"You're relying on your power of Laws far too often," the voice of the Heavenly War Spirit resounded within Wei Wuyin's consciousness. It was slightly deeper than before, growing with a sense of maturity and age, unlike the young, child-like feminine voice she spoke with early on.
Dark Void, formerly the Twisted Earth Starfield.The area was rife with activity as Voidships soared across the Dark Void with a large number of passengers, among which were Ascendant members of at least the Mystic Star Phase cultivation. They were shuttling forces and organizing certain things, and the various top-tier forces assisted with all their might, especially with many reeling from the devastation the invaders had left in their wake.
The Twisted Earth Starfield was known for its uniquely helix-shaped orbit of twenty-four planetary bodies imbued with highly concentrated Earth Essence hence its name. There were three Solar Stars, two outside the helix and a single Solar Star at the center of the helix. Due to this arrangement, nights were particularly colder and harsher than other starfields for these planets.
A man holding a woman and a beast calmly observing the duo were riding a random asteroid. A Worldly Domain was conjured, providing every iota of living energy needed for mortals. The area was particularly warm, breezy, and extremely comfortable.
"I'm using my bloodline abilities at this very moment, no?" Wei Wuyin retorted as he retrieved the rhombus-shaped void crystal that contained the Void Nestling Realm and all the bizarrely nurtured trees, including the various elemental chains. The Void Crystallization ability of his True Void Dragon lineage was miraculous, capable of storing an entire world within a single crystal form.
He held Qing Qiumu comfortably within his embrace in a bridal carry, her lovely head resting on his shoulder and chest, and her breathing was even as a hint of a smile hung on her lips. She was having a good dream.
Wei Wuyin could passively sense her mental fluctuations. If he wanted, it would be easy to delve into her defenseless mind and see what created such a peaceful smile despite her harrowing experience over the last two decades.
"..." In the end, he decided against invading her privacy. Rather, he would love to ask her about it and she could willingly tell him. That was far more interesting.
"That's not what I meant," the Heavenly War Spirit was stern in tone here. Wei Wuyin was continually exerting his bloodline abilities often, executing them flawlessly alongside his immaculate usage of Minor Authority over Spatial and Temporal Laws. This was especially so for the creation of Void Portals where the laws simply could only enhance but not directly create. The two forces synergized immensely. But that's not what she meant!
Wei Wuyin finished retracting his expelled Draconic Void Force that he had earlier diffused into the Void Nestling Realm, regaining the vast majority of his expended astral force in one go. The strengths of Permanence were extraordinary to behold.
"Your unique physique is granting you great leverage while using your Minor Authorities, but your cultivation base isn't focused on Laws." The Heavenly War Spirit began to explain her words, pausing momentarily as she collected her thoughts.
Wei Wuyin quietly listened as he adjusted his condition. He gazed in a certain direction, a faint feeling of helplessness slowly pulsed within his chest as he recalled those two women of the Ninestar Starfield. On top of that, he still had to deal with Liu Yinlan and the other two in Imperial Sky.
"You're a mortal-this statement holds regardless of how incredible your current foundation is; however, you can wield power vastly beyond your cultivation base. Not even those at the Worldly Saint Phase or Heavenly Saint Phase wield true Minor Authority power of the Laws. You're far too reliant on power at the summit." The Heavenly War Spirit tried her best to explain, but she was unsure if Wei Wuyin understood her.
Feeling as if she hadn't said enough, explained enough, been clear enough, she continued: "Your core is supremely hot and viscous, both inner and outer, and dense. Your mantle is finely shaped and tempered to near perfection. However, your crust, that outer layer is lackluster in comparison to the rest while the atmospheric layers and all its gaseous components are far too heavy to sustain itself long-term."
"..." Wei Wuyin was a peak cultivator of the Astral Core Realm, and therefore deeply understood the principles of Solar Star, Planetary, and Continental Formation to an extreme extent. He had also grasped the comprehensive knowledge of his alternate self in the River of Time, so in regards to the cultivation principles of the Mortal Realms his understanding and application of these principles were far beyond most mortals, excluding those who've Temporally Reincarnated by the will of the Heavenly Daos' or had similar circumstances.
Despite the perplexing elaboration that might stump scholars, Wei Wuyin understood her incredibly well. Moreover, it was all summed up in a single question:
"When was the last time you swung your saber?"
Then, she followed with another question: "When was the last time you felt the thrill of a true challenge?" Before he could reply or contemplate, she pelted him with more. "The last time you felt threatened in combat? You felt unsafe? You felt uncertain and inadequate? You felt afraid and exhilarated?"
