The charred corpse of the young woman of the Celestial Race formed an unpleasant, burnt smell in the air. Shui Fengbao had revitalized the heart of the corpse, but alas, the Mystic Soul of its owner had departed in a direction that he couldn't sense.
This was a core disadvantage of a mortal against an Ascended being, and that was their inability to sense the Mystic Dao. To further this unfortunate reality, Shui Fengbao was only in the Realm World Phase, having no contact with the Ways of Mysticism and his Worldly Domain had sustained considerable damage where he had to retract it forcefully, losing any traces that she may have left behind.
Still, she left behind her Saint Ring; Shui Fengbao swept that into his palm and inspected the contents, feeling shaken as he noticed that a few of these materials and items were of astonishingly high value. Unbeknownst to the Child of Fire, the young woman was a Blessed from the World Beyond, and this Saint Ring amounted to her lifetime of efforts and fortune.
Due to the Law of Fire's aura, and Shui Fengbao's deliberate exclusion of harming the surrounding vegetation and the Saint Ring in her possession, she was forced to leave it behind lest Shui Fengbao noticed her swift and desperate escape. This also gave her an opportunity as his focus lapsed for a brief moment due to external factors-several Chosen had taken to assaulting the Worldly Domain that enveloped them.
She was insidiously and extremely lucky.
"Shui Fengbao is under my concealed and disguised karma, so for her to escape must have been the pre-existing, previously established machinations of the Heavenly Daos for her during the competition." Wei Wuyin found this intriguing as he thought on the subject, finding that the Heavenly Daos' far-sighted insight was exceptional as always.
Was this due to his interference or was it due to Shui Fengbao's reckless display of his incredible powers during the Everpath Voyage? Did its calculations include possibly meeting an Ascendant and embedding an escape route for her? Was that why she was so cautious? However, despite the Heavenly Daos' influence on the matter, it did not take away free will, so she hadn't escaped. She didn't take the opportunity to retreat, allowing her greed to overtake her and reason away the Heavenly Daos' influence.
Wei Wuyin had observed all this, and his conclusion was frighteningly accurate, showcasing the degree of his understanding of the Heavenly Daos. From within his eyes, as his Sea of Consciousness pondered on the profound manner in which the Heavenly Daos acted, a glimmer of silver and gold wisps swam within his dark pupils. They resembled yin-yang koi in a clear pond.
The glimmer vanished as quickly as it emerged. However, it was not something that went unnoticed by Wei Wuyin. "I've once dared to see into the secrets of the Heavenly Daos, while it nearly caused a calamity to descend, I survived." Wei Wuyin knew that since that day after he slayed Yuan Longshi, daring to peer into the secrets of the Heavenly Daos, he had grasped a greater insight into the Heavenly Daos. Before, it was more subtle, but as he kept having meetings with this unfathomable force, he grew increasingly familiar with it.
"I have an idea for Wen Mingna," As he spoke out these enlightened words, his Second Mind in the Library of Eden began to halt all its note-taking, its eyes grew so impossibly brilliant that even the library began to burst with scintillating radiance. After it calmed down, the Second Mind began to bring out a clean scroll and proceeded to write out a series of characters.
Wei Wuyin turned back to Shui Fengbao. The Child of Fire observed the cube curiously, his pupils flickering with embers as if it was the night sky, faintly lit beautifully by its fleeting light. "Are you in there, your Majesty?" Shui Fengbao asked with an unsettled look on his face, clearly unable to see inside the translucent cube.
Wei Wuyin faintly smiled. Shui Fengbao was a little panicked after making such a simple slip-up, allowing a threat to escape with their cultivation base intact, even if their physical body was destroyed alongside losing their treasures. The fact of the matter was that he had made a series of mistakes that led to the woman's escape.
If Wei Wuyin saw this, he wouldn't even know what he would do. After inspecting the cube for a short while, Shui Fengbao sighed in relief. If his Majesty was in there, he would not allow himself to be constrained in a box, right? Right! How could he? A grand World-Saint and Ascendant Emperor of a Starfield? Trapped in a box? No one would believe it.
By forcing happy thoughts, he smiled brilliantly as he regained his carefree attitude. "I'll find her," Shui Fengbao declared confidently. He consumed a pill, downed a vial of elixir, and placed a paste-like material underneath his tongue, and then he took a few seconds to regulate his breathing as waves of alchemical energies flooded his body, spirit, and consciousness, bringing mystical effects that contained the air of transcendence. His Domain Seed rapidly began to heal.
If people knew that a Realmlord had just taken three consecutive transcendent ninth-grade products and refined them so easily, the uproar would be indescribably hectic, especially in the Sealed Regions. Shui Fengbao leaned against the cube for a while with an expression of thought. "She was a little cute though," After saying that, he gave the cube one last look, shook his head as if to validate his belief that his Majesty couldn't be in there once more, and he left with a calm stride.
