Paragon of Sin

The grey hues of the aurora borealis were offset by a singular dazzlingly unforgettable color signifying the Aspect of Extraction. The Ascendant Emperor's majestic words crashed against the hearts and souls of every living existence, and they stirred all sorts of colorful and unexpected reactions, especially as an invisible, unfathomable timer was silently placed upon each of their hearts.

A wish! Normally, as cultivators, the ephemeral concept of a wish was far too unreliable and outrageous to believe in, oftentimes being a mere fantasy described in fantastical stories, and they were heard to trust at first glance, yet each syllable they heard in their minds was attached by a formless guarantee, as if whispering into their hearts that regardless of their desires, as long as it was within the realm of possibility, they could achieve it by utilizing this wish.

"Oh boy!" Zu Zun felt a headache coming; the concept of a wish from a Worldly Alchemic Saint was already stupendous, but one from the Ascendant Emperor was immeasurable. Within the depths of his darkly colored pupils, the gateway to his mindset, displayed a frenzied flame burning wildly within. This reflected his fighting spirit and forceful will.

"Let's go," Li Yungu lowly exclaimed, adjusting her glasses as her starforce began to seethe, and then she kept low to the ground, yet her feet were like thrusters as she jetted forward through the region.

WHOOSH! Bei Yunhan touched his necklace of spatial rings with a tinge of excited anxiety, and then lightly touched Zu Zun's shoulder before gathering his inner strength, blasting forward and staying low, keeping pace with Li Yungu.

Zu Zun was stunned slightly as he saw them take action. He didn't hesitate, bursting with a flutter of demonic starforce, keeping up with ease. "Why are we moving now?" He asked Bei Yunhan as he looked at the sky, specifically the grayed aurora borealis, and only saw that the light of extraction was only slowly growing brighter, and the rate of doing so was quite slow. Shouldn't they wait until the Evercrown emerged?

Bei Yunhan didn't want to spend too many words, so he hurriedly sent through spiritual transmission: "The fight's already begun!"

Zu Zun was taken aback. Already begun? Isn't this the preparation stage? But just as he was contemplating this, he felt fluctuations erupt from afar as individuals were moving at rapid speeds across the area, trying to conceal their power and auras, but his senses felt the tremors generated by these individuals from the ground itself.

Li Yungu was slightly ahead of the trio while her eyes were effusing the animated light of excessive calculation. She glanced at the aurora borealis that served as a timer in the hearts and souls of the participants. "There!" She exclaimed deeply and lowly, sounding incomparably serious.

BOOSH! The duo of Zu Zun and Bei Yunhan didn't question Li Yungu's orders or make any inquiries to prevent distracting her. They knew Li Yungu was in an extreme state of concentration, very familiar with her habits and qualities. All they had to do was listen.

BOOSH! BOOSH! The trio didn't hold back then. They were incredibly decisive as they gushed out with their starforce, resorting to executing Movement-type Spiritual Arts. They blitzed through dozens of regions within moments like rockets, shattering mountains, and erupting seas without stopping.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!! Four fluctuations shot through the sky from their east at explosive speeds, cutting through the air as four comets of blazing radiance. Those auras were immediately recognized by their senses as familiar ones. Ascendants!

"Hold." Li Yungu didn't say anything else as she landed lightly in a gorgeous short grass region with tiny hills scattered about. She found herself in a clearing as the winds and mana stirred upon her landing, and she didn't hesitate to sit down in a cross-legged position and fully devoted her attention to thirteen baby palm-sized flags that she took out. She tossed them around her. They began to hover within a range of sixty feet from her. Then, with incomparably slow hand movements, she began to form unique hand-seals.

"Mm!" The two grunted as they glanced at each other. Zu Zun looked at the four auras rapidly approaching, bringing out a dark gold and violet warhammer from his Saint Ring. It was considerably larger than his body, yet he wielded it as if it were as light as a feather. He circulated his violet-colored starforce vigorously, and kicked off lightly from the grassy region's surface, blasting into readied action as he rushed toward the four auras!

