Paragon of Sin

Finally, it was here!

Throughout the Sealed Regions and World Beyond, the Chosen King Competition was heralded as the greatest contest of talents beneath a certain age, rife with countless blessings that only the fated, determined, and strong can claim. It had become synonymous with the transformation of self and a determinant of one's potential future.

To the Ascendants, this was not even remotely close to what their Ascendant Emperor instilled within them.

From the beginning, the Chosen King Competition was a stage; it was a platform whereby they could showcase their greatest talents and acquire some benefits, testing themselves and proving the efforts of their cultivation thus far. It was a contest between themselves. Everyone else was merely spectators and obstacles.

They knew this. They believed this. And their attitudes thus far, only displayed this. Whether it was the Everworld Venture or the Everpath Voyage, they were treated as mere games to reveal their powers.

This type of mentality severely impacted the direction of the Chosen King Competition. However, this mentality wasn't exactly wrong. In their minds, Wei Wuyin, their Ascendant Emperor, was a figure of far greater potential and power than the elusive and indistinct figure of the King of Everlore. Moreover, in recent years, Wei Wuyin hadn't just reached the King of Everlore's previous heights, he utterly shattered the ceiling that he had set, becoming a Worldly Alchemic Saint as a mere mortal, beneath a hundred years, with over a hundred Earthly Saints at his beck and call, and an army of terrifying existences trained under expectations that utterly crushed the current standards of Chosen, the same standards that the Ascendant Emperor had essentially established!

But finally, the true purpose of their participation in the competition was coming to light.

Li Yungu readjusted her glasses which reflected the speculator image of the aurora borealis. The glint behind those lenses was incomparably solemn. Alongside her, two figures stood with tense hearts-Bei Yunhan and Zu Zun. The duo unblinkingly stared at the aurora borealis as well.

"Commander Hong said..." Bei Yunhan muttered softly, but his words dragged and Zu Zun's words halted him from continuing.

"We can act freely; while everyone else can be considered as enemies, they can similarly be considered as allies-she said we will be acting independently without oversight." When Zu Zun said this, Bei Yunhan had a tinge of relief flit across his expression, reflecting the feelings he had in his heart openly. It was as if their actions of colluding were finally justified.

"Don't hold back," Li Yungu firmly said, her voice laced with killing intent within each syllable. Her normally calm and settled appearance had been completely suppressed by a violently mischievous goddess.

"..." The two nodded. They couldn't hold back. They absolutely couldn't.

Across the various regions and mysteriously diverse landscapes were Ascendants from all over, all simultaneously staring at the aurora borealis as tensely as the final countdown of a new year.

The true competition for the Ascendants was beginning, and the rules of this contest were far from the standards of the Chosen King Competition. As for the title of Chosen King based on the standards of the King of Everlore? In their hearts, it was as empty as a thoroughly hollowed-out tree.

Two women bearing a strong resemblance to each other, one slightly older than the other, stood together as they observed the colorfully dazzling skies enveloped in the aurora borealis. They both had blonde hair, with the younger one having luminous blue eyes while the other had resplendent red eyes.

"Big Sis..." The younger woman slowly said in an absent-minded manner, completely engrossed in the beauty above. She had grown considerably from before, a far cry from the young girl who was on the verge of losing her innocence on that fateful day, saved by a group led by a silver-eyed man with a pegasus by his side.

"An Feijin, I know." The older sister, An Biru, comforted her by holding her little sister's hand tightly. Their auras were already strong, but when they held hands, melding their unique temperaments-they were stronger.

The Ascendants all over had their own stories of how they joined the Ascendants, what they had to experience before, and many had even been saved from a life of ruin and pain. Now, they could finally reveal their efforts. All of it. And they'll be showcasing it to the one who saved them, who showed them care, and who ushered them into a new world with a brilliance that overshadowed the entire world.

Thousands upon thousands of Ascendants gathered, some alone, others united, but all of one heart: Fight!

Wei Wuyin eyed the gorgeous sky. He looked at the translucent walls that shielded him from the outside world, the one thing that had separated him from the competition. He didn't utter a single word, simply took a breath, and took two large steps forward. His body exited the container without any resistance.

Inside the container, the woman was stunned as she tried to exit as well. Unfortunately, her efforts yielded no results as she bounced back to the center butt first. Her bewilderment and disbelief were indescribable as she tried to shout and scream for Wei Wuyin.

Wei Wuyin ignored her as his heart was entirely focused elsewhere. When he left the container, the world itself experienced a drastic underlying change. The Evil Sentinels felt it. The Chosen from the Sealed Regions and the World Beyond felt it. The Overseers felt it. The Ascendants felt it the most.

Their hearts resonated with their Ascendant Emperor, feeling his presence so strongly through the Mark of Ascendants that it was almost as if he was before them. The urge to kneel rang in their hearts, but the urge was hurriedly suppressed by the Mark of Ascendants, like a calming whisper giving an Imperial Order, they stood tall, their spines straight, and their minds sublimated.

Their united hearts were reinforced, knowing that Wei Wuyin was here to observe them from beginning to end.

Wei Wuyin closed his eyes, lifted his palm, and pressed lightly toward the sky. The aurora borealis grew increasingly intense, increasingly brilliant, and increasingly beautiful!

Whoosh!

A gushing wind swept the entire world, causing robes to flutter. Wei Wuyin's eyelids snapped open, revealing a four-pointed star-shaped that breached the edges of the pupils and flooded into the iris, infusing the light of endless permutations and transformations, as entrancing and gorgeous as the aurora borealis itself!

