Paragon of Sin

The vast Dark Void had always been rumored to be potentially infinite, often said to be truly endless, but whether this was true or not, only the heavens knew. Within this vast area of untold distance and depths were areas cultivated by living or dead souls as habitable homes. The Azure-Prime Galactic Region was but one of those areas.

A pristinely white vessel that heavily resembled a schooner of the Mortal Dao. It had four white masts, emblazoned by a central circle of compact, esoteric runes that glistened with a soulful light, with the largest mast fluctuating with the profoundly abstruse power of void, and the smaller masts gently pulsed with a mystical, ethereal force, generating ephemeral wind that assisted the sails.

The white hull was without the slightest blemish, sleek and clean, gliding smoothly forward as it left behind minute spatial ripples in its wake as it traversed through the Dark Void's starry skies and upon its invisible sea of space. At the bow of the ship, a young man dangled his foot over the edge as he sat, a flagon in his right hand. He took a sip from the flagon, enjoying its rich flavor as it warmed the soul.

As he took a sip, a feeling of worldly congruence emanated from his movements as if he was drinking with The World and enjoying the idle conversation. The details were inconsequential, only the act itself. The act of enjoying the whispers, sighs, shouts, laughter, and profound thoughts of The World.

The young man wasn't extremely handsome nor was he hideous to look at. He didn't have strongly masculine or exquisitely feminine features. Despite all this, he was exceedingly charming, his turquoise eyes seemed to have been formed by a droplet of a sea crafted by the heavens, glistening with a distinctive beauty that was profoundly permanent and endlessly alluring, and his long hair that resembled night itself was tied in a ponytail that was messy at the edges and sides of his temples, seemingly as unrestrained as himself, only kept back by a jade band holding his hair.

"As the sea moves me, the world finds words sweet and light. As I scour it."

Slowly, the words of poetic structure left the young man's lips. He took another sip from his flagon shortly after, his medium-thickness, low-arching eyebrows furrowed into a distinct, dissatisfied frown. Eventually, the frown faded as he took another sip with melancholic relish as if drinking was able to push away the worries for tomorrow.

The Dark Void was inky black painted with planets, lunar satellites, and Solar Stars of various sizes, formulating a cosmic depiction of a great, vast world.

"The immortal gravesite of the True Ether Jiao of the True Dragon Lineage. If not for the Faux-Immortal grade Sky Source Seal it placed to guard during its ascension, this place might have..." The young man quietly muttered absent-mindedly as he took another sip from his flagon, observing a small portion of the world within his view, the world of the Azure-Prime, an unfathomably vast galaxy. The flagon seemed to contain endless wine, permeating a rich and sweet aroma.

As the young man's legs dangled on the side of the ship, his turquoise eyes observing the grand movement of the stars and planets, a faint figure materialized before him with a quaking shimmer, almost as if it had manifested from thin air itself. There was no fluctuation of space, time, or mana, simply a faint distortion of light generated by the shimmer.

An elderly man of skinny build, a long, flowing grey beard, mellow eyebrows, and a vibrant pair of dark-grey eyes bestowing him with the charm of a gentle elder, harmless despite standing upon the Dark Void as if it was leveled ground, staring calmly at the young man without any issue. There were no noticeable fluctuations of power emanating from his thin frame or withered, wrinkled hands.

The young man wasn't the least bit surprised, he only took another sip as he eyed the stars and planets impassively.

"Young Master Shang, there seems to be a development." The old man's voice was as gentle as his appearance, containing the flavor of a long-term, devoted servant from inflection to address.

"Did the Sages of this galaxy refuse?" With his left eyebrow lifted curiously, the young man referred to as Young Master Shang asked with a tinge of shock in his tone. It was as if he couldn't believe that the elderly man would face resistance.

The elderly man shook his head, "I've long since handled that matter; they will not interfere and have fully permitted us to act as long as certain rules are adhered to. None of these rules will interfere with our goals. However, the development is that the place known as the Ancient Sealed Region has experienced some drastic changes in its spatial integrity."

"Is that where he is?" Young Master Shang asked as he lowered his flagon of wine.

The elderly man nodded, explaining: "If the Supreme Heavenhold of the Golden Eye is correct, that person lives within a world isolated by a Supreme Heavenly Treasure that is the platform of a great game between four Sages of this Galactic Zone spanning dozens of millennia. I've verified that the so-called Ancient Sealed Region, a place sealed for over eighty thousand years, matches all parameters described by Supreme Heavenhold.

"Will this change affect us?" Young Master Shang slowly placed the flagon on his belt, allowing it to dangle. The wine softly swished endlessly within as he did, like waves crashing upon a rocky surface. The sound could strangely calm the heart and soothe the soul.

"Absolutely not. However, one of the rules mentioned was that we shouldn't recklessly damage the Supreme Heavenly Treasure that stores that isolated area. We should move now or we'll have to wait until the integrity has corrected itself if we're to avoid forcefully entering and causing wanton damage on our way in. The stabilization could take a bit of time, perhaps a few years. Unless you wish to wait and explore this galaxy first." From the tone of the elderly man, it seemed more like an insignificant inconvenience of upsetting the so-called rules of the Sages.

Young Master Shang stretched lazily, exhaling out a restless breath, "Ah! Fine. The Ancient Sealed Region, was it? Let's go then." His words were airy and light.

The elderly man nodded. "One more thing, due to certain restrictions, if we want to avoid a gargantuan loss of life in this Ancient Sealed Region and earn the ire of the local Sages of this galaxy, I'll have to temporarily regress my cultivation base with a Soul Lock of Lawful Authority Spell."

"Oh?" Young Master Shang's eyebrows rose. "To what extent?"

"The Supreme Heavenly Treasure has been dormant and purposely neglected by the Sages with no main controller, a detail meant to signify the final stages of their game. Because of this, I'll have to suppress myself to the Earthly Saint Phase. However, inspecting the brewing chaos within, there seem to be some changes in the intrinsic limits of the soul. I might be able to squeeze cautiously with a Worldly Saint cultivation regression." The elderly man didn't move, yet his gaze seemed to drift to an unfathomably far distance, inspecting an isolated world undergoing drastic changes.

"I'll leave the decision to you," Young Master Shang replied nonchalantly, not giving this game a second thought.

The elderly man nodded once more, and then slowly drifted onto the boat, walking at an even pace to the wheel. He began to pilot the pristinely white ship. They turned, moving fast like a streak of light.

Within the Azure-Prime Galactic Zone, over a dozen powerful eyes observed as the ship penetrated the Ancient Sealed Region, vanishing without a trace. All except three gazes collectively released a heavy, weary, and stifled breath. The arrival of the pristinely white ship had shaken them to their core. The development was unexpected yet it sparked a series of events that will forever alter the Galactic Zone.

On this day, two worlds had inexplicably collided.