Chapter 641: The Flood

“Oh, there are still a few things I wish to trouble my husband with!”

Looking at Wu Ming, who appeared confident and composed, Wu Zhi, for some inexplicable reason, turned her eyes and smiled mischievously.

“Oh? What might that be?”

Wu Ming raised his eyebrows.

“It’s about the several prestigious families within the city, the nobility, and people like Zhang Duan and Di Chunchun. They hold significant power, and previously, nearly half of the city’s troops obeyed their commands. Now they feel anxious and wish to pledge allegiance to our family!”

Wu Zhi spoke in a shy, girlish manner: “A maiden cannot wed two husbands; you, my lord, must bear more burdens as the capable one!”

Upon hearing this, Wu Ming was momentarily speechless. Seeing the mischievous glint in her eyes, he couldn’t help but flick her forehead: “Your husband is already very busy. If they wish to marry their daughters, just find excellent young men from the Wu or Wu families…”

“Truly unwilling, my lord?”

Wu Zhi smiled like a little fox.

“Unwilling!”

Wu Ming shook his head, inwardly sighing. Women are fickle, he thought. Previously, when he was about to marry the princess, Wu Zhi had shown slight jealousy, yet now she was encouraging him to marry the daughters of ministers as well. Was she trying to embarrass the emperor?

“You handle the other matters first, and come to me only if you encounter something you can’t manage!”

After casually tossing out these words, he immediately retreated to the backyard.

Even if he could manifest a thousand forms, having to establish an empire in each dimension and being swamped with affairs day and night would still be overwhelming.

Wu Ming had no desire to entangle himself in a hundred affairs. At this moment, he deeply felt the correctness of entrusting Wu Zhi with the struggle for the Zhou dynasty’s throne.

After all, they were husband and wife, united as one. All the forces under the command of King Ding could be freely mobilized by him, including the Mandate of Heaven itself. He did not need to exhaust his heart and soul, personally handling every matter, so what was there to complain about?

…

“With the support of the Heavenly Emperor, possessing great momentum and the legitimacy of the court… as long as everything proceeds methodically, there is absolutely no possibility of failure…”

Wu Ming walked leisurely to a garden, strolling aimlessly, his eyes somewhat unfocused: “The only concern remains the Immortal Sage Juetian. This immortal is extremely sinister and decisive in character, and it remains unknown what trouble he might cause. However, the Heavenly Emperor is constantly monitoring him, and once any trace of this person is detected, we will jointly pursue and kill him. With the situation in the mortal world becoming increasingly clear, there should be no significant disturbances in the near future. Once Wu Zhi has consolidated her power, he will be powerless to make a comeback!”

With matters concerning the Zhou dynasty reaching a temporary conclusion, Wu Ming naturally focused most of his attention on the Main Temple.

Inside the grand and majestic Main Temple, Wu Ming’s true form sat upon the Throne of Ten Thousand Realms, his aura growing ever more unfathomable. With every opening and closing of his eyes, it seemed as if worlds were being born and destroyed, brimming with profound mysteries.

“The Main Temple currently faces only two major matters. The first is the anomaly in the universe where the continent of Seer is located!”

Ever since his avatar, William, ascended the throne and completely unified the continent of Seer, the world, and even the universe, underwent changes that Wu Ming found difficult to describe.

The leakage of energy from that universe caused him to feel a sense of dread. At the same time, a premonition made Wu Ming sense a hint of the opening of the path to immortality, further complicating his decision-making.

“Last time, after the Force harvest and the deliberate closure of the hyper-dimensional channel, that Western Fantasy universe entered a period of intense transformation. The boundaries of time and space became blurred, and the messages from the avatar became intermittent and unclear. It is not the best time for exploration, so I should wait quietly…”

He made his decision and waved his hand, causing another universe coordinate to appear before him.

Looking at this coordinate, even Wu Ming couldn’t help but show a serious expression.

“This is a remnant left by the previous ruler of the Main Temple. Even if it isn’t his origin universe, it should be an extremely important one. What might be there? How dangerous or perhaps full of opportunities could it be, for the ruler to treasure and hide the coordinate so carefully?”

With Wu Ming’s status as the ruler, everything within the Main Temple should be transparent to him.

However, this universe coordinate had successfully remained hidden. If not for the expansion of the Huangting World, which fundamentally dismantled the Main Temple’s secrets, Wu Ming might never have discovered it until now.

The one capable of concealing items so thoroughly was most likely the creator of the Main Temple.

And if even He treasured the secret so much, how extraordinary must it be?

A sudden flame blazed in Wu Ming’s eyes.

Deep in his heart, he had always pursued eternity and transcendence. After so many years of relentless effort, he had finally caught a glimpse of hope.

“It is likely that the mysteries of eternity and transcendence lie within these two universes, and I must explore them!”

These secrets were so immense that even the Wu Ming of the Reincarnation Circle was unwilling to trust others to act as pawns.

After all, who knew what lay in those universes? What if the secrets of the Reincarnation Circle or the Main Temple were discovered?

Therefore, he could only go in person. Fortunately, he was already quite proficient in this. At worst, he might lose a few avatars, but that would not be a significant loss.

“The Western Fantasy universe is not an option. It seems I’ll have to explore this coordinate first…”

That Western Fantasy universe was clearly in a state of closed evolution, rejecting all probing. Moreover, Wu Ming had already planted a major spy there, ensuring a first-mover advantage, so there was no need to rush.

But this remaining coordinate might be even more dangerous for him than the Western Fantasy universe.

After all, it could be the universe of the great being who created the Main Temple!

If that being had specifically set defenses against the Main Temple’s Great Dao abilities, the consequences would be deadly beyond imagination.

“However, for the sake of my dream, even if it means facing a thousand enemies, I shall go forth!”

Wu Ming gritted his teeth and pondered: “The first exploration must be led by an avatar. To reduce the universe’s and world’s hostility and suppression, the cultivation must be as low as possible… and also, precautions must be taken in terms of memory and soul, leaving a last hidden trick to ensure that even if captured by enemies, the secrets of the true self won’t be revealed…”

“Great Dao power, traversing time and space!”

Once his decision was made, Wu Ming, with a single thought, arrived at the Great Dao Hall. The cosmic coordinate in his hand emitted brilliant light.

The Great Dao Hall roared, the Force Pool instantly boiling, and massive world power surged into the coordinate, centering on it to open a black vortex.

Apparently due to the ample reserve of Force, this time the opening of the hyper-dimensional channel was smoother than the last.

After all, the Main Temple was an incredible artifact, its power even growing with the expansion of the Force Pool.

But the more so, the more vigilant Wu Ming became towards the great being who had once built the Main Temple.

“Avatar!”

With a wave of his hand, a white ball of light appeared in his palm. Threads of Force fell like precise surgical knives, removing certain memories that needed to be kept secret and setting hidden defenses.

Once everything was completed, he looked at this avatar, which he could fully control and whose loss or capture wouldn’t cause significant problems, finally nodded, and sent it into the black vortex.

The experience of traversing space-time was like a brief moment of distraction, and instantly the world changed.

After passing through the hyper-dimensional channel, Wu Ming’s avatar suddenly found himself in a different universe. But before it could react, a crimson torrent surged forth.

The avatar was swept into the torrent without the slightest resistance and then dissolved instantly.

“Perished…”

On this side of the channel, Wu Ming’s true form turned pale: “That universe… actually… actually… actually…”