Paragon of Sin

"..." Bai Lin slowly rose to a standing position. A distinct glimmer of vigilant light flickered within her golden-colored eyes. Her bestial instincts flared as an acute sensation of danger impacted her senses. Her feathers lifted slightly in a primed state, and her chest heaved out a steady, forceful breath. 

Bai Lin might be a beast, but she didn't lack the slightest bit of intelligence or awareness if one compared her to humans, demons, elves, or beastmen as a Genesis Beast. The abnormal developments occurring within her perception were indicative of an imminent threat. It wasn't just her body that felt it; her bloodline, and her mind was fully alerting her of this crisis. 

She internally struggled as her eyes moved to the spot where Wei Wuyin had been whisked away, once again recalling that urge to depart from the planet. Her chest expanded and decompressed, releasing out another heavy breath. She calmed herself down, looking upwards once again. 

Bai Lin had to reconsider her earlier decision, thinking not what she wanted, but what Wei Wuyin would do in her position. Her own desire was to stay and teach these individuals a lesson, but she was fully aware that there were certain cultivators that she couldn't fight against. She was too young, too inexperienced.

If Wei Wuyin was here…

"He would retreat, observe, and decide in a safe position." Bai Lin knew Wei Wuyin far better than anyone currently living in this world. He was meticulous and careful. If he went into battle, he was certain of his enemy and even more certain of himself. 

Facing a prepared enemy was his fear, but being unprepared himself was his greatest fear, so he avoided engaging while in such a disadvantageous position of ignorance. She was facing an unknown enemy of unknown strength, and their vibrant life auras weren't indicative of strength. An aged Demi-Mortal Lord might be a dimly lit candle, but its flames could burn through solar stars. On the other hand, an aura filled with energy and vitality could be weak and inexperienced. Her life aura sense couldn't accurately determine their strength.

After a moment of fierce inner struggle, she settled on departing a safe distance until she understood what was happening, why, and who. Or, she'd wait in the Dark Void until that cascading beam of light returned, carrying Wei Wuyin with it. Either way, the Dark Void was her favorable environment as a Genesis Beast. 

She opened her wings. 

A few minutes earlier, on the Tang Clan's lead Voidship was the Tang Matriarch alongside eight other figures. Five females and three males were within the group of eight, all of which sported the 'Tang' embroidered character somewhere on their unique attires, colored entirely in vermillion red. 

Amongst this group of nine was none other than Highlord Scarletflame, the one who helped Spiritwalker in her ascension attempt. She seemed to be a little pale, yet her eyes were exceptionally vibrant and effusing desirous light. She wasn't the only one. 

All nine of them were floating slightly above the Voidship and had eyes that betrayed their intense emotions of greed, joy, curiosity, and thoughtfulness. Their gazes were fixated on the planet with a faint blue glow enveloping it, peering into it until they observed the cautious-looking Bai Lin.

"It really is a Fire Phoenix!" Highlord Scarletflame delightfully exclaimed. Her spiritual perception funneled through her eyes could observe the ample fire-attributed energies coursing within Bai Lin's body, and her image wasn't an exact match, but damn-near close to depictions of phoenixes! 

"She's twenty-two meters." The one who stated this obvious fact cautiously was none other than a Highlord Solarflame, a Demi-Mortal Lord of the Tang Clan. He was relatively young-looking with clear skin and a scholarly demeanor that exuded an intelligent nature.

"Second Nirvanic Rebirth?" Highlord Darkflame, a female Demi-Mortal Lord of petite build and with a chill-inducing pair of eyes, questioned. Yet after the words left her lips, her joy diminished considerably. There was now a hint of caution within. She wasn't alone in her thoughts. Besides Highlord Solarflame, Highlord Scarletflame, and the eternally dignified Tang Matriarch, the other four had subtle changes in their expression.

