Paragon of Sin

The voice was feminine, laced with a firm tone of authority, carrying a trace of natural warmth, and infused with the sound of music. It was both pleasing to listen to and hard not to. The Soul Monarchs, excluding Yue Lixiang and the Soul Waking Saint, all had drastic changes in their expressions, especially the Soul Saint King. The elected leader of the Ninestar Sainthall had a colorful face full of surprise coating his excitement.

"She's out of seclusion?" The Soul Creating Saint exclaimed, her eyes scanning the world tried to pinpoint the voice, yet much to her disappointment, she couldn't locate it at all despite her efforts. 

"..." The Soul Saint King inhaled deeply, and when he exhaled, his expression eased. He didn't say anything to add onto that declaration or contradict it. While the world believed that he, the Soul Saint King, and one of the three top experts amongst the Earthly Saint-level, was the leader of the Ninestar Sainthall, his authority was secondary to one person and only one person—the Ennea-Hall Alchemic Saint! 

Wei Wuyin's momentum was impressive; within moments of that voice's declaration, several other starfield leading forces and mystic-tier forces publicly revealed their intent to attend the Neo-Dawn Alchemic Expo. It was as if they feared to be the last, each more passionate than the last, but all of that was simply noise in Wei Wuyin's ears as his silver eyes carried a dazed fogginess.

"That voice…" He murmured. Fortunately, there was no need to take attendance or RSVP, as it was an all-invite event, so there were no restrictions imposed. This included the Imperial Clan, Everlore Association, or the common farmer at the Qi Condensation Realm. If they had the means to arrive, they had the right to attend and be respected as a guest. 

Countless cultivators, young and old, would strive to arrive at the Neo-Dawn Starfield in the coming months, and Wei Wuyin would have to coordinate with Ma Zheng to do his best to make transportation affordable. After all, the Alchemic Expo of an Alchemic Sovereign came with benefits that could not be understated. Often it was a rich environment or even free products. There were even certain challenges given to Chosen for unique or exquisite products, treasures, or favors. 

It was a celebrated event that could be both large or small, but the higher the level of the alchemist, the greater the benefits there typically was. 

All that aside, Wei Wuyin's focus was instantly gathered on a single objective—finding the owner of that voice! Others might not be able to find them, but Wei Wuyin had grasped both the Minor Authority of Time and Space, while simultaneously having incredible Spiritual Strength far surpassing ordinary mortals. 

His Celestial Eyes fully activated, and it was as if the cloudy world had been pushed aside, and strings throughout the Dark Void formed that carried traces of the remnant spiritual strength within that voice. He had used a similar method to find Trueborn's leader. Wei Wuyin's Temporal Eye deconstructed the spiritual strings, reversing its flow of creation and dispersion in his sights, and with extreme precision, he found it.

…he found her. 

The flag's pole in his hand was gripped tighter than ever before. The flag's silver characters began to glow brightly in response.

The Incarnation of Wei Wuyin, standing above the Sky Destroyer piloted by Sky Monarch Bai and containing Empress Xiaocheng, was similarly distracted. However, Wei Wuyin's intent toward Empress Xiaocheng hadn't been eroded by this surprise, and he turned his gaze downwards.

The Empress' expression was serene as an immovable mountain, unaffected by the coming winds or storm. She was still a heaven-blessed beauty of a generation, perhaps across tens of generations, and it was hard for the opposite sex to feel any sort of ill-intent towards her, but Wei Wuyin was entirely indifferent.

He faintly smiled while the roars of attendance went on in the background. "What do you think I should do?" The Incarnation of Wei Wuyin took a step, entering the atmospheric barrier of the Sky Destroyer with absolute ease, as if it didn't exist.

Sky Monarch Bai's pupils constricted; his heart pounded furiously as the image of Jiang Jingshi's death flashed across his mind and stabbed at his heart. While everyone had been swept in Wei Wuyin's momentum, Jiang Jingshi's death was not a minor incident, and merely no one had the time to properly process it with all the events occurring one after the other. 

When this all ended, the entire world would certainly be in a heaven-shaking uproar after hearing that the death of 'One Sword' had happened. While there would be several reasons out there, the most that'll propagate would be that he offended Wei Wuyin by attacking someone openly after they had submitted. At that moment, the Sanguine Demon Evil King was Wei Wuyin's dog, and Jiang Jingshi didn't care about trying to smack it to death in front of its owner.

It was a foolish action that led to an untimely and almost forgettable death. He was a mere stepping stone to the founding of the Neo-Dawn Starfield. However, Sky Monarch Bai had regarded Jiang Jingshi as his idol since young, and cultivated the sword, even donning a similar style of clothing as well. 

