Grand Monarch Wu Yu, the Everlore Starfield, King of Everlore, domineering and dominating, thousands of years ago, these topics were circulating once more in vigorous discussions and debates.
At times, the Divine King Han Xei and Guardian of Elements Han Yuhei were brought up, including Guardian of Elements' illustrious reputation, such as being one of the strongest cultivators at the Earthly Saint level in the Aeternal Sky Starfield.
It was rumored that the Ever-Knights had been nurtured by the King of Everlore, being amongst the strongest of Earthly Saints, at the very least, the average Earthly Saint of the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region was not their match. This supported the ongoing theory of them being nurtured by the King of Everlore prior to his disappearance.
The stellar region soon grew abnormally active, especially regarding news of Wei Wuyin and Wu Yu's resurgence and display of strength, defeating two Earthly Saints, no, two Ever-Knights and outright punishing one by destroying their physical body and escaping the Everlore Association's pursuit, had alluded to Wei Wuyin's impeccable means and heightened his reputation once again.
It was one thing to be a Mortal Sovereign Alchemist or to invent a ninth-grade pill that'll redefine generations of talent standards, but an entirely different matter if a Mortal Sovereign Alchemist had an Earthly Saint, or even an Ascended being, as a subordinate. This was a luxury that only Alchemic Saints of the stellar region could obtain.
While the lesser cultivators and inhabitants of the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region discussed these matters in excitedly, lauding Wei Wuyin's already mysterious existence with layers of praise and hopeful titles, such as the next Saint Alchemist, with some even shamelessly referring to him as the Neo-Dawn Alchemic Saint, or as 'the Mortal who make Saints', those in the upper-echelon of cultivators were reeling.
Wu Yu had reached the Earthly Saint level, and demonstrated tremendous initial strength. Not a single Ascended being was unaware of the severe lack of power possessed immediately after ascending, and for those who were Earthly Saints who ascended from the Demi-Mortal Lord Phase, this detail grasped their greatest focus.
When a cultivator ascended, even mortals, their innate energies and various forces had yet to be properly refined, and their control and understanding of various powers were severely limited. For example, a cultivator at the Soul Idol Phase, the third stage of the Astral Core Realm, who ascended to the Spatial Resonance Phase will not have their innate energies and various forces imbued with refined spatial energies.
They wouldn't be able to maximize their Spatial Mark, Spatial Prison, Spatial Sense, or Spatial Shifting abilities. They wouldn't have access to various movement arts that involve fixed space, enhancing their speed, or concealment spells and sensory spells. The bridge between Demi-Mortal Lord and Earthly Saint was the difference between Seed-level Mystic Intent and Awakened Mystic Intent; the drastic difference was unimaginable to mortals.
Yet Wu Yu had, in this fresh state, defeated two Ever-Knights.
The various mystic-tier forces weren't just reeling in their seats, clenching their armrest with furrowed brows; they were downright tensed to the limits their nerves allowed, developing countermeasures to a possible rogue Earthly Saint. Wu Yu's news wasn't exciting to them but deeply concerning. This was further exacerbated by Wu Yu's lack of restrictions via mythical oaths, having a degree of explicit freedom that few of them possessed. It wouldn't be an issue if he was an ordinary Earthly Saint; they could 'implore' him to make some beneficial oaths.
Unfortunately, he wasn't ordinary.
If they knew that Wu Yu had skipped the Demi-Mortal Lord Phase…
Eight months after the events of Wu Yu's Earthly Ascension.
Ninestar Starfield's Soul-Saint Domain.
. On the Shattered World Moon, inside the Shattered World Palace, seven figures were intertwined in conversation while seated at a rectangular dinner table, with the spread being scrumptious and varied from succulent desserts to high-end wine. The spacious room was opulent, adorned in peak astral-graded materials from top to bottom with various formations suited for cleansing air, generating a perfectly heated environment, and permeating pure astral essence in it all.
Next to the room walls, there were dozens of servants lined up with various sensory-blocking spells erected by a strange oval necklace on their necks. This tool outright sealed their five senses and spiritual sense, and they'll only react if summoned. They were clearly not privy to listen in on the conversation.
