Published at 15th of August 2026 6:55 am

Chapter 1930: Happiness

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Wu Hong frowned. Without even noticing it, the surroundings had changed. No, to be precise, her spirit was silently summoned to this environment full of dark-red clouds. With a thought, a golden shield manifested around her, condensed from the purest power of hope.

"Outsider, what is it that you want? What do you desire?" A sharp, enticing voice that seemed to come from every corner of the spiritual world suddenly spoke.

"Who are you?" Wu Hong asked. "Are you the one responsible for the Red Cloud? For the Forbidden Curse? Or are you two different entities with different goals but are working together?"

No one answered her question. However, the red cloud parted, revealing a black book with the characters for [Truth] on the cover. Wu Hong glanced at it and frowned. She was about to avert her gaze and continue questioning this unknown entity when an intense emotion suddenly overwhelmed her mind: "Open this book and all the knowledge that I desire will be mine." This single thought, this single idea, was suddenly embedded in her mind deeper than a bottomless abyss. Without knowing it, Wu Hong took a few steps toward the book before she realized what was happening and woke up.

"Such a potent power of charm — is this how my people died?" Wu Hong frowned. If not for her powerful Dao Heart, she would have instantly succumbed to the temptation.

"Why resist?" the voice continued. "Is this not what you desire?"

"You don't know what I desire."

"Am I wrong?" The dark red cloud parted, revealing a picture that made Wu Hong frown. It was her. A young version of her sitting in front of a campfire with a demonic beast slowly roasting over the flame. Young Wu Hong held a book in her hand, so lost in its content that she didn't notice her food was slowly charring.

"All of those years spent running and hiding," the dark voice continued. "The only thing you had to accompany you were those books from those you had killed. Those books revealed a wider world, a world not consumed by countless battles, hatred — a world where you might have a place."

Wu Hong stood in place. Without noticing it, a red energy was rapidly consuming the golden protection around her, starting from her feet.

"At first, they were just a form of escape, but then, you saw the advantage of knowledge."

The red cloud image changed to a much older Wu Hong. She was setting up traps for all the people after her, using clever methods to systematically kill anyone who was after the bounty the Devil race had placed on her.

"You soon realized the power of knowledge. With it, you were powerful. With it, the world was no longer vast and unknown. With it, you understood people's emotions, their desires, and what drove them to do what they did to you. With knowledge, you could change your fate, achieve your dreams — you could be more than what people labeled you; you could finally prove them wrong, prove them you were no lesser than anyone else."

The red aura rapidly rose until it had covered Wu Hong's torso. But then, she suddenly snorted coldly, instantly reducing it back to the knee level. "If you know so much about you, then you should understand that I have enough knowledge not to accept a shitty deal from an unknown entity."

"Humans always believe they have escaped their lesser primitive instinct — that logic and rationality can suppress their innate greed. How foolish."

The red cloud changed, turning into a vast library.

"Tell me, can you resist a library with knowledge and secrets that most Saints can only dream of?" the dark voice continued. "And all you need to do is leave this timeline, returning to where you came from. I don't need your soul or for you to do anything for me — just leave. Abandon this world. What do you say?"

Wu Hong stood in place as the red aura rapidly reached near her heart.

"I know you don't trust me, so I'll add some assurance." A scroll manifested in front of the library. "A Time Nexus contract that binds us. You can even do the wording yourself. All I want is for you to leave, and everything in this library is yours."

The red aura reached over her torso, stopping at Wu Hong's neck. Then, she finally spoke: "No." The red aura drastically reduced back to her waist.

"Why not? Don't tell me you care about these people. You were already planning to let this world die. Isn't this why you didn't fix the Three Path Array?"

"Because I hate nothing more than people coercing me."

"Human pride? How could I forget about that? If there's something you never lack, it's pride," the dark voice continued. "Then, how about we put that pride to the test?" The dark cloud switched to images of Wang Wei and Wu Hong together.

"Aren't you worried? The speed at which he is improving is simply absurd. At this rate, how long before he surpasses you? How long before you're no longer the most talented individual in your world, nay, maybe your entire timeline?"

"I have never been afraid to compete with anyone when it comes to talent," Wu Hong calmly stated.

"And I must admit, in this regard, I acknowledge your right to be prideful. However, talent can only take you as far as the [Immortal Stage]. For Saints, creativity and innovation are what truly matter. And in that category, you are not even in the same realm as him."

"Not an issue," Wu Hong replied. One of the sources of Wang Wei's creativity is his access to Earth's knowledge — knowledge that he had already shared with Wu Hong. As such, although she wasn't raised or influenced by Earth's culture as much as he — meaning her mind was not as malleable as his — she still had access to the knowledge reserve of a unique civilization: a civilization that might be connected to [Hongmeng] itself. More importantly, Wang Wei was her husband. As far as Wu Hong was concerned, his creativity and ingenuity were hers.

"You can't lie to me, and you can't lie to yourself," the dark voice continued. "You wanted to show the world you were worthy of existing, you were worthy of living, worthy of a happy life, worthy of joy, success, love, and fame. And you did that. Through your mighty strength and unparalleled talent, you forced the world to acknowledge your existence.

"But how did you do it? Wasn't it because of your strength? Of your talent? Now that someone threatens that identity, you want me to believe you don't feel some type of way? Who are you kidding?"

The red aura swallowed Wu Hong, passing beyond her mouth, leaving only her eyes, forehead, and long hair intact.

"What I'm offering you is a way to ensure you always keep the advantage over him — always to be one step ahead of him. With my library, your title as the strongest and the most talented will remain an eternal truth."

The dark red aura covered all of Wu Hong's body, except for her hair. And at the rate of its expansion, that part probably wouldn't last too long. Wu Hong's surroundings suddenly vibrated as she said:

"The one thing that made me fall in love with Wang Wei was the fact he never tried to suppress my light. But you want me to do the same thing to him? You're dreaming. Hypocrisy is part of his Dao, not mine." Wu Hong's head was immediately freed after she uttered these words.

"How long has it been since you've been this happy? Since when have you been this content with your life?" the dark voice continued. "Do you really want to give that up?"

"Happiness, huh?" Wu Hong uttered. "Yes, I've indeed been happy. Wei'er's existence in my life is a great addition. I've reconciled with one of my oldest and most reliable friends. My disciples have finally reached the point that they can be self-reliant. My sect is prospering. My father-figure has finally achieved something he's been longing for. Although I was sad about the separation, I'm happy for him.

"Yes, happiness has always been the key. For many years, I've toiled over the fact that I had no obsession, no intense desire to drive my cultivation path. I have goals, desires, and ambitions, but nothing so intense that I could sacrifice everything. But simple happiness is enough.

"I don't need to be driven by obsession. I once was, but I've achieved everything I wanted to. You said it yourself: I forced the world to acknowledge my existence — I have conquered my obsession.

"And now, there is nothing wrong with pursuing happiness. Whether it's endless knowledge and secrets, the desire to seal all Dao, the pursuit of the end of the cultivation path, my husband, my friend and family, they can all be what motivates me — they can all be my source of happiness, my pursuit."

Bang!

The entire spiritual world trembled. A terrifying power spread from Wu Hong's body, instantly vanquishing 99% of the dark clouds in the environment.

"Saint Dao Heart," the dark voice uttered.

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