Tiny.
Small.
Insignificant.
These were the words that flashed across Wei Wuyin's heart, mind, soul, and every cell in his physical body simultaneously like lightning. If it wasn't for his connection with the Neo-Dawn Defiant Star that emulated his feeling of size, it was hard to say if Wei Wuyin could have recovered so quickly to muster up any sort of resistance.
These were Solar Stars at the apex of the Absolute-tier of size! They embodied the cultivated powers of his Astral Souls, so the presence they exuded was domineering to the limits! Fortunately, as the breath in his chest was released, reflected by the rippling radiance of the Neo-Dawn Defiant Star, a proper showcase of its namesake origins, he regained his senses.
A sprout of familiarity bloomed within his heart as he observed the distinct radiance of these two distant stars. As they approached, he recalled a memory from long, long ago, shortly after the four of them had reached the Zenith Origin State!
At what could be considered his left, the radiating solar light was filled with profound charms. If Wei Wuyin wasn't staring at it directly, he would have thought of it as a saber, unsheathed with a sharpened edge. The light was domineering, tyrannical, endlessly sharp, and all things basking in its radiance conformed to its laws and rules under the threat of total and complete annihilation. It was the end of all things, the finality of worlds, and yet the beginning of freedom under its oppressive rule.
Wei Wuyin felt as if the Star Core of this star was emitting endless saber howls out into this unique space!
At what could be considered his right was a radiant white light equally filled with boundless charm. It was hellish, yet gentle; it possessed infinite transformations, yet always compatible; it was the beginning, yet guided one to its end. There was an eerie feeling to it, hard to describe, but as much as it pushed one's discomfort levels to a different degree, it also summoned the most intimate feeling of belonging and nature from within.
"They've both changed so much since the last time I saw their astral form," Wei Wuyin muttered emotionally and thoughtlessly. He had watched as they both cultivated their paths to this level, doing so out of an urge to grow, to protect, to save him from the Calamities of Hell and the fate forced upon them.
Seeing them together, the forms they've strove to reach through their unyielding effort, Wei Wuyin's heart was bursting with pride and happiness. Albeit he knew these two Solar Stars weren't Ori and King's conscious forms, they were the representation of all their effort, realized and substantiated at the peak of the Mortal Dao, and it was hard for him not to feel all the swelling emotions brought about by that.
It was reminiscent of watching your hardworking children putting in their all, telling you that they'll get straight A's no matter what, and seeing it brought before you with the brightest of smiles on their faces. It was hard for a sense of pride and love not to form in one's heart.
Suddenly, all the fear and feeling of insignificance dissipated into the endless ether. His gaze expanded as he could now see the full extent of their growth. Despite spiritual energies being prohibited, the Celestial Eyes of Spiritual Divinity seemed to bypass some restrictions without notice, providing him with a greater view of the Samsara of Stars.
The white star with multicolored starry light within itself that represented Ori's power, amplified to the limits by the Mortal Dao, was covered in flames that seemed to possess endless creation abilities. It resembled a star that contained countless other stars, endlessly birthing them within itself. When one gazed upon it, it showed the embodiment of the potential of all things that can, will, and want to be created. The properties of Ori's Originfire, alongside her Law of Origin, were astounding to bear witness to in this fashion.
Wei Wuyin unfathomably began to understand that Ori's Law of Origin, like Kratos' Law of Space, would be fully realized after this tribulation.
It wasn't simply Ori—
King's Solar Star was equally as white in its radiance, but there was a clear, undaunted will to it, pure in its intent and desire. It was the embodiment of a complete end, complete and total annihilation, but there wasn't any evil in it nor a righteous feeling. It was neutral in doling out its edge. There were three laws within—Saber, Annihilation, and Imperial—and they were all receiving the blessings of the Mortal Dao in an unfathomable manner, infusing it with a type of power resembling Soul Light.
If Ori's Solar Star represented the origin of all things and their boundless potential in birth and life, then King represented the end of all life and their return to nothingness. Observing these two, Wei Wuyin felt as if he was watching the beginning and end of all things side by side, and they were completely balanced.
They were the potential 'Alpha' of all things and the 'Omega' of all things, bringing about all creation and every end, and Wei Wuyin could feel the almighty power they possessed while together.
"Huuuuu!" Wei Wuyin took an unfathomably deep breath, the Neo-Dawn Defiant Star followed suit as its radiance receded, and then he exhaled powerfully. "Haaa!" The Neo-Dawn Defiant Star burst out with extreme brightness; faint wisps of mystic light flowed across its expansive surface like cycling comets.
The Neo-Dawn Defiant Star was countless times larger than Wei Wuyin, but before the two Solar Stars approaching him, the star forged by the decades of effort of 10,001 Earthly Saints and the complete harmonization of Elemental Origin Intent was like a fist-sized rock before a small mountain. And yet, despite that vast disparity, its brilliance didn't lose out!
