"It's almost time," Wei Wuyin stood ramrod straight atop a luminescent comet emitting a distinct icy chill as it soared across the Dark Void. The demeanor of a mortal sovereign exuded from every pore, overlooking his expansive domain, and ruling with total dominion of time and space. Beside him were the beautiful and heavenly Ming Shufeng and the calm, dignified middle-aged-looking Han Hyo-joo.
The former had thoughts of the past. Just a several decades later, the silver-eyed youth that shouted manically that day had overturned the heavens and obtained peerless supremacy throughout his lands.
The latter had thoughts of the future. She didn't try to conceive of a way to escape or hide away. Given Wei Wuyin's current influence and means that shook her very soul, she knew that doing so would only worsen her circumstances. Instead, the scene of Wei Wuyin casually 'purchasing' her for a Mystic-World alchemical product kept repeating in her mind.
She was already thinking of ways to earn his favor. Her advanced age gave her a unique perspective on opportunities, and she knew that not all situations presented themselves initially as a fortuitous encounter or a lethal calamity. What mattered was seizing the situation and extracting as much as one could.
Being the dual cultivation Yin Cauldron of a Worldly Saint Alchemist was a fate that those in the Azure-Prime Galactic Zone would genuinely kill for. No, there have been recorded incidents of that happening!
She recalled a specific event that occurred. Supposedly, it was not a natural societal tradition, but an overall cultivation tradition that the Seers and Oracles of the world divined from ancient times, and that was an event where top-tier beauties, heroes, and talents fought for the attention of alchemists or experts, all for the sake of either being selected as a partner or companion. It varied, but the idea of countless beauties and heroes fighting for a single alchemist's favor, male and female, was not unheard of.
According to her contact from beyond, the Northfrost Royal Duke of the Exalted Republic had once won the extraordinary favor of a peak Earthly Saint Alchemist long ago during one of these competitions. A dazzling figure that was now a genuine Worldly Saint Alchemist renowned throughout the Azure-Prime Galactic Zone and an astonishing, galaxy-stunning beauty renowned across the entire zone. While it wasn't a direct result of the competition, the fact remained that showcasing one's talents during these events could bring about unimaginable results and prospects for one's future. Her thoughts were gleeful and explosive, dyed with lustful intentions.
She now had the potential for a great fortune. She needed to seize it!
Wei Wuyin piloted the comet while musing on several topics, directing it toward the Neo-Dawn Starfield.
"The Northfrost Royal Duke again..." He muttered.
"Boy, he sure isn't bothered by having us wait." Young Master Shang lounged lazily on a wicker chair, eating a piece of velvet cake with whipped cream. Within the cake itself were glittering tiny stars of various colors. Between each scrumptious bite, the white-robed young man would moan delightfully with satisfaction.
They were still housed in the gorgeous palace of the Soul-Saint Domain of the Ninestar Starfield. Cao Cao would periodically appear, acting as a host to tend to any of their needs, and Young Master Shang did not stand on ceremony as he tried two hundred and twenty-three types of alcoholic beverages and numerous cultural delicacies of the Ninestar Starfield.
Standing at the edge of an open window, an elderly man stood while observing the starry skies. Shockingly, unlike before, he was not completely whole. A loose left sleeve dangled desolately by his side, the end folded neatly. He was missing his left arm!
"An empire isn't built in a day, and karmic ties aren't easily resolved. You want me to remind him?" The elderly man's voice was hoarse as if his throat had been strained recently.
Young Master Shang took another bite, only speaking after taking a sip of tea that had been spiked with a little bit of his wine. "Why bother?" He was completely carefree, his words spoken with a light, airy, and relaxed tone. It was hard to imagine that this was the same man who traversed galaxies in search of a single person with sheer determination or one who was nearly shattered by a single kick.
The elderly man nodded.
Young Master Shang finished the cake. Then, he turned his gaze toward the elderly man, a glint of rarely shown concern flashed across his eyes. "You didn't kill anyone, did you?" Despite having come back several days ago, the elderly man hadn't spoken of what happened after exiting the Ancient Sealed Region, and neither had Young Master Shang asked for any details.
The elderly man stared at the starry skies with narrowed eyes. "There's a Heavenly Saint Alchemist here," he said without answering.
"What?!" Young Master Shang's expression dramatically shifted as he stood upright, his gaze focused for the first time in a long while, and his entire body emanated a swirling aura of caution and concern. He visibly tensed.
The Mystic-tier of the Alchemic Dao was divided into four profound categorical titles: Earthly Saint Alchemist, Worldly Saint Alchemist, Heavenly Saint Alchemist, and Ascended Saint Alchemist. They didn't exactly have the same meaning as their cultivation counterparts in regards to their product ranks, as their representing domains far exceeded them.
