Paragon of Sin

It was a non-stop galactic-wide, attention-grabbing series of events. Not a single detail of the Knightly Dao Calamity wasn't a hot topic, shaking the majority of the Ascended beings across the galaxy, further instigated by the thorough coverage of the news, rapid and convenient.

The Observing Chronicle had long since released a galactic announcement through their spiritual tablets on day one, sending out an option to receive live updates on the situation to those millions, billions, and trillions of miles away. They were highly organized and extremely predatory with their prices. It was as if they tailored each price to the economy of each starfield, ensuring that this one-time package could be bought in overwhelming numbers.

They profited immensely beyond any doubt. Moreover, the intensity of this upcoming game was drying the throats of countless souls. The foreigner, recently declared as 2nd ranked on the Outer-Creation Kings Ranking, and rumored to have left behind a trail of conquest, directly implying that the change of the notoriously divisive and chaotic No-Name Galaxy had finally settled, earning the name Resolute Dusk Galaxy.

The most speculative discussion was the cultivation base of this foreigner. Despite rabid inquisitions and discussions, the three news outlets remained silent on any concrete news. Additionally, any news regarding the Zenith Creation Tower was non-existent, with many believing that the Angelic Peach Alchemic Saint was sent to teach this foreigner a devastating lesson.

This further led to added fuel on the topic of potential wagers. The Utmost Purity Galaxy was well known for its various games of Mystics, and they used this medium to settle disputes or even kill. It was one of the very few ways to slaughter Alchemic Soul alchemists who were protected by the societal rules established and upheld by the Seven Utmost Towers. This and Alchemic Clashes.

Regardless of whether the Angelic Peach Alchemic Saint was here to kill or not, it was bound to be a heated match against each other, and with the addition of five other extraordinary participants, this was already shaping to be one of the most ferocious games of the millennia!

-----

Six vessels flew toward the Original Dawn Palace as if by tacit understanding. Su Yi and the Dazzling Jewel Alchemic Saint were on separate vessels; furthermore, they had talked under the umbrella of an extreme concealment spell earlier, so those without piercing Soul Perception, not just ordinary Soul Perception, were incapable of noticing their prior meeting.

Each vessel was extraordinary. The bejeweled void vessel of the Dazzling Jewel Alchemic Saint, Yue Baoyue, was the most eye-catching among the six, followed by a peach-shaped void vessel with six wings, three on either side, that released a fragrant fruity aroma that extended out tens of thousands of miles.

A dark violet-colored void vessel was next, a spherical vessel with an outer shell of transparent glass. The glass emanated fluctuations of excessive presence, heavenly radiance pulsed from its upper hemisphere while worldly radiance swirled from its lower hemisphere. It spun as it moved, rotating much like a planet from its axis. This vessel was known as the Tenebrous Purple Globe and was forged by a renowned World Architect. It was a high-grade Mystic-World Void Vessel! More importantly, it carried the Seers of the Night's notoriously infamous Grand Seer, Rippledark!

Grand Seer Rippledark was an extremely tall, ghostly pale-skinned, and skinny middle-aged man with eyeballs that had black irises, pupils, and scleras, those three defining characteristics of eyes were divided by perfect circles of dark golden, seemingly creating a fixed series of ripples, like a rock tossed into a lake and frozen in time. It was both eerie and mesmerizing, granting him a profoundly esoteric aura, almost as if those eyes had seen the fringes of death and the door leading to disturbing heavenly secrets.

He was dressed in purple and gold robes and a long, near-floor-touching coat, strangely fitting the attire of a Medicinal Sage rather than a Grand Seer. The coat was imbued with ever-changing spiritual images of rolling and churning clouds. On first impressions, he felt like a living enigma. Fortunately, his facial features weren't ugly, but they weren't too outstanding either, just slightly above average for a human.

The other vessels stood out as well, but not nearly as much. Su Yi rode a tiny-sized vessel shaped like a sword, emitting a rather ancient, forbidding aura that made it seem impossible to approach without permission. His white robes and hair fluttered without wind as if he was unfettered by the rules of the world, blessed naturally by the heavens. To the untrained eye, this was a sign of a natural flow of mana, but those with keeper perceptions could notice the Mystic Dao's unfathomable aura swirling around him.

As he stood on the vessel, his gaze unaffected by the numerous piercing gazes observing from all over, he cut a figure genuinely resembling a fallen immortal that carried nothing but his will and his sword. Countless observers felt astonished, especially as theories of his origins remained a hot topic for discussion. The last three days had revealed many of his past exploits that had formerly gone unnoticed.

When he entered the Soul of Mysticism Phase, the Second Stage of the Mystic Ascendant Realm, he had cut down seven Rune Kings in succession as his debut, causing him to be hunted by various forces unconnected to the Seven Utmost Tower, mostly connected to a few starfields.

