Paragon of Sin

The upcoming match pitted two female Ascended, those of the highest renown, with diverse origins, against each other to fight for the position that would lead the Golden Life Pavilion.

The hype, anticipation, and growing excitement were unreal.

The cheerful, disgusted, or erratic roaring was endless, originating from the multitude of spectators observing from remote locations. Some cheered for Yang Chaoyue avidly beside their Spiritual Projection Obelisks, driven by obsession, lustful desire, and idolized respect.

"WIN THIS YANG CHAOYUE! YOU CAN DO IT!" The overly excited spectators that idolized the female Ascended were endless, and they roared out their hope for her victory. Most of them were young women, ambitious and driven, wishing that they could one day reach her level of strength, position, and fame.

Driven by the shocking, violent end of Wu Yu's fight, they seethed in their seats, knowing that anything, absolutely ANYTHING, could happen!

"The Infinite Zephyr Saintess is at it again! Woohoo! Take her down! Take her DOWN!" A few old heads that remembered Yang Chaoyue's Saintess days, those male Ascended, shouted and cheered. While their cultivation had stagnated, unable to reach her level, they still harbored strong, unquenchable feelings. A few had pure lust in their eyes, definitely memorizing Yang Chaoyue's current alluring, seductive appearance for…certain fantasies later.

On the other side, Faye Liying was given a harsher reception. "Die, traitor! Rip her fucking head off!" Those passionate about the Ninestar Sainthall growled out their accumulated hatred, spitting out vile curses for Faye Liying's downfall. Her betrayal of the Ninestar Sainthall and thieving action were well-known to almost everyone with their ears to the ground. Their feelings were clear.

"You thieving bitch! You don't deserve your cultivation! Cripple her! CRIPPLE! CRIPPLE HER!!" Whether it was the inner nature of their primal side, dominated by the need for violence or outright jealousy, these individuals called for blood!

Of course, not all the spectators were as harsh as these comments revealed. There were some uplifting cheers with heartfelt emotions behind them, believing in Faye Liying's ability to obtain victory and declaring her innocence of all crimes. A misunderstanding, they'd say. Of course, that was a tiny minority against a very vocal majority.

The two women took to the stage. And as they did, their expressions immediately changed. They had odd looks on their faces. They both lifted their gazes to spot a levitating Sheng Jizi, who wore a neutral smile, still in the spotlight. Witnessing this, they looked at each other and noted that they weren't the only one's experiencing something strange. There were thundering spiritual pulse comments leaking through the formations, allowing all spectators to hear certain spectators' spiritual transmissions!

A sentence from a Light Reflection Phase young woman was heard praising and cheering for Yang Chaoyue's victory. A sentence from an aged, highly nationalistic Ascended from the Ninestar Starfield could be heard, insulting and viciously cursing Faye Liying as a traitor and thief. It wasn't just them; there were roughly five or six voices that had sounded out. Not all were strictly positive or negative, geared solely for one side; They were selected seemingly out of randomness, but Faye Liying received the most hate, disgust, and curses.

She was forced to bear the brunt of such vile words from others. For anyone, targeted comments had a way of wiggling in your mind, infecting your thoughts with turbid seeds of self-doubt or frustration.

"How cunning," Wu Yu commented with a click of his tongue. Sheng Jizi was using psychological tricks in the hopes of unsettling Faye Liying, bolstering Yang Chaoyue's confidence while doing so. Ma Zheng's eyes narrowed sharply as he fixated on Sheng Jizi's figure.

Eventually, Sheng Jizi moved back to his group alongside the comments ending. But all spectators had heard every last word. Their thoughts and mentality towards this fight had shifted, influenced by these comments. Fortunately, a battle of this level was unlikely to be tipped in anyone's favor with these types of low-level tricks.

Yang Chaoyue frowned slightly. She didn't like that Sheng Jizi decided to make a spectacle of this event. To have Earthly Saints, the powerhouses of the Stellar Region, reduced to entertainment for others was a little belittling of their status, strength, and reputation. If it weren't for the things on the line here, she would've refused to participate in such an event.

Moreover, Nansi Yuangu was a lesson on the possible outcome of one's life in a battle between Earthly Saints. To have your life's end viewed by everyone felt humiliating, even if you no longer could witness the reactions. Your reputation would cease. Now and forever, Nansi Yuangu will be regarded as a foil for Wu Yu's reputation, a stepping stone that'll fall into obscurity. A one-hit failure.

All his achievements and feats reduced to a single event in which he gained very little.

Faye Liying, coincidentally, was thinking the exact same as Yang Chaoyue. She found it all quite laughable, remaining largely indifferent to all the rancid words. Unfortunately, neither had any saying power on how the Golden Life Pavilion's Pavilion Master conducted this event. Their jobs were simply to fight on another's behalf.

And so, they shall.

Faye Liying's deep-blue eyes fixated on Yang Chaoyue from over a 100,000 miles away. The Sky Monarch was an astonishing sight for all, highly stimulating in her current outfit. Yet, Faye Liying only felt a strong, condensed aura emanating from every pore of her exceptional body. Facing this unimaginable pressure, most men they would scatter like dust in the wind, absolutely fearful of such frightening power.

