Paragon of Sin

His Alchemic Stars of Mortal Spirituality were a set of optical abilities obtained naturally from his comprehension of the Alchemic Dao. It was proof of his status as a Mortal Sovereign Alchemist, and was akin to Intent. It linked deeply with the Alchemic Dao and Mortal Dao, initially allowing him to perceive the Alchemic Spirit Remnants within others bodies.

He didn't know all of its abilities, but now he did. He could see what Eden always saw, and how he observed the world. This couldn't be reflected by spiritual sense. So when the world started to morph, he finally saw the truth.

The mana of this world had been siphoned away, and all of this mana had entered Su Mei's body. He tried to move, but every step was like trudging through dense mud. All the powers within his body were either halted or focused elsewhere. Kratos seemed to be allowing his body to move, focusing purely on preventing a strange force from infecting him.

He didn't know what this force was, but every time he spat out blood, it was the force that had contaminated his blood and body rejected with forceful means. Eden was doing the same, refining out this force from his mind without end. It wasn't like the Heavenly Daos. This force was malicious and simply intended to bring harm to him directly. Furthermore, he was the only one targeted.

It seemed to only be affecting him, as with his Celestial Eyes, he noted that Zuhei and Hong Chunhua were simply there. They were breathing, cultivating, and blissfully unaware of what was happening. This meant time hadn't legitimately stopped. The complete extraction of the world's mana merely created a sense of time stopping.

But he noticed King and Ori was silent and contained. They hadn't spoken nor could he interact with them. He didn't have time to delve into this, his heart was quaking ceaselessly as he observed Su Mei's body. Her skin was cracked like glass, fractured thoroughly and these cracks were growing.

Her eyes were closed and her arms were spread out. Within her body, the Alchemic Spirit Remnant within her body was gone. This contained all her latent alchemical efficacy of every pill, elixir, and paste she used but was unable to refine entirely. Furthermore, her body was filled to the brim with mana. 

It was this mana that was siphoned from the world that seemingly infused within her body and was causing her body to shatter. He shouted, his fleshy body mustering every last of its strength to push his way towards her. There were only a few ten steps or so, but it felt like they were worlds apart. At the rate of the spread, and Eden's own estimation, he wouldn't make it.

His heart was gripped with terror. This terror wasn't unknown. It was the horrific fear brought about by watching someone he cared for die. He had experienced this once before, and it was still as vigorous and painful as before. "No! No! NO! NOT AGAIN!!!" He didn't know what was happening or why, but Su Mei was definitely about to die.

"Eden!" He cried in his mind. 

"I…" Eden was at a loss.

"Kratos!" He cried in his heart.

"ROAR!!!" Kratos roar shook his body, blood spewing once more from his mouth, but the helplessness within was clear. They both were creations from Wei Wuyin's soul, so they could feel his raging emotions at this moment but had to handle their own issues. If they relented for a second, Wei Wuyin's sea of consciousness might be snuffed out or his fleshy body could explode. 

Wei Wuyin shouted with strength, trying to take another step. He grasped his heart and interfaced with the Mark of Eden. Lifeforce! He brought out numerous strands that covered the sky above them. It formed a mist of endlessness that seemed to cover the horizon. If measured by strands, this might be hundreds of thousands.

Even still, this lifeforce seemed to not be a percent of the lifeforce within the Mark of Eden. The inherent lifeforce within the Mark of Eden seemed endless, as if it embodied the truths of Immortality. Regardless of how much he brought out, it never ceased. Before long, millions of strands of lifeforce emerged.

"Go!" He controlled all this lifeforce and they entered Su Mei. As they did, the cracks on her body stopped spreading but remained there. Wei Wuyin's eyes brightened. He kept pushing his body forward, the mysterious force that seemed to be targeting him was truly restrictive. He kept infusing lifeforce into Su Mei, the cracks ceasing their attack and her situation stabilized.

In seconds, thousands of years were consumed. In a minute, nearly a hundred thousand years of lifeforce was consumed. It was only then did Wei Wuyin finally reach her, his hand coming to touch her body. He wanted to see if Eden and Kratos could use their powers to support Su Mei, reversing this situation. Alas, the moment he touched her, her entire body responded with a scintillating surge of light that burned his eyes.

