Paragon of Sin

"This shouldn't be happening! How could this be happening?!" From a great distance, watching Sky Zephyr City and the fight that laid to rest nine Realmlords, Ming Shufeng was holding her face with reddened eyes, seemingly mad, seemingly bedeviled. She had glimpsed into Heavenly Fate! She had visions of the future, of the peaceful summit, of Wei Wuyin's defeat! 

How could this be happening?! This wasn't like before, with a little misreading of the situation, but the entire rewriting of the script! Her belief in her visions, in fate energies, in the Heavenly Daos' omnipotence, was tested at this very moment.

Even San Yongli, who was standing near her, had bright crimson eyes beneath her hood. Those eyes of hers were suffused with confusion and uncertainty, feeling that this didn't make a lick of sense. The Book of Heaven's Path had added Wei Wuyin's storyline to its events, unlike before, and she knew this meant he wasn't like her. He was a normal cultivator.

How could changes be happening so drastically? Was knowing the future really all it took for it to change? Was her minor actions causing immense and unimaginable changes? If so, what's the point of this Book of Heaven's Path?!

She felt that this Book of Heaven's Path had enough miraculous abilities that it could determine future events, even send her soul through time and return to her younger body, yet it had such a glaring fault. She knew taking action, disrupting the flow of events for her own benefits, could cause drastic changes in the timeline, but with the Book of Heaven's Path, she felt reassured to adapt at will. But was it all a sham? Was this mystical book just lies or a probability of events?

With these unanswered questions, she turned to Ming Shufeng. "Can you see the outcome of their fight?" Clearly, Wei Wuyin, the Ascendant Emperor of Neo-Dawn, and Lin Ming, the True Elemental Emperor, were going to fight to determine a victor. And she felt that this battle will determine the real future.

After all, Lin Ming was destined to possess all nine badges, receive the final inheritance, travel to the Aeternal Sky Starfield, become a Chosen of the True Element Sect, and rise to prominence! There was no way for him to lose! If he did, wouldn't he lose the most vital aspect of his future? 

Becoming a Chosen!

Ming Shufeng had nearly gone insane before San Yongli asked her that question. With a spry jump, she excitedly felt a glimmer of hope. She just had to glimpse into the outcome! Verify the truth! Reaffirm her faith!

With her hands clasped, she started to slowly perform handseals and execute a variety of spells. These weren't spells of probability, but future sight spells! When she obtained the outcome, she breathed out a breath of relief.

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"Wei Wuyin loses," she relaxed at this verdict. 

But San Yongli frowned, "How?" From her point of view, Wei Wuyin had an impossibly large Astral Core, likely a product of a cultivation self-damaging spell for temporary power. She was familiar with these types of spells and methods that could temporarily expand one's astral core to impossible limits, increasing its quality. It was insidious, deceitful, and short-sighted.

And while Wei Wuyin had taken that route, likely to fight against Realmlords and Timelords, his current strength was definitely beyond Lin Ming.

Ming Shufeng's relieved smile froze. She hurriedly sought insight, but found nothing. "I...don't know." Her words were dispirited, uncertain.

San Yongli thought for a moment, considering things for a brief period, and her eyes glowed to an unprecedented limit. It was like two crimson-colored solar stars! "Is it possible that he has protection against the seeing of his future?" Those words were casually said, but it caused Ming Shufeng to pip right up.

"You're saying he's a **," As Ming Shufeng started to speak, her syllables became strange.

"ARGH!" San Yongli's knees hit the ground, her head consumed by a hellish ringing noise that scratched at her brain. It was brief, very brief, but her entire cloak was drenched in sweat. Even her hands were wet, goosebumps and standing hair throughout her entire body!

Ming Shufeng was terrified. She reached out to hold San Yongli, who reacted as if she had eyes in the back of her head, smacking her hand away.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" San Yongli violently screamed, vicious pain stabbing into her tone. 

Wincing away, Ming Shufeng remained silent and distanced herself from San Yongli. She murmured under her breath, "I just wanted to help you." But she recalled Wei Wuyin's reaction before, when she told him about the details of the eighteen levels of Hell. It was similar, but he was far more resilient.

Was it possible that certain individuals can't hear about certain details? To test this theory, she said: "You heard about the first hell? It is said that…" 

San Yongli ignored her, not reacting at all. After realizing those words weren't causing any changes, Ming Shufeng frowned. 'Was it possible that different people can't hear certain things?' Her ocean-blue eyes fixated on San Yongli's rising figure.

