Paragon of Sin

Chapter 1867 Chapter 1859: A Detonation of Riches

"Stop here," Wei Wuyin mentally transmitted to Bai Lin. She halted her momentum with a gentle flap of her white wings, yet she didn't flare into a fiery form like before. Her golden gaze focused on the distortion in space up ahead.

"Heaven-Saint Neo-Dawn!" A very familiar voice resounded as the spatial distortion ceased roughly ten miles away from their location in the Dark Void. With a soft sound akin to scorched air, the individual revealed themselves.

"Incandescent Star Palace Lord! My friend—to what do I owe this sudden visit?" Wei Wuyin's lips curved into a smile. Since he had arrived at the Utmost Purity Galaxy, the Incandescent Star Palace Lord was forcefully pulled into lending him credibility by staying silent regarding the true nature of their relationship—or lack thereof. The Star Disc that he had manufactured allowed the unknowing invasion of foreign entities into spatial regions without permission, avoiding their established spatial defenses, and it would ultimately shatter everything he had built if exposed. His business enterprise that catered to the elites for fast transportation in and outside of the galaxy would collapse within an instant.

The Incandescent Star Palace Lord's left eyebrow twitched ever so slightly from the mere utterance of the word 'friend'. He could only smile in kind while exuding a welcoming aura, "Haha! You've been so busy that it's difficult to get a hold of you."

"The Neo Zenith Tower took a lot of my time to craft. The Blank Dominion isn't so easily conquered. Forgive me for any neglect I've shown lately. Is there something urgent you need help with?" Wei Wuyin put on a show of a cordial and considerate friend.

"No worries, Heaven-Saint Neo-Dawn." The Incandescent Star Palace Lord wouldn't dare to seek a one-sided favor casually with such a sly imperial emperor. Instead, he replied by gesturing toward the Incinerated Dominion in the distance. "I've just received word from my true body that the initiation process of Core Detonation for the Heavenly World has begun. He's had me stationed at the edge of the Blank Dominion to inform you."

"Oh?" Wei Wuyin acted surprised. The Incinerated Dominion had been on his radar since he sold the information to the Archanids. "When is the estimated time of its detonation?"

"In less than an hour," the Incandescent Star Palace Lord stated. This time, Wei Wuyin was genuinely surprised. "My true body extends a hopeful invitation to ally together to acquire good fortune amidst the competition. What do you think?"

"..." Wei Wuyin's gaze went to the Incinerated Dominion and then to the Original Dawn Palace, where the galaxy-toppling beauties were waiting for him. The timing couldn't be anything worse. Yue Songli's lips emerged in his thoughts. However, this event required his presence and full attention. An Avatar, even a False God Avatar, wouldn't do for the upcoming rumble for good fortune and heavenly riches. The term 'heavenly riches' was not an exaggeration.

Saddled with this decision, he decided to contact Yue Songli first. Her opinion was a priority here. Her value was far greater than the Incinerated Dominion. The only difference was that the Incinerated Dominion's detonation had a very brief window for him to involve himself for any gains.

He sent a message via the Void Ring, communicating with Yue Songli to inform her of his thoughts. The reply he got was nigh-instantaneous, her voice shy and abundant with urgency:

"Good! Go! I…still have some things to prepare."

Wei Wuyin laughed amusingly as his piercing gaze located Yue Songli, Cao Cuifen, and Liu Suyin speaking in a room over tea. On a table was a sensual white dress, fitted perfectly to Yue Songli's body.

Were they giving her advice and offering her ideas? He didn't outright eavesdrop on their conversation, respecting their privacy, but the evidence from a single glance was clear, including her blushing cheeks that were enough to make a man stupid. Since this was a planned event, she was trying her best and putting her heart into it. He loved that about her. Truly.

Seeing that Yue Songli had no issue with the delay, despite his own heart kicking itself, he made his decision. The Incinerated Dominion was a Heavenly World born Heaven Microheaven imbued with the Laws of Fire, so this event was directly capable of benefiting Bai Lin and Shui Fengbao.

"Let's go then. After all, see how she's preparing, an hour was far too little time." Wei Wuyin laughed with a joyful heart as Bai Lin cried out in excitement in unison, desire rampant within her fiery golden eyes. The Incandescent Star Palace Lord Incantation's eyes blossomed with glee and relief. As a dual-attribute cultivator with an Incandescent Realm Resonant Soul, the Incinerated Dominion's materials, energies, and essences of the fire-attribute will greatly benefit his cultivation.

"That's good! I'll transmit that back to my true body. He'll be waiting for you." The Incantation didn't accompany Wei Wuyin, directly dissolving into pure light, and then beaming toward the Incinerated Dominion's region through the Dark Void.

