Paragon of Sin

Within the vast Dark Void, the void-blank space between Starfields was almost as massive as the Starfields occupied spaces, but most of it was simply neglected hazardous areas and debris of abandoned or dead Celestial Bodies. They were the home of treasure hunters and dreamers, but most importantly, they were locations that were difficult to regulate and observe and thus were often used to conduct various businesses. 

The Void Hunter Organization led by Venerable Slayingsword, the Reaping Sword, had a base of operations upon a crumbled and desolate flat continental earth that they've essentially colonized using various miraculous formations and techniques. It was habitable and could sustain lives; some Mortals had lived their entire lives on this earth. 

The flat continental earth was called the Sword Dome Continent, and it contained a dome that covered roughly 80% of its space, and within this dome was the thriving society of Void Hunters, including their families and cultivation dens. Above it was a large ten-thousand-foot sword created by Venerable Slayingsword that protected the continent, a mechanism that took nearly thirty years to complete. This was not an uncommon practice, with some powerful Void Hunters organizations outright terraforming rogue planets to establish their home base. 

On this continent was a Void Gate, recently built, the most advanced model of Void Gate in recent years that had been designed by the R&D department of the Golden Life Pavilion alongside several highly capable architects from other organizations. It wasn't a very well-known fact, but Void Gates had distance limits, and these limits could be affected by certain factors, such as active Starfields between destination and point of entry. 

The Grand Cyclic Stellar Region was littered with starfield-wide spatial disruption formations ingrained into their protective arrays, including individual protective formations for specific domains. There was an extensive process to determine precisely how much energy was required to generate a Spatial Portal and whether the Void Gate could sustain that level of energy. 

The Void Gate that was established on the Sword Dome Continent was called the Prosperous Gate S6KG, and it had an effective range, on average, of six starfields. The Prosperous Gate S6KG was a model that acted as an Output and Input Spatial Portal, emulating Wei Wuyin's Void Portals, and this was why its average range was nearly three times greater. It was the only Void Gate in the market besides those used by the Void Voyage Sect that could traverse six starfields of distance from most locations. 

Near this Void Gate were several well-dressed figures, and at the lead were two figures, a beautiful woman with healthy dark grey hair and a youthful appearance and an old man with a vibrant pair of eyes that gleamed with intelligence and well-earned wisdom of time. They were Ma Sujiang and Ma Zheng, respectively. After Wei Wuyin's rise to prominence and Ma Zheng's change of position, Ma Sujiang was put to work as the Third Manager, effectively using her countless years of training and solidifying the Ma Clan's grip over the Golden Life Pavilion.

She had been performing her job exceptionally well. Of course, she was still the Realm Guardian, forced to manage the Golden Horse Realm's affairs with equal importance. 

While they seemingly waited, Ma Zheng said to Ma Sujiang while staring straight ahead: "I've heard that you've exhausted the coffers of the Third Branch recently, creating a little deficit of earnings and losses this month."

Ma Sujiang's originally calm expression shifted slightly, her eyes flickering with an indistinct light of anxiety, but she hastily regained herself and knew her father was asking her a question despite not doing so. It said: "Is there something I need to concern myself with?" 

In the end, she took a sharp, quick breath and responded: "No, Pavilion Master; I've simply made some personal investments." She didn't say anything, but her tone carried a particular meaning that caused Ma Zheng to give her a side-eyed glance. 

The term 'personal investments' meant she invested in a person using the Golden Life Pavilion's resources. He had done the same thing on Wei Wuyin, exhausting a great degree of the Third Branch's funds to house and maintain the well-being of countless beasts, including providing cultivation resources for all the beastmen. Moreover, he had ordered the creation of the Abyssal Dawn Planet of the Demon migrants and then infused further funds to help rapidly progress their planet. It hadn't stopped there, such as establishing proper Spiritual Projection Obelisk connectivity on New Everlore. 

The investments that he put into Wei Wuyin before even officially meeting him were stupendously high, yet he confidently forged ahead and, as a result, greatly benefited, becoming the Pavilion Master of the Golden Life Pavilion and an Earth Saint with a rapidly expanding business without having to submit any degree of control over it! The returns were godly.

Ma Zheng nodded slightly, not saying anything, but the gesture spoke volumes to Ma Sujiang, and her heart felt as if the grip of anxiety had been released, allowing her to breathe normally. 

Whoosh! 

A starry light landed before them; it exuded an aura that could seize the hearts and minds of many, giving them the desire to kneel. The regal and handsome Wu Yu had arrived, his eyes shining with the starry light of the vast cosmos. 

"Has anyone arrived?" Wu Yu asked as he approached the group. 

"None yet; the Prosperous Gate S6KG's activation time is in four minutes and thirty-seven seconds," Ma Zheng calmly explained. Wu Yu nodded, giving the Void Gate a look. He knew that its activation would cause an outpour of visitors and that the Void Gate's coordinates would only be active for one hour.

