Paragon of Sin

BOOM!

A single, deep, ear-rupturing explosion swept the Dark Void! The ears of all those in the range of tens of thousands of miles felt their eardrums throb violently, threatening to burst! While the Dark Void was a vacuum of space, the force generated shook the fabric of fixed space, causing the sound to be carried by space itself! 

The captured masked Demi-Mortal Lords shrieked, screamed, and squealed as they were thrown back by the resulting shockwave. Without their powers beyond Mortal Limits, they were like tiny insignificant leaves before a grand storm—powerless.

Uncontrollably, they tumbled and clawed for support. Fortunately, the Spirits of War acted. They waded through the shockwaves with practiced expertise, soaring through the Dark Void's chaos to retrieve each of their captives with their Demi-Mortal Lord level Battalion Commanders at the lead. 

The Earthly Saints were aghast, their expressions distorted as they shielded themselves with wards of mystic power. They resisted the incoming force yet it did little to subside the shock in their hearts. Each of their eyes were glued to the scene before them. Wei Wuyin's swift escape aside, the ongoing conflict between giants of their cultivation world was attention-grabbing.

A single punch.

A single punch! 

The mysteriously strange Earthly Saint of Wei Wuyin, called a toy by the Soul Saint King, had launched a single fist! The attack was incomparably swift, at the closest range imaginable for Earthly Saints, essentially point-blank, yet its target was…

The Soul Saint King stood in the Dark Void, his hand that had clasped Hab Yuhei's throat had adroitly changed direction and purpose, placed directly before his face, and solidly clasped a heavily armored fist in his hand radiating seething light. 

He stopped it! 

And from the calm expression on his face, his unchanged stance, the seemingly unaffected Mystic Aura, it was done with absolute ease! This wasn't what brought their attention to them to the zenith, but the sheer power contained within that single punch! 

Han Yuhei had regained himself the moment the Soul Saint King had let go, and he was an expert that shouldn't be underestimated. He intended to strike at the Soul Saint King, his palm had been fully prepped to slam out a fierce counteroffensive, yet when fist met palm, his body rippled from the ensuing power and he was rocketed away! 

Han Yuhei couldn't resist the sheer force as he tumbled away like a helpless spider in a thunderstorm. Swept away, he was unable to regain his balance for ten thousand miles, and as he did, he spurted out nine-colored blood with bulging, bloodshot eyes. His Mystic Aura was at an all-time low in intensity. He barely kept himself upright!

That fist contained enough power to shatter solar stars! It was clear that this strange Earthly Saint in their eyes held nothing back and possessed unfathomable strength that vastly exceeded their own! 

The Soul Saint King and War Commander stayed where they were for three full seconds, a time for Earthly Saints that could be perceived as an eternity, yet they stayed in that position for that long. Suddenly, the Soul Saint King's eyes unleashed radiant spiritual light that was abnormally blinding! 

For a fraction of a fraction of a second, the Earthly Saints covered their eyes instinctively! Their refined eyes beyond Mortal Limits did little to protect them from the searing pain of that radiance. Additionally, most had been sealed off and unable to muster their spiritual power to unleash Ocular Spells! 

Boom! Boosh! BOOM!!

Amidst their blindness, a series of explosions erupted that caused their clothes to flutter, their hearts to tremble, and their senses to quiver. 

Outside the battle range, Wei Wuyin was riding Bai Lin who was beating a hasty and swift retreat. His heart was pounding fiercely as his mind was permeating endlessly with blips of that radiant hand that threatened to claim his freedom. It overwhelmed his senses so much that the pupils of his eyes manifested a replica of the scene in the form of a spiritual image.

At the moment, Wei Wuyin's entire back was drenched in cold sweat. He closed his eyes with tremendous force, circulating his cultivation base of four Astral Souls to counteract his seeded trauma before it erupted into a permanent part of his psyche. If that happened, he would have a deep fear forever towards those with power.

If this set in, all his plans and goals would be reshuffled and likely yield far less potential than before. He couldn't allow himself to fall into cowardice—not now, not ever. 

Eden's roots thrummed with mental power. Within his Sea of Consciousness, his memories of facing the Wall of Heaven emerged, drudged up by these roots. The first memory was when he was at his greatest despair of fear, hopeless of the future, uncaring of the present, and yielding to circumstances and fear.

It was his first time seeing a cultivator facing their Astral Tribulation, and how unyielding they were in the beginning, slowly decaying into a defeatist state that inevitably led to their deaths. An example of how the fearless can become fearful 

It didn't stop there as he kept reliving moments that helped shape, define, and reinforce his Heart of Cultivation. 

When he first arrived at the Myriad Monarch Sect. 

Su Mei's strange and deadly Astral Tribulation that almost caused him to lose her. 

