Journey of the Fate Destroying Emperor Chapter 1918: Commander Long

Wu Hong did not focus too much on the issue of runes. Currently, she needed to analyze a new system in a short time, which required all her focus. So, she observed even. As she had predicted, mander Long began to show signs of losing. Although he had used his formidable skills and technique to temporarily bridge the gap between him and the Destructo King, they could only take him so far.

"Hmm? This is the power of the Grand Dao Source," Wu Hong thought, ignoring the chaos around her. "They don't directly use the Grand Dao Source. Instead, they filtered their power through the Source Qi Space to create unique and potent Qis. Are those people so adverse to the Power of Law? Or is there something I'm missing?"

Wu Hong did not focus too much on the answer. Instead, her mind was dedicated to finding a way to enhance this array. In a few minutes, she organized a plan, and just as she was about to execute it, she noticed something. "The array's energy distribution is not smooth in some areas. And based on the fluctuation, it seems this was not part of the design. Could it be someone had tampered with it?"

Anyone who lays eyes on these bases could tell they've been holding on for a while, so it would make sense that the array had previously done its job. But now, for some reason, the wielder of the array was struggling against an enemy he should have been able to deal with.

"It seems the internal troubles of this world are many," Wu Hong thought while secretly shaking her head. "The array flaw seems to target the core: did the people stop having hope? Or at the very least, their hope was shaken."

Now that she knew the problem, things were easy — at least she could create a temporary fix. With a flick of her wrist, Wu Hong wrote two runes: the first further purified the hope energy in the array's core, and the second provided a small boost to pensate for the flaw.

Bang!

mander Long's aura suddenly skyrocketed, which made the latter slightly surprised. He had noticed Wu Hong's movement, and for a moment, he thought of stopping her. However, she was too fast, and he couldn't exactly move while still in bat. So, the last thing mander Long expected was for her to fix the array.

"Die, you scum!" mander Long roared before waving his halberd with immense force. He ignored the opponent's attack and even his injuries, focusing entirely on eliminating the Destructo King as swiftly as possible. And he did. In less than 20 attacks, the king was beheaded, his pure destructive energy dissipating.

The army of Destructo beasts did not react much to the death of their king. However, they also stopped their invasion and retreated to the Red Cloud. The soldiers cheered, not because of the victory in battle, but because they had survived another day. The word was on the verge of annihilation, and every single moment counted — they needed it to be so.

mander Long sighed in relief. He was so close to using his trump card, but that wasn't a price he was ready to pay for yet. So, after taking a deep breath, the mander turned to the person responsible for this victory. He turned to face Wu Hong, his eyes remaining calm, but he was still shocked by how breathtakingly beautiful she was.

mander Long flew over slowly, but when he was less than 30 meters away from her, a man in silver armor suddenly appeared beside him.

"mander, this woman just used the Grand Dao Source. She might be from the Emperor Dao Holy Land — maybe even a Saintess," Second-mander Ye said. His eyes remained on Wu Hong, and he did not hide his distrust and even killing intent.

"Even if she is, we must know her purpose for ing here," mander Long calmly replied. He stopped once he was ten meters from Wu Hong and asked:

"Fellow Daoist, how may I address you?"

"Empress Wu."

"The name's Long Aojing, but you can call me mander Long like everybody else," the mander stated. "I'm very thankful for your aid back then, but I would be remiss if I didn't ask you for your origin and purpose."

"Do I need to report to you what I do?"

"Sir, you see that arrogance? She's definitely from the same sect as those lunatics," Second-mander Ye sneered.

mander Long waved for him to stop talking, "You don't have to, but as I said, I'm in charge of the Borderland's safety. And your appearance has bee a variable to that safety."

Wu Hong squinted. For now, it would be stupid to confront these people, since she's probably no match for the mander, even without the array. "I am not from the Emperor Dao Holy Land. I came here searching for something."

"Is this why she came from the Red Cloud? But why didn't the array detect any presence entering? Is the damage so severe?" mander Long swiftly thought.

"I see."

"mander —" mander Long glanced at his second-in-mand, and the latter immediately shut up.

"Do you have a library or records of past events?" Wu Hong asked.

"I do, but can I ask why, fellow Daoist, is asking?"

"I need as much information as possible to find what I'm looking for. Grant me access to your records, and in return, I'll provide you with a few solutions to your array."

"mander, you can't," the second-in-mand said swiftly. The Destined Hero Array was the crucial ponent that allowed the Boderworld to survive against the Destructo Race; it's the main reason they remain semi-independent against the central area, and it's also something the rulers of said central area lust after. Nothing can go wrong with it.

"I don't care about sensitive information as long as there are enough records to help me find what I seek," Wu Hong calmly stated.

"mander, you're not entertaining this idea, are you?"

"Tell me, Ye Yongmeng, what other choices do we have? You saw what happened to the array. Our own master cannot do anything, and the three holy lands forbade other Array Masters from working with us. So, tell me, what am I supposed to do?"

Second-mander Ye was quiet — the mander was right. Without any aid, it's only a matter of time before the array fails. By then, the Borderworlds will either fall to the Destructo Race or the central rulers will take control.

"I understand your urgency, sir, but if this is one of the schemes of the three holy lands?"

"Then, that only means I'm a poor judge of character," mander Long replied. He could tell that Empress Wu was not from the Emperor Dao Holy Land for a few reasons. First, although she was arrogant and proud, she showed no disdain for Qi Cultivators. Her pride and arrogance were not because she thought her path was superior, but because of the confidence that came with her strength and ability.

Secondly, her aura was too pure. The mander doesn't know why she has such a pure aura of the Grand Dao Source, but it's indeed unlike anything he's ever seen. Long Aojing has met a few of the Saintesses of the Emperor Dao Holy Land, even conquered one of them, but none had such a pure aura.

"Fellow Daoist, I accept your offer," mander Long said. "But before we leave, I must deal with the aftermath."

Wu Hong nodded before waiting. mander Long returned to his mand base to deal with the aftermath, which involved reassuring the soldiers, counting the dead, rewarding the survivors, repairing the damage to the bases, recycling destroyed weapons, and finally broadcasting a victory speech to the regular citizens living in the Borderworlds.

After fulfilling his duty, mander Long escorted Wu Hong to the Sky Sea World, one of the core areas of the Botherworld Area; it's also where the mander resides. During the trip, he tried to municate with Wu Hong, but it's hard to tell whether he wanted to gather information about her or if he had an ulterior motive. Unfortunately, she did not say much during the trip.

The Sky Ocean World was worthy of its name. Once they arrived, Wu Hong saw the bluest sky in her entire long life. And when viewed from a different angle, it appears as if an ocean had covered Heaven and Earth. It also helped that the Water Qi in this world was abnormally abundant.

"Fellow Daoist, is this your first time in the Borderlands?"

"You could say that."

"Beautiful, isn't it?" mander Long smiled. "I've been to the central area, and while it's safe, there is this hidden sense of eternal gloom — probably because of the strict hierarchy. But here, while we always faced the danger of annihilation, the people are truly happy — truly free."

Wu Hong couldn't say much about the people's freedom, but as far as she can see, they indeed were joyous, and that's despite having just suffered a terrible war and losing countless people. Even the grieving individual displayed pride, which likely indicates that the mander had established a system in which dying in battle was seen as an honor.