Alchemic Stars of Transcendent Purity!

The aurora borealis shook. Slowly and slowly, the seven-colored radiance shone vigorously across the regions.

Then, Wei Wuyin's mouth moved as his boundlessly majestic voice ruptured through every dimension of space and flow of time. There was not a single existence within this world that couldn't hear him nor could they block him out, regardless of where they were or who they were.

"The ONLY rule is as follows: THERE ARE NO RULES!

"There is ONLY a single condition: When the crown fully forms, the first participant who comes into direct contact with it will claim it all! There are no restrictions on who, regardless of their cultivation base, affiliations, or their age.

"And there's ONLY one prize: I, Wei Wuyin, the Ascendant Emperor of Neo-Dawn, the Neo-Dawn Alchemic Saint of the Worldly Way, will grant a single, reasonable wish!"

Those words rang in the minds of every living existence present. Eyes grew wide and hearts trembled violently. A wish!

A WISH!

Shockingly, and almost unbelievably, those words seemed to carry a strange, divine law that was hard to gather any skepticism for. They could feel down to their souls, deeply into their True Souls, the Ascendant Emperor of Neo-Dawn's words were as genuine as a heavenly promise!

Within the minds of countless souls, they all harbored a wish that they wanted in their lives that they couldn't achieve, and despite swearing loyalty to Wei Wuyin or their respective forces, could never ask anyone to accomplish it as it was either too unreasonable or outrageously impossible.

But for some strange reason, these wishes finally felt as if they could be realized. That uttering them was no longer unreasonable or achieving them was impossible.

Xue Yifei's hazel eyes radiated with an intensity that hadn't emerged in her eyes in her entire lifetime. She currently held the status as a concubine...that could change...

Regardless of who, from Wu Baozhai to Yi Yun to Tambu Ma, they all had wishes.

And for those from the World Beyond, a Worldly Saint Alchemist was enough to achieve many of their life goals. After all, a dedicated alchemist at that level was the same as having a paved path to becoming a Mystic Overlord and perhaps even further!

Da Shan's grip tightened around the shaft of her bronze warhammer. She already knew what a few figures would wish for, and she absolutely couldn't allow that to happen. Her golden eyes exuded a fierce will and an unwillingness to yield.

"I knew this contest was important, but by the heavens..." Bo Key felt his heart quivering at the sheer implications of obtaining a single wish from Wei Wuyin, a figure that was almost certainly destined to reach an unimaginable level. The urge to fight that hadn't been dominant in his heart swelled until it was all that remained.

A killing intent permeated through his eyes as the obstacles that were the other Ascendants emerged in his mind. Fortunately, he had no intention of throwing away former alliances. In fact, it was better to join together if they could share the potential of this wish. No rule said the wish itself couldn't include two or more people!

The thought of wishing for endless wishes even surfaced in his mind, but then he recalled the single word 'reasonable' added on, and the thought was snuffed in its crib. Still! A single reasonable wish!

Yi Yun was utterly stunned. For a second, he thought that if he wished for Qiao Shulin to come back to life, would Wei Wuyin do it? Just as the thought formed, he felt the remnant traces of Wei Wuyin's power whisper into his heart, uttering only a single reply: "If that's your wish."

His eyes brightened as he knew that he could bring Qiao Shulin back to life! Inspired by this potential, his will to fight intensified to an utterly absurd limit.

Tian Yinwu placed a flag down, his heart shaking as he looked at the sky in disbelief. A single, reasonable wish? Normally, with his horizons, he would dismiss such a ridiculous thing, but from all the things he heard from all sides, Wei Wuyin would be able to accomplish a wide array of feats, if not now...then definitely later.

Even...a Mystic-Heaven Pill!

However, when he thought about the elusive wish versus the tangible benefits of his current efforts, he didn't feel that it was worth it. He broke away from the feelings harbored in his soul and marched on planting yet another flag.

Across the vast regions, the Ascendants who knew there was a true competition to be had were incredibly shaken by Wei Wuyin's outline of the competition! While the rules were non-existent, the conditions for a winner were clear without the slightest mistake, and the prize was godly to an extreme. They may be Ascendants, and they may receive resources, but what they received was based on their efforts and results, and so none of them were treated like Prime Ascendants or some of Wei Wuyin's lovers, and they knew this deeply in their hearts.

But this could change.

A single, reasonable WISH!!!

Wei Wuyin observed all this was the killing intent, blazing fighting will, and unyielding mental fluctuations that rose into the sky from all over, unleashing a torrential outpour of worldly change.

He formed a hand-seal.

"This'll be some work," he smilingly said as he observed the situation. Then, the aurora borealis dimmed all at once, its beauty fading as a dull color took place. There were only hues of grey in the sky, instantly shifting the atmospheric tension.

The minds of everyone wildly trembled as a world of grey overtook the world. And then, as if bestowing the world with a little grace, the strange color of the Aspect of Extraction began to gradually emerge in certain parts, granting the world a little beauty.

Those within the world all watched as they saw the Aspect of Extraction's light grow in brilliance!

"When the seven aspects fully manifest beneath the heavens, the crown shall form!" The last majestic words of the Ascendant Emperor swept the entire world and placed a timer in the hearts of everyone!

[Author's Note: HYPE!! Now we're going to learn why the entire arc is named: Valkyrie! Oh boy. These s going to have some bloody intensity in them. Wish me luck and good healthy! <3]