Paragon of Sin

The light of creation dawned on the vast lands, marking the next stage of this difficult, deadly challenge that vastly exceeded anyone's expectations-Chosen or Ascendant. The deaths of the two Earthly Saints with 'incomplete' Mystic Heart Intent helped dwindle the intensity, allowing many to gather their breaths and hunt down the remaining Evil Sentinels.

These Evil Sentinels fought with viciousness unparalleled, used tactics that were deceptive and brutal, and caused issues for many Ascendants, yet they were inevitably wiped out within the few minutes left. Those who tried to survive were tracked down. Without the ability to scatter their mystic aura and obscure special means with Mystic Heart Intent, the rest of these Exalted, Venerable, and Highlord-level Evil Sentinels were unable to escape.

The sight of mortals hunting Ascended beings, sometimes in groups, sometimes alone, was heart-palpitating and exceptionally soul-shaking to the Chosen from the World Beyond. Utterly unbelievable.

Tambu Ma had long since relegated himself to a spectator. When he watched the two Evil Sentinels that possessed 'incomplete' Mystic Heart Intent get slaughtered and San Yongli's exquisitely gorgeous figure exuding power that reminded him of his great-great-grandfather, he no longer had the heart to throw his life away.

He sat with his group in a mountainous region, despondent and in a solemn lull, idle and observing without any energy in their eyes. As an Earthly Saint, Tambu Ma was one of the strongest individuals amongst the World Beyond's Chosen that was present, yet he was reduced to a mere spectator. The sight was depressing.

"If we obtain the Evercrown, our wish might be fulfilled, and we could ask to be Alchemic Knights?" Tula Yi probed the others as she tried to invigorate their hearts and inspire them to fight for this opportunity.

However, Tambu Ma shook his head, replying: "It's useless." The image of that marble-skinned Evil Sentinel having a hole burrowed in her head from an arrow that he could barely perceive etched itself into his soul. If he fought and something like that happened, he would regret it all the way to Hell itself.

The others had their eyes briefly lit with an inspired will, but Tambu Ma's despondent tone filled with pessimism shattered it into dust. Without their leader, what could they possibly do? Moreover, these mortals were too abnormal. They were too strong. They were too much for them.

Tula Yi tensely bit her lips as she felt the air of a heart devil entrench itself into each of her allies' Heart of Cultivation, corroding them gradually, all of which was spreading from Tambu Ma. She was left with a feeling of notable inferiority as well despite her struggling awareness.

In their eyes, mortals were beings they'd long transcended in every way, from power to lifespan, yet they were met with this world-shaking discovery that their efforts, their arduous cultivation for centuries, all of which wasn't as valuable as they thought. In fact, their lifetime of cultivation was likely taking the wrong path, leading to them losing out against mere freaking mortals.

"I'm going to at least try," Tula Yi stood up straighter than a heavenly pillar, her Heart of Cultivation pulsing within her soul, refusing to be subjected to corrosion and degradation. She was immediately met with dissuading comments and arguments. However, her heart remained firmer than the earthly firmament of these vast lands.

Boosh! She flew off with a heavy kick and a stronger burst of Mystic Aura. Tula Yi would at least try!

"Are we going to stop her?" Another female titan asked anxiously. However, her only response was with Tambu Ma's almost lifeless stare at Tula Yi's soaring figure. It was as if he was watching a dead woman make her final journey. The sight sent shivers down the female titan's soul until she went silent, no longer talking.

When the alchemical light of creation emerged, the Chosen and Ascendants all expected another wave of terrifying Evil Sentinels. However, that's not what they got-

-TING!! A single musical note, resembling the light tap of a triangle instrument, resounded thunderously. A single golden light descended from the aurora borealis, tainting the alchemical lights with a golden hue, bathing the world in a distinct warmth and heavy feeling. Within this light was a single silhouette that resembled a golden divinity, exuding a presence like no other.

Instantly, there was no soul that hadn't had a drastic, dramatic change of expression.

The trio of Saintesses' eyes that shone with fighting spirit and other vigorous emotions, regardless if it was Xue Yifei, Wu Baozhai, or Na Xinyi, all began to rapidly dim as a distinct ripple of incredulous shock surfaced unbidden by their incredible wills.

