Outside the room that was the stadium of the recent battlefield of eight bodies stood Wei Wuyin with a contemplative expression. He had returned after his meeting with Na Xinyi to rest in the warmth of those who held the strongest emotions towards him, bearing their bodies and souls for him to explore thoroughly. A blessed fortune that he would've never imagined himself to have forty years ago.
"Where are you headed?" A strong, euphonic feminine voice asked. It belonged to Da Shan, the one and only, and she was half-dressed in thigh-high black shorts, loosely wearing a silk robe that barely contained her heavy bust. She moved confidently, with her chest raised, her spine upright, and her golden eyes exuding an actively vibrant light.
"Hm?" Behind her was Nyla Shur, whose stature was considerably shorter, and she cutely blinked as she observed a dressed Wei Wuyin about to leave. Unlike Da Shan, she was entirely nude. One could tell from the sleepiness in her eyes that she had just recently awoken, following Da Shan out of the room.
"Are you leaving again?" Nyla Shur was the feistier of the duo, often causing the most fuss when Wei Wuyin would leave. Her churning emotions rife with fear and anxiety weren't without any warrant; she was one of the Beastmen who was snatched from their home, stuffed inside a foreign realm, and then forced to wait without any understanding of their future. It was a hectic time that left some remnant trauma.
While she wasn't mistreated by the Golden Life Pavilion, she was someone who cared deeply about those she formed a connection with, and she formed the deepest bond with Wei Wuyin in the Myriad Monarch Sect. She felt her heart tearing just knowing that he was going on an expedition to an unknown realm with unknown dangers and had to reconcile it with Wei Wuyin seizing an opportunity.
Wei Wuyin turned to see Da Shan's inquiring gaze and Nyla Shur's noticeably worried face. They were very sensitive to Wei Wuyin's emotions these past years, so these two acutely discovered that Wei Wuyin's mental fluctuations were slightly different from a few days ago.
"..." He turned completely around and warmly smiled, "I'm going to test my limits. But to truly know my limits, I have to fight without holding back, and so will my opponents."
"..." Da Shan's eyes softened, realizing where her feelings that felt uncomfortable in her heart originated from. Wei Wuyin moved as if he was about to enter a true life-and-death battle. She had seen this aura a few times before. It was determination. Da Shan was a warrior through and through, with the will to fight imbued into her soul, so she didn't say anything.
"What? Who are you going to fight? Why?" Nyla Shur was less understanding. She moved to hold Wei Wuyin's arm, her body pressed against it as if to restrain him, and her eyes reflected her unwillingness. "Have your knights fight for you!" She cried out.
Her voice was slightly loud; rustling began to resound from inside the room.
"Just stay with us, okay? You have Wu Yu; you don't need to fight anyone. Test what limits? Just stay here. Anyone you can't face, they'll do so for you. So, just…stay." Nyla Shur pleaded without stopping, constantly trying to convince Wei Wuyin.
"..." Da Shan saw this, and her own emotions became unimaginably complex, conflicted, and uncertain. She understood more than anyone the importance of personal power, so she couldn't say anything. But in the same vein, Wei Wuyin was a Mortal Sovereign Alchemist with endless alchemical talent. He was already a Timelord at sixty-eight years old, so he would undoubtedly ascend in the future. With his alchemic talent, becoming an Alchemic Saint wasn't a question of 'if' but 'when'.
Should she speak out?
Wei Wuyin looked at Nyla Shur, and his gaze grew increasingly soft like water. He caressed her head of messy bed hair, offering a silent smile. This only caused Nyla Shur to pout, tears to well up at the edge of her eyes, and her grip to strengthen around Wei Wuyin's arm. She seemed to be on the verge of crying, but she held it in with her last semblance of mental stability.
By this point, he could feel auras emerge at the other side of the door. They were all awake, investigating the situation, but none of them left the room. After all, Wei Wuyin often left to do things like concoct, cultivate, and meet others. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary, but these two sensed something different.
Perhaps it was because they spent the most time with him out of any of the others.
"...You're going to go…?" Nyla Shur pitifully asked.
