Paragon of Sin

A stream of silver light zipped across the Dark Void, traversing the void-blank space, the unique area outside the borders of the starfields, a nest of dead planets, decayed and dying Solar Stars, and shattered lunar satellites. The stream of light bypassed many strange phenomena, slowly coming to a halt at the outskirts of the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region.

With a surging pulse, five figures tumbled out of the silver stream alongside several bottles, a large crate of ore, and thousands of mystic stones. The silver stream of light kept going, traveling outside the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region and into the other, less fortunate stellar regions such as the Desolate Dragnet Stellar Region.

An aged old man with vibrant eyes soon stabilized himself, exerting a strong, torrential stopping force. With a wave of his hand, skilled and patient, he snagged the other four until they halted their momentum as well. With a heavy breath of relief, he lowered his two trembling arms. 

At the last moment, after Wei Wuyin had shouted in urgency, he abruptly felt a sense of extreme danger course throughout his entire body, forcefully causing him to unleash his greatest strength. 

Huoyan Liulan was stabilized, her eyes wide, her expression distorted, and her body shaking. She was deeply shaken by recent events. She glanced at Ma Zheng with the most bewildered stare. But when her peripheral vision caught a glimpse of the glittering mystic stones, she hastily acted to seize them all into her possession, grabbing the crate and bottles as well. Especially the Ever-Rebirth Pill bottle, treating it preciously. While it might not fully allow her to rebuild Liao Shuyu's body, it should give her an vastly inferior version that would need further refinement and her support, but lay out the essential framework. The pill itself was more precious than some Mystic-Earth grade products.

Han Yuhei was violently coughing at the side. The usually strong and healthy countenance was absurdly pale at the moment, almost like a sheet of white paper. There was a sign of disorientation in his eyes. Ma Zheng's spatial shift was extremely powerful and was like a mortal traveling on a high-speed aerial vehicle without a seatbelt. Additionally, this mortal was already injured beforehand.

Wei Wuyin was the only one amongst the four humans that was perfectly fine, completely adjusted to all spatial movements due to his True Void Dragon Bloodline. Bai Lin was shivering, her eyes closed and she was slumbering with faint glowing light surrounding her. She had digested the feather and almost immediately was forced into a hibernating state, shocking Wei Wuyin. 

He had carefully sealed her in his draconic void force and kept her by his side. She wasn't disturbed during the shift. While it seemed like spatial shifting was exceedingly swift, it was not instant, and they had been within the silver stream for almost half an hour traveling alongside fixed space. 

"What was that?" Ma Zheng asked Wei Wuyin. At first, he thought it was a counteroffensive by Trueborn, but the swelling of life-and-death crisis at the last moment was enough to open up other possibilities. Unless a Worldly Saint had acted…

"What was that? What was THAT?! You brought us away without a warning! That's what THAT was!" Huoyan Liulan shouted with agitation. She kept her materials, enveloping them in her mystic power while chastising Ma Zheng. However, there was a glint of her eyes that was rather strange as she observed Ma Zheng. 

Throughout this entire event, she was under the assumption that Ma Zheng was a Demi-Mortal Lord. While he had revealed wisps of Awakened Mystic Intent during his fight with Sheng Jizi, this could be reasoned out through various treasures and preparations of his. When she met him, he always sported the aura of a Demi-Mortal Lord…until this exact moment. 

She felt lied to. He was an Earthly Saint! An Earthly freaking Saint! Because the silver stream was certainly his own power and it was suffused with Awakened Mystic Intent, especially the Spatial-type Mystic Rune's power. 

She pursed her lips with narrowed eyes, grievance pouring out of her eyes as she stared at Ma Zheng. The man in question could only wryly smile in the face of such emotion. Besides the Imperial Clan and the True Element Sect, there weren't many who were aware of his true cultivation base. He had been using a unique concealment treasure to disguise his cultivation base, and even if he leaked his cultivation a little, he would deliberately hide it with a mystic-graded armament or tool's aura. 

Wei Wuyin frowned deeply, giving Bai Lin an inspecting look over as he sighed in relief. She wasn't undergoing another Nirvanic Rebirth, merely absorbing the latent energies within the feather. 