"I'm so excited!" Bai Lin voiced herself as her wings unfurled to their maximum extent, and then she blazed into a fiery figure that followed after the beam of Light. Her speed was by no means inferior. Wei Wuyin unleashed his authority over space, eliminating any and every form of spatial resistance on Bai Lin, allowing her to accelerate yet again and exceed the beam of Light.

The act was so casual and understated despite its profound execution that the Incandescent Star Palace Lord, who was watching from afar, was instantly stunned; such an act of spatial manipulation was sufficient to shock him, a true-blue cultivator that has given birth to an Authority of Spatial Law and constructed a Microheaven to fuel its power!

Wei Wuyin wasn't focused on their reaction as Bai Lin moved through the Dark Void at unsettling speeds, far beyond what she had unleashed before. He was thinking of other things.

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The Utmost Purity Galaxy had seven Galactic Zones and numerous forbidden regions. These forbidden regions were excluded in territorial starmaps, often marked immediately as 'avoid, if at all possible' as mere existing in close proximity to Heavenly Worlds could cause individuals and vessels to be drawn into it sporadically, and the inherent spatial properties of an Internal World that had the intrinsic qualities of a Spatial Dimension made Spatial Shifting within its gravitational range an utter nightmare, so it naturally stored things that came under its influence.

It was like a chaotic and uncontrolled Saint Ring or Void Ring.

There were no small number of times where entire fleets of Void Vessels or hordes of cultivators were caught in its range, forced to enter, and either shatter upon entry or become incinerated ash. The latter was the most common scenario. It was warned heavily against utilizing spatial talismans within its range or formations that shift through space.

Because of this, these forbidden regions were well-known as hazardous death traps. But to those fortunate and blessed, such as Su Yi, the dangers of the Incinerated Dominion might be a fortuitous encounter, and to those powerful and capable, such as Supreme Existences, these places were places to avoid with little danger to themselves unless they daringly intrude.

The Incinerated Dominion was located between the Containing Creation Galactic Zone and Transforming Worlds Galactic Zone, within the Void-Blank Space, and to the outside world, it was a gargantuan ball of sanguine fire clustered in a close to spherical shape. It wasn't a Solar Star exactly, lacking sufficient internal mass that a Star Core would grant, but it resembled one greatly.

Its size was utterly massive! By far, it was slightly larger than the previously established Absolute-sized Solar Star maximum. A true terror of heat and combustion. Anything that came remotely close without proper protection would be overwhelmed by its radiating heat and scorched to nothingness.

Due to its size and lack of a Star Core, it had no consistent gravitational orbit. Sometimes it bellowed outwards with thunderous strength, and other times it pulled into itself at a horrifying strength far exceeding an Absolute-sized Solar Star's gravity. At the center of this gargantuan ball of sanguine fire was the Gateway Door to the Incinerated Dominion, making traveling there a battle.

Fortunately, where there were dangers, there were riches, and where there were riches, there were greedy bastards seeking to acquire them. And among these were an alliance of cultivators known as the Watershed Escort Group. They took it upon themselves to study the exact properties of the Incinerated Dominion's external heat-emitted fire energies and crafted a water-attributed Void Vessel that could shuttle through its fiery death haze, albeit temporarily, and bring those inside.

They would then, periodically, and for a portion of one's gains inside, send an extraction team. They were on the up and up in regards to their reputation, but there were stories of failed extractions and failed entrances occurring, causing the death of countless hopeful prospects.

Given the peculiarities of the Incinerated Dominion, only those who had cultivation bases at or beneath the Mystic Overlord level dared to venture into it. Strangely enough, True Sages would often die gruesome deaths.

The tale of caution and horror was that something was hunting their True Breath of a Sage for consumption. Moreover, there were terrifying creatures born within. They were a native species mutated from the surrounding Void Creatures that were forcefully pulled into and miraculously survived. Their strengths varied, only reaching the Mystic Overlord level at most. However, that something had a strength that might be a Supreme Existence.

The internal dimensional space was excessively expansive, rivaling a Stellar Region. There was enough space to avoid these creatures if one was lucky, and despite numerous cultivators entering by the thousands for training, trials by fire at times established by non-alchemy organizations, or the greed for incredible riches, few visitors would encounter each other.

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Inside the Incinerated Dominion, Su Yi, Yue Baoyue, and the fiery demon known as Afrit-tuza were gathered together, watching a young woman in black-colored light armor walk away from them. Her back figure was impressively firm and steady. Her steps were even and fearless, while a soft clink at her waist that could send shivers down the spine of divinities and devils alike resounded, stifling the saber howl that was lingering in the wind.

She vanished with a dusky burst of dawning light.

"..." Su Yi stared at the young woman with focused eyes and a pair of contemplative furrowed brows. Yue Baoyue's expression was pale with fright. Meanwhile, Afrit-tuza's left arm was severed, missing entirely, while its breathing was labored and pained.

