Chapter 1890: Dao Oath
"Sir, I wouldn't recommend you do that."
"Hmm? Why?" Avatar A asked.
"According to my calculation, your soul will be overwhelmed by the information just from 1% of the authority, let alone 5%. More importantly, there is 92.56% chance that your [Existence] will be corrupted after the refining, which will not only affect your future Dao Quintessence, but you may also be affected by the Hidden Death Rules of Heaven and Earth, which will turn you into the perfect vessel for the Beyonder."
Refining the Grand Dao Authority meant being one with Heaven and Earth, or in other words, fusing with the entire Chaos Universe, or in this case, Timeline NP89076H. While this fusion was highly advantageous for understanding the hidden rules, it also posed numerous dangers.
Avatar smiled wryly, "I've been dealing with these Saints for so long that I forget I'm just a Paragon. *Sigh* What do you suggest I do?"
"Two choices," Ai replied. "Either use the array as a filter for corruption and vast information, or use me as a proxy to utilize the [authority]. I can easily accept all the information without worrying about corruption. I can also store all the data for when you become a Saint."
"Those are good suggestions. But let me contact the main body to see what he thinks."
"As you wish."
After a quick synchronization, Avatar A explained what had happened with Siwangji and the current situation.
"Ai is correct, but she also cannot refine the [Authority]," Wang Wei said.
"So, you want to use the array?"
"That's not what I mean."
"Oh, so you are worried about…"
"Decentralizing power is not necessarily a bad thing," Wang Wei nodded. "So, we will divide her power into independent but connected servers, one of which will be in charge of using the [authority]."
"Well, she has been complaining that she had too much work," Avatar A nodded. "But, wouldn't that slow down some of the processing speed?"
"If it's done correctly, there shouldn't be an issue. But, if needed, we can provide each server an additional 1.269 trillion proxy servers as an aid." The current Ai is already using the proxy server system in Avatar B's experiment, and it has proven effective; therefore, Wang Wei can use a similar method. Although this approach will use a bit of soul resources, it's still worth it.
With a set plan, the two immediately began their work, slaving for years until they achieved their objectives. And the final product was quite satisfactory. The original Ai became Ai 1 or Prime Ai; she is the leader, the server that Wang Wei primarily uses for his cultivation or deduction; she also serves as the link between Wang Wei and the Avatars, and Wang Wei and the other servers. Ai 2 served as the experimental assistant for Avatar B, and Ai 3 was created solely to control the 5% [Grand Dao Authority]. A few first-step Soul Resources were used in the process, but Wang Wei was very satisfied with the result. Not only did he increase Ai's safety, but he also optimized her, speeding up her computation by 5.7%.
After this upgrade, Wang Wei had ample time to focus on the Deceiving Heaven Longevity Art, while Avatar A trained on how best to utilize the [Authority] through Ai 3. Wielding such immense power was not easy, and once he started, Avatar A was glad that Ai stopped him before he made a foolish move. Its power was truly beyond what an [Immortal] could deal with.
Death Beam Ritual:
"How is your injury?" Death Reverence asked.
"That curse is pretty nasty, but it should heal in a decent amount of time," Future Reverence replied. Life was the antithesis of Death, and Shenhuovi's curse used this fundamental fact to its full power.
"I need an exact timeframe."
"Between 80 and 90 Yuan Epoch."
"That long?"
"Have you forgotten what realm I am? Do you think injuries at my level can heal easily? Especially from an attribute that is directly opposite my own?" Future Reverence complained. If not for all the authority he had recently acquired, such an injury would have taken billions of yuan epochs.
"I don't want to give Wang Wei that much time."
"You're putting too much energy into Wang Wei. Yes, he's a major threat, but it's not like he's unbeatable. In my timeline, while he put up a valiant battle, he was still annihilated."
"Do you think the other Wang Weis are the same as this one?"
Future Reverence opened his mouth, but immediately closed it. If Primordial Wang Wei weren't special, their Lord wouldn't need to go to such extreme lengths to acquire his body. They could have just captured and used one of the many [Alternate Selves].
"What are you going to do then?"
"My injuries are almost healed," Death Reverence stated. "So, I should also start moving around."
"Well, be careful."
"Those three won't be an issue, right?"
