"You said our God Space is weak; what proof do you have of this?"
Tobias did not want to question the arcanist. However, this mission involved his safety, so he wanted to be sure; he wanted to have as much information as possible before making a decision.
Tobias has already decided to accept, and it was not only because of how tempting the reward was. The main reason is he did not think he had a choice.
Although this Legendary Arcanist promised to give them their freedom, he did not wholly believe the latter. Furthermore, even if the latter was telling the truth, it is still possible for him to place something inside their bodies and soul, something they cannot detect.
If he did that, they would lose the initiation in their hands and become pawns of the latter. So, whether he liked it or not, he had to agree. Since that was the case, he needed to accomplish the task and hope the Arcanists kept his word.
And if he does not, he will have ample time to reach higher tiers and has more ways to deal with the situation.
"Lord Gods operate by stealing a timeline of a universe. By messing with the plot or the destiny of the world, they can secretly or openly swallow the World's Source."
The group frowned. They have heard similar theories in the Samsara Hall. However, most people believed the God Space was stealing the power of Destiny instead of World Source.
"Before coming to this timeline, I have checked hundreds of stolen timelines," continued Edward. "The shield surrounding each timeline was different, and yours was the weakest–I didn't have to use much power to force myself in."
"That's it?" asked Tobias with a frown. "This evidence is not enough. There is the possibility that the Lord God was injured, sleeping, or sealed, hence why it could not use its full power to protect the stolen timeline."
'Indeed,' thought the group collectively. If Tobias did not bring this point out, they might not have thought of it.
"Good point. The second reason is your Samsara Hall did not immediately annihilate me after coming to this timeline; if he were powerful, he would never allow such a variable as myself.
"The third reason is the seal in your soul. The seal should have been in the fourth layer of your Soul Dimension and undetectable by even myself."
Edward squinted, his eyes full of brilliance.
"The main point is I have found the owner of the Lord God's Artifact."
"You did? Who is it?" asked Michelle, excited that she had met her enemy who had ruined her life.
"The Purple Robe Daoist," replied Edward.
"Him?" asked the group simultaneously.
"Yes. After analyzing the information I received from Hernandez' memory, I deduced he has the highest suspicions.
"My theory is that some ordinary Chinese kid in one of the many Earths in the Omniverse accidentally discovered a broken or injured Lord God Artifact.
"After becoming the owner of the artifact, he learned it needed energy or power to heal or fix it. So, he chose reincarnators and sent them on different missions to gather World Source to restore the artifact.
"In the meantime, he used the artifact to fulfill his dream of becoming an Immortal Cultivator. As the owner of the God Space, he has advantages the other reincarnators do not, so he can rise in Tier faster than others.
"At first, his Security Clearance for the Artifact was low. However, as he becomes more powerful, he has more control over it. Then, one day, once he reaches a specific Tier–most likely Tier 12–he can have complete control over the artifact.
"By then, the reincarnators will become his worker ant, acquiring World Source for him to become more powerful instead of the artifact."
Besides Kingsley, the face of the team became ugly. After all, as modern people, none of them wants to be others' pawns or worker ants.
"Hahaha," laughed Tobias hysterically. "Everything makes sense now. The Purple Robe Daoist is the most mysterious of reincarnators; the information about him is so little that it's abnormal.
"Amongst all the top reincarnators, not only is he the most powerful, but he is also the only one who has accomplished the most Perfect-Level Missions."
The mission grade in the Samsara Hall has different classification levels based on the success rate, ranking from F to SSS. Above SSS, there is the perfect level of accomplishment, and only a few top reincarnators have achieved it. And they only achieved perfection because they accomplished missions in lower Tier universes. In other words, they used their High Tier to bully weak worlds like Resident Evil and achieve Perfection.
However, the Purple Robe Daoist is the only exception. He has accomplished many Perfection Grades and many in higher universes.
"The rate at which he grows is simply abnormal," continued Tobias. "Anyone who has contact or communication with him can easily acquire Samsara Points. He has access to unknown secrets and resources."
He remembered the Purple Robe Daoist once used a rare crystal as the price for a mission, making countless top reincarnators go crazy.
"He's the only person who succeeded in an Impossible Mission. According to the information revealed, the second-generation reincarnators were almost annihilated after encountering another Lord God. However, he single-handedly reversed the situation.
"He must have used some of the power of the Lord God."
The room was quiet for a few seconds until Kingsley spoke, "According to analysis, the number of Chinese reincarnators in the Samsara Hall is the largest. They have the highest survival rate and are 27.8% more powerful on average than every other race or ethnicity."
"Damn it, I want to kill him," said Sasha.
"Do you have the ability?" said Set, of all people. So, Sasha stared at him without arguing.
"I found another proof of my theory," said Edward with a sneer while looking in the distance.
"After saying his name, someone tried to peep at this place using the power of Cause and Effect."
The moment he revealed the Lord God's name, Edward was on guard in case it triggered the Origin Rune in this group's soul. However, nothing happened to their soul, but he sensed a peeping gaze, so he isolated the mansion with the same spell he used to save Hernandez.
"Are we in danger?" asked Tobias, who took a deep breath to calm down.
"No, but he will be suspicious of you," replied Edward. "However, you don't need to worry. I will kidnap the other reincarnators and release them; this way, he will not suspect any of you."
"Do you have a way to hide from him or protect us from him in case something happens?"
"Yes," replied Edward. "I will give you a multipurpose magic artifact and hide it in the fourth layer of your soul dimension. Its purpose will be to record the coordination of the worlds you travel to.
"But also protect you from mind invasion, memory search, hypnotic suggestions, and I will even add some Cause and Effect Protections. And if an accident occurs, the artifact will save a piece of your soul and run away to a designated universe. It will send me a signal, and I can come to save you," explained Edward.
"However, there are a few things you need to keep in mind."
"Please, do tell."
"Firstly, I cannot guarantee the artifact will react in time. It will be programmed to do its best, but you will be in the homecourt of the Purple-Robe Daoist, so accidents are very likely."
"That's understandable," nodded Tobias.
"Secondly, you need to record the coordinate of the earth you are from."
The group frowned. The earth was their home, thus vital to them.
"There are too many Earths, so I don't know which one you're from. So, if you ever want to return home, you have no choice."
The group secretly looked at each other before sighing.
"Thirdly, you can send a message to me using the artifact. However, you can only do it once you're on a mission in another universe. No matter what happens, do not contact me when you're in the God Space.
"To be safe, don't even contact me when you're on Earth. If the Purple-Robe Daoist is from the same place, he might be monitoring the Earth at all times."
Edward has already made a character model for the Purple-Robe Daoist, so he added filial piety from China and Eastern countries into it. So, he believed the Purple-Robe Daoist cared deeply about Earth if his parents lived on it.
Of course, he also considered the possibility he had no family, friends, or loved ones. Regardless, he decided to be cautious and labeled Earth as one of the No Contact Zones.
"Finally, the Lord God should be improving at an alarming rate. It's only a matter of time before he has complete control of the artifact and implants the seal in your soul in the Fourth Dimension layer.
"So, you won't have much time for this mission."