Chapter 1881: The Missing Eternity

Wang Wei calmed his raging mind to check his surroundings, trying to identify what had changed. It didn't take long for him to discover the source was his body, which raised an even greater alarm in his mind. With a glance, his expression turned ugly.

"My eternal characteristics — it's gone?" He doubted what he had detected and immediately double-checked. The result was the same. He now had a finite lifespan, which, according to his calculations, was only over 150 Yuan Epochs. The worst part is that it would have been lower if not for the protection of the second-step array.

Wang Wei immediately tried to calm down. "The good news is it seems only the lifespan aspect was eliminated, not regeneration or other revival methods. As for the bad?" The bad was obvious, but the implications were even more horrifying.

"Hmm?" While deep in thought, Wang Wei suddenly sensed numerous terrifying, unstable auras emanating from the Black Tortoise Array — auras he was familiar with. The fact that so many Saints instinctively released their auras was an indication of how much they had lost control of their emotions.

"Did they also suffer the same fate? That's to be expected since Death Reverence was altering a fundamental rule of the universe — no one except for a third-step powerhouse with their own Dao Source can escape."

Bang!

Before Wang Wei or anyone else could process what was going on, another sudden cosmic change occurred. A new world was born: vast, beautiful, and full of vitality. Wang Wei squinted as soon as he detected the truth. "A world in which the rules of eternity still exist? That bastard is building the perfect bait."

Would those Tribunal Lords accept dying of old age? Obviously not. They will struggle with all their might, but once they realize there is no other way, they will have no choice but to head to that world. After all, staying away means guaranteed death, but if they enter that place, there is still a small hope of survival.

"Wang Wei, can you hear me?"

"Duchess? How is your situation?"

"What do you think?"

Wang Wei noticed the trembling in her voice, "Well, I guess that was a stupid question. How much lifespan do you have left?"

"Less than 9 Yuan Epoch?"

"What? How can it be so little? Even if you don't have the protection of an array, you're still a Tribunal Lord; not to mention the countless true Saint Artifacts at your disposal."

"This tactic was targeting Saints — he wants us dead even more so than any [Immortals]."

"So, the higher the cultivation, the more severe the blow?"

"Essentially."

Wang Wei groaned softly. For the first time in a long time, his meager cultivation was a benefit instead of a hindrance. "What do you suggest we do now?"

"I've already deduced that I can increase my lifespan by creating some longevity techniques, but the effect is minor. I was hoping you had an idea."

Wang Wei pondered briefly, "By any chance, you wouldn't still have that artifact you used that allowed my wife to condense her Dao Quintessence Prototype?"

"No, that thing only had three uses, and I've used all of them."

"Can you recreate its power? It's fine even if it's a fraction," he asked.

"That shouldn't be an issue," the Erudite Duchess nodded. "But what for? Do you want to try to condense your own prototype? I doubt that will work."

"I'm aware of that," Wang Wei shook his head. He knew he was very close to condensing his prototype, yet he was far away. That small distance is something that most people cannot bypass — including someone as talented as the Duchess. Without a bit of luck or an opportunity, Wang Wei doesn't think he can condense his prototype anytime soon.

"This is what I'm thinking." Wang Wei condensed a memory talisman and flickered it to her projection.

"Hmm, it's a good idea, and feasible. While it won't solve the issue, it should improve our lifespan. Let's hope it's long enough for us to accomplish our plan."

"Yes, let's hope."

"Do you have a room where my projection can temporarily stay?"

"Of course," Wang Wei nodded. He opened a private room for her in one of the array nodes, and as soon as the Erudite Duchess had some privacy, she began engraving runes in the air in the shape of a pyramid. Meanwhile, Avatar A also entered seclusion, synchronizing with the main body; he needed to strategize for the situation at hand.

The first thing these two did was to task Ai with starting preparations for the plan with the Erudite Duchess so they could finish things as soon as she was ready. These two were soon embarrassed because the Quantum Spirit complained, reminding them she had many projects on her hands. And to be fair, she was correct. Unfortunately, problems keep happening faster than they can be solved, so these two could only coax her.

