Chapter 1213 The Changing Fate Hall
[AN: I added the Information Hall in the previous chapter.]
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Empyrean White Cloud was an old man dressed in all-white robes with golden cloud patterns. His long hair was white, along with his beard that reached his chest. He calmly listened to this person's words.
'There is no way for him to be the destined one,' he thought. Many information agencies have deduced that the chosen one is from the lower dimension. However, the person in front of him was an Empyrean. No matter how talented and blessed that [Son of an Era] is, they could not have become an Empyrean in a barren place like the lower dimension or the short period after ascending.
'I don't care whether he's some ambitious tyrant who wants to use the chosen one's names to build power,' White Cloud thought. 'I care about what benefit he can provide me. The [Limitless Exchange Hall] was forcefully scattered into smaller parts, making life for loose cultivators harder than usual. So, it might not be bad if someone else takes its place.'
The room was quiet, and everyone left to their thoughts. Finally, after more than two minutes, someone asked a question.
"How may we address you, Your Excellency?" asked a woman in a purple dress.
"You can call me Empyrean Wang or Empyrean Fate," Wang Wei replied.
Wang was both a common and rare name. Many people had that surname, but two families who reached the peak of this world also had that name. So, they could not tell whether he was part of those families or just someone with that name. However, using the title [Fate] implied that it was his Dao, which was significant information since it was an Outlaw Dao.
"You said this was an invitation?"
"Correct."
"Meaning we can reject this offer?" she continued.
"Also correct." She looked at him as if discerning whether he was telling the truth.
"You don't need to worry about rejecting me," Wang Wei reassured. "All that's going to happen is you lose your memory of today's event."
The purple-dress woman frowned. She and many others did not like the idea of someone messing with their memories. "Why should we allow such a thing?" someone suddenly yelled.
"Because the alternative is death," Wang Wei replied calmly before releasing his Paragon Soul pressure, suppressing all the trillions of cultivators present in the room, forcing them to their knees.
'That's definitely a Paragon Soul,' Empyrean White Cloud thought. This bastard is a Paragon who either survived the cleaning or just broke through secretly and began building his power.' He was sure of his analysis; however, he still hadn't figured out why this guy was masquerading as an Empyrean.
"I am an advocate for free will and choices," Wang Wei calmly stated. "I believe someone who chooses to do something is better than one who is forced to do so. That's why I showed my kindness by giving you the choice.
"But do not ever mistake my kindness for weakness. Now, make your choice: accept my offer and take this opportunity, or continue your life of struggling and competing for the scraps of the elite."
After hearing that sentence, many of these cultivators felt a fiery light flash in their eyes, as it was too close to home. They had no choice but to fight for their resources, but in this era, said resources were the things these top lineages did not want or care about.
The [Limitless Exchange Hall] was the only faction amongst the [Thirteen Overlord] dedicated to loose cultivators. However, after its founder disappeared in the Ultimate Taboo, this era's rulers almost destroyed their headquarters. They forced all the branches to operate independently, thus drastically weakening them in the process.
After contemplating, many people chose to leave for various reasons, mainly because they didn't want to face the [Seven Moons and 2 Suns]. Although the current situation showed things were not looking good for them, they still did not want to be the enemy of these cruel and heartless bastards.
As for the so-called [Chosen One]? Well, these people did not care. Throughout history, there have been countless [Sons/Daughters of Era] who died horribly before achieving their destiny or had it stolen by others. Wang Wei did not say anything more to the people who chose to leave. He waved his hand to teleport them away with their memories missing.
He kept his word and did not kill them — at least, not now. He knew some cultivators would check on these rejects to ensure he kept his promise. The Changing Fate Hall had just been established and needed a positive brand or image. So, Wang Wei plans to monitor them before slowly killing them over time.
He did not want to do that, but this world is vast and full of possibilities. Although he used some power of his Paragon Soul to erase their memories, he could not guarantee that someone would not be able to retrieve them. Unfortunately, their death will drastically reduce that possibility.
"I'm glad that so many of you stayed. I promise you that the future will prove how correct your choice is," Wang Wei stated before pointing at these people, leaving a mark on their souls. No one said a word since they expected this. After all, they were joining a secret society, so secrecy and control were everything—the people who could not accept that had already left.
Wang Wei left, and the recruits took a moment to review the ability of the mark and the message it left them about how things operated in this hall. After a few minutes, everybody flew to different halls. While most people headed to the [Mission Hall], Empyrean White Cloud chose the [Information Hall].
He found himself in a booth with one person before him and a sign above with a few rules:
[1. If you sell information, we have ways of determining the truth and the value of the information.
[2. If you sell rumors, you will be compensated after we verify the truth. Some news might also require time for verification.
[3. Some leniency will be allocated for selling rumors. However, you will be deducted Fate Points if you sell rumors as accurate information. [4. Selling false information will result in your capture and investigation.]
'It seems they encourage selling rumors with some validity behind them,' White Cloud thought. He walked to the young man behind the booth, who had a naturally lazy aura.
"I'm guessing you're here to sell instead of buying?"
"Hmm, yes."
"Okay. What is it?"
"Can you tell me what's valuable?" Empyrean White Cloud asked.
"Currently, news about the parasites are the most valued." White Cloud immediately noticed the word "parasite" as this was the most widespread derogatory word used to describe the current rulers.
"After that is information about lost history, secret realms, and places with rare spiritual herbs or ores."
"I see," White Cloud uttered before taking a moment to ponder. "Someone from the Undead Phoenix once tried to recruit me."
"Oh?"
"They said they were from the Immortal Legion and promised me immortality even better than Everlasting Empyreans."
"You didn't accept such a good offer?" asked the booth man.
"Such a thing was too good to be true," replied White Cloud. "Plus, these bastards were rude and arrogant. They didn't invite me as much as they ordered me to join." Since he escaped these people's clutches, White Cloud disdains these rulers — no, parasites.
"Your news seems valuable. Tell me everything that happened and what you know about this Immortal Legion." The young man behind the booth listened attentively, and once White Cloud finished, his eyes suddenly turned gray and mysterious.
'Divination? I should expect this since his title is Fate,' thought Empyrean White Cloud.
"Good news. Your news is worth 1.3 million Fate Points," the booth man said, and with a wave of his hand, a card condensed before White Cloud with the number and the word [Human Member] written on the top corner.
"Is that high?" White Cloud had no point of reference, so he did not know how high or valuable 1.3 million was.
"1 million points is the lowest value of any Emperor Tier resources and the amount required to become an [Earth Member]."
"So, not high," White Cloud commented. But the booth man only smiled. "How much to become a [Heaven Member]?"
"1 billion points, and it's also the starting sale price of Empyrean Tier resources."
"Such a vast difference?" White Cloud shook his head. "Shouldn't my news be worth higher?"
"You only knew the name of a secret legion and nothing else of much value," replied the booth man. White Cloud sighed before deciding to sell more information. Unfortunately for him, besides a rumor of the location of a Supreme Innate Spiritual Herb for tempering the soul, everything else was useless. So, he walked out of the hall with only a little over 3 million points.
'I hope the rumor is true,' White Cloud thought. Luckily for him, he was one of the few people who used the Information Hall, meaning the reward for this rumor would go to him.
He took a moment to contemplate his next move. There were two ways for him to amass billions of points as fast as possible: sell Empyrean Tier materials ( but he was broke), and the other was to take a killing mission. As long as he killed an Empyrean from one of the parasites' factions, the body can be exchanged for many points.
'No, I can't take on a killing mission. I'm relatively weak in my realm, so the best move is to gather points and slowly raise my strength. Then, I can take on killing missions.'