Seeing Wei Wuyin calmly approach, his heart felt as if it was seized by a world-sized boa. It was extremely suffocating. To think a mere mortal would be able to invoke such feelings in his heart, and without actually being there. A mere Incarnation.

He gulped loudly. 

Empress Xiaocheng's expression was flat, and she calmly responded: "What do you mean, Alchemic Sovereign Wei?" Her words tried to play off as ignorant, but her heart was holding back its urge to pound fiercely. Wei Wuyin had already told her before that he didn't like being schemed against, and from his eyes, there was a stark glint of knowledge that openly exposed all her planning. 

Despite this, she kept her ignorant stance. With Jiang Jingshi dead, everything else was no longer needed. 

"What do I mean?" Wei Wuyin said with a lifted brow. "What should I do with your overwhelming generosity?" When he said this, he lifted two fingers, his thumb and middle finger, and then with a closed-eyed smile—SNAP!

Suddenly, the redesigned Core Array of the three Sky Destroyers all began to activate. Tian Muyang, Tian Lingyu, Sky Monarch Bai, and Empress Xiaocheng all had changes in their expressions, ranging from a helpless smile to a look of surprise.

"How?" Sky Monarch Bai exclaimed as he tried to access the controls of his Sky Destroyer to no avail. The Imperial Clan had used decades to reinforce the defensive protocols of the Sky Destroyers, deliberately fixing the once left behind flaws in case of theft to remove any vulnerabilities, yet with a single move, Wei Wuyin had seized them?

Each Sky Destroyer was a byproduct of endless man-hours of top-tier Architect and countless mystic-graded materials, and they were Earthly Saints in their own right, yet had the benefit of potentially possessing infinite amounts of mystic energies, transporting mystic-graded materials in their pseudo-Internal World-like Secret Realms, and could Spatial Shift with the might of a Spatial-type Mystic Rune Earthly Saint.

They were the brilliance of the Tian Clan in true form!

"These gifts are a little too much. They are a little hard for me to accept, but since you were willing to bring them over in light of the establishment of the Neo-Dawn Starfield, it would be foolish of me to refuse. Right?" Wei Wuyin's smile which would normally cause hearts to fly left Sky Monarch Bai chilled to the soul. Handsome or not, Sky Monarch Bai felt as if he was looking at a monster! 

Tian Muyang chuckled in his heart and didn't hesitate to leave the Sky Destroyer. Tian Lingyu paused for a bit, and her eyes gazed at Wei Wuyin's figure with a heated glow, and she lightly bit her lips. Eventually, she decided to send a transmission message, causing Wei Wuyin at the flag to look over curiously, and the Imperial Clan Earthly Saint shyly smiled like a young girl in spring, and she left the Sky Destroyer. 

Yang Chaoyue had mostly remained silent this entire time. To her, this was all expected. She beautifully smiled, similarly sending Wei Wuyin a stealthy transmission, and then left.

The three Earthly Saints took their crew alongside them.

Wei Wuyin let them leave. Empress Xiaocheng's eyes stared at Wei Wuyin for a long while, and then she faintly smiled as if she had truly presented gifts. She didn't say anything to acknowledge her intent and simply looked at Sky Monarch Bai. She could still remember how he proudly exclaimed that Wei Wuyin would not be able to take the Sky Destroyer as long as he was at the helm, and seeing his fearful and distorted expression splashed with confusion made her feel the urge to strangle him. 

Of course, the Empress wasn't the type to do so. However, the urge still arose. There was no need to resist, and she flew out of the Sky Destroyer.

"How generous," Huoyan Liulan smirked at the side, causing many to look her way. Ma Zheng smiled in amusement. This was no different from daylight robbery! Moreover, it was a message: "Your greatest weapons will be mine in a blink." Even he was aware of the extensive research and modifications that the Imperial Clan had done over the years. To see all that be pointless, the urge to laugh pounded at his throat. He could only chuckle to relieve himself.

"Actually, your gifts are too much," Wei Wuyin said, causing the five Earthly Saints to stop. The Empress looked at Wei Wuyin with calm eyes, yet her heart was anything but. She couldn't speak; if she did, it would be the same as admitting that she had given the Sky Destroyers as a gift. 

"As thanks for such wonderful gifts, I invite the Empress Xiaocheng to stay for a personal tour of the Neo-Dawn Starfield." Wei Wuyin's smile deepened as he held out his hand as a gesture for her to take it.

