"How do you compare to the Trinity Venerable’s capability regarding arrays?" Wang Wei asked.

The Erudite Duchess frowned, "When we were mortals, his sect was famous for their Taoist Arrays, but as Saints, everyone has to specialize. As such, I have a bit more knowledge than he because of my Dao."

"Then, why was he so confident he could do it? Even with the array plate, regaining control of the array is not an easy task even for the best of Array Masters, but he replied with such confidence."

The Erudite Duchess’s frown deepened.

"Moreover, I’m surprised how easily you get handed such a crucial task to him. Aren’t you afraid of him tampering with the Black Tortoise Array?"

"Of course, we will keep an eye on him."

"Will you?" Wang Wei sneered. "All of you are still injured and recuperating. You expect me to believe you will be in your best form to keep an eye on him at all times?"

"Indeed, this is the perfect time to act sneakily," the Duchess nodded. In the current situation, everybody is not only still injured, but also worried about Death Reverence’s actions. Such a stressful time, when everyone is prone to mistakes, is the perfect opportunity for anyone to do something sneaky.

"What do you think he is planning?"

"I don’t know yet, but I don’t think it will be anything good," Wang Wei shook his head. "In my eyes, the entire plan of breaking into the Black Reverse Stone Array and communicating with the Infinite Divine Court is dog-shit, relying too much on luck; as long as Death Reverence is a bit more flexible and immediately attacked after detecting our actions, this plan will fall apart."

"We all know this, but what other options are there?" The Erudite Duchess sighed.

"My plan, of course."

"No matter how good it is, it’s useless if we cannot execute it," the duchess shook her head.

"Who says we can’t execute it?" Wang Wei countered.

"Oh?"

"Time timeline — it wouldn’t happen to have a hidden [Hall of Secret]?"

"Unfortunately, not."

"That’s a shame. In that case, we’ll make our own," Wang Wei continued. "You’ve been to the hall, right?"

"Yes, I’m one of the few people who have entered," the Erudite Duchess nodded.

"Has Heavenly Book Paragon also entered?"

"...Yes, and more than once," the Duchess nodded. "The first time was through my help, but the second time was because of a Grand Dao Mission."

"Grand Dao Mission? I’ve never heard of such a thing."

"It’s rare, but Grand Dao will sometimes release complicated and troublesome missions. The people who can find and accomplish it will receive tremendous rewards. Heavenly Book succeeded in one of the missions and entered the Hall of Records a second time."

Wang Wei exhaled softly. This information was valuable to him. However, he did not continue on the topic for now. "Back on the topic. Since you’ve been to the Hall of Records, how about we recreate it, and then you swallow it to condense your Dao Quintessence and enter the False Grand Dao Realm."

The duchess shook her head, her eyes slightly dim, "Don’t you think I’ve tried it before? In my life, I’ve tried creating dozens of [Hall of Records]. Unfortunately, most of the time, the knowledge inside is not enough, and even when they are, the construct’s essence is never enough for me to improve."

"That’s why you need another Grand Construct as nourishment," Wang Wei smiled. "What if you took this timeline’s River of Time and condensed all the events that have happened since the dawn of time as knowledge and information for the artificial [Hall of Record]?"

A brilliant light shone in the duchess’s eyes, even brighter than the rising sun. "That’s feasible. No, not just feasible — but highly possible." Numerous thoughts and calculations flashed in her mind; this plan could succeed. And once it does, she will have taken a major step forward in becoming a Grand Dao Saint.

"This will not be easy," the Duchess stated. "Death Reverence might already have firm control of the Grand Constructs. However, we can take the current opportunity to lay down preparations, and once the others start their plans to invade the Black Reverse Stone Array, Death Reverence will be distracted, and we can make our move."

"That’s what I’m thinking," Wang Wei nodded. He raised his hand to show her palm. "You can use this. It’s called an Array Virus. Maybe you can modify them to be even smaller and unnoticeable." The advantage of the Array Virus is that most people are unaware of their existence. As soon as someone knows they exist, they — especially Saints — have countless ways to detect and counter them. But without knowledge, it’s a great way to do things undetected.

