Paragon of Sin

A ardent light in the sky, scarlet-golden, beautiful, and majestic as the divinities of mythological legends graced the world with its presence. A clarion cry attracted the attention of nearly all inhabiting planet Origin's southern hemisphere. The cry wasn't explosive, almost soothing to hear.

The experts of the True Element Sect stationed on the planet reacted. Countless Realmlords and gawked at the sight, those at the Timelord and Starlord levels shot into the sky and halted at the first Sky Layer of the planet. They could clearly see the outline of the blazing figure at the edge of their planet. Its twenty-two thousand meter height and even larger wingspan engulfed their vision.

"Is that…?!"

"FIRE PHOENIX!" A Starlord pointed, howling at these two words with genuine and unmistakable disbelief. The Fire Phoenix! Very few of these figures hadn't seen recordings of the Tang Clan's humiliating failure, including the might and brilliance of the Fire Phoenix itself. It was a discussed topic for the last month or so, and there was likely not a single Realmlord that isn't living in seclusion that wasn't aware of its existence or reputation.

This was especially so for the Aeternal Sky Starfield where the Tang Clan resided. Their defeat had changed the power ranking of the entire starfield. The Tang Clan hadn't just lost millennia of accumulated wealth in a single moment, but three Highlords, these unfathomably exalted figures, had met their untimely end.

The Tang Clan had almost lost their reputation as having the highest number of Demi-Mortal Lords in the Aeternal Sky Starfield, excluding the Imperial Clan.

"Oh my heavens! Why is it here?!" A Starlord paled, hurriedly sending spiritual transmissions to his clan to prepare the Void Gate for departure. The Starlord was frightful of the planet's demise and for good reason. The Fire Phoenix was too mysterious, connected to a powerful foreign Earthly Saint of unknown origins.

Lin Xianxei and Lin Xianxian's expressions drastically changed after realizing who that scarlet-golden light belonged to.

"The Fire Phoenix…" Lin Xianxian's countenance became white, turning paler by several shades. She hurriedly sent a message with her capacity as Sect Leader. While her position was mostly nominal, she had a responsibility to her Clan Members to secure their safety. While she didn't fear the Fire Phoenix itself, she feared the consequences of a fight between Earthly Saints.

She was confident of the Guardian of Elements prowess and means, especially with the planetary array established. But unintended casualties and developments were entirely possible. The planet Rainbow Sky was evidence of the disastrous power Earthly Saints wielded.

Lin Ming's grey eyes reflected the silhouette of the fiery beast in the sky, his heart racing as he absorbed the magnificence of such a powerful, extraordinary creature. A desire to mount a beast of such caliber one day sprung within his heart.

It didn't take long for reports to be sent out. While the planet Origin was the main headquarters of the True Element Sect, the Ascended beings of the various factions and of elder ranking spent most of their time in dedicated cultivation-type secret realms. They housed themselves there with carefully curated environments suitable for their personal cultivation, all linked to locations on the planet. It was a benefit of their status and power.

As for the planet itself, it had established defenses that could halt Earthly Saints for an extended period, buying enough time for the Earthly Saints of the sect to react or for the vital members of the populace to escape via Void Gates to sealed secret realms. Just the presence of the fire phoenix had already activated several of its formations. A nine-colored light enveloped the uppermost Sky Layer of the planet.

The various Ascended beings of the sect began to emerge. They didn't hesitate to fearlessly fly upwards, entering the uppermost Sky Layer and observing the Fire Phoenix with bright, cautious, or complex gazes.

"It's the Fire Phoenix…" An Exalted, a male cultivator at the Mystic Star Phase, couldn't help but mutter aloud.

"Why is it here?" Questions flew, but answers remained unattainable at the moment. No one dared to fly beyond the protections of the planetary formations, demanding an answer from this beast or the Earthly Saint that might accompany it. Just the beast itself was enough to threaten their lives, its strength reported to be roughly at the elite Demi-Mortal Lord Phase.

However, they weren't fearful. The True Element Sect might be in a crisis, internally and externally, financially and politically, but they were still a World Sect at the Mystic-Tier. They had three Earthly Saints and tens of thousands of years of accumulation. If attacked, all allegiances aside, everyone would join together to protect their united interests.

They weren't weak, so they weren't fearful.

After a few dozen seconds, when this side of the sky that the Fire Phoenix shone its light upon was filled to the brim with Ascended beings and mortal cultivators, three unfathomable auras erupted outwards. The Ascended beings could feel the mystic-graded mana, mystic essence, and their internalized Mystic Seeds tremble violently.