As a Highlord, he had resolved a spatial calamity that threatened to swallow a few realms, both World and Secret, saving countless lives while fighting off a siege of Rune Kings and World Emperors hellbent on slaying him.

As a World Emperor, he had pulled out a legendary, illustrious sword that was plunged into the heart of a mystic mountain by an ancient Sage who pursued the sword wholeheartedly, said to have ignited his soul to become the fire meant to forge this sword. All other attempts caused all those who tried to be shredded by the Sword Heart Intent and sword aura emanating from it. Shockingly, after acquiring the sword, he used it to slay the leading figure, an Original Magistrate, of one of those forces whose mission was to kill him in a glorious battle that stretched across half a stellar region.

His combat power was exceedingly disgusting to conventional thinkers. While as a World Emperor, he entered the ruin of a Secret Realm and after discovering an unimaginable treasure, fought against and survived a clash against a Mystic Overlord! A truly unimaginable feat! To survive against a Mystic Overlord as a World Emperor, literally three whole stages of cultivation differences, especially as one had grasped the pinnacles of the Nine Ways of Mysticism was fantastically unimaginable! Moreover, this wasn't an ordinary, above average, or typically 'strong' Mystic Overlord, but one of the strongest known within the Galactic Zone, and solidly a top-ranker on numerous lists defining their talent, incredible strength, and potential to become Sages!

Yet again, his feats kept rising in terms of quality, littered here and there as more delved into his achievements. A few battles with groups of powerful experts, always above his cultivation base, or allied with characters of extraordinary reputation and status, such as top rankers of certain youth-filled lists of talents, often acquiring good fortune and rising in his cultivation.

Finally, his latest feat, as an Original Magistrate, fighting across the stars, he killed a Sage with respectable strength! The fight, when reviewed by outsiders, sold by various news outlets and money-exploiting cultivators, that had recorded everything on the side, was awe-inspiring and forceful, demonstrating a type of Sword Intent that was unprecedentedly high-level.

The most shocking of all was his rapid cultivation base increase, taking nearly a few hundred years to achieve such astounding cultivation. While this might seem long for mortals, this was an exceedingly short frame of time for Ascended beings who lived for tens of thousands of years, almost nothing.

Next was a green-colored void vessel shaped like a serpent's head, a king cobra to be exact, with its mouth open, tongue swaying, its fangs glistening with rich heavenly radiance, and its green scales exuding a distinct worldly radiance and a rich aroma of Utmost Purity Mist infused with life energy. It felt like it was a contradiction as it released puffs of energy that could nourish lifeforms, potentially allowing a mere mortal to live for hundreds of years with a single breath.

These puffs of life energy circulated fantastically, not escaping from the edges of the vessel's atmospheric array, funneled into the serpent's scales as if drawn by a life-absorbing attractive force.

Guo Heng was a rather handsome middle-aged man with a strong, lively physical appearance, fit and hardy, wearing a tight-fitting set of green alchemical robes with esoteric markings and lines of white. If looked upon one would find that the white was like thin rivers of life energy, exuding an overly exuberant aura.

While his eyes, as green as fresh grass, shone with a light of unnatural toxicity. His irises contained an ever-present bellowing spiritual image of rolling poisonous clouds while his eyes had a long, vertical line through each of them that resembled a fang's scar, glimmering with a greenish glow. The most eye-catching feature of his wasn't his eyes or outfit, but his neck that was adorned with a string of shrunken serpent fangs, coming from six gargantuan Genesis Beasts of extraordinary origin and a single Star-Devourer, numbering a total of seven.

This necklace was an extraordinary treasure that was ranked on numerous listings by the Blessed Sentinel known as the Star-Poisoning Heptafang Necklace, a peak Mystic-World treasure, nearly as valuable as the Hallowed Aqua Royal Sapphire! It was said to have poisoned an Enlightened Sage to death!

The most unassuming of the bunch was the tiny-sized void vessel shaped like a 'V', a typical shape for some popular models, capable of easily blending in with the vast majority of void fairing vessels traveling across the stars. There was almost nothing unique or extraordinary about it, but considering it arrived by Star Bridge, not a single person underestimated it!

The Shadow Veil's Sage was on board!

She wasn't hiding either. It was a woman, excessively beautiful, with long, voluminous platinum blonde hair with extraordinary volume and a wavy flow, a fair complexion, round eyebrows that were finely done, long eyelashes that fluttered without every motion of her eyes, and an enchantingly voluptuous and perky figure. She was a seductress without any effort, her black hanfu wasn't too tight or too loose, accentuating her natural curves without overly emphasizing on it, forcing one to take multiple glances to appreciate it all.

She did not look remotely like a cultivator from Shadow Veil, such a notoriously villainous organization! However, there was something quite deadly about her gaze, hidden in the very depths of her soul, hiding from the casual observer distracted by her temptress figure and gorgeous facial features.

