Paragon of Sin

The Grand Knight of Neo-Dawn and the Aeternal Sky Divine Emperor began to reach a crescendo in their conversation. After much context toward the past had been added, stories that went far beyond the imagination, Wu Yu felt that the truth about his origins and lineage was bound to be utterly and completely world-shaking.

But what could possibly connect the Nine-Jiao Demon Sovereign, the three Ascended Sovereigns, the supposed pawns and players of the mysterious board that was the Sealed Regions, and his lineage? ...Who was he...exactly?

The Divine Emperor looked at the southern wall, his gaze seemingly penetrating through layers upon layers of space and time. After a short while, he let loose a light, airy breath as a faint smile intermixed with various emotions emerged. "Initially, I didn't quite understand your origins, but after seeing you in action applying your cultivation base and reading through your Myriad Monarch Canon, this should be the truth."

It was as if Tian Taizong was giving Wu Yu a disclaimer that all he was about to say was 'his' believed truth, that there might be some discrepancies between reality and his belief, but the gist of it was definitely in the correct direction. This was quite obvious to Wu Yu. Otherwise, why the need to send out an old man and those two stooges to test him out?

The Divine Emperor was filled with all sorts of scheming and hidden tactics. It was certainly a trait developed by his imprisonment as his persona before was domineering and forthright in legends, including how he swept across the eighteen regions with invincible momentum.

Tian Taizong turned his gaze to Wu Yu, waved his hand, and summoned the Myriad Monarch Canon. The thick tome was heavy and exuded a remarkable aura. It floated there right before the two.

Wu Yu's eyes flashed with nostalgia. He recalled times when he felt that the Myriad Monarch Canon was the greatest cultivation method in the entire world...that was until Wei Wuyin introduced him to greater heights and further horizons.

"The three Ascended Sovereigns rule the three Superior Races of the Azure-Prime Galactic Region, they are: the Human Ruler-the Exalted Sovereign, the Titan Ruler-the Infernal Sovereign, the Celestial Ruler-the Cosmic Sovereign." As he spoke out, the names rippled the air with faint, indistinct power that Wu Yu noticed, his Exalted Heaven World Rune thrummed slightly in response.

He couldn't help but recall when he asked Wei Wuyin about the Ascended Sovereigns and more about the World Beyond, but when he asked about their names and Daoist titles, Wei Wuyin simply shook his head and gave a vague, solemn warning: "Names have power, they are not meant to be spoken lightly by mortals like me. You'll learn later when appropriate."

Since then, Wei Wuyin only referred to them by those three titles: the Exalted Sovereign, the Infernal Sovereign, and the Cosmic Sovereign. Moreover, he only did so through Spiritual Transmissions.

The Divine Emperor seemed uncaring of uttering their names into the world. "If what the saying speaks of is true, then the four Ascended Sovereigns, including the Nine-Jiao Demon Sovereign, are using the Sealed Regions as a board for a game that stretches for tens of thousands of years. And their objective?"

"..." Wu Yu.

"Escape." The Divine Emperor said firmly.

"Escape?" Wu Yu frowned.

"To escape," the Divine Emperor emphasized with a nod. "Eighty thousand years ago, the Demon Sovereign was sealed by the Ascended Sovereigns in the Infernal Sovereign's territory after a rampage of epic proportions. It was said in the records that the lands of the eighteen stellar regions were all but destroyed during that incident, yet somehow, the stars, continents, planets, and unique areas from the territory still existed after. As if they were all...repaired. As if everything was reversed.

"Regardless of what happened, the eighteen stellar regions were alive and thriving and formed the totality of the Sealed Regions, but they lacked any signs of life. No, that's not true; it lacked any signs of humans, titans, celestials, and other humanoid races. The only existences present were beasts, demons, and aberrants born from the void. The Vermilion Birds and Dragons were notable existences among them.

"Eventually, humans began to arrive inexplicably. They brought cultivation and civilization to a world of beasts. I won't reiterate the history of the eighteen regions, but you should be aware of the eras. The beasts were driven out or pushed to extinction then. The Desolate Dragnet Region, the home region for the Dragon lineage within the Infernal Sovereign's territory, was one of the areas they were sent to.

"The original Grand Cyclic Stellar Region was much smaller, but after the various shifts, the Vermilion Birds' home Region was conquered. Unlike dragons, the Vermilion Birds' bodies and region were invaluable to these cultivators and were hunted to extinction after a fierce war. The war involved many beasts, not just the Vermilion Birds.

"To stay on topic, the humans arrived, and among them were those born with the lineage of rulers: the Tian Clan."

Wu Yu's brows furrowed. The Tian Clan? He looked at the Divine Emperor with suspicion. Was he trying to wash the history of the starfield with propaganda?

Tian Taizong noticed Wu Yu's skepticism and grinned slightly, exuding a charm that was befitting a ruler, easily capable of swaying the heart and feeling as if he was all-knowing and confident in every syllable. "Didn't I tell you already? We're pawns."

This only caused Wu Yu's suspicions to grow.