Earthly Saint Alchemist concocted Mystic-Earth grade products, which govern the profound phases of the Soul of Mysticism, Demi-Mortal Lord, and Earthly Saint; Worldly Saint Alchemists concocted Mystic-World grade products, which govern the mysteries of the Worldly Saint Phase, Heavenly Saint Phase, Ascended Saint Phase, and True Sage Phase; Heavenly Saint Alchemist concocted Mystic-Heaven grade products, which governs the truths of the Resonant Soul Realm!
The first and ninth phases, Mystic Star and True Soul respectively, were excluded due to their unique states, but they too were within the Mystic-Earth and Mystic-World domains of influence.
Typically, if a cultivator came across a Mystic-Heaven grade alchemical product, they were the result of dozens or hundreds of Worldly Saint Alchemists working in conjunction with the aid of powerful experts at the True Sage or True Soul Phases and hundreds or even thousands of Earthly Saint Alchemists as assistances. As for those made with the assistance of those at the legendary Resonant Soul Realm, they were likely concocted for them! When could one possibly come across them?
Young Master Shang's reaction to learning that a Heavenly Alchemic Saint existed in the Azure-Prime Galactic Zone was appropriate! After a brief silence, Young Master Shang's expression changed again. The elderly man had been gone for a lot longer than expected. "Did you...make contact?"
Had the elderly man tried to recruit such a figure?
The elderly man sighed, "One of his Alchemic Knights appeared." After saying this, he brought out a small jade box that was etched with gorgeous runes, and its lid had depictions of mountains and rivers. It was an extraordinary box.
Young Master Shang's heart both grew tense and slowly relaxed at the same time, creating a deeply strange feeling. He felt tense at the possibility that the elderly man might be persuaded to abandon him in pursuit of greater prospects given his spent potential and great age. Hope was dangerous. But opportunities were fleeting. If one didn't seize a chance that showed up, they might regret it for a lifetime.
"What's in the box?" He asked cautiously.
"The entire incident was strange," the elderly man said with a slight shaking of his head as if he still couldn't believe what had happened or understand how he came across such a blessing. After those Sages didn't believe me, that Dark Titan attacked me. We exchanged thirty-two casual clashes of Intent before I suppressed him. Well, it was only an Incarnation. Then, one of them launched an attack that I used two punches to shatter. My third forced their regional array to activate.
"Before I could launch a fourth, the other intervened and tried to act as a mediator and showcase a little of their strength. It was an admirable but unsuccessful attempt. My fourth punch shattered their Incarnation by 'accident'." The elderly man's lips tugged to the side with a tinge of ridicule. "They simply didn't believe me. Not my fault."
"However, my fifth fist was blocked by that Alchemic Knight. The person's cultivation was only at the Ascended Saint Phase, yet they took my fifth fist." The elderly man had a genuine appreciation for that heaven-defying cultivator. Even Young Master Shang was taken aback, knowing that the elderly man's Seven Asura Fists Art was a momentum-based Ascension Art that grew in strength with each fist. Not even a Sage's Incarnation could block his fifth fist, but that Alchemic Knight had!
Each subsequent stage of cultivation established a world-shattering chasm of power! This only increased as one progressed along the difficult path of cultivation and it was one of the most undeniable truths of the world! Of cultivation!
"They survived?" Young Master Shang was shaken.
"Barely. But they survived," the elderly man remarked ruefully. It was clear that for someone of such a cultivation base to survive his attack was a sign that hurt his sense of pride. "Anyways," he looked at the box held in his right hand, "the Alchemic Knight exhibited their extraordinary mental fortitude as they delivered a message to me from the Heavenly Alchemic Saint. They asked me...for an arm."
His lonely, empty sleeve fluttered without wind. Young Master Shang was once again shaken. It wasn't ignorant to say that the elderly man's arm was a priceless treasure that cultivators would kill for. After all, his entire body had been cultivated, nourished, and refined by indescribable amounts of energies and essences for over a hundred thousand years, containing remarkably potent physical energy. But that also meant losing it was an incredible loss!
"An arm?" Young Master Shang originally thought it was lost in battle. To think it was...he looked at the box, "Bought?"
The elderly man chuckled, "They offered this." He used the ambient mana to gently lift the lid.
Whoosh! A gushing wind swept the room. Young Master Shang felt overwhelmed instantly as he felt a soul-enriching fragrance assail his nostrils. A radiant light flooded the room entirely, and he felt bathed in soul-purifying warmth. It was so comfortable that he felt that entering eternal sleep at this moment wouldn't be so bad.