Shui Fengbao's eyes constricted violently as the flames within his pupils slowly shrank, almost doused into embers.

Yao Huoyi's right hand reached for one of his empty quivers, that hand trembling from an external force.

The An Sisters, An Biru(older) and An Feijin(younger), instinctively held each other's hands as the golden light surged across the vast lands. Their gazes were utterly solemn.

Da Shan tightly clutched both hands around the shaft of her warhammer. Her fighting spirit struggled to remain unbroken, and it fiercely fought against the cascading thoughts threatening to shatter her will to engage in battle. The image of Wei Wuyin's unearthly handsome visage surfaced in her heart, and those golden irises of hers shone with an intensely radiant light that was unable to be snuffed out. She had notably benefited from her shift in mentality from facing the 76th Noble Prince!

Bo Kay's forehead, back, and palm were drenched in cold sweat. "He actually..." Two words yet it was filled with a level of reverence, fear, and incredulity that exceeded almost anything he'd experienced in his entire life, short of witnessing Tiangou's growing approach and the subsequent news of his homeland being destroyed.

Hong Chunhua's eyes fiercely shone with Awakened Sword Intent, her hand grasping the flowery emblazoned hilt of her sword. There was a slight tremble in her hold. Whether this was out of fear or excitement, only she knew.

Bei Weiwei's eyes were exuding a quiveringly icy chill. Her heart was steady. She, too, envisioned an image of Wei Wuyin in her heart. No other being could ever inspire such fear as long as she knew that this man, the one that was directly responsible for her being born and raised her no different than a godfather, remained present. Even if she faced death itself, it couldn't shake her heart.

The Ascendants across the vast lands all experienced drastically different changes in emotions as an unfathomable aura descended alongside the golden figure. Yet, none of them retreated.

"Huuu!!" Yi Xuehan coldly gasped with a sharp inhale as she felt the aura of the golden figure. Her heart and Mystic Soul were rapidly trembling. What type of Chosen King Competition was this?!?! INSANITY!

Yi Yun's pupils constricted violently. His sense of smell told him that the aura of this being vastly exceeded every last existence he'd ever faced. Not even the Divine Emperor was close!!!

San Yongli's face was pale; she had exhausted herself greatly and would no longer be able to fight at her full strength. Xiao Yanyue, however, was awake. Her complexion was considerably healthier and rosy, but that changed as the aura descended, and her face drained of blood, growing paler than a ghost.

"Impossible!" She exclaimed in abject disbelief. Her voice was hoarse, showing signs of recovery with each syllable.

Finishing placing down another flag, Tian Yinwu wiped a bead of sweat from his brow, heaving a sigh of satisfaction. When the golden light descended, he lifted his head, and he couldn't help but have a slight change of expression. "An Earthly Saint who comprehended Mystic Heart Intent with a World Rune..." Those words were said softly, like a gentle whisper, yet it would have been enough to shake every Chosen from the World Beyond without fail.

An Earthly Saint! Mystic Heart Intent!! With a World Rune!!! What they all felt together was a Mystic Heart Intent that was no longer 'incomplete', containing vestiges of a power that vastly exceeded the domain of Earthly Saints. The initial-stage of Mystic Heart Intent! This person hovered on the edge of the Worldly Saint Phase, only halted by a strange, esoteric method that suppressed their inevitable Fifth Ascension. This person was destined to step upon the stage of Worldly Saints. There was no denying this.

Tambu Ma's heart violently trembled, "He formed a World Rune!" As an Earthly Saint and, originally, an inspiring Worldly Saint, Tambu Ma was distinctly aware of the difficulties in forming a World Rune! One must know that for a World Rune to be formed, a few conditions had to be met, but the most commonly known condition and the easiest outside of something miraculous like a Worldly Awakening of a True Saint and its subsequent True Worldly Recognition phenomenon was through the complete mastery of World-grade Cultivation Methods. Such as the Blood Origin Method!

However, obtaining that level of method was absurdly difficult for any individual, and even a Peak-Earth-graded Method within the Battlefield cost at least 8,000 War Souls! As for the Blood Origin Method, a Low-World graded Method, it cost 110,000 War Souls!!! Not even his great-great-grandfather had cultivated such a method before! As for him? He could only dream about it.

