When unsheathing his saber, a life must be taken. The term 'taken' was loosely defined. It did not always mean 'must be killed', but it must be taken away from fate. If he used it to protect, then he took that life back from the jaws of death, and if he used it to kill, then he took that life away.
The moment he conjured his saber, Wei Wuyin was willing to risk his everything to ensure its edge claimed a life today!
A glaring line of crimson slowly revealed itself from He Yanglei's forehead, slowly descending downwards. It went between his eyes, his nose, his lips, between his collar bones, and through his torso.
The skinny old man inspected this line, noticed how He Yanglei was thoroughly bisected! But before his body could split into two, spewing out his innards before the crowd, he waved his hand towards He Yanglei. That line vanished, and the dimming light within He Yanglei's eyes had brightened.
With a light frown, he grasped He Yanglei's shoulder. Sensing his state, the skinny old man felt amazed, "You split him through every crucial aspect. They had also been annihilated. Quite thorough of you."
The skinny old man marveled, realizing that it wasn't just He Yanglei's body that was split in two, but his Mind's Eye and World Sea. It was a thorough death. But only if one was bound by Mortal Limits.
Wei Wuyin tightly clenched his teeth. Element was still between the two scrawny fingers of that old man, unable to budge, unable to move, and feeling an immense pressure. This was what it meant to be before a cultivator that surpassed Mortal Limits? It was a harrowing experience!
The skinny old man moved his hand, pressed his index finger against He Yanglei's glabella, and then moved away. It was such a simple set of movements, no godly light or eruption of divine power was present. It was just a simple tap.
Almost immediately, He Yanglei's eyes that had brightened earlier regained the light of life. His hands twitched as he sharply inhaled a breath of fresh air, his entire body quivering without end.
Revived!
s
Through some means that even his Celestial Eyes couldn't observe, the skinny old man had brought He Yanglei's back from death. As for the man himself, his eyes swirled around as if reacclimating to his new situation. It took a moment, a long dreadful moment for Wei Wuyin, before He Yanglei's eyes settled on Wei Wuyin.
"Y...you!" He Yanglei's expression twisted with an unsightly look. He just recalled the moment before, unsure of what happened, yet aware that his life was brought to an untimely end. Fortunately, his soul hadn't been dispersed. Fortunately, that was far beyond Wei Wuyin's means.
Wei Wuyin dispersed Element, regaining his freedom as it receded back to his dantian. The three stood together with varied expressions, but Wei Wuyin had the most helpless. But there wasn't a hint of regret or fear in his eyes.
Others might consider his actions reckless, and it certainly was, but it had to happen. This He Yanglei had to die. He didn't believe that He Yanglei would surrender in a Chosen Candidate challenge, and it was clear from earlier that he felt no sense of danger or fear from him. If he acted petty, there was nothing Wei Wuyin could do but take his life for the Badge of Divinity.
He could faintly hear the cries of those dragons within the Auric Sea. He could hear their desperation and sorrow, their fear and madness, and it wasn't something he could accept.
"If I had to make the choice again, I would still swing my saber," He quietly told himself.
"Kill him! KILL HIM! KILL!!" He Yanglei's eyes reddened and he shouted in unrestrained rage. Despite being merely a few feet away from Wei Wuyin, he still demanded someone else to take action. The skinny old man glanced at He Yanglei, a trace of contempt emerged in his eyes, and he looked away.
Regardless of what, since Wei Wuyin had come infinitely close to killing He Yanglei, he had to give an explanation. In a way, he had failed in his duties to protect his life. With a faint sigh, he lifted his right hand. The movement was unfathomably slow, but Wei Wuyin felt as if it was all that existed in this world.
With a faint sigh within his heart, he decided to risk it all despite their extremely close distance. Those silver eyes of his became radiant.
Just as the skinny old man's hand was about to touch Wei Wuyin, to the point where Wei Wuyin hadn't even noticed how close the tip of his fingers were, he stopped. It was only then that Wei Wuyin realized that he hadn't registered the skinny old man's movements, that he wasn't even able to move or react.
How terrifying was this?!
"Who are you?" The skinny old man asked, inspecting Wei Wuyin with shock present within his eyes.
Unsure of what was happening, Wei Wuyin didn't hesitate to say, "It doesn't matter. If a senior such as yourself seeks to act against a junior like myself, why have so many considerations?" He faintly smiled, no longer deciding to risk it all.
The skinny old man frowned.
"What are you doing?! Just kill him!" He Yanglei demanded, but the skinny old man ignored him. The skinny old man reached out, grabbing Wei Wuyin's shoulder.
Wei Wuyin could only watch as he was grabbed, feeling a distinct sense of helplessness overwhelm him. What the hell was this? With all the power he had, all the trump cards he possessed, was the Mystic Ascendant Realm so vastly beyond his abilities that he couldn't even retaliate?
He felt a strange power integrate into his body, inspecting every trace of his body, but his heart and Sea of Consciousness faintly trembled. For some reason, he breathed a breath of relief. It seemed Kratos and Eden were still capable of evading this strange power's notice. They were his greatest secrets.
The skinny old man's eyes widened, looking at Wei Wuyin with a trace of terror and fear within. "Who are you?!" He asked again, this time causing He Yanglei's outrage to cease. The recently resurrected existence trembled with shock. Was Wei Wuyin someone special?
Wei Wuyin shook his head, not willing to answer. He simply watched the old man with a quiet gaze. It was as if he was accepting any fate that was left to him.
After a long moment, the skinny old man lifted his palm and frowned even deeper. When he inspected Wei Wuyin's body, bypassing the strange concealment he had, he learned about the truth! Wei Wuyin's cultivation foundation, level, age, quality of energies, and even his aspects were revealed.
To see innate energies so refined, he felt it unbelievable, but when he discovered the ten-rings that manifested around his Astral Souls within his dantian, his heart was shaken so thoroughly that he felt genuine fear. An emotion he hadn't felt in a long, long time.
s
Two Astral Souls! Thirty-two Centimeter Astral Cores! Ten-Ringed Soul Idols!
If someone said this young man didn't belong to a massive force or had extremely powerful backing, he would slap them dead for treating him like an ignorant fool. The thoughts of acting against Wei Wuyin dissipated like the wind. To add, Wei Wuyin was utterly fearless and even had the intention to fight him before.
Who had such a devastatingly powerful mentality? Only those who had absolute certainty that they wouldn't die!
"..." The skinny old man didn't say anything else, giving Wei Wuyin one last glance. He turned around, and both he and He Yanglei vanished as if they were never there. Only Wei Wuyin remained.
A divine beam surged down from the sky, carrying the eight tokens merged into one!