Bei Yunhan glanced at the four auras. 'The Second Legion!' He didn't bother with them after identifying their origins. He brought out a shortbow seemingly forged from bronze, silver, gold, and platinum with an exquisitely series of demonic runes etched on its surface. It gave off a strange, enchanting aura that made it beautiful to see, capable of igniting greed in one's heart.

BOOM! A single clash unleashed a deafening explosion from the four auras and a single Zu Zun. Almost immediately, the starless sky was filled with three Solar Stars, with the largest being a dark gold and violet Solar Star while the other two were yellow and aquamarine with bloody auras, and at their center were two gargantuan manifestations of beasts-a four-winged hawk and a spike-shelled snapping tortoise, respectively. They oversaw the greater world with indifferent eyes and forceful wills.

Bei Yunhan didn't dare to focus on that as he hurriedly pointed his bow northwest. Without even hesitating, one of the hundreds of spatial rings hanging from his neck glowed with a faint light. As he pulled back the string of his bow, an arrow's silhouette emerged obfuscated by light, nearly invisible to the naked eye.

He released the string! The arrow pierced through the air, merging with the world's light and spatial energies, making it faster, harder to perceive, and extremely sharp.

"Eh?! NO!" A shout came out in panic and disbelief as well as fear as an eruption of Mystic Power ravaged the air a few dozen miles away from Bei Yunhan and Li Yungu. "MORE?! AHHHHH!!!" Then, an utterly soul-chilling scream was unleashed as the sound of arrows smashing against the flesh, shattering bone, and drawing gushes of blood resounded. A dull, heavy thud followed with a skidding sound as a cloud of dust formed far away. A life ended at that moment.

Bei Yunhan's single spatial ring was glowing, but if one looked closely, one would notice that the hundreds of other arrows had also released faint glowing light. He hadn't released a single arrow! He released hundreds in a single release!!! He didn't seem to take pride in killing a Soul of Mysticism fool who survived the slaughter.

His gaze unleashed raging spiritual light as he unleashed an Ocular-type Spiritual Art, holding nothing back as he looked to the north directly. He pulled and released! Pulled and released! Again and again! He turned with his heel, graceful and swift, facing south. Again! Arrows of light filled fixed space all around him. Sounds of screams resounded, but also, much to his dismay, explosion clashes as more Solar Stars began to manifest in the sky. He didn't dare to grow negligent and attack a Solar Star, refusing to generate even the slightest opening.

By this point, Li Yungu was on her second hand-seal, seemingly moving her hand with abnormal difficulty as if facing resistance from the world itself. But a single flag was currently unleashing vibrant light that enshrouded Bei Yunhan, who was cautiously circulating his starforce to spell the latent seeds of spiritual wood that were left in his body by that dastardly Ascendant. The seed sucked away his spiritual energy and he was trying to extract its essence and regain what it took because, in just a mere moment of negligence, he had lost roughly 40% of his spiritual energy to it!

Moreover, it was hindering the flow of his starforce! He didn't dare to be angry despite being warranted to feel so, unleashing his Solar Star without any hesitation! With two flags established, they were close to being in a great position. Just one more!

His World-Bound Star Domain was seemingly forged from metallic light of bronze, silver, gold, and platinum, subtly merging with fixed space as well, granting it a difficult-to-pinpoint position despite being directly in the sky. The radiance was colorful and dazzling, and even some of the Ascendants and Chosen from the World Beyond who were trying to understand the situation but refused to allow any opportunity pass looked up!

When they did, they felt their cultivation bases begin to spiral out of control!

Bei Yunhan's expression paled considerably, resembling a frightening ghost despite bringing out his greatest strength. But his efforts dod not go unrewarded as the attacks slowed down, and he kept unleashing suppressive rapid fire in every direction. From beginning to end, he didn't stop spinning or shooting arrows.

The Chosen from the World Beyond was all taken aback by how a great battle had begun as cultivators were unleashing their World-Bound Star Domain without any hesitation here. While many of them didn't understand what was happening, they realized that these strange mortals were all attacking a single trio with incredible killing intent and vicious attacks.