"I must say, Young Master Wei's thoughts on the profoundness of Stable and Fixed Space are ingenious, and even I likely wouldn't have been able to create a joint Spatial Channel. This will revolutionize Void Gates technology," Ma Zheng remarked with a sigh of astonishment.

"Young Master Wei?" Wu Yu's eyebrows lifted with interest. He didn't feel too stunned by Wei Wuyin's knowledge or means, having experienced them himself, he was numb to his revolutionary feats. 

"Just a title," Ma Zheng smilingly said. Originally, Ma Zheng had referred to Wei Wuyin by his name, but he'd finally settled on a term of address. It was familiar and respectful, and it wouldn't do to call him Alchemic Sovereign Wei, as that was a little distant and official, or Lord Wei, as he wasn't officially his subordinate. 

Wu Yu nodded, not minding it at all. He was just curious if Ma Zheng had officially decided to submit himself to Wei Wuyin, but it seemed not. 

Ma Sujiang glanced at Wu Yu surreptitiously. Years ago, when she had first met Wu Yu, he was at her cultivation level, and while he had given her a sensation of threat, it wasn't too intense. However, almost two decades later, he was already a glorious Earthly Saint and the Grand Knight of Neo-Dawn, the subordinate of the most talented Mortal Sovereign Alchemist of the New Era. 

It was wild how swift the change was, yet she was still cultivating her physique to reach the Demi-Mortal Lord. There was a wisp of frustration in her eyes that was hard to conceal because she didn't feel like she was less talented than Wu Yu, and she hadn't failed a tribulation yet. 

"I'm happy that Young Master Wei has ended his closed-door seclusion," Ma Zheng said with a smile. Wu Yu only nodded, not giving out any details with his expression or body posture. He remained focused on the Void Gate as he counted down in his head. 

Ma Zheng inwardly shook his head; Wei Wuyin had vanished inside a newly appeared strange region that had the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region's Earthly Saints come to investigate from all over. However, after one of those Earthly Saints entered and was afflicted with the Chill of the Dark Void, something they didn't think was possible, not a single one of them dared to enter. That Earthly Saint was still trying to recover, and there was a high chance they'd die. 

The Chill of the Dark Void was termed as a lethal dose of unrefined Chaos Mana that was forcefully integrated into the body, inducing all sorts of ill symptoms, most notably the rapid degradation of lifeforce. It was so sudden that most simply dropped dead right then and there. Even if the Earthly Saint survived, chances were their lifeforce would be cut by a significant degree—a horrendous fate. 

If it wasn't for the armored Earthly Saint, subordinate to Wei Wuyin, being entirely unconcerned, assuring his life wasn't in danger, Ma Zheng didn't know what he would've done. However, just a few days ago, he received news from Wei Wuyin himself via spiritual transmission to invite cultivators to this discreet location. Of course, he handled the task perfectly and even put out bait to attract them all. 

If any of Wei Wuyin's past actions were an indication of his intentions, then this was likely going to end with a ton of bloodshed. The likes that the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region hadn't seen for a long, long time. 

VROOM! 

The Prosperous Gate S6KG proceeded to activate on schedule. Embedded at the top of the gate, a large rhombus crystal shone brightly with multicolored light, illuminating the space. Then, twenty-three lines of light shot out into twenty-three different locations. From those locations, a curtain of Spatial Energy formed! 

"It works!" An architect behind Ma Zheng sincerely exclaimed with excitement. The Multi-Linked Void Gate function was highly experimental and had only been implemented in this Void Gate; moreover, the Prosperous Gate S6KG had only been field tested under controlled conditions and hadn't had a proper field test yet where different models of Void Gates could simultaneously link with a single Void Gate. The dual special functions of the Prosperous Gate S6KG greatly expanded effective travel distance and allowed multiple individuals to use it at the same time—utterly revolutionary! 

The forging method for this Void Gate would eventually need a Golden Auction formed to properly assess its value. 

Suddenly, figures began walking out of the curtains. One of them was none other than Huang Xiaolong, a renowned Highlord vagabond! He, with his heavy-set appearance and amicable smile, arrived with a laugh. 

"Old Friend Zheng, it's been a while!" While others were getting their bearings, he strode towards Ma Zheng with a laugh. 

Ma Zheng looked at this vagabond of a cultivator, reciprocating with a smile of his own. Just as he was about to speak, he and Wu Yu looked up. Huang Xiaolong's head followed along as well. His eyes constricted slightly as a blazing flame of scarlet gold streaked toward them!

KREE!

A voice resounded through the protective array of the Sword Dome Continent. "It seems I've made it just in time." 

Wu Yu smiled. 

The Void Gate didn't stop as twenty-three curtains formed, bringing more and more cultivators, all with the aura of the Mystic Ascendant Realm!