Paragon of Sin

Chapter 1726: It Arrives

The spacetime observation-restricting barrier established by Wei Wuyin had caused an incredible frenzy. Since entering the Utmost Purity Galaxy, Wei Wuyin's every action had stirred the pot among the strongest cultivators, including the Incandescent Star Palace's Palace Lord, especially by attracting the attention of the galactic news outlet.

Regardless of where Wei Wuyin traveled, there were eyes following, but the moment the barrier was erected by his joint usage of Minor Spatial Law and Minor Time Law, both mutated at their core, the speculations and activity grew increasingly feverish. Assumptions of Wei Wuyin's cultivation were the hottest topic; furthermore, Soul Perception of Enlightened Sages and Supreme Sages were no longer able to reliably observe Wei Wuyin after his ascension into the Mystic Ascendant Realm and the completion of his True Void Dragon Bloodline. Additionally, Wei Wuyin took greater measures to shroud his soul's aura.

It would be far more troublesome if his identity as a Mystic Star Phase cultivator was exposed too early or his true age. At the very least, he had to establish certain contingencies and certainties to ensure that the reveal would be digested well for the galaxy's elites.

With the barrier up, all eyes became blocked, and a few noisy foxes were injured severely. A Heavenly Seer had succumbed to Cultivation Deviation and had even gone into a coma induced by severe dissonance of space and time. While their cultivation base wasn't too advanced, their courage and passion were simply too high. Given the profound aura of the barrier, few decided to recklessly barge in to avoid offending Wei Wuyin directly. Since he sought privacy, infringing on that was bound to only produce enemies, and even if they succeeded, Wei Wuyin would instantly know. It simply wasn't worth it.

The matter of World-Saint White Sky and World-Saint Soothing Jade, including their respective institutes, was solved after an hour or so of discussion and agreements.

Before the barrier came down, Wei Wuyin had agreed to concoct the Resounding Echoes of Celestial Refinement for her, but only at the low-quality at most, and they'd set the deadline within the next ten thousand years. In the meantime, he would give her ten Mystic-World Essence Pills. Afterward, he warned her that finding this Concoction Method in a random ruin might not be as simple as it seemed. He left it at that.

White Sky was relieved to the high heavens as the condition changed. After all, paying the price of the wager wasn't too difficult. While Wei Wuyin didn't directly interfere with the wager's victor and loser's conditions, thereby preventing her lineage's product and their institute's Concoction Method from being taken by Mei Xiangyao, this was more than enough since just a few months ago, she was on the chopping block of life with Wei Wuyin as the butcher that mercifully decided to send her back to the sea unharmed.

She was incredibly grateful. Moreover, she had established a fated connection with Wei Wuyin that could be leveraged for future benefits. Only she understood that Wei Wuyin didn't just have great alchemical abilities, but he had the power exceeding a monstrous Sage like Enlightened Sage Springfield. She didn't think that with his means Sage Springfield would die to a Supreme Sage easily. One had to know that Sage Springfield was a top expert of the Utmost Purity Galaxy! Whilst she was unaware of his true depths, the man was declared by the Mystic Dao as its representative of the peak of the Mystic Ascendant Realm!

Of course, that was just her assumption. Whether others knew or not wasn't something she could know, but the spacetime observation-restriction barrier was very telling of his cultivation base by pure assumption. There were few Sages that had grasped Minor Authorities, let alone Minor Authorities that felt as if they were Major Authorities. That alone caused those with ill intentions and thoughts of proving Wei Wuyin to come to an immediate halt.

Foreigner or not, no one who cultivated to their level would recklessly offend a cultivator with such power, even if it was a result of Heavenly Treasures, especially since he was also a Worldly Saint Alchemist with a pair of Alchemic Stars of Transcendent Purity! There were already rumors that he was an ancient Supreme Sage with deep ties with the Incandescent Star Palace.

