Paragon of Sin

Eleven days left…

With the time ticking down on the seemingly inevitable ruination of the starfield and all its inhabitants, there were numerous experts and cultivators moving about like pieces on a game board. But the eventual outcome was as uncertain as one's next breath.

However, on the planet Wuyu on the newly placed continent, multiple parties were converging on a single location with very different intentions. None of these parties were aware of the ensuing calamity that approached. They acted out of concern, hatred, or upon strict orders. 

Grandquake City was a closed off city without any entrances for cultivators, surrounded by tall and sturdy defensive walls that stood against devastation that the Season of Devils typically wrought. The inhabitants of the city and visitors had to use miniaturized Void Gates that worked for extremely short distances carrying the specific function to directly enter the city.

When the continent traversed the void, cultivators were unable to leave or enter, forcefully having them scale the walls or be brought over it via experts. The Void Gates, be it long or short range, were all rendered nonfunctional. Not even the forgers who crafted the Void Gates were able to repair them.

The inside of Grandquake City, however, was still thriving as many cultivators stayed in the safety of the city to await news from their leaders about this new environment. The three Solar Stars in the sky was a shocking discovery that left many with fear and trepidation in their hearts. 

As cultivators who experienced and lived through the Season of Devils, an event that often took the lives of a large portion of the total population indiscriminately, especially culling the weak and reckless, they were trained by this culture to exert caution. 

Inside the city, there was a replacement for the City Lord and Guardian, replacing the former City Guardian Qu Xiaoying. This replacement was named Huang Boqin and was of a similar cultivation base to Qu Xiaoying, being a Realmlord. He was acting as a dual role, as the City Lord and City Guardian.

Since Qu Xiaoying's disappearance and the former City Lord being charged with embezzling resources as well as a failure of duties, the powers above sought to give more power to those trustworthy. Huang Boqin had a clan residence stationed here, and it was essentially linked to his ancestral beginnings. They were certain that the situation wouldn't repeat because the majority of his lineage was here. If he slipped, the cost wouldn't just be his to bear.

At the moment, Huang Boqin was seated on the City Lord's throne, inspecting some documents regarding newly sent information about the Dark Void and its dangers. His hands trembled as he read the report of those who've died or worse. He felt thankful that he had been placed here. 

Huang Boqin had a slim and tall figure with circular eyeglasses with a thin, glossy black metallic frame. He oozed out a scholarly aura of a well-educated individual. However, his cultivation base would betray his appearance, as no cultivator that could reach such a level in the Four Extreme Continent was just a scholar. 

Pushing up his glasses to the bridge of his nose, he glanced at a figure who stood with his head slightly bowed. He was his assistant, and a rising star in the cultivation world. If Wei Wuyin were to be present, he would immediately recognize this assistant as one of the captives that stayed with him after their daring escape.

Huang Yu!

He had initially come to Grandquake City because Huang Yu had mentioned having a residence in Grandquake City. After receiving some alchemical products from Wei Wuyin as he waa sent off, he cultivated for nearly three years and experienced a large change. With his newfound cultivation base at the Spatial Resonance Phase and young age in relation to the average, he was given attention by his clan and was taken in as an assistant to Huang Boqing, their clan's most powerful patriarch. 

"Huang Yu," Huang Boqing called out.

"Yes!" He responded with an energetic response, bowing slightly as he readied himself to receive any orders. His actions were perfect, and Huang Boqing faintly smiled. 

"I want you to-" Huang Boqing paused between his words as his head snapped to the east. "Tell Lord Zhang to prime the formation, I sense a spatial fluctuation being fixed outside our gates, not to any platform." After he gave this order, he vanished in a flash of silver light.

Huang Yu's eyes widened. His heart raced as he rushed off to the Designer and Operator of the Grandquake Array. Since Wei Wuyin's overtaking of the array and its myriad formations, those in power had decided to separate City Power with Independent Power, while simultaneously ensuring that Huang Boqing couldn't perform any thieving actions. The Designer and Operator of the Grandquake Array served as that line, with all its functions and even its activation having to go through him.

