Paragon of Sin

"Du Ling." The name took Lin Ming aback, stiffening a little. "But Wei Wuyin left, and Alchemic Emperor Luo isn't an Alchemic Sovereign." He couldn't help but refute, considering the other Mortal Sovereign Alchemists were given an additional eighteen months.

But the voice was unaffected by the disbelief, "Unless the Alchemic Sovereigns are given an additional five years, it wouldn't matter; Du Ling is absolutely bound to win."

Unconvinced, Lin Ming asked: "Why?" He wanted to say that the Chosen Stage wasn't based on cultivation base heights, as it wasn't designed to be a competition of just speed, but of strength, comprehension, and speed. It was extremely well-rounded. 

Yet the voice responded as if shaking his head, "Du Ling is the personification of why a new era of Chosen must be set; how can he possibly lose? Actually, I'll say with a guarantee that Du Ling will claim an overwhelming victory, and every last Earthly Saint here, except that little wine-pouring servant, is aware of this fact."

"Every?" Lin Ming was speechless, completely ignoring the wine-pouring servant's comment. He looked at the throne-sitting figures at the highest elevation and couldn't help but form disbelief towards that statement. "But wouldn't the Mortal Sovereign Alchemists know this? After all, they're the most experienced in the Alchemic Dao. Why would they continue if that's the case?"

"It's harder to see from the inside, and even harder to admit your vast inferiority to a mortal barely a hundred. Cultivation is about overcoming obstacles. In their minds, Du Ling is an obstacle to overcome for their Alchemic Dao. Otherwise, why fight for this Excavation Stage and have it implemented so swiftly? That's why the smart ones focused on cultivation foundation rather than cultivation level—a final act of defiance." The voice carried a trace of pity, quite experienced in this type of thought process. 

"..." Lin Ming didn't know what to make of this. Du Ling was going to win? And that's it? He couldn't help but give the chubby man another look, happily smiling with his youngest in his arms.

Inside the subspace, Soul Saint King's eyes emanated a lazy light. "Why continue this facade if the end-result is so clear?" Those words caused the Imperial Advisor, Boundless Martial High King, and Yue Songli's eyes to glow brilliantly.

Soul Saint King spoke words that resonated firmly in the hearts and minds of every Earthly Saint in the venue. It just seemed like a pointless showing. Du Ling clearly refined a peak-quality Neo-Dawn Eclipse Pill, and this Worldly Domain was extremely solid, exceptionally genuine, and unbelievably powerful.

With it, he could triumph over every Spatial Resonance Phase Chosen here, and even if he didn't, which was extremely unlikely to not happen unless he was killed, the judges would be forced to see the vast difference in potential and power and declare him the victor of the Chosen Stage regardless. It felt pointless to continue! 

As for those Chosen Knights, it was doubtful if they could defeat the current Chosen a stage or two above them. Why? Because almost EVERY Chosen had refined an Ever-Domain Pill at the Soul Idol Phase. While it was merely a False Worldly Domain with its own flaws, it wasn't something these Mortal Sovereign Alchemists can overcome with foundation building; there was a reason the two pills generated this summit. Additionally, these last five years had seen the vast majority of Gravity Emission Phase Chosen take their Realm World Astral Tribulation.

As for why these Alchemic Sovereigns hadn't rushed their Chosen Knights to the Soul Idol Phase? Because the Ever-Domain Pill took too long to refine, too long to concoct, and eighteen months was too little to do both while pushing them to the Soul Idol Phase. It simply wasn't realistic. It was why some suggested five years!

Evergod calmly stood before the mirror projecting the scene of the coliseum, his expression and thoughts unreadable. He was unmoved by the Soul Saint King's comment as if he didn't hear it.

However, the Grand Seer spoke out at this moment, "He's right." Those two words caused the expressions of everyone to change! It was the first two words the Grand Seer spoke aloud, typically only having used spiritual transmissions to San Luoyang who ran the event. 

Even Evergod's expression changed a little, slowly becoming slightly unsightly. If even the Grand Seer said this, then there was absolutely no hope for a different outcome given the current rules! 

The power of the Neo-Dawn Eclipse Pill was simply too amazing! 

The Imperial Advisor, with her eyes still closed, said in a sage-like manner: "If we continue this competition, those Mortal Sovereign Alchemists' Heart of Cultivation will likely teeter on the verge of total collapse. The consequences of defeat here might be numerous times heavier than a typical Alchemic Clash."

Then, she said mysteriously, "Furthermore…they'll have the image of Wei Wuyin etched in their hearts and minds for a long time."

