Paragon of Sin

Following through with his promise, Wei Wuyin sent out statements clarifying the entire situation and arranged for Lin Ziyan to receive the best care. The Ji Clan was marked as traitors of the sect and were hunted down, brought in, and interrogated for the truth.

Shockingly yet not surprising, his deliberate accusation had some truth within, and quite a few members of the Ji Clan practiced Evil Methods forbidden by the sect, even by the world. This news caused an uproar, and many praised Wei Wuyin for his foresight and decisive actions against a vile clan such as this. 

While the Myriad Monarch Sect didn't strictly ban Evil Methods, they disallowed a select few ones that were disgustingly ferocious, vile, and vicious. As an example, there was an Evil Alchemic Method that gathered the primal yang and yin essence of a thousand virgin men and women before brewing them into a cauldron to condense a Blood Pill. 

Or an Evil Cultivation Method that extracted the nascent, pure meridians and dantians from infants and refined them into one's own to strengthen one's innate talent.

These types of acts were considered beyond redemption and subsequently and ruthlessly outlawed by not just the Myriad Monarch Sect, but the entire Tri-Vision Starfield. Yet the Ji Clan was found cultivating these methods to help develop themselves.

Unfortunately, these methods were oftentimes employed because: Cultivation is difficult! Three words and it highlighted the most frustrating worries within everyone's minds. Despite there being tens of trillions of cultivators in the starfield, only five million could reach the Astral Core Realm, capable of living more than a thousand years.

Regardless of the reason, their act led to the unified expulsion and near eradication of their entire clan. Those few had implicated the younger generation and those ignorant of their crimes. What became a capture and interrogate, became an order to capture, and if they resisted, to kill freely.

The Myriad Monarch Sect even placed bounties on their talented members, their experts, and those of direct lineage to the leader of the Ji Clan. It was quite a depressing sequence of events for this clan, and even Wei Wuyin hadn't expected such an extreme outcome.

Before long, days passed and Wei Wuyin had settled everything that needed to be settled and returned to his sky palace. The ring that he obtained from Long Chen remained sealed, kept within the Soul Sealer Cube. He didn't intend to inspect or inquire about the identity or purpose from whatever existence remained in the ring until his cultivation base reached the Astral Core Realm. Only then would feel confident enough to ensure his ability to react and defend against most schemes.

Fortunately, that day would soon come, but today wasn't it.

Today, he had a visitor.

Xiang Ling!

A few days ago, he invited her to his sky palace, and today she had arrived. He hadn't expected her to be quite decisive and swift in accepting. After all, he didn't conceal his interest or intent. All things aside, he was somewhat elated at her arrival. 

He personally went to greet her at the entrance. When he reached the front door, he saw Zhao Yan beside her, and his pegasus acting as a large background. He had a stoic expression, as if it was his default. When he sensed Wei Wuyin's aura, his expression became much more amicable and joyful. While this was clearly an act, it was still an effort that was worth the applause.

Wei Wuyin walked forward and greeted, "Commander Zhao, I have to thank you for bringing Fairy Blessed Spirit." 

Zhao Yan hurriedly waved his hand, "It is my honor." If any heard the Commanding Knight of the Extreme Creation Mountain's Knight of Enforcement act in such a humbled and smiling manner, they would surely be jolted into surrealism. If they knew that it was due to the Heavenly King, Alchemic King Wei Wuyin, they would then reveal expressions of acceptance.

Xiang Ling gracefully stood there in wait. Her signature red lips, limpid eyes, and minimalistic yet perfectly applied make-up to those magnificently sculptured features of hers made her seem like the centerpiece of an exceptional painting. Her multicolored robes were form-fitting, revealing the exquisite contours of her breasts.

Wei Wuyin's internal fire could continuously be ignited as a surging wave of desire would sting his heart. This woman possessed an allure that could devolve most men into animals with a single smile, a shake of her hips, or a lean of her body.

He smilingly said, "You look as lovely as always, Elder Xiang." Although he called her elder, it didn't contain a hint of a junior speaking to a senior. 

Xiang Ling's eyes never left Wei Wuyin after he arrived. This young man, just three years ago, was a mere junior cultivator from a continental flat earth with no background, yet now he had grown into an exceptional figure that became a household name, tagged with various sky-toppling praises.

Before, she found that his potential to become a King Alchemist was appealing, but now he was renowned as not just being a King Alchemist, but the youngest with the fastest refinement speed and wide-array of products. Considering that most King Alchemists took weeks, months, or years to concoct a single successful seventh-grade product, but also specialized in a single product or one of the four main types, Wei Wuyin was too bright in comparison to them.

She didn't know how to approach him now, and while his cultivation base paled beneath hers, she didn't dare see him as weak and fragile. 

"I hope I didn't interrupt anything," she said, a little meek in tone. However, one couldn't fault her due to Wei Wuyin's current standings and clear intentions.

"You haven't." Wei Wuyin replied. His two beauties from nights before had long since left. They weren't his toys or tools, and they had lives of their own. They couldn't be his shadows and act upon his every whim, nor did he want women like that. They were both exceptional at their jobs and had a lot going on, and he usually couldn't arrange for both to be here at the same time. It was merely a fortune of scheduling that allowed such a blessing.