Huang Boqing arrived atop the walls of the Grandquake City and observed the spatial fluctuations being formed nearby, clearly the sign of a Void Gate connecting with this point in fixed space. While other cultivators might not be able to sense it, those at the Realm World Level harness a unique sensitivity to spatial energies. Their astral force and spiritual energies were infused with spatial energies in a far more intimate manner than the Spatial Resonance Phase.

After all, they controlled spatial force.

He pushed his spectacles up the bridge of his nose, narrowing his eyes as he did. The overall rule of the Four Extreme Continent was not to use Void Gates to establish in areas not marked by platforms, and doing so was similar to declaring war. 

Was it the Grey Sands Elves? They've been extremely quiet since the sky had changed. As his agile mind swirled with possibilities, thousands of figures with robust and steady auras arrived a few hundred miles away from the city. 

When the members of the Myriad Monarch Sect arrived on the continent, those capable of determining location on astronomical alignment were startled. This was planet Wuyu! However, the continent shouldn't be in this position. 

Xue Yifei was one of the first few to notice this. She was talented in navigation and enjoyed studying astronomical positioning, especially after living the vast majority of her life on the Bloodforge Continent. Her hazel eyes brightened with excitement and intrigue at this mystery.

When she inspected the ground, noticing the grey sand that seemed to be turning brown at varying degrees, her thoughts exploded with all sorts of fantastical theories. She lowered herself enough to touch the grey yet strangely browning dirt. 

"Desolate Power? Earthen Energies?" She discovered that there was a strange desolate power emitting from the sand, trying to slowly extract her innate energies from their physical contact. Furthermore, the sand was incredibly rich in earthen energies far beyond any location in their starfield. 

There were others performing similar actions as she was, but they were mostly leaders of their factions or the sages present. The members were all highly vigilant and circumspect. They were ready for battle, unwilling to be taken by surprise.

Tuo Bihan also sent out his spiritual senses. He instantly noticed the city several hundred miles away, and an aura similar to his. His eyes constricted as his peaceful expression became extremely serious. When he received the message from Wei Wuyin regarding this continent and the coordinates to use to come, he hadn't expected to meet Realmlords!

Moreover, this Realmlord's aura was extremely sturdy and stable, extremely legitimate without an ounce of falseness within. They were a genuine Seventh Stage Cultivator of the Astral Core Realm! 

Wei Wuyin had given random coordinates that carried a rough idea of where he intended to place the Four Extreme Continent. He hadn't expected that the coordinates would be extremely close to him. 

A soft exclamation resounded near Tuo Bihan, catching Tuo Bihan's attention. The sound belonged to an elven Imperial Sage. She was a green-haired middle-aged beauty with a slim physique and shoulder-length brown hair. She could be considered Qing Qiumu's great-great-great-great Grandaunt. 

Noticing that her exclamation had attracted attention, Imperial Sage Qing Zu, also Qing Qiumu's Ancestor, spoke: "I sense Little Qing. I mean, Qing Qiumu, Grand Sage."

Tuo Bihan was taken aback. What a coincidence!

At this same time, Qing Qiumu was traveling to the True Desolate Temple knowing that Wei Wuyin had a high chance of being there if severely injured. She had no specific way to track him, so she could only hope to find some clue to his whereabouts there if he was absent. Still, she had to try. 

However, she hadn't expected her ring to light up as she received a spiritual transmission! And it belonged to her Ancestor, Qing Zu! She hurriedly read it, but kept moving at a swift pace. When she did, she was shocked as she halted and looked towards the east. Her eyes shone brightly as she was filled with joy.

If the other members of their sect were here, then this would make finding Wei Wuyin easier! With her goal given new life, she flew towards the direction her Ancestor was located.

Just a few dozen miles away from Grandquake City, coming from the west, the hooded figure lifted his dark gaze as a strange light ignited in his eyes. "Master?" With a voice that trembled with surprise and a similar joy, the figure shot towards that familiar and unforgettable aura.

As the figure ran, his hood left his face to reveal a handsome yet faintly scarred face. It belonged to Long Chen!

At this time, Huang Boqing felt the activation of the Grandquake Array and its defensive formations, and took a soft breath. He flew forward to meet the group of new arrivals! He had to first learn of their exact intent before deciding a course of action.