Paragon of Sin

"The products have been delivered to the Grand Sage Qin. The process of Hong Ru's bodily reconstruction will be overseen by her personally, and she has informed me that she'll do so with the utmost effort." Su Mei dutifully relayed this information to Wei Wuyin. Who, as he washed his hands from a sink with milky waters, was quietly thinking with his brows furrowed.

They were currently within Wei Wuyin's Sky Palace, directly outside his Alchemy Lab. Unlike before its destruction, his newly constructed Sky Palace had numerous rooms for alchemy, such as a healing chamber, a concoction chamber, and a study chamber. It was quite exceptionally designed, with each room having more space than most homes.

At the moment, his hands were rubbing against each other beneath a milky and fragrant liquid. When he was done, he lifted his arms to reveal a pair of impeccable hands with trimmed nails, skin without a single flaw, andWorkspace a healthy color.

He had just completed the mental procedure on Lin Ziyan, restoring the damaged portion of her mind with his Alchemic Eden Force. It had been a long time since he'd used these abilities, and he had once swore to himself to only use them in an ethically sound manner, even against his enemies. What did that mean exactly? Essentially, as long as it didn't go against his principles and morals.

His operation on Lin Ziyan's mind had given him a subject for experimentation and a revelation. She had suffered extensively before, having her Yin Source extracted forcefully, her Natal Soul that carried a portion of her mind, body, and soul was shattered into an obscene amount of bits. Just from the state of it, one could easily see the sheer amount of hatred and frustration the perpetrator wished to vent onto her.

It was quite enlightening. 

He had gained a better understanding of what it meant to be crippled in such a thorough and vicious fashion. Even Zuhei hadn't been decimated in this manner when he had first seen him in that cold, damp, and turbid prison. But if you compared his state after his battle with Lin Ming, then he could be considered somewhat worse off. His entire heart had been eviscerated!

Of course, to a skilled Alchemist, there was no such thing as 'crippled' merely 'injured' and 'dead'. 

As long as you were alive, your state of existence can be brought back through various heaven-defying means that the Alchemic Dao possessed. That being said, an Alchemist needed to not only be skilled but of the appropriate level. If Tuo Bihan, a low-class Alchemic Emperor, wished to restore Zuhei from his semi-death state, then Zuhei could only enter samsara peacefully.

After completely drying his hands, he nodded his head slightly in acknowledgement. "Good. Qin Rui meets all the conditions to ensure a smooth process, being a woman and a multi-elemental cultivator." 

Unless Wei Wuyin decided to use an Ever-Rebirth Pill, then it was best that the process was overseen by someone with the similar acceptable standards to reconstructing someone's body with their own power.

"Zuhei?" Wei Wuyin inquired.

Su Mei's expression became faintly stern, "He's already in the midst of recovering his cultivation base, and his bodily and mental state has been fully restored."

"...I see." This situation wasn't unexpected. Zuhei's state was disastrous to say the least, at the very borders of death. The fact that he'd recovered so much already could be considered a miracle by anyone. It'll likely take a few years to once more re-establish his cultivation base, just like it did before.

Su Mei eyebrows twitched a little, seemingly as if she wanted to say something. In the end, she spoke out her concerns: "Zuhei seemed to also have undergone a physiological change."

"Hm?" He turned to her curiously, shocked and intrigued by this development.

"When he regained consciousness, for a brief moment, he emitted an aura reminiscent of the air of death and decay. I'm not quite sure if I'm describing it appropriately, please forgive me Lord Wei. Since then, he's been releasing this type of aura erratically, but his life signs and lifeforce is extremely stable" She humbled explained her inability to describe such an odd event, and even Zuhei was unaware of the reason or what it meant.

Wei Wuyin deeply frowned. "Interesting," was all he said. "Is that all?"

Su Mei nodded. "Yes, Lord Wei."

Wei Wuyin dismissed Su Mei, who left to finish her other given tasks, while he stood outside of his healing chamber in thought, ruminating and reflecting over Zuhei's current state. In the end, he could only set it aside for now. 

He walked into the room, observing a metallic flat rectangular surgical table that had a soft, fleshy, and almost entirely nude body on. Its private areas were covered by silky cloth. Beneath this body wasn't metal, but a soft bedding that released faint rays of warmth that surged into it, regulating the body's temperature.

The body was a truly exquisite specimen of the human female gender, having exceptional curves, ample breasts with marble-sized areolas, smooth milky white skin without a trace of blemishes, a sea of golden blonde hair that faintly glimmered in the light, and a pinkish hue that exuded a healthy aura. Lin Ziyan had completely transformed from her dusty and dull state into a far greater one, completely regaining her former beauty.

Wei Wuyin stood over Lin Ziyan. His eyes lacked even a hint of indecent desire. He had seen her body for nearly an entire day, and had long gotten used to it. Before, she was like a near-literal skeleton lacking any form or substance, being severely underweight, having dull, grey hair as if she was thousands of years old, and her entire body was in an extremely fragile state.

When he looked into her eyes before the operation, he had seen those ocean blue eyes that had once entranced him become extremely lightless. The Lin Ziyan, Godlord Lin, that had once caused numerous geniuses of the Scarlet Solaris Sect to jump at the bits to marry her simply from a single glance was relegated to such a state. It was truly an extreme injustice.

