Paragon of Sin

The hazy humanoid figure was difficult to describe, but an attempt at best would be an amalgamation of indistinct shadows and non-morphous, incessantly shifting form. It was like shifting, flickering light in shadow form. It stood tall at over eight feet in height, had slender limbs, and its facial features were hazy yet constantly changing to look differently at any passing moment, sometimes feminine and other times masculine, but every change gave off an undeniable allure of beauty.

Wei Wuyin's heart and spine felt an icy chill course through them at the mere sight. An indescribable feeling of being utterly minuscule and irrelevant before this shadow emerged in his soul and thoughts as if it was anything and everything beneath the heavens all at once. For the first tin a long while, cold sweat gathered in his palm as his inner serenity was shattered with an overbearing weight of fear.

The sudden narrowing of his visual range and the overwhelming sound of his heart pounding in his ears limited his senses. With an expression twisted in fear, Wei Wuyin found breathing difficult as if each breath required the strength to push a galaxy or two. All he could perceive was this tall, hazy figure.

"⌜œ®⌜œ¢⌜‚⌜œ¶⌜œ§."

A language that Wei Wuyin had never heard before, could not understand, and felt as if it contained the weight of the heavens escaped the figure's shifting mouth as it spoke in Su Mei's direction. The tone was as androgynous as one could possibly imagine yet unfathomably resounding to the ears.

BOOM!!!

Within Wei Wuyin's Sea of Consciousness, Eden's roots lifted and viciously slammed against his walls, shaking his psyche, and sending a thunderous shock into his Mind's Eye, even causing his soul to tremble. The effect was like rolling thunder as it rang out several times within a flash. Wei Wuyin's perception suddenly expanded as he saw Su Mei's body cracked to the extreme. No part of her was untouched and the Mark of Eden was on the verge of dissipating entirely as it kept infusing copious amounts of lifeforce without restraint into her under King and Ori's command.

With both of them within her body acting as Astral Souls, they could send gargantuan amounts of lifeforce into her body far surpassing before, and it was only because of this inexplicable contingency that Su Mei's body remained intact. Wei Wuyin didn't have tto be satisfied with his luck, and his Alchemic Stars of Transcendent Purity and Celestial Eyes of Spiritual Divinity were pushed to their limits, exerting a terrifying amount of Spiritual Strength.

He released the Fixed Soul Spell!!!

The hazy figure paused.

Just a picosecond earlier, amidst the thundering booms, Eden had inexplicably translated the intent of the hazy shadow. While it couldn't understand the language, the concept of language was the transmission of meaning and intent of one's thoughts, and this hazy figure released a mental strength that could be read like all others. Fortunately, it underwent a transformation that allowed it to grasp the finer details of mental activity from even inconceivable beings such as this hazy shadow or Void Creatures.

It didn't understand the language but Eden could translate Its intent!

"You reveal yourself toagain. Finally, I found you. For its betterment, I shall correct this error. On its behalf, I shall end this failure. On its behest, I shall end it all."

These weren't the exact words, evidently lacking a depth of consistency and coherence, but they translated to its rough meaning and Eden didn't hold back on informing the restrained Wei Wuyin that all of this intent and meaning was directed solely toward Su Mei!

It was enough for him to shutter awake!

"Stop!"

The Fixed Soul Spell was a spell that was undeniably profound as it relied on Spiritual Strength to affect the soul and was a unique art of Anu, the Horned-Firmament Azure Dragon, but it had severe restrictions when unleashed on strong opponents, and it relied on a considerably higher Spiritual Strength than others. Moreover, his intrinsic Spiritual Strength was mortal and was ineffective against Ascended beings with an evolved form of their Existential Framework, and his last failed usage was during his battle against Bluecloud and the others.

However, Wei Wuyin didn't have any other instantaneous spells that could halt the opponent with a single move, and he instinctively relied on it.

Shockingly! It worked!!

The hazy figure paused its movements as if it was fixed in place and Wei Wuyin drove every ounce of his willpower to rush toward Su Mei. The asteroid beneath them crumbled as he exerted an unsettling amount of strength, simultaneously unleashing his True Dragon Transformation and Infinite Void Wings.

WHOOSH!

With a flicker of his body, he grabbed Su Mei and shuttled through the void without a second thought. Escape! Flee! Run! He had to get away. At least for now!

