Paragon of Sin

"Holy!" Tuo Bihan's eyes widened as he saw Anu, his gigantic and imposing form that seemed capable of casually shattering planets in the distance. After the events at the attendant's station, he was brought to a wide-open grassland. This area was filled with dense, pure astral essence. 

Every breath invigorated his body, giving him a comfortable feeling that made him absolutely satisfied. It was denser, purer, and easier to refine than the highest-level of the Extreme Mountains. If he had to estimate, perhaps three to four times.

This meant cultivating here could turn three days there to one day here, or three hundred years into a hundred years. The effects would be world-defying! 

"This is the 2nd Region's Concentration Field. It is reserved for certain geniuses of our Ma Clan, and its currently undergoing repairs." The attendant explained.

Repairs?

"Is it fully functioning?" His heart quaked as he asked, anxious about the answer.

The attendant knowingly smiled, shaking his head slightly with a glint of pride in his eyes. "It's currently functioning at twenty percent."

Tuo Bihan felt his world be overturned. 20%? Didn't that mean the astral essence was fifteen to twenty times greater than the Myriad Monarch Sect's greatest cultivation grounds?! Holy sh-

This starfield truly was further advanced than the Imperial Dawn Starfield. They were like country bumpkins. After all, the Golden Life Pavilion was one of the sixteen hegemonic forces in the Aeternal Sky Starfield while the Myriad Monarch Sect was one of five, yet the differences between their respective forces was utterly massive. 

Moveover, this might not be the best cultivation condition available! 

"What's that?" Tuo Bihan asked, pointing at Anu's distant shadow. When he had arrived, he had relayed to the attendant the individuals he wanted to speak to, excluding Ma Zheng, as they had asked as if expecting his purpose to ensure their safety and current status. He mentioned four additional names, as according to Wei Wuyin's note for the rings: Xue Yifei, Zuhei, Nyla Shur, and Anu.

The attendant didn't know, so he only gave him a faint smile. He stopped his flight, and gestured forward. "Assistant Manager Sujiang will be with you in a moment," after saying this, he patiently waited for Tuo Bihan to fly forwards.

Tuo Bihan clasped his hands in thanks, and then flew onwards with his eyes focused on Anu's gigantic form. 

It took him a while before he fully entered the incredibly expansive Concentration Field. There, he sat several figures standing beneath the gigantic azure dragon that was observing his approach. His heart raced as the dragon's eyed him.

'What terrifying physical presence!' Anu's draconic pressure was extremely terrifying, and just observing its existence felt oppressive to one's bodily functions. He had to circulate his innate energies to ease this discomfort. Fortunately, it didn't seem to be hostile, and its aura was just passive. 

He recognized three of these five figures. 

A feisty, petite beastwoman with sharply-shaped brown eyes and short-styled brown hair. She had a puffy pout, her expression incredibly cute despite her clear dissatisfaction. Her cat-like ears twitched a little, and those eyes stared at Tuo Bihan. For a moment, they revealed a trace of disappointment. 

Clearly, she was expecting someone else.

This was Nyla Shur, one of Wei Wuyin's lovers in the Myriad Monarch Sect and a member of Valkyrie. Her physical presence was fiery, shocking Tuo Bihan. If one looked closely, her veins and arteries had flowing light within. She was at the Light Reflection Phase!

With her flesh and blood heart acting as her Dantian, her light energies were continuously pumped into her body, producing an incredibly powerful presence. When he noted the white-color of that light, he couldn't help but marvel once more at Wei Wuyin's talent in nurturing others.

After all, Nyla Shur's talent was quite low. In fact, most beastmen had difficulties cultivating. They needed both bloodline-enhancing and normal cultivation resources. This was because they were heavily flawed. Unlike beasts that can devour other beasts or cultivators to enhance their bloodline powers, beastmen lacked this ability.

Furthermore, with their heart, a vital organ, acting as their dantian, this further the dangers of cultivation deviation, even a minor one was fatal. An vital aspect that added to their cultivation difficulties was strength of innate energies versus Dantian. If their meridians, veins, and arteries weren't strong enough to resist the circulation of their power, or if their heart wasn't strong enough to store their power, they'll just explode, or at least be unable to exert their fullest strength. 

This limited the beastmen greatly. Even Ji Changkong, the strongest beastman in the Imperial Dawn Starfield, Grand Imperial Sage,  only reached his level because of his two Intents, Saber and Sword, that could regulate his energies. As for Zen, she spent the most time cultivating her heart and foundation, living for over three thousand years as a member of the tortoise lineage. 

