"..."
Wei Wuyin stared at Liu Suyin's departing figure. Without her emotionless eyes and indifferent expression, she was a top-notch woman in any category, especially in talent, status, and beauty.
"Wait," Wei Wuyin calmly said. The departing figure in silver robes halted, her head turned just enough to give a sidelong glance. But before she could inquire, Wei Wuyin had already made his way to the unconscious Ye Ziling.
'Her aura is extremely stable. She should be fine despite experiencing the Artificial Link of Law.' Wei Wuyin thought in relief as he bent down to her side. He gingerly lifted her in a bridal carry, exerting the gentlest of touches. Her head soon rested comfortably against his shoulder, neck, and chest as she steadily breathed. She dug her head a little deeper as if seeking the warmth of Wei Wuyin's body by instinct.
'I wonder how different our lives would've been if I had found you first; if I had advised you against entering the Void Voyage Sect's Ancient Void Gate.' Wei Wuyin mused with a wisp of emotion coursing through his heart. Certainly, Ye Ziling would've been a Squad Commander of the Ascendants, if not a member of the Valkyries. Her achievements would've likely been no less than Hong Chunhua.
Despite his relief at her steady auras of the mind, body, and spirit, Wei Wuyin inspected her condition with his Celestial Eyes, glimpsing at the depths of her foundation, and his heart shook. Ye Ziling's innate spatial energies were elevated!
While he was unable to confirm the existence of a Seed of Law, he was acutely aware of the differences in a cultivator's Spatial Resonance. As someone who personally climbed from the ninth-ripple to the tenth-ripple, Wei Wuyin instantly recognized a tenth-ripple Spatial Resonance.
Before the Artificial Link of Law descended, Ye Ziling was definitely at the ninth-ripple. She had, using this opportunity, surpassed the conventional limits of Spatial Resonance without alchemical support—an insidiously difficult feat to accomplish!
Due to this fortuitous transformation, her talent for Spatial Arts, Spells, and Formations had greatly increased, and her innately refined spatial energies vastly surpassed the quality of cultivators at her phase by a large degree. With her Spatial Astral Soul, she was on the path of being a genuine powerhouse of an era.
"Bring her too," Liu Suyin's voice reverberated through Wei Wuyin's ears. Wei Wuyin lifted his eyes from Ye Ziling's face, observing Liu Suyin as she continued to walk away. As a cultivator of the Mind Dao, Wei Wuyin was particularly sensitive to emotional changes, and he felt as if there was a tinge of vexed anger emanating from Liu Suyin's figure.
Was this jealousy?
Slightly amused, Wei Wuyin followed along. He had contemplated leaving immediately after securing the Karmic Surge's fortune, but there were still many things he was ignorant of, so he should first solve his curiosity before moving along. For anything else he was ignorant of, he intended to seek out the Heavenly War Spirit in a lengthy and question-filled discussion. Furthermore, the Void Voyage Sect was the only known force that he knew of in the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region that might have a connection with the Azure-Prime Galactic Zone.
What confused him was that there were no titans here, despite the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region having been previously ruled by the titan race. That said, there existed those with titan bloodline in both the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region and Desolate Dragnet Stellar Region, such as the famous Titanic Hell-Crushing Queen and Da Shan—a demon-human hybrid with titan bloodline.
As he walked behind Liu Suyin, he found that several gazes upon him were blazing with ardent emotions. There was reverence, envy, greed, and hope. These emotions were mixed, sometimes in the same person. Moreover, there were several females, Celestial and Human, whose heart rate was skyrocketing after a glance.
The whispers of a 'True Destined Voyager' were a constant occurrence from bystanders. He already knew that the Trial of the Three Voyages determined a Destined cultivator's status. These so-called Destined were titles for disciples of the Void Voyage Sect.
Wei Wuyin caught up with Liu Suyin, walking beside her with an unconscious Ye Ziling in his arms at this point, and he couldn't help but feel that walking was a tedious activity. After following along for an hour, there were still curious gazes sent their way as they traversed the public, crowded streets.
"Venerable Liu Suyin, whe-"
"You will refer to me as Vice-Sect Master," Liu Suyin interrupted and corrected Wei Wuyin.
"..." Wei Wuyin was silent for a bit, then softly sighed. "Venerable Liu Suyin, where are we going?" He refused to acknowledge Liu Suyin as a Vice-Sect Master. He didn't intend to take on this 'Destined' title or role. While thankful for the opportunity, he had no intention of being dragged to this sect by force and then acting as an obedient cultivator of lesser status, taking upon whatever obligation that Ye Ziling spoke about earlier.
He enjoyed freedom.
"..." Liu Suyin's eyelids squinted slightly. She halted her steps. Wei Wuyin halted as well. When she turned around, her indifferent eyes bore into Wei Wuyin's mind, but he didn't feel an ounce of its intended pressure. Perhaps it was his lack of an iota of reverence or exposure to high-level Ascended beings such as Zhan Zheng, Soul Saint King, Wu Yu, and Ma Zheng, but Wei Wuyin didn't fear Liu Suyin at all.
As if expecting his tune to change after a little posturing and application of pressure, she kept staring persistently.
Wei Wuyin blinked, innocently asking: "Is there something on my face, Venerable Liu Suyin?"
"..." Liu Suyin.
