Paragon of Sin

"...!" Ai Juling panicked, her eyes wildly roamed as her body trembled with lifelong instilled fear. Despite being held by Wei Wuyin, she felt no comfort at this moment. Because while Wei Wuyin might be talented, outrageously strong enough to kill Ai Shanyuan, a talented expert, this was simply far too different and dangerous.

The twelve cities were fortresses of the highest order, designed to protect and defend against the world's most dangerous existences, and they had been incredibly successful in their efforts. But what really caused her heart to race in terror was the owner of that enraged voice.

This voice didn't belong to an ordinary cultivator! It belonged to an existence amongst humans that terrified the elven race, someone that Ai Shanyuan could never compare to! 

The Grandquake City's residents were stirred up as they looked upwards, those with keen vision and high cultivations noticed a figure of a man holding onto a woman in a bridal carry. They had curiosity in their faces, with some even having amusement and schadenfreude written across their expressions.

It seems the event of an expert coming imposingly to the city to act aggressively hadn't just happened once or twice. 

Within the city, an old man sat on a chair, a table with an active board game before him, while smoking out of a tobacco pipe. After taking a heavy puff, he commented with a faint smile and smoke escaping his mouth: "Another one." 

A pleasant-sounding laughter resounded across from him, originating from a pretty young woman. Her bright eyes were fixated on the game board, not even giving the external situation any of her attention. "Don't think you can escape defeat this time, old man! I won't be distracted." 

Most of the other native residents halted their actions, looking up with interest and pity in their eyes. Some of the more concerned young mothers brought their children away into their homes, not wanting them to bear witness to a horrible act of violence. It seemed they were familiar with the consequences of those who dared to act arrogantly towards the city, experts or not.

The Seekers, especially those who weren't natives, used all sorts of ocular-enhancing spells to bear witness to the events. Amongst these individuals were Li Wang, Chu Leitao, and Huang Yu who had paid the fee of entry. They stood next to each other, each having different expressions.

Huang Yu was panicking, similar to Ai Juling, "What is he doing?!" He didn't want to see his savior, a young talented expert, meet his untimely demise. He was almost on the verge of going hysterical, but his low cultivation at the Sky Ruler Phase made his actions and worries inconsequential.

Li Wang was silent, grinning with anticipation. He was heavily invested in what was going to happen.

But Chu Leitao felt a surge of desire to inform the City Lord, feeling different than most residents. Wei Wuyin might be at the Soul Idol Phase, but his cultivation foundation was immaculate and fierce, capable of trampling a Gravity Emission Phase expert and utterly annihilating a Spatial Resonance Phase with a single glare. He didn't seem like an idiot.

But he knew his intent would be disregarded, laughed at and likely even implicated. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry, feeling as if some people were about to be given a fright and a half.

The voice that had resounded, questioning Wei Wuyin's actions went silent as a powerful spiritual sense descended towards Wei Wuyin, lingering on his exuded aura with focused observation. 

Wei Wuyin merely smiled, urging his powers to bring him to the wall's top, landing on the flat surface that could hold roughly forty people back to back. The walls weren't just tall, but they were quite thick. When his shoes touched the wall, an extremely tiny amount of grey and seven-colored mist integrated with the wall's surface.

With his Celestial Eyes, he could observe the formations laid within the walls, connecting with the city, and locate the main formation core that maintained all the others. The moment his pervasive void force and eden force touched the core, Wei Wuyin's eyes brightened considerably. There were faint ripples forming beneath his feet, discreet and nigh unnoticeable!

He executed Instant Transmission!

Since he started his path of cultivating the Void Dao, he had discovered quite a few uses with it. When he was in the Grand Spirit Trials, he had tested out the Void Forces unique properties of transmitting forces and energies instantly over a vast distance as long as there was a connection of his spiritual strength. He had used this to empower his Mudworm Titanic Serpent in his battle with Wu Yu's possessed Shadow Moon Wolf while halfway across the planet.

As for this distance?

It was but a simple matter.

Instantly, he sent over vast quantities of alchemic force, interacting with and influencing the complicated and complex formations inscribed through the walls and beneath the city's foundation. He had exhausted roughly thirty percent of his Alchemic Eden Astral Core, but he had isolated its properties and restrained its connectivity.

This was the same tactic he used against the underground city. He wasn't a fool; the innate formations of a city were incredibly powerful, terrifying after being invested and refined by numerous experts and likely centuries of effort. Even a Soul Idol Phase expert could kill a Realmlord with the Myriad Monarch Sect's protective formations of the sect.

Fortunately, the Alchemic Dao was extremely skilled with interacting with various energies, forces, and powers that existed in this world. Using its powers of Containment, one of its seven traits, he could isolate and restrict the spiritual qualities of the formation, making it impossible to connect to via remote means.

If given enough time, he could even transform it, gaining control over its powers. While Alchemic Soul Alchemists were said to have very little combat ability in relation to normal cultivators of the same level, this didn't mean they were completely helpless. Not counting pellets, their wealth to buy talismans and tools, their reputation to gather support or experts, they had the profound abilities of alchemic force.

That being said, without void force's invasive and concealed abilities, it would be utterly impossible for him to breach the defenses of the wall, the formations, and the city to make contact with the core. He would be helpless facing a prepared formation, so ordinary Alchemic Soul Alchemists like Qingye Ying would find it even more impossible. The only option left would be through using pure force, a far more frustrating method.

