Paragon of Sin

"...!" The vast majority of representatives of the various forces were all driven speechless by Wei Wuyin! A Timelord had slayed a Demi-Mortal Lord with complete ease in front of a genuine Earthly Saint! This vastly exceeded their scope of understanding, so most were left gawking with widened eyes and constricted pupils. 

While they were immersed in their jumbled feelings, the cause of this stood before the Empress of the Aeternal Sky Starfield, quietly exchanging a constant stare. Soon, the shocked minds of those watching began to forcefully clear as they watched this standoff.

That's right! Wei Wuyin had just killed the Lavender Alchemic Sovereign, a Grand Mortal Sovereign Alchemist of the Imperial Clan, directly before the Imperial Clan's Empress while sending his forces to tie his Alchemic Knight and the two other Imperial Monarchs down! While they couldn't immediately figure out why the Empress hadn't acted to save their alchemist, the fact that he was dead was enough to summon outrageously dense levels of uneasy tension. 

Wasn't this an act of war?!

Would the mortal era-definer wage another battle against the Imperial Clan? At first thought, as if by instinct, most would consider this insane and foolish because the Divine Emperor and Imperial Clan were invincible. Yet, after silently shifting their thoughts to the newly established Unchained Heart Sect and how they had likely capitulated to Wei Wuyin just now, this served to prove that Wei Wuyin wasn't to be underestimated!

More importantly, WEI WUYIN! 

In their mind, this name no longer meant a genius alchemist with the potential to become an Alchemic Saint, a figure that could define an era and influence it as heavily as the King of Everlore, but an outstanding, heaven-defying, world-shaking cultivator! 

He slayed a Demi-Mortal Lord!

Now, when they thought back to how Wei Wuyin withstood the tyrannically oppressive Mystic Heart Intent earlier, they began to wonder if he was using his own strength to do so! Not just the two World Heart Intents but his own Spiritual Strength to support them. If so, wasn't this…wasn't this horrifying?! 

Since Wei Wuyin was confident enough to fight against Trueborn and come out on top, then kill an Alchemic Sovereign of the Imperial Clan before countless witnesses, wouldn't this suggest that he didn't fear the Imperial Clan in the slightest?! What would that even mean?! 

"Wait a minute," an elderly Ascended at the Soul of Mysticism Phase and representative of his Mystic-rank organization had a deep, dark frown plastered on his face. The male youth beside him, a strapping young man, was curious as he stared at his master. He was brought out to experience the world, and he hadn't thought that he'd bear witness to such astonishing events. 

The elderly Ascended, however, didn't finish his thoughts verbally. Instead, he thought about his conjecture internally, and his expression grew increasingly shaken until he was in a state of full-blown disbelief. 

This reaction wasn't limited to simply him, as those with the keenest of eyes and minds instantly found the situation fishy, and after pondering for a bit, they came to a similar conclusion that made their eyes widen in sheer disbelief.

The Titanic Hell-Crushing Queen was among them; her big, bright, and cute eyes shone with startled light. "Is she planning to enact Oath 33?" 

"Oath 33?" Da Shan's eyes twitched as she turned to her master and asked curiously. What was Oath 33?

The Titanic Hell-Crushing Queen's expression sank, and her eyes shifted from the Sky Destroyer to Wu Yu's one-sided fight against Kong Yi, and then her lips twisted into a frown. Still, she answered habitually as a teacher to her student, "Oath 33 is a Mythical Oath that most forces have to swear. In fact, it could be considered compulsory for all established Mystic-rank organizations that basked in the Aeternal Sky Solar Star's radiance. It details that, in the event of an external threat to the safety of the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region, these organizations must set aside all grudges and conflicts, focusing solely on dealing with the threat with their all." 

Da Shan was taken aback. But she caught on instantly, "She's planning to label Wei Wuyin as a threat to the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region? Why?" 