Wei Wuyin learned from his suave version's memories what the scarred version told him of his past, discovering that he had indulged in women to the point that he lost everything. Wei Wuyin had once dreamed of doing the same, enjoying himself until death claimed him, until the Calamities of Hell descended, and his soul was obliterated.
Fortunately, he arose far above that grim belief of his certain death, affirming his Heart of Cultivation, and relentlessly strove to climb out of these Calamities alive.
Da Shan swiftly moved, grabbing Nyla Shur's slender waist, and with a swift pull, the feline femme fatale was easily lifted away. While Da Shan had carried her out, it was Nyla Shur that let go of Wei Wuyin's arms, not kicking or screaming, showing that she knew in her heart that her man couldn't sit back and always let others handle everything for him.
"Go. We'll be here waiting for you." Da Shan promised with a firm expression. Wei Wuyin nodded, tilting his head slightly to see the five auras of the women in the bedroom trying to conceal their obvious eavesdropping attempt.
Wei Wuyin turned and walked out.
As soon as he left, five fully dressed figures came out, with Si De in the lead. They exchanged gazes, a tinge of worry in their eyes. What was Wei Wuyin planning to do? Si De didn't speak; she just followed after Wei Wuyin.
"Let's follow," Mei Yang suggested. She didn't know where Wei Wuyin was going, but since Si De had already left, then he might not be traveling far. And if he took the Void Gate, they could still follow, right?
Ai Yin followed Si De shortly after. This led to them all eventually following. Nyla Shur and Da Shan hurriedly dressed and left. They finally got to the entrance of the Original Dawn Palace, and they saw Si De staring at the vast Dark Void with her head lifted.
"Ascended beings…" Lin Xianxian muttered. She might have her cultivation currently sealed, but her instinctual senses were extremely acute, and she instantly felt the aura of a Mystic Ascendant Realm from above. Moreover, they didn't originate from auras familiar to her. Who was it?
"Three of them." Ai Yin pointed out, her brows deeply furrowed. Was Wei Wuyin about to fight against three Ascended beings?
"Where's Bai Lin?" Xiang Ling asked worryingly. Bai Lin had incredible strength and could protect Wei Wuyin. Where was she?
"As expected of the man that I, Da Shan, chose." Da Shan's eyes shone excitedly, and while her heart was similarly besieged by worries, she was deeply intrigued by the thought of Wei Wuyin fighting and claiming victory against Ascended beings!
This wouldn't just break conventions; it would defy the natural order of the world and shatter the invincibility of Ascended beings! If anyone could do it, it should be the man that conquered her heart and body!
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Wei Wuyin did not unfurl his Worldly Domain, soaring through the Dark Void by riding chaos mana. As a possessor of four Zenith Origin State Astral Souls, his Mana Dominance alone was sufficient to keep the chaos mana's degrading power at bay. In a way, he heavily resembled a Soul of Mysticism Phase cultivator who slightly grasped the Way of Mystic Mana.
The three Ascended beings seemed to be brimming with confidence and power, entirely unlike before, and there was an air of fighting spirit churning around them. Wei Wuyin traveled tens of thousands of miles out, meeting the three Ascended beings in the vast Dark Void with a few hundred miles separating them.
He inspected all three Ascended beings who were silently observing him back. Kun Yiming had no inward change to her aura, but her Silverflow Wings had streaks of grey intermixed within its silver color. Venerable Slayingsword's aura was sharper than before, and his gaze exuded an endless sword light. Venerable Bluecloud sat on a deep-blue fluffy cloud, seated cross-legged, while his body exuded an aura that was considerably greater than Kun Yiming and Venerable Slayingsword.
A Demi-Mortal Lord!
Those eyes of his were calm, containing an unfathomable light. Wei Wuyin felt his blood seethe, feeling the latent killing intent within it. It was clear that all three understood the assignment.
Kill or be killed.
This was the stage he set for himself.
"Ready?" Wei Wuyin asked, activating the hourglass that remained in the Dark Void from earlier.
BOOSH!
His question was met by a violent rush! A battle to the death needed no reply!