Unknowingly, the center stage had become the battle of two Saintesses versus dozens upon dozens of Ascendants. The fight on both sides had different dynamics and atmospheres, yet the outcome was more or less seen by any casual spectator.
Wu Baozhai's momentum was unstoppable and ever-accumulating. With each passing millisecond, her usage of the world's power grew intensely, and her opponents could only bitterly resist as they were systematically slaughtered. This type of usage of the world's strength was far from Li Yungu's world array, and it was one where Wu Baozhai relied solely on her own strength to seize control rather than using the impeccable heavenly and earthly treasures that were those array flags.
The strength she used was ambient while Li Yungu's sought to seek innate strength, the world's entirely contained power. The difference was indescribably massive, but as Wu Baozhai wielded her three World Heart Intents, copious amounts of high-level Metal, Sword, and Spear Energies were birthed from all other energies and essence, galvanized expertly within her hands, unleashing devastating attacks, defenses, and suppressive effects.
Unlike Li Yungu, Wu Baozhai had to overpower all other wills to ensure that hers remained the strongest, spreading it over a large area, drastically draining her innate energies, and diverting a portion of her attention as well.
Na Xinyi's circumstance, however, was entirely different. She moved with an unrestrained, airy feeling as all forms of tactics were dismantled by her Extreme Yin Force and her abnormally resilient Star Core and Astral Soul; the Spiritual Spells were met with a casual breath and Spiritual Arts were diffused and unraveled, even reinvested to empower her own attacks.
Unlike Tian Yinwu, the other Ascendants didn't have the time or experience to deal with such abnormal means. Some figured out the theory, even resorting to using pure Yang-centric attacks, but their usage wasn't nearly as proficient as Tian Yinwu, leaving them at a heavy disadvantage in each and every exchange until the Sword of Yin met their necks or waists, claiming their lives mercilessly.
For those who realized this horrifying fact yet had no means to deal with it, they tried to resort to other tactics, which typically meant Spiritual Spells that disrupted the senses, attacked the spirit, or Martial Arts that relied on physical force, yet both were met with depressing results. The Spiritual Spells all felt as if they were smashing an egg against a metallic beam of steel, while their Martial Arts were met with an illusory figure as Na Xinyi moved with the elusiveness of the wind; she was simply unable to be touched.
They were aghast.
The observing Chosen were aghast.
The Evil Sentinels watching from afar were aghast.
The Overseers were aghast.
Was the Extreme Yin Saintess invincible?!
Na Xinyi's cool expression and supreme beauty as she danced upon the sky, bathed in a myriad of colors, brandishing her Sword of Yin with endless graceful presence, was a sight that they would never forget.
Wang Yutian and the female human Overseer stood a fair distance away from each other as they watched the extraordinary battle unfold in Wang Yutian's subrealm station. They had been together since the competition had entered its final stages of merging the Evercrown. The female human Overseer was wide-eyed and visibly shaken, "Her Extreme Yin Force..."
Wang Yutian didn't even need the female human Overseer to complete her sentence, already agreeing. "She has a Nine-Point Yin Physique, and she's on the verge of reaching the Tenth-Point Yin using that Spirit Core as a substitute for a Nascent Yin Soul, intelligently and cautiously using it as her 10th Primal Yin. If she completes this process, she will certainly give birth to a Yin Spirit Core and a Profound Yin Meridian, with the former nestled within the latter!"
The female human Overseer was slightly dazed hearing this, as if her thoughts were verified, "If she completes this physique, she would be..."
Wang Yutian's expression changed slightly, and a tinge of worry streaked across his gaze. If Na Xinyi truly established her Tenth-Point Yin Physique using this brilliant method, especially considering how her Primal Yin's were all intact, she could be seen as one of the greatest Yin Cauldrons and Yin-type treasures known to cultivators, and if she succeeded in ascending to the Mystic Ascendant Realm...
