Paragon Of Sin

Chapter 1770: Strange

The unprecedented sale of the Knightly Dao Pavilionʼs Continent of the First Knight was completed without complication and in record time. All past attempts had been met with absolute rejection, but this time, the Knightly Dao Pavilionʼs Pavilion Master and its other upper-echelon members were left with very little choice. At first, there was still room for negotiation despite Pavilion Master Shang Liuʼs request for World-Saint Neo-Dawn to take action, or assist by saving the lives of its guests and members, but after the disastrous state of their most prominent success stories, the three Sages, had suffered an unfortunate calamity one by one, there was no leverage or room for negotiation. None of them were fools; The Knightly Dao Pavilion was covertly and overtly plotted against, especially Sage Moonrise who was targeted for assassination by two Sages, and there were signs that the Continent of the First Knight was on the verge of losing incomplete World Soul. There was no telling of the damage it sustained or if its development was all crippled by the failed extraction attempt.

However, despite the prophecy looming and the direct attempt by external forces to impede his actions, they still received great assistance in the form of this foreigner with unknown connections to the Incandescent Star Palace, and if not for that, they would essentially be left hopeless. The epic battle would have destroyed the Continent of the First Knight and their planet, and likely a very large portion of their starfield.

As for the details of the sale, it was rather simple. An immediate set of recuperating and recovery products at the peak-tier of the Mystic-World grade, some of these products were legendary and renowned, and a limited protection against further assaults. This might seem like they were on the losing end, but with the Continent of the First Knight suffering an extraction attempt and their Sages nearly losing their lives on this grand trifecta celebration, the Knightly Dao Pavilion was given a rather good deal.

The new owner—Cao Cuifen—was in utter jubilation as the transfer of the various formations and arrays to the palaces, residences, and defenses was given out! Wei Wuyin found himself pulled into a luxurious guest room given to him by the Knightly Dao Pavilion to rest and stay for the time being, showered in all sorts of intimate acts that children shouldnʼt hear about.

He had bought her the continent! Before Wei Wuyin could get dressed after causing legs to tremble and toes to curl, Cao Cuifen had already taken Liu Suyin and Grey Rose into the core of the continent to inspect the incomplete World Soul. Wei Wuyin had assured her there was no lasting damage to the World Soul, and that he had a few products that were suitable for nurturing a World Soul. She had already taken a few before he could explain to her their uses, rushing off like a young woman inspecting her fabulous new home.

Yue Songli and Qing Qiumu were in a Neo-Dawn Vortex-Zoneʼs temporal acceleration field with the recovering Sage Painted Star and Pakhet, who was observing closely to ensure their safety. Sage Painted Star suffered heavy damage to his soul, and recovery was going to be a long, long road even with the appropriate products. Without the acceleration field active, he would have taken tens of thousands of years to recover to uprightness, without products of course, and even then would have suffered devastatingly lasting effects to his lifespan, soulspan, and vitality.

Wei Wuyin didnʼt have Mystic-Heaven grade products for him, so he couldnʼt ensure a complete recovery with no lasting effects, but the ʼdevastatinglyʼ effects would have been reduced to ʼgreatʼ effects instead. Xi Ning had decided to follow Cao Cuifen. It was unknown what she was thinking to the other women, but she was chasing after Cao Cuifen as if seeking protection from the mother hen. Fortunately, she didnʼt have to actively avoid Yue Songli due to her being distracted, and she listened to Cao Cuifen to not pester Wei Wuyin with wife talk for now.

This was important since Wei Wuyin had important matters to deal with. They were all witnesses to the tail-end of Wei Wuyinʼs confrontation with those supreme beings, especially that Alchemic Edict issued by the Zenith Creation Tower. It was best to not occupy too much of his time. This was why Cao Cuifen only settled for a few hours of solo rambunctious bedsheet activity instead of including Liu Suyin and staying for days to weeks.

Wei Wuyin could sense the balancing act of showing her appreciation and respecting his time while simultaneously trying to assist in relieving leftover combat tension. He didnʼt think she needed to do that, but the conscious decision warmed his heart to the core. Cao Cuifen was conscientious and meticulous regarding these matters pertaining to his activities. Her maturity of tens of thousands of years showed.

This was parallel to the all trusting Yue Songli who was caught up in her passion. However, unlike Cao Cuifen, Yue Songli understood that her worrying would only add stress to an already stressful series of events. More importantly, did he not save Sage Painted Star for her to derive inspiration and teaching from? The gratitude this Sage would feel, their speedy recovery hinging on Wei Wuyinʼs casual thought, which meant Yue Songliʼs ability to influence this thought would make the Sage Painted Star give 1500% of his greatest effort attending to her selfish desires to learn about art.

This was a part of her two-year date. Moreover, she never insisted that Wei Wuyin join her on things like this, having Qing Qiumu, Wei Si, and Dakarai accompanying her was enough. They shared interest and protected her.