'Such an immature tactic.' Wei Wuyin resisted the urge to grin. "What's this True Destined Voyager about?" But his question was met with silence, and Wei Wuyin heavily sighed in his heart. "Since I've passed your trial, I think I deserve some answers. I know next to nothing about the Void Voyage Sect, what Destined is, or why you had me take this trial."
"..." Liu Suyin.
Wei Wuyin was suddenly swept by a feeling of helplessness. The only reason he was still here was to receive some answers. If not, he would've sent orders to Zhan Zheng to begin initiating any possible exit strategy. There were many things he needed to do.
"Come," Liu Suyin seemed to have finally given up her exertion of pressure. There was a nearby tall building that had a delicious smell wafting from inside. It smelled of seasoned roasted meat. Wei Wuyin followed her into the building expecting a meal and a discussion. But after they entered, they went into the kitchen, zipping past into a dimly lit basement, and then entered an empty room.
No, it wasn't empty. There were silver-colored etchings into the six flat surfaces of the room—every wall, ceiling, and floor—that resembled Mystic Runes. Wei Wuyin carried Ye Ziling into it cautiously. Somehow, Wei Wuyin could grasp the purpose of these runes with a single glance. They were designed for Spatial Shifting!
Liu Suyin touched her Celestial Jade Key. Her body began to glow a soft, silvery light as the runes began to grow animated, dancing across the surfaces with wild yet profound movements. A strange gust of surging wind formed and Wei Wuyin could feel that the space within the room was being chaotically affected.
He sensed traces of Void Energy. This must be an exception to Spatial Shifting within the City of Endless. Perhaps a hidden formation for transportation amongst the Void Voyage Sect's important members? After all, walking was an insidiously tedious task within the vast area of the City of Endless.
He held Ye Ziling tighter, ensuring her rest was not disturbed by the changes in space. She nestled slightly closer, her fingers clinging to Wei Wuyin's robes. It seemed since he spent the last thirty hours holding her close with a firm hold, ensuring she hadn't died horribly during the Voyage of the Wanderer, Ye Ziling had grown instinctually familiar and comfortable in his presence.
WOOSH!
Engulfed entirely by silver light, the trio vanished from the basement.
At a far-off distance from their previous location, the cloaked woman was observing the handheld mirror in her hand, her other hand performing various gestures resembling hand-seals. The mirror's frame would intermittently leak outbursts of silver light while the mirror itself would lose its ability to reflect for brief periods.
"...haaaa…" The cloaked woman heaved a relieved sigh after inspecting the state of the Endless Void Mirror using various methods. After ensuring no lasting damage was sustained, she kept the handheld mirror and stared at the Solar Star. "What was that transformation to the Endless Spatial Bridge about?" The transition from silver light to a dull, darker color was impossible to miss.
The Endless Spatial Bridge had another name: Artificial Link of Law!
She could only decide to investigate later after receiving an urgent transmission relaying the return of the Vice-Sect Master! Her blue eyes revealed a trace of gentle warmth, pride, and approval. "You've done well this time, Suyin." Her figure dispersed into mist, vanishing entirely.
"...!"
The spatial shift ended; Wei Wuyin's eyes widened slightly. After exiting the spatial shift, Wei Wuyin was greeted by the astonishing sight of tens of thousands of Ascended beings bowing! Furthermore, there were tens of millions of mortals, Humans, and Celestials, all kneeling on one knee with their heads lowered.
They were lined in rows, as far as the eye could see. It was like a sea of silver with black, white, and a tinge of gold.
What type of force was this? This was insane! Moreover, amongst the tens of thousands of Ascended, not a single Mystic Star Phase cultivator was amongst them. At the forefront, bowing with equal reverence and respect, were thirty-four unfathomable beings garbed in silver and gold robes!
Earthly Saints!
Thirty-four Earthly Saints!
THIRTY-FOUR!
This force was enough to sweep away any force. Without the Aeternal Sky Divine Emperor, the Imperial Clan would be nothing before this line-up!
Such a reception for the return of a Vice-Sect Master! Wei Wuyin's heart was trembling.
"WELCOME, TRUE DESTINED VOYAGER!" Without warning, the thirty-four Earthly Saints simultaneously shouted, causing the air to surge, an imposing pressure to descend upon the world.
Then…
"WELCOME, TRUE DESTINED VOYAGER!!" The tens of thousands of Ascended followed, no less impressive as the Earthly Saints.
"WELCOME, TRUE DESTINED VOYAGER!!!" The millions of mortals gathered their mightiest voices and erupted with might that was terrifying to behold! Wei Wuyin's silver eyes widened even further.
Suddenly, a figure landed from the sky, gently, gracefully, and exuding an aura that went beyond unfathomable, as if it had gained recognition of the world, containing a charm that Wei Wuyin had never sensed before. His heart began to race.
She was dressed entirely in silver, like Liu Suyin, yet her outfit's style greatly resembled an Empress of the Mortal World. When her feet touched the ground, the lingering voices of those shouts seemingly vanished out of existence, not daring to cause any disturbance.
The woman was like a heaven-sent beauty, with thin eyebrows, long, waterfall-like black hair, peach-colored lips, and flawlessly white skin. She heavily resembled Liu Suyin, capable of being her sister in terms of visual similarities of their facial features.
The woman softly spoke yet it echoed throughout the world: "Welcome, True Destined Voyager."
