The Imperial Clan!
The undisputed rulers of the Aeternal Sky Starfield, regarded as the strongest force throughout the entire Grand Cyclic Stellar Region, and the greatest mystic force throughout recorded history!
They were at the edges of the Elementus Domain, knocking at its door!
The two remaining Earthly Saints of the True Element Sect, Han Yuhei and Zhang Ziyi, wore solemn gazes as they observed the Tian Clan's war-like arrival. Those three gigantic-sized Voidships were incredibly renowned, known as Sky Destroyers. They had enough firepower and means to kill ordinary Earthly Saints, defend against them, and even outrun them if need be.
They weren't just disgustingly fast with spatial-shifting formations, they had secret realms within that could be used to store a reserve of mystic-graded resources far greater than ordinary Internal Worlds, and specialized Void Gates within that could bring in reinforcements from far away.
They were true Warships.
"What should we do?" Zhang Ziyi softly asked. They didn't have the keys to the arrays, and even if they did, they just came out of a huge battle without the means to use it. Although, that was certainly not needed. The established Mythical Oaths prevented the Tian Clan from invading their territory. They could only stay outside and wail if the two refused to allow them to enter.
Han Yuhei's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Let's see what they want first," as the Guardian of the Elements, he had protected the space of the Elementus Domain for more than a thousand years, and he didn't intend to allow the domain to fall in his hands.
The three gargantuan Sky Destroyers loomed at the edges in silence. They seemed to just be observing for now. It felt ominous to the maximum. What were they planning?
After two full minutes, one of the Sky Destroyers began to grow active. The two Earthly Saints felt their hearts tense. Their first thought was that the Imperial Clan had succeeded! The Sky Zenith Alchemic Saint had properly created one of the King of Everlore's theorized products, the Seven World Wonders of Everlore, and broken free from their Mythical Oath.
A wave of intense fear crept within their hearts. If this was the case, the tiger was out of their cage, with wings on their back, and sharpened fangs. They were about to be fully unleashed. The very thing the entire stellar region worried about, and with the Tian Clan acting in this way, how could they not think of it?
A soft, white light soared out of a Sky Destroyer, arriving at the very edge of the Domain-sealing formation, and revealed themselves. The light dissipated and an incredibly handsome man took its place. The man had a smooth face, sharp chin, sword-like eyebrows, and dressed in white imperial robes with multicolored stars scattered on its surface beautifully. He exuded a natural nobility, clearly having a high degree of self-confidence and self-worth, but he didn't feel unfriendly at all.
The two Earthly Saints instinctively straightened their posture after seeing those hazel-gold eyes that represented the most prestigious bloodline of the stellar region, the Imperial Bloodline!
Tian Muyang!
An Imperial Monarch of the Royal Bloodline!
Tian Muyang gave the Domain-sealing barrier a closer look, the faint smile on his face didn't disappear at all. After a short while, he turned to two Earthly Saints with his eyes glinting with golden-colored starlight. Clearly, even with the Domain-sealing barrier isolating them, he could see the two of them clearly.
"Element Guardian Han. Queen Radiant Jade," Tian Muyang greeted with a calm, amicable smile. He seemed ordinary and approachable despite his regal demeanor, his vastly superior presence, and unfathomable aura.
The two could see outside without issue, so they replied respectfully, "Imperial King Muyang." After they acknowledged each other's existence, Han Yuhei took the lead. "Imperial King Muyang, what brings you to our Elementus Domain?" While the Imperial Monarch didn't seem aggressive, Han Yuhei wouldn't believe it.
Tian Muyang placed his hands behind his back, his smile deepening, "My Tian Clan is here for business regarding the Royal Bloodline. I hope you don't mind opening the door so we can conduct it without issue."
"Royal Bloodline?" Zhang Ziyi frowned.
"What is this business?" Han Yuhei questioned. Normally, he would just outright refuse, but he wasn't certain if the Sky Zenith Alchemic Saint had succeeded in creating that product and this was a test run, a show of strength, so to speak.
