Chapter 1758: Mission Accomplished
Chapter 1758: Mission Accomplished
[Author’s Note: Kong’s POV is finally over. Tomorrow, we still the situation of Group B and our beloved leader: Wang Wei.]
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"What do you mean by that?" Pure Yang Immortal asked.
"Now that I have complete control of the world, I don’t mind revealing the truth," Emperor Kong calmly stated. "My identity as the Great Sage Qi needs help managing the world and establishing the Golden Society. I’ve captured and sealed most of the lords, but if I’m the only one left alive, there will be suspicion. So, I suggest you guys impersonate them and help me fulfill my ambition."
The three Primals pondered the meaning behind these words and immediately felt something was off. No one knew the Great Sage Qi was Emperor Kong, so why revealed such information? The idea that his survival might make people question him — while valid — was not as much of a problem as it was made out to be. Without any other leaders, the people will have no choice but to believe and follow Great Sage Qi. So, why risk so much to reveal the truth?
"What’s in it for us?" Nine Eyes asked.
"In the process, I will allow you to spread my Mortal Dao Art, and 20% of the merit from your chosen realm will belong to you."
"Only 20%? We do all the work, and you take most of it?" Nine Eyes sneered. The Immortal Couple did not say anything because they felt a bit ashamed. Kong had saved their lives, meaning they should reciprocate by agreeing, but since it involves their benefits, they chose silence.
"I can tell you the idea for the Mortal Dao Art belongs to our commander," Kong directly stated. "He’s a very petty individual, as you saw what happened to Sovereign Dao Eyes. I’m already prepared to hand over 80% of it to him to quell his rage. So, you guys should be grateful I’m willing to share any benefit at all."
His words made everybody frown, but Nine Eyes reacted swiftly: "That’s only your words. How do we know you’re not using the Commanders’ influence behind his back?"
"Our agreement will require a binding [Existence Contract]," Emperor Kong calmly stated. "And one of the agreements is you’re not allowed to spread the Mortal Dao Art back home without permission."
"What? How absurd," Nine Eyes stood, releasing his aura.
"Fellow Daoist, this is a bit too much, wouldn’t you say?" Pure Yin Immortal asked.
"Despite my hint, you guys don’t seem to fully understand the situation," Kong slowly replied, enunciating every word with too much intensity. "The world is sealed, and only I can allow anything to come and leave. I control the Nine Council, meaning I have all the Nine Realms’ resources at my beck and call. Tell me, if I wanted to hunt all of you down, how easy do you think it would be?"
"You!" Nine Eyes released a terrifying killing intent.
"Fellow —"
"Let me finish," Kong raised his hand. "Don’t mention anything about revealing my identity. No one would believe you, and even if they did, the people would have no choice when they realized the danger they faced if their only leader and powerhouse was an Otherworldly Demon.
"The only reason I have contacted you is that it would take me too long to refine the other lords into Puppets."
A talisman manifested in Emperor Kong’s hands, and upon activation, it revealed the number: 33,876. "More than a quarter of the nodes have been destroyed. If we take too long, we will fail our mission and receive no military contributions.
"However, if you accept my deal, not only will we fulfill our assignment, but there will be no danger, and you will receive a fair bit of merit."
Nine Eyes and the Immortal couple glanced at each other, rapidly communicating through divine sense. A quick analysis revealed that Kong was a terrifying threat under these conditions, and even if they allied with Glass Pen, not much would change — especially since Glass Pen and Kong might ally since they were from the same world. Although it looked like they were enemies from the previous meaning, as the saying goes, there are no eternal conflicts in front of the right amount of benefit.
"After discussing it," Pure Yang Immortal said. "We agree."
"Excellent," Kong smiled before taking out an [Existence Contract]. With the advent of the Transcendent Age, it has become common knowledge that the best contract for [Immortals] is the [Existence Contract]. After this expedition, the [Time Nexus Contract] for [Saints] will probably also become common.
The three Primals solemnly received the contract and read the fine print. Their expression turned bitter for a brief moment. "Is there something wrong?" Kong asked with a smile.
"No, nothing," Nine Eyes said with gritted teeth. The small clause that they could not be associated with Glass Pen in any shape or form immediately removed the last form of resistance these three had. After negotiating a few other minor clauses, they signed the contract.
"Why the sour face? In the end, everybody will benefit," Emperor Kong smiled. In his opinion, these people were a bit cowardly. As long as they resisted a bit, Kong would have promised one Saint Foundation as part of the deal. However, it seems he left a deep impression on them, which forced them to agree so quickly.
Kong waved his hand, and the hidden array from the room disappeared. His blatant action made the three primals’ hearts skip a beat. Although they only came with their Avatars, they could predict what terrible fate would await them if they disagreed. After capturing the avatar, with Kong’s control of Heavenly Dao, he could cause a nasty causality curse or spell on them.