"Have we not prepared enough?" Highlord Scarletflame hurriedly tried to reassure them, wanting to remind them that, including the fifteen Voidships that had just entered the starfield, they had two other Voidships that came alongside herself and Highlord Brightblaze, another female Demi-Mortal Lord of the Tang Clan.

Additionally, they had eight hundred Starlords, fifty Mystic Star Phase experts, and eighteen Soul of Mysticism cultivators. The Tang Clan had fielded over eighty percent of its strength in this operation. They made ample preparations, from talismans, arrays, to special cannons designed to counteract their target's abilities. If this wasn't enough, they simply weren't destined for this. 

"We are prepared, but a Second Nirvana Reborn Phoenix is recorded as having the strength that reaches the Demi-Mortal Lord level. Killing one might be easy; capturing one alive..." the scholarly man, Highlord Solarflame, calmly said. 

"That's only a fully matured one. This one seems very nascent in age." Highlord Scarletflame judged, directing those words to Matriarch Tang. She was clearly worried that this operation might experience a delay or that the clan would ask an Earthly Saint to intervene to prevent unexpected developments. This would severely harm their interests and gains.

"You can tell the age of a phoenix? When did your ocular spell reach such a level?" A pretty female cultivator with sharp eyes and thin lips mocked. She was Highlord Lightblaze. A Fire Phoenix was filled with lifeforce that was accumulated to tackle the next Nirvanic Rebirth, so it was foolish to state that the Fire Phoenix was young as a

Fire Phoenix's size didn't change based on their age but the number of times Nirvanic Rebirth had been experienced. 

Highlord Scarletflame gave her a glance, ignoring her as she returned to the Matriarch. This beautiful woman that possessed an exceptionally elite bearing of authority and prestige was at the head of this group of nine. She commanded them all; she made the decisions. 

"What about the Earthly Saint?" Highlord Solarflame inquired. This caused everyone's expression to change slightly. The Fire Phoenix had taken down a Shadow Egg of Trueborn, and a Second Nirvanic Rebirth Fire Phoenix wasn't sufficient to cause its collapse, especially if it was a chick. Moreover, the Heavenly Seers and Oracles were unable to glean any insight of its whereabouts or origins, signaling that it was being shielded by a powerful expert. 

"If he or she reveals themselves, there will naturally be someone to handle them," the Tang Matriarch calmly stated. Her confidence was unwavering and her determination was set. The Ninestar Sainthall didn't allow foreign Earthly Saints to enter their territory, and she had already determined their stance on this foreign invader hiding within their territory without announcement. Furthermore, there was no way she could retreat at this opportunity. None of them could.

If they showed…

"It's going to move!" Abruptly, Highlord Scarletflame exclaimed anxiously, her aura of a genuine Ascended being at the Third Stage erupted, sending an imposing power into the artificial atmosphere. The two males yet to be mentioned, remaining silent as the others discussed, Highlord Autumnflame and Highlord Blackflame, both unleashed their auras simultaneously. 

The Tang Matriarch's eyes glistened with a ferocious determination. She lifted her hands, prompting the other Highlords to sport intensely solemn expressions. The time limit to assess had expired. 

"We can't let it reach the Dark Void; delay her on the planet, do not destroy it. We'll need twenty-three seconds to establish the net." Her orders were sent through spiritual transmission, so it was received and understood in less than a millisecond. Scarletflame, Autumnflame, and Blackflame were already prepared for this; their bodies shot downwards towards the planet at blitzing speed. 

The others vanished like shadows, taking command of other ships as orders were issued and Voidships were pushed into extremely rapid movement. They intended to surround the planet. The Tang Clan Matriarch's Voidship didn't move. There was a large-sized cannon of aquamarine color that started to glimmer with light. It pointed directly at the planet with the help of three Soul of Mysticism Cultivators.

Woosh! Woosh! Woosh!

