Wei Wuyin's words of agreement elicited a bright, unrestrained smile intermixed with relief, elation, and satisfaction from Xue Yifei, further highlighting her soul-enchanting beauty. It was genuine. Perhaps that's why, despite the shock others felt from trying to process everything, they couldn't look away. Whether they were male or female, Ascendant or Chosen, mortal or Ascended, their eyes were locked onto her slender, exceptional figure.
Su Mei's gaze was intently focused on Xue Yifei. There was a strong emotion in her gaze. She wasn't the only one. Wei Wuyin's agreement changed the thoughts and feelings they had toward Xue Yifei to a drastic extent.
Why exactly?
Because they had been wholeheartedly selfish in intent! There was not a single exception. In fact, it would be perfectly accurate to say that they had all fought for themselves, every last one of them, and not once had they thought about sharing the wish with others. Deals were continuously made, ever-shifting, and leveraged, only for the sake of relationships or gains after realizing that seizing the Evercrown themselves was extremely unlikely.
Wu Baozhai had assisted Na Xinyi due to their relationship. She was powerful, but her speed was vastly inferior to Su Mei, and her plans hadn't worked out. She was either left with assisting Na Xinyi however she could or forfeit her ability to affect the Evercrown entirely.
The two had their own deals in place, but she and Yao Houyi were fully aware that Shui Fengbao and Na Xinyi would have given a reasonable wish that would benefit solely them. After all, there were no two wishes! Just one! Or so they thought!
Only then did they realize that they were deceiving themselves. The thought of sacrificing a wish for another was simply outside of their ability to conceivably make. As cultivators, their instincts were growth and progression amidst adversity and dangers. It would be foolish to sacrifice all of that.
Moreover, Su Mei was fully aware that not all of Xue Yifei's wants and desires were fulfilled by Wei Wuyin. Not only hers but his other lovers as well. They wanted countless things. Who didn't? But not even Wei Wuyin could fulfill every wish. Xue Yifei's desire to become a proper wife was one of them!
Wei Wuyin also had to divide his already limited time and focus to certain areas, or in accordance with the laws established, very rarely gave the Valkyrie or Ascendants more than they'd earned through his personally established meritorious system. While they received monthly stipends, even those were set and regulated, only changing as they've either advanced in cultivation or achieved things for the organization.
Because of this, Su Mei was deeply aware that no one would have wished for this. How could she not be emotional? Moreover, Xue Yifei didn't seem regretful at all. Her eyes were pure, the light within was as genuine as her inner heart. There was no harmful deception or ulterior motives.
From the very beginning, Xue Yifei had always intended for this! However, if she had told everyone prior, not a single person would have believed her, knowing her cunning and intelligence, including her own open desires. How could they possibly believe her? Who would?
As for Oaths? If it was a regular cultivator swearing oaths, then they could have some trust, but she was Wei Wuyin's concubine. There's no logical way for them to trust that, especially given Wei Wuyin's status as a Worldly Saint Alchemist! This was reinforced by the Ascendant's taboo of disallowing any swearing of Heavenly Oaths. One must know, the product that could dissolve Oaths was at the Mystic-World grade!
And there were numerous other ways to resist the backlash, and given Wei Wuyin's strength and means, would he let her succumb to a backlash? ABSOLUTELY NOT!
Yet, she had still done it; the wish that shook the Ascendants and Chosen from two worlds to the core.
The degree of gratefulness they felt was hard to measure. Silently, they all focused on Xue Yifei. Regardless of how Wei Wuyin fulfilled their wishes, the image of Xue Yifei was burned into their hearts, especially how she had collapsed, how hard she fought, especially how bright her smile was today.
Unforgettable.
"I see what you mean now..." The Heavenly War Spirit finally realized why Wei Wuyin thought that Xue Yifei was the most troublesome wish-maker. However, Wei Wuyin was still in the position to decline such a wish. No one would blame him for considering that as unreasonable. But he didn't! Instead, he accepted it after a few clarifications.
Wei Wuyin was entirely unbothered by this despite his earlier words. With a single move, Xue Yifei had gained an inestimable amount of favorable points from the Ascendants. These would be future pillars of the Neo-Dawn Starfield. Moreover, the greater he accomplishes their desires, the more they'll attach greater importance and favor to Xue Yifei, the 'Royal Highness' of the Neo-Dawn Starfield.
She was genuinely praiseworthy in her far-sighter goals. Additionally, she was willing to go all out for it, even risk her own life. Of course, he already had a semblance of an idea of how this wish of hers would eventually trickle down into the future.
"The event will conclude," Wei Wuyin calmly stated in a voice that was like thunderous claps impacting the heart. There wasn't any discomfort, but the strength within was utterly peerless. Since his voice carried the Minor Authority of Imperial Law, there was a boundless majesty that was inviolable and inscrutable within.