Now, her physical energies had been restored, her meridians and organs repaired, and her sea of consciousness had been stabilized. She had, at the very least, returned to what she was before.

While her cultivation base had still been abolished, the energies that had once refined her body dissipated, she was currently alive and healthy. If she could obtain the appropriate alchemical products, she'll have a second chance at cultivation. While Wei Wuyin could help her in this regard, quite easily in fact, this wasn't his responsibility and completely outside of what he had agreed to.

Simply the renewal of her mind and stability of her sea of consciousness was beyond what anyone in the entire starfield could achieve. Well, perhaps that mysterious woman with Lin Ming might be able to accomplish it or Anu. 

Regardless, he had to admit in his heart that Lin Ziyan's beauty was far too great for her original cultivation base. At least, relatively speaking. If she was still on the Myriad Yore Continent, as an Eighth Stage Qi Condensation Cultivator, she would be in the powerhouse category. There would be no one, not even Ninth Stage experts, who would dare have any unsavory or inappropriate ideas. 

But if she was brought to the Myriad Monarch Planet, a hegemonic planet filled with elites, an incredible natural cultivation environment, and Astral Core Realm cultivators, she could merely be considered somewhat decent. How could anyone not become enamored? Become enthralled by their fiery desires at the mere sight of her?

A beautiful woman like this deserved to be showered with affection, wealth, and safety. Not to be thrown to the forest and left for the wolves, with a single man with a broken axe trying to fend them off. He couldn't help but sigh at it all. 

"Urgh…" 

With an uneasy grunt, Lin Ziyan was slowly awakening. It seemed her physical state had improved enough, and this satisfied Wei Wuyin as this natural awakening was a sign of a job well done. He lowered the light emissions from the orb above her, quietly waiting for her to awaken. 

Her eyelashes fluttered slightly and she continued to make soft grunts, slowly pushing away her sleepy state. It wasn't long before those eyelids of hers parted, revealing an ocean of radiant blue that could draw in a man's soul like the endless and mystical seas of the world. 

Her eyes that had recovered their light squinted, adjusting to the new environment, to a world that was once more filled with color and life. Lin Ziyan's first sight was of a face that she hadn't expected. Wei Wuyin's unearthly handsome face that made him almost like an existence of myth, an impossible figure that garnered the admiration and hope of numerous lifeforms, was directly before her. He wore a soft, warm, and elated smile.

It was just enough, not too overbearing, not too little or false. It carried true happiness that she had never seen before, causing her to still for a moment.

"How do you feel?" Wei Wuyin excitedly asked. He was genuinely happy at her awakening, the light in her eyes, and the pinkish hue of her skin. This was evidence that his operation was a complete and thorough success, so how could he not be happy? 

Lin Ziyan was softly jolted out of her shock, recalling her last memories. While her mind was disorderly, she could still remember certain things and events with the utmost clarity. One of which was being brought to a great throne room in a wheelchair and being taken away by silver light.

"We-Wei Wuyin…?" She finally regained herself, realizing that she had been tortured and crippled over a year ago. She was in a state of complete despair, being taken care of like an invalid by unfamiliar figures. At times, she would be visited by familiar voices who spoke to her, confided in her, or begged her for forgiveness. 

But when she recalled those dreadful memories of her torture, she wasn't affected emotionally. While she knew it had been done to her, it was like she was watching it through the lens of another person, completely detached and lacked the ability to influence her mental state. It was odd and greatly relieving. 

She subconsciously breathed a breath of exceptional relief. It was heavy and carried any lingering turbid emotions with it. She started to move, lifting her upper body from the table. 

Woosh.

The silk cloth that covered her privates had shifted, revealing an extremely tantalizing sight that would invigorate many men to their most primal desires. She noticed her semi-nude state, her eyes widening slightly. She sharply sent a gaze towards Wei Wuyin, who seemed entirely undisturbed by her bodily exposure, and seemed to be waiting for her to acclimate to her situation. 

She covered her chest and bottom half in a half-hearted manner. But seeing the complete lack of fiery passion within Wei Wuyin's eyes, she felt somewhat lost and forgot to react. Normally, in this situation, shouldn't she be exaggerated in her movements and accuse him of ill-intent?

"You...where am I?" She hesitantly asked, realizing she was on a warm, comfortable table in a spacious room that had a faint fragrance. 

Wei Wuyin nodded, seeing the light of intelligence and processing within her eyes. Within a few moments, she had numerous complicated thoughts and emotions. This eliminated the last bit of concern from within him. He waved his hand, bringing out a set of gorgeous robes.

"You've been brought to my Sky Palace. You can clothe yourself. When you're ready, I'll send you back." Wei Wuyin was still deeply satisfied by his achievement that he hadn't noticed Lin Ziyan had started to intently stare at him. He had already turned around and was about to walk out, giving her whatever privacy she believed she needed.

"...Wait!" Lin Ziyan called out.

"...?" Wei Wuyin stopped his steps. He turned around to see Lin Ziyan's ocean blue eyes had faint tears building up, threatening to spill, as if she had realized her life was a lie. This startled him greatly, could he have done something wrong during the procedure?

But Lin Ziyan's voice cracked faintly. She tried to speak but every word carried hesitation and uncertainty. She spent nearly a minute mumbling words with tears in her eyes before she said in her first complete and understandable sentence: "Are you the one?"

Wei Wuyin, "...?!"