Entering the City of Guardians, the first thing Wei Wuyin noticed was that it was sparsely populated. The City of Endless felt endless, with people, countless buildings, and heavy activity. But the City of Guardians had a solemn air, the inhabitants here were all moving with purpose, and their auras were flourishing with strength and stability.
However, the streets were equally as spacious despite the city being noticeably smaller. "The City of Guardians is home to Destined and Seekers alike and their families. This seems more like a sect than a city," Wei Wuyin mused thoughtfully. The atmosphere of the City of Guardians felt more sect-like than the City of Endless, while the latter felt more like a large country housing its citizens.
Unlike the City of Endless, Wei Wuyin can actually glimpse at the ends of the city, the very edge of the furthest wall, meaning it wasn't nearly as vast. Considering it was meant to train Destined and Seekers, designed as a cultivation haven, this was a much-appreciated feature. If it had the same vast area as the City of Endless, then he'll go mad by traveling through Skyships for days, weeks, or even months. That said, there were definitely more than a few billion inhabitants in the city.
Liu Suyin remained silent as she took the lead, a destination clearly in mind and settled on. Since Liu Yinlan was preparing this show and feast, he'll simply let Liu Suyin lead him to the table for now.
"Is it customary to let guards violate your person?" Wei Wuyin off-handedly asked, curious why no one reacted to the guard's taboo act. Such an intrusive scan could expose a cultivator's innermost secrets, including the secrets of their cultivation methods.
"...No." Liu Suyin took a while, but she eventually responded with a flat tone. "But the Gate Guards can inspect anyone they have suspicions of seeking entry, disregarding the target's comfort. They must ensure the safety of the city by any means." Liu Suyin finally began to talk more. However, Wei Wuyin felt a distinct, subtle dislike towards the Gate Guards. Considering these guards had the given authority to disregard her status, it was easy to understand her dislike towards them.
As an Envoy of the Void Voyage Sect, she likely had to deal with them far more frequently than any other cultivator.
"I see." Wei Wuyin nodded slightly, observing the inhabitants of the city. He noticed Timelords, Starlords, and Ascended beings with crescent moon necklaces. They had varying degrees of silvery radiance, indicating the difference in their quality. There were four types of Destined: Spiritual Destined, Unyielding Destined, Wandering Destined, and True Destined Voyager. Except for the last type of Destined, the others denoted varying successes that Destined have had during their three attempts at the Trial of the Three Voyages at three different cultivation stages. The highest voyage they reach determined their status, and this translated to their access, resources, and opportunities to enter the City of Guardians.
As for Seekers, they had their own trial called the Trial of the Void. They sported half-moon necklaces of a dull, dark grayish color. If the necklaces were connected, they would form a full moon.
Whether it was Seekers or Destined, they all completed their initial training and trials at the City of Voyage or the City of Endless before being sent here.
"Why are there so many inhabitants that are non-Destined and non-Seekers here?" Wei Wuyin asked as he calculated the ratio of the crowd, finding it roughly 1:80 for every Destined or Seeker he saw. Moreover, the atmosphere felt genuinely like a sect, with groups of cultivators here and there. Some of them had organized uniforms denoting a specific origin. There was even a young celestial man escorted by Ascended beings. There wasn't a single Seeker or Destined amongst them.
Were their organizations separate from the Void Voyage Sect in the City of Guardians? Was this the eventuality of strong cultivators congregating and populating?
"..." Liu Suyin's eyes darted to and fro across the bodies of the crowds. Despite being the Vice-Sect Master of the Void Voyage Sect, the reception she received was mostly brief glances and small gasps of shock. However, most of the looks were directed in Wei Wuyin's direction, especially some of those from the females here.
"Destined and Seekers mostly live their lives in the City of Guardians. It is outfitted by various formations that allow cultivators to easily transport themselves to specific areas meant for defense. Furthermore, the city itself is built around one of the most important locations in the World Between the Folds. So we encourage population growth and marriages to establish firm roots and an extra layer of security." Liu Suyin uncharacteristically began to explain. Wei Wuyin felt like she was given orders to explain everything in a good light.
"Due to this, most are descendants of Destined and Seekers from the last eighty thousand years. Very few have connections with current Destined or Seekers." This painted a decent picture in Wei Wuyin's mind.
"So…does this mean that descendants of Destined and Seekers born here can't become either?" Wei Wuyin asked.
"They can't; while descendants of Destined born in the World Between the Folds can operate within the Sealed Regions, none have ever been able to wield the power of the Endless Void Mirrors."
"Mirrors?" Wei Wuyin instantly caught that. "There are two?"
"There are two halves of a single mirror," Liu Suyin touched her crescent moon necklace, the Celestial Jade Key, and the faintest of sighs left her lips. "The Seekers' Emperor holds one half and the Destineds' Empress holds the other."
Wei Wuyin got a better grasp of the dynamic within the World Between the Folds. Likely the leader of the Seekers was inside the City of Voyage. The Void Voyage Sect might not have complete control over the City of Guardians, a jointly held haven for both sides. That was an interesting thought, a chink in authority and strength. It was a little frustrating that this information wasn't in the celestial jade.
"Hm. Why can't descendants of Destined use the Endless Void Mirror if they can operate in the Sealed Regions?" Wei Wuyin backtracked to his previous topic, seeking elaboration on a confusing detail.
"..." Liu Suyin didn't respond, avoiding the question with silence.
"What if the Destined descendants entered the Sealed Regions and procreated? Could their descendants use the Endless Void Mirror?"