'Then what are you and what is he?' Her inner questions had calmed her heart, regaining her faith as she realized that Wei Wuyin was an abnormality in this world. If that's the case, then reading his fate will almost always be wrong.

-----

As Ming Shufeng had just stumbled upon an epiphany that slightly revealed the greatest truths and secrets this world has to offer, Wei Wuyin had accepted Lin Ming's challenge request. To officially challenge, both sides must be within a hundred meters of each other.

"Put away your array!" Lin Ming demanded. He didn't wish to be attacked by these dragons without warning, forced to deal with such frightening power. 

Wei Wuyin faintly smiled, leaping from the head of the Metal-Origin Dragon. He fearlessly flew towards Lin Ming, his dragons slowly descending to the ground, staring at the world with lifelike curiosity. The devastation they caused Sky Zephyr City was absolute, ravaging everything with the casual movements of their claws and bodies. 

Lin Ming frowned. Clearly, Wei Wuyun wasn't an idiot. Why would he retract his most powerful weapon? With a tightened grip around his Origin Spear, he waited for Wei Wuyin to get closer. When he arrived two hundred meters away, Lin Ming's body erupted in lightning and wind, and he blurred forward as he covered a hundred meters instantly!

Wei Wuyin's eyes widened slightly, revealing a trace of shock.

Lin Ming smirked, hurriedly activating the Badge of Divinities challenging functions, causing his four tokens and Wei Wuyin's three tokens to light up brightly! A bright beam of light descended from the sky, pushing away everything, such as the Voidship, all the residents of Sky Zephyr City, and even the Sky Zephyr Temple!

For ten miles, everything was pushed away.

Except the two Holy Sons! 

And…

Those nine dragons turned to look at the beaming light, their eyes extremely playful and amused. The Fire-Origin Dragon pushed away the Wood-Origin Dragon, seemingly smiling while doing so. The Water-Dragon retaliated, pushing the Fire-Origin Dragon and roaring, cuddling the Wood-Origin Dragon in comfort. They seemed so vivid and lifelike, that many might mistake them for having their own id, ego, and superego, being truly sentient.

When the light dispersed, Wei Wuyin and Lin Ming stood on a platform of light, surrounded by a cylindrical curtain of protective light. 

"The dragons!" Lin Ming shouted in surprise, seeing the dragons inside the curtain of light, playing around casually. How was that possible?! Wasn't this an external array? According to Senior Sister Lin, external formations and arrays were isolated from the platform, even talismans, pellets, and astral weapons beyond a certain quality were restricted!

Wei Wuyin ignored Lin Ming's shock, his eyes fully relaxed. 'It's a little unfortunate that I can't kill him, yet.' With a wistful thought, he urged his remaining elemental origin force to surge, manifesting a white fist the size of a hundred meters.

With a fierce punch, he launched it at Lin Ming! The fist propelled itself at blinding speed, causing Lin Ming to hurriedly change his thoughts, wielding his spear, and stabbing it forth in retaliation. A surge of elemental origin force exploded, matching the fist in height!

The two forces clashed, and a figure shot out with trails of blood. Lin Ming flew across the platform like a flickering shadow. He stabbed his Origin Spear into the platform of light, halting his momentum and dragging a long line across it.

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Lin Ming's forehead was drenched in blood, suffering an horrific injury to the head. From his hand that gripped the Origin Spear, blood leaked as his skin was torn. A single strike had caused him incredible damage!

He lifted himself up, his Elemental Wood Force working to repair his external and internal injuries. After suffering that attack, Lin Ming spat out, looking at Wei Wuyin. But his eyes didn't just contain a solemn light, but a wisp of disdain and pity.

"Using self-damaging methods to elevate your strength, huh? What pill or method did you use to accomplish that? No wonder your Astral Core is so large," he had his suspicions before, but after taking that blow and suffering these injuries, he was certain that Wei Wuyin used amplification methods to forcefully raise his strength!

No wonder he was unafraid of a challenge, willing to fight against Realmlords in the Season of Regression. He spat out another wad of blood, realizing he had miscalculated and underestimated the lengths Wei Wuyin, this so-called Ascendant Emperor of Neo-Dawn, would go.

"..." Wei Wuyin was speechless.