"What a brilliant concept," the Erudite Duchess commented, immediately realizing its advantage. Without knowing of its existence, her divine sense and other Detection Techniques would not have picked up these things.

"Can you improve upon them?"

"I can," she nodded.

"Good. Here is what I’m thinking," Wang Wei continued. "Divide them into two groups: one in the River of Time and the other in the Six Paths of Samsara. If the plan is successful and you regain control of the River of Time, it’s fine. But if Death Reverence tries to interfere and stop you, use the Array Viruses to cause trouble in the underworld to divert his attention."

"Do you think that the Six Paths of Samsara are the key to their Death Beam?"

"Yes – although it’s just an intuition," Wang Wei nodded. "And even if it’s not, something tells me they value its existence. Maybe it will be the key for their masters to quickly regain their strength after occupying a vessel."

"I see," the Duchess nodded. Taking one glance at the Array Virus, she sighed to herself. "You’ve done so much for me. How can I repay you?"

"This should be enough to repay my wife’s karmic debt, no?"

"It is, and even more," the duchess nodded. Her actions allowed Wu Hong to condense a Dao Quintessence Prototype earlier, meaning that as soon as she became a Tribunal Lord, her strength and realm would quickly reach the False Grand Dao Saint realm. Now, Wang Wei had pointed out a feasible and direct path to the False Grand Dao Saint realm.

"That’s good enough for me," Wang Wei smiled.

The Erudite Duchess looked at him and sighed, "For the first time in my long life, I regret not having a Dao Companion."

"No need to regret. Men like me are a dying breed throughout the entire Infinite Trichiliocosm," Wang Wei replied calmly, which made the duchess laugh, her melodious bell-like voice resonating with the ebbs and flow of the river.

Lesser men would have been captivated by such a beautiful and powerful woman laughing so carefree, but Wang Wei was no lesser man. Instead, he calmly sips his tea, his mind as steady as a thousand-year-old tortoise. In his eyes, besides his wife, all other women are nothing but skin and bones.

"I never thought you had this side to you," the Erudite Duchess stated. It’s hard to imagine the man who just schemed against hundreds of Tribunal Lords and led the destruction of an entire timeline had a whimsical and funny side to him.

"I’m usually very charming, but the previous situation was not the time to display it," Wang Wei replied truthfully.

"I’ll take your word for it."

Wang Wei nodded before changing the subject. "Is it possible to kill the Heaven Cardinal?"

"Why?"

"If we could refine him, the chances of creating an artificial [Hall of Records] would drastically increase."

"Unfortunately, that’s not possible. The contract we previously signed is still in effect, so forget about killing him. I can’t even directly attack him."

"Then, why could Source Qi Cardinal do what she did?"

"Under the contract, the Purification was technically not an act of aggression, but more of a drastic action to save us," the Duchess explained. "Of course, the real reason is Grand Dao found a way to suppress most of the backlash from our contract."

"She can do that?"

"Why not?" the Erudite Duchess said. "This is why most people refused to sign up for this expedition. It’s virtually impossible to truly bind these cardinals, so cooperating with them can result in being stabbed in the back at any time, while you cannot even retaliate."

"I’m not bound by any contract, but besides planning, there is nothing I can do," Wang Wei shook his head. Right now, the last thing he needs to be doing is putting his life in danger. So, as much as he wishes to eliminate the Heaven Cardinal to use him as a key to access the [Hall of Record], he had to prioritize himself.

"Your mind is the sharpest weapon."

"Thank you," Wang Wei nodded. "If our plans work, I need you to do a few things for me."

"Anything," the Duchess nodded. Just Wang Wei, she is one of the few cultivators who believe in paying their karma debt to ensure a smooth cultivation journey. So, as long as Wang Wei’s demands were not too outlandish, she would gladly agree.