Paragon of Sin

Chapter 1657 1650: Schemed Against; Fools of a Galaxy

No one expected the intervention of Luo Ning or her unsurpassed display of alchemical power utilization to diffuse Sage Imentet's deathly crisis. She was an outlier that was worth pondering, yet Teng Jiangwen was not giving them time to think or consider the situation! Only Sage Imentet of the Hidden Desert Major Region knew who Luo Ning was, and her formidable will and staunch fortitude were reflected in her impressive eyes despite her ruined body.

"Earth-Saint Luo!" She cried out, her voice containing a plea.

Luo Ning glanced at Sage Imentet as the battle raged on in the distance. Over half a dozen Sages and numerous Mystic Overlords utilizing the united power of a galaxy broken into regions used their all to stall Teng Jiangwen. After Luo Ning's reminder, they were brought out of their delusional assumption of Teng Jiangwen's endless energy. Given the tremendous amount of power he was using here, far surpassing anything else, he must be like a blazing star at the end of its life trying to illuminate an entire galaxy in its last hour. He was using everything within his cultivation base!

He shouldn't last long!

This theory was reinforced after Luo Ning declared that she could take two more attacks and his deathly glare at her before fleeing without the slightest hesitation, refusing to confront Luo Ning! While dangerous, as long as they remained cautious, supporting each other and ensuring the safety of their allies while wearing down Teng Jiangwen's energy reserves, they could win!

Hearing Sage Imentet's pleading voice, Luo Ning's body, which exuded the aura of an Enlightened Sage, trembled slightly. Sage Imentet instantly realized that Luo Ning was on the verge of losing her burrowed power, her weak cultivation base unable to handle the mountain of a straining task of mobilizing what mortals would consider godly strength.

"Here!"

From the mouth of the cauldron, a white stream of elixir containing countless mystic runes exuding a richly intense worldly aura flowed out and aimed for Sage Imentet's mouth. She only briefly inspected the elixir before realizing its origins, and her eyes shined brilliantly as she opened her tantalizing pair of lips and stuck out her pink tongue, allowing the liquid to enter her throat.

She swallowed!

Then, Luo Ning formed a handseal. A cloud of dense seven-colored mist blasted outwards and slammed against Sage Imentet's broken body. Within less than a second, the ease of refinement of the replenishment and recovery elixir at the high-tier Mystic World grade was digested and its effects showed immediate results.

CRACK! SNAP! POP!

Sage Imentet's broken body made cracking sounds of her skeletal frame regrowing and her sundered flesh returned. Even the blood that washed over her robes was cleaned, and within a few blinks of an Enlightened Sage's eye, she regained her former beauty of the ages that could move the blind and entice all genders. She was a moving, unrivaled beauty of her generation resembling a goddess of ancient myth.

With a deep breath, the mystic aura around her became increasingly vigorous. While she hadn't gained her full strength, she could muster roughly sixty percent of her original power.

She gave Luo Ning a grateful look and with a flicker, vanished into a comet of black and white light as a swirl of vast sand spun around her figure, amplifying her speed of movement as if propelling her forward and tearing apart the resistance of solidified space and the latent void.

Zhan Jiangwen was repeatedly accosted by the Sages. He launched his first through sixth fist once again, but his one-directional form of attack was immediately countered by several methods. Zhan Jiangwen was a powerful Sage in his life, but he was a Vagabond Cultivator who had to strive for everything himself and had only elevated his Seven Asura Fists Ascension Art to an extraordinary level, becoming the culmination of his lifetime of efforts. With it, he acquired the Minor Law of Momentum, a testament to its incredible foundation and potential.

Unfortunately, this made his battle tactics linear. He wasn't adept at Spiritual Spells or Spiritual Ascension Arts, and Wei Wuyin had once pointed out the flaws of his Mental Visualization Method that needed to be actively circulated to acquire benefits while the Neo-Dawn Visualization Method was far greater in terms of usage and passive protection against the grandiose and calamitous might of mind-sundering spells. He had fallen for the Eye of Illusion after all!

This was also why he hated Sages. If they knew of his linear tactics, it wouldn't be difficult to predict and counter his attacks with timing and understanding. If he could curve or control the asura power released by his fists after being unleashed, then the variations would be nearly impossible to handle. Unfortunately, the Law of Momentum meant unleashing power beyond your normal strength, making it very difficult to control.

That said, his past limits had already been surpassed, and this energy from Wei Wuyin was capable of defying all sorts of conventional thinking. Unfortunately, he couldn't test these things out and was only consolidating his grasp of his enlightenment.

