Paragon of Sin

The torus-shaped Void Vessel was pulsating with chaotic streams of pure, brutal energy that gave it a ghastly visage that flickered with crackling, erratic vague-colored lightning at its center. The Void Vessel had precisely fired that beam in their direction, and purposefully at that. Its current state was due to its recent firing and exhaustion of that chaotic energy.

Retracting his Alchemic Akashic Mystic Force, Wei Wuyin observed the vessel cautiously with a slight frown. The other Sages, Grey Rose, Dakarai, and the semi-transparent silver sphere near Ming Shufeng had their attention drawn over to it as well. The atmosphere was abnormally tense.

Tuo Bihan was in a daze as an enlightening light flickered incessantly within his eyes. He simply sat down, placed the bandaged item behind his back halfway on his knees, and closed his eyes. He began to cultivate! The scene of overflowing chaotic power had granted him a moment of serendipitous enlightenment!

Pakhet retreated by Wei Wuyin's side, glancing at Wei Xiaotian, and then refocusing on the torus-shaped vessel that had launched that lethal attack. Around the vessel, explosions within space and time kept unfolding as particularly violent and varied fluctuations of power occurred. She directly said, "That was on purpose."

Wei Wuyin nodded slightly. The ship had aimed and fired at them as if it expected them. Moreover, it actively considered them an enemy, but it was unable to unleash a second beam easily, and the formations were being regulated by the cultivators on board making incessant and practiced repairs, like a crew preparing a cannonball for a particularly large cannon. Except, this cannon could slaughter Sages and affect cultivators.

It was a high-level Mystic Ascendant Realm cultivator killer! If not for his interference, Pakhet, Imentet, and Nepri would have to exhaust their life-saving means in the hopes of escaping, and it wasn't certain!

Nepri was breathing heavily as he flickered beside Wei Wuyin at a respectable distance. He wanted to speak, yet his chest and soul felt stifled and he could only breathe in and out with laborious effort.

Imentet tried placing the Hidden Wind into her Internal World with Luo Ning, but she immediately suffered a backlash as her cultivation base dry heaved against her will and she coughed out traces of her quintessential cultivated energies. Her Internal World shrunk and she directly lost a decade or so of cultivation. Her expression was the very color of surprise and pain.

Luo Ning stayed in Hidden Wind as she looked at Imentet with great concern. She didn't try transmitting her spiritual energy into a message as the lingering traces of chaotic energy within the Dark Void were present despite being nigh-invisible. Imentet's actions were both reckless and incredibly lucky as her opening her Internal World had caused her sealed domain to open, allowing the remnant chaotic energy to pour in happily.

Both Wei Wuyin and her had Alchemic Stars' visual acuity and sensitivity towards all things energy and essence, and they could visually perceive this invisible chaotic energy, but the others couldn't.

This was why Pakhet had spoken verbally earlier and arrived beside Wei Wuyin. She couldn't see it, but her Major Authority of Metal Law was reacting strangely to the lingering chaotic energy and knew dangers were opening up any avenue for energy transmission, in or out.

It was this reason why, despite the violent fluctuations in the distance, and the ship observing them from hundreds of thousands of miles, not a single cultivator dared to rush them or they tried to rush outwards. The entire terrain of Dark Void for tens of thousands of miles around them had become a hazardous region of chaos.

Su Mei followed Tuo Bihan; she sat down cross-legged, formed a single esoteric hand-seal, and began cultivating. Like falling dominoes, Yao Houyi, Shui Fengbao, Qing Qiumu, Yue Songli, Cao Cuifen, and Young Master Shang were next. Their auras pulsated with wondrous signs of imminent enlightenment. They had listened to Wei Wuyin and trusted him completely despite the intense, barreling disaster of chaos and death heading their way and calmly 'observed' the flow.

They sought fortune amid great danger!

And they found it!

Ming Shufeng, however, was unable to keenly observe as she was divided by a layer of spatial dimension due to her silver sphere. She had missed out on this opportunity by complete chance.

Nepri frowned as he looked at Imentet's injured state. The words of Pakhet echoed in his heart as he found Nepit who was slowly moving toward his side with struggling and trembling legs. While Wei Wuyin had settled the dangers and presented an opportunity, she wasn't destined to enjoy it as her cultivation base was on the verge of collapse from new and old injuries. She had to focus on maintaining her cultivation base.

Nepri briefly glanced at Wei Wuyin and moved over. He shakingly reached out to hold Nepit's hand. She subconsciously pulled her hand back. Realizing her actions midway, she held out her hand while giving him a tired, warning gaze.

Nepri could only sigh in his heart as he grabbed her, executing a Yin-Yang Harmonization Art by sacrificing a portion of his cultivation base, causing him to visibly age a few years, his aura waned, and a healthy glow suffused Nepit's pale countenance. He established a closed connection between them so that not even the remnant chaotic energy could worm its way in.