"When did you become an Earthly Saint?" Huoyan Liulan questioned with vigorous momentum. She was interrogating him! And Ma Zheng felt every pressing force from every syllable, yet he was still only able to give a response of clearing his throat a little awkwardly.

Han Yuhei was still injured and Huoyan Liulan's voice was particularly annoying to his senses at this moment. He coldly spat, "What does it matter to you?" 

Huoyan Liulan gave Han Yuhei a dismissive glance, "Be silent; the adults are talking." Then, she returned to staring Ma Zheng down with a sharp gaze. 

Han Yuhei reeled. He was only a thousand or so years younger than Huoyan Liulan, and while Ma Zheng was definitely his senior with twenty thousands years ahead of him, she certainly was not. An urge to fight manifested in his eyes. Clearly, she was not using the term 'adult' in terms of age but strength. She was mocking his weakness!

Enraged, how could he take it lying down? But Wei Wuyin spoke up at this moment, causing his rising flames to be doused. "I thought you would know," Wei Wuyin frowned. He could see from the lingering fear in Ma Zheng's eyes that he felt it too. It was likely due to his Nexus Spatial Soul that his attunement to space caught that being's aura, maybe even clearer than him, but not on an instinctual level. 

Ma Zheng shook his head. He didn't get a good look nor felt something remotely similar before. Maybe it was due to his cultivation base being too low before or that he had never met it by coincidence in his long years. Regardless of the reason, he had never met it before. 

"Know?" Han Yuhei's anger had subsided by their exchange. He was of a similar thought as Ma Zheng in the beginning—an attack by Trueborn. Why were they speaking as if it wasn't a horde of unknown Earthly Saints but a creature? 

"When did you BECOME AN EARTHLY SAINT?!" Huoyan Liulan was growing more agitated by Ma Zheng ignoring her question. Her current emotions felt very disproportionate to the event itself. This should be a glorious achievement, celebrated and happy, but her reaction felt as if she was betrayed. A scorned woman.

Wei Wuyin gave her a curious look. 

Ma Zheng also turned his attention to her. He calmly said, "I'll discuss it with you later." Unfortunately, his response only added oil to the flames as Huoyan Liulan's expression grew unsightly and anger-filled. 

Han Yuhei was lost for a moment, confused by all this. He looked to the glowing Bai Lin, enveloped in a strange spatial power that he couldn't quite see through. It felt familiar to a Void Gate or Wei Wuyin's void portals. But the power clearly belonged to Wei Wuyin, not an independent armament, talisman, or tool. Moreover, he felt a roar-like pulse emanating from it. 

Strange…

Ma Zheng's expression grew dark seeing Huoyan Liulan about to throw a tantrum. He blurted out in an attempt to pacify her, "Half a year ago. I'll explain it to you later."

Huoyan Liulan's expression was distorted with shock. That was before the competition. He was an Earthly Saint then? She clenched her fist. Her chest heaved up and down with riled emotions. 

Wei Wuyin felt like this scene was a wife catching her husband keeping secrets, and he was trying to not have an argument in public while she didn't give a damn. He could feel the situation was about to explode with some intimate secrets about to fly, and while interested, he was more invested in ensuring that 'thing' wasn't following them. 

"I can't sense it," Kratos stated. Whatever that creature was, it had almost eaten them before. But it seemed that it couldn't sense Kratos or him clearly, and even while it was extremely close, it was unable to sniff out their existence. 

"It might not be in the same spatial layer as us, existing in the depths of fixed space, chaotic space, or isolated space," Kratos surmised. This left Wei Wuyin a little stunned because Kratos was useless with explanations. Much like how King treated its words like gold, Kratos treated its coherent thoughts about the Void Dao like diamonds, even more precious.

"What is it?" Wei Wuyin had to ask. It had found him twice. Was it tracking him? If so, how? Bloodline scent or through something else?

"..." Kratos didn't respond. It clearly didn't know.

Suddenly, Huoyan Liulan's voice dropped several degrees as she coldly said: "You're coming back with me to the Hexaflame Starfield." Her words seemed to broker no argument. A definitive reality that must happen. 

Wei Wuyin returned and saw Ma Zheng with furrowed brows. He couldn't help but ask at this point, "What's happening here?" Huoyan Liulan was extremely invested in his advancement to the Earthly Saint Phase. 