He halted after traveling an incredible amount of distance, exiting the void with a flap of his wings with Su Mei held tightly in his arms. When he did, his expression was darker than a starless night. The hazy figure was still frozen by his spell, but it was right beside them, no more than a few feet away, as if it had followed them through the void.

The Seed Tribulation Gate was similar, following along soundlessly and profoundly. As long as Su Mei was within the territorial domain of the Mystic Dao, the gate would always follow her and await her entry. An entry that she has to perform or lose qualifications to enter the Mystic Dao forever.

If Wei Wuyin could toss her in or send her through, then he would love nothing more than to do so but he simply couldn't! The restrictions of one's ascension left him at a loss. Additionally, Ori and King were preoccupied with maintaining Su Mei's form and could no longer drive her body forward as a proxy. The situation wasn't looking good.

Then, the figure began to move. First, it was one of its ten fingers, sometimes thick, sometimes slender. Wei Wuyin's eyes focused intensely as he mustered his cultivation base, ready to erupt with every ounce of power. While he was unsure if that would have any effect, since the Fixed Soul Spell worked, then this thing must be killable. Right?

Suddenly-

"Lo-lord Wei...?"

Su Mei's soft voice resounded. Wei Wuyin's focus shifted to the young woman in his arms, and her eyes infused with the glow of alchemical light had gained life and awareness.

The figure's right hand twisted a little.

She was awake!

"Great! Go through the gate!"

Wei Wuyin couldn't hold back the feeling reigning in his soul of an impending disaster.

Its arm shuddered.

Su Mei was always quick-witted, so her thoughts immediately understood the situation. With a quick sweep around her, she discovered she was in the Void-Blank Space between galaxies while a figure that was exceedingly difficult to describe was right before her as if slowly shedding the effects of stasis.

"Mm!"

She gathered her strength and lifted herself upright, standing on her own two feet, and observing the Seed Tribulation Gate that was only a few meters away from her. With clenched teeth and determined eyes, she took a step forward yet her body felt as if it was in absurd levels of segregation, on the verge of crumbling entirely.

Each step felt as if she was carrying a plon both sides of her shoulders with stars shackled to her feet. However, she had to take each step individually. Wei Wuyin watched as he observed his two Astral Souls, Ori and King, continuing to offer support by exhausting the Mark of Eden's untapped reserves of lifeforce. By now, the mark was extremely faint. He didn't know if it would recover after. If it could...

But none of that mattered as long as Su Mei could overcthis calamity. However, there was risk involved.

Wei Wuyin had decided to stay in the Mortal Realms due to his several contingencies requiring compatibility with the Mortal Dao. If he ascended, placing his Mystic Souls into Su Mei or the Mark of Eden, which may or may not transform, would have great difficulties. Because King and Ori were Astral Souls, they could undergo tribulation after entering with Su Mei, and this might drastically alter his path of cultivation.

However, he and his Astral Souls had already decided to risk that if it cto it. For Su Mei, they would sacrifice...whatever it took. Even their future potential. At the very least, they would solve any issues together with the Alchemic Dao, but losing Su Mei was something that might never be solved.

Step. Step.

After taking two steps, the hazy figure finally regained its freedom.

"⌜‚. ⌜œ§⌜œ§."

The figure spoke in its strange language, and immediately upon finishing its sentence, the alchemic star within Wei Wuyin's eye constricted unnaturally as he executed the Fixed Soul Spell.

However, nothing cof it. This reaction caused his heart to drop. Within the depths of his soul, he felt as if he had made a mistake somehow.

The hazy figure turned its head toward the Seed Tribulation Gate. Then, without waiting for anyone, pressed its transforming palm toward the gate. The palm released an unseen strength that distorted the void and light.

There was no thunderous boom or terrifying sound that followed. Before the eyes of Su Mei and Wei Wuyin, they watched as the gate crumbled. Su Mei instantly felt her qualifications to ascend end right then and there. Severed. Forever.

Wei Wuyin could feel the active presence of the Mystic Dao depart. Additionally, the Spiritual Senses of his Astral Souls were still tethered to him and he felt every detail of the shift of Su Mei's cultivation base. Her Mystic Rune Seeds collapsed into fine dust that exited out of her body in a swirl of bluish powder. She couldn't stop any of it. The vibrant life within her eyes dimmed to almost complete dissipation.