Wei Wuyin had to balance many things, and the forethought and awareness of these women genuinely allowed his heart to feel at ease. He was rather fortunate to obtain such thoughtful and considerate individuals. Perhaps it was only because he had the ability and their confidence to allow them to not stress out, even though the looming threat of a Supreme Sage was potentially imminent, they trusted him wholeheartedly.

This was a type of love. Resting on his bed, Wei Wuyin stared at the decorative ceiling of armored soldiers fighting, detailing an epic story of a victory won through luck and effort. In truth, his heart was on fire. He wanted to fight a Supreme Sage. It was a ludicrous desire that would label him as a madman, but it was a blazing one in the pit of his soul.

He felt that if he fought a Supreme Sage, he could grasp the essence of Mystic-Heaven grade alchemy with greater ease. While he had the confidence to make the concocting attempt using his substitution of alchemical energies via Utmost Purity Liquid, he was not using his own power.

He had already witnessed certain aspects of the Resonant Soul Realm, their unique Resonant Qi of the Heavens. The wall of resonant qi and the Resonant Qi Talisman.

”Qi…” Wei Wuyin hadnʼt thought of that term in a long, long time. It was different from energy, different from force, different from power, and could be classified as a type of energy that embodied resonance. It was the first type of cultivated essence of a cultivator, born in the first stage of the Qi Condensation Realm, the Qi Creation Phase.

During that stage, a portion of oneʼs soul was extracted, and merged with the physical, mental, and essence of the body, forming a Heart of Qi, the alternative term for the shell of the Spirit of Cultivation, their prelude to their Natal, Astral, and Mystic Forms within their respective dantians.

The Heart of Qi was manipulated by the Spirit of Cultivation and cultivated by the cultivator to progress through the Qi Condensation Realm, imbuing elements, yin, yang, yin-yang, spirituality, and mana, the necessary requirements to build the building blocks of a Solar Star that would inevitably reach the peak of the Astral Core Realm, the Star Core Phase.

In ways, this initial shell would become everything to a Spirit of Cultivation, containing the profundity of the manifested soul, light, gravity, space, time, and celestial principles. From the beginning, the Heart of Qi served as the foundation of resonance to everything beyond a cultivator.

However, when it came to Laws, unlike Intent, the manifestations for them were external, revolving around the Natal, Astral, and Mystic Form throughout the Mortal Realms and Mystic Ascendant Realm. These were gateways to access the heavensʼ mighty principles and powers.

Wei Wuyin had grasped six Minor Laws, and he was keenly aware of this disconnected factor, despite his Astral Souls and his comprehension of these Laws. He knew of the True Sageʼs advantage, and that was the ability that Sage Painted Star used, accessing heavenʼs profound might at a cost, not requiring even a Seed of Law.

This was how Sages killed each other, breaching their Soulguard. It was a natural course of cultivation development, and also the reason why Sages were almost impossible to kill by those beneath their cultivation. While Heavenly Saints have access to Heavenly Radiance, they canʼt do what True Sages do without sacrificing significant vitality and soulspan, pretty much performing a one-and-done. It was very similar to an Edict of the Sage. While Heavenly Saints could create them, the cost was significantly heavy, with a high chance of failure or outright fruitless results in the future.

Not everyone was Blessed by the Heavenly Daos, assisted on their path through fortuitous encounters and karmic blessings.

”My mutated Laws changed slightly, growing more connected to my foundation than before. This deviates greatly from the typical cultivation path, and this could be my pathway to access the Mystic-Heaven Path of the Alchemic Dao,” Wei Wuyin muttered to himself. If he could somehow form a resonance with the heavens, to figure out the how, he felt that he could achieve that feat using his own Akashic Alchemical Mystic Force.

”Do I really need to fight a Supreme Sage?” Just observing wasnʼt enough. He needed to feel the difference within the Resonant Qi of the Heavens. He needed to know why qi could form that bridge to the heavens.

Despite all his assiduous efforts, without using the mutated Minor Laws, he couldnʼt form or extract heavenʼs profound essence or power. Perhaps he needed until he achieved the Heavenly Saint Phase to do so, but he wasnʼt one to wait until he felt it could be done. The transcendent-quality Mystic-Earth products were a sign of this trait!

He felt that he was on the precipice of enlightenment. Just missing a single and perhaps very tiny detail.

”Hm,” Wei Wuyinʼs head lifted to view the foot of the bed. He pressed his right hand.

Pop.

That signature sound echoed as a Void Portal formed. While Wei Wuyin didnʼt need that sound to resound at his level, he felt nostalgic to include it. The heavenly Wei Xiaotian arrived in full glory. She was smiling brightly, clearly excited about something. ”How may I help?”

Wei Wuyin lifted his upper body and slid to the edge of the bed, his eyes were a little exhausted after his extensive mental cultivation of Resonant Qi. While his thoughts seemed simple, they were incredibly complex and profound. Wei Xiaotian was a Shard of Heaven, the Apple, that contained innate knowledge of the heavens, insight of the world, and an understanding of the great daos. Normally, Wei Wuyin would have access to a great heaven-defying cheat and advantage in the world of cultivation.

But…

Her cultivation was still too low.

