Paragon of Sin

"13,450,324 War Souls!" The War Spirit grandly announced.

Wei Wuyin's mind stirred, not from the astronomical amount awarded—that was entirely expected—but at the calculations of merit and the corresponding awards. He had slain 9,984 Spirits of War himself, even slaying the Legion Commander, yet he was given 'just' a little over thirteen million War Souls.

Unfortunately, he was unable to glean the calculation method of War Souls due to the random merit bestowal factors that might contribute, so finding out how much each Spirit of War earned him was outright impossible. That said, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully with his eyebrows furrowed deeply. It was a while before they eased, returning him to a calm, neutral expression.

The War Spirit wasn't finished dealing out rewards, continuing: "You, Soldier of War, elite soldier of the Nexus Battlefield and greatest contributor of victory, have earned an emblem of grand merit, obtaining the rank: Soldier of Law!"

When this happened, the entire tiny-sized Chaos Realm started to quiver uncontrollably, but Wei Wuyin remained upright and unsettled. This was a result of spatial fluctuations, a summoning of sorts, so Kratos instantly counteracted the disorientating force with ease.

A hole with the a circumference of a few inches appeared in the ceiling of this Chaos Realm. From it, a bright teardrop-like light descended. It emanated a light of warmth. Wei Wuyin felt his Mark of Annihilation pulsate stronger than ever before.

He wasn't able to inspect the emblem that had arrived before him, but he felt its warmth and aura. He instinctively reached out and grabbed a solid object into his right palm. The emblem was a hexagonal-shaped obsidian coin that was blank on both sides of its surfaces. Yet when his Mark of Annihilation began to react strongly, two characters etched into the coin.

One of its sides read: "Annihilation."

The other read: "Soldier."

Wei Wuyin felt this emblem's aura had replicated his Soul Light's. It felt like an extension of King, his Nascent Saber Soul that had comprehended the Annihilation Saber Soul Light, the pinnacle Primary Light of cultivation.

Wei Wuyin wasn't just accepting all these things without consideration. With all the information he had gained thus far on this trip, no matter how scattered, was enough for him to conclude the general purpose of this Mark of Law and Emblem of Law, including the Origin of All Light and Heart of the World.

The latter two were absolutely essential to comprehending this so-called Law, while the Mark and Emblem served as items to help one do so. Unfortunately, he was just a mortal being. He was unable to sense the profound intricacies of these items, and his low-starting point and lack of proper cultivation teachings led to him being mostly ignorant of all this.

Considering all this, these must be crucial tools to forge a future cultivator with incredible potential. Why? He didn't know, but the entire Battlefield felt very similar to the Grand Spirit Trial and Elementus Chosen Trial. This might be a trial established by a powerful being, just like the Elementus Chosen Trial had been.

If so, he wondered if he was being watched by beings far beyond his current comprehension and strength. He lifted his head unnaturally, 'staring' at the ceiling of the Chaos Realm, feeling as if that possibility had an extremely high chance of being true.

Wei Wuyin was unaware, but his action of staring directly upwards had caused a few observers from far, far away to jolt from incredible shock.

Unbeknownst to him that this inadvertent action caused immense ripples in numerous hearts, Wei Wuyin slowly lowered his head. 'Even if it is a trial, there's likely another purpose to it.' He always felt curious about the Divine King Han Xei's intentions in the Elementus Chosen Trial.

From Wang Yutian, he had learned about Secondary Overseers consistently sent to maintain the Elementus Chosen Trial by the True Element Sect. And yet Divine King Han Xei had been said to be missing for nearly a millennia in the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region. At the very least, he was unseen by the masses.

Why divert such resources to a small, insignificant starfield? Furthermore, why were the rewards so abundantly rich and restricted, as if to serve as a powerful driving force for a cultivator? It felt extremely odd. After all, wouldn't it have been better to establish this type of trial in the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region? Why the Everlore Starfield?