It wasn't even enough to just cultivate a World-graded Cultivation Method, one had to reach a complete stage of mastery with it! Then, and only then, would an 'artificial' World Rune form! Wu Yu had to rely on multiple supplementary resources at the Mystic-World grade, Wei Wuyin's devoted nurturing, and his exceptional talent to succeed.

Some of the other ways known but even more difficult was to ascend as a mortal with a World Rune Seed, forming one's own specialized World Rune in accordance to the method used to form the seed or receive enlightenment from a rare, heaven-shaking phenomenon like the True Worldly Recognition!

In the eyes of Tambu Ma, this golden silhouette might as well be a god of Earthly Saints! He took a step back. The reactions of the Ascendants and Prime Ascendants were all warranted!!

Xue Yifei's eyes glinted as she pursued her lips. What was her husband thinking? This was an existence beyond the Divine Emperor!! She felt it just from his presence alone. Not even Wu Yu rivaled him, mostly because the Grand Knight of Neo-Dawn didn't have Mystic Heart Intent that could fully bring forth a power beyond the Earthly Saint with the World Rune!

"You ready?" Wu Baozhai took a single, incomparably heavy step forward as her halberd was enveloped in three World Heart Intents. She was fearless! Na Xinyi had already drawn her sword. She was silent, but a single step of hers signified her heart's unyielding decision.

Xue Yifei caressed Ernu's tiny head, whose eyes were continuously focused with the bestial brutality of a great, haughty dragon. "My husband definitely has a type," she commented with a soft chuckle as she, too, took a step forward. The trio was committed to fighting! And amongst the Ascendants, be it those from the Realm World Phase to those from the Star Core Phase, none of them took a single step back! NOT. A. SINGLE. ONE!!!

The golden-bodied Evil Sentinel descended with a presence so domineering that the skies changed colors. Within his metallic expression, a notable frown was present. The death of the marble-skinned and charcoal-skinned Evil Sentinels was terrifying to witness, yet he was left with no choice. That silver-eyed young man left him with no choice.

He could only hope in his heart that the silver-eyed young man would keep his word. For now, he just had to firmly stay with the order given: "When the light of creation emerges, slaughter them all." It was a simple order, yet the ruthlessness within it was unprecedented. These were mere mortals and youngsters barely waning off their mother's milk, yet he was taking action against them. How vicious.

He didn't act against that order, and decided to crush them all! His Illuminating Gold World Rune interconnected with his Mystic Heart Intent, forming a strength no weaker than Worldly Saints! While he didn't have a level of power in his cultivation base that rivaled a Worldly Saint, his Mystic Heart Intent was, intrinsically, no different!! IT WAS COMPLETE!

A gushing, thunderous wave of bright golden light shone down from the skies. All the energy, essence, and mana in the world shone with a golden hue as they transformed into a part of his will, into Illuminating Gold Power! HIS POWER!

There was no escape. The Ascendants and Chosen, wherever they were, whoever they were, had been instantaneously enveloped in his will, in his Illuminating Gold Power without the ability to resist! Those who could react, try to escape, were met with a world in every direction blazed by golden light!

The trio of Saintesses, the An Sisters, the Ascendant Commanders, and Shui Fengbao was aghast. Genuine Mystic Heart Intent was utterly oppressive! Without special means, their lives and untimely deaths could be decided by a single thought!

But none of them simply accepted this result! They used various means, from a blazing burst of fiery force to magnificent auras of demonic corruption, imperial heaven, and the exquisiteness of Yin, and even a fusion of World Heart Intents of Fire and Water, generating a strong, repulsive force that pushed back the golden power!

The golden-bodied Evil Sentinel was about to unleash a massacre upon these insignificant beings, only halting slightly because he felt some strong resistance. But it didn't matter. With an exertion of his Mystic Power, all resistance was nearly reduced to non-existence.

"I'll finish this swiftly," the golden-bodied Evil Sentinel said with a breath, pressing his palm toward the ground as if he were a divinity determining the execution of countless lives.

SHIIING!!! A saber howl resounded! "Huh?!"

[Author's Note: Been a while since we heard a saber howl!]