"Oh? Have you forgotten, Element Guardian Han? If so, then I'll remind you: those oaths of ours allow us to investigate and act on any and every matter of the Royal Bloodline that might threaten our rule, bring its legitimacy into question, or solely benefit our Royal Bloodline, no matter what Domain or Starfield it's located in. You should know what would happen if you refuse us, no?" Tian Muyang explained patiently, taking it slow.
"..." Han Yuhei and Zhang Ziyi were immediately rendered speechless. They looked towards each other, seeing the shock and surprise in each other's eyes. There were dozens of mythical oaths sworn, all of them were relatively detailed and extremely binding, but there were stipulations placed on every single one of them.
This.
To protect themselves, the Tian Clan added this specific clause to each and every one of the oaths sworn. They might have binded themselves with shackles from head to toe, but they still had some freedom. If threatened, they could still act. All those Mythical Oaths would vanish like smoke.
This wasn't the first time this clause had been invoked to bulldoze their way into places! The most recent example was none other than the Tang Clan's entry and freedom of movement into the Ninestar Starfield.
Due to the intermarriage links that the Tang Clan had with the Imperial Clan, they had extensions of the Royal Bloodline. So when they sought to enter the Ninestar Starfield to benefit that particular member, they could only move aside! While the Imperial Clan's main force hadn't acted, that particular member had sent her clan to act on her behalf!
The Fire Phoenix was beneficial to the Royal Bloodline! Extremely so! However, one could see that the internal situation of the Imperial Clan was quite complex as not a single member of the Royal Bloodline had intervened to capture the Fire Phoenix. There must have been endless internal strife to prevent it, hoping for the Tang Clan to fail.
With this clause established, the various forces could only acquiesce whenever the Imperial Clan's Royal Bloodline may benefit. Of course, the wording of 'solely' limited them as well. They couldn't just act because they 'felt' it'll benefit their Imperial Clan. It had to only benefit the Royal Bloodline specifically.
Because of this detail, the two Earthly Saints wore extremely solemn expressions. They couldn't question them, and there was no need to. If they invaded their territory without a legitimate reason, the oath itself would automatically take effect. Their confidence was enough to ensure the purpose of their arrival was justified.
"Is there something wrong? Please lower the Domain-sealing barrier as soon as you can." Tian Muyang kept that friendly smile of his. He seemed completely confident that the True Element Sect would concede to their entry. If they didn't, the True Element Sect would be the first of the sixteen mystic forces to fall.
Han Yuhei's expression eased, "Give us some time, Imperial King Muyang. The formation isn't still active due to us. There's some complications at the moment. We'll see what we can do. Furthermore, we have to discuss this matter with the Lin Clan. Until then, please rest well." With the formation in Wu Yu's control, they could keep it active indefinitely and keep the Imperial Clan outside in ignorance. Of course, this also means they could shatter the formation and enter freely, but Tian Muyang was unaware of this detail.
Tian Muyang nodded in acceptance. He waited right there, looking at the Domain-sealing barrier with patient eyes. He was clearly not in any particular rush to enter or investigate. As for why, a thin layer of translucent crisscrossing energy enveloped the Elementus Domain might be reason enough.
On Origin, Wei Wuyin was deeply contemplating this recent development. The Imperial Clan's arrival could have something to do with him, but he hadn't directly offended the Imperial Clan, so he wasn't certain.
"What do you two see?" Wei Wuyin asked Wu Yu and Wen Mingna
At this moment, Wen Mingna's hands were forming endless hand-seals, nine glossy golden orbs reminiscent of Solar Stars circulated around her, and her eyes were effusing golden light. A bizarre wind fluttered her robes, lifting her body a few feet off the ground. She seemed to be in a trance.
"Gagh, ah!" Her body began to violently shake. She trembled wildly and her hands kept forming hand-seals as the nine stars melted into golden light that enveloped her into a cocoon. She was executing an extremely powerful divination spell, but it seemed too much for her to handle, so this spell acted to cancel out the aftereffects of failure.
Wu Yu acted. He reached his hand out and brought Wen Mingna out of the cocoon. When she came out, her face was like ash with black veins growing beneath her skin. Her eyes were without color, sightless and lightless.