At the moment, he was completely alone. Not even Su Mei was here.

"Good." She said, before thinking of something and added: "Thank you for helping Yu'er. That little girl is a little too rash sometimes." She was suffused with endless worry after Long Tingyu was captured and sentenced to three decades of imprisonment. Unfortunately, she was powerless to change it. 

Wei Wuyin shook his head, "I acted with my own interests in mind, so there's utterly no need for thanks. But I can see you care for her a lot. It's good that she has someone like you." He could clearly see the motherly feelings Xiang Ling had towards Long Tingyu. While he didn't probe it, he knew they were incredibly close despite only three years having passed. 

Xiang Ling smiled in response. It was gentle and filled with warmth. Obviously, she was thinking about Long Tingyu. 

"How about we go inside?" Wei Wuyin smilingly asked, gesturing to Xiang Ling that if she wanted, they could. Zhao Yan realized his purpose had been fulfilled, so he nodded before taking off on his pegasus.

Xiang Ling took a deep breath, taking in the high-quality astral essence which she never had a chance to absorb in her life, and revealed a gentle smile. With a nod, she solidified her will and understanding of what would likely happen in her heart. 

Today, she stepped into the luxuriously elegant and grand sky palace, but she wouldn't be leaving for quite awhile.

-----

Two weeks later.

Wei Wuyin sat quietly in his cultivation room, deep in thought. In front of him, numerous books and scrolls were scattered about. These mediums of knowledge storage contained the accounts of those who've witnessed the Astral Tribulation of others who've similarly reached the Zenith Mortal State. 

His brows were deeply furrowed, nearly vertical. There have been numerous experts who've dedicated their lives to achieving the Zenith Mortal State, and subsequently faced the Mortal Star Formation Tribulation, the first Astral Tribulation of the Astral Core Realm, and the first tribulation they faced in their cultivation. Each account responded how the world's aura was intense, suppressive to the point breathing or circulating their cultivation base was profoundly difficult, near-impossible.

Furthermore, they all had the same conclusion: Failure. 

Those who undertook this tribulation were forced to face seemingly insurmountable forces to properly refine their Natal Souls, becoming Astral Souls and birthing an Astral Core that can store their World Sea. He knew that the stronger the Natal Soul, the more difficult the tribulation, but to think it was this difficult.

There were even accounts of others helping them, attempting to interfere and allow them to breakthrough, but the Mortal Star Formation Tribulation must be fully overcome by the cultivator only or else their transformation would be incomplete, and they would be rendered into a very strange pseudo-Astral Core Realm state.

This state couldn't advance in cultivation. They would forever be a pseudo-Astral Core Realm cultivator.

While the Second Tribulation and subsequent tribulations can be helped with external forces, such as Xiang Ling helping Wu Jiao breakthrough into the Second Stage, this would cause their ability to advance in cultivation to be halted entirely, unable to ever ascend into the next phase. Only those who were desperate would ever resort to such a method.

Wei Wuyin was unique; he had four Natal Souls, all of which were at the Zenith Mortal State. Furthermore, two of which were unique, and one contained Elemental Energy.

According to past records of other cultivators, those who've attempted to assail the Mortal Star Formation Tribulation with specially fused types of Natal Souls were often forced to face immensely difficult tribulations. The purpose of the Mortal Star Formation Tribulation was to mould, shape, and transform the Natal Soul into an Astral Soul, the stronger it was, the harder it became to achieve.

Fortunately, this didn't seem to factor in the quality of energies, only the type of energies within. This meant that regardless if he had five advanced top-tier elemental essences or the normal elemental essences, the tribulation's intensity would remain the same. This benefited him slightly. After all, he had Steel Metal, Violet Lightning, Life Meadow Wood, Blazing Inferno Magma, and Absolute Zero Ice Energies.

If the tribulations were divided, he should have a sufficient ability to overcome that specific tribulation, but the issue was...if it was combined. His Draconic Void Natal Soul and Alchemic Eden Natal Soul were special, and the Dao of Void embodied all time, space, and astronomical forces! Would that affect him? Also, if they were separate, could his Draconic Void Natal Soul and Alchemic Eden Natal Soul be relied on by themselves to overcome the tribulation?

He couldn't help but feel a ceaselessly throbbing headache over this matter. 

"I spent nearly a week just gathering information, only to find out what I already know...I can't use pellets to overcome the trial, or my path will stop then and there. I can't allow that to happen." Wei Wuyin clenched his fists. His goal currently was to reach the Realm of Sages. Not only did he need to reach that point, but he needed the most stable foundation imaginable to bring about the strongest cultivation strength. Then and only then will he have a safety net in case he failed a calamity.

Right now, he didn't have the protection of a Soul of True Sin. A single failure in a Calamity of Hell to the current him meant only one path: Game Over. 

Taking several long and drawn out breaths, Wei Wuyin collected the books and scrolls. He had prepared enough, and if he didn't take this step today, he might always find some excuse to take his time. But he didn't have time to waste.

"Today's the day."