Paragon of Sin

Buze Yichen had bloodshot eyes as the mist receded, revealing the truth about his ship, his crew, and their fate. The ship was marred in the glaring blood of his crew, crushed flesh and headless corpses everywhere. 

Their corpses, this vicious scene, nearly caused him to lose his mind. But he slowly calmed himself, realizing that everyone besides those beneath the Astral Core Realm and himself were dead. Those below the Astral Core Realm were unconscious, lying in the blood, brain matter, and fragmented bones of their formerly living allies. 

"Why?!" Buze Yichen shouted through clenched teeth, his calm still holding itself by the thinnest of threads. He just saw the death, the one-sided defeat, and felt boundless grievance. 

"I knew he was an idiot," a voice said with a sneer. It was filled with contempt and disdain. Asking why? How ludicrous was that? You enslaved, slaughtered, and likely plundered the riches of others, and when someone kills you, you ask why? An idiot might be a little too kind of an insult.

"Focus!" A commanding voice followed, causing the previous voice to assent with a grunt of obedience. The Captain's mental state aside, he was still an extremely powerful cultivator that shouldn't be taken lightly. Lowering your opinion of a target, of an enemy, subconsciously lowers your guard against them.

Hong Chunhua knew this, ensuring those under her charge remained focused on the task, underestimating no one.

Buze Yichen finally could see the enemies that had slaughtered his crew, ending their lives with many holding lifelong grievances. After being derided for his words, he no longer spoke and merely observed those present.

An auburn haired young woman with a valiant look. She was a beauty, fierce and fiery. She was even better than his imagery before, but her voice wasn't the same as the female from earlier. He licked his lips with a trace of savagery leaking from his eyes.

Her cultivation base was only at the Spatial Resonance Phase, a full stage below his. As for the other speaker, it was a warhammer wielding bald humanoid figure. His eyes constricted slightly, noting that the figure's appearance was outrageously different from those he was familiar with. But there were numerous unknown cultivation methods that can instigate vast physical changes.

The faint demonic air that person emitted must also be a product of a unique technique. He, too, was at the Spatial Resonance Phase. With that unique air and aura, he decided to eliminate this individual first. And after seeing the warhammer, which was covered in fresh blood, he knew the culprit of all the crushed piles of flesh and bones.

Then, he felt a presence behind him. He turned to see two figures. A female elf and a human male that had a necklace of dozens of spatial rings hanging around his neck. That elf must've been the first voice. When he saw the human and elf together, his expression became fierce with a wisp of hatred. 

"I think he wants to kill us," Bei Yunhan seriously said, holding onto a longbow in his hand. He had no quiver, but his hand was covered in spatial rings, at least three on each finger, fitting perfectly on each section of his fingers. 

Li Yungu's eyes radiated endless killing intent, completely unlike her normally gentle appearance. Her hands gripped two scrolls in each of her hands. "He wants to do more than that," her voice was extremely low. 

Bei Yunhan nodded, "I bet he does." He lifted his longbow, a bowstring of white light formed. It emitted a misty light, giving it a strange and mysterious feeling.

Buze Yichen might be angry, but he still noticed that the four present were all Spatial Resonance Phase cultivators, having a strong, sturdy aura about them. These four were not normal, but he couldn't recall four identities that fit their descriptions in his memory. 

Despite that, he was still at the Light Reflection Phase, and cultivation level couldn't be easily ignored. His Primary Light energies gave him boundless advantages which allowed him to keep his confidence and composure. Furthermore, the mist had receded.

While he knew their actions were likely because the mist wasn't suitable against those of higher cultivation, or it affected their own battle prowess, it still had his expert's will. "I do intend to do more than kill you all. I'll ensure you men suffer life worse than death, and you women will enjoy your last moments in this world. You should thank me. I'll indulge in your bodies, and then give you to a few mortals to appease the souls of my crew. I'll..."

Zu Zun shook his head, his eyes reflecting pity. He recalled what Wei Wuyin had once said during a training exercise, and that was to never gloat or talk without purpose. The vocal language was your weapon, but it was a double-sided blade. You should only use it when it suits your goals. His threats were pathetic, its main purpose to soothe his own mental state

When he asked Su Mei to further expand upon this concept, she said with a flat, cold tone: "Words are a distraction or a weapon to cause emotional instability or psychological manipulation. Anything that will grant you an advantage. If you're not using it in these ways, then you don't deserve to be an Ascendant." 

