Paragon of Sin

"The location where you'll become a Timelord." 

The statement felt as if a foretelling of Wei Wuyin's future, completely causing him to pause in contemplation. Wei Wuyin interfaced with his Second Mind, seeking out an elaboration of this Time Vortex, any records or experiences of cultivators, and perhaps educated assumptions on its origins and function. 

Within moments, waves of information were transmitted into his Sea of Consciousness, filtered, processed, and then properly etched into his memory by Eden's arduous efforts. From the Free Study and Sealed Tower, he was now aware of everything regarding the Time Vortex, and he instantly realized where the certainty of Liu Suyin's voice originated from. 

The Time Vortex was a location within a part of the City of Guardians, located within a disrupted and chaotic region where time was at a constant fluctuation of flow, inducing a Time Vortex, otherwise known as a Temporal Anomaly. It was said to have existed since the World Between the Fold was first created by the Ascended Sovereigns. At the time, it was a region of death and despair that even Ascended beings would avoid lest they were Earthly Saints that had grasped the Temporal-type Mystic Rune, and even then, they would only stay at the edge, never entering or touching. 

Due to the constant fluctuation of various flows of times, those who entered it either aged extremely fast until death, experienced regressions that reverted their cultivation efforts or were permanently frozen in a perpetual stasis field. However, there was a vicious detail that made its reputation as a region of death and despair fully warranted: it didn't affect soulspans.

Whether one de-aged, rapidly aged, or was stuck in a stasis field, their soulspan will continue to decline at a standard pace in accordance with the laws of the heavens. It was harrowing regardless of which of the three states you experienced. You either lost your cultivation, lost lifespan, or were unable to live out your life and thus lost the time to live.

Roughly fifty thousand years ago, the previous leaders of the Endless Void Mirror had worked together to stabilize the chaotic region, transforming it from a region of death and despair to an opportunity for those at the Realm World Phase of the Astral Core Realm seeking to ascend to the Temporal Eye Phase or to Ascended beings trying to comprehend the essence of time for their Temporal-type Mystic Rune manifestation. 

Now, Destined and Seekers at the appropriate stage were allowed to peer into the Time Vortex or dive into it for their cultivation needs. For those Destined seeking to become Timelords, they were encased in a protective shell and dropped into the Time Vortex. In this shell, they would be entirely safe. Furthermore, the shell will weaken the time energy to a lesser degree, allowing one to comprehend time energies, learn how to fend against it, and gain confidence to challenge their Temporal Eye Astral Tribulation.

It wasn't simply this—those in the shells can conduct their Temporal Eye Astral Tribulation inside the Time Vortex, and doing so allowed their shell to similarly protect them should they fail their tribulation, preventing it from ending their fragile mortal lives. The lethal tribulation feared by trillions in the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region had simply become a simple process of trial and error in the World Between the Fold.

Wei Wuyin felt amazed by the advancements of cultivation and miraculous powers that the World Between the Fold possessed. Moreover, they were that powerful fifty thousand years ago! If the three City Lords had Worldly Saint cultivation bases then, then this was utterly astonishing to learn. After all, the first recorded Earthly Saint of the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region was the Aeternal Sky Divine Emperor twenty thousand years ago. 

'The Sealing Array must've prevented those from the World Between the Fold from entering. Or perhaps it was the Tiangou that they feared?' Wei Wuyin mused at the likely might of the Sealing Array and Tiangou. 

Because Wei Wuyin grasped the details and experiences of the Time Vortex, he didn't continue to question Liu Suyin about the Time Vortex. However, he could tell from her sidelong glances as they walked that she was waiting for him to ask. She seemed to have gotten into the groove of exchanging words, conducting discussions, and answering questions—a strange dynamic had unknowingly formed. 

"What's so special about this Time Vortex?" After those words left his lips, Liu Suyin immediately went into explaining all that he already knew. In fact, there were details that she had left out or glossed over. She was deliberately leaving out these details for him to ask about. 

Wei Wuyin had a strong urge to roll his eyes. In their discussions, he was always leading, proving her thinking flawed, or expanding on her thoughts. Clearly, she developed a sense of inferiority and ignorance, so this was her way of easing her heart and regaining some sense of superiority. If Wei Wuyin wanted to know more, he would have to come to her, not the other way around. 

Helplessly, Wei Wuyin kept asking until all the information was known, if only to waste time.

