The White Abyssal Galaxy had welcomed an unexpected foreigner and his companions for slightly over three weeks, yet this small period had changed the galaxy and the races inhabiting it on an immeasurable scale. From that point on, the White Abyssal Galaxy's heart would be slightly smaller, the White Abyss would have very few dangers, and there would be one less Mystic Overlord than before.
The legend of the Neo-Dawn Alchemic Saint, the human Worldly Saint Alchemist, that brought along a storm and single-handedly conquered a galaxy spread like a wildfire. The palaces of Neo-Dawn were established throughout the galaxy alongside rules and laws carrying the will of the Neo-Dawn Ascendant Emperor.
While there was some resistance, the fact that there was no forceful means left those itching to rebel without a target. They weren't being enslaved. Humans hadn't suddenly gotten additional advantages. Their Mystic Overlords, the leaders of their Galactic Zones, were fully corporated and the Abyssal Race would retain majority deciding rights. A Galactic Vassal State's transition was far too smooth.
Additionally, five thousand elites of the Mystic Ascendant Realm that had ventured out to the White Abyss had become reverential believers of the Neo-Dawn Alchemic Saint and his status as the Neo-Dawn Ascendant Emperor, regardless of racial origins or gender. They bore witness to his exceptional power, and it was hard to resist an irresistible power that controlled the very fabric of time and space.
Void Altars were already being built, humming with the unique sound of pulsating Void Energy with remarkable purity and quality. A link between galaxies...was forming. The changes were only beginning.
Four days after the White Abyss lost a hundredth of its size, the Minor Elysium was leaving the White Abyssal Galaxy's galactic borders, entering the depths of the Void-Blank Space between galaxies.
After their experiences in the White Abyssal Galaxy, especially in the White Abyss, Yue Songli and Qing Qiumu took to establishing a private room as they painted their hearts and minds from the numerous inspirations they've had throughout. The former was even using a prototype of Star Void Liquid, renamed Starvoid Paint by Yue Songli herself. While the latter was gaining in skill by the stroke, showcasing her talent in bringing forth her soul and imagination onto the canvas.
Yue Songli couldn't help but praise her as talented, not the slightest jealous, but only excited by having a kindred spirit that had a passion for artistic ways. She no longer felt alone while baring her soul, and Qing Qiumu's warm, tender aura and personality elevated her comfort levels.
Liu Suyin remained in secluded cultivation. Based on the difficulty of refining and taming a Living Vortex of Space and Time, connecting with it on the level of a World-Bound Star Domain, including refining the Neo-Dawn Eclipsing-World Pill. While it was convention-shattering, and suitable for usage by mortals, the aspects of improving the connection and strength of Domains and Astral or Mystic Cores remained. Given her current endeavor, the pill was incredibly useful.
Wei Wuyin had told her that refining this now might cause her to miss the next galaxy or so trip, but she was uncaring. Instead, she simply steadied her resolve to complete this goal of hers with firm steps, not trying to rush or delay it at all. Seeing her willingness and understanding, Wei Wuyin couldn't say anything else.
Wei Wuyin had always liked ambitious and strong-willed women who weren't too forceful or annoyingly arrogant, and Liu Suyin was not an exception to his tastes. Even before they had met, she fought tooth and nail to claim the Void Voyage Sect's Sect Master position. Although she failed in the end, the fact that she had given it her all was a sign of her strong will and lofty ambitions.
Leaning against the railing, using his hand to hold his chin and his elbow as leverage, Wei Wuyin calmly watched the slowly shrinking White Abyssal Galaxy, musing on his goals, gains, and losses thus far. Faintly, the distinct yet faint aura of the Imperial Law enveloped the entire galaxy, slowly trying to encapsulate it entirely.
"Ugh..." Bai Xiu was disgruntled and pursed her lips within Wei Wuyin's Sea of Consciousness. She sat atop the Neo-Dawn Ascension Cauldron on its edge. It had been placed within his Sea of Consciousness, slowly being nurtured by Eden's roots flowing with gorgeous seven-colored alchemic light.
Wei Wuyin bitterly smiled.
"It really took so much! Ugh..." She crossed her arms against her chest. Bai Xiu had the appearance of a young princess, and she was undeniably a youthful beauty filled with vibrant life, so her small actions here were cute to the point of being excessive.
"Stop being a baby. It's not like you'll run out of food anytime soon," Heavenly War Spirit was unable to roll her eyes, but if she had a physical body, she would definitely roll her eyes!
Bai Xiu harrumphed. Wei Wuyin had decided to use the Eighth Source Transcendence Spell long ago on the Soul Pill. Originally, she was completely fine with this because Wei Wuyin was the type of alchemist where starving was impossible for a Spirit of Dao like her. However, he had changed his decision to elevate its quality from low-quality to high-quality, and the sheer leap of anticipated Utmost Purity Mist increased by almost a hundred times!