While blitzing toward the galactic layer, he was repeatedly verifying his new limits. Even without Wei Wuyin's energy, he felt confident of unleashing the eighth fist! While it would be exhausting, it would be possible!

Whoosh!

Just as he neared a few hundred thousand miles near the galactic layer, slowly trudging forward with fist after fist despite being delayed by the ferociously desperate actions of this galaxy's powers, a beautifully breathtaking figure flickered before him with a shield in hand.

His eyes widened with shock.

Sage Imentet!

She held her ikem before her, and with a heavy roar that, despite being deep and vicious, still contained an incredible alluring hook like music, she pushed that shield forward as a projection of the ikem enlarged to millions of miles. She was exhausting her entire power in this one attempt! Her defense had blocked off his escape route entirely! The God Cage of Eight Directions remained, so shifting across space was still prohibited!

Zhan Jiangwen growled in manic fury that sent shivers down the spines of everyone who could hear. It was the enraged shout of an Asura!

THIRD FIST!!!

It was clear that Zhan Jiangwen was getting weaker as his cycle of Momentum gathering kept reducing after unleashing that eighth fist, and at this point, he was limited to the third fist. While strong, it was blocked off by Sage Imentet's shield. The attack caused cracks to appear throughout her Heavenly Treasure, but her will remained firm as she pushed forward against the fist force!

With that hearty shove, for the first time, their foe was pushed back! Immediately, the six Sages acted all at once! They surrounded Zhan Jiangwen while forming a united array of power, creating a God Cage of Six Directions with themselves as flags. This was clearly pre-planned!

Within a single blink of a Supreme Sage's eye, the situation had changed and all Zhan Jiangwen's routes of escape were ruthlessly sealed! Zhan Jiangwen's body was impacted by the mystic power of six Sages poured viciously upon him.

"..."

Surprisingly, after that roar, his mood turned eerily calm.

"Teng Jiangwen! Surrender and we'll let you live! Or if you resist, we'll shatter your Soulguard and refine your soul for your remaining soulspan!" Sage Khepri threatened with brutal vim. He was an elderly man with golden hair, jet-black eyes, and black and gold robes embellished with scarabs carrying Solar Stars across its surface in an animated fashion.

Instantly, Sage Hathor's kind and gentle voice echoed out,

"We only want what belongs to our galaxy. As long as you return what you stole, we can swear an oath to only imprison you for fifty thousand years and strip you of your status as a Sage by sealing off your True Soul and Soul Energy. You'll retain your cultivation as Mystic Overlord, and with your strength, you'll rival Sages still."

She was an ordinary yet gentle-looking middle-aged woman with grayish hair, resembling a nurturing mother often described in idle stories. The very representation of one. With her modest blackish-grey robes that seemed to have turned Grey from overwashing and reuse, she exuded a warmth that was hard to distrust.

"Belongs to your galaxy?"

Zhan Jiangwen spoke with the depth of his former identity, Teng Jiangwen, infused with intense bitterness.

"Haha! Belongs to your galaxy?"

He repeated and then waved his hand from the center of the God Cage of Six Directions that manifested as a multicolored sphere with endless physical, spiritual, and mental chains trying to adhere to his form, threatening to restrict him. He was destroying them as they approached with his demonically-savage Mystic Aura, but this had turned from a hectic escape to a battle of attrition! When he waved his hand, a tiny one-inch cube emerged, floating at the center of his palm while covered in dense, extremely tiny mystic runes.

"...!"

All of their eyes brightened upon seeing it!

A Spatial-type Heavenly Treasure!

While they couldn't discern its uses, the potent Minor Spatial Law Aura it exuded all but confirmed its status as a Heavenly Treasure with an intimate connection with the heavens! With a glance, such an object could store everything that had been stored if it focused only on forming a Spatial Dimension for storage!

In truth, this was merely a dud of an item without any actual effects!

"You mean this?"

Zhan Jiangwen teased with an amused smile. Their expressions all changed as they felt a pounding dread in their hearts.

"Don't do anything rash, Sage Teng!"

Sage Nepit urged. He was already communicating with the others to determine what to do next.

"You're all fools. Mwahaha!"

Zhan Jiangwen released maniacal laughter that was eerily calm as if his dangerous situation was no longer relevant.

"This was my path to the Resonant Soul Realm. I had even planned all of it out. Did you really think that I didn't target any of you at all? That you were safe?!"