At the head seat of the table was none other than Highlord Worldbreaker herself—Yue Lixiang. At her left, her daughter, Yue Songli, was seated with an alluring deep pink dress adorned with a variety of accessories, from multiple ring bracelets on her arms to gorgeously brilliant earrings that accentuated her facial features. She toyed with her food, her eyes somewhat unfocused.
To Yue Lixiang's right was a bearded middle-aged man with a smiling expression, garbed in luxurious robes; he gave off a friendly and relaxed demeanor that made it difficult to dislike at first glance. This was Song Yunhai, also known as Venerable Risingfeather, and Yue Songli's father.
The other four members were all prominent figures within the starfield, two Highlords, and two Chosen. They were Highlord Crimsonfist and Highlord Cascadingwaves, followed by their talented male juniors at the Sixth Stage of the Astral Core Realm, Jun Bingwen, and Feng Li.
Jun Bingwen was a talented Chosen from Soul-Rumbling Domain's Sainthall, considered the greatest talent of his generation amongst the entire Domain. Feng Li wasn't any inferior, belonging to the Soul-Falling Domain's Sainthall. Highlord Crimsonfist was the direct subordinate of the Soul-Rumbling Saint, and Highlord Cascadingwaves was the same for the Soul-Falling Saint.
Highlord Crimsonfist was a youthful male with a tall stature and strong form; his eyes were a crimson color, and he had healthy brown skin that glistened slightly. Highlord Cascadingwaves was an elderly woman garbed in multi-blue robes with a lazy look on her eyes. Her most notable feature was her grey and blue hair styled in a rising bun.
"Haha! I can see these two handsome juniors have immense potential," Song Yunhai chuckled as he commented on the two young men before them, who were eating and stealing glances at Yue Songli.
Highlord Cascadingwaves indifferently nodded at Song Yunhai, mostly dismissing him, "What do you think of the Soul-Falling Saint's proposal, Highlord Worldbreaker?"
Highlord Crimsonfist snorted, "I recommend you take the Soul-Rumbling Saint's proposal into consideration first, Highlord Worldbreaker."
Highlord Cascadingwaves sent over an indifferent glance towards Highlord Crimsonfist, her thoughts undecipherable.
Song Yunhai kept his admirable smile despite the blatant disrespect, saying: "Both of your proposals are rather interesting. How about you give us some time to think it through?"
Earlier, the two Highlords, under the orders of their respective Saints, had come with a wager of sorts. These two Chosen were extraordinary talents and had a high chance to successfully ascend during their generation, and Yue Songli's recent gathering had alluded to her lack of interest towards members of her generation.
They devised a strategy by bringing potential talents to serve as eventual partners to Yue Songli, offering tremendous resources to the Worldbreaker Lordhall to establish a simple wager. If either of these young talents reached the Soul of Mysticism Phase before a certain age, they'd marry, binding their halls in marriage.
Even before that, however, the two Sainthalls would give these resources to them. If the juniors failed to ascend within the timeframe, then Yue Songli and the Worldbreaker Lordhall would have no obligation to return those resources. From a certain perspective, this was a risk they were taking. Even Chosen, top-tier Chosen, weren't absolutely certain to advance successfully, let alone at a certain age.
These types of arrangements would typically occur if the Ascended female lacked suitable suitors in their generation or sought someone with greater talent.
"We've given you enough time, no? What is left to consider?" Highlord Crimsonfist was visibly annoyed by these stalling tactics.
"I agree with that sentiment; what is there left to consider? Do you wish for more resources? A more binding oath? Tell us. We can move on after that," Highlord Cascadingwaves dryly said.
Yue Songli's attention was brought back to the table, glancing at the two shy youths that were nearly four hundred years of age. Their auras were abundant and rich, clearly given high-level cultivation methods and resources to supplement them. They were top-tier in their generation, definitely not lacking in comprehension.
Yue Songli couldn't help but comment, "In a hundred years, wouldn't these two become outdated relics?"
Those words caused the two youths to be rattled, their heads lifted, and they stared at Yue Songli. A defiant light in their eyes, unified by the confidence in their talent and willpower.
Yue Songli, however, didn't believe it.