They were talking to incite their enemy, but also to delay. Yet this so-called pirate captain was speaking for the sake of speaking. If the situation was swapped, and he had the cultivation advantage on four cultivators who encircled him, he would've attacked after speaking a few words to catch them off-guard.

Hong Chunhua had no intention to admonish this Light Reflection Phase cultivator for his actions. "Now!" She shouted after noticing the two scrolls in Lin Yungu's hands flickered with light, and Li Yungu smiled. Her vicious expression became gentle, focused, and pleasant. The two scrolls in her hand were unfurled.

Boom! Boom!

They exploded into a murder of cyan-colored crows. They each unleashed waves of spiritual power that permeated the surroundings. They were extremely fast, swirling around Buze Yichen in a flurry. 

Buze Yichen hurriedly erected his astral ward. He felt shocked by the swiftness of the crows, barely capable of following their movements. What were they?! Each crow had a vast amount of spiritual energy within! 

He felt a headache, his Astral Soul was trembling as the waves they emitted were targeted spiritual assaults. Even his sea of consciousness was besieged. What was this?!

Zu Zun held his warhammer with both hands, but he didn't engage in close-combat. He was well-aware of the cultivation advantages of a Light Reflection Phase cultivator, and entering close range, rapidfire exchange of blows will leave lower phase cultivators at an absolute disadvantage. Their Primary Light energies allowed their astral force to flow several times faster, capable of unleashing stronger, faster attacks with less preparation time.

Before he launched a single attack, he might have to deal with three. Unable to match such speeds, neither of them, not even Hong Chunhua, was going to engage this expert in such a careless fashion. He used the pummel of his warhammer and smashed it on the deck's surface. An explosive surge occurred as a formation embedded in the warhammer rapidly extracted his demonic force.

His demonic aura weakened, roughly 80% of his demonic shadow force left his body instantly, forming a dark violet arrow, it emitted no aura. The arrow vanished into a storage ring, not a spatial ring. And it appeared almost magically in Bei Yunhan's hands, clearing they shared a linked storage space. 

Bei Yunhan unhesitatingly nocked the arrow constructed from demonic shadow force, infusing his light force within and causing his expression to grow pale as it trembled. The arrowhead was fixed on Buze Yichen's position.

The murder of crows formed a twisting storm that kept Buze Yichen on the defensive. He would, from time to time, unleash a palm to destroy a bundle of them. Li Yungu's eyes were dimming with each crow's destruction and her expression grew paler.

Hong Chunhua gripped her sword's hilt, the Sword Intent in her eyes were becoming more and more radiant. As for the sword itself, the sheathe was leaking sword light.

"Fire!" Hong Chunhua ordered with a transmission, and Bei Yunhan acted. He roared, pulling the arrow back into a full moon, and released it! 

BOOSH!

The arrow was fired! The space rippled, the winds shifted, and the world felt pulled as a violet and white light formed a long trail, penetrating through the void with incredible speed! 

Simultaneously, Li Yungu severed her connection to the crows, causing them to lose their powerful means, becoming lifeless crows formed from spiritual energies. 

The timing was perfect. 

Hong Chunhua pulled out her sword, engulfing herself in sword light as she blitzed forward for a short moment, halting her steps, and unleashing a devastatingly powerful flash of sword light. It was vast, large, and extremely noticeable! 

The two attacks came from both sides, but when the crows halted their moments, Buze Yichen noticed the sword light and Sword Intent flared violently towards him. Even this attack was terrifying, so he gathered the bulk of his astral force to defend against it.

Yet, this attack left his back exposed. 

"NO!" He shouted violently in his mind, realizing his mistake. But it was too late, only noticing when the demonic light arrow touched the base of his skull, drilling an inch in. A light of despair flashed for a moment, boundless regret reflected in his pupils, and his world darkening as his head was penetrated.

The power contained within ravaged his head! 

The arrow kept going, directly between Hong Chunhua and Zu Zun. It vanished into the horizon.