Tian Taizong rhetorically asked, "Do you know of the Mystic-Enlightenment Era?" This caused Wu Yu's eyes to widen as if he caught a glimpse of something. Continuing, Tian Taizong explained: "The first Imperial Clan was nameless. They carried no title except the 'Imperial Clan', often referred to as the world's first rulers. They established the foundations of traditions and civilization that we rely on today. Unfortunately, the Tian Clan of that time was destroyed despite their mission."

"Their mission?"

"The mission to unite the world, to elevate society's cultivation as a whole, and to gather sufficient strength to push forward towards an escape. To be direct, they were the agents of an Ascended Sovereign."

Agent of an Ascended Sovereign?!

"Do you know what might have eliminated the Tian Clan?" Tian Taizong asked curiously.

Wei Wuyin's eyes furrowed after that question, unable to understand what the Divine Emperor wanted. But earnestly, he thought about the matter considerably, trying to digest all this information. Suddenly, like a spark to a vat of oil, his mind came to an explosive realization.

"It'd have to be another agent of an Ascended Sovereign if this was a board! Could it be...Trueborn?" Wu Yu guessed.

"...!" For the first time, Tian Taizong revealed a hint of genuine surprise in his eyes. After a short silence, he nodded in admiration. "You're right; Trueborn instigated the War of Fallen Stars, and even went so far as to initially use the Tian Clan of that time as puppets to complete their goals. They were a defective batch." The disdain carried in that last sentence was harsh but there was also a tinge of pity within.

"The Tian Clan and Trueborn...which Ascended Sovereigns do they belong to?" At this point, Wu Yu somewhat accepted the idea that this was a board with the target to escape, especially knowing Trueborn's tactics and purpose thus far of trying their best to destroy the Spatial Nodes. They were trying to escape!

"The Tian Clan of that time belonged to the Exalted Sovereign. As for Trueborn? I haven't been able to gather irrefutable evidence, but I suspect it's the Celestial Sovereign." Tian Taizong paused for a bit, then said: "As cultivation continued to progress, the means of us cultivators increased, and so did the scope of our plans and movements."

Just as Tian Taizong was going to continue, Wu Yu interrupted. "Wait. You said the Tian Clan of 'that' time belonged to the Exalted Sovereign? What about of this time? What about you?" Wu Yu noticed the underlying strangeness of the Divine Emperor's wording of phrases.

Tian Taizong faintly smiled, clearly not going to answer. "You should focus on this piece of history-the Wu Clan."

When the Wu Clan was brought up, Wu Yu felt his heart clench involuntarily. The Wu Clan was an infamous clan that once united the world under their leadership as an Imperial Clan! They were the ones responsible for the Supermassive Solar Star that was the Aeternal Sky Star! They were responsible for the current civilization's traditions and etiquette!

They were widely respected despite being overthrown due to their despotic, reckless actions of sacrificing lives for the sake of their grand plan of generating the Aeternal Sky Star. While some might see them as great pioneers who allowed cultivation in the Sealed Regions to flourish, their actions led to an unimaginable amount of deaths and misery.

The extraction and relocation of the remaining 'natural' Solar Stars after the Dark Stars Era caused untold damage to the eighteen stellar regions, already destroying the sustainability of each region outside of the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region. While many peak experts attributed their cultivation to the Wu Clan's bravely selfless act, considered as 'Savior' by them, the fact remained that they threw all else aside for the sake of the Supermassive Solar Star.

"Who do you think is the original, your Myriad Monarch Canon or my Tian Clan's Aeternal Sky Scripture?" Tian Taizong once again sent another question to Wu Yu, waving his hand to bring forth a folded scroll with runes etched on its surface. It exuded an aura that was far greater than the Myriad Monarch Canon, clearly a higher-level artifact.

The Grand Knight couldn't help but pause outright. The original? Just from what was said and what he could see from the artifacts difference in aura, the Tian Clan should have been first, but Wu Yu's instincts screamed that there was no way that was the correct answer.

Tian Taizong's eyes glinted, "Do you know the difference between our methods of cultivation?"

Wu Yu had fought against Tian Weilong and felt the difference acutely. "My Imperial Heaven Qi Method originates from the bloodline at birth, while your Tian Clan's method is cultivated and imbued into the sou-"

Almost instantly, Wu Yu paused and he felt as if a cascade of information began to gather within his mind, scattered pieces throughout started to gather, and then disbelief overwhelmed his pupils, exerting an ardent light of indescribable surprise that could blind!

"It...can't be..." Wu Yu was stuttering in disbelief.

Tian Taizong didn't look away, observing as Wu Yu made the connection. When he felt that Wu Yu fully grasped it all, Tian Taizong finally confirmed his suspicions: "Your Wu Clan...the Tian Clan of the past, they defected to-"

"-defected to the Demon Sovereign..." Wu Yu absent-mindedly completed. The Imperial Heaven Qi Method had been modified by a figure on an equal or greater level than the Exalted Sovereign! There was only one being inside the Sealed Regions that could do that!

The Nine-Jiao Demon Sovereign!