His eyes felt as if it was placed on the surface of the sun. Instantly, he felt blinded and a force pushed him several meters back. "No!" He yelled. He was further than he was before. With gritted teeth, he kept sending lifeforce into her body, his eyes slowly repairing themselves.

He was startled by their recovery, as he was certain the light had scorched his eyes into nothingness. Despite that, he could still feel them. He could feel them returning. Fortunately, he wasn't the type to submit into a bout of insanity at a desperate situation. His originally intense emotions calmed down, his body upright and his thoughts circulated. He had never been one to lose his intelligence at critical moments.

'When I underwent my Mortal Star Formation Tribulation, the Mortal Star utilized the ambient mana. She initiated her tribulation and this strange event occurred. While I don't understand it, she must be undergoing her Astral Tribulation. If I were to think of it with the clues I have, Kratos and Eden's tribulations were different from Ori and King's. Eden happened in my sea of consciousness, while Kratos literally took me to the past where I relieved events that defined me as an individual, my firsts in life.' His thoughts grew clearer and clearer.

When he reached the end of this thought, his silver eyes had returned. They were fixated on Su Mei who was surrounded by strands of lifeforce continuously being absorbed inside her body. 'The Mortal Star Formation Tribulation is different from the others, each unique and derived from the unique circumstances surrounding one's cultivation base. Regardless, I have a solution if this is the case.'

If he wasn't a Mortal Sovereign Alchemist with the King of Everlore's legacy, he could only watch as Su Mei was sent to her death. 

However, he was!

With a thought, he brought out a jade box. He didn't hesitate to open it. A black sun-like pill levitated within. This was the Everlore Ascension Pill! 

'If her predicament is caused by her Mortal Star Formation Tribulation, then this should work!' If it didn't, then he'll think of something else. For now, he had to do this. Before, he didn't expect Su Mei to undergo these changes and expected a simple tribulation easily conquered. After all, she definitely had the strongest foundation of a Ninth Stage Qi Condensation Realm cultivator.

The Everlore Ascension Pill seemed unaffected by the force, and with a push of his hand, the pill became a comet that blitzed its way to her. It merged with the strands of lifeforce and soon entered her body like they did, and when it did, the response was instant!

Wei Wuyin saw the cracks recede, as if they were being absorbed by her. In a split second, she returned to normal. 

"Gah!" He spat out one last wad of blood, his head in immense pain. Despite his calm, despite his analysis, he started to slip into unconsciousness. He couldn't hold on, be it in body or mind, he was at his absolute limit. Just as he was about to faint, his second mind emerged and took over. Immediately, he regained himself.

His body was still too exhausted, having lost too much blood, but the clarity and strength of his mind and thoughts were firm and connected. He saw the strands of lifeforce that remained be recalled, re-entering the Mark of Eden. As for Su Mei, she stood just like before.

The world they existed in once more flooded with ambient mana, like a temporary gap produced by a cannonball hitting water, the mana surged its way back in and completely brought the world back to normal. 

Su Mei opened her eyes. She felt different. When she looked at her hands, she felt an unknown power flow through her body. "Did I succeed in my tribulation?" She was shocked at the abrupt success. She expected it to follow the events depicted by various cultivators, but it seemed to have occurred instantly.

"Hm?" She looked at her sleeve and saw a splash of grey blood. "Blood?" Confused, she looked for Wei Wuyun. Those radiant pupils of hers became needlepoints as she saw his fallen and bloody figure. There were pools of blood from here to where Wei Wuyin was. There were literally gallons everywhere. 

Her heart shook with fear. With a mad dash, she arrived before Wei Wuyin. "Wei Wuyin!" This was the first time she called Wei Wuyin by his name since she decided to follow him on that fateful day. She wanted to hold him but she didn't want to exacerbate his condition. 

Wei Wuyin smiled with relief. Seeing her healthy and vibrant meant she succeeded, and she would live. "I...fine." Struggling to say those words, he closed his eyes and rested. Even if his mind was clear, his physical energies were thoroughly exhausted and his blood loss was immense. He just wanted to sleep. On his right arm, his Inheritor of Sin tattoo flickered with dark red light endlessly, as if trying to block the events from prying eyes.

He hadn't realized this event that occurred would startle not just the heavens but the Gods, Devils, and Immortals of this world. Fortunately, Su Mei was a part of his life.