Paragon of Sin

"Is there anyone that didn't come?!" A startled, shaken voice resounded on one of the few Voidships granted permission to traverse the Neo-Dawn Starfield's Defiant Dawn without approval or oversight-the crimson-red Voidship known as Torrential. It and the voice belonged to Venerable Bloodtorrent, no-Highlord Bloodtorrent.

Next to her, deliberately and cautiously maintaining a respectable distance, was a chubby middle-aged man with a smiling expression. Huang Xiaolong! These two were infamous vagabonds of their time, representing two different sides of a vagabond's cultivation path. The first was bloody, thieving, and death-ridden, filled with risks and required indescribable bravery; the other was steady, amicable, built upon relations and favors, filled with hard work, and required a calmtemperament that could handle bullying and grievances.

Neither was necessarily better than the other, but they both served them well, allowing them to ascend beyond the Mortal Realms and grasp true power.

"Haha!" Huang Xiaolong laughed heartily, "Ascendant Emperor Wei invited everyone; who would dare not come?" His words seemed prideful, but there was a dark undertone laced within, barbed and dangerous.

Highlord Bloodtorrent frowned as she observed the incoming vessels of the Imperial Clan, the Unchained Heart Sect, the Everlore Association, and the top forces of the remaining nineteen starfields of the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region; they all arrived almost in unison as if to showcase their unity through unspoken actions. Despite her foreknowledge of the details regarding this event, the sight still caused her heart to tremble and her mind to be in awe.

Her awe aside, Bloodtorrent instantly realized the implications of Huang Xiaolong's words. As an experienced Void Pirate and Void Hunter with multiple Arrest-On-Sight Orders from different starfields, she knew how to notice veiled killing intent. ''You're right,'' Highlord Bloodtorrent calmed herself down.

If anyone of reputable status hadn't come, Wei Wuyin could use this as an excuse to act against them after the expo concluded. After all, not coming to an Alchemist's first Alchemic Expo was a sign of disrespect, if invited, of course, and EVERYONE was invited with all sorts of arrangements and accommodations to bring them here. They had no reason not to come if farmers and fishermen of the Mortal Realms could.

"The Ascendant Emperor has practically started the inevitable shift to the next era due to introducing his signature product, the Neo-Dawn Eclipse Pill, and establishing the newfound standards for Chosen and Organizations. The thought of not accepting the invitation likely didn't come across any of their minds; more importantly, they'll be able to investigate the situation in the Neo-Dawn Starfield, especially the Neo-Dawn Defiant Star that serves as our core, without being overly suspicious or trespassing." Huang Xiaolong analyzed with a thoughtful and smiling gaze.

"Trespassing, hm. I heard that the incident nearly a month and a half ago was the result of a powerful intruder," HuangXiaolong continued, giving the wild-haired Highlord Bloodtorrent a sidelong glance. The previous cultivation frenzy had instigated a wave of excitement, but the resulting blessing was accompanied by a gorgeous outburst of radiance from the Neo-Dawn Defiant Star, promptingcuriosity from those with keen instincts. Some took it at face value, while others saw it as strange and suspicious.

If anyone knew of the incident's truth, it would be one of the Ascendant Emperor Wei's lovers. Few were ignorant of her nightly visits over the years, and Bloodtorrent herself did very little to hide this fact from others. In fact, she pridefully indulged in the accomplishment.

How many women sought Wei Wuyin's favor? To enter his bed? Yet, in the end, they all failed, with only their dreams giving them any type of satisfaction. Most of Wei Wuyin's lovers were public knowledge and easy to grasp, and none had any issue declaring their status as each wasoutstanding in their own right. Moreover, there was no lack of variety amongst them; from beastwomen to elves to demons, Wei Wuyin had beauties of all shapes, sizes, flavors, and origins.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call Wei Wuyin the most envied man in the world, whether it was his power, authority, looks, the beauties by his side, or his wealth, talent, and strength! All were top-notch, lacking nothing! And the fact he only had a single official Concubine and no wives only made him one of the most desired men in the world as well!

Highlord Bloodtorrent grinned but didn't immediately respond. Roughly three weeks ago, after she met with Wei Wuyin for a brief and steamy session followed by some deliberate pillow talk, he had casually said it wasn't a secret, and that he was simply too busy to put out an official statement, butmost of the higher-ranking forces should have already deduced the truth from their various Heavenly Seers or other channels of information.

Considering there were even avenues to find this information out, it was clear that while Wei Wuyin hadn't released an 'official' statement regarding the incident, he had purposefully allowed news to spread. However, only a few knew that the Moonfall Lunar Queen, a mysterious and fearsome figure, had lost her physical body after trying to conduct ambiguous business in the Neo-Dawn Starfield. Most were simply aware that a powerful figure had suffered heavily after trying to invade, a failure of insurmountable proportions.

What was strange, however, was that no one made a move on the Moonfall Starfield despite this spread of information, even after a month!

Seeing Bloodtorrent's expression, Huang Xiaolong knew that she was fully aware of the incident. And as he thought, she nodded solemnly: "The Moonfall Starfield's leader was indeed powerful." Her words might seem overly serious, but she was definitely happy!