While the duchess was preparing, Wang Wei did not sit idly by. Instead, he also began creating his own technique to extend his lifespan. And in the current situation, an old technique from his past became the perfect blueprint: the Deceiving Heaven Longevity Art. Over the years, Wang Wei has defeated countless foes, but none had benefited him as much as Gu Xuan's legacy.

Long ago, Wang Wei updated the Deceiving Heaven Longevity Art to allow Mortal Cultivators to live to the limit of 1 yuan epoch (1.269 trillion years) and left it as a foundation for the lower-dimension Dao Opening Sect. Now, he wanted to upgrade it a second time. His objective was simple: to deceive the fundamental blueprints of reality that he was of much weaker cultivation, thus weakening the influence of the missing [Eternal Characteristic].

This plan was challenging. Unlike Grand Dao, who had to follow rules and "allow" the deception, Death Reverence — who now held the highest authority in the universe — would not play by the rules. As such, Wang Wei needed to achieve true deception. Luckily, Wang Wei was prepared for this challenge; he had long started cultivating Deception as a secondary Dao, and with Ai's help, he soon had some success.

"That's not enough," Both Wang Wei thought simultaneously, in sync. While it was true that Death Reverence primarily targeted high-level cultivators, weaker cultivators did not fare any better; the plan did not target them, but that's only because they were inconsequential. Death Reverence knew they wouldn't live long, even if he didn't focus on them. As such, while this layer of the Deceiving Heaven Longevity Art had improved Wang Wei's lifespan, the amount was pitiful.

"We need to target something else to deceive," Avatar A said.

"That's obvious, but the question is what?" Wang Wei asked.

"Heaven and Earth's rules?"

"No, if we try that, it's very easy to alert that bastard," Wang Wei shook his head. "Plus, don't forget we are operating under the assumption that the enemy has all of our information — including the fact we've received Gu Xuan's inheritance."

"Maybe, we don't have to be direct about our deception of the rules."

"Oh? What are you thinking?"

"There must be an exception, right?" Avatar A stated. "Death Reverence must have left an exception to the rules to protect himself and his future self. We can just deceive the rules that we are one of his people, one of the exceptions."

"Your idea might work," Wang Wei replied, his eyes shining with a brilliant light. Death Reverence's power comes from the Beyonder, and Avatar B was currently working on recreating the Beyonder's power system. If Avatar B has succeeded, then they can use the data from his research to create that level of deception.

"Ai, what do you think?"

"The plan is feasible." As the link among all the Avatars, her expert opinion was instrumental.

"Good. In that case, let's get started immediately," Avatar A stated.

"No, we must wait."

"Why is that?"

"If we want to increase the chances of this plan, we must decrease Death Reverence's authority over this branch of Grand Dao."

Avatar A frowned, "But what would require an attack on the Highest Firmament?"

"Not necessarily."

"You mean?"

"Suiji," Wang Wei nodded. "She must also be affected. Previously, she could hide and cooperate with Siwangji to fight Future Reverence, but now, with the current situation, there is a high chance they will become competitors."

"Six Paths Samsara is a great way to expand life, and the best case scenario would be for those two to work together, but with their time running out and no foundation of trust, you might be right," Avatar A sighed.

"Suiji will need an advantage, and the best and swiftest way to achieve that is through her previous authority over this timeline's Grand Dao," Wang Wei finished.

"And the best time to weave our deception is when Death Reverence is distracted," Avatar A nodded.

"The Highest Firmament is about to become a free-for-all battle," Wang Wei smiled.

"You think others will also attack?"

"The other constructs can extend life, but the crux of the matter is the hidden rule. Only with the Grand Dao can the rules be restored, and these people can regain their immortality. Not to mention, many of them were probably targeting Grand Dao in the first place. After all, it is a chance to achieve the third step. No matter how minuscule the possibility might be, none of these ambitious overlords will miss it."

"If you're right, the battle in the Highest Firmament will be crucial. If they fail, then —"

"Their only remaining option will be that bait: the Longevity Realm."

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