A declining starfield that you, as an powerful Ascended being, tried very little to intervene in. Those hegemonic figures, excluding Wu Yu, surely could have returned to the starfield at any time in the eight thousand years, supporting its environment and improving its circumstances. Yet they left it untouched, going as far as maintaining their trial. It's not like they simply forgot.

It was this detail that generated doubt and suspicion in his heart. These thoughts served to fuel his suspicions about the Battlefield and its purpose.

He decided to dismiss these thoughts. After all, he was far too weak at the moment to even investigate the Divine King Han Xei, let alone the Battlefield and its purpose. So he just took his spoils for his efforts, claiming it all, and moved on.

After pocketing this Emblem of Annihilation, Wei Wuyin wondered if his other three Soul Lights—the Shifting Elemental Light, Seven Source Light, and Unseen Divinity Light—fulfilled the requirement for specific Laws as well. If only he understood more about what these Laws were, feeling that his previous information about them being advanced versions of Intent was correct yet also incorrect.

They just seemed...different.

After all, why hadn't he become the Soldier of Sabers? Why Annihilation? Was there a Law of Alchemy? If so, why didn't he develop a Soul Light of Dragons or Void from Kratos. He just grew confused the more he thought about it. The most critically confusing detail was the difference between a Dao and a Law.

"Haaa…" He sighed. Cultivation was difficult.

"Soldier of Annihilation, shall I return you?" The War Spirit asked, her tone was revealed and was faintly nervous. Wei Wuyin wouldn't have heard this if it wasn't for Kratos' filtering, but it stoked his curiosity. Was this War Spirit anxious about something?

His heart stirred with intense excitement. The Heavenly War Spirit! This thing cost 5,000,000 War Souls, and he had over 13,000,000 War Souls at the moment! Furthermore, it was fully available for Soldiers to exchange!

Just as he was about to ask if he could exchange things in this space, he paused suddenly. "As a Soldier of Annihilation, can I purchase from the Commander-restricted List?" There were certain items limited to Commanders, so he hadn't been able to even entertain the idea of obtaining it as a Soldier.

"...Yes, Soldier of Annihilation. Your current position is a victor of the Battlefield, all three lists are available to you." The War Spirit confirmed, a faint ripple in its voice.

"Haha! Yes, then I-" Wei Wuyin hadn't been excited like this in a long while. There were a few items restricted to Commanders that he wanted, and now that he had such astronomical wealth, what couldn't he obtain? But he halted mid-sentence, "three lists?"

"Yes, Soldier of Annihilation; three lists. They are the Soldier's List, Commander's List, and Champion's List. The last of which is only available to those who have contributed the most to victory in the Nexus Battlefield." The War Spirit explained, its tone growing increasingly indifferent.

Wei Wuyin experienced shivers when he heard the emotionless voice of a little girl, it felt strange and uncomfortable. However, he couldn't discover why the change in attitude. Was it because he hadn't bought the Heavenly War Spirit immediately? Was this Champion's List expensive? Priceless?!

"Can you tell me what's on the Champion's List?" Wei Wuyin asked. Fortunately, the War Spirit seemed used to Wei Wuyin's circumstances and proceeded to explain the details of the items, its tone becoming so indifferent that it felt lifeless and mechanical.

There were only three items on the Champion's List.

[Item]: Obelisk of Law.

[Exchange Rate]: 3,000,000.

[Availability]: Champion.

[Description]: A monolith that has been forged by the Origin of Brilliance, All-World Gem, and Tear of the Golden Koi. When observed, a cultivator can perceive into their Soul, Spirit of Cultivation and all connective parts, also elevating their mind into a heightened state towards the world itself. Extremely beneficial to one's comprehension of the Origin of All Light and Heart of the World.

Can only be observed by Eighty-One Cultivators. After full usage, the Obelisk of Law will crumble into World Sand. This can be used to forge Mystic-World tools, talismans, and armaments.

Only (3) Available.

When Wei Wuyin heard this, he didn't hesitate to touch the ground, feeling the pile of collapsed sand-like material, and hurriedly brought it into his Spatial Ring even while the War Spirit kept talking.

