Paragon of Sin

Kree!

Wei Wuyin left behind the Yang Mountain Realm with Wei Si in tow, riding upon Bai Lin's back, and leaving through a Gateway Door opened by Si Yang. Si Yang was stunned that Wei Si was leaving so decisively, especially given how indecisive he had been with meeting Wei Wuyin earlier. However, he was elated at the sight.

Wei Si was an oddity with an extraordinary body that defied logic and standards of cultivation. In Si Yang's mind, Wei Wuyin and Wei Si were two peas of a heaven-defying pod. They would certainly do astonishing things together.

Bai Lin and Wei Si were communicating mentally as Wei Wuyin casually dictated their direction after leaving the Yang Mountain Realm. After his bold declaration, Wei Si wholeheartedly agreed to join him in his campaign. However, he was immediately bombarded with all sorts of questions. Unlike typical mindless warriors often told about in stories that acted without question, Wei Si was a Spartan, and he fought with purpose and honor.

It was innately interlaced with his soul, alongside the will to act as a guardian of honor and merit. He wouldn't wildly slaughter innocents nor would he instigate or participate in a war without reason. Wei Wuyin was similar in that regard, but his reasons, morals, and principles were a little freer and a tad bit ruthless.

Wei Wuyin had answered Wei Si's questions with concise answers, slowly convincing him to follow him. It didn't take much to do so, especially after Wei Wuyin mentioned the mysterious young woman from the Shang Clan who promised herself to him in the Nexus Battlefield. He refused to accept that situation. Moreover, he was being 'righteous' in his actions, believing that the mysterious young woman had the right to choose her life's path. Simply put, if anything dared to harm his interests or family, Wei Wuyin would unleash hell upon them.

At the time, Wei Si's expression became rather downcast and overly emotional. He was well aware of Wei Wuyin's unofficial wife and unborn child. The tragedy of their lives. The tragedy of Wei Wuyin's life. When Wei Wuyin told him that he brought along the Myriad Yore Continent with him, always wearing it upon his neck, Wei Si felt the urge to cry despite his tyrannical appearance.

Wei Wuyin wasn't purposefully trying to manipulate Wei Si's emotions either by creating a sympathizing link between the two situations. He would never do something like that. He disdained such insidiously disgusting actions. He only spoke his true feelings and point of view.

Even if the Heavenly War Spirit hadn't been pressed for time before her path of cultivation would become permanently severed, Wei Wuyin would have eventually ventured into the World Beyond and handled that matter himself, even if his traveling priority wasn't solely for her. This only pushed his plans somewhat forward and also left him with very little flexibility with his choice. That elderly man accompanying Young Master Shang seemed quite keen on bringing him back quickly to prevent a potential intergalactic war, and his true cultivation base was far too high to refuse.

Wei Wuyin had many trump cards in reserve, but dealing with the elderly man, even if successful, might lead to additional cultivators of unfathomable cultivation bases entering his territory and causing wanton destruction to either investigate or deal with him. He might be taken away regardless of his arduous efforts but not on his terms.

This was on his own terms.

There was something more about his invitation to Wei Si and that was an underlying unwillingness to lose his family again. He was always able to remain calm and collected because he knew where Wei Si was fairly early. In Yang Mountain Realm and under Si Yang's tutelage was information he acquired through various agents of information. He had spies constantly keep tabs on Wei Si.

There hadn't been a single moment where he didn't know where Wei Si was or what he was doing, and this allowed him to focus fully on conquering the Ancient Sealed Region without fear of accidentally harming Wei Si. For example, Bai Lin's fiery siege on the Born True Starfield could have easily killed a meddling cultivator by accident if Wei Si's cultivation was too low.

If Wei Si used his plaque to return to wherever Spartans were born, he might never be able to see Wei Si again this lifetime. He wanted to selfishly spend a little more time with his loveable giant-like cousin of his, relish in their shared time, and develop new, exciting, and unforgettable memories that would forever be etched in the vast void.

"Are we going to visit Big Sis Songli?" Wei Si excitedly asked after Bai Lin brought up Yue Songli's talent for creative artistry and painting. There were many individuals he wanted to meet, especially his Cousin-in-Law Xue Yifei. Wei Wuyin talked up a storm and then some about her, including how intelligent, thoughtful, and witty she was. He didn't hold back on the prideful comments about her peerless temperament and world-illuminating beauty either.

Wei Si was almost completely ignorant of all of Wei Wuyin's new relationships except Du Ling, Su Mei, and Mei Mei.

"Oh!" A thought sparked within his mind. "Fatty Du's family! Where are they? Can we see them?" It was hard to suppress his curious urge. The desire to reunite with old friends that once brought you smiles and laughter was something everyone yearned for.

"I'll send you to meet Du Ling," Wei Wuyin responded with a voice and a smile suffused with warmth.

"Oh?" Wei Si wasn't an unintelligent giant, and he keenly noticed Wei Wuyin's implied meaning. He asked, "Are you going to visit Mei Mei?"

"..." Wei Wuyin silently confirmed with a brief nod.

"Okay!" Wei Si didn't object.

