, sadness, and unwillingness. Then he sighed, “You’re right. I was so obsessed with becoming free that I became a fool. My actions endangered my race, condemning them to years of pain and suffering.”
Mo Yuan looked in the distance, his eyes scanning this subcontinent before gazing at the sealed Nine Devil God World.
“Do you know the saddening thing? My actions were meaningless in the grand scheme of things. I projected all my hatred into True Heavenly Dao, believing once I eradicated it, I would be free. Hahaha, how stupid I was. It is nothing but a small part of a much larger cog.
“My vision should have been grander; I should have considered things more thoroughly, using Heavenly Dao as nothing more than one of my stepping stones to true freedom. Better yet, I could have allied with it if it could help me achieve my goal.”
Mo Yuan shook his head as he realized he was rambling. He then looked back at Wang Wei. “Excuse me. I have a lot on my mind, and I got carried away.”
“I understand. After all, there is no cure for regrets.”
“Is that what drives you to pursuit freedom?”
“One of the reasons,” replied Wang Wei. “I have family and loved ones. I do not want any regrets because I could not prevent or fix if something happened to them.”
“I see,” uttered Mo Yuan softly as the image of Wrath flashed in his mind. “You wanted to ask me some questions? Go ahead.”
“How did your conquest of the Eternal Ascension World last for so long? I know countless powerful factions like the Dao Opening Sect, the Buddhist Sect, the Qin Saint Court, and numerous others attacked you together. How did you block the power of so many Paragons?”
Wang Wei could not understand this aspect of history–especially after confirming the devil race made too many enemies and not enough allies.
“You do know a lot,” replied Mo Yuan. “I guess there is no point in hiding it now. I possessed a broken half-step detachment treasure. Although I could not utilize all its power, it was enough to fight all these unparallel genius and remain victorious.”
‘Half-Step Detachment? Is that the name of the realm after Paragons? Fitting, I guess,’ thought Wang Wei.
“I understand now. After your defeat, the Eternal Ascension World underwent a Golden Age. However, it was most likely not a coincidence. My Ancestor–Qiyuan–learned of the cultivation path after Paragon from your broken treasure. Then, he planned the Second Origin Battle and maybe even the Golden Age to find the way forward.
“Correct,” said Mo Yuan as the hatred and unwillingness flashed in his eyes again. “And the treasure is probably a chess move from Grand Dao to accelerate the growth of the Chaos Universe.”
Wang Wei’s eyes lit up as he understood the latter’s meaning.
“After the Ultimate Taboo, although many Paragons died, Half-Step Detachment appeared in the universe. No, they became more common–essentially elevating the power ceiling of the universe.”
Mo Yun gave him an approved look before saying, “Let’s stop talking about these things since you’re too weak.”
Wang Wei nodded and no longer pressed on the issue, “Are you now going to tell me the real reason you came to see me?”
“Yes. I want to make a deal with you.”
“I’m listening.”
“I want you to give my disciple, Wrath, an opportunity to rise. In exchange, I will tell you where I kept that treasure.”
‘Didn’t someone take it after your defeat?”
“That I don’t know. It might have fallen in someone’s paw, or it might have been lost during the chaos. However, the secret realm I received the treasure contained two pieces. I only pass the trial for one, and you can try for the second.”
“Is it in the Eternal Ascension World?”
“No, it’s somewhere in Primordial Chaos.”
“Why are you asking me to help one person instead of your race?” continued Wang Wei.
Mo Yuan did not immediately answer. Instead, he looked at the Nine Devil God World, focusing on the seal around the plane. “I’m actually thankful to Empress Wu. In the upper dimension, they wiped out every single devil race member. To this day, anyone with a thread of our bloodline will suffer discrimination and have a hard life.
“The same fate happened to my comrades in the lower dimension. Luckily, the seal acted as a form of protection, and the cruelty of the Myriad Emperor World ended up sparring the extinction of the devil race.”
“All the more reason you would want to save them.”
“Your presence is proof that fate does not want the devil race to make a comeback,” replied Mo Yuan. He did not think it was a coincidence that another True Devil would be stopping his race’s rise.
“Plus, I’ve taken solace in the fact that my race exists in other Chaos Worlds and thrives in some places.”
“If I only have to watch out for her, I don’t mind accepting your deal. I give you my word.”
Mo Yuan smiled since that was enough for him. He knew True Devils were the most honorable untrustworthy people. They will lie, steal, and scheme for their goals and ambitions. However, they will not break them once they give you their words.
He raised his hand to condense a ball containing information before suspending it before Wang Wei; he did not directly inject it into the latter’s body.
After putting the thing away, Wang Wei asked, “Are you not going to say goodbye to Wrath? You seem to care a lot about her.”
“I’ve already said my final words,” replied Mo Yuan. “One last piece of advice: you might not care about your True Devil status, but some people will.”
“I guess as much.” With the rebellious ideologies of True Devils, Wang Wei could already predict the amount of trouble these guys would cause wherever they were, giving the name a bad reputation.
Mo Yuan began to disperse into tiny motes of lights. Now he felt some peace after meeting someone like him and ensuring his disciple’s future, the obsession that kept him tethered to this place vanished. More importantly, the remaining power of the treasure also dissipated.
‘It’s confirmed. Someone forcibly changed the main timeline. Who has such power? And why did they do it?’
In the last moment before he died, Mo Yuan connected to his treasure and saw some odd image he could not understand: he saw he died under Empress Wu’s hand. However, his real death had no relation to her.
At first, Mo Yuan thought his mind peeped into a parallel timeline. But now, he finally understood the truth: someone forcibly changed the Primordial Timeline, which should not be possible.
‘Well, it does not matter to me. My story ends here.’ He took one last look at Wang Wei.
‘I wish I could see how his story unfolds and eventually ends.’
He looked at Wrath, who was preparing to respond to the current situation.
‘I wish I could see you grow.’