"W-who was that?" Yue Baoyue asked as she subconsciously got closer to Su Yi. Just a few moments ago, Afrit-tuza was rushing back here after coming in contact with the Heavenly World's Core, initiating the detonation process they were planning. No, he was fleeing back.

Chasing him was this young woman in light battle armor, a saber at her waist, and her two fingers stretched out into a saber, emitting a saber howl that was tyrannical to an extreme. When Afrit-tuza came, it came with an urgent command for assistance.

In its exact words: "A MONSTER IN HUMAN FORM! CHASING ME! HELP!"

The fear in its powerful voice was apparent. However, when the Afrit-tuza came to his side, finding safety in numbers, the young woman with her black eyes as clear as feasibly possible halted. The hand that was on the saber's hilt at her waist was about to draw it in full, seeking to slay a demon, and only leveled a steady gaze at him as if asking if he was going to accompany the demon in death.

The sheer murderous intent that was contradictory in its serenity and purity was horrifying. Even Su Yi felt a threat.

Then, shockingly, she looked toward Yue Baoyue. And then, in a twist of events, the young woman used a hand to perform a foreign salute. "Su Mei of the Valkyrie recognizes the Mark of the Emperor," and then, without giving them a second glance, her murderous intent dissipated as if it didn't exist.

"Do not disturb an Ascendant when they cultivate. This is your one and only warning," Su Mei said to the Afrit-tuza before turning around and walking off. They just watched as she vanished.

Yue Baoyue felt as if she had just escaped death.

"Mark of the Emperor?" Su Yi muttered.

"What a terrifying woman. She doesn't seem human," Afrit-tuza stated as his severed left arm tried regenerating to no avail. With a scowling growl, he poured more energy into reconstructing his arm, yet failed again as it exploded into a scorching hot, lava-like pulp of flesh and blood that scorched the air and ground.

"Your arm," Su Yi realized there was a latent power hindering growth. He immersed himself in thought.

Yue Baoyue's eyes flashed with realization as she observed the sleeves of her dress. This was the beautiful dress that Wei Wuyin had given her. He was an emperor…

Did that woman withdraw because she sensed his aura? A mark? Was it protecting her?

Did he…not give up?

-----

Several billion miles away from the Incinerated Dominion, Wei Wuyin and Bai Lin were within a grand cockpit for the Stellar Brilliance, the Void Vessel of the Incandescent Star Palace Lord alongside a group of cultivators of great skill that were piloting it on all levels, operating every formation and array, maintaining and giving out orders to those manning those formations.

The Incandescent Star Palace Lord was here with one of his Vice Palace Masters, Zhou Yiyin—the Right Vice-Palace. She observed Wei Wuyin respectfully, unable to hide her curiosity.

Wei Wuyin and the Incandescent Star Palace Lord were engaged in discussion while Bai Lin was curiously messing around with the cultivators on deck.

"Whether we can obtain something good, though, might depend on my Prime Ascendants and your palace's Chosen, huh?" Wei Wuyin asked rhetorically.

The Incandescent Star Palace Lord nodded with satisfaction. It seems that Wei Wuyin was prepared and understood how things worked. However, there was something he had to know: "When Su Yi makes his escape, will you offer any assistance or impediments?"

The Incandescent Star Palace Lord asked via spiritual transmissions, concealed under numerous anti-divination and anti-observation spells. He wanted to know what stance he should take. After all, there were a few competing interests, but most will be focused on the detonation event, not the pursuit.

Only those who hated or sought his secrets desperately Su Yi would be involved alongside those who would certainly protect him, such as the Primal Peerless Sect's second Sovereign Knight, especially since Long Shiya was out of commission, unable to interfere in her decision. She already had her Void Vessel out, creating a tense atmosphere.

Wei Wuyin thought for a second, "My stance on Yue Baoyue's fate remains the same. As long as no one violates that, I see no reason to involve myself." The detonation of a Heavenly World was a stupendous event, likely equating to the value of a lesser galaxy or several despite its small size.

He was unwilling to miss out.

Meanwhile, the Zeniths normally just watched on the sidelines; they would make deals for materials and essence stones after the fact. The various organizations were already preparing their list of desired products.

"What will the cultivation limit be?" Wei Wuyin asked as they watched the Incinerated Dominion from a large transparent window.

"Probably Heavenly Saint—there's talk of making it True Sage-level."

"Is the Incinerated Dominion valued so heavily by these organizations?" Wei Wuyin was taken aback by this information.

The Incandescent Star Palace Lord responded with a single word spoken with the strength of a world: "Absolutely!"

Wei Wuyin had to consider things a little heavier then, especially if he sought the greatest gains here.

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[Author's Note: Been a while since we fought for treasure. We mostly use stealth 100 and steal it all. xD]

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