The three Earthly Saints had arrived!

Outside the glossy white layer, three figures emerged side by side in the Dark Void.

To the left was a mature, dark-haired woman with exquisitely applied make-up. She wasn't too outstanding or lacking in any particular area, but her imperialistic demeanor lent her an alluring charm that demanded respect. In white robes with a navy-blue trim that hugged her figure, she was Zhang Ziyi.

To the right, a man of average looks, middle-aged, who carried a relatively lazy posture forming a sharp contrast to his fierce eyes. In white robes with a sanguine trim, he was Gong Lau.

At the center, it was none other than Han Yuhei, the Guardian of the Elements, and one of the strongest Earthly Saints in the entire Aeternal Sky Starfield. While his facial features were obscured by a hood, his nine-colored outfit of perfectly symmetrical design stood out. Yet his presence was stifling and reassuring to the masses below.

The Earthly Saints had unleashed their Mystic Auras, ensuring to the world that they were present. It was broadcasting to the world that fear or panic was unnecessary. Their existences were enough to sweep all issues. Those auras suppressed the Fire Phoenix's fiery brilliance.

The ambient mood changed suddenly, with some Ascended beings even entertaining the possibility of obtaining the Fire Phoenix for their own use. The bloodline of this beast was said to be mystical, and the Tang Clan would pay any price to obtain the slightest drop of its blood essence. Also, It was reported to have magical life-granting properties. There wasn't a single Mystic Star Phase cultivator alive that didn't wish to live longer after their 'failure'.

Yet all of those thoughts vanished from their minds after a single sentence was projected to them all spiritually.

"Is this how you welcome your so-called Chosen?" An explosive Mystic Aura met the three Earthly Saints, clashing with them in a tempest of mystic power that only those Ascended beings could see, but every last living being felt.

The expressions of Zhang Ziyi and Gong Lau drastically shifted, the colors of their faces paled after meeting the gargantuan power barreling their way. Aghast, they hurriedly reinforced their Mystic Auras to match the ferocious power. Han Yuhei's eyes were revealed underneath his hood, the brilliance of nine colors emanated from his pupils, and his robes fluttered wildly.

He took a single step forward, his Mystic Aura unleashed to another degree higher, exceeding the combined power of both Zhang Ziyi and Gong Lau. The tempest of mystic power grew wilder, even the planetary formation was affected as ripples began to ceaselessly appear on its glossy surface.

"Oh?" The voice from earlier began to grow deeper, infused with an imperialistic richness that demanded subservience and capitulation.

"Sit, Little Yu!" A voice solely directed towards Han Yuhei sounded like thunder in his ears, causing the glint in his eyes to grow aggressive. The glint carried endless memories, fueled by internal rage.

...

BOOM!!!

Han Yuhei strongly resisted, but an explosive burst of mystic power caused his body to fly uncontrollably backward, piercing through the planetary formation at startling speed. Like a meteorite, Han Yuhei crashed into the planet's surface and caused the planet to shake.

Then, the Fire Phoenix cried. The flames that engulfed its body began to shrink, losing its fiery brilliance. In moments, the Fire Phoenix Transformation was ended, revealing the figures of Wu Yu, Wei Wuyin, Wen Mingna, and Bai Lin.

Wu Yu stood floating in the Dark Void ahead of them, his arms crossed against his chest with an imposing glare that could still the beating heart. 'Heavens! That felt good.' Wu Yu suppressed a delighted grin as he regarded the astonished and fear-stricken expressions of the two Earthly Saints.

With Wen Mingna's Worldly Domain covering him, Wei Wuyin flew forward ahead of Wu Yu, obtaining the focused gazes of everyone on this side of the planet. He clasped his hands together, extending a polite bow, "I, Wei Wuyin, greet the Elementus Monarchs." Those words were transmitted spiritually to all.

Woosh!

Han Yuhei shot upwards as a beam of nine-colored light, returning to the middle position of the Earthly Saints with incredible speed. Those at a certain level might not have even noticed his momentary absence. He no longer had his hood concealing his face, revealing his gentle, well-proportioned facial features, sword-like eyebrows colored white, and nine-colored eyes that reflected the nine elements.

The entire planet, all its experts, and the three Earthly Saints all had expression changes as they met this young, astonishingly, almost impossibly handsome man with closed eyes and a hint of a smile. Even Zhang Ziyi, someone who hadn't been moved by men for a long, long time felt her lower half experience a reaction.

Down on the planet, Lin Xianxei's eyes were unimaginably wide, trembling, and her delicate body visibly shook.