Journey of the Fate Destroying Emperor

1114 Humbling Experience

Wang Wei looked at this monkey beyond speechless; he genuinely did not have the words to express how bold he found this monkey. "Didn't you learn about the Earth Emperor Position for your technique?"

"Yes, so?" Ye Dafu replied with a puzzled expression before something dawned on him. "Oh right, I forgot about these Yama Kings." He frowned as this information immediately stopped his plan, which he was unhappy about.

"How strong do you think I need to be before I can take on a Yama King?"

"Wait, you're serious?"

"Of course," replied Ye Dafu without hesitation. "Since that monkey can do it, so can I." Wang Wei looked at him up and down: "You'll need to be a peak Boundless Paragon and one of the bests in the entire universe."

"Paragon? Is that after the Emperor Realm? No, I heard that's the Empyrean Realm," Ye Dafu asked with one arm crossed and the other on his chin.

"It's the one after that."

"I see. Well, now I have a new ambitious goal," he nodded. "Well, I'm leaving. I have a new wife waiting for me. Remember - I still want a revenge match." The monkey took one step and disappeared from the headquarters, leaving Wang Wei alone to shake his head.

"You're quite the actor."

"Who's there?" Wang Wei entered the highest alert state. Someone had come close to him, but he did not detect anything. His mind worked on overdrive, thinking about who in the lower dimension had such capabilities. He glanced over and saw a handsome young man in a blue robe, and Wang Wei had an inkling who this was.

"Who are you?"

"You should have already guessed," Chen Tong replied calmly. "So, let's skip the introduction. I'm here because I'm interested in why you went to this extreme length to manipulate that monkey."

"Excuse me?"

"You intentionally gave him that story so he could target Samsara and even the Yama Kings. So, I want to know why you did it."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," replied Wang Wei.

"I saw it when you underwent your Earth Emperor Trial. Did you do it out of spite and pettiness? No, something tells me you're playing a bigger chess game."

"Hong'er was right about you - you're too curious for your own good," said Wang Wei calmly.

"So, finally willing to admit it?"

"I'm not admitting anything."

"So stubborn," said Chen Tong with a smile. He waved his hand to manifest a tea table before sitting down and inviting Wang Wei. "This is Essence Tribulation Tea. After drinking it, you will pass 100 Flesh Tribulations without any pain, effort, or negative consequences."

"Such a thing exists?" asked Wang Wei as he sat down. "It must be rare."

"Although it's only useful for the first 1000 tribulations, yes, it's indeed a very rare resource," nodded Chen Tong as he poured the tea.

"I'm honored," said Wang Wei as he received the tea. How many people could say they've had a Paragon pour tea for them?

"There's no need for formality." Chen Tong waved his hand. "So, are you going to answer my question?"

"There is nothing to answer," Wang Wei declared coolly. Did he manipulate Ye Dafu? Of course. However, his target was not necessarily Samsara and the Yama King. He wanted to see if he could add an unknown variable to the world through the monkey by giving him access to knowledge or inspiration from another civilization. In other words, the fact that Ye Dafu became interested in Samsara is not the true value of his action; the real chess move opens his mind by providing him with some information about the Prehistoric World.

Wang Wei did not know the outcome of this move. There is a possibility that it would bear fruit, and there is also the possibility that Ye Dafu will garner the sight of Grand Dao and be swiftly eliminated. Another scenario is the monkey does not realize the value of that story and never uses it to its full potential, but Wang Wei does not care; he did it on a whim, and so he's alright with this move becoming useless.

"Is that so?" muttered Chen Tong. "Well, let's talk about something else. You seem to be in a terrible mood. Did something happen?"

"Have you been watching me from the shadows?"

"Of course. The entire dimension has never been so lively, so how can I not pay attention? I've never been so entertained since I died."

Wang Wei was speechless. "Shouldn't you be focusing on reviving yourself or something?"

"And be the first target of those people? I'm not stupid." Chen Tong shook his head. He would only revive once everyone else did. "Okay, don't change the subject. What happened to make someone like you have such an obvious change in mood?"

'This man is like if one of those people from Earth who loved gossip more than their life was reincarnated into a cultivation world and managed to reach the pinnacle of the world while preserving their gossiping side,' thought Wang Wei, becoming even more speechless. He sighed internally before deciding to converse with this man; it was the least he could do to allow him to reach 900 Dao Tribulations without much struggle. So, he told him what happened with Hong Wa, Blue Phoenix, and Ye Tuzhi.

"It seems you have just experienced a humbling."

"A what?"

"A humbling experience is the common term for what you've experienced. It's a common phenomenon among cultivators," Chen Tong explained.

"Elaborate."

"It's a mechanism designed by Grand Dao to restrict cultivators - mostly Paragons - and check our egos," continued Chen Tong. "For example, Yama Kings are the humbling experiences for Paragons who try to mess with Samsara. Time Wraiths are for the one messing too much with the River of Time, and Monarch Source Beasts are for people messing with the Source Qi Space."

Wang Wei frowned, "The River of Fate?"

"Its humbling experience is usually targeted toward Dao Lords and Overlords or Paragons with exceptional intelligence; it usually makes them look small and stupid," said Cheng Tong with a smile.

Did Wang Wei experience a humbling experience? It appeared as such, but he could not shake this feeling that things were too personal and not like the normal operation of a mechanism of the universe.

"Are Fiendgods the humbling experience for Primordial Chaos?"

"Yes and no," replied. "These creatures were created after the Body Refining Age ended and the Paragon Age started, but Fiendgod existed long before that. So, they are indeed our restriction in Primordial Chaos, but their situation is slightly different."

"Wait, are you saying that Yama Kings did not exist in the early ages of the Chaos Universe?"

"I know what you're asking. Yes, there were Yamas controlling Samsara, but the title of King was later created after the rise of the Paragon Age. Samsara's strict and even rigid control began with the Yama Kings' appearance."

"I see," nodded Wang Wei before sipping his tea. "What exactly did you guys do for Grand Dao to feel the need to keep your ego in check?"

"That's a good question," said Chen Tong before sipping his tea. "I'm not old enough for that era, but I know a few things. During the Body Refining Age, the True Power Dao Realm reigned supreme. Body Refiners were focused on finding or opening the illusory fourth gate of power, so they used the River of Fate, Time, and Source Qi Space to temper their bodies.

"Grand Dao left these guys alone since they mainly used these grand existences or concepts to temper themselves. The only complaint Grand Dao had about them was that they used too many resources. Then came the Age of Paragon, and we started messing with these things. We wanted to understand, control, and even destroy the River of Time or the River of Fate."

"So, you needed to be humbled and kept in check?"

"Exactly."

Wang Wei nodded, "Do you know how the entire history of the Chaos Universe is classified?"

"I do know a little," said Chen Tong, who changed the tea for wine. "Firstly, there was the [Genesis Age]; it's when the Chaos Universe was first born or created, and Grand Dao was young and inexperienced. Following that was the [Primordial Chaos Age], where the predecessors to Fiendgods - the Chaos Demon Gods - were born. Afterward is the [Lost Age], but like the Null Era in this place, little to nothing is known in this time, except that whatever occurred there was a taboo, and the Chaos Demon Gods disappeared, replaced by the Fiendgods."

"So, the Lost Age is one of the thirteen taboos?"

"That's right."

"Interesting. What's next?"

"I won't mention the ages after that because what I know are only speculations and not official history," said Chen Tong. "What I do know is the previous age was the [Essence Age] or [Age of Body Refining], and we are currently living in the [Paragon Age]. Of course, I have a feeling that the Ultimate Taboo marked the end of the Paragon Age, but this new age has not been officially named."