Three Highlords penetrated Blueglow's atmosphere, flying towards Bai Lin. Bai Lin's eyes widened slightly at this scene. These cultivators finally acted! She batted her wings, causing the ground beneath her to morph inwards from the force, and she, like a missile, exploded upwards towards the three fearlessly! Her body caught fire. 

FIRE PHOENIX TRANSFORMATION!

She didn't hesitate to unleash her strongest state! Her body morphed into the embodiment of fire, twenty-two thousand meters in height and an even wider wingspan! She covered the skies, taking flight towards the three.

The three Highlord's expressions changed slightly, but they remained collected and focused. The fire phoenix approached them, seemingly intent on engulfing them in its fiery body, yet the three Highlords split off without needing to delay with any communication. They were incredibly fast, and Bai Lin's pupils contracted from their speed! 

Before she could breach into the upper atmosphere and enter the Dark Void, the three Highlords positioned themselves in a triangular formation with her as the center, and each formed a single, strange hand-seal. Their hands manifested strange mystical runes of cyan-colored light. They flowed throughout their hands in a mystical manner.

「Mystic Spell: Spirit Binding Chains」

The three Highlords released terrifying spiritual light from their bodies that rapidly consolidated and condensed into eight incredibly thick, cyan-colored interlocking chains each, tethered to their backs, and they shot forth with astonishing speed. Like slithering snakes, they went above, below, around, and through Bai Lin's flaming body. 

Before she could react, her fiery form was ensnared by these chains. A spirit restrictive power coursed through these chains into her! They were set on binding her, and they could! She violently thrashed in mid-air, causing her flames to grow lively with the intent to burn these chains into spiritual ash, yet she discovered these things were incredibly resilient to her nirvanic flames. She couldn't burn them away in a short period of time.

"Down!" Highlord Scarletflame took the lead, shouting an order as she slammed her palm towards the ground. The other two followed suit, and the chains tightly wrapped around Bai Lin began to tighten and sink downwards back to the planet. 

Kree!

Bai Lin was astounded that these chains could bind her fire phoenix form, finding this incredulous, yet she calmed herself rather quickly! She might be young, but she had fought alongside Wei Wuyin numerous times and had developed an impeccable sense of battle and urgency. 

「Fire Phoenix Bloodline: Nirvanic Outburst」

Her flaming body began to swell as she was dragged downwards, and the aura within her went into total chaos. The three Highlords' expressions became urgent as they felt a strange sensation enter their senses, one of danger.

Highlord Scarletflame was the first to react, her hands formed another hand-seal and the spiritual chains attached to her back detached, and she, without hesitation, retreated back into the Dark Void! She was remarkably swift and decisive. 

Highlord Autumnflame and Highlord Blackflame were taken aback, but as Demi-Mortal Lords with their cultivation, how could their reactions be slow? The former hastily released his chains with a similar hand-seal, outwards and escaping into the Dark Void! The latter formed a hand-seal, but when his chains sought to detach, he felt his entire being freeze! His mind, body, mystic power, and soul!

「Spiritual Spell: Fixed Soul!」

Almost instantly, a burst of powerful spiritual strength erupted from Highlord Blackflame, and he broke free from this spiritual binding, but his return of awareness was welcomed by a maelstrom of incoming nirvanic flames! He was engulfed! Swallowed whole!

Kree!

An entire hemisphere of the planet was drenched in Nirvanic Flames from Bai Lin's explosive outburst, causing its blue glow to vanish, replaced by a scarlet-gold hue! Bai Lin's fire phoenix form shot out from the sea of flames, seeking to escape into the Dark Void.

But, just as she reached the very upper limits of the planet's atmosphere, a Voidship of considerable size met her gaze. Her pupils expanded as she felt her entire body tense and her nirvanic flame seemingly quiver.

Then, twenty-four spiritual chains shot forth once again from all angles, capturing her form once again! 

The Tang Matriarch looked at Bai Lin with a calm gaze as if everything was well within her control and considerations. She waved her hand, "Fire!"

The large-sized cannon started to release scintillating azure light!