Highlord Cascadingwave frowned slightly, "Their talents are slightly higher than yours before. And those so-called new Chosen will not be decided by the merit of their hard work and results, but by who could purchase a single pill. You think that'll cause Feng Li to be outdated? Wouldn't you?" She unhesitatingly spoke her mind, clearly pricked by Yue Songli's words.
Yue Songli's eyes glinted as she gave Highlord Cascadingwaves a look.
Yue Lixiang spoke up at this moment, "I'll have to thank the two Soul Monarchs for taking the time to think highly enough of my daughter, but our family is not fated for such an arrangement."
Shockingly, the two Highlords weren't bothered by the rejection. Highlord Crimsonfist sighingly commented, "You should reconsider your family's fate, Highlord Worldbreaker."
Those words were thinly-veiled in meaning, and the Ascended beings at the table were well aware of it. Yue Songli had been captured by Trueborn. This detail couldn't be hidden from these Ascended beings with some means and channels of information.
In fact, the Trueborn might've leaked this information themselves to reveal their intent to reclaim her. The Soul-Falling Saint and Soul-Rumbling Saint's intentions were clear. They both wanted to provide protection to Yue Songli to ensure the Trueborn understood that doing so would directly offend a third of the Sainthalls of their Ninestar Starfield.
They might not even consider this proposal seriously, but if it panned out in their favor and united their halls, it would be a win for them.
Yet Yue Lixiang remained unaffected by her words, "Thank you for your concern for my family's fate, but I'll handle anything that comes."
"..." The two Highlords just gave Yue Lixiang a stare filled with all sorts of emotions, like pity or disbelief. Unfortunately for them, Yue Lixiang remained adamant on her stance. They ate and discussed other topics, sharing some perfunctory conversation before the four began to leave.
When Highlord Cascadingwaves was about to leave, she sent a spiritual transmission to Yue Lixiang that caused her falsely cordial expression to crack.
Yue Lixiang, Yue Songli, and Song Yunhai remained. Song Yunhai couldn't help but ask: "Do you think rejecting them was the right idea? What if this leak was really Trueborn's warning?" Song Yunhai was merely a Soul of Mysticism cultivator, and while he once rivaled Yue Lixiang as a Chosen of their generation, their potential was fully revealed after thousands of years as Ascended beings. He wasn't strong enough to protect them from the winds and rains like a man wanted for his family.
Yue Lixiang was silent for a long while, and then she looked at Yue Songli with a heavy expression. Her next words were spoken solemnly, "Do you have a way to contact him?"
"Him?" Song Yunhai was confused.
Yue Songli's heart jumped seeing her mother reveal such a foreboding facial expression, especially knowing that her mother had reached the Earthly Saint level. "Why?" She asked, beset by confusion and anxiety.
"I underestimated your importance to them," Yue Lixiang directly admitted, her fists clenched tightly, causing her knuckles to become totally white.
Song Yunhai was still confused, but his expression paled considerably upon hearing 'them' mentioned.
"Contact him now," Yue Lixiang urged.
Yue Songli's eyes widened as she hurriedly brought out Wei Wuyin's spatial ring. A wisp of hesitation flowed through her eyes, causing her to glance at her mother who was no longer looking at her, but at the roof with a spiritual light effusing from her eyes. This caused her heart to tremble, and she brought out the spiritual crystal that Wei Wuyin instructed her to shatter if she needed help.
"What's that?" Song Yunhai was ignorant of Yue Songli's rescuer, so when he saw the crystal, his eyes became somewhat strange.
Yue Songli hadn't told him under her mother's orders, but she no longer felt the need to hide it: "It is Wei Wuyin's."
Crack!
Boosh!
The crystal exploded as she crushed it in her palm, releasing a dull, thrumming sound in the air.
When Song Yunhai heard that it was meant to call forth Wei Wuyin, this mysterious existence, his countenance unnaturally went pale as he recalled the Grand Knight of Neo-Dawn, his heart quivering as he unconsciously reached out to stop his daughter. But it was too late.
"THE AUDACITY!" Yue Lixiang suddenly shouted angrily, explosively shooting upwards and vanishing amidst resplendent silver light.
RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
The entire Shattered World Palace started to violently quake!
Yue Songli's body shivered without end, not due to the shaking of the palace but the rumbling caused by the force that she knew was here for her.
Trueborn!
