Wang Wei did not imdiately put the ring on. Instead, he activated the slight remaining obsession he discovered attached to it.
"It's you!" screeched a female voice.
"Are you so afraid of death?" Wang Wei asked while looking at this obsession of Five Feathers that lingered on.
"It's your fault — it's everyone's fault," she continued. "I was so close to killing him and proving to the world I did the right thing, to prove I was better than him. Why did you have to intervene?"
'So, her obsession is about Undead Phoenix's death. That's good news,' Wang Wei thought. He had a team researching the power of obsession from the Grandmist Gang Lord, but he never actively participated due to his busy schedule. As such, he was not too confident in dealing with Five Feathers' obsession, even if it was a minor one.
"It's ironic how tragic your and Undead Phoenix's life was, but you haven't even realized it," Wang Wei shook his head.
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
"Do you really think what happened between you two was an accident?" Wang Wei sneered, and Five Feathers looked at him incredulously. "We live in a world where everybody is a pawn of soone else," Wang Wei continued. "Undead Phoenix was the most talented loose cultivator of his ti, and people even called him a Primal Seed. However, who would most likely benefit if he were to beco a Primal Paragon one day?"
"The Limitless Exchange Hall," Five Feathers' replied with an ugly expression.
"The minimum requirent for an Overlord is the 2 Primals, but that doesn't necessarily have to be a cultivator," Wang Wei explained. "The Origin Seal Continent's second Primal is a magnificent puppet, and the Limitless Exchange Hall discovered a formation that could boost a peak Primal to that level.
"However, the appearance of Undead Phoenix brought them hope to beco a true [Overlord] and not the weakest."
"But he wasn't a mber of the Limitless Exchange Hall," Five Feathers argued. He knew Undead Phoenix had rejected their offers more than once.
"Wasn't he?" Wang Wei rebutted. "Most of his resources originated from them, and he had a teacher relationship with so of the top Paragons and even t their Primal once. All signs indicate that once Undead Phoenix experiences sothing that shows him the value of having a powerful lineage backing him, he will run to the Limitless Exchange Hall without hesitation.
"Everyone knew this, so how could the other Overlord allow their competitor to beco more powerful?"
"That's not enough to prove what you're saying." Five Feathers argued with an ugly expression.
"Alright, let ask you sothing else," Wang Wei continued with a playful smirk. "You were once a Paragon. Do you think the technique you used to take his talent was sothing ordinary?" Five Feather's pale body almost collapsed after hearing these words.
"Anything that can help soone beco a Paragon is valuable beyond words can explain. Yet, soone like you with above-average luck got his hands on sothing so rare, and I'm guessing it was pretty easy, too."
Five Feathers was silent.
"In fact, if you think about it enough, there are even more layers to this," Wang Wei said. "After you beco a Paragon, the Demon Race did not even notice that you had reached the limit of your potential and treated you like a Heaven Chosen by pouring countless resources into you. Tell , what kind of thod can fool one of the Overlords?"
Five Feathers felt her world collapsing.
"My theory is that your role as a pawn was even bigger than just destroying the Limitless Exchange Hall's future," Wang Wei added. "That cultivation thod was probably ant to turn you into a cultivation cauldron. After being nourished by the Demon Race's resources, the person behind the scenes would have appeared and absorbed your cultivation, probably to reinforce their foundation and increase their chances of becoming a Primal."
Wang Wei sighed: "It was a brilliant move. I wonder who was behind it? My first instinct is to say my ancestor, but I also know there are many brilliant minds in the Overlords, and it could have been any of them."
"No, you're talking nonsense," Five Feathers denied. "If you were telling the truth, why did no one co to collect their cauldron?"
"Because you were lucky," Wang Wei responded. "The person was probably busy with the Second Origin War, and they died in the Ultimate Taboo imdiately afterward. While in Limbo, the world changed drastically, and you beca one of the moons, thus escaping your fate."
"No…it can't be."
"My theory is verifiable," Wang Wei casually said. "You should have kept a copy of the technique, right? I only need to understand it, and I'll know whether you were turned into a cauldron or not."
Five Feathers was quiet. She did not utter another word but returned to the ring. 'So, collapsing an obsession's worldview and spirit can affect them — duly noted,' Wang Wei thought. He was telling the truth, but that did not stop him from gathering more information on obsession. He summarized what happened and sent it to the study team.