Wei Wuyin spent a few more hours flying across the Ninestar Starfield. The two cousins and a fire phoenix talked endlessly seemingly without running out of topics. Some topics were menial while others were incredibly profound touching upon the topics of cultivation and the vast mysteries of the world. With Wei Wuyin's knowledge and Wei Si's core legacy memories, the two knew quite a lot about the vast world.

They flew in a circle. They didn't have a destination. After they reached a particular point, Wei Wuyin jumped off Bai Lin as he waved to the two. Bai Lin's glistening eyes and Wei Si's silly smile were imprinted in his silver eyes and dark pupils before they flew off with a proper destination in mind. They traveled at stupendous speeds that would put an Earthly Saint to shame. Within a few minutes, they left the borders of the Ninestar Starfield and traveled toward the Neo-Dawn Starfield. It was their choice to take this longer route as Wei Si wanted to see more of the vast world with Bai Lin, and Bai Lin wanted to show off to Wei Si. Only Wei Si and Su Mei had the right to ride Bai Lin solo like this.

Wei Wuyin saw them off while floating in the Dark Void.

The False God Avatar dissipated into streams of energy that zipped through the void. Within the spatial bubble, Wei Wuyin's Second Mind heaved a sigh of relief as he returned to the place he felt most comfortable-the Library of Eden. Within milliseconds, the Second Mind was already inscribing details in a scroll. It was titled: "Spartan and Magi."

Within was all the information that Wei Wuyin had gathered from his conversation with Wei Si. Immediately, records of scrolls, notebooks, and tomes flew out of shelves and toward his Second Mind's Mental Incarnation. He flipped or unfurled to specific points and the Second Mind began to cross-reference, verify, and hypothesize various potential bits of information.

These studious actions made him feel extremely at peace and happy. Genuinely happy.

Wei Wuyin could feel the wave of contentment and excitement as the Second Mind went about his studies. Was this how he looked when he studied the Alchemic Dao? When he concocts alchemical products? When he fights with a saber in hand? When he trained in Arts, Spells, and Methods?

He couldn't resist questioning whether this was consistent with the Magi's typical habits. Wei Si described them as scholars and creationists, rather than warriors and soldiers like the Spartans. In the end, he didn't dwell on it too much. He wasn't very consistent with the Magi's image anyhow. After all, he enjoyed the thrill of battle, the glory of conquest, and the intoxication of indulging in primal and gluttonous urges such as passionate, steamy lovemaking.

Idly, he thought about how his Second Mind was split before he activated his Bloodline of Sin, before he met the Black Skeleton, before the Rite of a Sinner, and...

"Mn," a soft moan escaped Qing Qiumu's lips as he turned her head slightly. She was fully healed by now. Her slumbering state was now being artificially maintained by Wei Wuyin. While he would love for her to wake up now, he couldn't do so just yet. After inspecting her condition once again, Wei Wuyin placed her in his Saint Ring's Palace. Much like an Internal World, a Saint Ring contains an independent realm that can store living things and mystic-graded material, and Wei Wuyin had a smaller version of the Original Dawn Palace located within.

It was mostly meant to act as a temporary abode that he had crafted on a whim. The true Original Dawn Palace was located in the Absolute Void Region that was originally the Desolate Dragnet Stellar Region, and only those with Void Disks infused with his Void Energy could access it, typically by using one of his specially-crafted Spatial Rings, had access to it. Of course, Wei Wuyin could freely open a Void Portal himself.

After settling Qing Qiumu, Wei Wuyin inhaled deep and long and then held that breath in for a long time. It was only after he expelled that contained breath that the spatial bubble dissipated as he returned to ordinary space. He pressed his hand slowly against the space, conjuring a Void Portal. Without further hesitation, he waltzed right in.

Young Master Shang and the elderly man were both being treated as highly esteemed guests of the Ninestar Sainthall. They were given the most luxurious rooms with the best cultivation standards that the Ninestar Sainthall could muster.

Young Master Shang was sprawled on a comfy white couch while taking sporadic sips from his wine flagon. He was totally at ease. One would not think he was smashed by a single kick and had broken almost every single bone in his body earlier. Moreover, he didn't seem too concerned about much after he met with Wei Wuyin.

Meanwhile, the elderly man's facial expression, most notably his eyebrows, was wildly fluctuating from a frown, to neutral, to surprise. His shifts in emotions were quite vivid, and he didn't try to hide it given that he was certain no one was currently observing him.

Suddenly, his eyes glinted with an intensity that alerted Young Master Shang.

"What is it?" Young Master Shang asked openly. He didn't try to use any spiritual transmission or secret conversation. They were merely waiting for Wei Wuyin to complete whatever he had to do. Then, they'd be off to the Blessed Yri Empire and go home. He initially planned to scour this strange sealed world for things of interest, but he settled against it. He felt like doing so was a potentially dangerous move to take since Wei Wuyin had told them to stay here, and that young man was the ruler of this area. It was better to respect it than to act carelessly.

The elderly man's eyes slowly waned in intensity. "There's an almost Unorthodox Nest of Necros nearby, containing should-be deceased souls and interfering with the natural process of reincarnation."

