Paragon of Sin

A few hundred miles away, the skinny old man appeared with He Yanglei in tow. The young man of outstanding talent stumbled slightly. His hands were still trembling and a saber howl echoed in his mind. With a vicious expression, he aggressively questioned: "Why didn't you kill him?!" 

The skinny old man gave He Yanglei a sidelong glance. There was a flicker of annoyance in his gaze, and it exerted a pressure that stifled the next upcoming words within He Yanglei's throat. Still, he was unable to accept this. 

"Haha, we're not your thugs, little one—just your protectors." A sonorous laugh echoed as the old man that often accompanied the young woman arrived. He had a bright smile with lively eyes, snacking on something in his brown bag. 

He Yanglei started, staring at the new arrival with trepidation. "You're Ming Yuling's Dharma Protector?" He recognized the old man's appearance from when they first entered this World Realm, escorted by the Golden Life Pavilion.

The old man nodded, eating what seemed to be a salted peanut with a hearty crunch. "Our job is to ensure the overseer doesn't take hidden action against you or if something unexpected happens, little one. And, to make sure you return alive. And I think my old friend here did an amazing job there, right?" With a sly smile, he offered the skinny old man whatever was in his brown bag.

Refusing with a hand gesture, the skinny old man asked with a frown: "Who is he?" 

The old man halted his hand that was about to send another peanut into his mouth. He faintly sighed, glancing at He Yanglei. Sensing his actions, the skinny old man casually flicked his finger and He Yanglei vanished into thin air. 

"That sensitive?" 

The old man shook his head, "I don't know who he is. You might have a better idea than me, you inspected him. What did you find out?"

"You don't know?" The skinny old man frowned, "You sent me a message to be cautious, and you don't know?"

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"What's wrong with being cautious? You don't want your entire clan eradicated, or worse, our starfield, because we killed the wrong person. I sure as hell don't want to die for these brats or those other idiots." The old man spoke frankly, scrunching his lips in dissatisfaction. 

The skinny old man frowned and remained silent for a very long moment, scoffing soon afterwards. "He has two Ten-Ringed Soul Idols."

"Two?"

Nodding, the skinny old man continued: "Wherever his origins are, he has a Saint Alchemist behind him. Furthermore, his foundation is real. He has thirty-two centimeter Astral Cores, two of them. His innate energies are refined to their utmost limits, and his physical body is terrifyingly powerful. He seemed like a humanoid beast. There also wasn't a single iota of impurities from products in his body."

The old man's mouth widened in surprise, "Not a single bit?"

"Not a single bit."

"..." The two went silent, internally reeling from this discovery. This indicated that all of the products used to cultivate Wei Wuyin were low-grade, not a single impure-grade product!

They both exchanged looks, "Worldly Saint Alchemist?" They simultaneously asked each other. 

"But why is he here?" The old man asked, whether to himself or the skinny old man, even he didn't know. He knew Wei Wuyin the longest but he refused to delve into befriending him with invasive questions, preferring the usage of a soft approach. 

"There's more," the skinny old man plainly said.

"More?"

Nodding, "I inspected his spatial ring and the items on his body. He wears the Crescent Jade Key from the Void Voyage Sect, indicating his qualifications to participate as a Chosen Candidate in their trial. And, in his spatial ring, he has dozens, if not hundreds, of ninth-grade products of various types. None of them are impure."

"..." Another bout of silence permeated the air after those words were said. The tension in the air was thick, nigh tangible. The two basked in this silence, staring at each other, for several dozen seconds. What went on in their minds was anyone's guess. 

After a while, the old man laughed. "I just saved your life; you owe me big-time." 

The skinny old man didn't deny that, merely snorting with a hint of dissatisfaction. He merely said, "two Chosen Candidate trials of forces of our starfield, but he doesn't originate from our starfield. How?"

"Better question: Why?" The old man smilingly added. "But it doesn't matter. Whatever he's here for, it's his business. Our job is only to protect these brats, not delve into some plot that might exceed our strength or threaten our lives."

The skinny old man slightly nodded, agreeing with those words. He did not want to be pulled into some strange plot or get killed because of this specific job. He's lived for too long and didn't cultivate to his current height to have such a shitty assignment be the reason for his end. 

That would be woefully depressing.

-----

Back at the Sky Zephyr City, Wei Wuyin only felt relief at having survived that encounter. He was baffled by the aspects of mystical power that Mystic Ascendants Cultivators wielded, and he was even more certain that that wasn't a normal Mystic Ascendant. At the very least, he was definitely far, far stronger than Wu Yu had been, exceeding the first stage.

What he didn't understand was why they were here. Was this place so dangerous that they needed these powerful existences that reached unfathomable levels of power? After all, Divine King Han Xei was considered weaker than Wu Yu at the time this World Realm was likely created, so how could he create things that required experts of their level to defend against?

Could it be Wang Yutian?

When he recalled that old ghost, the cultivator turned Spiritform, he knew his abilities might exceed his original estimation, and not by a little. 

'This world truly is too vast and I'm far too ignorant. While I was capable of killing that Holy Son, I didn't think he could be saved with such ease. I even split his Sea of Consciousness and Astral Soul, but it was all undone in the matter of a few seconds. What terrifying god-like power.' Wei Wuyin's thoughts were immersed in a sea of awe by the possibilities enabled by cultivation, astonished by the abilities of cultivators! 

While he had saved Zuhei's life from a fatal injury, and even resurrected Hong Ru, all of those feats were through the mixture of worldly materials brought together by the Alchemic Dao. The difference between relying on external means and your own internal power to accomplish these tasks was a far, far more terrifying achievement.

He was unable to dwell for long, however. As the newly merged token descended, he reached out and accepted it. With a faint smile, he was one step closer to his goal. 

There was only one token left.

Those who were observing the events weren't certain what happened. After the platform of light shattered in a blinding explosion, the entire area that Wei Wuyin and He Yanglei occupied was covered in a hazy and translucent mist. So when the beam of light descended from the sky soon after, they waited with bated breaths for the outcome.

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When Wei Wuyin's figure was revealed alone, holding the token created from eight Badges of Divinity, the crowd knew who the final victor was. As for that He Yanglei, he might've been killed just as Wei Wuyin declared.

Ignoring their speculative thoughts, Wei Wuyin swept his gaze towards the rampaging Dragons of Origin, causing them to obediently quiet down. They soared around him, and the Metal-Origin Dragon once more allowed Wei Wuyin to take his favorite spot on its head. 

They all turned their eyes towards the last remaining Voidship. A faint pressure emanated from their joint actions.

Wei Wuyin smilingly said, "I hope we can negotiate, not spout lies to create disadvantages towards each other. What do you think?"

Tang Xingyun, who was just as clueless as the others, felt her heart quake at Wei Wuyin's smile.