Paragon of Sin

Long Chen giving Wei Wuyin the ring caused Na Xinyi's heart to quake. She knew that the ring was a precious treasure, but his willingness to give it up for the sake of Qing Qiumu, Long Tingyu, and Lin Ziyan caused her thoughts to veer towards a realization. A realization that Long Chen wasn't someone that could only take, but someone who was willing to sacrifice.

It was not just her but Wu Baozhai and Lian Yu were similarly shocked by his decisiveness to give up the ring. While they didn't know what it was, if Wei Wuyin wanted it, it had to be unfathomably precious. Their hearts moved. 

Xiang Ling watched all this unfold, and while she wasn't Long Chen's woman, she was Long Tingyu's master, and she couldn't help but reconsider her opinion of him. 

Wei Wuyin didn't care about the imaginary heart points Long Chen obtained by this sacrifice, nor the selective memories of these fickle women that forgot that Lin Ziyan was thoroughly and nearly irreparably crippled because of something 'he' did, and this led to the current set of events. Wasn't he just cleaning up his own mess, and he had to rely on Wei Wuyin to even do it?!

If spectators knew of the story, perhaps they would laugh at these women for their foolish thoughts. After all, outsiders looking in could see all from an unobstructed view.

Wei Wuyin was careful, not reaching out to grab the ring, but using a strand of qi to condense into a solid string to coil around the ring until it was wrapped in a makeshift ball.

Long Chen coldly laughed in his heart at Wei Wuyin's caution, but after the ring was pulled out of his hand, a sense of emptiness emerged in his soul. His eyes froze for a moment as he observed Wei Wuyin withdraw a ten-inch cubical object that seemed like black jade. it was etched with multicolored esoteric markings reminiscent of a spiritual formation, and these marks were far stronger than what he had ever seen before.

...What's that? Was their simultaneous thought.

Wei Wuyin didn't give them time to analyze as the ring was brought over swiftly and entered a small opening just the right size to fit a ring, and was placed within the cube. The opening closed, seemingly vanishing as if it was never there, and there was no longer an opening or ring present. Then, the cube disappeared.

Wei Wuyin finally gave off a relaxed smile. This box was quite expensive to purchase, costing several dozen seventh-grade high-tier products. It was called the Soul Sealer Cube. It was designed specifically to seal an Astral Soul, the advanced version of a Natal Soul, and allow for long range transportation in a preserved state. It could be brought an untold distance swiftly or kept to be refined for later.

It was a tool used by Evil Cultivators to store, seal, and maintain the potency of Astral Souls for various reasons, like cultivation or transformed into a life-saving tool. Regardless, it was quite difficult to procure, but very suitable to seal the ring. After all, it can contain Astral Force and that embodies mental, physical, spiritual, and elemental energies. 

Long Chen was startled for a moment as he felt a weakening connection with the ring. 'Wait, did he always have that prepared? Wait...why did he act so cautiously to begin with?' He had originally assumed that Wei Wuyin believed he had a cultivation treasure, like some people have in the past, and seeked to excavate its secrets, but it was more like he was deliberately caging something.

Did he know?!?!

Before he could let that question properly settle in, Wei Wuyin dispersed his spiritual spell and turned his gaze to Xiang Ling. Since the beginning, when he had first met her in the Myriad Yore Continent, he had been interested in this woman, yet she was like a ghost, constantly elsewhere and never here. "You have an open invitation to my sky palace, whenever you want." He calmly stated with a gentle smile.

Xiang Ling's heart shook. Was Wei Wuyin interested in her? While she wanted to forge a relationship like others, she felt her discipleship of Long Tingyu would automatically exclude her. Yet here he was, giving her a verbal invitation before everyone. 

Wei Wuyin didn't stay here. He jumped upwards like a shadow, causing Long Chen to take a step as the realization that Wei Wuyin might already know about the ring's true secret and what it contained dawned on him. 

Woosh!

Xiao Bai was timely, arriving and allowing Wei Wuyin to step upon his broad back without a hint of awkwardness. They flew swiftly back to the execution platform, and Wei Wuyin jumped off, landing before the now standing Qing Qiumu. While she wasn't allowed to leave until things were officially stated, she wouldn't keep kneeling either.

Wei Wuyin rubbed his nose awkwardly, "You'll probably learn what happened, so I hope you'll understand why I said and did what I did."

"...what? What did you guys talk about? What did you mean by I won't like what you have to do?" Qing Qiumu was slightly flustered, but she didn't know why.

Wei Wuyin scratched his head slightly and sighed. "This."

He lifted his head towards Zhao Yan's pegasus and shouted: "the Ji Clan are traitors of the sect and have been for four days!" His words were like an explosive boom that reached the ears of every last person present.

"...what?!"

"What?!"

"WHAT?!"

Wei Wuyin said merely this, then turned to the captain-class Knight on scene, Bei Ming. When he saw her shock on her face, he realized she was a little familiar. As he recalled a few things, he finally placed her. She was the infertile knight with a damaged yin essence, so she couldn't give birth to a child. Su Mei found out through her investigative efforts to procure a peak-tier seventh-grade pill that could restore Yin Essence, but with so few Alchemic Kings, and even fewer ones that could concoct such a pill, this was a dream.

After finding this out, she was given this pill in return and firmly cemented her allegiance to him. Furthermore, she had a baby a year ago. No wonder she shattered the guillotine the moment she learned that Qing Qiumu might be his wife. From the dossier Su Mei prepared for him that included her file, she was quite intelligent and decisive in her actions.

He gave her a smile and said, "Handle this matter properly."