Yet to Wei Wuyin, this was minor. The light energies within Nyla Shur's body was stable, and her veins, arteries, or heart had no trouble containing her innate energies. 

However, amongst beastmen, the most terrifying was the figure that stood beside Nyla Shur. 

Zuhei!

When Tuo Bihan saw him, his heart chilled. His scarlet eyes weren't as vibrant as before, but contained void black flecks. Those sharp eyes of his were calm, eerily so, as if staring into the depths of death itself. Yet the bloody and viciously heart-pulsing feral sensation was still present. It felt like his existence radiated unfettered carnage.

His slender yet incredibly toned figure was loosely wrapped in a robe, showing off his chest to the world. Glaringly, there was a large scar of distorted flesh at the center of his chest. The wound was horrible, as if someone had pierced through him entirely, affecting his entire heart, lungs, and spine.

'The blow he suffered from Lin Ming!' Tuo Bihan immediately recalled that impressive fight that resulted in both of their bodies being utterly devastated. He had thought Zuhei had died, until Wei Wuyin took action. After all, his entire heart was completely eviscerated by Lin Ming's attack. For a beastman, that was their most vital organ, even greater than their brain. 

Tuo Bihan frowned. He couldn't sense Zuhei's cultivation, yet the sensation he gave him was utterly dreadful. 

The last recognizable figure was Xue Yifei. She was still as gorgeous as before, and he faintly smiled. Wei Wuyin truly had taste, and no one could say otherwise.

The other two he didn't know, but they were Ma Ru and Ma Sujiang. 

When he finally arrived, the shadow of Anu over them, he clasped his hands in greeting after realizing the cultivation of those two figures exceeded his understanding. 

Ma Sujiang stepped forward, "You're Tuo Bihan?"

Tuo Bihan nodded, "I am."

"Here's the four you asked for. As for Patriarch Ma, I've sent him a message. He should be here soon." Ma Sujiang calmly stated, referring to Ma Zheng as Patriarch Ma. If it was in an official setting, she would've referred to him as Manager Ma Zheng. 

Four?

Tuo Bihan was surprised. "Anu?" He asked.

"The dragon above," Ma Sujiang frowned, lifting her finger to point at the golden-eyed dragon. She didn't expect Tuo Bihan to be unaware who Anu was.

And Tuo Bihan's expression betrayed his surprise. A dragon?! Holy! He had never seen a real dragon before! They had gone extinct before his birth, and even the depictions of their form had too many variations. Some were said to be slender, long, with short legs while others were bulky, muscular, with powerful legs and large claws.

Anu fits the latter! His bipedaled form seemed like a beast of the Lizard Lineage, yet those wings were like eagles. That powerful, wide body was huge, yet it lacked any semblance of slender. 

Anu eyed Tuo Bihan closely, causing wind currents to surge with his movements. This little thing was so weak. If he wanted, he could annihilate this old man with a casual swipe of its claw. It briefly snorted, dissatisfied that it wasn't that silver-eyed boy.

Tuo Bihan took several breaths in awe to calm his breath. He turned to Ma Sujiang and became serious, "I'm here on a mission to deliver letters to these four. Can I have some privacy?" 

Ma Sujiang frowned, but she didn't reject his request, "We'll give you space." She and Ma Ru vanished, leaving the four alone.

But Tuo Bihan wasn't a fool. It was likely they were observing using means beyond his perception, and there was nothing he could do if that was the case. 

"A message from Wei Wuyin?" Nyla Shur's eyes brightened. She leapt forward in jubilant excitement. It's been nearly four years since she last saw him in the flesh, and she was always beset with worry about his status. While she felt that nothing would happen to him, the cultivation world was full of unknowns.

One day, you could be bathing while thinking of your lover with animated fingers frustratingly failing to reach the depths they could, the next you were brought to another world. It wasn't something that one could predict, so she was justified in her fear.

Unlike Xue Yifei, she didn't receive special treatment and was placed alongside the other beastmen of her lineage, forced to live in cohabitation in a limited area. Unable to leave with very little explanation, they could only cultivate and strive to survive in this unfamiliar environment. 

Tuo Bihan smiled with a nod, "For all of you. Don't resist the spiritual force when it happens, it contains the message." 

Tuo Bihan had seven rings left, and four were now about to reach their predestined owners.