Wei Wuyin couldn't help but shake his head at this Child of Fire. He was as unpredictable as fire itself. Wei Wuyin didn't doubt that Shui Fengbao would find her, but that last comment gave him a worrying feeling. In the end, he decided to let it run its course.
"This Evercrown Ceremony has so much bloodshed," Wei Wuyin looked through the cube with his Celestial Eyes and saw all sorts of events unfolding. The most common event he noticed was those from the World Beyond meeting an Ascendant.
About twenty-two thousand miles away, a dark-haired elf with silver-rimmed glasses had three cultivators kneeling before her, bloody and whimpering. They were two men and one woman, and they were all of the Titan Race. Their gigantic forms kneeling before the small-sized, petite elf were extremely abnormal, but they didn't dare to lift their heads or move their bodies. On their necks, hands, feet, and pupils, signs of esoteric runes flashed continuously with a miasmic, forbidding glow.
"So you're the ones his Majesty told us about, huh? You do look a little like Miss Da. She's prettier though, with better skin." She smilingly said, her hand playing with a dagger skillfully. It glinted with an ice-cold glint. Despite her cultivation base being at the Star Core Phase, those three had Soul of Mysticism Phase cultivation bases, and yet the situation was unlikely anyone with any sense could predict. On the other hand, she played with three Saint Rings.
Each of the Chosen from the World Beyond came from prestigious backgrounds, and almost all of them had ancestral treasures and Saint Rings in their possession, including materials gained from their initial stages of the competition to qualify. They were quite loaded, and this only served to fuel the competition amongst themselves as slaying a cultivator allowed one to gain at least some wealth.
"Tch. No wonder the Commander said that our true competitors are the others. You guys are idiots," she said as her dagger flitted through the air. A head flew! It was of the female Titan, her large eyes widened with disbelief and unwillingness as it rolled across the ground. The light in her eyes only lasted for a while before being consumed by the esoteric runes.
"So I have some questions that need answers, yeah?" As she said that, she flashed a beautifully radiant smile as if she hadn't just killed with utter ease. The signs of her sadistic tendencies began to leak. "But don't give them too soon, okay?" Her next actions would make ghosts weep in fear and suffer an onslaught of nightmares until their souls pass to the other side.
Wei Wuyin's eyes flitted across to a different area, unbothered by Li Yungu's rampant actions.
A battle was unfolding as a human in green Daoist robes with a scholarly air fought against a sharp-eyed demon. The eyes of the Daoist seemed to contain endless benevolence. "How dare a demonic spawn invade the sanctity of the Evercrown Ceremony? I'll cleanse you today! Begone back to the heavens, foul abomination!"
The Daoist's cultivation base was at the Soul of Mysticism Phase too, seemingly the standard minimum for Chosen. His words were roared out righteously as he aimed at Bo Kay with various jade seals that released a righteous light and pure glow. It contained high-level Jade Intent.
Bo Kay defended himself as his starforce deflected the seals, his expression was both confused and quite ugly. However, the treatment of demons wasn't that great in the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region either, only the Neo-Dawn Starfield was genuinely accepting, and that was by the grace of Wei Wuyin's influence, dogma, and belief towards equality. The citizens shared that belief over the last few years, and demons had equal treatment as any other race, regardless of where they went.
"His Majesty was right," A soft, reluctant sigh was released from his chest as he fought ferociously against the Daoist's imposing purification powers. His demonic-attributed starforce seemed to meet its counter at first, being subjected to dissipation via purification, but after a while, the jades began to glow with a demonic light, clearly tainted by the demonic aura it clashed with. Despite being a realm and a stage below, Bo Kay, the Second Commander, was handling himself incredibly well against a Venerable!
Moreover, the Daoist's eyes were beginning to release intermittent flares of demonic light, and the veins on his forehead and neck began to turn violet-colored, signifying his blood was changing. However, the Daoist seemed to not have noticed.
Wei Wuyin didn't find the Daoist's actions outside of his expectations. Despite being in the Chosen King Competition, he'd already learned everything Wu Yu had from the Divine Emperor through the uniquely forged Spatial Rings. It was as if he was right there by Wu Yu, even if he was right here.
Given the Demonic Sovereign's legend, it was likely none of the Ascended Sovereigns wanted a repeat of its existence. This was why demons were labeled also an 'Inferior' race and certain forces hunted them down like rabid dogs if they did the slightest evil, with some 'cleansing' them by returning them to the heavens under the righteousness of upholding natural order even if they did nothing but be born. There was only one more inferior race, and thinking of that race, Wei Wuyin frowned slightly.
The fight didn't last long; the Daoist subtly underwent cultivation deviation as demonic energies invaded his Sea of Consciousness. While it wasn't enough to kill him, the opening allowed Bo Kay to move in for the quick kill using a Spiritual Art. It was over in an instant.
Wei Wuyin's gaze moved once again.
Fights were occurring all over, and the Ascendants were meeting those from the World Beyond with high frequency. That said, not all of them were on the winning side.