Eventually, Luo Ning caught up with heavy breaths and a sweat-beaded forehead. When she arrived, the others glanced at her, and Sage Imentet whose body was pushed to the brink once again flew toward her instantly. She arrived by her side with a flash of concern. Luo Ning gave a brief flash of a consoling smile before her gaze shifted to the trapped Zhan Jiangwen.

But the other Sages' expressions all experienced several changes.

"What do you mean?"

Sage Amunet, a woman's voice questioned, yet her entire body was shrouded by a hazy, grayish veil, only revealing her feminine silhouette that was constantly shifting between a little girl, a young slender woman, a voluptuous woman of sultry flavor, a scholarly young woman with a book in her hand, a middle-aged woman who carried a flower pot, and an elderly woman with a bent back and thin limbs.

Zhan Jiangwen chuckled amusingly,

"I had long since set traps on each of your vaults. Move them? Split them up? Enhance your protections and alert systems? Pathetic. All pathetic! I just didn't dare take them one at a time and alert you all. Whatever, I won't explain it all to you foolish simpletons. To put it bluntly, all of your treasures, every last bit, is HERE! Haha! What do you think about that?!"

Zhan Jiangwen flourished the cube as if it were his greatest achievement in life.

"WHAT?!"

When they heard this, their expression changed drastically. Immediately, the only Sage that was in her Major Region, Sage Nepri and the Renenutet, the capital planet that stored her relocated vaults, checked the contents of her vault within an instant. And her aura's shift and emotional shock caused the God Cage of Eight Directions to falter and they all felt it!

Before Sage Nepri could give the news, Zhan Jiangwen turned his calm gaze which contained unbridled rage and resentment within its depths toward Luo Ning.

"I fucking hate you."

Four words yet it was incredibly direct!

It was as if all of his countless years of extensive, careful planning were ruined by a single unseen variable.

"If only you died,"

he shifted his gaze toward Sage Imentet with implied meanings. If Sage Imentet was killed, the God Cage of Eight Directions would experience a drastic flaw!

After all, the main power source and array flags were the five-belt Mystic Stars! It was their World-Bound Star Domains!!!

They immediately realized why Sage Imentet, the one who suffered the greatest degree of injuries, was aimed for with his strongest attack! It was purposeful! Yet Luo Ning ruined it all!

"It's over, but this doesn't have to be your end. As said, we can make a deal."

Sage Nepit's face was pale as he had just received news from Sage Nepri that her vaults had been emptied. There were signs that it was moved into a spatial object!

That spatial-type Heavenly Treasure!

Long-distance spatial transference?! Through the God Cage of Eight Directions?! Clearly, he was prepared! That dastardly bastard! Did he steal EVERYTHING?! Did they play right into his hands?!?!

"A deal?"

Zhan Jiangwen smiled with amusement. Then, his eyes spewed venom! fr𝚎𝗲𝐰ebnov𝐞𝐥.𝐜o𝗺

"Screw off!"

He didn't wait for them to act after or make any other confirmations. With a clench of his fingers around the one-inch cube, he released a bright, dazzling smile filled with mockery and a tinge of longing.

"Since I can't reach the Resonant Soul Realm, none of you can dream of doing so this lifetime! FUCK ALL OF YOU!"

With an evil laugh, the one-inch cube released a volatile light alongside his body as cracks began to spew out white light of endless momentum.

"HE'S GOING TO SELF-DETONATE! SEND HIM OUT!!"

Luo Ning said before dashing away while summoning the Minor Elysium, grabbing Sage Imentet, and immediately sending it flying while erecting every defensive array with her remaining burrowed power. She was the only one with an Enlightened Sage's power, so her perception was Soul Perception! They didn't dare neglect her warning.

Sage Imentet didn't resist as her eyes widened as she observed the scene.

Sage Pakhet reacted swiftly.

"Send him out of the galaxy!"

This Teng Jiangwen was utterly mad! He already activated the self-detonation process in full! There was no going back!!!

They were all Sages, and they expected a desperate bid with the last remaining trump card but not this! Still, they reacted fast. The God Cages of Six and Eight Directions worked in tandem, and the Sages in a uniform effort pushed out their palms, sending the cage blazing out of the galaxy and passing the hundred thousand or so miles remaining. Fortunately, they were so close!

When the God Cage of Six Directions was pushed out of the galactic layer, they kept supplying it with mystic power to prevent Zhan Jiangwen from escaping while driving it further away but also hoping to use its might to protect the one-inch cube. Within the blink of a Supreme Sage's eye, desperation in their hearts, they sent the cage trillions of miles away!

Unfortunately-

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!