Zhao Yan soared over. Bei Ming was truly intelligent as she took merely a few seconds to adjust and announced without hesitation, "The Ji Clan has been found collaborating with a group of Evil Cultivators, cultivating using various prohibited methods, and performing malicious methods against their fellow members, us. All those with the Ji name were no longer considered members of the sect four days ago, and thus the actions of those below are hereby not crimes against members of their sect, but righteous actions against traitors!"

Her attitude shift was a complete one-eighty as she condemned an entire clan and its hundreds of thousands of members to expulsion, and likely even execution. However, in her heart, she knew this was the only way to free these three of their actions without stepping on the rules of the sect. After all, openingly breaking the rules and bending it had very different results.

Zhao Yan jumped off his pegasus and descended next to her. While he was the Commanding Knight of the Extreme Creation Mountain and Bei Ming was under the Commanding Knight of the Extreme War Mountain, he still had influence and unfathomable prestige within the entire Myriad Monarch Sect. What was a single clan before the words of an Alchemic King and Heavenly King of their sect?

He not only echoed her words, he even brought out various traces of evidence that seemed to suggest the validity of this matter before the near million witnesses below. Where had he obtained this? Even Wei Wuyin didn't know. Perhaps the Ji Clan truly was corrupt and vile, or it was tolerably corrupt enough to allow it to receive a free pass.

Wei Wuyin seemed to feel that this was natural. As a force after a Blessed, they must have quite a few sinners. How unfortunate.

Qing Qiumu paled for a moment. 'Was this what he meant? Pinning crimes on an entire clan with a single sentence?!' In truth, she hated the Ji Clan, but to subject the entire clan to the treatment of traitors seemed unfair. No wonder he said those words...she was truly unable to like this.

But was there another way?

At this moment? Probably, but Wei Wuyin didn't want to spend more time on this.

He stepped towards Qing Qiumu, and leaned in to have his mouth reach her ear. He softly whispered a few words that caused her expression to change, and a hint of a laughing smile surfaced on her face. She almost snorted unintentionally.

Wei Wuyin smoothly retreated and asked, "Right?" With a little chuckle. It was this casual act that eradicated that heaviness in her heart. 

Zhao Yan and Bei Ming were already making declarations of investigations and giving out orders. Before Wei Wuyin even retreated from Qing Qiumu's ear, Long Tingyu and Jar Vin were freed. In fact, Bei Ming was talking about a reward to Qing Qiumu for eliminating traitors, even openly praising her. But the one who she named was already no longer paying attention as Wei Wuyin and Qing Qiumi casually chatted for a bit.

This matter was acted out in the utmost swiftness, and before a few minutes had passed, the knights in the sect, or members stationed out, were given orders of capture for all Ji Clan members and bring them back for interrogation. They would either unearth more crimes or verify the innocence of certain ignorant people. Of course, there would be some that will have to be placed on this Execution Platform, but the rest would likely receive expulsion from the sect and the Myriad Monarch Astral Territory.

At this moment, Wei Wuyin and Qing Qiumu were at the edge of the platform, their legs dangling as they looked at the busy knights and rowdy people below. The crowd was quite restless as they started to either disperse or gather, seeking to catch a further glimpse of Wei Wuyin above.

"...Thank you." Qing Qiumu said from the heart, moving a strand of loose hair behind her sharp ear.

Wei Wuyin lazily stretched out his arms and shook his head, "I'm not the person that should be thanked. If Na Xinyi didn't say anything, I wouldn't even know about this situation. I was...quite preoccupied these last few days." 

Qing Qiumu realized that Wei Wuyin was likely deeply enthralled in concocting pills, cultivation, or formulating his faction. If she knew he meant busy enjoying life with two exotic beauties, who knew how she'd think? But his words had unintentionally and inadvertently caused her heart to warm. When he did learn of it, did he not come and save her life at the most critical moment? Wasn't that enough?

Wei Wuyin wasn't a saint; he knew this about himself. That being said, he cared a lot for emotional attachments, even willing to subconsciously protect Bai Lin with his life before his own. After losing everything once, one's heart becomes shielded by armor, but those that could leave an impression was unimaginably valuable to him.

Qing Qiumu had not reached that level of importance in his heart before, and still hasn't today. And while this was mostly because of Long Chen's interference and existence, it was also due to their own personalities. Were they not both victims who found trusting others difficult? 

He lost his entire family, and nearly his trust in humanity.

Qing Qiumu lost her sense of safety, peace, and her trust in others. 

One was abused and hunted; One was captured and abused.

Perhaps it was this similarity that caused them to view each other as kindred spirits lit beneath the stars, yet kept them from forming that seemingly miraculous connection between them.

They had suffered and yet they thrived, and after regaining themselves, they didn't have any real goal except to see how far the road went. Wei Wuyin recalled his time directly before the Black Skeleton emerged in his life. His worries were just trust, how to survive, and how to cultivate effectively.

In the end, he had no true goals. It was only when he met that man with silver hair and black eyes, that bit into his neck, and the subsequent arrival of the Black Skeleton, that his life gained a semblance of purpose. It was the confrontation with one's death that truly sets one's perspective.

'I want to explore the entire world! See everything I can, enjoy all the things I can! After that, build a grand business, family, re-establish the Wei Clan, have many different wives and a few children to dote on.' - Wei Wuyin, age twenty-six(thirteen years ago).

'After this, I want to see more of what this world has to offer. Not just follow along others, but forge my own path and have my own adventures. Then, when I've had enough, I'll settle down and have a good husband, a few children to dote on.' - Qing Qiumu, age thirty-five(present day).

While they didn't know it, their thoughts were uttered at different times, but rang with the truest feelings and desires of their lives after experiencing a close shave with death. They also never imagined that their goals would inevitably birth a desire for immortality, and cultivation was the only way. This would lead them both down a long, difficult path!