The box was only opened by a tenth, yet the luminous aura of the product was extraordinary! Far too extraordinary! It was as if a wisp of heavenly laws was contained within.
After the elderly man saw Young Master Shang's reaction, he hurriedly sealed the lid. It took Young Master Shang several minutes to break out of his stupor, wiping the saliva off the edges of his lips, as the pulsating light of greed blared within his eyes incessantly.
"What is it?" He didn't know many Mystic-Heaven grade products despite his origins. It was far beyond his current cultivation base to properly delve into, and from that brief exposure, he was unable to determine its origins.
"A Soul Pill," the elderly man beamed. For a moment, he seemed to have grown younger by ten years.
"A Soul Pill?!?!" Young Master Shang's spine straightened. It was a simply named product, but that did little to diminish its well-known reputation! Throughout the galaxies, the Soul Pill could be considered mundane by Mystic-Heaven standards, but it was anything but. It was the equivalent of an Essence Pill but for those at the Resonant Soul Realm! However, if given to those beneath the Resonant Soul Realm, it could potentially awaken the refiner's True Soul or improve one's Mystic Soul, and by extension, grant one an opportunity to ascend to the Resonant Soul Realm!
The Mystic Star Phase and True Soul Phases were unique stages of the Mystic Ascendant Realm for two reasons: Firstly, both of these stages could be skipped. Additionally, while the Mystic Star Phase was often synonymous with great failure, the True Soul Phase was connected with stupendous success.
When discussing the soul, there were two parts: the soul and the True Soul. They were not the same. The soul was sensed and severed during the Foundation Establishment Realm and used to form the Spirit of Cultivation or to awaken one's bloodline. Moreover, it had to be destroyed to kill Ascended beings and this was a common occurrence. Wu Yu had kept his soul alive despite losing his physical body for thousands of years in a container. Even after fully destroying or killing an Ascended being's soul, they still undergo the process of Hell's cleansing via their True Souls.
However, one's True Soul was an enigma. While even mortals can harm or destroy one's True Soul using so-called Evil Methods, it was nearly impossible for cultivators to sense, control, or cultivate their True Souls. It was both fragile and difficult to interact with on a personal level.
The Resonant Soul Realm was similarly referring to both types of souls. And this created a great divergence, the very first split path of cultivators! Those who established resonance with the portion of their cultivated soul within their Spirits of Cultivation and those who resonated with their True Souls.
This wasn't to say either path was superior or inferior to the other. They both had their advantages and disadvantages. However, only by awakening one's True Soul and cultivating it directly could one improve their limited Soulspans! They could live far, far, far, far longer than their cultivation base allowed! This was but one of the benefits of reaching the True Soul stage.
Young Master Shang's heart was racing so heavily that it sounded like drum beats.
"It's worth an arm!" He exclaimed.
"Worth an arm indeed!" The elderly man chuckled.
Unbeknownst to both of them, Wei Wuyin had listened to their entire conversation. After being discovered several times, he began to grow more adept at hiding his traces of spying after his Second Mind conceived a few improvements to the art. When used in conjunction with the Endless Void Mirror, it made his spying seamless. That studious mind of his was borderline a perfectionist and was rather angry after its Void Concealment Art was exposed time and time again.
"Soul Pill? So, you're at the True Sage Phase." Wei Wuyin couldn't quite determine the elderly man's cultivation base earlier but he understood now from their conversation. Unfortunately, he couldn't determine the Ascended Sovereigns' cultivation bases either. After all, they used Incarnations.
"True Sage or Resonant Soul Realm..."
After some thought, he looked toward the depths of the world, locating the Stellar Nest. "Best to assume the worse: Resonant Soul Realm. How troublesome," Wei Wuyin had to adjust his plans to maximize his gains for the All-Ending Stellar Calamity. Moreover, the Demonic Sovereign was no longer a reliable distraction for his plans.
After an hour of flying through the Dark Void on the comet, Wei Wuyin's eyes shone brightly. The solution was right there!
"I guess I have to make the Demonic Sovereign a little stronger," he grinned. Within his Mind's Eye, Little Defiant rotated on its axis, releasing solar flares of excitement.
At this point, Wei Wuyin felt that everything else on the to-do list was no longer as important as venturing to the outside and could wait until he returned. He glanced at Ming Shufeng and thought about the Golden Gate Pavilion. Whatever they were planning, he was interested to see what came of it. If it benefited him, then all was well. If it harmed him...while Tian Taizong failed to eradicate them, he definitely wouldn't.
He conjured a Void Portal with a thought.