"...!" The audience was instantly taken aback. Wei Wuyin was trying to keep the Empress here?! 

Despite her unprecedentedly commendable state of perpetual outward calm, when she heard those words, her pupils constricted slightly, and her hands tightened into fists. It was hard for the common man to notice, but the Empress had been driven into a corner. 

Wei Wuyin was forcing her to speak! She could either offer a perfunctory refusal, openly accepting that the three Sky Destroyers were gifts or accept the invite and be a political hostage. There was the option of fleeing, but if she did that…

Her eyes moved to Wu Yu. In her mind, she couldn't trust Yang Chaoyue, Tian Muyang, Tian Lingyu, and Sky Monarch Bai was already fearful. Just Wu Yu would be difficult to escape from, but there was the Armored Saint, and eighty other Earthly Saints. The Neo-Dawn Starfield was too far from the Imperial Clan. Others might not be deeply aware of the Divine Emperor's shackles, but how could she not know every intimate detail? 

"..." Eventually, she bit the porcupine. "I'll have to refuse your gracious offer, Alchemic Sovereign Wei. My husband is expecting me back, and I can not be late. My apologies." She had to use his name! 

"Oh? I insist, Empress." Wei Wuyin's next words caused everyone's hearts to pound! Insist! There was no room for refusal! 

"You!" The Empress, for the first time, felt disbelief. She had already spoken! This was agreeing that the Sky Destroyers were gifts, yet you were pushing this so far?! 

"Shall we?" Wei Wuyin gestured toward the flag, moving to the side, and suggesting she goes first. 

Empress Xiaocheng swept her gaze across the numerous Ascended beings around, and not a single one was speaking on her behalf, or even trying to. She looked at Tian Muyang, the only one amongst the Imperial Clan with the closest relationship with Wei Wuyin, but it seemed as if he didn't notice her plight, keeping a flat expression as if he refused to get involved or didn't understand the implications. 

"Must you?" The Empress asked Wei Wuyin, her eyes carrying the weighty light of a threat. 

"I must. There are a few things I need someone of the Empress' caliber and talents to handle. Don't worry, I'm known as a great host by others." Wei Wuyin didn't back down in the slightest! 

"Let's go," Wei Wuyin didn't give her a chance to refuse a second time. If she wanted to throw out all civility, he'd do so. 

She clenched her fists tighter and then flew toward Wei Wuyin with a calm expression as if she wasn't being escorted into a potential enemy camp. Why did everything spiral out of control when it involved this youth? Couldn't he just follow along with her plans? 

As she passed Wei Wuyin's Incarnation, a voice entered her ears, and her body froze instantly. 

After a short while, she didn't hesitate to fly to the Neo-Dawn Starfield. She was the only Earthly Saint from outside allowed in! She could be considered its first foreign visitor!

Echoing in the Empress' mind were two words: Sixty-Six.

Wei Wuyin's Incarnation gestured with his right hand and the Sky Destroyers made their way into the Neo-Dawn Starfield. Each Sky Destroyer was absurdly expensive in time and energy to make. They took decades, if not centuries, to properly forge. While he was an alchemist, while he was wealthy, it was impossible to buy a Sky Destroyer from anywhere. 

They were products of miraculous design and could replicate the powers of genuine Earthly Saints. They were machines of death and war, and with three in his possession, it'll be easier to redesign them into his war machines. When he first saw them from the Elementus Domain, he always had his eyes on them. It felt good to possess them, and due to the Empress' authority, she had all but admitted they were gifts!

At the very least, the Imperial Clan couldn't demand them back. Well, Wei Wuyin wouldn't give them back anyways, but it was best to cover all bases if it was convenient. 

Wei Wuyin slammed the Neo Dawn Flag and then began to start a speech of thanks, including explaining details of the upcoming Neo-Dawn Alchemic Expo. Eventually, he ended it by inviting the four forces that had submitted to the Neo-Dawn Starfield. They entered without any hesitation, and the curtains fell as these Ascended beings began to depart one by one. 

-----

An hour later, after all of them had left, Wei Wuyin was at the edge of the Neo-Dawn Starfield's established borders. His eyes stared out at the Dark Void with a flicker of nostalgic light containing good memories.

"Are you finally going to tell me what you wanted all those years ago?" Wei Wuyin asked via a spiritual pulse that stretched across the Dark Void. 

"..." There wasn't any activity out there.

A very long period passed.

"As long as you tell me how you survived the Time Vortex," the familiar voice that had announced the Ninestar Sainthall's participation resounded! 

Wei Wuyin could no longer hold back his smile.