"..."
A heavy silence sunk into the world as the ground trembled ceaselessly from rippling seismic waves, disturbing and collapsing random regions from environmental calamities. The only things unaffected were the mountainous regions of the world, their peaks rose and their bodies oddly became thicker. A tinge of violet coated their bodies, affecting the loose rocks and plants on their surfaces.
"Huff...Huff..." Da Shan's chest heaved rapidly in her gigantic form, bellowing out small storms of thunder and wind with each breath. While her violet skin didn't look pale, her golden eyes glowing vibrantly with energy and triumphant, Da Shan was extremely exhausted. If one looked at the violet star in the sky, its blazing rays of light and intensity lessened by a few notches, causing the world to dim.
"Voidcrusher consumes far too much starforce to use," Da Shan thought as her body pulsed with waves of agony-backlash from over-exhaustion. Despite her depletion of starforce, her Physical Energy reserves were unnaturally full. Her physical presence alone distorted gravity and light, making it very difficult to notice her degree of exhaustion. Every movement of hers controlled the winds and mana of the world.
Da Shan didn't step carelessly about. She calmly proceeded to follow through with her battle instincts, inspecting the fate of her foe, trying to ascertain if her strike had ended him in body and soul. The last being the most important. A Mystic Ascendant, especially an Earthly Saint, was notorious for being difficult to kill. Wu Yu had failed to kill an Earthly Saint before despite the overwhelming power disparity. Their survival abilities were outstanding.
And normally, Da Shan would not have been able to kill her target. A 9th Runic Ascendant Earthly Saint likely had more life-saving means than fingers, but Voidcrusher was not an ordinary or normally seen Mystic Armament. It was forged from the scales of the Void Wyrm, the Warden of the Sealed Regions, and her bracers and greaves were refined with its blood, allowing her to fully control its miraculous properties.
One of those abilities was what the 76th Noble Prince felt before his crushing-Void Cage. If Spatial Prison and World Prison were two abilities forged from the profound aspects of space, then Void Prison was an innate 8th Way Ascension Art, containing all except Way of Mysticism: Infusion. It was incomparably ferocious, capable of sealing and suppressing all those within.
It was a lesser emulation of the Sealed Region's seal. When combined with the tyrannical strength of a Violet Mountain Demonic Lineage of the Titan Race, it not only trapped the 76th Noble Prince's spirit, body, mind, and will for a brief moment, crushing him in every way, but it prevented every last one of his life-saving treasures and seals from activating.
He was dead.
The 76th Runic Prince, barring any interference from beings of unimaginable power, died on the first day of the Evercrown Ceremony to the 'Demonic Spawn' Da Shan. All his schemes, centuries of effort, and countless hours of cultivation, all ended within a single breath.
Life was simply that abrupt, that cold, that unexpected sometimes.
Da Shan's boiling demonic titan bloodline began to rapidly cool as steam began to emit from her pores, coating the area in a violet fog. An area of tens of thousands of miles was covered in it. Those observing hurriedly defended themselves by erecting wards before they were tainted by demonic energy. The fog didn't last for long, roughly eight or so seconds.
"...She's gone!" A few Chosen exclaimed as that large five thousand-foot-tall existence had abruptly vanished alongside the Violet-colored Solar Star! The lingering violet hue was only from the remnant solar light cascading downwards. Countless waves of Spiritual Sense flared as they tried to search for her, but her entire aura and presence had abruptly vanished. When those with quicker minds reacted, they tried to search for the little girl, but she was similarly gone.
Eight seconds!
Where did she go?!
Roughly fifteen thousand miles away, two figures emerged as if they manifested from thin air. They were an eight-foot-tall valiant beauty and an innocently cute, bright-eyed young girl who sat squarely on her right shoulder.
"Great Big Sis! That was awesome!" The young girl clapped and cheered, her eyes shining as she smiled with her pearly white baby teeth as big as a crescent moon. Da Shan had to hold her little butt lest she fell from her shoulder, leaving her with a face full of dust. Who knows if she'll lose some baby teeth because of it? How pitiful would that be?
Da Shan grinned, unable to conceal her triumphant pride. But in the blink of an eye, that grin turned into a downtrodden smile containing bitterness and self-reflection. She should've died. If not for Wei Wuyin interfering at a critical moment, her complacency and overconfidence would've cost her her life.
How stupid was she?
She had an urge to smack her temples as punishment, but Bei Yinyin would be affected, so she restrained her impulse. Da Shan was unlike Wu Baozhai, Xue Yifei, Na Xinyi, and the Ascendants in recent years. She had joined a force, taken a master, trained with fellow disciples, and grew friendships and entanglements, all while being shielded and protected by Wei Wuyin's halo due to her widely-known status as his lover.
Demons faced discrimination in the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region, to the point they were forced into a single planet, all because of their living conditions and innate demonic auras that could infect environments and the world itself. It wasn't exactly unexpected given that demons or hybrids of them weren't a heavy part of the Sealed Region's society until the Everlore Starfield was merged with them after its destruction. Accommodation and acceptance towards a race of infectious, polluting race that needed to live in inhospitable environments that made all except demons uncomfortable wasn't there, and that wasn't their fault.