"Oh? Is it Wei Wuyin's doing?" Young Master Shang's posture changed as he slowly lost the languid tone he held. Matters of Unorthodox Forces couldn't be neglected. They often interfered with the Natural Laws of the Three Thousand Realms of Heaven. For example, Necros Intent interfered with the laws of Life and Death. Similarly, Nirvanic Flames could do similar things. They were referred to as 'Unique Intents' due to their ability to interact with laws on a fundamentally different level from typical Intent.

Bai Lin had harvested the souls of those in the Void Nestling Realm because of her Nirvanic Flames Unique Intent allowed her to, a will that could exert itself on souls without infringing on the Heavenly Daos' rules, even revive them after their deaths or the end of their natural lifespan. To an extent, of course-in Bai Lin's situation, she could only bring someone with an unexhausted soulspan back to life. Pushing something too far beyond the limits would be deemed as Unorthodox by the various major forces and the Heavenly Daos.

To Wei Wuyin, this would be the most heinous of Sins described in the Scripture of Sin.

"I said almost," the elderly man clarified, and then he shook his head: "It isn't. It's far older, made long before he was even born. It's located in a Shadow-Forged Vessel of the Void in an artificially merged Starfield. Moreover, it seems to belong to a member of the Celestial Race, and their cultivation base is currently reaching the Worldly Saint Phase."

"Hm," Young Master Shang mused and relaxed after hearing the 'almost' and took another sip. He once again languidly laid on the couch, uncaring of his image, yet this granted him a carefree, immortal-like demeanor that was difficult to replicate.

"There's something else," the elderly man said with a dubious expression on his face. Within his pupils, an excessively sensational and tantalizing womanly silhouette manifested. This was unmistakably Yue Songli. "There's a woman here-" He didn't finish his words.

"There's plenty of women here," Young Master Shang commented with a lighthearted chuckle.

However, the young master was unaware of the severity of the elderly man's racing mind and shaken soul. After a while, his eyes brightened.

"I'll be right back," the elderly man said as he closed his eyes.

Within the edges of the Born True Starfield, the elderly man's figure materialized. His cultivation base was at the Earthly Saint Phase! With a single thought, he projected and manifested an Incarnation at the Earthly Saint Phase!

Suddenly, four more materialized beside it. "This should be enough," they said in harmonious unison.

While his cultivation base was restricted, this did little to hinder his ability to conjure Incarnations as long as it didn't exceed certain limits. Without his seal, he could have conjured hundreds of Earthly Saint Phase Incarnations with a single breath.

The Leader of Trueborn that was on the cusp of ascending to a new level of cultivation was unaware of the calamity that was about to befall them. The elderly man's five Incarnations shot toward the Born True Starfield like unstoppable comets.

Wei Wuyin noticed this and didn't feel any need to interfere. He continued on his way.

In the Neo-Dawn Starfield, there were countless farms strewn across many planets, but on a particular planet, on a particular farm, there was a woman harvesting corn crops that exuded Astral Essence. Specifically, the planet New Everlore, the home planet of the Eternal Monarch Sect, and the capital planet of the former citizens of the Everlore Starfield. These corn were often food used to nurture high-quality beasts or for the luxurious feasts of high-level cultivators within the middle-stages Astral Core Realm. When boiled, they were incredibly delicious and satisfying to bite into.

The woman held a curved husking knife while using her hand to adroitly extract each stalk of corn. Sweat faintly glistened on her forehead as she performed the deed, her coarse linen farmer clothes drenched in sweat while it assisted her in dissipating the maddening heat of the Solar Star above.

Her basket was filled with harvested corn.

She didn't have alluring curves, a bodacious body, or heaven-toppling countenance. In fact, she could be regarded as just a simple, pretty woman with eyes that weren't particularly bright or overly dull. Short, at nearly five-feet five-inches, with a petite figure and shoulder-length brown hair tied into a ponytail. Her natural freckles gave her a girl-next-door feeling, while her rough clothing instilled a down-to-earth feeling to her temperament.

In the background, there were sounds of children playing in a nearby long-harvested field. They were youthful and cheerful, without any fear in their minds or hunger in their stomachs. Scenes like these were spread throughout the Neo-Dawn Starfield's safe zones. Even sickness was handled with the various Ying Clinics that were established across these safe zones, preventing disease, remedying illnesses, and healing the injured free of charge, all costs covered by the Ascendants with professionally trained Medical Sages.

It was a type of unprecedented utopia that was unthinkable in the cruel world of cultivation.

The woman wiped the sweat from her brow as she harvested another dozen corn husks. Just as she was about to take a sip of purified and enriched sixth-grade alchemical water, capable of promoting bodily health, advancing cultivation, and hydrating the body, a black mass of void emerged before her.

A lightly turbulent gust of wind caused the stalks of corn to wildly move about, and her eyes widened slightly.

A figure that was both incomparably familiar and unimaginably unfamiliar walked out of the mass, and with a soft tone that could be felt in the soul, she heard words that she hadn't expected to hear ever again.

"Hello, Boss."