Every single Astral Tribulation he had overcome.

His glorious crowning as the Ascendant Emperor of Neo-Dawn by millions, roared by billions, and acceptance of trillions! 

Conquering the Second Calamity of Hell!

Facing Tiangou!

Fearlessly glimpsing at the Heavenly Daos!

Traveling through time! 

Many of these core memories had only loosely shaped his Heart of Cultivation, yet to settle in through a moment of reflection and realization, but this moment, they had all integrated into his Heart of Cultivation with the utmost thoroughness. 

With closed, trembling eyelids, Wei Wuyin clenched his teeth and softly whispered his older brother's name. Shortly after, he opened his eyes, revealing a pure, untainted pair of silver eyes that shone beautifully. He had regained himself, abolishing the seed of fear that threatened to overtake his heart and senses. 

Bai Lin had been flying away at top speed, blazing a flaming trail that showed off her exceptional speed. She was equally as shaken by the proximity that the Soul Saint King had reached without her being able to react. However, she wasn't like Wei Wuyin, an existence that was questioning their decisions and beliefs in themselves, but one that felt a surge of powerlessness within her. 

If it wasn't for Wei Wuyin, she would've been captured twice by others! Her memories of being left alone for a decade, forced to survive, acting as another's battle beast, and hiding from others kept surfacing in her heart. 

When she was captured by strange men, brought to a mountain that housed the Beast-Taming Sect, and had to wait for Wei Wuyin to save her. Or when she wasn't fast enough flying away from that strange devouring wall phenomenon that Wei Wuyin called the Wall of Heaven. If it wasn't for Wei Wuyin risking his life, losing his memories as a result, she would've died that day.

A rousing rage flared within her golden eyes, igniting flames that kept intensifying. Her speed explosively grew as if initiating a boost, and she took off even faster than ever before.

So...so VEXING!

Despite being so much, much stronger than Wei Wuyin, everything from revenge to her own life still needed to be handled by Wei Wuyin. How pathetic was that? Was she his partner in the sky or his pet in distress?! 

Strength! 

She needed to get stronger! 

Stronger!

Wei Wuyin had regained his sense of self and felt the leaking emotions emitting from Bai Lin. It was hard for him to properly console her at the moment, his own mental state still consolidating. 

In fact, this might be good for them both. Wei Wuyin was operating on a stage far beyond what his age and cultivation base should allow, yet he was doing so. It was always a risk, and being more aware of the substantial possibility of this risk should bring them to a newfound reality, grasping their situation more firmly. 

After all, he had deliberately antagonized with the Soul Saint King, unwilling to compromise. He had almost forgotten that he was surrounded by beings of an entirely different existence from him. Back there, there wasn't a single being at the mortal level except him, and he was conversing and trying to manipulate these beings to his will, as if the player of a chessboard. Others would deem that as insanity in action, delusional and overreaching.

Unfortunately, time wasn't on his side…

He no longer looked back, eyeing the border of the Ninestar Starfield instead. At the border, three Earthly Saints were observing with varied expressions. Ma Zheng's gaze had been fixated on Wei Wuyin. He seemed slightly pale in that face. The paleness was due to concern and anxiety rather than internal wounds, and Wei Wuyin realized this with a warm heart. 

The two Imperial Monarchs, Tian Muyan and Yang Chaoyue, were also waiting next to him. Their eyes shifted from Wei Wuyin and then to the fight between the Soul Saint King and War Commander Zhan Zheng. The intense battle was hard to take one's focus away from, and Wei Wuyin didn't fault them for this at all. 

Ma Zheng hurriedly retrieved him after he exited the Ninestar Starfield, exerting his protective spiritual sense in a discreet manner to ensure the Imperial Monarchs didn't try anything ill-intended. Without Wu Yu by his side or protected by oath, this was the most vulnerable state that Wei Wuyin was in. He refused to allow others to take advantage of it. 

They didn't speak, merely exchanged knowing gazes that they both deeply understood.

Ma Zheng didn't know why Wu Yu had been sent away after the Soul Saint King had arrived, but it almost led to Wei Wuyin's immediately capture in his eyes. He felt as if he should've been there. If he was there…

Unfortunately, he couldn't enter the Domain without triggering all of the passive formations within the Mystic Ninestar Unity Array. He would be besieged by endless attacks that he couldn't stop. Even War Commander Zhan Zheng was unable to deactivate the array, merely sever the connection with the Soul Saint King. 

Fortunately, it wasn't designed to activate passively against enemies already within the array, if it was, wide-spread destruction that might obliterate entire Domains could be deliberately triggered through some external schemes. 

Bai Lin faced towards the Ninestar Starfield, her eyes fixated on the battle too. But within those fiery eyes of hers was a seething desire that threatened to spew out to engulf the world.