"No, they are at death's door, barely hanging to life. And they also know the moment I heal, it's their death time."
"Their lifespan?" Death Reverence asked.
"With the authority, they have plenty of ways to extend it."
"That's a shame."
…
50,000 years have passed since Wang Wei completed Ai's upgrade; he was in the midst of executing all his other plans when the duchess suddenly sent another projection.
"Whenever you show up, there is never good news," Avatar A sighed.
"Well, that may change today," she replied.
"Oh?"
"Trinity Venerable sent an invitation."
"How is that good news?"
"It's not just him — the court is also a part of it."
Wang Wei frowned, "They want to work together?"
"They've developed a plan called [Project Pierce The Heaven], and they want us to work on it together."
"Me too?"
"Yes."
"Interesting," Wang Wei uttered. "You think I should do it?"
"The project is promising; if it succeeds, this nightmare will end."
"What is it exactly?"
"Let me share it with you," the Duchess uttered before linking their divine senses. Wang Wei received the information and immediately frowned. He understood their plan, but he was not as optimistic as the duchess, or anyone else, for that matter.
"You don't think it will work?"
"You understand better than I do the level of power we are dealing with," Wang Wei sighed. "If we had more time, there would be a minuscule possibility. But, how long can most of these people last?"
"Maybe, we should —"
"No," Wang Wei immediately denied. It's one thing to share his technique with an ally, but he would never share it with people he did not trust or even wished to kill him.
"Why are you suggesting such a thing when we have a viable plan?"
The Duchess was momentarily silent, "To be honest, I'm starting to doubt the success of our plan."
"Why? Did a new issue arise?"
"Of course, it did. We previously had ample time, but now, everything must be done at an accelerated speed, and that's why I have to hide my main body from Death Reverence." The tiniest of exposure would instantly ruin their plans, and with Death Reverence controlling all these authorities, the process is even more challenging.
Wang Wei grunted as he caressed his temple. "That is indeed an issue." Now was the worst time for the duchess to hesitate. With such a mindset, the chances of her successfully raising her cultivation have dramatically decreased. Many of his plans relied on the duchess' protection, but now, of all time, doubts had to appear in her mind.
"I didn't want to tell you about this, but after these people contacted me, I realized the shift in my mindset. I felt relieved that there was another path, and you can imagine how bad things have become for me to be feeling like this."
"Remember when I said I had the utmost faith that my family would become True — I mean, Hongmeng Saint, and revive me?"
"Yes, and?"
"What if I told you I had the same faith in you that you will succeed?" Wang Wei asked.
The Duchess smiled wryly, "I appreciate the sentiment, but that won't have much effect on me."
"Fine, you're a logical person, and such sentimentality doesn't work on you. In that case, let's use something more concrete."
"Oh?" The Erudite Duchess was immediately intrigued.
"Before I do, I need you to swear a Dao Oath on your Saint Path — including your future Dao Quintessence — that you will not share the information I'm about to give you with another soul, no matter what — even if your life is in danger. If you can do that, we can proceed."
"Is it that serious?" the duchess frowned.
"It is."
"Do you really have something worth such an oath?"
"I do, and it won't just help you with this plan, but also serve as the foundation for your future cultivation."
The duchess's frown deepened. Oaths — at the Saint Level — are even more restrictive than Time Nexus Contracts. Grand Dao and the universe are no longer the ones enforcing the oaths, but the individual itself. And unfortunately, a cultivator might deceive Heaven and Earth or play a trick on it; they cannot do the same for their inner self.
"I'm going to ask again: is it truly worth it?"
"Yes," Wang Wei nodded confidently. "And honestly, the karma you'll owe will be immense."
"Fine. I'll trust you this time."
The Duchess raised her hand to condense the [Rune Oath] before reciting it verbatim as Wang Wei wanted, without any tricks or attempts to create a loophole. Despite the duchess's full cooperation, the paranoid Wang Wei still went as far as to activate the Lesser Heaven and Earth Origin Cycle Array to boost one of his newly created techniques: Deception Check. As much as he trusted the duchess, he wanted peace of mind, and using Deception Dao to check for falsehood was his way of achieving it.
Then, with a pained expression, he handed her a blueprint.