Paragon of Sin

"Six million…" The number of desolate pearls was quite a shocker, something he hadn't expected from the decades of savings from the city. After all, Grandquake City was like most cities underneath large entities, forced to give taxation and tributes, limiting the amount of wealth that could be kept.

Based on his rough estimation of the City Lord's memories, this ring shouldn't have more than three hundred thousand desolate pearls collected and saved over the decades, and that was counting other objects and materials acquired, not just the desolate pearls. This included Astral Crystals! But just the number of desolate pearls, unrefined and present, was six million!

He took a deep breath, realizing the female Realmlord was likely embezzling funds or obtaining desolate pearls beneath the eyes of the financial overseers, and they might be willing to allow it to pass due to her strength. Or better yet, they might not have!

If that was the case, it was in the female Realmlord's best interest to find him before the others, preventing them from learning of her deceit and the inevitable truth of her thieving ways. As for considering this as the female Realmlord's wealth? Absolutely impossible!

He also knew the absurdly high salary of a Realmlord Guardian of these cities, and it wasn't even close to being remotely near that much. They earned far, far less. 

Wei Wuyin frowned slightly, considering some matters. After a moment, he flipped his palm and inspected the astral crystals stored within the ring, finding it to be extremely insignificant in comparison, merely two hundred thousand. This was roughly the same as six hundred thousand astral stones in his starfield, sufficient to fund a mid-level force for decades.

According to the City Lord's memories, there was a failure rate in refining desolate pearls into astral crystals, being a pitiful 10% for top-tier refiners, far less for those starting out. There were even those who needed a hundred desolate pearls to fashion out a single astral crystal, having a 1% success rate.

He had obtained the refinement method, discovering that it required numerous methods that were on par with some advanced alchemical methods in terms of difficulty of application and control. Furthermore, it was linear and unchangeable. At least for others!

He analyzed the method for a while, finding some flaws via comparison and his own knowledge of refinement. This knowledge was obtained via Eden when it had completed the Mortal Star Formation Tribulation. Just like King and Ori who gained a grasp of higher Intent, he had learned advanced principles of the Alchemic Dao.

This was one of the massive differences between him and Qingye Ying. He had grasped more from the tribulation, obtaining a deep understanding of the seven alchemical principles. He still had to comprehend and incorporate that knowledge, and like a skilled mathematician meeting a new problem, he could easily discover the inherent flaws within it, and even find new, quicker, and more efficient ways to solve the problem.

After a brief meditation lasting roughly two days, he had finished revising the method. With a calm breath, he smiled bitterly. While this new method was perfect to enhance the refinement rate, it wasn't needed for him. His Astral Souls could diffuse the desolate power within and absorb all the innate astral essences it contained without any refinement required.

His actions were essentially useless and would bear no fruit for himself. At best, he could use these astral crystals to concoct enhanced essence pills to expedite the recovery of astral force or accelerate the cultivation speed of others. Regardless, he decided to do so out of testing his limits.

"Hurry!" Kratos excitedly shouted, throbbing intensely now that Wei Wuyin had finished his work. At least it had the presence of mind to wait for him to complete his studies and improvements before urging him, showing the respect it held for him and Eden. 

With a gentle and warm smile, Wei Wuyin responded with a joyful chuckle: "Okay! Okay! Let's do this." When those words left his lips, Kratos was racing extremely quickly to the point the mountain was rumbling from its force of its beats. Wei Wuyin had long since gotten used to the explosive beats of his heart, simply laughing and bringing out twenty thousand desolate pearls.

While the desolate pearls contained the blood energies from living dragons, and others might consider it questionable to use them, but not Wei Wuyin or Kratos. They shared similar principles, and if required, they wouldn't hesitate to resort to slaughter or force to extract these energies if certain dragons weren't aware of their good intentions. 

These desolate pearls contained their innate essences and draconic blood energies, tainted and suppressed by the desolate power within. But it was those draconic essences and blood energies that allowed it to be refined, forged into tools and armaments, and used for formations. Otherwise, the desolate power would lack the ability to congeal.

To explain, when Wei Wuyin arrived at the mine that contained the Ancient Void Gate, he had found an area that had been immersed in desolate power intermixed with earthen energies, but it was utterly unable to form these desolate pearls or even earthen essence stones infused with desolate power. It was far too chaotic, too fierce, and only this type of extraordinary energies and essences could allow it to form these desolate pearls.

For others, removing the desolate power that entangled the draconic blood energies was a difficult feat, and one had to purify it alongside the desolate power to produce astral crystals, but not Wei Wuyin.

His eyes radiated white light effusing Desolate Intent. He looked at the twenty thousand desolate pearls with a steady gaze. Lifting his hands, he started to move his fingers about like puppeteers. Sizzling and whistling sounds erupted from the desolate pearls! Their greyish tinted surfaces started to smoke, effusing wads of grey clouds.

Wei Wuyin was utilizing his Desolate Intent to extract the desolate power! After several minutes, the entire cave was filled with grey cloudy mist, and Wei Wuyin clenched his fists in a similar manner as he'd done when confronted by the abrupt assault of the female Realmlord!

