Paragon of Sin

The sky-breaching, world-dazzling golden pillar's emergence signified the end of a venture, the fight for survival and fortune within Everworld was coming to an end, and the gazes of Chosen of all ages, genders, races, and experiences all turned to it with varied emotions flashing within their eyes.

Some were excited.

Some were determined.

Some were fearful.

Some were relieved.

Others, however, were awakening...

Within an isolated man-made cavernous region of Everworld, ripples of space began to manifest chaotically with increasing frequency. As the ripples enlarged, the aura of time started to leak out from within. Fixed space began solidifying into a glass-like orb that could house a single entity.

Pop.

Like a bubble bursting, the orb ruptured. Waves and waves of space flooded the cave, smashing gently across the cavern's walls. A valiantly striking silhouette briskly took two steps out of the orb's previous location, manifesting seemingly out of nowhere. The fragrance of flowers wafted out, and the silhouette came into abrupt focus, firmly existing in a single dimension of space.

Within the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region's younger generation, not a single relevant individual would be ignorant of this woman's existence. However, the Chosen would all be deeply shaken as questions of her whereabouts had circulated endlessly, often with a fearful and cautious undertone.

Hong Chunhua!

The First Commander of the Ascendants!!

She brushed her auburn hair aside, lightly touching her rose petal-designed sword hilt hung at her waist, and glanced around curiously. The cave's entrance was painted in a golden radiance from the sky-reaching pillar.

A rare, dangerous smile surfaced on her face.

From behind her, by the dozens, more spatially-condensed orbs formed! They popped, gushing out spatial energy that lightly smashed against the cave's walls and exuded the aura of time.

"Ugh!" A soft grunt resounded as a figure took two steps forward, immediately coming into focus. The bald demon, with tribal tattoos littered across his face, appeared, his hand rubbing his bald head with a nauseous expression. "Why does exiting the Temporal Vortex-Zone always make me, ugh..." the bald demon grunted again, holding his mouth anxiously as if fearful of chunks flying.

A figure stepped out right beside him, sneering with ridicule, chiding: "It's because you never take the precautions His Majesty gave us. Always eating solid foods inside! Only liquids or nutrient pellets."

"You! I get hun-Ugh. Meat is deli-Ugh!" The demon tried to retort, but the actions nearly caused him to lose control of his stomach, and he leaned over helplessly on the nearest wall, retching. Only when he sensed someone's warm hand on his back did he feel relieved. The gentleness of it was comforting, easing his urge to regurgitate his years of solid food at once.

Hong Chunhua gave a side glance toward Bei Yunhan and Zu Zun, inwardly shaking her head at Zu Zun's dependence on meat. When she looked behind them, another rare smile formed, but this time, with a sense of personal pride hanging from her lips.

Pop. Pop. Pop.

Dozens upon dozens of spatial orbs began to disperse, revealing figure after figure that abruptly came into focus, none of which were in the typical uniformed colors of the Ascendants. Before long, the large cave was littered with cultivators, all exchanging spiritual transmissions while inspecting the golden radiance leaking into the area from outside.

A dark-haired elf with silver-rimmed glasses walked forward, stopping three steps back from Hong Chunhua. She looked like the reserved type in her modest attire, yet those who knew her understood the villainy this woman could reveal was hell-shaking.

"Commander Hong, all members are accounted for." She was absurdly quick as the spatial orbs had just stopped popping. Li Yungu was diligent as always!

Hong Chunhua nodded in acknowledgment. "Ascendants of the First Legion!"

"Yes!" All the spiritual transmissions ceased instantly, and the unified sound of men and women standing at attention with a voice of acknowledgment thundered, shaking the cave and nearly causing its collapse. Whether it was the hungover Zu Zun or Li Yungu, they all respectfully stood ramrod straight, holding a one-handed seal unique to the Ascendants. They awaited orders!

Hone Chunhua stenned forward and soun on her heel, formine the same sien: her eves were utterlv forceful and intense. With a nassionate voice, she said:fight, to stand out, to showcase to our world and the World Beyond the ability of the Ascendants!

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!" Hong Chunhua shouted.

"YES!" The entire cave was filled with resonating tones that meshed shockingly well. The cave began to crumble and rumble, verging on total collapse.