The hazy figure then gazed upon Su Mei and said words that once again caused Wei Wuyin's heart to drop.

"⌜œ§⌜œ®."

It roughly translates to:

"You were never qualified to tread the path beneath it."

Wei Wuyin wasn't focused too heavily on that. Instead, he wanted to find solutions to the current situation and thought about the Prohibition of Heaven inexplicably.

"Hold on!"

Wei Wuyin's Infinite Void Wings unfurled as he grabbed Su Mei's waist and vanished into the void. The hazy figure was simply a few feet away, never once leaving and didn't take action, yet it didn't actively need to do anything!

The unseen force it was exerting was causing Su Mei to suffer, bringing her closer to death. If nothing was done, she would certainly die. As for her qualifications of losing her chance to ascend? Who was Wei Wuyin? He was the type to think of hundreds of different outcomes and numerous contingencies to his main plan. That outcwas accounted for and planned for. The issue was trying to keep Su Mei alive and survive until she could properly ascend. So he had to test out something with haste.

The figure was indifferently gazing at Wei Wuyin's struggle. From its emotions, Wei Wuyin could only sense great disgust, all focused on Su Mei as if it found her very existence an abhorrence to the universe.

With a whoosh, Wei Wuyin exited the void and found himself back at the strongest region of the Prohibition of Heaven. Then, without hesitating for a single microsecond:

Fixed Soul Spell!

With that, the hazy figure was once again frozen. Wei Wuyin's eyes glowed, but the unseen force remained imposed on Su Mei's existence. Thoughtfully, Wei Wuyin turned toward Su Mei and executed the spell again, this ttargeting everything that wasn't her! With Ori and King within her making that differentiation was remarkably easy.

Suddenly, the Mark of Eden's lifeforce began to showcase its strength as the battle with the unseen force was halted, and it rapidly began to heal her cracks.

Wei Wuyin's joy was at an all time-high. Su Mei found her weakness abated as her strength returned.

Hastily, Wei Wuyin brought out a pill that would emulate the Seed Tribulation Gate and resthe active presence of the Mystic Dao. The Alchemic Dao was limitless, and it opened doors and overcnatural laws, such as being unable to ascend twice. After all, the Mystic Star Phase existed for a reason for those who failed despite receiving the qualifications to enter the Mystic Ascension Realm and challenging the gate. They would exit the Mortal Dao regardless of success or failure and becno different than non-cultivating mortals in the Mortal Dao. That was the Mystic Star Phase to the Mystic Ascendant Realms!

But there was a rare few that were rejected by the Mystic Dao for various reasons, and this pill could bypass that! It was obscure in effect and wasn't very impactful given the natural order of things but it was possible! Wei Wuyin called it the Neo-Dawn Mystic-Genesis Pill!

"Take it!"

Wei Wuyin placed the pill in her mouth and she accommodated without fail, swallowing the pill while held in his arms. A warmth diffused throughout her body as the absence of mysticism returned, even the Mystic Rune Seeds were recreated.

This pill was devised for the sole sake of Su Mei as merely a part of a contingency, which showed a significant amount of effort Wei Wuyin had put into this, but his actions had directly created a product that could grant any Starlord the qualifications to ascend instantly. It would undeniably save geniuses significant tas they wouldn't have to spend extraordinary amounts of tidly refining mystic essence to form these seeds! They simply need to contemplate the Ways of Mysticism for better Rune Ascensions.

Regaining her qualifications, she interfaced with the Mystic Dao and actively summoned her tribulation! The Seed Tribulation Gate of the First Ascension returned a few meters above her!

She shot toward the gate without thinking! She trusted Wei Wuyin's judgment that her ascending was enough to overcthis strange calamity!

Wei Wuyin didn't immediately retrieve King and Ori since he figured out he could freeze the unseen force somehow! He didn't want to consider how just that he could! There was no reason to derail his cultivation path. But he would wait until the very last moment!

He couldn't afford to have anything go wrong! Moreover, he didn't stop executing the Fixed Soul Spell on both the hazy figure and Su Mei to repeatedly halt both of them.

When she reached the gate, Wei Wuyin's eyes brightened.

But then-

The Seed Tribulation Gate crumbled into dust...once again...

[Author's Note: Wei Wuyin...if you're going to do anything in your life...just save Su Mei.]