"..." Wei Wuyin's thoughts swirled.
While her earlier words suggested that Wei Wuyin's innate talents and cultivated foundations were as flawless as they were heaven-defying, heavily attributed to his Stellar Paragon Physique and cultivation of the Alchemic Dao, to the extent that, as a mere mortal, he had already reached the Mystic-tier of his True Void Dragon's bloodline lineage, achieved the Alchemic Stars of Transcendent Purity, awakened World Heart Intent of the Saber and Elemental Origin, grasped six Minor Authorities of Law, and had the knowledge of an Earthly Saint's comprehensive knowledge of cultivation.
This was unprecedented. While individually, these things might have been achieved by mortals before in the vast history of cultivation, the thought of all of them existing on a single cultivator beneath the age of a hundred was unbelievable.
Wei Wuyin barely had any flaws. Even the issue of acting mostly as a hammer, lacking an intricate depth of power, arts, and spells had mostly been alleviated by his debonair version's memories and knowledge of Mortal Realm cultivation.
The only real, tangible flaw was his Mortal Existential Framework, and even that was heavily mitigated by his Stellar Paragon Physique. The feats of boosting himself to such an extent that he could react and respond to San Yongli's Heavenly Saint-level means, conquer Tian Taizong, and find the Void Nestling Realm should have obliterated his hybrid body and mortal soul several times over.
However, in the Heavenly War Spirit's eyes, Wei Wuyin had a major flaw. Disregarding his firm Heart of Cultivation that pursued life in the face of hellish tribulations and heavenly obstacles, Wei Wuyin's fighting spirit was unable to be seen by her.
Since his fateful decision to take the reins of his situation at his own pace that day, Wei Wuyin hadn't had a 'real' challenge. He hadn't gone 'all-out' or struggled to survive using his power. This worried the Heavenly War Spirit.
Complacency was the death of geniuses.
Wei Wuyin was slightly bitter in his heart. While her words would ring true from an outsider's perspective, Wei Wuyin had been fighting ferociously against the Eighteen Calamities of Hell, a battle so fierce that he had to ensure every step was as stable as he could as a mere mortal, not daring to be the slightest careless, and risking his life several times over.
Even then, he'd long since learned to not walk with his chin high and eyes forward because a single rock was enough to call him to tumble. He didn't just learn it, in another life, he experienced the consequences of this. Unfortunately, the Heavenly War Spirit wasn't privileged to the incidents in the River of Time or the existence of his status as an Inheritor of Sin, a fate that was no different than a death sentence to a mortal.
How could he not be bitter? Just a little dissatisfied?
To depressingly add, he understood that she wasn't wrong! The question of when he last swung his saber?
When was it?
When was the last time he even drew his saber from its scabbard?
"..." Several times now, Wei Wuyin was unable to reply. A part was due to certain restrictions that he couldn't share, and the other part was the truth behind her words.
"I've watched you since you arrived on the Battlefield and your heart-racing, spirit-soaring battles on both battlefields. Your movements then were decisive, your every breath calculated, your every thought not wasted, and you were brilliant then. Incredibly brilliant. The time you dared to engage with an existence far beyond you, using your mind and means to claim unquestionable victory while dancing a hair's length from death's embrace. Back then, I felt your fighting spirit roar!" The excitement in the Heavenly War Spirit's voice after retelling those scenes was vividly rich.
Wei Wuyin's bitterness increased; during that period, he had been blind, imposed with a horrifying disadvantage, and had to rely on every last ounce of his intelligence, bravery, and willpower to push forward.
"You summoned those four Soul Idols of yours that shook the sky and crushed the earth. A single breath of yours incinerated all of space and time, and your blade was swung with an unyielding ferocity. But-" She paused briefly, her tone dropping a few levels in excitement and thrill, "-since then, every action and challenge has been incomparably easy for you. Too easy."
"..."
"And now, you've grasped Minor Authority of Law-six of them. Within this sealed world, only that one called the Demonic Sovereign could match you, test you. You're invincible. And I don't say this lightly: YOU ARE INVINCIBLE!" The Heavenly War Spirit's words from earlier, pointing out that he used his Minor Authority of Laws far too often, postulating that there's no one here that could push him to rely on his impeccable cultivation base, force him to use arts, spells, or his intelligence.
Nothing that can inspire his fighting spirit, his killing intent, or his will for war! The last part was the most important.