The grey cloudy mist surged and flowed into his palms as if they were the most powerful vacuums in existence! In the matter of seconds, the area was clear. He overturned his palms, revealing two baseball-sized grey crystals. The amount of desolate power extracted was far, far greater than what the female Realmlord had stored and sent.

After keeping the desolate crystals, he looked at the pearls that ceaselessly trembled. The pearls were translucent and the insides were quivering, clearly revealing the violent and aggressive presence of draconic blood energies. They originated from various dragons of different lineage, and each pearl had multicolored light within signifying that truth.

He found out that a few dragons had aquatic and demonic bloodlines! These bloodlines influenced the draconic blood energies, and they released aquamarine and violet colors. This was merely two bloodlines, and there were roughly five more he couldn't identify.

The aquatic-type draconic bloodline aura matched heavily to Lian Yu's own, and the demonic-type draconic bloodline aura belonged to the lineage that Yuan Longshi had. He now realized that these two weren't just cultivators like Xue Yifei and himself, but might be ancient descendants with draconic bloodlines.

This discovery startled him for a moment, thinking about the existence of beastmen. There was no way the bloodlines diluted to the extent that they were back to being humans, right? Or was there more to the story? He didn't feel any link to beastmen from Lian Yu, so why would she have a draconic bloodline? Furthermore, Lian Yu originated from the Myriad Yore Continent while Yuan Longshi originated from Bloodforge Continent.

They were far, far apart.

Wei Wuyin pondered as he released a wisp of his draconic aura, suppressing the chaotically quivering bloodlines instantly. His True Dragon Bloodline was extremely pure, refined by millions of years of unrefined lifeforce and forged into its most exquisite state. He had an extremely oppressive aura that settled the others in moments.

"...!" Wei Wuyin's eyes erupted in brilliant light, flashing with vast mental energies and the light of discovery. He had determined how it was possible that these humans could grasp bloodlines of dragons without cultivating or being descendants! When the possibility entered his mind, he felt a wave of disbelief!

The answer was quite simple: Someone had implanted it!

Why?

The answer was even more simple if one thought about it! And it was because he had done something extremely similar!

When he was losing his mind, losing himself, he orchestrated three methods to escape his unfortunate predicament, and only Bai Lin had succeeded! He left behind three seeds, but only one was reaped and it allowed him to find a sect safely! While he never intended to become an alchemist, or stay for eight years, he eventually regained himself!

Wei Wuyin bitterly smiled at his theory, "It seems the dragons are not a species lacking intelligence and wisdom if true. To plan out an escape route expecting this type of fate, how insidiously devious and frighteningly farsighted. Unfortunately, the plans still fell short, likely not expecting the King of Everlore's departure would result in a vicious decline in cultivation standards. How unfortunate!" He lamented at their indirectly foiled plans, but felt respect at the implementation of it.

The dragons had planted seeds for their escape in these vessels, passed down through generations. If one of these seeds reached a certain cultivation level, perhaps they might've been lured by the bloodlines within them and fall into a ploy to act against the Auric Sea, possibly freeing the dragons as a result. After all, the Divine King had done this, and he would never let a dragon reach a level of development to do so.

It was quite intelligent.

After Wei Wuyin reached this point, he truly felt a bitter sensation emerge in his heart. But when he recalled Anu, he realized there might be a second seed planted. When he thought this, his Celestial Eyes gleamed with brilliance. If so, the ruination of the starfield might be linked to the dragons' escape.

He frowned, unsure how to react to this, especially considering his own intentions. Was he the third seed? Could Anu have made him another seed? 

Thinking this, he felt extremely uncomfortable. It would explain why a dragon of that caliber would unhesitantly pass on the full extent of the True Dragon Transmutation Method to him…

The second method to cultivate the True Dragon Transmutation Method, the only method applicable to a human like himself would actually use, involved passing alongside Anu's bloodline to his children indirectly! This was clearly its intent, and he was definitely not the first or last!! 

It was definitely how Yuan Longshi and Lian Yu were born...

"Who cares! Who cares! Who cares!" Ori immediately sounded, linked to his thoughts and mind. It revealed its own perspective of this possibility, clearly feeling it was irrelevant.

"No matter what, your intentions won't change." Eden wisely said. It knew Wei Wuyin's emotions and intentions clearer than others, snugly situated within his Sea of Consciousness. Even if he was planted as a seed by Anu, would that change anything?

Absolutely not!

Furthermore, Kratos was there! How could he ever think about stopping now?!

With renewed vigor, Wei Wuyin took a deep breath before expelling out all those turbid, uncomfortable feelings. "You're both right; it matters not if I'm being calculated within someone's scheme. I'll still act how I wish, according to my own heart and will."

"Tch!" King merely made his signature sound, but a trace of pride was leaked. 

Wei Wuyin relaxed his mind, no longer thinking of these complicated and unnecessary things. It was time to restore his Bloodline Source, and then...push it even further!