The trouble that would follow would be unimaginable. Her future would be rife with vicious struggles and endless bitterness if she made a single misstep.
As if hammering this point all the way, the female human Overseer softly said: "Any man who has her would gain a power that would be envied by all, and they would never let her leave their sight." Na Xinyi could only be a tool for another's gain, a treasure no less valuable than a Heavenly Treasure.
Wang Yutian nodded subconsciously, agreeing; the Spiritform was unaware that Wei Wuyin was deeply involved with Na Xinyi directly, and if he had, the worry he felt would have completely dissipated for Na Xinyi.
Meanwhile, Tian Yinwu planted another flag in a desert region. He kept idle tags on the developments, taking great interest in Na Xinyi's fight in particular. Her exceptional grace and incredible battle prowess awed him to no end, but even he had a slight frown on his beautifully handsome facial expression as he learned of the origins of her great strength and lofty aspirations with the Spirit Core she obtained from Lin Ming.
"You're wrong," the Imperial Prince shook his head as if disagreeing with someone nearby.
After a short moment, Tian Yinwu sighed with a somber emotion. "Even if she's more trouble than the Northfrost Royal Duke's concubine, I won't stand idly by."
Tian Yinwu grew slightly annoyed, "You too? I already said I won't just watch. If the Neo-Dawn Alchemic Saint isn't afraid of a little trouble for a woman, why would I be?"
"Yeah, yeah. They're incomparable. I've already heard enough from those noisy two. Just trust me," Tian Yinwu sighed as he kept planting flags. The sight of him talking to himself would shake countless individuals of the Sealed Region. Was the illustrious Seventh Imperial Prince...insane?
Wei Wuyin was currently situated around numerous Evil Sentinels, his expression entirely unbothered by their vile, bloody, malicious, and corrupting auras. Instead, his focus seemed to be gathered elsewhere. Na Xinyi's ambitions had never been low, and he had an idea of what she intended long ago when she sought to assist Lin Ming and Tang Xingyun, but Tian Yinwu's conversation with himself caused his eyebrows to furrow.
He couldn't sense or see any other beings apart from Tian Yinwu despite seizing certain formations meant to be controlled by the Overseer and using his Celestial Eyes. It was extremely odd. He had no ring to hold some disparate ghost. He had no jade piece in his Sea of Consciousness that emitted uniquely different mental fluctuations like San Yongli. There were none of the indicators of an existence like other Blessed, albeit Tian Yinwu wasn't a Blessed.
The only thing that felt peculiar was his soul's aura. It felt odd. But it didn't feel like another person. And from Tian Yinwu's words, was there more than one individual in his vocal conversation that he was responding to?
"Shall we move out now?" The golden Evil Sentinel asked with a solemn expression. His tone contained several degrees of respect and vigilance as if he was unwilling to offend the young man before him in the slightest.
Wei Wuyin was utterly indifferent, unwilling to invest further mental strength on these Evil Sentinels. He waved them away with a shooing motion of his hand.
"Go."
The single word was like the launching of a firework as the Evil Sentinels' auras flared violently, bathing the world in bloody scents and remnant howls of the aggrieved and unwilling ghosts of their victims. They cultivated all sorts of Evil Methods, from absorbing spirits to consuming flesh. Each more brutal than the last.
They roared manically as the sky trembled. Subtly, on the backs of each Evil Sentinel, a recently branded mark was present, bearing a strong resemblance to the Mark of Ascendants on each Ascendant. While weaker, it was certainly present!
The roars of the Evil Sentinels caused the fighting to suddenly come to an abrupt stop as all eyes gazed at the origins of that frightening sound. Xue Yifei was holding onto Ernu, her hazel eyes with blue flecks shone brilliantly as she felt the malevolent auras geysering toward the sky with reckless abandon. It was as if it was meant to alert them.
Xue Yifei was innately attuned to Wei Wuyin's thoughts in a way that Wei Wuyin might be shaken to learn. Her pursuit to become a proper wife wasn't idle nonsense. So when she felt the Evil Sentinels' auras, she formed a slightly bitter and amused smile on her starfield-toppling countenance.
