Paragon of Sin

ascended...

Ascended?!

ASCENDED?!?!

The silence that had enveloped the throne room and the entire Penta Dao Extreme Mountains, those countless members who were watching the Recognition Ceremony of the Grand Prince, had spread like an infectious disease. The word 'ascended' has many different meanings to many different people.

To Mortals, it means to step upon the road of cultivation to exceed mortal limits, gaining longevity and immense power. It was almost as if those who ascended had become a deity. To these ordinary mortals, that was its meaning.

To cultivators, however, the term to ascend was to define breakthroughs to the next cultivation phase. Each phase brought about incredible changes, allowing one to touch upon an entirely new realm of power. Even in the Qi Condensation Realm, a simple breakthrough between the Fifth Stage and the Sixth Stage was divided by the concept of free-form creation. 

To these people, to Tuo Bihan, a Grand Imperial Sage, when he announced these words it meant far, far greater than simply gaining the power of creation, but to enter a realm of power that was so legendary, so mythical, so extraordinary that it was given its own titles in an era where Mystic Ascendants once existed!

In the Myriad Yore Continent, the Mortal God titles were derived from an idle joke by the Divine King Han Xei to poke at the exaggerated confidence of the frogs in the well. They believed that they had entered the true realm of god-like power because they gained the ability to manipulate yin-yang, the conjuring power of creation, and a fierce leap in spiritual strength. 

Even he, at a certain point, believed himself invincible until the King of Everlore started his rise with the Alchemic Dao in tow. It was only then that the Divine King Han Xei had learned of his folly and redefined his mentality towards cultivation. Despite that, due to the isolated nature of the Myriad Yore Continent to protect the King of Everlore's homeland, the cultivation society suffered and was under strict regulations.

But his mockery aside, the starfield of the peak era that had Mystic Ascendants, beings that can create continental flat earths, planets, and even bright stars that illuminated the sky, there were three Astral Core Realm stages that were still given titles that highlighted their immense difference.

These titles were: Realmlord, Timelord, & Starlords. 

All Grand Imperial Sages must meet the bare minimum of the Sixth Stage, the Gravity Emission Phase. To ascend, for a Grand Imperial Sage, was to ascend! Obtaining a title that even the Mystic Ascendants of the greatest era of the starfield respected! Even the Divine King Han Xei! Grand Monarch Wu Yu! Even the King of Everlore himself!!

So for the world who had grown with these epic legends, this belief of an absolute gulf between cultivators that existed, to hear this announcement had sent their minds into a sudden and abrupt stall. They were in disbelief.

Tuo Bihan could sense the racing and disorderly heartbeats of everyone on the planet, his spiritual sense had already become so great that just a little bit of his reach could engulf the planet. There wasn't a single living entity on the planet that he wasn't aware of. It was as if his spiritual sense could ride the infinite and boundless spatial energies within the world in the most seamless fashion. While it wasn't extremely detailed, just this feat alone could give one a sensation of omnipresent and near-omniscience.

A feeling that borderline made one feel like a legitimate god of the world was born in his heart. But he knew he wasn't one, and he had his limitations. With this newfound power, he similarly gained an understanding as to why the era had declined. When he faced that World Genesis Star Tribulation, he understood that the previous him, a purist with one of the greatest foundations, had zero chance of overcoming it.

If it wasn't for the Dao of Alchemy, the natural resources and environmental conditions of the world had to reach an appropriate level before a figure could be naturally born to overcome such a devastating astral tribulation. The Tri-Vision Starfield was not even remotely close to reaching such conditions. 

Finally, someone reacted.

Qin Rui, the one Tuo Bihan could be considered closest to, who was still gawking behind her veil, suddenly said: "Yo...you've ascended?" Her words were like an ignition of a fuse, and everyone could feel that there would be an explosive reaction if it was truly verified. 

Tuo Bihan turned to Qin Rui, his eyes were gentle, unlike his usual calm and playful expression. This caused Qin Rui to be filled with untold emotions. Just Tuo Bihan's gaze alone was enough to verify the truth in her heart. This was a dream, a dream for every cultivator at the Grand Imperial Sage-level. 

Yao Zhen's violet-colored flames within his eye sockets were twisting about wildly, acutely displaying his sheer disbelief and shock. As the youngest Grand Imperial Sage, and the only demonic Sixth Stage Astral Core Realm expert within the Myriad Monarch Sect, and the only one outside the Demonic Abyss Mountain, he felt a wave of surging emotions at Tuo Bihan's announcement. Wouldn't that mean that he, Yao Zhen, would have the chance to ascend as well!

Zen looked towards Tuo Bihan with a profound gaze. She slowly whispered, "The era has truly changed."

Ji Changkong was silent. The sharpness in his eyes became unfathomably dense.

Tuo Bihan turned away from his fellow sages and faced the revolving formation that was projecting his image to the world outside. His bright eyes that seemed to embody the wisdom of great age started to radiate a gentle light. 

"I, Tuo Bihan, have overcome the World Genesis Star Astral Tribulation! Attaining the Realm World Phase!" As those words left his lips, his body started to ripple with extremely potent spatial energies. It caused a sensation of discomfort and pressure within the bodies of everyone present. Then, he vanished!

He seemed to have transformed into a ray of light for a brief moment, and when he appeared, he was outside the throne room and directly within the skies above the Extreme Imperial Mountain. The revolving formation that projected his image had been forcefully pulled, showing him emerging from thin air in the sky above.