WHOOSH!!
"Ha! Haa! Haaa!"
A half-elf, half-human was running wildly through a mountainous region as a handsome, golden-robed young man was gently stepping on the air, traversing hundreds of meters in a single step. Yi Yun was breathing roughly as he tried to escape from his pursuer.
Unlike the other Ascendants, Yi Yun had opted to not enter the temporal vortex for training to assist his sectmates, causing his cultivation and foundation to be noticeably behind the others. Moreover, he couldn't consume certain products such as obtaining his own World-Bound Star Domain or acquiring fragments of Mystic Runes in his Dantian to better reinforce his powers against those of the Mystic Dao due to his cultivation base being considerably lacking.
While he was quite strong due to his cultivation method, he was having difficulties facing a true Chosen of the Mystic Ascendant Realm. The others, however, such as Li Yungu or Bo Kay had methods to fight against Ascended beings. The former used formations and arrays while the latter used pervasive forces to affect the enemy.
Few of the Ascendants were like Shui Fengbao, relying on explosive and ungodly power. The Child of Fire possessed a Unique Intent of Fire-Nirvanic Flames Intent, the Apex Intent of Fire-Absolute Hot Fire Intent, and the Seed of Fire Law. Adding on his foundation as a Prime Ascendant, and a few specialty products, he was an abnormality that rivaled Wei Wuyin during his younger years.
Wei Wuyin ignored the Blessed Ascendant desperately dashing through the mountains and focused on some of the non-Ascendants. At the moment, Tian Jianghan was in the desert region as he hid under the blazingly hot sands. Three Soul of Mysticism experts from the World Beyond, two Celestials and a Human were battling it out and causing devastatingly explosive ripples to surge across the desert.
The prince of the Tian Clan was currently bleeding from seven orifices while doing his all to not only remain hidden but protect himself.
Wei Wuyin's eyes moved past the struggling figure, seeing a human female Chosen from the World Beyond holding a female Timelord by the throat curiously. The Timelord struggle was ceaseless yet useless as they were held in an inescapable vice grip.
"Why is a Timelord here? How are you here?" The female Chosen from the World Beyond asked. Her cultivation base was utterly profound, and even Wei Wuyin had to do a second inspection to gather sufficient information regarding it. He sensed signs of World Aura, very closely resembling a World Rune.
"Who?!" Suddenly, the female Chosen's eyes brightened as she turned toward Wei Wuyin's general direction. The runes in her eyes were incredibly bright, exuding a harsh, spiritual flare that could blind any mortal who saw it. Wei Wuyin was taken aback a little.
She had nine runes within her gaze. However, she didn't have the slightest aura of a Blessed. She must be like Wu Yu, an individual of extraordinary aptitude with good fortune, a great birth, and a keen mind for cultivation.
To notice his gaze, Wei Wuyin decided to grant her a little fortune. "Run."
His voice was subtle, piercing directly into her mind, not her Sea of Consciousness through her spirit, causing her whole body to shiver intensely. Mental Transmissions were on an entirely different level than Spiritual Transmissions.
The woman was of the decisive sort; she unhesitatingly crushed the woman in her hand into meat paste, taking her spatial ring and items before flashing away with unimaginable speed. She was like the wind.
"..." From a few hundred meters away, a hazy male figure manifested into existence. "Did you warn her?" The figure said as he deactivated his array that was about to be completed. The woman hadn't even noticed that she was being surrounded by formation flags establishing an inescapable array. If she had waited a single millisecond more, she would've been a caged bird.
Wei Wuyin didn't respond. The figure likely knew someone had warned her but not who or where. It was similar to the young woman, she had turned toward his direction off of pure instinct and caution alone, not her actual power of spiritual sensing. After not receiving a response, as expected, the figure sighed in vexation and merged into the environment. The way he merged was inexplicable, and even Wei Wuyin could barely locate him using purely his Celestial Eyes.
"Tian Yinwu." Wei Wuyin thoughtfully said as he looked at the figure's silhouette moving away discreetly. The Imperial Prince seemed to be well-prepared. Should he send someone to curb him early or let things run their course?
As the thought struck him, unknowingly, a black-haired woman with pure black eyes was standing beside the cube. She had a faint smile on her lips, an expression few were blessed to see, gazing at the cube intently.
"I'm planning to stay here for a while, so don't worry about me. Find your own opportunities." Wei Wuyin explained.
The woman nodded after a brief moment of contemplation. She vanished immediately afterward as if she melded with the light itself. There was no indication of which direction she went, not even fluctuations of space, time, or mana.
Wei Wuyin couldn't hold back his smile. Not even Shui Fengbao was certain, yet she had unhesitatingly found him. A single word hung on his lips, but before he could say it, someone else was already approaching the cube with a glint in their eyes filled with concealed excitement.
Wei Wuyin could no longer hold back his delighted chuckle, feeling quite blessed to have others be so concerned for him. "Wen Mingna! It's good you're here, I have something to give you."