Imentet landed beside Wei Wuyin. She held her frustration and tongue, but openly glared at Nepri, as Imentet and Pakhet suffered notice decreases in their aura. They, too, lost portions of their cultivation base, twice as they were soul-linked and cultivation base-linked. However, she couldn't argue as she had lost only slightly less due to her carelessness earlier.

"What's the plan?" Imentet hoarsely asked. Her voice which was already alluring and seductive was shockingly increased three-fold after the raspy hint in her voice was accentuated by her weakness.

The ongoing fluctuations of combat around them were incessant. It wasn't just in front, but all around them from distances as large as hundreds of thousands of miles to tens of millions of miles. She couldn't extend her Spiritual Sense outward for fear of welcoming another surge of chaotic energy, but her Ocular Spell could see the pulses of varied mystic power.

Moreover, there were eleven other Void Vessels around them, and three other torus-shaped Void Vessels that resembled donuts. They didn't seem too focused on them at the moment.

"They predicted our arrival and prematurely launched that attack," Wei Wuyin stated.

Pakhet nodded slightly to confirm Wei Wuyin's thoughts. "They must have a Divination Cultivator on the level of Amunet somewhere coordinating their attacks to achieve such accuracy. Likely an Oracle."

"But why attack us? We just arrived without any context. Moreover, who are these bastards?" Imentet asked as the other Void Vessels were given a hard look. Besides the four torus-shaped Void Vessels, the other seven had sizes ranging from medium to large, and their designs were varied.

There were five triangular-shaped Void Vessels that resembled Enlightened Sage Springfield's Easy Spring. They were likely manufactured by the same cultivation civilization but of noticeably cheaper make, while three others were different and resembled typical Void Ships of an ancient galleon or barque design.

Wei Wuyin's Celestial Eyes sifted through the chaos and observed each and every fluctuation. Even he was shaken. There were Shell Worlds, temporarily manifested independent realms, all around them, for the explicit purpose of fighting. There was a Sage, Mystic Overlords, Original Magistrates, and excessive groupings of World Emperors, Rune Kings, and Highlords fighting against those upper-level Mystic Ascendants using coordinated spells and Ascension Arts.

Life signs weren't fading fast, but they were decreasing as injuries piled with every passing millisecond and limited Mystic Power was exhausted, repeatedly showing signs of waning auras.

He counted each Shell World. A total of thirty-seven existed, and six of those were occupied by Mystic Overlord-level auras. Only one had the sole Sage-level aura on the battlefield, while the other three had Mystic Overlords and lesser cultivators alongside them, seemingly working in tandem. Two of them were against the Mystic Overlords by themselves in direct one-on-one combat, while a single Shell World had that single True Sage fighting against two other Mystic Overlords and a host of other Ascended beings as the aura of Law was exceedingly dense there.

That Shell World was particularly intense! Heavenly Treasures were certainly being used!

"They didn't execute any divination arts against us directly, we would have sensed it. They must have relied on an indirect divination of the region, observing and predicting any newcomers. They must have attacked indiscriminately. If so, they must be trying to protect something against outsiders." Nepri finally could speak, his face was as pale as a ghost, and his voice was somewhat weak. He expertly deduced the how.

Imentet frowned. She was trying to figure out what was the center of contention. What were they fighting for?

She was seeking fortune!

The Sages were all revitalized slowly. They didn't have Celestial Eyes, but their Ocular Spells were not weak, and they roughly guessed the general strength of the entire field. A single Sage? Several squads led by Mystic Overlords and Original Magistrates?

After surviving that devastating attack, they had suddenly become the strongest players on the field. How could they not have other thoughts?!

Unfortunately, they couldn't figure out the target.

Wei Wuyin's gaze shifted to the torus-shaped Void Vessel that had launched that chaotic beam of energy that could condense around a target. "Not only does that attack have a long cooldown period, it seems they can't unleash it within the next few hours. Additionally," Wei Wuyin pointed out as he inspected each vessel, continuing with a glimmer in his eyes: "only that Void Vessel has that assault formation established. The others have different types of offensive formations equipped, just not as threatening."

The Sages simultaneously heaved sighs of relief. They didn't doubt Wei Wuyin's intel at all. That beam of chaotic energy was a killer for upper-stage Mystic Ascendant Realm cultivators like them, capable of destabilizing both their cultivation bases and disrupting their Laws. Even now, they couldn't move out freely, essentially trapped by the lingering strands of remnant chaotic energies, and observing the situation was difficult using only Ocular Spells.

"They can threaten Sages," Wei Wuyin warned. But equally, the defenses of each vessel could withstand those attacks with their defensive formations. If Shui Fengbao wasn't piloting the Minor Elysium and it was Zhang Jiangwen, then they would have no issues defending against those formations, but not against that chaotic beam. That beam of chaos was the bane of Sages and Void Vessels of all types.

Wei Wuyin was incredibly interested in such a terrifying weapon of war. If there was a mortal equivalent, it would be a nuclear missile with cultivators being the primary target!

While the Sages looked for the fortune being fought over, Wei Wuyin's eyes focused intently on that torus-shaped Void Vessel.