Moreover, he wanted to lower the time for quality improvement, so a lot of Utmost Purity Mist was expended far more than necessary. Using a Vortex-Zone to accelerate time, she had lost 40% of her Utmost Purity Mist storer within the cauldron.
It might not seem like much when 40% is described, but 40% of Wei Wuyin's Utmost Purity Mist was an absurd amount! He was the monstrous type to use the Thirty-Three Heavenly Concoction Method by default as a standard and would succeed in almost every, if not every, Mystic-Earth and Mystic-World product he concocted with the average success being high-quality!
The amount of generated Utmost Purity Mist could drown Stellar Regions. She was eating so good! Now, 40% is gone...just like that.
That was 40% of nearly two decades of Wei Wuyin's concoction effort!
40%!!!
She was disgruntled! She had the right to be!
Wei Wuyin's bitter smile persisted. He could empathize with Bai Xiu completely, especially given that 40% of his 17 years of arduous effort and continuous successes had been expended on a single Mystic-Heaven product, elevating it from impure-quality to high-quality. That was his greatest loss.
As for his greatest gain? It was the unrealized potential of Violet Sea or Fairy Silence. If they could use the high-quality, Mystic-Heaven grade Soul Pill to enter the True Soul Phase, perhaps even the Resonant Soul Realm, one of them would become very crucial for future objectives. However, they had to succeed, and before refining it, they needed to become a Sage, so it was a gamble.
A big gamble.
However, if those experts at the True Sage Phase or Resonant Soul Realm knew that Wei Wuyin was in possession of a high-quality Soul Pill, there would be an uproar! Fortunately, he was cautious and kept the Soul Pill concealed within his Sea of Consciousness, under the guard of Little Defiant alongside the portion of the White Abyss.
If he found a better candidate, he intended to use it then. However, by Bai Xiu's calculation, if he tried to rush it and purity it to the peak-quality, the current amount of Utmost Purity Mist might bottom to beneath 10%. Since he didn't wish to spend so much, he decided that high-quality was enough. It genuinely might not be worth it even if he made a single Resonant Soul Realm expert.
He sighed and turned his eyes to the deck of the Minor Elysium, his bitter smile was overwritten by a relieved and warm smile. "Wei Si is doing quite well. He's taken a liking to Qing Qiumu like a little brother."
After seeing Wei Si sit attentively while watching Qing Qiumu paint her heart out like an innocent child, Wei Wuyin was content but also concerned. Wei Si was unnaturally attuned to his emotional state and had already taken up as Qing Qiumu's guardian. In Wei Wuyin's eyes, Wei Si felt guilty about Dai Lyn, and perhaps...he saw a little of Dai Lyn's warmth in Qing Qiumu, so he was unwilling to let her suffer any harm, always lingering near while they took this cosmic trip of dangers.
While he left Qing Qiumu alone when Wei Wuyin was with her, he always accompanied her when she went off to do things herself and Wei Wuyin was off either being with the others or cultivating. He was unaware that Wei Wuyin's Void Image had never left Qing Qiumu since the moment they began this trip across the stars.
He could only leave Wei Si be.
Tuo Bihan and Young Master Shang had become drinking buddies and often were lazily doing useless things, speaking poems or telling stories. The two had a budding friendship over wine and words.
The Ascendants were either cultivating using Vortex-Zones or piloting the Minor Elysium, swapping at times between Su Mei and her shadow with Shui Fengbao and Yao Houyi, while Ming Shufeng would coordinate with them.
Cao Cuifen was currently choosing her new wardrobe with the assistance of her new servant to best signify her change from an Alchemist to a true-blue cultivator. Wei Wuyin was right; after giving her that 'gift', Wei Wuyin was given an incredible gift in return. Within that stretch of a single day, Cao Cuifen moved as if she were on a mission to beat some record of yang essence extraction, and she used ALL her assets.
It was wonderful.
Two days passed as they traveled away from the White Abyssal Galaxy. By now, it was extremely tiny. It was hard to believe that mere mortals were traversing the cosmos when True Sages would struggle to do so. However, here they were.
Wei Wuyin walked out of his Alchemic Chamber, the scent of alchemy wafting from his body, and he made his way to the deck. When he arrived, he saw Young Master Shang drinking with his usual carefree air. He noticed Wei Wuyin's arrival and said, "Come, come. Brother-in-law, let me tell you about the Sky Heart Galaxy!"
The Sky Heart Galaxy was the next galaxy on the itinerary.
Wei Wuyin swept his gaze across the Minor Elysium, and besides Su Mei and the resting Xiao Bai, there was no one else. Cao Cuifen had gone to her chambers with her newfound servant and was undoubtedly using her as feedback for her cultivation while refining the products that Wei Wuyin had provided her using a Vortex-Zone.