"In victory we say!" Hong Chunhua shouted.

"For His Majesty! For the Ascendants!"

"In defeat we say!" Hong Chunhua shouted.

"..." The entire cave was dead silent; not even the sound of breathing could be heard.

Hong Chunhua smiled in her heart but was outwardly intense. The only true defeat was death; everything else was a victory. Life was a victory-His Majesty's principles permeated throughout all of their hearts. And in death, there was nothing to say.

"Good! Go!" Hong Chunhua strongly ordered. Almost ten thousand shadows flashed beyond Hong Chunhua, exiting the cavern, all moving toward the golden pillar of light. Only three figures remained -Bei Yunhan, Zu Zun, and Li Yungu.

"Commander Hong," Li Yungu softly said.

Hong Chunhua glanced at her, gently shaking her head. "You don't have to hold back. Go wild."

Li Yungu's eyes became brightly lit. Then, her face very briefly flashed with a terrifyingly sinister expression of soul-distorting greed before revealing the most reserved, shy smile toward Hong Chunhua. She shot out of the cave immediately afterward.

Hong Chunhua couldn't help but feel a little concerned about Li Yungu, but she decided to leave it be. Zu Zun and Bei Yunhan looked at each other, easily understanding the other's concerns, and they looked to Hong Chunhua.

"..."

"..."

Eventually, Hong Chunhua sighed, "Make sure she doesn't cause too much trouble to the other Ascendants." Despite what she said about them acting independently, the trio had been together for far too long and was nigh inseparable. A look of relief flashed across their expressions as they rushed out hastily.

She finally felt a weight lift from her chest. Since the day she had been declared the First Commander of the Ascendants, acting as a Legion Commander. She had put aside her identity as an independent cultivator and wholeheartedly pursued cultivation as the First Commander, but the strange feeling of regaining her independence, even this little, felt extremely relaxing.

Trying to control all those monsters and their mixture of egos, personalities, and habits was undeniably difficult, an enormous task, and she had performed it beautifully. But now, she could finally act alone.

"His Majesty was right...we all needed this," as she said this, she heard a shrieking scream from outside. When she sent her spiritual sense outwards to investigate, her expression immediately became helpless.

A female Chosen was lying unconscious on a grassy plain, stripped of everything, even her undergarments that were likely astral-graded treasures; Zu Zun and Bei Yunhan stood above her exposed body while looking at each other with concern endlessly flowing out of their eyes. Sensing her spiritual sense, they looked helplessly toward Hong Chunhua.

Temporarily creating a set of astral force-formed undergarments, they left the poor female cultivator alone, hastily following after the disaster.

"..." Hong Chunhua didn't know what type of chaos would be unleashed, especially during the third stage. Regardless, she should put that aside. For now, her only concerns were the other Commanders and the Prime Ascendants. As Fighting spirit swelled within her soul, she walked out of the cave.

-----

Throughout several locations across the Everworld, the scene of ten thousand shadows exiting from man-made cavernous areas of Everworld or from out beneath lakes and gigantic trees was unfolding. The Commanders of each legion gave orders similar to Hong Chunhua, and beings forged by the Ascendant Emperor of Neo-Dawn began to flood the world.

The Ascendants who decided to participate as Dark Chosen or Chosen of their specific Sect instead, such as Yi Yun, all received alerts of the change. Within these alerts, details of the Ascendant Emperor's orders spread out.

The most notable was an unquestionable demand:

"All Starlords MUST reach the 90th Wall! All Timelords MUST reach the 95th Wall! All Realmlords MUST reach the FINAL WALL! Anything less-Your status as an Ascendant ends."

It was absolute, yet besides a few shaken members, tens of thousands of Ascendants all felt their hearts burn with an undaunted passion and fighting spirit!

They all rushed toward the golden pillar of light, the grade five Fortune Zone, and the final segment of the Everworld Venture!

-----

San Luoyang was silently sitting within the subspace as he observed the situation, ensuring San Yongli and a few other San Clan descendants obtained fortune, but when the tens of thousands of Ascendants all began to show up, his eyes bulged uncontrollably. "What?!"

-----

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