Wu Yu gently handed her off to Wei Wuyin, who lifted her in a bridal carry. Once again, he interfaced with the Mark of Eden to send pure lifeforce into her body, alleviating her state as her complexion grew rosy, the black veins returned to a healthy color, and her eyes regained their clarity.
Wu Yu answered, "I can see the barrier beyond the barrier. They've really sealed off the Elementus Domain."
Wei Wuyin felt a headache. He tried to create a Void Portal, but he found himself impeded in a manner he hadn't felt before. An abnormally strong spatially sealing barrier was established outside of the Elementus Domain. Even with his Celestial Eyes, he couldn't see beyond the True Element Sect's Domain-sealing barrier, so he needed to rely on Wu Yu.
"I can't see anything. I'm sorry," Wen Mingna regained her wits, saying as she hugged Wei Wuyin's neck lightly. She was incredibly weak, her voice was like a soft hoarse whisper. Her cultivation base and skill was just too low to divine anything regarding the Imperial Clan's intentions.
"We can leave anytime we want, right?" Wu Yu inquired. He was aware of Wei Wuyin's heaven-defying Void Portal Creation Art. It had gotten him out of being chased by a Demi-Mortal Lord and trapped by the Everlore Association's Domain-sealing formation. This shouldn't be that difficult.
"We can. That isn't the issue." Wei Wuyin had read Lin Xianxei's memories, so he was thoroughly educated of the various oaths sworn and their exceptions, especially regarding the Imperial Clan. Since they all hinged on the Lin Clan's existence, and she was certainly its next leader in line.
With his Void Anchors, he wouldn't have much of an issue escaping. After all, the Imperial Clan had similar issues with not directly targeting Void Energies. The main problem was if the Imperial Clan was after them or not. If they were here for something else, then leaving the True Element Sect to handle their own mess was fine. Fortunately, his Eye of Truth could see the trend of the world clearly once again.
It wasn't good.
"Shall I fight them?" If Wei Wuyin was worried about his safety, then all he needed to do was establish a dominant front, and all things would come easy.
"No. They're the Imperial Clan of the strongest starfield in this stellar region for a reason. While you're strong, you're definitely not capable of fighting them as a newly ascended Earthly Saint. At least not now."
Han Yuhei soon flew downwards from the sky, landing in the courtyard with impeccable grace. He looked at Wu Yu with an indifferent gaze, "They're here for you."
"What? For me?" Wu Yu frowned. Why were they here for him? How did they know he was even here? The entire domain had been sealed shortly after they announced their arrival due to Han Yuhei's irrational actions.
Han Yuhei gave Wu Yu a hard, long stare. "You don't know?"
"Know what?"
Han Yuhei was visibly taken aback, "You really don't know? Are you being serious?" He seemed to find Wu Yu's ignorance incredibly unbelievable, and then a little bit amusing as a smile tugged at his lips. "You really don't know."
"..."
"Haha! Well, this should be fun," Han Yuhei laughed, the light of schadenfreude was clear in his nine-colored eyes.
"Speak, Little Yu. Why are they after Wu Yu?" Wei Wuyin didn't have time for these games.
Han Yuhei's eyebrow twitched as his laughter abruptly ceased. He took a deep breath, looked at Wei Wuyin, and then pointed at Wu Yu. "The Imperial Heaven Qi Method he cultivates has remarkable similarities to the cultivation method inside their Aeternal Sky Scripture that the Tian Clan cultivates. What gives them an undeniable edge amongst other cultivators."
"Aeternal Sky Scripture?" Wu Yu was taken aback. Suddenly, he recalled the Ever-Knight had asked him about his connection with the Imperial Clan. He had thought it was just nonsense, but…
"It's not just remarkable similarities. The essential basis of the technique is…let's just say that when the King of Everlore gained access to it for a price for study to develop products for it, he told my cousin that it pales in comparison to your Imperial Heaven Qi Method, absolutely trash—a complete rip-off." Han Yuhei sighed when he recalled that day.
"..." Wu Yu and Wei Wuyin looked at each other. They could see the extreme shock in the other's eyes!
