Chapter 1340 Sage Lin Qi
Chapter 1340 Sage Lin Qi
[unedited Chapter]
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The group dispersed to prepare for the upcoming battle. Meanwhile, Wang Wei contacted two people, one of which was Emperor Kong. After receiving the feedback, he secretly teleported near the Academy before receiving a message for a meeting elsewhere. After ensuring there were no problems, Wang Wei broke the void to enter the meeting place using the coordinate he received.
He found himself in this small dimension with four arrays floating in the void and three individuals waiting for him. He recognized Emperor Kong but had no idea about the other two.
"Let me introduce you," Emperor Kong said. "This is Sage Pure Flame." Wang Wei looked at the man, no, the person before him. He had a humanoid shape, but his entire body was composed of flame. 'A rare flame spirit?'
It's common for flames to gain sentience and turn into the [Dao Shape], which is also what humans looked like, but this person was different. He did not turn into the Dao Shape and retained his flame body. That, in itself, is not impressive, but the fact he could cultivate the Empyrean Realm is.
The Dao Shape is the optimal body shape for understanding the Dao. It's one of the reasons why humans are one of the species with the highest comprehension between Heaven and Earth. However, this Sage PureFlame cultivates to such a level even without this boost.
"A level 1 Golden Body of Merit, right?" Wang Wei asked.
"That's right," Sage Pure Flame nodded. "I was looking enough to find a sealed continent with this strange black power that was extremely corrosive to the mind, body, and soul. Furthermore, it spreads easily, even with the slightest contact. After purifying it, I received enough merit to condense a Golden Body of Merit."
"Heavenly Dao is cruel when it comes to the death of trillions of cultivators and mortals. The fact it gave you enough credit to condense the golden body is proof that that black power would have caused a serious catastrophe if it were released," Wang Wei nodded. "I figured as much," Sage Pure Flame nodded.
Wang Wei looked at him and said: "I know this is out of line, but I must say it. Such a power is hazardous, especially if it has the power to evolve. If you were curious and kept some to study, I recommend you destroy it as soon as possible."
"Oh, I'm aware, so I did not take any chances and removed all traces of it."
"That's good," Wang Wei nodded with a smile. "Once again, sorry for stepping out of line."
"I understand."
'I need to put one of my guards to watch him closely,' Wang Wei thought. Usually, he would not care that much about what Pure Flame did with that thing. He might even be interested in studying it himself. However, the current situation means that Wang Wei cannot afford any more unknown and uncontrollable variables.
"And this is?" Wang Wei asked, looking at this elderly dressed in a simple white robe. His eyes were clear, his white hair and long white beard were luscious, and his demeanor was that of a wise man. Anyone who laid eyes on this man, including Wang Wei, had an instinctive respect for him.
'The man naturally radiated goodness and positive energy — this is such a rare sight in the cultivation world,' Wang Wei thought.
"This is Sage Lin Qi," Emperor Kong said, his voice containing genuine respect.
"Lin Qi — where have I heard this name before," Wang Wei muttered before a sudden realization dawned on him. "You're the man said to be born with the Heart of Buddha — the founder of the Mortal Protection Association?"
"I never liked these names, so just call me Lin Qi."
Wang Wei sighed. This man was the embodiment of virtue and kindness. Born in a small fishing village, a battle between cultivators destroyed his hometown, and he was the only survivor. After that, he embarked on a journey to protect his kind — mortals.
He built the Mortal Protection Association to protect mortals from cultivators, not in the sense of using his strength or preventing cultivators from killing mortals. No, he assisted mortals. Whenever there is a battle near large areas of mortals, he'll deploy his people to protect them before dealing with the aftermath, which involves saving the injured, rebuilding houses, rebuilding farms, and giving some compensation to the survivors.
His association will repair places permanently destroyed by cultivators to ensure that life—mortals, to be precise—can once again live there and prosper. He provided education to mortals so they could be fulfilling members of society. Once he finds someone with talent, he'll provide them with starting resources as long as they promise they will not turn into these cold-hearted cultivators once they succeed.
Lin Qi never forced these mortals to join his cause, but most did so or returned to repay him after gaining fame and success. As a result, he built a group of like-minded individuals who supported the Mortal Protection Association, turning it into one of the most potent Empyrean forces in the current era.
"It's an honor to meet you," Wang Wei said sincerely as he cupped his hands and bowed. He truly respected people like these, devoting themselves to others.
"The honor is mine," Sage Lin Qi responded. "I know what a great burden destiny has placed on you, and so far, it seems you're handling it quite well." Lin Qi did not know much about Wang Wei until 10,000 yuan epochs ago when Emperor Kong contacted him. However, he heard Wang Wei's voice when he prayed to Heaven and Earth and shared the cultivation technique. Lin Qi analyzed the situation, and although he did not know as much as Wang Wei, he realized that something terrible was about to happen. His instinct told him that Wang Wei's actions had brought some kind of hope to the world.
"Thank you," Wang Wei nodded. "Once this ends, I want to discuss something with you." Wang Wei realized this was an opportunity. Lin Qi has deep connections to mortals worldwide, meaning he was the perfect person to discuss the spread of the Mortal Civilization.
Wang Wei felt it was not worth all the struggles of spreading the Mortal Civilization, given how large this world was and how complicated it would become to try to intervene in the territories of other factions. So, he originally planned only to spread it in the Dao Opening Sect's territory and receive some residual merit from people who copied him.
However, mortals' livelihoods were at stake, so they needed some form of protection against cultivators.
'In the lower dimension, the limit Mortal Civilization was Tier 4, but in the upper dimensions, it should be Tier 6, even Tier 7 if Heavenly Dao can take this opportunity and be more lenient with them,' Wang Wei analyzed. 'With such power and the Mortal Art Dao, they should be able to protect themselves once these cultivators go crazy and start massacring them to increase their lifespans. The problem is whether I can build the [Sage Temples] under Supreme Unity's eyes.'
Wang Wei was not optimistic about such a plan. Supreme Unity saw what he did in the lower dimension, or at the very least, knew about it, meaning he should have prepared beforehand.
'Alas,' Wang Wei sighed. He was still complaining about the whole thing. His focus should have been on the parasites, but now, he was forced to distract himself and start playing a game of chess with a Half-Step Transcendent.
"Now that everyone has introduced each other, it's my turn," Wang Wei said. Although he knew these people already knew of him, it would be arrogant of him to treat it as such. So, he simply introduced himself. "Are we all ready?" They nodded.
"You should understand the risks involved, right?" Wang Wei continued. "According to the agreement, if something goes wrong, I'll stay to confront the enemy and buy you guys time to run away first. However, you should also understand that even with my best efforts, there is still a high chance of you guys being killed."
"Don't worry about us," Sage Lin Qi said. He was born near the end of the Golden Era and started his work since then. So, he understood how terrible the lives of mortals have been compared to back then and now, so despite the danger, Sage Lin Qi would participate in this event. His people need hope.
Emperor Kong nodded. He had the most to lose in terms of risks, but he was also one of the few people who could not back down. The Academy's future depends on this operation. Although Wang Wei forced him to act before he was prepared, he saw it as the boost he needed to take action early. Honestly, Emperor Kong was glad he was forced to act after seeing that Heaven's Lock.
"We know the risks, and we accept them," Sage Pure Flame said, and Wang Wei glanced at him. He understood why the others wanted to partake in this action, but Sage Pure Flame's motives eluded him. At first, he accepted the latter's inclusion because merit was involved, but after the lock, it's not guaranteed whether their actions will have any benefit.
"In that case, let's move," Wang Wei declared.Nôv(el)B\\jnn