The heads of all those present lifted, seeing the small figure of Tuo Bihan floating amongst the clouds. 

Tuo Bihan gazed downwards and smiled. This was his time. His time to tell the world that the Myriad Monarch Sect that had once been besieged by the three other hegemonic forces, that had been reduced to the weakest of the Five Hegemons of the Tri-Vision Starfield, had come to reclaim their throne. Their rise, their future, and their glory would be without limit!

The aura around him started to increase in intensity as space itself started to ripple like oceanic waves. The Realm World Phase was defined by two incredible aspects: The Formation of a Worldly Domain & Access to Spatial Force.

In the Spatial Resonance Phase, the Fourth Stage of the Astral Core Realm, one gains a connection with ambient spatial energies and can exert some control over it. They can then absorb spatial energies of the environment to strengthen their cultivation base, working towards comprehending light and gravity through the medium of space. But the Realm World Phase was different.

Not to mention the creation of a Worldly Domain, but they can completely integrate their astral force with spatial energies, producing Spatial Force. This was the same force that allowed Void Gates to function, spatial rings to connect two locations of unfathomable distance with ease! While one can not simply conjure a portal or teleport, they can shift through the ambient space as if they were one with it. 

Just the sheer degree of speed they had access to made them impossible to face as a lower-stage cultivator. Even if Wei Wuyin reached the Sixth Stage of the Astral Core Realm, even if his foundation was to the pinnacle, he still couldn't overcome this single aspect of the phase. Of course, he had Void Force, so the actual outcome was to be determined.

Then, they can lockdown and restrict space itself. They can create spatial blades, shields conjured from space's infinite mysteries, and it made them invincible! If you added their Worldly Domain, what many would call their very own realm, then their position of invincible above all those beneath their cultivation was truer for them than any other phase before.

Tuo Bihan felt the surging power well within him, slowly rising as he comprehended the essence of the Worldly Domain. The world watched as he started to be aglow with a nearly divine light. As he floated above the skies, looking down on the vast sea of cultivators, he seemed to become like a mythological god that received endless reverence and faith from the people. 

Wooong!

Woooooong!

Wooooooooooong!

BOOSH!

From within his body, a translucent and intangible sphere manifested. It was a perfect sphere and it grew without limit with him as the epicenter. In what was a split second, everyone felt Tuo Bihan touch them. The sphere passed over them in an instant, and in the depths of their hearts, they knew that Tuo Bihan was telling the truth.

The sphere continued to grow.

Wei Wuyin felt the sphere approach him, but a layer of faint grey mist had revealed its presence the moment he was passed over. It was as if that faint grey mist had always been present. It encircled his body ceaselessly. 

He didn't feel the same as everyone else, merely felt a force press against him as if someone was squeezing his body slightly. He lifted up his hand and looked at the back of it. The mist surged about calmly. °Void Force, huh.° 

Wei Wuyin realized that he had entered Tuo Bihan's Worldly Domain, Tuo Bihan's personalized purist realm, but his body had been protected by the void force that integrated into every cell of his body. It was as if he was actively rejecting the foreign influence. 

A faint grin surfaced on his face as he looked around. Everyone's eyes, Long Chen's included, were staring at the sky, their every sense focused on Tuo Bihan. It was as if he had become the center of the world!

Wu Yu was similarly unaffected, but he sighed with immense emotion. "A Worldly Domain, the ability to convert the ambient mana, energies, and astronomical forces of a certain area into your own." This ability, this single ability, was why Realm World Phase cultivators were given their titles, even by Mystic Ascendants of the peak era. 

These ambient forces were the vital strength of cultivators, and it was turned against them in a blink of an eye. It was simply far too powerful.

But Wei Wuyin didn't feel the same way. His Zenith Origin State had allowed his mana control to reach unprecedented levels. Even within this so-called domain, he still had access to it. In fact, he might be able to rip it away from the domain, destabilizing it from within. As this thought emerged, he realized that a heaven-defying foundation would always eclipse cultivation advantages in certain aspects. While ambient energies weren't in his control, he could still utilize his Elemental Origin Intent to wrestle control of the ambient elemental energies. While he might not win, it could hinder the Worldly Domain of a Realmlord.

Zooom!

The sphere retracted and vanished into Tuo Bihan. When it did, everyone was slowly coming back from their mesmerized state. In fact, some World Sea Phase cultivators had grasped the essence of the Sky Ruler Phase, and a few had even miraculously understood the vital link between the Soul Idol and the Spatial Resonance Phase.

The entire Myriad Monarch Sect had been exposed to a higher level of cultivation, and the benefits were absolutely endless.

"He...Grand Imperial Sage Tuo has...HAS ASCENDED!" Like an ignition, those words broke those out of their stupor as the crowd started to cheer. These cheers were so astonishingly loud, filled with their everything, that the planet itself started to quake! 

Compared to Long Chen's cheer, it was like comparing a little league game to a major stadium. The very soundwaves were faintly visible! After all, these were all cultivators and they were displaying genuine excitement!

Basking in these cheers, Tuo Bihan revealed a hearty smile. 

"From henceforth, the Myriad Monarch Sect has entered a new era!" He announced! To many, this was his true announcement! The cheers only increased in volume, even the ears of many started to bleed but they still remained screaming their emotions out 

A new era!

Myriad Monarch Sect!

Before, the Myriad Monarch had claimed the era after the King of Everlore's departure, transforming this unnamed starfield into a well-connected starfield that was unified under a single banner! The Grand Monarch Banner!

The Imperial Heaven Starfield!!!