It was time to showcase the results of all the tremendous effort, resources, and time that Wei Wuyin had put into this single project! Was he ignorant of the potential danger this Mortal Star Eradication Tribulation posed?
No!
Absolutely not!
Not only was he fully aware of what it could be, but he had also made the greatest possible preparations to confront it. Successively facing the embodiment of 'The World' and participating in a tribulation located within the River of Time, the literal embodiment of time itself, allowed him to grasp that this fight wasn't going to be against the typical Solar Stars' intent on obliterating all challengers, but the Mortal Dao itself!
How else did these two Solar Stars push themselves to the absolute limits of size within the Mortal Dao?!
"LET'S SEE WHAT YOU GOT!" Wei Wuyin roared alongside Kratos and the Neo-Dawn Defiant Star. The star exuded gushing, tempestuous mystic light as it raced across the Samsara of Stars, aiming for the Alpha Solar Star! Wei Wuyin was thankful that his Elemental Origin Intent had pervaded the Neo-Dawn Defiant Star, as this was his first time piloting a literal Solar Star to battle.
While he had made preparations, he hadn't expected that he would have to take the initiative. The original plan, now thrown away, was to resist the tribulation's attempt at eradicating him with his superior star's light and density, but after seeing the two stars, he knew that doing so would be the most foolish strategy.
Why?
The radiance these two were emitting, the heat, the egregious levels of gravity, and their piercing rays of light were too intense! While they were merely using the power of the Mortal Dao, it would be foolish to think the Mortal Dao was inferior to the Mystic Dao due to the path of cultivation!
Despite being at the very center of the Neo-Dawn Defiant Star, he could feel his Celestial Eyes bleed! Moreover, his skin and muscles were being pulled toward them in two opposing directions, and his resistance to their gravitational pulls was ripping his skin apart! The rate at which they were moving and this gravity confirmed his belief that running away and resisting their solar power, which was the original goal of the tribulation—to survive—was completely and utterly impossible!
He had to reduce the pressure from two to one! He had to take the fight on! So he focused on the Alpha Solar Star!
Woosh!
The Neo-Dawn Defiant Star barreled toward the Alpha Solar Star at speeds that far surpassed anything one could imagine a star traveling. Not only was Wei Wuyin driving the star forward, but the Alpha Solar Star's gravitational force was outright monstrous, and Wei Wuyin, for a split second, felt as if he was being stretched into becoming a string of light!
Moreover, the closer he got, the hotter it became! Even the Neo-Dawn Defiant Star was starting to burn hotter! A Solar Star was burning another!!!
It didn't stop there; he felt as if he was entering the range of an enormous Black Hole! He didn't doubt that the Neo-Dawn Defiant Star was getting deformed at this point! But Wei Wuyin didn't hesitate to tap into one of his trump cards, activating the Mystic Runes imbued into the Neo-Dawn Defiant Star's Core!
A faint layer of iciness and frost manifested around the Neo-Dawn Defiant Star. The layer was timely, cooling the heat instantly, and placing it at bearable levels.
Bing Tian's Primal Yin!
The qualities of Bing Tian's Mystic Power were being emulated alongside the profoundness of the Mystic Dao.
Despite being firmly stationed at the center of his star, Wei Wuyin's skin was scorched black. If he hadn't brought his body to the Mystic level through Kratos' bloodline, Wei Wuyin knew that, even with the Neo-Dawn Defiant Star's protection, the heat from the two stars' radiance would have been enough to burn him into ash already.
He suppressed the hell-rising pain of his body in his heart as he drove the Solar Star faster, already reaching a distance of about 2,000,000 miles away! This might seem far, but to Solar Stars, to these vast Solar Stars of Absolute size, it was as if Wei Wuyin was at the underbelly of the Alpha Solar Star already.
Puny and tiny!
"This is the true Mortal Limit!" Eden exclaimed in awe. For a long time, the term Mortal Limits represented the limit a mortal could reach, but this was carelessly used by many, and the truth was that Mortal Limits were difficult to define and categorize. After all, Wei Wuyin was a mere mortal, yet he had driven his body to limits far beyond what others could refer to as Mortal Limits or performed feats that defied Mortal Limits!
Facing the Alpha Solar Star, Wei Wuyin and his Astral Souls bore witness to the true limits of mortal power. And it was…terrifying!
1,000,000 miles out!
Wei Wuyin's eyes were bulging, and his skin was being roasted. The Neo-Defiant Solar Star was guarding against most of the radiance, but portions of light and heat were seeping through and baking its driver. He couldn't quite describe the feeling, as the heat from the Neo-Dawn Defiant Star's core was warm in comparison, while the Alpha Solar Star and Omega Solar Star's heat felt like molten lava.