The mobile Stellar Transit Light disk was already sending a storm their way, but they responded very flatly as if they were unwilling to give out any further detail. They were watching Wei Wuyin closely, but in the eyes of others, this was to observe the result of their non-stationary Star Bridge Arrah disk. Considering that it had been used on multiple trips back and forth, countless hearts wanted to invest further into the Incandescent Star Palace and form deals with them prior to the release of those disks.

It only took a few hours before Hao Chengxue finalized the revision of the wager's conditions and retriggered the payment with the set deadline of a few weeks. It was offered within those hours. White Sky was capable of keeping her White Heaven Jewel, and the Sea & Sky Institute was liberated of their sentence of what was called alchemic indentured servitude, but Wei Wuyin was fine with using the term that best fit such arrangements: Alchemic Enslavement.

After obtaining the complete Concoction Method, Wei Wuyin had also established a Heaven-Bound Soul Oath using Pakhet's Heavenly Treasure, that golden khopesh she forged with her very own bones and blood, preventing any revealing of the Concoction Method for the Resounding Echoes of the Celestial Refinement Pill for the next ten thousand years or his obtainment of its method.

This was entirely one-sided; he could discuss it with others, expose his knowledge of it, or share it amongst his disciples or partners freely, but Mei Xiangyao and her Dao Protector could not expose any details of the Resounding Echoes of Celestial Refinement Pill or his possession of it, not even the slightest hint. As for Luo Ning and Pakhet, Wei Wuyin didn't impose any restrictions and rebuffed any of their attempts to place them under a Heaven-Bound Soul Oath. They could only accept such arrangements.

Wei Wuyin sat comfortably on a rattan chair with soft padding, enjoying the wine offered by Hao Chengxue, the Hall Manager of this Utmost Purity Hall's branch. Behind him, Pakhet stood beautifully upright, standing like a guardian, observing silently. She was a ferocious piece of eye candy that could be admired from every angle, utterly gorgeous.

Hao Changxue preferred Imentet. Unfortunately, she refused to drink. In truth, the attitudes of high and mighty Sages always displeased him, especially those fairy-like otherworldly beauties that could bring the downfall of entire stellar regions, feeling as if they could ignore all of heaven and earth if it didn't please them. While he was a Worldly Saint Alchemist, his cultivation wasn't close to hers, so he could only pout internally.

While offering casual conversation, his thoughts connected to a similar story:

"World-Saint Neo-Dawn, have you heard of the tragedy of Sky Heart?"

Wei Wuyin took a tip and enjoyed the warmth-inducing feeling of the wine. With a smile, he replied:

"Who hasn't?"

"Haha! Right! Who hasn't? What a scandal. But considering it was said her beauty alone could steal a galaxy's heart, sending it soaring across the starry skies, I can somewhat understand the pain."

Hao Chengxue commented as he shook his head, feeling as if the Supreme Sage's actions were understandable.

Wei Wuyin took another sip and stared at Hao Chengxue. The Supreme Sage had been so enraged by this so-called scandal that he placed a Prohibition of Heaven's Resonance on the entire galaxy. Because of this, the entire galaxy was dominated by beasts whose powers were innate, tied to their bloodlines.

"I once heard that Sage Imentet of the No-Name Galaxy—"

"Resolute Dusk Galaxy," Wei Wuyin corrected.

"Oh right! I heard there were changes recently to the galaxy, but it hasn't spread too far with any tangible information yet. But yes, Sage Imentet of the Resolute Dusk Galaxy had beauty almost rivaling Sky Heart. From what I can see, it shouldn't be too far off!"

Hao Chengxue chuckled drunkenly.

Wei Wuyin thought for a moment. Imentet was a heaven-rending beauty for sure, but in his eyes, she paled in comparison to Xue Yifei, Qing Qiumu, and Yue Songli. Especially Yue Songli and Xue Yifei, thinking of those divine mountains Yue Songli carried with her and Xue Yifei's unrivaled lips, his blood boiled a little.

However, his boiling blood was not caused by what one would initially think. His eyes slowly traced its origins, and his left and right arms were heating up, burning as the tattoos seared an urgent reminder into his soul.

It was coming.