Arriving beside Young Master Shang, Wei Wuyin joined him as he pulled out his own flagon of wine. Once again, it was extremely aged wine from the White Abyssal Galaxy and Fairy Silence's collection. He took a sip.
"Good! So, the Sky Heart Galaxy is one of the galaxies I visited personally on the way here for a while, so I'm a lot more educated on its society." Young Master Shang had traveled the same path to the Onestar Galaxy coming from the Treasured Vale Galaxy. It was the Utmost Purity Galaxy, No-Name Galaxy, Sky Heart Galaxy, and Abyssal Galaxy in that order, so the Sky Heart Galaxy was his second stop, and Teng Jiangwen had entered each one for various reasons.
"How strong do you think the Sky Heart Galaxy is? How far advanced do you think its society has reached?" Young Master Shang asked with interest and playfulness.
Wei Wuyin remained silent as he just took a few more sips. He didn't feel like playing such games. Moreover, the Heavenly War Spirit had already claimed Teng Jiangwen's soul as hers and had long since filled him in on the details, so this was purely entertaining Young Master Shang's desire to talk to someone.
"Hehe," Young Master Shang chuckled as he took a large swig of wine. "It's far, far from the White Abyssal Galaxy! You can say that the Sky Heart Sect is..." He paused dramatically.
"...INCREDIBLY WEAK! INCREDIBLY PRIMITIVE! Hehe," Young Master Shang exclaimed as he gestured toward the starry world. "How weak? Very! But what is 'weak' you ask? Well, the White Abyssal Galaxy lacks a Sage, so they're not really strong but not really weak. Four Mystic Overlords in a single galaxy is certainly impressive and sufficient to be classified as a mid-tier cultivation society for sure.
"As for a galaxy with a Sage? Not weak! That said, there are differences among Sages, as you well know. Those like Teng Jiangwen who comprehended a Minor Authority can be considered elite among elite, and their galaxy can be considered strong." After saying this, Young Master Shang took three large gulps and sighed. He already realized by now that Teng Jiangwen was killed.
What an unfair death too. Teng Jiangwen died while his cultivation was sealed, and it was sealed by his own decision. This was why every cultivator hated sealing their cultivation base under any circumstance, but the specific circumstances were...extremely rare!
Young Master Shang took another gulp and heaved another sigh that originated from his True Soul. "Anyways, a Sage with a Minor Law could galvanize their entire galactic territory to fight against those at the Resonant Soul Realm or threaten to unleash mutual destruction, so how could they not be strong? Alright. I'll be more direct, okay?
"The Sky Heart Galaxy's top cultivators are only World Emperors! That's right-World Emperors!" Young Master Shang was unusually excited after declaring the maximum strength of those within the Sky Heart Galaxy.
Wei Wuyin decided to accommodate Young Master Shang's excitement, giving him a gaze of: "I don't quite believe that." This was enough to get him visibly roused and he began gesturing while drinking, "The Sky Heart Galaxy is genuinely that weak! But there's a reason for this. A terrifying and perhaps petty reason! Have you ever heard of the Prohibition of Heaven's Resonance?"
Wei Wuyin blinked.
"Well, oh boy! You have incredible strength, and by your stage of existence relative to your feats, you may think you're heaven-defying! Well, you are, but those at a certain level of cultivation can place unfathomable restraints on the heavens themselves. While I don't know the entire story, I do know a woman who was said to be so beautiful that her appearance could steal the heart of a galaxy, sending it soaring across the sky, had gotten caught up in a scandal of infidelity and her entire galaxy named after her was placed under a restriction-the Prohibition Of Heaven's Resonance.
"It's practically impossible to formulate a Seed of Law within the world, artificial or natural. No, it's actually impossible! Without a Seed of Law, how can anyone become an Original Magistrate? To despairingly add, channeling the aura of Laws releases an unfathomable backlash that can kill anyone who violates this taboo. Because of this, no force wants to occupy it or manage it given the inherent chaos within. The strongest inhabitants can't travel outside their galaxy. As you recall, the dangers are immeasurable and they are way, way too weak."
Wei Wuyin looked surprised as he took another sip, feeling refreshed within as warmth suffused his stomach and throat.
Young Master Shang seemed satisfied to see that reaction, "So what do you think its territory is like? You'd never guess!"
Wei Wuyin spat, "Ruled by beasts?"
"Aha! Its rulers are bea-" Young Master Shang stopped halfway, pouting as he took a swig. "Yeah...the entire Sky Heart Galaxy is ruled by beasts, the only ones unaffected by the prohibition."
Wei Wuyin nodded as he didn't pay much attention to what Young Master Shang was saying next. The Sky Heart Galaxy was like the Everlore Starfield before the King of Everlore's rise to prominence. Han Xei's tragic history was caused by this very environment, so Wei Wuyin wasn't foreign to such worlds.
But he had never once seen one before!
