Journey of the Fate Destroying Emperor

Chapter 1581: Playing The Victim

Ying Zheng’s plan was simple. After discovering these intruders trying to disrupt the assembly, he captured them before turning them into his pawns. The Butterfly Jade Pendant has two primary powers: destiny and Dao Blessing. The power of destiny has greatly aided Ying Zheng in his divination. Meanwhile, the Dao Blessing is the key to his future cultivation.

Ying Zheng used the power of destiny and injected it into the captured bioweapons before releasing them, knowing that Maitreya would capture these creatures. He also knew she would be tempted to use the power of destiny to discover more information about the disaster.

However, Maitreya was not a fool. While using the power for a divination that involved the fate of the entire world, she left a small part of her consciousness to monitor the current situation. Unfortunately, Ying Zheng was a few steps ahead of her. For a divination on a scale as wide as Maitreya wanted, she needed all her power and focus. In other words, she could not be distracted or leave a clone.

Ying Zheng has been waiting until she is fully immersed in divination, and that time finally came knocking. He waved his hand to send a few talismans before slowly standing from the throne. ’It’s time to remove the greatest obstacle to my transcendent path.’

A few minutes later, Ying Zheng appeared outside Origin Seal City. "Empress Wu, shouldn’t you explain yourself?" His voice spread far and wide, alarming numerous individuals. Wu Hong and Wang Wei suddenly stopped their training.

"So, his target was you?" Wang Wei asked with a frown.

"Then he made the biggest mistake of his life," Wu Hong sneered.

"Be careful."

Wu Hong nodded before teleporting to Ying Zheng. "What’s the meaning of this?"

"Do I have any pride? No, a better question is whether I should have any pride? Ying Zheng asked.

"What are you talking about?" Wu Hong frowned.

"I think I’m allowed to, right? After all, I’ve been the Human Emperor of this world for an entire era. Additionally, I also hold the title of Heavenly Emperor. No matter how symbolic that title is, it’s still an honorable title. I think it should allow me some pride, don’t you think?"

"Ying Zheng, I’m not one of your officials. If you have something to say, don’t babble and get to the point," Wu Hong said.

"I’m babbling so that you understand my reaction," Ying Zheng countered before manifesting a talisman. "Tell me: how should I respond after finding out your disciple is sending love letters to my concubine? To the future Empress of Qin?"

Wu Hong took the talisman, and the soul signature indeed originated from her disciple, Song Jiang.

"Even an ordinary man would not accept such a thing, let alone me. Wouldn’t you agree?" Ying Zheng asked.

"I see," Wu Hong muttered. She was not stupid. On the contrary, her wisdom was among the best in the world; she just suffered a similar affliction to people with Dao Overlord Tier intelligence — her cognitive limitations were not completely broken.

As such, Wu Hong understood this was a plot targeting her. She finally understood why Song Jiang was acting so odd. He must have "accidentally" met Lady Butterfly and "fallen in love." Unfortunately, everything was a plot to target Wu Hong.

"What do you want?" Wu Hong asked.

"A public apology in front of all the members of the court."

"That’s not happening," Wu Hong refused immediately. Such an act would ruin Song Jiang’s prestige and luck, essentially cutting any future hope he had of the transcendent path.

"I’m not asking him to be killed or that he spend some time in Qin to pay for his crime."

"It’s not your turn to judge my disciple."

"So, you want to do this the hard way?" Ying Zheng asked with a frown. "I believe I’ve shown enough respect and restraint given how my honor has been sullied."

"You don’t need to keep this facade," Wu Hong said calmly. "You already have a good reason to act aggressively. Now, be a man and just do what you must do."

Ying Zheng sighed. "I want the world to know I try to reason with you." After giving the signal, three people appeared behind him: Bai Qi, the Grand Preceptor, and the Terracotta General. Qin used to have two and a half Primal, and the half was the Terracotta General, who was the official guardian of the dynasty. However, prior to mastering the pendant, the Terracotta General could not leave the core area of Qin’s Territory.

Wu Hong squinted her eyes.