The War Spirit hadn't even finished telling about the price of the second item before the sand was all taken; not a single grain remained. After this, he nodded his head with satisfaction, rising up and listening again as if nothing had happened.

[Item]: War Talisman.

[Exchange Rate]: 1,000,000.

[Availability]: Champion.

[Description]: A talisman forged by a supreme expert of war. All 10,000 Spirits of War defeated in the Nexus Battlefield can be summoned by one's behest, following one's complete command. The talisman can be upgraded through infusing War Souls or refining Soul Light into it.

Only (1) Available. The talisman can be repeatedly used indefinitely. All destroyed Spirits of War can be restored after destruction at the cost of War Souls or Soul Light.

"...!" Wei Wuyin's heart raced. Wasn't this the same as an entire army of 10,000 Ascended?! This included an Earthly Saint! And if they weren't restrained by the Nexus Battlefield, how powerful would these beings be?!

[Item]: World-Defying Celestial Heart.

[Exchange Rate]: 8,000,000 War Souls.

[Availability]: Champion.

[Description]: Can be refined by Soul Light. A second chance at life in the face of death.

"..." Wei Wuyin now realized why the War Spirit became terrifyingly indifferent. Was it expecting him to purchase it? But before these items, especially the World-Defying Celestial Heart, who would even consider exchanging for it? While he didn't know what the World-Defying Celestial Heart entailed, he could guess based on its absurd price. Even if that was removed, buying three Obelisk of Wars and a War Talisman would already be enough to drain his pockets, making it impossible to buy the Heavenly War Spirit.

The Obelisk of War could grant an unprecedented opportunity to establish elite forces and nurture extraordinary talents. The War Talisman granted one a loyal army. Perhaps to the Azure-Prime Galactic Region, 10,000 Ascended Army wasn't much, especially with one Earthly Saint, but in the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region, it was almost invincible!

The World-Defying Celestial Heart seemed to be a second life. That was priceless. No further explanation was needed. There was no way a cultivator would end up buying the Heavenly War Spirit without any description while facing these items. Even if they only had 5,000,000 War Souls, the Heavenly War Spirit wouldn't even be considered as an option. A single Obelisk of War and upgradable War Talisman was too good to pass up on.

Wei Wuyin couldn't help but chuckle after some thought, "You're so cute." He spoke from his heart, feeling that this War Spirit was quite interesting. He heard a faint exclamation of shock, followed by a harrumph. Yet this sound wasn't cold, even giving one a feeling that it was blushing through its voice.

"Buy it! Buy it! Buy it!" Ori excitedly repeated.

"Tch," King added. While it was essentially saying nothing, it still added its opinion. Whatever that was.

"Woah! Woah!" Wei Wuyin hastily tried to halt Eden and Kratos from intervening. He didn't need to be convinced here. But he was unable to do so.

"Who needs this Obelisk of War?" Eden asked indifferently. It embodied the Alchemic Dao. Wasn't the transcendent World-Light Refraction Elixir capable of already performing a third of this? In the future, it would be able to do these things and more, and with far less cost or limited usage.

"ROAR!" Kratos released an offended roar. World-Defying Celestial Heart? As a True Void Dragon, there was no place it couldn't enter and no place it couldn't leave, so even if it arrived in Hell, it'd just leave. What was death but a vacation?

Wei Wuyin could feel its sentiment and felt extremely taken aback. Oh my heavens, he was growing concerned about Kratos' confidence. However, as he facepalmed himself, he realized that Kratos had the ability to interfere with the Heavenly Daos' power within its mortal state. Could it one day travel to Hell and back?

This thought was like a series of firecrackers in his mind. How outrageous was this possibility? Could he one day invade Hell?

In the end, he had to calm himself down to not dwell on this far-off and nigh-impossible scenario.

"Can I make exchanges here?"

"Yes," The War Spirit responded softly.

"Then, here's what I wish to exchange…"