He continued, "The Chosen King Competition's Evercrown Ceremony will resume within three minutes." After deciding the time with an unquestionable tone, Wei Wuyin shifted his silvery gaze to Su Mei who held the Evercrown in her hand. The Evercrown might seem deeply exceptional and fantastically, but it was a great burden of unimaginable weight to most.
San Yongli and Tian Yinwu knew this, so they never invested any effort in competing for it. They had avenues of information that exceeded the Sealed Regions, and Wei Wuyin had them too. The Evercrown from before was purely beneficial without any troublesome restrictions, but after a certain point, within the World Beyond, the Evercrown had experienced certain changes.
Wei Wuyin guessed that roughly around the time of these changes, the altered Evil Sentinels were likely implemented too. He just couldn't pinpoint the cause of it all.
Su Mei titled the Evercrown in her hand. She was about to toss it aside.
However, Wei Wuyin moved his hand slightly, touching hers, and halting the throw. His silver eyes met her pure black eyes, and he calmly said: "If it was before, the Evercrown would be an inconvenience. But from today onward, it'll only be a benefit. As it was originally intended."
His words were clear and not hidden at all. Su Mei's eyes sparkled as she glanced at the Evercrown. Was this all to rid the hidden issues? Did Wei Wuyin refine the Evercrown? Thinking of this, she no longer had the urge to throw away the Evercrown.
"You'll need it," Wei Wuyin said through mental transmission. His voice was dignified and incomparably serious. Su Mei's brows furrowed as the crown felt heavier. She felt that her life was tethered to the crown somehow.
Wei Wuyin sighed internally with relief after seeing this. He was already pushing the extent of his desired interference with the Chosen King Competition's participants. However, he had no other choice.
An additional security measure for Su Mei's path to the Mystic Ascendant Realm was the crown. If she tossed it aside, that would be no different than throwing away a safety net.
No longer needed to be here, Wei Wuyin was about to leave. But then he stopped himself, turning to Xue Yifei, who seemed slightly mentally exhausted despite undergoing a full recovery due to the Earth Reversal Pellet.
"I almost forgot. I have to fulfill a wish to a 'reasonable' extent toward someone who fought more intensely than anyone." Wei Wuyin said, his eyes turning fierce, catching everyone's attention immediately. He softly slapped his air into the sky, causing a faint layer of spiritual light to manifest, infused with the Minor Spatial Law and Minor Imperial Law.
Beyond the unique realm of the Chosen King Competition, the various Spiritual Projection Obelisks throughout the Neo-Dawn Starfield, and each location that the Golden Life Pavilion owned, the image of the Chosen King Competition displayed itself with exceptional vividness.
The eyes of countless looked up, to the side, or even below to the surface of the ground should they be within an enclosed space, greeted by the sight of Wei Wuyin and Xue Yifei on spiritual screens. The two were like an immortal couple envied by the heavens itself. Not a single person didn't recognize Wei Wuyin! And the vast majority instantly recognized Xue Yifei!
Wei Wuyin completed the link, and then lightly followed with an indomitable tone: "From henceforth, Xue Yifei will no longer be my concubine." His words reverberated through every spiritual projection and screen.
"!!!" The reactions from the crowd throughout the Neo-Dawn Starfield and various Stellar Regions were indescribably intense, especially among the Ascendants. Was Wei Wuyin punishing Xue Yifei?!
Xue Yifei was stunned to an extreme, and she almost blanched into a shade of white.
Wei Wuyin then followed up with a step forward, his fierce gaze shifting to one of incomparable warmth and gentleness. He moved closer to Xue Yifei, staring with incomparable softness into her eyes as he grasped her shaky left hand. Her complexion rapidly recovered as warmth from his hand suffused her body, causing her to glow a shade brighter with a healthy sheen. Her eyes widened slightly, fixated entirely on Wei Wuyin.
The man in question revealed a smile that could tear hearts asunder and render souls frozen. With this smile, he said slowly, clearly, and strongly: "As long as you have no objections, I, Wei Wuyin of the Myriad Yore Continent's Red Dove City, would like to ask you to bestow me fortune beyond the heavens itself, and for you, Xue Yifei of the Bloodforge Continent's Xue Country, before the heavens, earth, and all of man that can bear witness: May I have the honor of having you as my wife, on this day until the end of our existence?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
Xue Yifei's heart pounded so intensely that she felt light-headed. Rising unbidden was an urge to cry as her eyes grew teary and unclear. How could she have imagined...she had hoped...she had...
None of her thoughts mattered any longer.
All her ideas on how this would happen or her plans on how she would react all crumbled to dust. She could only say, with her eyes wet, her heart pounding: "YES!"