"..." The Titanic Hell-Crushing Queen wasn't sure if this was the case, but there were specific requirements to be considered a threat, and she knew that Wei Wuyin met at least one of those. It was widely known that Wei Wuyin's residence within the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region wasn't officially recognized by any entity due to his lack of Mythical Oaths, and he was stationed outside of the region. He could be considered a foreign entity by those standards. 

Now, he had just attacked the recently established Unchained Heart Sect and threatened the lives of countless lives with his Fire Phoenix. "Hold on," she thought for a moment and instantly felt unsure. It wouldn't work; Mortal Sovereign Alchemists and beyond were exempt from being considered foreign entities. This was a rule established by the Everlore Association and an oath most had to swear. 

The constant oath-sworn society of the stellar region produced a conflict that made it so that Wei Wuyin couldn't be considered a foreign entity due to his alchemy skill. The only way to do so would be to…

"But why would the Imperial Clan want to wage war against Wei Wuyin? Especially after he just took down Trueborn!" Da Shan protested with an unwillingness to accept that Wei Wuyin would become public enemy number one. 

"It doesn't make sense," The Titanic Hell-Crushing Queen didn't take into consideration Wei Wuyin's terrifying means, but the conflicting oaths made it extremely difficult to complete this type of all-out war. If not this, then could the Imperial Clan want something else? After all, at most, this would become a battle between the Imperial Clan and Wei Wuyin, with the forces of the Aeternal Sky Starfield and their faithful allies assisting. 

"What is the Empress thinking?" She wished she could peer into the thoughts of others.

-----

While Wei Wuyin couldn't peer into the exact thoughts of the Empress, he was attuned to her emotional fluctuations. But these emotions weren't equivalent to mind-reading, and he could only base his conclusions on known, presumed, and theorized knowledge. And from this, he knew that it wasn't due to Oath 33. The Oath needed a triple-purposed conference to be enacted, and this would be done by a vote to label him, an officially recognized Mortal Sovereign Alchemist, as a foreign entity.

None would dare to vote to label him as a foreign entity. Even then, they'd have to decide to classify him as an unstable threat and then a sufficient one to harm the entire Grand Cyclic Stellar Region. It would be too complicated. 

Fortunately, Wei Wuyin decided to act cautiously. He revealed a smile that could send hearts flying, "An act of war? Oh. What do you mean by that? I didn't harm anyone. If you don't believe me, double-check Xun Yicao's life talisman." 

"...!" The Empress was instantly thrown off by Wei Wuyin's words. She stared at Wei Wuyin for a long moment and then sent a transmission to verify the status of Xun Yicao's life talisman. After a short while, the transmission she received suggested that Xun Yicao's life talisman linked to his soul was still intact. 

Her expression sharply changed. "What?" She looked at Xun Yicao's headless corpse. It was dead! There wasn't any sign of life present, indicating he was clearly dead! Even his cultivation base had evaporated entirely, a sign of a complete death.

"What did you do?" She turned to face Wei Wuyin; her emotional calm was on the verge of shattering.

"I have done nothing. Xun Yicao is somewhere, I imagine, but he isn't on the Sky Destroyer, and I didn't end his existence, so what act of war? I invited all of you to leave, and he must've left by now. Don't you think so?" Wei Wuyin's words were calmly said, but they sent a shiver down the Empress' spine. Instantly, her thoughts went awry. 

"Wu Yu, come here." Wei Wuyin ordered softly as the fighting above instantly intensified. 

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!

Several heart-wrenching explosions erupted in the distance, followed by a roar of rage and unwillingness that soon went silent. From the wreckage of Mystic Power, a multicolored light shot toward the Sky Destroyer. 

THUD!

When it landed, Wu Yu tossed the badly beaten and unconscious Kong Yi to the floor like trash. Every of Kong Yi's orifices was bleeding, and his body twitched as Mystic Power ravaged his body and his own refined Mystic Energy fought against it. The struggle within him was particularly violent, and if he was placed on a small-sized planet, the planet would shatter from the intense vibrations of his body. Fortunately, the Sky Destroyer was sturdy enough to only tremble slightly in response.