After the spiritual sense that had descended thoroughly inspected Wei Wuyin, there was a distinct silence in the air. Wei Wuyin could feel the bewilderment from the spiritual fluctuations, trying to grasp what was happening. After all, Wei Wuyin was outwardly just a Third Stage Astral Core Realm expert, not some elite expert at a profound stage of cultivation.

After several seconds of silence, the spiritual sense seemed disinclined to act. It retracted and was replaced by a weaker spiritual sense, but it was still powerful. 

Woosh!

A figure flew through the air using astral force, piercing through the air with rapid speed. They soon arrived on the edge of the wall, revealing themselves clearly to Wei Wuyin. It was a man dressed in grey-colored heavy armor. He wore the full set of knight attire, and the steel that forged the armor was quite unordinary. It exuded a faint desolate aura.

As for the man, he wore a helmet that covered his face, but his dark eyes that flashed with a sinister indifference revealed itself between the gaps. This man's cultivation was not concealed, revealing himself as an expert at the Fifth Stage of the Astral Core Realm, the Light Reflection Phase. 

From time to time, his dark eyes would flicker with yellow primary light. In the Light Reflection Phase, the level of one's light energies were determined and revealed by their primary light, ranging from the light spectrum, with black being the lowest, having no light, and white as the highest, containing all the spectrums of colors that inhabit the world. 

From lowest to greatest was: black, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, and white. 

The yellow primary light could be considered the fourth light level, similar to a four-ringed Soul Idol or four-ripple Spatial Resonance. Ai Shanyuan had the same level of primary light.

Wei Wuyin noted the youthful aura of this armored figure, and then he disregarded him entirely. Not sparing the man another glance, he said with an amplified voice: "My name's Wei Wuyin; I seek an audience with the City Lord. Either you can come out yourself, or I'll drag you out!" Wei Wuyin's words caused the crowd below to grow restless and stirring up, but not with panic but excitement.

Some of these individuals wanted to see blood!

There were even a few that jumped atop building's roofs for a better view, thinking if Wei Wuyin would be turned into bloody mist instantly or violently tortured to set an example. Some even were making bets amongst themselves 

While Wei Wuyin's words were extremely domineering, to them, it was extremely foolish and ignorant. Furthermore, when his aura was revealed, especially the utter lack of gravitational powers within his spiritual aura and voice, they felt like grabbing a bucket of entertainment food. 

The armored man darkly chuckled to himself, feeling it ridiculous that Wei Wuyin ignored him AND threatened the City Lord while being at the Soul Idol Phase. He had never seen someone court death so heavily, so this experience considerably broadened his horizons in what it meant to be an idiot.

The armored man didn't care about Wei Wuyin ignoring him, already having his orders. His aura erupted with an explosive ripple that shook the world, causing the expressions of numerous individuals to grow startled. They discussed this man, as if he was someone famous and widely known. They were quite animated too.

The man's aura flared and he took action. With his armored hand, he threw out a punch infused with his astral force. It was sufficient enough to shatter a continental flat earth of the starfield, and it was concentrated and condensed, likely capable of piercing straight through a planet with its power.

And all this was shot towards Wei Wuyin and Ai Juling! Some held their breaths, wondering if Wei Wuyin would transform into blood mist in one second or less. But Wei Wuyin still didn't glance at the armored man again. With their relatively close range, the surge of astral force was in front of him instantly.

Ai Juling, however, wasn't panicked at this sight. Her eyes too were ignoring the armored man, her gaze a little worried as she stared into the city. To her, this man wasn't worth a finger of Ai Shanyuan, so his actions before Wei Wuyin were truly a little laughable. 

Wei Wuyin didn't move a single bit, simply released a white-colored astral ward around himself and Ai Juling.

The surge of astral force crashed heavily against the ward! The world shook once again and the air raged ceaselessly, even torrents of wind formed above and below them, swiftly sweeping across the entire city.

After a brief moment, the armored man's pupils constricted. Wei Wuyin was unharmed! In fact, he hadn't moved a single step! Nor did he even give him another glance! His expression beneath his helmet became slightly ugly. He was befuddled, uncertain what had happened.

Inspecting the white astral ward, he believed it must be a product of an extremely powerful defensive tool. With a roar of killing intent, he shot forth and unleashed his astral force, executing fist-based arts to strike the ward!

Boosh! Boosh! Boosh!

He threw fist after fist with frightening speed and power, causing the air to roil endlessly with every movement. The crushing power of his fists smashed against the ward without mercy! Unfortunately, the ward remained completely unharmed. 

...It didn't even ripple.

Ai Juling, this Grey Sands Elf commander, looked at this Ganshu that was relentlessly striking at them, feeling a little pity and disdain. She didn't bother concealing it in her gaze, even revealing some contempt. 

This didn't escape the armored man's perception, and he felt that he was being looked down upon by a lowly elf that could only be captured or hide away like rats in their underground cities. His burning anger exploded in his chest, and his armor started to brightly shine with grey-colored light as Desolate Power infused into his strikes, making his fists capable of extracting all things from the living and lively.

But alas, his heavy and powerful fists were met with an unmoving astral ward that nullified his desolate power with utter ease.

The natives and foreigners below were shocked by the waves of wind produced, twisting their clothes and hair wildly about, and they conjured wards to isolate themselves from the shockwaves. But their expressions were quite interesting…

Wei Wuyin finally decided to act, "Enough!" He shouted, causing a ripple of his spiritual strength to erupt and batter the grey armored man. The fists stopped.

Then…

Thud!