"..." Huang Xiaolong's heart shook. In the end, he heaved a soft sigh and smilingly said: "I wonder if there will be anyone who will cause trouble during the expo."

"Would anyone dare to?" Bloodtorrent's reply was swift and at ease. The numerous vessels of top-tier organizations were fated to be mere spectators to Wei Wuyin's brilliance at this moment.

Unfortunately, not everyone was here to simply bear witness...

-----

On board the Unchained Heart Sect's Shadow Egg, an aura that would be extremely familiar to Wei Wuyin was present alongside several dozen cultivators with exceptional Spiritual Strength. It was none other than the Negotiator that had tried to 'handle' Wei Wuyin during his siege of the Born True Starfield.

These members all had dense spiritual auras, and they were clearly meant to perform some task. They were each dressed in shadowy attires, and besides their spiritual auras, nothing could differentiate them.

Among them, a powerful figure with a wisp of unfathomableness intertwined with his spiritual aura took charge. "We're to ensure that there are no threats to the Shadow Egg in this new starfield. Do you understand?!" The leader spoke solemnly.

"Yes!"

The leader nodded, "For Trueborn!"

"FOR TRUEBORN!" They all shouted.

While their goal might seem to be for protection, they acted to circumvent certain oaths to locate a certain... something...

-----

The chestnut-skinned Evergod imposingly stood before his mirror, observing the unfolding situation from the safety of his Voidship's Secret Realm with his hands folded behind his back. There was a different air about him, and it was hard to pinpoint the origins of that abnormality.

"If it's here, I'll find it." Evergod softly spoke as his tone was laced with a glacial chill. He performed a strange one-handed hand- seal; the mirror flickered wildly, but there was nothing for three whole minutes. Then, a spark flashed within.

His eyes sparkled brightly and the light of excitement shone on his expression. "Hahaha! I'll take everything back-with interest. Just you watch, you silver-eyed brat."

The name 'silver-eyed brat' was not exclusive to just one person but shared by two!

The first being none other than Wei Wuyin!

The other? The King of Everlore!

-----

The Imperial Clan's incoming vessels were not a united entity; there was an outlier amongst them that was tiny, outwardly nondescript, but abnormally luxurious internally. It was small-sized, compact, and speedy, yet easily missed.

The rest were emissary vessels, not Voidships with combat capabilities like Sky Destroyers. It was clear that the Imperial Clan had learned a valuable lesson earlier, losing three of their Sky Destroyers three months ago. They still received some hidden mockery for that incident as the prestige of a Sky Destroyer, acclaimed as bonafide Earthly Saints, and had taken a considerable hit to their fearsome reputation.

On board this outlier of a vessel, within a discreet Secret Realm, two female figures observed the surface of a serene crystal- clear freshwater lake that depicted the happenings outside while surrounded by lush trees and short grass.

Wei Wuyin would instantly notice one of them; her long, wavy navy-blue hair and outstanding beauty were abnormally easy to recognize-Tian Xiaolu! However, she was slightly transparent, like a ghostly avatar that wasn't truly there but somewhere far, far away.

The other was heavily veiled in a seven- colored mist with a tall stature, yet her beauty could be deduced simply by the sheer air of confidence she exuded. It was as if she was not the type to hide out of fea of being seen but out of consideration for the rest of the world's color. It would do it much injustice if no one could see them when she appeared, right?

There was a faint tension in the air as Tian Xiaolu watched the lake pensively. She wasn't one to typically act like this, but it was hard not to, given the circumstances.

The tall, concealed woman seemed to notice the developing tension and said comfortingly: "It'll be alright." Her tone was gentleness incarnate, containing warmth and security that made it difficult not to believe her. It was like the whispers of a mother, assured and honest.

Tian Xiaolu's body noticeably relaxed; the tension ebbed away from her body in waves until she had completely calmed down. She said softly, "Can you check on her condition?"

Hearing this, the woman's silhouette nodded and said: "That'll be our first objective. I know the Empress has always treated you with kindness, so I won'tneglect her when she's being held captive. I'll do all I can to ensure she returns home," the woman spoke with confidence, and it was the purest degree of confidence possible, the type that originated solely from her ability, accomplishments, and means at her disposal!

After a while, the woman added playfully: "Given the Empress' ways, we should be more concerned about this Wei Wuyin character rather than her."Tian Xiaolu couldn't resist the urge to smile. The Empress was extremely intelligent and held a mind suitable for the Imperial Clan and the wily ways of the Imperial Court, so she knew more than enough about how to handle herself. But she couldn't entirely stymie her incoming worries as she recalled Wei Wuyin's mysteriousness.

A restless feeling emerged in her heart yet again.The tall, concealed woman beside her could only silently observe after seeing how her attempts at placating Tian Xiaolu's worries had only worked temporarily. In the end, she said some additional things before focusing on the lake.

Since this Wei Wuyin was in the World Between the Folds, he was an unpredictable variable that no one dared tounderestimate, especially not her. But it was about time to figure out his true goal, and by her name, the Sky Zenith Alchemic Saint, she intended to!