Zu Zun and the four were trying to kill each other!

They were utterly shaken but this meant this opportunity was something these strange monsters saw as incomparably valuable. Could this Neo-Dawn Alchemic Saint's words be true? A single wish? While many didn't have much skepticism due to Wei Wuyin's majestic words infused with a type of strange power, they couldn't simply muster their will to fight with their lives on the line for something like that in an instant.

But as if it was predestined, many of them recalled that this Chosen King Competition was said by countless elders and endless rumors of being extremely different! It was originally the Earthly Saints and mortals, but could this difference be a destined opportunity for a single wish?!

The thought invigorated their wills to fight.

Immediately, a few Demi-Mortal Lords thought that they should try their hand at contesting or at least hindering whatever these mortals were trying to do!

PSH! PSH!! PSH!!! Bei Yunhan held nothing back as he sent endless arrows towards those Demi-Mortal Lords. They defended themselves, keeping their lives, but they became like pincushions as they were sent back with holes inside them. BOOSH!!!

One of them unleashed their Demi-Mystic State and Bei Yunhan's heart felt a tinge of despair swell within his heart, but it was hurriedly erased by a strong will to never surrender, instilled with the principles and faint willpower of His Majesty to face the heavens and hells with equal unyieldingness.

"How long?!" Zu Zun screamingly asked as he lost an arm to a double-sided blade of the four-winged hawk beastman at the Star Core Phase. He didn't seem too bothered by losing an arm as he kicked out toward the Ascendant's face with a gush of bellowing demonic starforce, causing it to crush inward in an instant. He sacrificed his arm for a life!

Immediately, one of the World-Bound Star Domain up above dissipated into radiant light as the Mark of Ascendants activated within the corpse's body, bringing his corpse away. He was eliminated after his death!

No one answered Zu Zun as he took a palm from the Snapping Tortoise Beastwoman. This woman had very similar fluctuations as the former Grand Imperial Sage, Zen!! In fact, from her pale-green skin and reptilian eyes, one could tell that she was certainly a direct descendant of Zen!

He was sent flying into the dirt, generating earthquakes for countless miles, causing tsunamis and sea regions and crumbling mountains in mountainous regions. The blow left its mark as Zu Zun felt his chest burn intensely. He tried to climb out of the crater he created, but he was bombarded endlessly with Spiritual Spells, and his head hurt as he could barely keep focus or move his limbs. They unleashed a wide variety from Spiritual Suppression to Bodily Disruption Spells. He raged inwardly but he had taken up a lot to fight against four Ascendants.

He looked up and saw a gargantuan shadow approaching. It was a palm formed from starforce! He ruefully smiled. Crushed to death. What a way to go...

Suddenly, hundreds of arrows blasted the palm. Intense explosions erupted in succession as the palm crashed into the ground, pushed aside and missing Zu Zun's exhausted and battered body.

Seeing this, he was reinvigorated instantly as he mustered the latent strength within his body. With a slam of his fist against the ground, he erupted with a heaven-ravaging aura as he blasted out of the crater, and with his warhammer in his remaining hand, he tossed it with a world-shaking shout!

HAAA!" Zen's descendant was stunned as she felt a serious lethal threat coming from the warhammer. She formed a hand-seal and placed it in front of her as an illusory image of a tortoiseshell with spikes formed in defense.

SHATTER!!

The shell was crushed and shattered almost instantly as the warhammer crashed through, but Zen's descendant used that very brief window to escape using her Spatial Art. She was gone!

When she reappeared, she was above Zu Zun who was unable to react in his exhausted state. "Shit."

With two of her palms, she clapped them violently and crushed his skull into bloody mush! Bone! Blood! Brain matter! All went wild as Zu Zun's headless body lost its strength and fell lifelessly.

[Author's Note: Zen! She was from an ancient tortoise lineage and one of the five Grand Imperial Sages in the Myriad Monarch Sect! Just a reminder for those who don't recall. But as always, our world is fluid and no one is forgotten! >:D]