Disregarding Liu Suyin's recently developed habit, Wei Wuyin began to realize that Liu Suyin's personality began to loosen, losing a lot of the discomfort brought about by her indifferent voice, as excited energy began to bleed through from time to time. Perhaps it was his knowledge of the profoundness of space that lessened her dislike towards him for taking the position she longed for. Perhaps, within her heart, she accepted that she wasn't destined for it. 

Unfortunately, Wei Wuyin also believed he wasn't destined for the title of Void Voyage Sect's Sect Master or a True Destined Voyager. 

Hearing about the Time Vortex, he knew that this was Liu Yinlan's second bait. She had now revealed two: the first was a peek at unimaginable knowledge beyond his means—meant to foster a thirst for more; the second was an opportunity to advance his cultivation base fearlessly—a display of the World Between the Fold obscenely powerful methods. Together, they were bait that no one could ever resist.

Knowledge.

Power.

Life.

Status.

Just these two tantalizing previews of the World Between the Fold depths had alluded to all those grand prospects that could have any man or woman frothing at the mouth.

To be honest, Wei Wuyin was expectant of what was next, but he had a sinking feeling in the depths of his stomach signaling that his time was slowly running out to formulate a plan of escape. A difficult feat to achieve after learning of all this, but one that he intends to strive for. 

The two soon arrived at their designation on foot. Wei Wuyin had seen it from afar, a cliff that descended into a dark-grey haze of light, distorted and chaotic, but when he arrived at the edge alongside Liu Suyin, the grand chasm that extended for tens of thousands of miles left his heart racing uncontrollably. At the seeable edges were numerous cultivators cultivating silently, tens of thousands of them.

Beyond the cliff-like edge was a literal world of dark-grey light. This was time energy, visually perceivable to every type of existence. To reach such a tangible state, Wei Wuyin realized that time energy was incomparably thick and pure. While he's used various temporal abilities before by deploying Void Energy, they were minor, and there was never evidence of time energy. 

When the skinny old man saved He Yanglei's life in the War Devil Realm, using Temporal Reversion, there was no indication of time energy. It was the hardest type of energy to perceive, and only those who've formed their Temporal Eye can visibly see it.

But Wei Wuyin, a mere mortal yet to reach the Temporal Eye Phase, was not able to perceive the flow of time energy despite his True Void Dragon Bloodline, was able to visually see this mass of time energy! It would be a gross understatement to say that this time energy was just 'thick' and 'pure'. Gazing into this endless abyss of time, twisting and churning like a hurricane seeking to end all lives, Wei Wuyin's breathing quickened.

Within his heart, the connection to the Seed of Law that was time and Kratos began to thrum. 

A hunger, an unimaginably painful, twisting, and ravenous hunger, began to roar from his heart! It originated from Kratos! Wei Wuyin instantly understood its deepest desires. To Kratos, this frightful location was a tonic for its bloodline, and it exhibited an unmatched desire. The lust to enter was almost unbearable for Wei Wuyin as his heart thumped fiercely!

Ba-dum! Ba-dum! BA-DUM!

Each thump was accompanied by a terrifying draconic roar that resounded throughout Wei Wuyin's Sea of Consciousness. The urge to leap was barely resisted. Fortunately, he was the cultivator, and his impulses weren't as straightforward as Kratos'. Taking an incredibly deep breath, his silver eyes flashed rapidly until they dimmed into a serenity. 

Without hesitation, Wei Wuyin interfaced with the Nexus War Flag, connecting with Legion Commander Zhan Zheng 

In a stasis field somewhere in the World Between the Fold, the dragon helmet wearing War Spirit's eyes radiated a pulse of time, gaining life and activity.

Back at the cliff, staring at the endless chasm of time, Wei Wuyin couldn't help but wear a faint grin as a plan inevitably formed. Liu Suyin had been observing Wei Wuyin's reactions and felt that it was appropriate given this space. 

"Unlike those at the edge, only capable of sensing the time energies from afar, you'll be able to safely experience the fluctuations of past, present, and future from within, and learn to resist its flow, even affect its flow slightly. This is how Ascended beings learn how to manipulate the flow of time using Temporal Revisions, and you'll be given the opportunity to grasp this principle before you ever step foot into that realm—a blessed opportunity only meant for Destined." Liu Suyin's words were glamorous, but they came off as stiff and indifferent once more, clearly read from a script of some sort, likely from Liu Yinlan.

Wei Wuyin nodded absentmindedly. 

"When can I enter?" He asked.

"...I'll send word to prepare your Protective Flowshell. Then, you can enter whenever you want. But remember, you have less than seven months. Don't waste it."