"Young Lord," Wu Yu calmly announced his presence with a greeting and walked beside Wei Wuyin diligently. The sight of the perfect Alchemic Knight. The contrast between Alchemic Knights and their Alchemists was indescribably laughable. 

With one side standing upright and healthy while the other was headless or frothing with blood on the deck of their ship. 

"Enjoyed your spar?" Wei Wuyin asked. 

Wu Yu grinned, "A little." In truth, it was barely a warm-up. Was this a Sky Monarch? But Wu Yu wasn't ignorant to think it was because Kong Yi was weak; he was fully aware that his past eight years of intense cultivation backed by easily refined Mystic-Earth products, including Wei Wuyin's product that elevated his Mystic Soul's State, granted him astonishing strength. 

While he was still at the 8th Runic Ascension, he felt that amongst Earthly Saints, excluding those Earthly Saints belonging to Wei Wuyin, he had no equal. While this might not be entirely true, given his trump cards and youthfulness compared to most Earthly Saints, he could confidently say he was invincible to all those beneath 10,000 years of age at least. 

"Empress Xiaocheng," Wei Wuyin called out. Her eyes brightened as she observed Wu Yu, and while it was concealed, she was deeply intrigued by his cultivation. Wu Yu had only ascended to the Earthly Saint Phase less than two decades ago, yet he could defeat Kong Yi without breaking a sweat. 

Kong Yi was a 5th Runic Ascendant, and he had been cultivating his body, Sea of Consciousness, Mystic Core, and Spiritual Strength, using various high-level methods for nearly ten thousand years as an Earthly Saint. He had been an Earthly Saint before the King of Everlore ever showed himself! Of course, he heavily owed his success to Xun Yicao. Yet this Kong Yi, this prestigious Sky Monarch, was defeated by Wu Yu! 

This Grand Knight of Neo-Dawn was terrifying!

Wei Wuyin continued after seeing her focus shift to him, "I don't like being schemed against." Then, he sent a Spiritual Transmission: "But I wonder, why do you want me to destroy the Imperial Clan's reign?" 

"Nonsense!" Instantly, Empress Xiaocheng vehemently denied it without the slightest thought of delay. If one looked at her reaction, it felt unimaginably genuine, with a tinge of righteous anger. She coldly said, "I'll discuss this with the Imperial Council. If Xun Yicao is truly dead, this will be an act of war!" 

"..." Wei Wuyin watched her for a short moment before nodding indifferently. "Tell them that, should they determine Xun Yicao as deceased without evidence, then consider my compensation for his life to be the Myriad Monarch Canon's price." 

Empress Xiaocheng was taken aback; the Myriad Monarch Canon contained the Imperial Heaven Qi Method, and they originally had a deal to reward Wei Wuyin for offering the Myriad Monarch Canon to them, but they never found an equivalent reward given that the Myriad Monarch Canon could be classified as priceless nor did Wei Wuyin ask for one.

Suddenly, the Empress' expression changed as she realized that the council might use this as an excuse to prevent a premature war against an unknown enemy. 

"Careful, your thoughts are showing." Wei Wuyin faintly smiled before leaping onto Bai Lin. He was originally planning to keep the Sky Destroyer and study it, but the Empress' motives were extremely confusing to him, so he didn't wish to push the subject. While he had his speculations, he wasn't certain what her exact goal was. 

In fact, it seemed as if an act of war here would mean that Wei Wuyin would first rid the Imperial Clan of four Earthly Saints, and the Empress might be used as a political captive of war. The more Wei Wuyin thought about it, the more he felt that this was the Empress' intention, yet it was only the beginning. Unfortunately, he couldn't read her mind with a glance. 

His probing words and her responses, however, caused him to have some ideas. She stood on the Sky Destroyer unmovingly, staring at Wei Wuyin with a cold gaze. But as Wei Wuyin, Bai Lin, and Wu Yu took off, the Empress' mental fluctuations revealed disappointment and frustration. 

"..." Wei Wuyin was left with much to think about. He decided to study the sworn oaths and memories of Debonair Wei Wuyin's life more closely.