"They can't." Liu Suyin flatly answered.
"Aren't you a descendant of a Destined? Liu Yinlan is your ancestor, right?" Wei Wuyin found this curious because it was evident that Liu Suyin desired the True Destined Voyager title and the subsequent Void Voyage Sect's Sect Master position. If she couldn't use the Endless Void Mirror in the beginning, why even try?"
Liu Suyin's left hand clenched into a fist, her breathing became a little heavy. It was subtle, and difficult to discern, but the question was clearly triggering. Wei Wuyin felt like he had misread the previous situation because of this reaction. Was Liu Suyin ineligible from the start?
"I wasn't born here; I was born in the Sealed Regions." Liu Suyin's fist unclenched as she answered. At this point, the two had arrived at a Skyship's boarding area. Despite the city being considerably smaller, it was still incomparably huge and required Skyships due to the lack of spatial shifting and forbidden personal flight.
"Isn't Liu Yinlan your mother?" Wei Wuyin was taken aback. The two were extremely similar in terms of facial features, besides their eye color, but eye color changed the most among cultivators, especially due to ocular-type cultivation methods.
"No." Liu Suyin said as she showed her Celestial Jade Key to the female attendant, receiving two paper talismans, and being directed to enter the Skyship with Wei Wuyin in tow. They entered and began to walk to find their rooms. After they settled themselves, sitting across from each other, Wei Wuyin finally couldn't resist asking.
"Bu-"
However, Liu Suyin interrupted him. "Sect Master Liu is my ancestor; I was born from the Liu Clan of the Aeternal Sky Starfield."
"One of the Eight Noble Clans?!" Wei Wuyin always felt that they had a connection, but after learning that the Void Voyage Sect was very distant from the world, this felt increasingly unlikely. However, after thinking about how the Void Voyage Sect operated, Wei Wuyin now found it highly questionable that they have such a strong reputation in the Sealed Regions.
"Yes." Liu Suyin glanced at the window as buildings and people flashed by.
"But if Liu Yinlan is your ancestor, then shouldn't you also be unable to use the Endless Void Mirror? She was a True Destined Voyager before, right?" Wei Wuyin's curiosity was endless, and since Liu Suyin was in an answering mood, he was milking this to the greatest extent.
"Sect Master Liu was a mother of four before she became a Destined. Her children stayed and kept procreating, and I'm within that line of descent." The way she spoke of her origins was extremely distant and cold.
"So you're not tainted by whatever restriction others are? That's intelligent of her," Wei Wuyin commented. To leave your descendants in a cage was quite vicious. Furthermore, the environmental conditions didn't come close to the World Between the Folds.
"..." Liu Suyin went silent, her indifferent eyes glossed over with the imagery of passing objects from the outside. She was clearly in deep thought, likely experiencing turmoil within her heart.
'Everyone has a story. I wonder what's yours…' Wei Wuyin thought as he observed the silent yet beautiful Liu Suyin. While her personality was certainly shitty, and the apathetic bearing was discomforting to speak to, everyone has a reason for being the way they were.
After two hours, Wei Wuyin thought of something. In the history of the Aeternal Sky Starfield, the Void Voyage Sect was said to have existed for a long, long time. One of the most ancient sects that avoided conflict, but twenty thousand years ago, it suddenly entered the budding empire of the Tian Clan, establishing itself as a World Sect, and acquiring worldwide acceptance for top experts, including the Aeternal Sky Divine Emperor.
When he thought about the timeline, he noted a peculiar detail. "Did the Void Voyage Sect involve themselves in the politics of the Sealed Regions because of the Liu Clan's impending demise?"
Twenty thousand years ago, the third Earthly Saint of the Sealed Regions, the Liu Clan Matriarch of that time, had attempted to overthrow the Tian Clan. She failed—horribly. In the end, she was imprisoned while the Liu Clan was spared, maintaining their name as a Noble Clan. The timing was too coincidental!
Liu Suyin's eyes gained an animated light, and she glanced at Wei Wuyin. She didn't answer him, but those eyes of hers felt as if it was the most straightforward reply. With an understanding nod, Wei Wuyin heaved a soft sigh. The Sealed Regions' history was so complex and interesting.
There were eighteen Stellar Regions, but he knew that Tiangou had likely devastated most of them by eating their Solar Stars and expunging excess, and the rest were occupied by the Twenty-two Starfields. Since the Everlore Starfield had been devastated too by the Tiangou, it was the last remaining location with signs of a functioning cultivation society.
Shockingly enough, the history of the Sealed Regions had dragons, phoenixes, vermillion birds, and various other beasts that were now extinct. He wondered what happened there. As for Wu Yu's implied words that the Divine King Han Xei had eradicated the dragons, that was clearly only the smallest population in the Desolate Dragnet Stellar Region, a weaker bunch.
What about the rest? What happened during those eighty thousand years to only have a single stellar region left? Was it the former Imperial Clan's Supermassive Mystic Radiance Belt project that happened tens of thousands of years ago? Did they steal Solar Stars, combine planets, and wipe out entire species?
Was it something else?
The most baffling question: If the Stellar Transit Light led to a titan-exclusive camp of the Battlefield for far longer than eighty thousand years, and even Divine King Han Xei's legacy originated from an ancient stash of a titan, then what happened to titans?
Why were there only humans and celestials defending the Sealed Regions and acting as protectors?
He closed his eyes, leaned back, and deeply inhaled. One day, he'll have all these answers.
