Throughout the vast lands of the Evercrown Ceremony, few were able to discern the sky's endless changes; the distinct aura of six Minor Laws freely flowed throughout, forming the faint image of a giant palm acting as a pillar of the heavens. However, this action was causing a single party to experience waves of distress and trepidation-the Overseer!
Up above the clouds, a humanoid figure was rapidly moving about in an attempt to find the origins of this power, hoping to breach through it. The Parasol of the Paragon hadn't just halted the thunderous backlash of the Mystic Dao, but it halted them from their connection with the Evercrown Ceremony. The panic that set into their hearts was indescribably high.
"Let me through!" Their voices echoed out as they shouted at the Parasol of the Paragon. Despite their rage, they didn't dare to touch the palm. The distinct aura of six Minor Laws cycled within, one of which was capable of annihilating worlds, and they had suffered after trying to forcefully breach through earlier. If it wasn't for the power withdrawing at the last minute, they might not even exist today. The fear was thoroughly etched into their heart.
Unable to supervise the Evercrown Ceremony, the Overseer was about to experience a mental crisis. Their grunts and cries were a good indication of that.
Wang Yutian was observing from his subrealm station, also blocked off from sensing the events happening down below, but a wisp of pity couldn't help but swell in his heart after seeing the designated Overseer of the Evercrown Ceremony twist about in a frenzy. He couldn't help but feel that Wei Wuyin was simply a little too powerful, especially for a mere mortal.
San Luoyang was blocked off as well. The Tri-Vision Alchemic Saint was similarly worried as he held San Yongli's life talisman in his hand. It was only after seeing it thriving with life that he felt relieved. Just like Wang Yutian, he was locked into his subrealm's station, unable to freely escape or directly interfere as long as the competition was unfolding.
Behind him were thousands of floating colorful orbs. Shockingly, these orbs carried auras of mortal souls. If one looked closely, one would discover that these souls belonged to the Chosen from the Sealed Regions! The souls of those who died!
"If I hadn't set up this safety net, how many would've lost their lives?" San Luoyang had expended a great cost to instill each participant with a wisp of his refined Mystic Power and used this to protect their souls from being destroyed. They simply needed a body reconstruction pill, such as the Ever-Rebirth Pill or a lesser derivative of it, and they'd each have a successful resurrection. His thoughtful sacrifice had saved countless lives.
Back in the cubical container, Wei Wuyin lifted his eyes to the sanguine-drenched sky. "Thank you," he sincerely whispered to the heavens, or to be specific-the Mystic Dao. The thousands of backlashes from the Mystic Dao that Zuhei was causing had been pounding violently against the Parasol of the Paragon.
However, the speed at which it unfolded was being throttled, coming in stutters, greatly alleviating Wei Wuyin's burden. While it wasn't necessary, the fact that Zuhei's actions of claiming Mystic Souls as a mere Mortal should have summoned a cumulative effect but only resulted in single bursts was a clear sign that the Mystic Dao was consciously 'taking it easy' on him.
Wei Wuyin felt the latent blessing of the Mystic Dao coursing through his Stellar-Paragon Physique throb slightly. Unfortunately, while Wei Wuyin himself might not have experienced this backlash from the Mystic Dao if he had done the act himself, Zuhei was the one initiating the slaughter.
"If only you didn't have to send such a hectic warning," Wei Wuyin bitterly smiled. He couldn't help but sense the purpose of these backlashes, feeling that they were quite unreasonable. When he thought about it, he realized it reminded him of the first Astral Tribulation of the Mortal Realms. The purpose of the Astral Tribulation was to 'instruct' and 'direct' cultivators toward certain aspects of cultivation, especially regarding Intent. However, the Mortal Dao was far too powerful, so its lessons carried such a terrifying backlash that most cultivators failed and had their bodies obliterated.
What frail students!
But in this situation, the Mystic Dao wasn't trying to slaughter Zuhei at all. Instead, its attempt was like trying to 'instruct' or 'inform' a child of the dangers of doing so, only capable of communicating through this manner. It was like a parent giving their child a lashing in hopes they didn't touch the burning stove, leaving the cooking to them instead. Wei Wuyin was currently acting as the big brother, taking the blame and the lashing, but he was its 'favorite child' so it acted with a little more restraint.
Unfortunately, its actions of giving backlashes seemed to be ingrained, and it couldn't stop it despite Wei Wuyin's presence as a 'favorite child'. While it was explained so simply, there were greater complexities that Wei Wuyin couldn't currently comprehend, yet this was what he could currently describe with his cultivation base.
"At least this verifies my theory that acting using the Auras of Laws isn't an act directly breaking the rules of the Daos," Wei Wuyin inwardly noted. He refused to disrespect the Mortal Dao or Mystic Dao, similar to how he refused to concoct that forbidden pill earlier. Taking a few lashes with good intentions was different from shielding a criminal from punishment.