Ma Zheng didn't hide it, spiritually communicating: "Before Ma Sujiang was born, I was planning to reclaim my pavilion, and I needed a reason to justify my claim for the seat, and it was in the shape of a deal. I had agreed to unite with the Hexaflame Starfield and the Golden Life Pavilion, either under two conditions: Through allowing a daughter of the Hexaflame Starfield, my Ma Sujiang, to become Pavilion Master after my death, or through marriage, if I become an Earthly Saint during my term as a Pavilion Master."

"..." Wei Wuyin knew of Ma Zheng's plotting, including the step-by-step plan explained by Wu Yu, reinforcing Ma Zheng's brilliance. He also knew of Ma Sujiang's origins. He questioned, "You swore an oath?"

"I did," Ma Zheng didn't deny it.

But Wei Wuyin was confused. If that was the case, then this situation shouldn't be too difficult to handle, right? He was obligated to marry, then he should just marry. Not like he could refuse to do so, right? 

Wait. 

"During your term?" Wei Wuyin lifted an eyebrow. 

Ma Zheng nodded.

Well, that explains that. Ma Zheng had ascended to the Earthly Saint Phase, the fourth stage of the Mystic Ascendant Realm, not during his term but before! The oath had a loophole that destroyed its validity. No wonder Ma Zheng wasn't pressed to reveal this detail. He didn't have any obligation to marry her, but Huoyan Liulan felt differently. 

Seeing the two communicate spiritually, Huoyan Liulan darkly said: "I won't accept any pay off, no matter the price." 

Wei Wuyin and Ma Zheng put on a very similar smile, filled with helplessness. This woman was adamant. Still, Ma Sujiang's side of the oath was still effective. She would definitely be pushed to succeed Ma Zheng. 

"I understand. Like I said before, we'll talk later." Ma Zheng was internally exhausted that this topic was now at the forefront. Considering the summit was happening soon, he couldn't imagine the drama that would unfold. This was especially true if Sun Li found out…

Resisting an urge to tease Old Ma, Wei Wuyin looked around and realized they were near the outskirts of the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region. Ma Zheng could travel at a stupendously high speed through Spatial Shifting. Still, his Void Portal Creation was certainly superior. He decided to recover his energies here and then portal them back after Bai Lin finished digesting that feather.

"Let's rest here for now." Wei Wuyin didn't wait for them to agree, using his astral force to manifest a makeshift Sky Palace. 

Huoyan Liulan frowned. Before she could voice her opinions, Ma Zheng began to use his Earthly Saint Phase cultivation base openly, constructing a few Spiritual Formations around them. He wasn't in a particular rush to arrive at the summit. It would likely last for five years at least, and missing the early period wasn't going to matter.

Regardless of when Wei Wuyin arrived, Ma Zheng felt that Wei Wuyin's presence was absolutely necessary to set the standards of Chosen. Thus, they could take their leisure time. He just had to ensure others couldn't find them. 

Han Yuhei sighed heavily with relief. He and Zhang Ziyi were injured, so they would have far less power in discussions or events if they went right now. While the True Element Sect wouldn't have an Earthly Saint of the sect guarding them, it was already expected that they could be injured or delayed. Sun Li should take care of the procession, as per their arrangement.

Han Yuhei manifested a very small flat continental earth roughly a hundred miles wide and a mile thick, sat at the center, and slowly meditated and healed using wood and yang energies. 

Huoyan Liulan's eyes narrowed dangerously. In the end, she stayed very close to Ma Zheng, refusing to allow him out of her sight.

-----

Three days!

It was announced the Saint Cyclic Renewal Summit will begin by the Evergod in three days! Afterwhich, the Mythical Oaths for allied protection will take effect. Any force that assaults another during this time will be eradicated by every other force! A complete obliteration.

A state of forced peace will soon descend from start to finish for the Saint Cyclic Renewal Summit. Yet not a single relevant individual was of the belief that the Saint Cyclic Renewal Summit will be remotely peaceful.

Immortal Saintesses, Immortal Heroes, Chosen, Ascended beings, and Leaders of Starfields, Domains, and Ancient Forces would be gathered to determine the eventual standards for what it meant to be a Chosen! 

A glimmer of hope sparked in the hearts of everyone.

Maybe, just maybe, the Chosen King will be in this event!