He then focused on other things. He first discarded the body he was using before returning his soul to his original body. Wang Wei feared an attack from the obsession, so he stayed in that body in case he needed to fight back.
He prepared the next one he would use from the blood pool before focusing on sothing else: the Plague Curse. He waved his hand to summon two captured cultivators: a woman and a man.
'The curse attached itself to their Immortal Mansion and Inner Worlds, slowly destroying them from the source of their power,' Wang Wei analyzed. He pointed to these people and destroyed their cultivation level. He then isolated the curse in their soul to a small area before cutting it off. Lastly, Wang Wei injected life energy into their bodies to keep them safe.
The decaying aura of these subjects rapidly dissipated, but that was only for a few seconds. 'The curse returned,' Wang Wei observed, not surprised. Their main problem was this issue — the curse always returns less than a few seconds after being dealt with.
'Is the problem their [Existence]?' Wang Wei thought. He raised his palm to condense his Perfect Aura before forcefully fusing it into the subject's bodies. Such a rough approach has basically killed these two, but this was not Wang Wei's priority right now.
'A perfect [Existence] ans no curse should be able to affect them, but…' Wang Wei waited, and as expected, after a few minutes, their cursed status returned.
'It is as the report said: the curse has a potent source, and without understanding what it is or directly removing it, the curse will continue to replicate and spread,' Wang Wei grunted. He realized he needed to find Sage Pure Fla as soon as possible, or the world might indeed be dood.
'There is one good news from this small experint,' Wang Wei thought. He discovered that a perfection aura could delay the curse's return. So, in the worst-case scenario, he could work with Xun Junyao to create a delay pill, buying them enough ti to find a proper cure.
'It's not a good thing to be this passive, so let's get ahead of the problem,' Wang Wei thought. He took his communication talisman and contacted Xun Junyao. He told her about this news and asked her to work with a few pill refiners and curse masters to create this delay pill. He promised her all the support she needed, and she agreed.
Afterward, Wang Wei headed to the Demon Race to see the Star Sage. He wanted to use her expertise to find Sage Pure Fla. He had already tasked the Fate Shadow Guard, the Overlords, and other participating lineages to search for him, but Wang Wei did not want to wait.
…
Vendetta Ceremony:
Mongke's body released a terrifying blood aura that twisted the surroundings. He held a red spear and looked at Undead Phoenix, who was kneeling. "Well, that was disappointing."
Undead Phoenix did not answer. Instead, his gaze seed distracted as he looked in the distance. He felt it a little while ago — his life's most terrible karma thread was gone. He understood what this ant — Five Feathers was dead. He had been waiting for this day for so long, but now that it had happened, he did not know how to feel.
Relieved? Yes, since that cruel woman was finally gone. Anger? Yes, too, since he wanted to be the one to do it himself. Undead Phoenix also felt empty. His hatred had been the primary driving force in his life, and now that it was gone, he felt desolate. He realized that his hatred had turned him into.
'That barbarian was right,' Undead Phoenix thought. 'My life was a failure.' Undead Phoenix had a mont of clarity as he reviewed his life from an objective point of view. He was once the most talented loose cultivator in the world and had a bright future. But after losing his talent, everything went wrong. He made bad decisions after another, slowly turning him into a monster.
'There is no point in regretting now,' Undead Phoenix thought. The past was the past, and he could not make ands or change it. He slowly stood up while looking at Mongke.
"You were right."
"About?"
"About everything," Undead Phoenix continued. "I beca what I am today because of my choices."
"It's good that you understand, but it's too late."
"You're right, but not entirely."
"Oh?"
"You were also right about my death," Undead Phoenix added. "Since this will be my last battle, it must be morable."
Mongke squinted before grinning: "I finally see the spirit of a Heaven Chosen from your eyes."
"Death is the ultimate clarity, isn't it?" Undead Phoenix responded before raising his right hand to condense a white fla. His eyes moistened as he was lost in his mories. His original Dao was Life Fla, but he abandoned it for vengeance.
[White Phoenix Mode]
The white fla enveloped Undead Phoenix, turning to Phoenix Wings and a white crown. His aura—no longer eerie and cold like the embrace of death—was beautiful and full of hope, like the embodint of life and creation.
"You said the world will rember more fondly after this battle?"
"As long as you can show the deanor of a true genius in your final monts," Mongke nodded.
"This also hinges on the fact you will grow to the point of having a true impact on the cultivation world."
"I'm confident."
"Good. I hope you're not just boasting."
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