Emperor Kong glanced at them one last time before ordering, "Let’s go."
After returning to the Nine Council Headquarters, everything proceeded similarly to an already set match of chess. The three primals chose a Lord to impersonate, and with Kong’s [Heavenly Dao Authority], it was a simple matter to retrieve these people’s memories, habits, and understand their personalities. Soon after, news spread to every corner of the world that the Nine Council was attacked and only four Lords survived: Great Sage Qi, the Immortal Lord, the Artisan Lord, and the Demon Lord.
The surviving Lords then decided that the world needed a drastic change to survive the invasion of the Primordial Otherworldly Demons, and Great Sage Qi’s Golden Society was chosen as a model. The lords worked together to control the world’s resources, provide education for all, educate according to talent and interest, and eliminate the divide between paths.
The last part was the most challenging, given that the Evil Path was the antithesis of a Golden Society in which almost perfect order has been established. However, Kong acknowledged the evil of the world and did not try to eliminate it. Instead, he chose the path of controlling evil.
With access to education and proper resources, most people do not need to break the rules. However, some people simply cannot survive in a world of order. In response, Kong sealed off the Evil Realm and allowed those people to do as they pleased. Of course, most of the resources were taken or controlled, turning the Evil Path into a living hell as these people killed each other for the scarce amount of resources. And as time passed, only a few people remained in the Evil Realm, and their strength was significantly lower than everybody else.
...
"Finally reach the pinnacle," Kong muttered as he opened his eyes. He checked his body and smiled: "The Transcendent Foundation technique was truly perfect for me. Based on a preliminary analysis, even if I fail to condense a Quintessence, there is now a 5% chance of survival."
The strength acquired from each Transcendent Foundation is the same, but the effects can be vastly different. Wang Wei’s and Wu Wei’s [Perfect Foundation] can not only help them to survive, but also provide an opportunity for a second attempt. Meanwhile, after Kong spread the Golden Society to every corner of the world and received worldwide recognition, he further nourished his Foundation Seed, finally increasing his chances of survival.
’With the academy’s territory, I should be able to increase my survival rate by a few percent. If I can have more territory, maybe another 5%,’ Kong planned. He exhaled and stood, glancing in the distance with profound eyes.
’It’s a shame my attempt to use all the world’s luck to condense a Transcendent Luck failed,’ Kong sighed. Although he was the kind of cultivator who did not believe in luck to ascend to Sainthood, he also believed it was better than nothing. ’There is still plenty of time before I become a Saint, so there is no rush.’
Everything Emperor Kong wanted to achieve has been accomplished, except for three things. So, with a single thought, Heavenly Dao Eye manifested between Heaven and Earth, alarming all sentient beings. The eyes scanned every nook and cranny of the world, every hidden dimension or hiding array, before releasing a golden hand somewhere in the Destiny Realm.
"Kong, you can’t do this. I have hidden the Literary Path Destiny. If you kill me, you will never find it," Glass Pen roared, but it was pointless. The golden hand instantly sealed him inside a jade before teleporting to Kong’s hands.
Emperor Kong shook his head. He did not believe these words, and even if he did, it was pointless. There is nothing that can be hidden from him in this world, meaning the destiny would have been hidden before descending into this world. However, with Glass Pen’s personality, while he might have found it suspicious that he was in Group A with Kong, he would have never predicted that the latter was scheming against him. So, where would he have the time to hide the Eternal Ascension World’s Literary Path Destiny?
And even if he did, it would be pointless. After his death, Heavenly Dao will choose someone worthy as successor. And in the current era, the only one worthy of becoming the new leader is Kong himself. His status as a Destiny Chosen would even increase his chances of success.
So, after checking his head, Kong paid no mind to this man. The only reason he allowed Glass Pen to live for so long was because the people of this world still needed a threat to submit to the authority of the Four Lords. However, while it is currently impossible to use the River of Time to kill Glass Pen, Kong already has a plan. He just needs to wait until one intense battle and send the pendant into a shockwave of one of the Tribunal Lords or Saints to use their [Existence Hierarchy] to eliminate his opponent.
With one step, Kong teleported to the world’s core. Using his highest authority and a significant portion of the world’s luck, Kong finally discovered the core of the Reverse Black Stone Array and destroyed it. He immediately checked the counting talisman: 87,876.
"Still made it in time," Kong sighed. He was glad he had chosen to work with the surviving primals rather than hunt them down. It won’t be long before the required core is met. Then, everybody will head to the Inner Area of the array with the 3800 Chaos Source Worlds.
"I can still prepare some things beforehand."