The frosty layer from Bing Tian's Primal Yin infusion erupted to its greatest limits, instantly lowering the temperature again, and the deformed star began to regain its shape. Wei Wuyin's familiarity with using Bing Tian's cultivated power infused into the star's core had increased instantly, and he brought out its full power!
500,000 miles!
Wei Wuyin briefly looked for the Omega Solar Star, and his silver eyes that were leaking grey blood, instantly constricted!
What the…
The Omega Solar Star was moving! Moreover, it was chasing him from behind. When did it move behind him?! Wei Wuyin's heart pounded as he was sandwiched. This explained why he felt more heat than expected. His plan to divide and conquer was instantly trashed by the insane mobility of this star!
Or was he moving too slowly?! Even with the added gravity of the Alpha Solar Star?!
"ROAR!" Wei Wuyin roared violently as he sped up once again. These stars were intent on eradicating him!
100,000 miles!
Being so close, Wei Wuyin could see the flares of creation that carried tiny stars of many vibrant colors and elements with unique properties. The spectacle they offered him was breathtaking and picturesque despite their deadliness.
But just as he was absorbed by the gorgeous scenery, he felt these stars begin to wink out of existence. The Omega Solar Star approached closer!
"...!" Wei Wuyin's pupils constricted, and an idea formed in his head. He still believed in his need to fight, and while that hadn't changed, the tactics to do so had. He felt this method was perfect especially given Ori and King's respective powers!
He hurriedly pushed himself to the limits, navigating across the explosive and erratic flares of the Alpha Solar Star that generated stars that were 'tiny' but roughly the size of the Neo-Dawn Defiant Star. Wei Wuyin crushed a few of them, reaching closer with every breath.
10,000 miles!
Wei Wuyin had firmly entered the atmosphere of the Alpha Solar Star; his skin was blistering from the heat as his physical and bloodline energies rampantly resisted the power. Bing Tian's refined Primal Yin was truly the most valuable part of this mad-dash strategy!
Wei Wuyin used all his strength to stop his descent into the Alpha Solar Star, not trying to burrow into it as he originally intended. Instead, he flipped himself to face the massive Omega Solar Star that was pursuing him.
"COME!"
Wei Wuyin started to move toward the Omega Solar Star, facing the greatest resistance he could as he forcefully tried to avoid being pulled into the Alpha Solar Star's burning surface due to its extreme gravitational pull. He wanted to leverage the Omega Solar Star's pull to resist and reach an equilibrium!
Shockingly, the Omega Solar Star seemed to grasp what Wei Wuyin intended to do, and so did the Alpha Solar Star.
They weren't just Solar Stars, but emulations of his Astral Souls via the Mortal Dao! They had intelligence! How else could they target the challengers of the tribulation? Chase them down throughout the Samsara of Stars?!
The two began to pull away from each other, their respective strengths far, far greater than Wei Wuyin could have ever imagined!
Wei Wuyin was stupefied by the sight of two Solar Stars going into reverse. While the Omega Solar Star went further away, the gravitational pull of the Alpha Solar Star grew stronger, as if a hand was grabbing the Neo-Dawn Defiant Star as the Alpha Solar Star went backwards.
What was this?!
He gained a renewed sense of their strength and the Star Cores that powered them! And it was a horrible realization to have!
However, Wei Wuyin refused to allow this exploitable situation to pass through his fingers! He didn't want to go with his original plan; he didn't want to fight against the core power of both stars one by one! If he did that, the Neo-Dawn Defiant Star would suffer considerable damage, given how terrifying these two peak Absolute Solar Stars were!
In fact, while confident, he wasn't 100% certain of his success any longer! He wasn't even 50% certain! Should anyone see these two stars pull away from each other, they would fully understand why!
Unfortunately, with the power of these Absolute Solar Stars and their intelligence, it was also impossible to bring about his new plan! They wouldn't collide, knowing they would be destroyed if they did so!
"Think!" Wei Wuyin urged himself. If this kept up, he would be in for the battle of his life as he went against these stars that harnessed the peak power of the Mortal Dao. After all, he could no longer pull away from the Alpha Solar Star's gravity! He was too close, and it was too powerful!
Suddenly, his eyes glowed with the brilliant light of a beautiful plan forming!
"I'm going to need you to trust me!" Wei Wuyin spoke to the Neo-Dawn Defiant Star, and despite not having sentience, there was a noticeable spike in radiance. Wei Wuyin took a deep breath, interfacing with the Mark of Eden and his True Void Dragon Bloodline!
"GO SUPERNOVA!!!"
Suddenly, the Samsara of Stars began to tremble!