Finally, Wei Wuyin spoke: "I'm a little ways away from the Mystic Ascendant Realm. I can't enter the Battlefield again until then. While I could try, I would rather not test the patience of its creators by bypassing their established rules needlessly."
The Battlefield had strict rules, and one of those rules was that a cultivator could only enter once as a Mortal and thrice as an Ascended, and only once per cultivation stage up to the Demi-Mortal Lord Phase.
"I'm not suggesting you commit suicide." The Heavenly War Spirit was once a regulator of the rules, so she was fully aware that Wei Wuyin would be asking for death should he try breaching them. Perhaps in the future he could disregard this, but not even six Minor Authorities will save him from those truly powerful cultivators.
She had once mentioned that she and the Nexus War Flag were simply throw-away treasures for the Battlefield. After all, did Wei Wuyin sell his greatest products? Did the King of Everlore offer his most precious Concoction Methods and arts? Similar to how Wei Wuyin had the Neo-Dawn Paragon-Forging Pill, the King of Everlore certainly had his own treasured products. This was the case for most cultivators.
"I'm suggesting you find a challenge!" the Heavenly War Spirit bellowed.
"The All-Ending Stellar Calamity," Wei Wuyin reminded.
"I know!" The Heavenly War Spirit knew that Wei Wuyin was the so-called 'cause' for this particular calamity and sought to benefit from its imminent arrival. Benefit immensely! However, she stood by her suggestion! In her mind, Wei Wuyin needed to escape to find greater challenges lest he grow complacent and lazy from being invincible.
Wei Wuyin thought for a long, long moment, eyeing her curiously in his Sea of Consciousness.
"Tell me why you're trying to convince me to leave this world." Wei Wuyin could tell that something was up with the Heavenly War Spirit. She was no longer an egg but a mass of golden light that chaotically rippled, flowed, churned, and surged like water or a turbulent cloud. She was undergoing her transformation process.
"..." It seemed now was the time for the Heavenly War Spirit to be silent as she didn't immediately answer. Wei Wuyin didn't interrupt her thoughts, however. He just waited.
"Haaa..." After a long while, the Heavenly War Spirit answered: "I thought you would declare war against the Tian Clan! Against the entire world! I thought it'd be a tougher fight if you acted yourself and did not rely on your Soldiers of War! I didn't expect you to deal with him so swiftly and easily, like snapping a chicken's neck. Why did his entire cultivation base hinge largely on the Imperial Essence? How stupid! Stupid! So stupid!
"To be honest," she began with a sullen tone, "I need two final pieces for my completion to a Heavenly War Spirit. If I don't have those, then I'll be stuck like this indefinitely. Moreover, I need it...fast." She confessed everything.
According to her, she was in a precarious state of development and evolution. Wei Wuyin had essentially completed a portion of her transformation far faster than she expected and far sooner than he should have. Originally, she was intended for a top-notch Demi-Mortal Lord genius cultivator, and even then, the rate of absorption would be moderate, whereas Wei Wuyin's energies were almost endless, abnormally pure, and refined.
Even the Legion Commander, Zhan Zheng, had been startled by how Wei Wuyin's mortal energies could forge a terrifying body for him long ago. Just that alone was enough for him to change his attitude entirely about Wei Wuyin and follow him wholeheartedly.
She was sucking Wei Wuyin dry every minute since she entered his Sea of Consciousness, but he would replenish himself using high-quality products in seemingly endless quantities and his Astral Souls ridiculous Externalization Method to refine products themselves. She sucked so much, so consistently that she hadn't realized how much. And now she was facing this issue.
She needed two critical components to complete her transformation: Firstly, a Mystic Soul of an Ascended Saint or higher. And second, for Wei Wuyin to birth a Law Seed of War to act as her spiritual source.
This Law Seed of War had to be born by Wei Wuyin, not artificial, and not taken from someone else. While it wasn't an inflexible requirement, and she 'could' use either option, if she wanted the perfect body, then this was a necessary requirement. She had even tried to fuse with the Law of Saber and Law of Origin, which were somewhat connected to the Law of War, but they were far too developed!
She needed a nascent body to store her nascent source and a Spiritual Soul that could connect with the Three Thousand Realms via Heavenly Resonance! And not an artificial resonance!
The greatest issue was that she was on a deadline. A deadline as pressing as Wei Wuyin's Calamities of Hell. Failure to meet this deadline meant a very good chance that she'd be stuck in this state as a mass of golden brilliance-forever!
Moreover, it was extremely short!
Three Years!
JUST THREE!!!