"I’ll give you the last courtesy by moving our battle to the Void Battlefield," Ying Zheng said.

"Don’t listen to him," Wang Wei said as he looked at Wu Hong’s true body, who appeared next to him. "You have the home advantage. Don’t lose it."

"No, I must accept."

"Why?"

"A battle with more than six primals would devastate this area," Wu Hong explained. Origin Seal City is an extension of the continent, meaning its array protects it. However, the other areas in this domain are not protected unless Wu Hong spreads the array. However, the larger its scale, the weaker the protection it provides.

The mortals have already been reallocated, but there are plenty of cultivators — all of whom are associated with the Origin Seal Continent in one form or another — who would face a catastrophe if 8 Primals fought in this area.

Wu Hong looked at her disciples.

"I’m sorry, master," Song Jiang said with a lowered head.

"Look at me," Wu Hong said as she raised his head. "You did nothing to be ashamed of. Ying Zheng’s target has always been me."

"I understand that, but —"

"No buts."

Song Jiang smiled wryly. He appreciated his master trying to help him, but it was not so simple. When he first met Lady Butterfly, she was disguised as a handsome man, seeking inspiration. Song Jiang recognized her as a woman, but in hindsight, he should have realized that it was odd that he was the only one who discovered her identity.

"I need you to focus," Wu Hong continued. "Your enemy will be that old man, the Grand Preceptor. You’ve become a Primal before him, meaning you should have more experience. However, you can only utilize that advantage if you are in the right frame of mind for the fight."

"I won’t let you down," Song Jiang said, his eyes fiercer than an angry tiger.

"Good," Wu Hong nodded before looking at Song Luli. "You are not Bai Qi’s opponent."

"Master."

"It’s the truth," Wu Hong continued. She had to be realistic about the current situation. "However, you can hold him for as long as possible if you use all the continent’s Grand Construct."

"I know what to do," Song Luli nodded.

"That leaves the Terracotta General," Wu Hong said as she looked at Wang Wei. "Don’t enter the Void Battlefield and use the sect’s array to give you the edge you need."

"No problem," Wang Wei nodded.

"Alright, let’s move."

"Wait," Wang Wei said.

"Are you worried about me? There is no need since he’s not my opponent," Wu Hong reassured. She had just finished the Thirteen Transcendent Foundation and was in the midst of controlling her power. Even when she did not have the Perfect Foundation, she was confident in dealing with Ying Zheng.

"We need some precaution," Wang Wei said before summoning one of his Soul Rings. He then used his Purple Manipulation Ability to temporarily alter its effect.

"Good thinking," Wu Hong said as she placed the ring inside her Sea of Consciousness. Finally, the group teleported in front of their opponent.

Ying Zheng calmly looked at everybody, pausing slightly on Wang Wei. ’It’s only been 15,000 Yuan Epoch, meaning he should have experienced 150,000 Yuan Epoch with a time formation. And yet, he’s made so much progress.’

Ying Zheng had always seen Wang Wei as a threat, but he remained focused on the greatest threat to his future — Wu Hong. However, after seeing the latter’s progress, he decided the next person on his killing list would be that little bastard.

"You do understand your presence will only escalate the situation?" Ying Zheng asked.

"And yet, you don’t seem too surprised, or care for that matter," Wang Wei replied.

"Do you really want to destroy all the trust the court successfully built? We need unity, not in-fighting."

"Then sacrifice your pride for the greater good," Wang Wei rebutted. "The Origin Seal Continent will pay you the appropriate compensation, and you can return home with only a slightly bruised pride."

"Haven’t I sacrificed enough?" Ying Zheng asked. "I share all my political power, I share the glory of my position — I even share most of the benefits."

"So, that’s your play? Being the victim?" Wang Wei sneered. Ying Zheng had to share these things because he did not have the strength to sit in that position without doing so.

"All I ask is for a public apology," Ying Zheng sighed deeply.

"I’ve had enough of this charade," Wu Hong said calmly. "Let’s get this over with." She opened a portal and motioned for Ying Zheng to follow her.