Paragon of Sin

Yun Daotian was the first to regain his sense, and he sneered. "You hide your face? Are you scared of something?" While the crushing pressure from these two powerhouses had disturbed his mind, nearly causing him to urinate himself, he still walked forward and placed a brave front. While he wasn't confident in his battle strength, in the world of alchemy, he had immense confidence in himself.

"Yes. I'm scared that you'll slither to your knees and beg for lessons." Wei Wuyin didn't even shift his mask to 'glance' at Yun Daotian. 

"Ooooo!" This development allowed the hearts of the crowd to slowly regain their liveliness, once more stimulated by the upcoming event. While spectating a battle between peak experts would be invigorating, that would only be so if they could keep their lives while watching it. Just the auras of these experts suppressed millions with ease, and they hadn't even used any spells or arts yet. That was frightening.

The scathing words of Wei Wuyin and the rowdy response of the crowd caused him to stiffen. "You!"

Wei Wuyin shrugged, "Patriarch An, shall we begin?" He wanted to swiftly handle this matter. 

An Ge frowned slightly, turning towards An Biru with a questioning look that said: "Is this the expert you met?" 

An Biru noticed this gaze and hurriedly analyzed Wei Wuyin's existence to confirm. Besides his mask, his other physical features matched. So, she nodded with a little hesitation. This caused An Ge to frown deeper, inspecting Wei Wuyin once more. Was this the Elder-level figure from the Myriad Monarch Sect?

After all, they were the only force that could rear pegasi. It was their signature mount, and no other force used them. While that didn't include those experts that could purchase them, they were few and far between. You'll need to be an expert at the Third Stage of the Astral Core Realm, dominating a region of a planet for a long time before being able to obtain one or an Alchemic King.

In fact, Sky Nobles, the lowest ranking disciple that obtained pegasus by default, required a cultivation base at that level. Its rarity and scarcity could easily be seen from just this.

Chen Xiaowei said, "An All-Alchemic Clash is an open-challenge. There's no need to hide your identity. My Chen Clan isn't so lowly that we'll seek revenge if we lose." These words were obviously trying to push Wei Wuyin to reveal his identity. Whether her words were true or not, who knows?

Wei Wuyin didn't bother with her nonsense. "I'm acting as the representing alchemist for the An Clan. I'm here to participate, not be criticized for my choices. Shall we start or is this a forfeit?" 

Chen Xiaowei's corner of her upper-left lip twitched slightly. However, a sense of unease emerged in her heart. Her plans that had been carefully calculated all this time felt threatened. It took a lot to bait this imbecile into this challenge, and she even had to risk herself in the gamble. Her systematic and meticulous recruitment of all the An Clan's elite alchemists while inserting spies to ensure they didn't find a replacement…

If this all crumbled because of a last-minute arrival, wouldn't she be the incompetent one? 

"I believe he's right. Are we starting or will you surrender, Chen Xiaowei." An Ge noticed the minute changes and hesitation in her eyes and pounced. How could he not see that Wei Wuyin brought about an unexpected variable into her plans. He was already betting everything on this person. Might as well just go all out!

Chen Xiaowei frowned. She turned to Yun Daotian who seemed to be faintly fuming, but he assured her with a confident nod. Amongst Lord Alchemists, he might not be the best, but he was well-rounded! He didn't fear others in an All-Alchemic Clash!

"Fine," Chen Xiaowei said with regained form. She took her posse and left the stage. Staying was meaningless. It was best to push the clash and start it immediately lest more developments came about.

An Ge similarly left with his mighty display, finding an edge of the platform to watch the clash. Unlike normal alchemy, All-Alchemic Clashes were publicly held and the techniques, methods, and skills of an alchemist were fully revealed. This was why many loved these clashes, as they were in full-view and could be seen as a learning experience.

Yun Daotian and Wei Wuyin were soon standing on the stage alone. Yun Daotian's forked tongue left his lips as he smirked, "How about we have our little wager of our own?" A sense of absolute confidence flowed within his eyes. It seemed to say he was invincible!

Wei Wuyin stilled. Wager? He frowned beneath his mask, unsure how to respond. What could he obtain from this Yun Daotian? A measly Lord Alchemist? 

Yun Daotian felt that Wei Wuyin was tempted or scared. Either way, he provoked further: "Oh? Are you also hiding your spine as well?" 

Wei Wuyin felt this was quite childish. However, he was a naturally prideful man so he nodded. "What do you want to wager?"

'Hehe, he fell for it!' Yun Daotian felt as if he just lured the rat to his trap. With a smug smile, he said: "Sixth-Grade Essence Pills. A. Thousand. Total." He emphasized his wager amount causing those nearby to gasp. A thousand sixth-grade Essence Pills were worth ten million essence stones or a single astral stone! 

Wei Wuyin sighed. "How about we do this instead: The loser gouges out their own eyes. A lesson for not being able to see." His brutal bet caused a wave of silence to descend. Even Yun Daotian froze, his smile becoming awkward. Wasn't that the same as asking to blind oneself?

Wei Wuyin calmly followed with, "If you're willing to accept and win, I'll even become your slave. What do you think?" 

"..." Yun Daotian couldn't respond. No, he didn't dare to. His heart was that once filled with confidence now felt unbearable unease. A sensation of inferiority emerged in the depths of his heart. He just stood there, mute and frozen.

"No? Then, let's get on with this match. I don't wager kiddy stakes." After throwing this out there, Wei Wuyin found himself the location marked for his area. It was a large circle. With a wave of his hand, a table appeared, and atop this table was his Nine Element Eclipse Cauldron. 

When the crowd saw this cauldron, a few recognized it immediately! While they might not be able to know its exact name, the runes and aura it emanated was clearly an indicator of one fact: It was an Astral-rank tool! The mere price of such a tool might exceed the total wealth of the entire Chen and An Clan combined…

Chen Xiaowei, Yun Daotian, An Ge, and the audience who recognized this cauldron knew that...this new arrival wasn't ordinary. In fact, he was likely a true expert!