It was unknown just how many men or even women suffered at her hands, sent off to the cycle of samsara with unwilling expressions in her lifetime.

The six participants were finally here!

Luo Ning flew into the Dark Void with Pakhet behind her, waiting for them to arrive. They all approached the entrance and lined up, forming an unimaginable sight of Exalted Worldly Alchemic Saints and Sages, especially the Alchemic Knights and Dao Protectors that stayed relatively hidden not too far away.

"Greetings guests, his Majesty is awaiting you." Luo Ning politely gestured as the doors to the Original Dawn Palace slowly opened, releasing a misty flood of grade three Utmost Purity Mist. Not a single figure on these ships hadn't had a noticeable change in expression, their gazes flickering incessantly.

WHOOSH!

Just as the door opened, exposing an alluring scene that was the precursor of a vicious clash, a large-sized vessel arrived not too far away via Star Bridge. It was shaped like a black spider, almost living as its sharp, long eight legs impressed upon the spatial dimensions to anchor itself.

Instantly, the various participants had drastic changes to their facial expressions. Most of it was shock and uncertainty.

They recognized this vessel! It was the envoy vessel of the Arachnids! Rarely was it seen in public, but if it was, then the Arachnids were often expressing a stance or out for blood! It was almost always carrying a Sage! Why were they here?!

Su Yi frowned slightly.

What shocked individuals further was the attitude they received.

"You're late." Luo Ning's voice coldly erupted, the dissatisfaction in her tone was clear for all to hear. They all felt their hearts tremble! The Arachnids were not an organization anyone sought to offend. They had extraordinary methods to gather intel that Heavenly Seers and Oracles wouldn't dare to, highly trusted and extraordinarily invasive.

Once an organization had dared to openly insult the Arachnids, calling them pesky insects that should be eradicated, and every last dirty deed of theirs, even things that only a single person should know, was publicly exposed.

The organization was wiped out within two hours. There was no mercy as friends became enemies and typical enemies became life-and-death vicious enemies that couldn't rest until certain parties were dead!

Did this foreigner want their dirty laundry exposed? However, what happened next sent them into a spiral of contemplation and unfathomable shock!

"Apologies. We were late ensuring a worthy gift," the one who spoke out used a mixture of Soul Transmission and Spiritual Transmission, the former was freely exposed, especially as the heavens seemingly moved along with the pulsing of their voice, each syllable carrying a weighty feeling that impressed itself on one's soul.

A Supreme Sage!

Even more shocking, a gift?! A publicly issued gift given by a Supreme Sage! Of course, the person who spoke was trillions of miles away, yet their intent was clear!

WHOOSH!

Another Star Bridge arrived with piercing momentum, yet this one was exceedingly large and resplendent, shining across skies throughout the planets of the stellar region. A void vessel that felt more like a dim star, releasing faint incandescent solar radiance, perfectly spherical, with multicolored themes fitting the Star Bridge's Stellar Transit Light.

THE INCANDESCENT STAR PALACE!

Luo Ning's cold voice and dissatisfied tone shifted as she became excited and welcoming, before they could even announce themselves or their intentions, she said: "His Majesty has been waiting for you!"

Those words carried unfathomably implied meanings, and those observing from afar were thoughtful! It was already speculated that the foreigner had connections to the Incandescent Star Palace and this more or less confirmed it!

Luo Ning was about to gesture at the Incandescent Star Palace party when her expression visibly shifted, her gaze looking to the distance. The others also looked in that direction.

"I wonder, has World-Saint Neo-Dawn already decided on his Mystical Judges?" A voice came from afar as a lone figure arrived, his natural aura was exceedingly oppressive, causing even Pakhet to slightly frown. The figure was a handsome young man with sword-like eyebrows and short grey hair that seemed to be exuding vibrancy with every strand, while his physique was not imposing or overly muscular, every idle breath felt as if they could alter celestial arrangements. He had a strong spirit, physique, and mystic aura!

Not a single person wasn't shocked, and Su Yi's eyes narrowed with a deadly, dangerous gleam within them. It seemed his enemies were rather persistent, unwilling to take a chance at giving him a fair shot. However, when has he ever done anything he wasn't confident in? No matter the disadvantage, he would win.

"I apologize if I'm being too forward, but I'd like to volunteer myself," the grey-haired man said with a smile, his aura rippled with a distinct quality of the Laws and a Sage. He was certainly not your average Sage, yet if one looked closely, his cultivation base was fluctuating with a barely consolidated aura, seemingly having just ascended a stage and exited seclusion.

Luo Ning looked at the young man, inspecting him up and down with an indifferent gaze. "Three moves," were all she said as Pakhet stepped forward, her mystic aura erupting as she did with a frightening intensity!

The young man's expression changed slightly as he felt an overbearing pressure weigh on him! Killing intent!