But recently, as Wei Wuyin showed his inclination and favoritism towards equality across all races, especially possessing a demon, elven, and a beastwoman lover, not a single force wanted to earn his ire, so they quickly adapted, especially the Boundless Martial Sect. They were the pioneers of demon-hybrid acceptance and cohabitation, even going as far as establishing dedicated areas for them to cultivate and live comfortably. It was similar to how the Myriad Monarch Sect and Eternal Monarch Sect acted, but their reasoning was a little different.
After immersing herself in such a lifestyle, she slowly obtained a degree of self-confidence that infected her entire soul. There were no true competitors among the Boundless Martial Sect and she easily became invincible, but similarly, she had to often hold back and gradually increase her power to accommodate for their respective weaknesses. This habit slowly ingrained itself in her heart, dulling her battle instincts and killing intent.
As for the others, they fought for resources, competed against each other fiercely, or often went and explored secret Realms during downtime to fight for opportunities. The Ascendants in the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region were a known menace when they were there. If not for Wei Wuyin's reputation and halo, they might have faced tremendous opposition, likely with Highlords and Earthly Monarchs acting against them.
But they all feared Wei Wuyin descending with the Fire Phoenix, Armored Saint, and Grand Knight Wu Yu if they ever sent beings far beyond the Ascendants' cultivation. As the saying goes: "Soldiers against soldiers, generals against generals." Because of this, while they faced great opposition, it never vastly exceeded their ability, allowing them to gradually sharpen their killing intent and battle instincts.
"I can't believe I lost my edge like that," Da Shan cursed herself in her heart. This was also why Na Xinyi, Xue Yifei, and Wu Baozhai never openly relied on Wei Wuyin's name. Although Xue Yifei had it a little more difficult, she was extremely aggressive and often took conflict to the Void-Blank Space against lawless Void Hunters and Void Pirates.
Her title as the Dragonborn Saintess was not solely due to Wei Wuyin, but her wild acts of conquering and horde of dragons at her beck and call. While she went and found fierce battles, Da Shan found spars against her fellow disciples and instructions on the path of cultivation from her seniors.
"Great Big Sis..."
Bei Yinyin didn't understand Da Shan's feelings, but she felt that her mood had grown sullen. The little girl used her tiny hands to rub against Da Shan's cheeks in a clumsy attempt to comfort her, "You were amazing, Great Big Sis." She repeated her praise.
Da Shan's eyes widened slightly as she realized her mood was causing Bei Yinyin to worry. She put on a bright smile, "Of course I'm amazing! With a single swing of my hammer, I can crush stars and worlds!"
"..." Bei Yinyin smiled and nodded excitedly. But she could tell that while Da Shan's smile was bright, her eyes lacked a similar shine. Children were often extremely keen on the emotional states of adults, and her perception was abnormal to an extreme. Unfortunately, she didn't know what to do with her little bit of life experience.
Bei Yinyin hugged Da Shan's head with her tiny, short arms.
Da Shan's eyes widened. The warmth of Bei Yinyin's body shifted to her face, spreading through her body.
The little girl didn't need to speak or say anything, conveying all her concerns, feelings, and warmth towards her Great Big Sis.
"..." Unknowingly, the gloom in Da Shan's eyes melted away by that gentle warmth and she used her hand to rub Bei Yinyin's back. Da Shan's emotions settled as her heart flashed with her past. She was once a cultivator who sought vengeance, battling ceaselessly to prove herself on the stage of the Myriad Monarch Sect in the hopes of gaining sufficient strength to complete her goal.
Then, she completed her goal.
Slowly but surely, her Heart of Cultivation was whittled away as she had thoughts of being with Wei Wuyin, enjoying having friends, accompanying her master, and living life comfortably. She had no goal to fight toward, unlike Wu Baozhai who was driven by her innate instincts as a natural-born Monarch, or Na Xinyi and Xue Yifei who refused to ever be the simple foil of another, unable to control their fate.
The Ascendants feared being abandoned or staying too weak in a cold, uncaring society, losing their ability to protect their loved ones or their home after the Everlore Starfield's destruction.
But she didn't need to worry about any of that. She was the lover of Wei Wuyin, the Ascendant Emperor of Neo-Dawn, and a Worldly Saint Alchemist! She didn't have anything to fear and no one would dare touch her in the Sealed Regions. Moreover, Wei Wuyin was definitely watching over her with a keen, concerned eye.
She touched her chest, feeling her beating heart, sensing how it was resonating with her will.
She sent a transmission to Wei Wuyin through her Saint Ring: "Don't interfere!"
She steeled her heart, adding: "Even if I die!"
She received a single-word reply: "Okay."
It was simple yet it conveyed everything. Suddenly, motes of silver light escaped from her body, vanishing entirely into the void. Da Shan was taken aback, but when she saw this happening, she wasn't discouraged or disappointed, but her feelings for Wei Wuyin grew a few sizes. Only a man who understood her heart and could conquer her body was worthy enough to receive these feelings, especially with how decisive he was.
She smiled again.
Bei Yinyin's eyes glowed excitedly as she saw Da Shan's smile, especially the brightness within her eyes that perfectly matched that radiant smile. "Great Big Sis! Are we going to find the others?"
"Yeah." Da Shan's eyes looked at the sky.
Right at this moment, three Solar Stars of varying sizes occupied the sky.
World-Bound Solar Stars!
"The real battle is finally starting," Da Shan murmured as the Ascendants began to no longer act cautiously. She had rung the bell and ignited the flames of the Chosen King Competition!