"Husband, must you make this more difficult for me?"
While Xue Yifei had found out the earliest, she wasn't the only one to realize that Wei Wuyin was now fully in control of the direction of this competition. It inspired great reverence from them, but also sparked a great competitive will in their hearts, especially amongst the Ascendants.
However, this will to compete, this solidified Heart of cultivation and battle spirit, almost collapsed after...
WHOOSH!!!
A gushing wind carrying gossamer-like strings of black light spread across hundreds of thousands of miles.
Tambu Ma had been greatly enjoying the fierce intense battle of mortals, especially how Na Xinyi moved, her alluring, well-endowed body and exquisite face made him realize why some titans decided to forgo typical traditions and enter into interracial relationships with humans, tempted to do so himself; however, when that wind swept across his flesh, his Mystic Skeletal Core trembled so large that it made bone-rubbing sounds that felt like small thunderous bursts.
"MYSTIC HEART INTENT!!!" He loudly exclaimed as panic crashed violently in his heart at full speed. He reeled as his Mystic Ward subconsciously conjured and his mystic power circulated ferociously within his body, primed to react at a moment's notice.
Da Shan's ears hurt from his thunderous shout. She glared at Tambu Ma, but the Mystic Heart Intent made that a short-lived activity as her attention was drawn elsewhere. Even her heart was pounding furiously at the sensation instilled by the wind.
Throughout the vast lands, everyone's gaze was attracted to the origins of that aura. Was a Worldly Saint here?!
Wu Baozhai's three World Heart Intents remained terrifyingly strong; she replicated Wei Wuyin's feat of using World Heart Intents to clash with this shallow, severely lacking Mystic Heart Intent. As the black light approached her, they were mercilessly sundered by the will of omni-metal, the sword, and the spear.
Starry eyes brightened considerably as her will for battle ravaged the immediate world around her. An unlucky Ascendant at the Timelord level was torn to shreds then and there.
Xue Yifei hurriedly sent to Na Xinyi and Wu Baozhai, "My husband wouldn't allow these obstacles to appear without benefits. Be observant." After she reminded the two, Xue Yifei took out an elixir and hurriedly drank it.
"Wei Wuyin?" Na Xinyi was taken aback. This aura felt evil to the core. Was Wei Wuyin involved in this?
Wu Baozhai, however, caught on instantly. She sent a spiritual transmission, "Kill as many as you can. Take whatever they have!"
Na Xinyi might not be as agile-thinking or cunning as Wu Baozhai and Xue Yifei, but she was intelligent. When the pieces fell together, her mind clicked as well. "The Evercrown!"
As if answering all their questions and doubts, a majestic voice descended upon the sky. "Only evil can corrode the brilliance of the Evercrown."
A single sentence yet the meaning was far too vague to initially grasp, but to those who already had an idea of the origins and purpose, they realized the truth. The Evil Sentinels weren't just an obstacle, they were a challenge, and they were precious items needed to obtain the Evercrown!
Since Wei Wuyin set a timer, how could it be so simple? He wanted the world to descend into chaos!
The Ascendants fighting the two Saintesses halted, exchanging glances and transmissions. Should they fight the Evil Sentinels approaching? Team up with the Saintesses?
WHOOSH!
A halberd pierced into an Ascendant's head, reaping their life instantly as they transformed into light. "I said: None of you will leave here alive." Wu Baozhai's tone was outright domineering to an extreme as if her word was the law of heaven. Similar to how Wei Wuyin had once said Xun Yicao wouldn't leave alive, that that day would be the anniversary of his death, Wu Baozhai had made a declaration that there was no going back.
Evil Sentinels or not.
The Ascendants could only focus their complete attention on this Grand Monarch in front of them, ready to fight to the bitter end. Since they chose to take her out, they were left with no choice but to do so!