Wei Xiaotian seemed to read his mind, and her eyes dimmed slightly. Her smile slowly faded as she glided to his side, sitting next to him, her eyes facing forward, and her heavenly fragrance that was as natural as a newbornʼs first breath wafted through the air. She calmly asked, ”Do you want to?”

Wei Wuyin closed his eyes, ”Stop.”

”...” Wei Xiaotian laid down flat on the bed, staring at the ceiling. The air in the room was a little gloomy. If Wei Wuyin decided to, he could access the majority of her innate gifts. It would be easy. All he had to do was press her on this bed, strip off her clothes to reveal her perfect body, and ravage her to his heartʼs content. It wouldnʼt take much either.

Seeing him remain unaroused, a miniature smile formed on her delectable lips. She turned to her side, gazing at the side profile of this heaven-defying man who exceeded the scope of her knowledge. She might have insights and knowledge of the world and heavens, but when it came to this man before her, he was as unknowable as could be.

He was unique.

While it seemed like she could help him, his path deviated greatly from any intended path. She could only offer mild assistance in certain matters, this was especially so as she cultivated as a living being. This was a life he had given her at the cost of great advantages. It was a choice few would make, and while it had inadvertently saved his life to show restraint, given her knowledge now, she knew that her plans to siphon his vitality to ensure her own survival would have certainly failed.

She would have died.

She would have been plundered.

And he knew that.

”How can I help you?” Her voice was gentle, smooth like butter, and as earnest as could be. She wanted to help, but he refused to take her, turning her into a normal woman in the best-case scenario.

Killing her forever in the worst.

”...” Wei Wuyin was silent for a long, long while before he breathed a hearty breath and opened his eyes, exposing silver instead of the starry sight of Transcendent Purity. ”Howʼs your cultivation going? Seen any interesting things on your journeys?”

Wei Xiaotianʼs eyes brightened significantly. She was excited. She immediately began to gush about her adventurers lately, especially the fascinating factoids about her cultivation advancing, and how the sensation was as wondrous as being born again time and time again, utterly addictive.

She told of the beggar with pride who refused to accept charity that he didnʼt earn and would give his last coin if it meant helping a young child.

She told of the young adulterous woman who played two men to kill each other, only to lose out in the end as the two men discovered her treachery. They tortured her in the end, and she died a crying, desperate death.

She told of the talented young man who was disregarded by his family, his marriage contract was torn apart by his childhood love for a better future, and when he came across a fortuitous encounter, his experiences twisted his mind as he delved into bloody violence and harsh killing, anything for the sake of power, and was slayed by an elder that was simply fishing nearby. How he died with such unwillingness in his eyes and voice. The final death throes were gut-wrenching to hear, cursing the heavens for their bias.

Only she knew that he was Blessed by the Heavenly Daos and failed to seize the advantages before him.

All of this happened within various worlds, some purposefully accelerated by powerful forces, stages for games of Mystics that she infiltrated using Wei Wuyinʼs tools.

Wei Wuyin wasnʼt just an avid listener. He told her of his own adventures recently. She was overly excited listening to his aggressive confrontation with supreme beings and how Sages fought to kill before him.

”Have you found out why?” Her interest was piqued tenfold.

”Iʼm about to,” Wei Wuyin teasingly smiled. This only elevated her desire to learn more. Why was Sage Moonrise targeted? Where did that Resonant Qi Talisman come from? Who was involved in these schemes? What about that white-robed swordsman who could kill Sages as an Original Magistrate? Was Shang Wanqingʼs desire to be his concubine real or fabricated by a desperate Shang Liu? What was her connection with that white-robed swordsman? What was up with her three different soul auras in one body?

Wei Xiaotian had her guesses, but she needed to look at most of these closely to find the truth amidst the strange. ”So thatʼs why you brought me here? And here I thought today was my last day as a chaste woman.”

Wei Wuyin shook his head with an amused smile. Itʼs not as if he wasnʼt tempted by the idea.

”Not yet?” Wei Xiaotian teased with a seductive smile. Any normal man would instantly collapse into sexual deviance before this enchanting smile, yet Wei Wuyin had impeccable control over his lust and would never go against his own promise, that was a matter of personal pride.

Yet he didnʼt just accept such one-sided teasing, ”Not yet. Iʼll certainly tell you when.”

Wei Xiaotian blushed. ”Says the man with three Catalyst Bodies. You have your hands full with them, especially those mountains they carry around. The generic traits of Catalyst Bodies are so clear.”

Wei Wuyin laughed in great spirits. Catalyst Bodies…

His eyes glinted with a strange light, seemingly on the verge of something extraordinary, yet Wei Xiaotian hurriedly rushed him. ”Letʼs see! I want to know about the assassination first!”

”Okay, okay.” Wei Wuyin didnʼt feel as if he lost a great opportunity. Wei Xiaotian had inadvertently pushed him away from the wrong path that many others had taken before him. Moreover, the relieved smile hanging on her lips was a clear sign of her awareness of this subtle fact. ”Letʼs find out about this assassination!”