Yang Chaoyue's dark eyes fixated on Faye Liying from over a 100,000 miles away. The former Soul-Rising Saint wasn't overly beautiful, but she gave one a sensation of formless stability that befitted a strong, principled cultivator. It was as if no force could uproot her thoughts or unsettle her foundation.

Silence overtook the arena as they matched gazes.

If sparks could fly solely from an exchange of two gazes, the entire arena would go up in flames.

Those watching, for some reason, felt an irresistible urge to hold their breaths. The pounding of their hearts began to grow stronger, faster, and clearer. A tension curled their fingers into fists, their palms wet with sweat, and their eyes widened slightly While this did little to expand their spiritual sense, they did so nonetheless.

The air in the arena stilled; a rising pressure surged across the vast distance, covering every square inch of the arena. The spatial walls in all directions rippled endlessly, surging like waves of unknowable chaos. All the remnant sword energies were snuffed out one by one. A stifling force was amassing!

BOOSH!

Two explosive eruptions coincided! Their eruptions were so timely that only one could be heard or felt! The two Earthly Saints unleashed their Mystic Auras to their maximal limit! Their bodies glowed with a mystical radiance, Yang Chaoyue's body was coated in light green, and Faye Liying formed a layer of light blue.

They formed Mystic Wards, a primary and basic form of defense for all cultivators. However, they were only fully brought to their maximum strength by Earthly Saints when the Awakened Mystic Intent and Radiant and Spirit Runes were fully comprehended!

Tens of thousands of Mystic Runes manifested around them, rushing outwards, violently flooding the world, clashing like soldiers at war, fighting against each other with brutal viciousness and no mercy.

BOOM! BOOM!

A few Mystic Runes' collisions caused mutual explosions, creating dents in the spatial walls from the sheer power within them.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

These dents slowly restored themselves through the profound formations embedded within them, but one could tell that it was an incredibly slow process. Yet the Prosperous Arena remained intact, showing no signs of instability.

As of right now, Yang Chaoyue and Faye Liying's mystic foundation was fully revealed to all! Even mortals were accommodated by a unique coloring formation that interacted with their spiritual sense, giving them a visualization of the fights. The Golden Life Pavilion ensured everyone could see, even if they didn't understand the profundities within or why the colors were weird.

Faye Liying had reached the fifth state, comprehending five runes amongst the Ways of Mysticism! They were Mana, Spirit, Radiant, Infusion, and Permanence! They were extremely condensed, clearly having been fully consolidated for a long time.

Yang Chaoyue didn't fall short; with five Mystic Runes, she grasped Mana, Spirit, Radiant, Oceanic, and Permanence!

Yang Chaoyue's Mystic Aura formed into a raging storm of tens of thousands of Mystic Runes, twisting and sieging upon Faye Liying like a grand ocean, vast and mighty. Faye Liying didn't lose out, exerting a strong power that seemed as if the entire world was infected by her presence, fighting against Yang Chaoyue's mighty force with her own.

A violent clash of auras left the spatial walls in every direction rippling endlessly, constantly seeking to protect itself, to maintain its insulated field, preventing a single wisp of world-destroying power from leaking and devastating those outside.

BOOM!!!

A screeching roar thundered! A crescendo of power was coming! The two Mystic Auras were like mighty beasts, clawing and biting, soaring upwards and filling the entire arena with their power. Each clash resulted in the destruction of dozens of Mystic Runes on both sides. These runes were like the sharpest daggers, greatest bombs, and sturdiest shields all in one! If they were on a battlefield, each Earthly Saint would appear to be grand generals, commanding tens of thousands of Ascended soldiers!

The two Earthly Saints hadn't moved a single step, yet their Mystic Auras had turned over 100,000 miles of space into a battlefield of epic proportions. If Wu Yu's fight earlier exhibited skill versus power, this was pure power versus pure power! World annihilating power!

Like billowing smoke or a geysering burst, the rising Mystic Auras crashed against the upper ceiling of the arena, and the bright silvery walls darkened into a bland grey. The spatial walls were being pressured heavily, distorting in abnormal ways! The geysering auras kept rising, going deeper and deeper, seemingly about to pierce through the ceiling!

"Is it going to break?!" The Soul of Mysticism expert who had her life saved by Yangzi Yanshi, instilled with the greatest fear towards Earthly Saints, renewed by her recent brush with death, cried out in shock.

"It won't," Yangzi Yanshi said. However, his cautionary eyes and a subtle retreat of a single step betrayed his true thoughts. Those two words only served to console his own sense of insecurity rather than reassure others. On the other hand, Sheng Jizi merely watched with a calm gaze. These two women were worthy of being classified as high-tiered Earthly Saints in the Stellar Region. They were mighty, terrifying, in fact.

Suddenly, as if coming to a mutual agreement, the two Mystic Auras settled down and receded into their owners' bodies. There were imprints of Mystic Runes, fragments of Mystic Power and Intent, scattered throughout the Prosperous Arena unwilling to dissipate. The floor and ceiling were no longer flat, with the bottom and sides littered with deep dents, and the ceiling had a large majority of its area turned a dullish grey.

When the two recalled their Mystic Auras, they stared into each other's eyes as their expressions and gazes refused to reveal a single thought of theirs.

"The probing phase should be over with," Wu Yu commented lightly. A hint of excitement leaked through his voice. If this was an indicator of anything, this was not going to be an easy fight!

It was going to be intense!