The Calamity of Hell—the Fourth Calamity.

He closed his eyes for a long moment. Hao Chengxue, while seemingly drunk, was quite sober, and Wei Wuyin's actions caused his expression to grow solemn. He wasn't foolish. He knew Wei Wuyin was an extreme expert. He didn't give off the aura of an Alchemic Soul cultivator at the initial glance, so there was a chance that he was a Resonant Soul Realm expert! The worth of drinking with an expert of that level was inestimable, and his status would certainly increase by mere association. Even if they took a few steps back, those Alchemic Stars of Transcendent Purity were enough to elevate his position to be not a lick inferior given that all information points to him establishing a Mystic-World Alchemical Lineage already!

[RIGHT ARM: Lust]

Karmic Luck Value: 0.

First Calamity: Survived - 7/7.

Second Calamity: Claimed - 1/1.

Third Calamity: Claimed - 3/3.

Fourth Calamity: Suppressed - 1 Year.

[LEFT ARM: Pride]

Karmic Luck Value: 0.

First Calamity: Survived - 7/7.

Second Calamity: Claimed - 1/1.

Third Calamity: Claimed - 3/3.

Fourth Calamity: Suppressed - 1 Year.

Wei Wuyin continuously reviewed the details that Wen Mingna had nearly given her life to pass on in his heart.

Was he ready?

Always.

Yet as it was approaching, arriving, rearing its ugly head threatening to claim his very existence, his heart…

…was unshaken!

[RIGHT ARM: Lust]

Karmic Luck Value: 0.

First Calamity: Survived - 7/7.

Second Calamity: Claimed - 1/1.

Third Calamity: Claimed - 3/3.

Fourth Calamity: Suppressed - 0 Year.

[LEFT ARM: Pride]

Karmic Luck Value: 0.

First Calamity: Survived - 7/7.

Second Calamity: Claimed - 1/1.

Third Calamity: Claimed - 3/3.

Fourth Calamity: Suppressed - 0 Year.

"I have to go," Wei Wuyin said as he lightly placed down the wine glass, rising from his head. Pakhet's spine straightened instinctively, her heart palpitating as she gazed at Wei Wuyin's tall figure. She cultivated and fought savagely and ferociously, yet for a split moment, she felt like a tiny domestic cat observing a hell-trodding prideful divinity.

"Return to the ship," Wei Wuyin instructed Pakhet, who subconsciously acknowledged with a nod. Then, he clasped his fists toward Hao Chengxue,

"There's a matter I have to settle, so I'll have to ask for forgiveness."

"Forgiveness?" Just as Hao Chengxue was baffled, Wei Wuyin's body merged with the void, vanishing as if it no longer existed on this plane of existence. His eyes nearly bulged out of his eye sockets almost immediately. Was that…Spatial Shifting?!

Pakhet didn't stay. She left immediately. Her heart was pounding. The more she interacted with Wei Wuyin, the more mysterious and unfathomable he seemed. Moreover, she couldn't stop herself from feeling desire, a feeling she hadn't felt since meeting him or in the last thirty thousand years, as that image of his tall figure manifested in her memory. It wasn't love.

Was it…lust?

Wei Wuyin had long since set a Void Anchor beyond the Utmost Purity Galaxy. He repeatedly went through the contingencies he set in place in case he never returned from this calamity. While he was confident, it went against his nature to not make ample preparations for every conceivable scenario. He had even set a sequence of spiritual jades that would emulate and complete his two-year date with Yue Songli after his disappearance, encouraging her to enjoy being free from now on.

[RIGHT ARM: Lust]

Karmic Luck Value: 0.

First Calamity: Survived - 7/7.

Second Calamity: Claimed - 1/1.

Third Calamity: Claimed - 3/3.

Fourth Calamity: Initiating.

[LEFT ARM: Pride]

Karmic Luck Value: 0.

First Calamity: Survived - 7/7.

Second Calamity: Claimed - 1/1.

Third Calamity: Claimed - 3/3.

Fourth Calamity: Initiating.