As the distinct aura of six Minor Laws cycled around Wei Wuyin's bleeding arm, the Neo-Dawn Alchemic Saint turned his gaze toward Qingye Ying's group. The First Commander, Third Commander, and Fourth Commander were all present with the majority of Hepta-Dawn Alchemic Corps members.
He couldn't help but grin with satisfaction. Despite not giving them any instruction, these Ascendant Commanders displayed a good mentality and foresight. Perhaps they had coordinated earlier, or perhaps they acted entirely independently and it all fell into place, but he was unable to restrain the pride within his heart from swelling regardless.
Da Shan likely took this path after finding Bei Yinyin, deciding to find ways to have her benefit the most. Her nurturing side was coming through. Gradually, his grin turned into a bitter smile as he kept thinking about how this beautiful giantess nearly broke down after thinking that she wouldn't be able to have a child.
Subconsciously, he glanced at his right arm.
"..." Wei Wuyin slowly returned his gaze to the group. They were currently discussing how to merge the fragments. Tambu Ma's group was highly against allowing these strangers to take a share of their gains, but after they realized who Da Shan was, there was a hint of hesitation in their expression.
This demonic spawn of a beautiful woman had ended the 76th Noble Prince's life. In the end, Qingye Ying took the lead and suggested that they simplify this, giving all the Alchemists currently here a portion of the work in merging the fragments and allowing them to receive the salivating benefits by doing so.
"But what if this decreases the fragment's beneficial experience to the point of being negligible? The loss would be massive." An Alchemist not from the Hepta-Dawn Alchemic Corps said nervously. He didn't want to be excluded, but since their group had been given the fragment, they should be given priority. However, if the fragments' effectiveness spoils because there were too many cooks in the kitchen, who would any of them cry to?
A few turned to Tambu Ma for guidance. While the Ascendants were knowledgeable of the overall situation thanks to Wei Wuyin's surface-level foreknowledge, they didn't quite understand the intricate details of the situation.
The Titan Race's Earthly Saint had to move his eyes away from Da Shan, trying to hide the heavy emotions he felt looking at her, almost close to love at first sight. She wasn't just powerful, but even amongst Titans, she was exceptionally beautiful. It was a little too outrageous to believe she was a mortal and had the lineage of a demon in her.
He cleared his throat. "In past iterations, the Evercrown Merging Process had always been carried out with the fewest possible, but it's difficult to gauge if there's any significant decrease in its effectiveness. Most groups who obtained two fragments keep it to themselves and only allow their most skilled Alchemists to participate to reduce the time it took to merge."
"So you don't know?" Da Shan flatly said. He didn't help at all, pretty much saying nothing. Why the long-winded words?
Even Bo Kay agreed as he felt a little frustrated at the answer that answered nothing, "Next time, just say you don't know."
"..." Tambu Ma was speechless. These two demons...well, one beautiful titan and a filthy demon! Slowly, he was trying to erase the thought that Da Shan was a demon, but her violet-colored skin, no matter how alluring, made it a little difficult.
"Well, let's just begin. Why waste so much time?" Tian Xiaolu chimed in this time. She was feeling a little urgent to experience the merging process, especially after she failed to gain anything from the Everclash. Her Master's hope of reaching the Worldly Saint Alchemist level had been dashed by her pathetic failure and she felt extremely guilty. If there was a way she could make it up to her, she had to do it.
As for trying to fight for the fragments, considering that Zuhei didn't stop these individuals, it was clear that they were on the 'same side', and he had no issues with these Alchemists trying to enjoy the benefits of their merging. None of them were fools to believe otherwise after watching that slaughter take place and these individuals walking forward without harm.
Qingye Ying nodded, bringing forth the four fragments-the Aspects of Growth, Containment, Refinement, and Transformation. She decided to merge all four at once. The Alchemists all surrounded her as she stood at the center of a circle. She lifted the fragment upwards and tapped into her Alchemic Astral Soul, pouring her Alchemic Force into the fragments!
Suddenly, the sanguine-drenched sky began to dissipate within the area! From the sky, countless stars began to manifest in the vast distance. There were only four different colors among the countless stars, but they all unleashed resplendent light!
The other Alchemists all hurriedly executed their Cultivation Methods, circulating their Alchemic Force to send copious amounts of river-like light into the four fragments!
Wei Wuyin watched as the process began. He knew that a similar process as the Unity of the Alchemic Stars was about to begin. But that wasn't all! Already, Qingye Ying's aura had signs that her cultivation foundation was being enriched!
Author's Note: I'll be condensing this part a little. I'm excited to get back to the battle! Forgive me. <3