"Found it!" Pakhet exclaimed with excitement, baring her fangs as her body subconsciously lowered slightly as if ready to pounce. Imentet didn't hesitate to bring out her damaged Heavenly Treasure. There was a patchwork job of repair, clearly not at its full strength.

Nepri and Nepit's attention was drawn to roughly seventy million miles away from their current location. There was a tug of war between five Original Magistrates—Heavenly Saints! They were clashing within one of the thirty-seven Shell Worlds. They all exuded youthful vigor and boundless potential, clearly top-tier talents fighting with above-average combat strengths.

However, not a single Mystic Overlord was present.

Wei Wuyin's attention changed too. Unlike them, he could see acutely through the fluctuations, chaotic energies, and dimensional walls of a Shell World with indescribable clarity. He saw what they were fighting for!

Shockingly, it was an Edict Seed!!!

"The Shell World Pearl is unique, only Original Magistrates and lower can enter without facing a backlash and then subsequent suppression of their cultivation base." Wei Wuyin informed them as he sensed the Runic Markings etched on the dimensional walls of the Shell World. This was done purposefully too.

These types of Shell Worlds were uniquely created to restrict others.

"No wonder…" Nepri realized why the Sage and Mystic Overlords were fighting against each other separately. It would take considerable time and effort to breach that Shell World, and the forces present were all delaying the other experts in the hopes the Original Magistrates would succeed in retrieving the item and then return to their fleet of vessels to flee in triumph.

Perhaps a chase through the Dark Void would inevitably follow, and the type of battle would switch immediately to vessel combat.

More importantly, they didn't want to accidentally damage the treasure. An Edict Seed!

"An Edict Seed is there," Wei Wuyin informed.

The four Sages, Grey Rose, and Young Master Shang all reacted with intense shock. Pakhet had found out the where, but not the what. Without exception, each of their hearts began to pound ferociously like a boisterous dragon.

AN EDICT SEED!

While Wei Wuyin had found three Edict Seeds, a mutated Edict Seed of Wood Law carefully cultivated and sinisterly formed by Enlightened Sage Springfield over countless years after plotting against an entire galaxy, an Edict Seed of Ice Law found by Ming Shufeng's divination for nearby, undetermined fortune, seized only by Wei Wuyin's strength and means, and an Edict Seed of Water after plundering an World Emperor-led force in the Resolute Dusk Galaxy by complete chance.

Young Master Shang had once explained that every last Mystic Ascendant Realm cultivator would kill for and Supreme Sages, those at the legendary Resonant Soul Realm, could destroy entire cultivation civilizations to obtain one!

And they were currently bearing witness to that reality! TO THE TRUTH HELD IN HIS WORDS!

Pakhet, Imentet, Nepri, and Nepit immediately had greed within their gaze without any exception, as green as could be.

Wei Wuyin wasn't a fool either! An Edict Seed might have been causally given to Liu Suyin and Qing Qiumu, but he knew the absolute value of this treasure!

Unfortunately, they were unable to leave due to the chaotic energies around them!

"How long until it dissipates?!" Imentet hoarsely growled. She seemed more like a predator than Pakhet. Her anxiety was increasing. If they obtained the Edict Seed and escaped, who knew what would happen? She had forgotten that Wei Wuyin could jump across vast distances because of her greed and anxiety.

Escape?

Pfft.

"Roughly forty-six hours," Pakhet calculated based on the dissipation rate per second. It would be roughly then before they could circulate their cultivation and fly outwards. That was over two days!

"The chaos energy is working both ways; we can't easily observe them, but they can't tell our cultivation bases either without us unleashing our auras, so they aren't on guard yet." Nepri intelligently revealed a critical detail as his eyes darted with a thoughtful light here and there. He was thinking about the Sages beside him, including his own Dao Companion.

An Edict Seed was a single-use treasure for a single cultivator. While they had 'shared' cultivation bases, they did not have anything shared beyond the Mystic Dao's foundation. While they would reach the same level of Runic Ascension, their Intents, Laws, comprehension, usage, and power of Arts and Spells were unique to each, creating widely different levels of strengths between them.

For example, Pakhet and her Major Authority!

Imentet and Pakhet realized it too.

They had fought against each other many times for opportunities like this back in their galaxy. While it had never reached life or death, they had caused great injury to each other, stopping at any potential foundational damage. The relationships between each Sage were not ordinary, and some, while willing to work in perfect tandem, hated each other.

While unknown by the vast majority, Khepri utterly despised Imentet.

They each turned their focus to Wei Wuyin. If he competed for the Edict Seed, the situation would get complex.

Wei Wuyin's eyes thoughtfully flickered. Then, lifted his arms with a flourish of his sleeves as strands of Alchemic Akashic Mystic Force began to flow out of his fingers. He was planning to gather and refine the chaotic energy first and foremost!

This chaotic energy acted similar to Pakhet's incomplete Heavenly Domain of Law! He couldn't leave either without a cost!