1001 Gifts
"No...That's all I wanted to know," stuttered Lou Cheng as the adrenaline in his brain faded out, and he realized how he was behaving before a Great Emperor. No, maybe a being even more supreme and noble than a Great Emperor. Sweat immediately fell down his back.
"There is no need to panic," reassured the Flame Emperor.
"Your...Your Majesty, I apologize for my rude behavior."
"It's okay." The Flame Emperor did not blame him; he knew Lou Cheng was not a Heaven Chosen, so it was understandable his Dao Heart and state of mind were subpar.
Lou Cheng exhaled deeply after hearing this.
However, soon, he felt awkward since he did not know what to say.
"I don't have much time, but I have a few things for you," continued the Flame Emperor. "The first one is a piece of advice."
"I'm all ears."
"There is no need to live in Wang Wei's shadow.
He did not live your life better than you. He merely showed you the hidden potential you had all along."
Lou Cheng's torso involuntarily moved a few centimeters back after hearing these words. "Is... Is that true?"
"I don't need to lie to you."
"True..." he muttered, but he seemed in a daze, but the Flame Emperor did not stop.
"I have refined and updated the previous formula for the pill, and I will give it to you. I also added a bonus gift, and this one is for your Dao Companion."
Lou Cheng had a vast amount of knowledge, but he soon focused on How to raise the Infatuation Flower, also called the Yin-Yang Love Flower, to Emperor Grade. After the two acquired the flowers, he read all the information about them, including myths, legends, and rumors. So, Lou Cheng knew the implications behind these words when combined with the pill formula.
The Flame Emperor raised his hand to condense a strange black and white flame that took the shape of a heart.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"This is the [Heart Flame of Samsara], one of the few things in the world that can heal damaged Dao Heart and even temper it. After you refine it, your situation should be solved."
The Flame Emperor did not fuse the flame to Lou Cheng's body but let it float before him.
Embarrassed, Lou Cheng immediately used his Divine Sense to send the flame into his Sea of Consciousness.
"I have updated the Illusion Formation so that you can do a more efficient simulation; I also include some of my understanding of Alchemy inside so you can take a look."
Lou Cheng did not know what to say in this situation.
"This is my last gift for you," said the Flame Emperor as a black talisman manifested in his palm. "The upper dimension is in chaos, and I doubt someone like you can survive the upcoming strife. So I advised you to activate this talisman, and it will send you and her somewhere safe."
The Flame Emperor paused before saying, "It would be best to activate it before you ascend."
"Why?"
"There is a chance it might not work in the upper dimension."
"Is that so? Wait, is the upper dimension in chaos?
What happened?" asked Lou Cheng.
"If you can refine that pill and prove the Dao, you can find out after asking him. If you fail, then it won't concern you. Anyway, you only need to keep my words in mind and make your decision."
Lou Cheng looked at the talisman, and his face turned red, "I've received so much from you. How would I ever repay you?"
"Like I said, you only need to refine that pill,"
replied the Flame Emperor calmly.
"I will do my best."
"That's all I ask for. Don't be too impatient or put too much pressure on yourself. Even if you fail, it will still help," said the Flame Emperor calmly before disappearing.
Lou Cheng exhaled deeply before walking out.
Close to the door, he heard a sobbing sound that made his heart ache. He wanted to rush to that sound, but an overwhelming amount of guilt rushed into his mind. He stood in place for what felt like an eternity.
Then, he heard these words, and a rush of unknown determination traveled across his body.
"No need."
"Cheng'er?"
"Husband!"
Lou Cheng caught her in his arms, holding her tighter than he had ever done.
"I'm sorry for putting you through all of this. I promise things will be better from now on."
"As long as you're okay," she sobbed. Ye Lao sighed in relief as he patted his disciple on the shoulder; he knew everything would be okay from now on.
Primordial God World:
The Flame Emperor opened his eyes, "What a pain."
Lou Cheng was lucky his value was worth all that trouble. The Flame Emperor checked the other worlds for all the candidates he chose.
'I cannot rely only on him. I need more candidates from Main Source Chaos Worlds.'
The recent development of his experiment made him realize he needed information specifically from Main Source Chaos Worlds, where the power limit is Half-Step Transcendence. Sadly, this was harder to accomplish than stated.
After the Ultimate Taboo, many of these worlds now have one or more Half-Step Transcendents.
Meanwhile, the ones who did not were constantly invaded by foreign worlds because of how valuable they had become.
The situation made it difficult for the Flame Emperor to secretly enter these worlds and find mortals with enough talent and background to refine the pill.
The Flame Emperor looked in the distance.
'With Lou Cheng's personality, he should activate the talisman, thus dealing with the issue of his meeting with the Pill Ancestor.'
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmHe disdained going back on his words or killing Lou Cheng, so this was the best solution he could come up with. The Flame Emperor closed his eyes, and the world immediately returned to its peaceful state; countless people sighed in relief, praying to the Heavens nothing happened to them.
Eternal Ascension World, Great Chu Divine Dynasty:
Pei Lang⌜who was still in his retreat room⌜suddenly opened his eyes. He felt something and did not waste time secretly leaving the room, leaving behind a clone in case of an emergency.
As soon as he left, he had turned into a skinny scholar full of Righteous Qi. Pei Lang twisted the space, allowing him to teleport a distance that may not be quantifiable by numbers. Still, even then, he did not immediately reach his destination and had to twist the space countless times.
His destination was a secret realm still in the territory of the Great Chu Divine Dynasty. After checking for any problem, Pei Lang entered the dimension where he saw what was calling him out⌜a pure white pill.
"Is that...an Immortal Heart Pill?"
He could not hide the shock in his mind as he saw this Paragon Grade Pill. This pill has always been rare and valuable in the Eternal Ascension World, even in the Golden Age, let alone in this terrible era.
The pill's main purpose for its creation was to heal people during the Immemorial Tribulation when they were trying to become Paragons. Later, it became a must-have healing pill for all Paragons.
Pei Lang could not control his excitement. He knew his tribulation wouldn't be simple with the existence of Supreme Unity. So, such a pill was precisely what he needed to deal with any situation.
'Calm, calm down, calm down,' he repeated in his mind. 'I'm about to make a breakthrough, and this rare pill appeared. Is this a trap or someone making a move, using me⌜the chess piece⌜in this game.'
If it's the former, he has to refuse that pill.
However, if it's the latter, Pei Lang does not mind being used as a chess piece⌜especially since there are such benefits.
Pei Lang looked at the pill, deep in thought. His body suddenly changed into an elderly man dressed in sloppy clothes, looking like a beggar.
He took out a tortoiseshell and began divination.
The result of his divination was this opportunity was due to his luck, but Pei Lang was not reassured.
'The only person that could hundred percent reassure me should be Mother Maitreya, but it's impossible to contact her now. In that case, let's ask Old Man Tianji.' He disappeared from the secret room while contacting his people.
Old Man Tianji was not easily discovered; no one could find him if the latter wanted to hide. So, his actions are more to tell Old Man Tianji was looking for, hoping he was willing to see him.
Myriad Emperor World, Heavenly Court:
Wang Wei⌜who was doing push-ups inside his Energy Dominance Room⌜suddenly stopped as he received a communication talisman from his Fate Shadow Guard. Surprisingly, the information was from the domestic branch.
'Lou Cheng has appeared?' he thought. There wasn't much information, except that Lou Cheng appeared in the Origin Pill Dao Sect after years of absence and neglect. According to the spy, Lou Cheng looked both terrible and in high spirits.
'Did something happen?'