There were times alchemists ended their lives after losing an Alchemic Clash. And it was clear from the end of the first Development Stage, that these Alchemic Sovereigns weren't very strong-willed in the face of their inferiority. To spend thousands of years of arduous effort, experiencing countless failures and numerous successes, and then faced with Wei Wuyin, they were bound to receive a fierce lash towards their confidence. 

If the difference wasn't so vast, for example, if Mu Yura were to win, then Xun Yicao could barely accept it as selecting a better seed. A differential of luck, nothing else. 

But, Wei Wuyin was absent for eighteen months, he was under a hundred, and Luo Ning was an Emperor Alchemist, a failed Ascended, and a vagabond who had no legacy; what Evergod feared was Wei Wuyin becoming a symbol of absolute alchemic talent, the heralding sign of the second King of Everlore!

If Wei Wuyin had an Alchemic Soul, these Earthly Saints and more would've long since bent the knee in hopes of hugging this golden thigh, especially after missing the first one! That was his only source of comfort, but it wouldn't last forever. If Wei Wuyin's Alchemic Talent can allow him to become a Mortal Sovereign Alchemist without an Alchemic Soul at the Astral Core Realm, then he can definitely become an Alchemic Saint upon ascending! 

"..." Evergod's unsightly expression grew, but he was standing above the mirror, and no one could see how contorted it was, nor the slight gritting of his teeth. He subtly returned to a calm expression, but his eyes were suffused with a gloomy light. He had disgustingly miscalculated by using forty-two months as the time limit, not expecting Wei Wuyin to be able to concoct a Neo-Dawn Eclipse Pill, bring Du Ling to the Soul Idol Phase, and refine it using new materials!

He blamed Xun Yicao! He blamed Luo Ning! That old fucker! San Luoyang was destined to win if it wasn't for Luo Ning!! The burning rage he felt was impalpable. The Neo-Dawn Eclipse Pill's concoction method was firmly in his grasp, yet an old codger caused it all to slip away like loose sand. 

However, what could he do? What should he do?

Declare Wei Wuyin as the winner? On what grounds? Cancel the summit? Impossible. Then what? 

While the subspace mulled over this, and the Earthly Saints were about to go with the motions, an unexpected event occurred! 

RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

The entire secret realm of the Saint Cyclic Renewal Summit began to tremble as if a storm was raging outside. Thunderous booms resounded! 

BOOM! BOOM!

"Argh!" Those with Qi Condensation Realm cultivation bases screeched, howled, and screamed in agony! Some directly fainted, and blood leaked from their eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. Those with higher cultivation bases felt wobbly as if they were caught in a world-shaking earthquake.

CRACK!

The stadium of Chosen Knights began to crack. Then the walls of the Main Hall that were mostly forged with peak astral-graded spatial materials fractured massively, with cracks as large as entire chasms leading to chaotic space.

"What's happening?!" Lin Ming's heart was shaking uncontrollably as he stabilized himself with his Worldly Domain! He had reached the Realm World Phase, so it was a genuine Worldly Domain. 

The others took similar measures, and Bai Lin used her Nirvanic Flames to encapsulate the entire coliseum instantly, securing the Ascendants and protecting them. Under her protection, those on the verge of death while bleeding from their orifices were saved. 

She had merely done this indiscriminately due to the Ascendants being widely spread out. 

The Tang Clan Matriarch was awestruck by the richness of the Nirvanic Flames. Her body was greedy, wanting to absorb it, but she knew if she did that Nirvanic Flames might turn hostile towards her, incinerating her into a crisp as it was connected to Bai Lin's will. She could only hold it in as she watched spiderweb cracks form on the walls in every direction.

"The secret realm is on the verge of collapse!" Ma Zheng shouted as his Nexus Spatial Mystic Soul was galvanized to its maximum extent, pouring spatial power into the walls in hopes of stabilizing the situation. 

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!

The thunderous booms kept resounding, and the Earthly Saints took action. They united in reinforcing the walls, stopping the damage from spreading. What was happening?

Han Yuhei's eyes glowed with nine different colors. He explosively exited the secret realm and returned to the Everlore Domain's Dark Void, bordering Ever-Sky's outermost Sky Layer. He was accompanied by several dozen other Earthly Saints who followed, amongst them were Empress Xiaocheng, Pope Huoyan, and Ma Zheng.

"What the…!" Han Yuhei's eyes widened alongside everyone else's as they all saw an unimaginable scene!