"Oathless Calamity!"
Wei Wuyin scowled, his eyes reminiscent of an aggrieved youngster, and he swept his gaze across the forces present as if to remember each and everyone one of them. Normally, this would evoke fear in their hearts, and it momentarily did, but after considering that the vast majority of organizations were acting in a concerted effort to remedy this eventual calamity, they stayed strong.
They would have plenty of time to ease relations in the coming centuries or millennia. However, for now, it was best to settle this issue first and foremost, given how terrifying Wei Wuyin's Fire Phoenix was by itself. It was necessary to establish rules that protected them from a spontaneous act of violence by the up-and-coming Neo-Dawn Alchemic Sovereign.
In truth, they would've settled this matter after the Saint Cyclic Renewal Summit, but Wei Wuyin had vanished and never returned. Since then, he remained incredibly exclusive, and no one dared to venture into the Desolate Dragnet Stellar Region, likely the base of operations of Wei Wuyin. It would be as foolhardy as trying to negotiate using strong-arm tactics with any of them inside their homes. The concept of home field advantage was not a myth but a reality that caused many of them to quiver in fear.
Even the starved camel that was the True Element Sect could unleash a power that could most eviscerate any Earthly Saint.
Wei Wuyin was an unregulated uncertainty that had no restraints, operating with impunity, causing countless forces to be fearful of any offense, given how aggressive Wu Yu acted and how exceptional Wei Wuyin's forces were. They wouldn't dare send themselves to their deaths. Moreover, capturing Wu Yu or the Armored Saint would simply tip their hand, and having them swear oaths was pointless.
This was one of the main reasons why Wei Wuyin's peace went undisturbed for the last decade. However, since his grudge with Trueborn wasn't exactly a grand secret, and knowing how aggressive Wei Wuyin acted, they surmised that the silver-eyed mortal would negotiate a hefty compensation from Trueborn.
This and the rumors of Wei Wuyin's rally of rogue cultivators were met with deductive reasoning that was far too easy to piece together—Wei Wuyin was planning to attack the Born True Starfield! While he might still demand compensation, he was smart enough not to enter without an overwhelming force behind him.
Unfortunately, the youngster had majorly overplayed his hand. Regardless of that, this also gave them an excellent opportunity to settle this Oathless Calamity that loomed on the minds and hearts of many of them, especially the Tang Clan that had moved all vital members to the Aeternal Sky Domain. While they were within the Aeternal Sky Starfield, protected by the Imperial Clan, nothing stopped Wu Yu, Bai Lin, the Armored Saint, or Wei Wuyin from acting against any member that left the protection of their Domain or Starfield.
They were in an agonizing hell, especially after the Golden Life Pavilion had placed shadow sanctions on them. If it wasn't for the Imperial Clan, they would've become starved of resources in the coming centuries.
Wei Wuyin predicted this, so he wasn't the slightest bit startled by their fear or unity, but he still placed his best mask on and looked incredibly alarmed by their revealed intent.
°The Grand Cyclic Stellar Region is an oath-based society that relies on the impregnable strength of a Mystic Oath to regulate the powerful and maintain the peace.° Wei Wuyin had long since known this, and it was extremely effective as well. The Grand Cyclic Stellar Region had entered an era of peace following the Tian Clan's rise as the Imperial Clan, all regulated by restraining oaths.
°It would've been easier if they simply acted against me with lethal intent,° Wei Wuyin thought as he sighed in his heart.
"After he swears the necessary oaths, we can try to repair the damage to our relations," Tian Lingyu muttered sullenly. Wei Wuyin was a sign of endless potential, and this was without a doubt going to offend him, especially given the stringent oaths they all prepared. If he became the next King of Everlore, it would be difficult to benefit from his rise.
"..." Tian Muyang remained silent, his thoughts heavily concealed. The Empress' expression was equally unreadable, and this only highlighted the tense atmosphere that was increasingly growing.
Wei Wuyin took several deep breaths while enveloped in Bai Lin's life-giving Nirvanic Flames, slowly dissipating his shaken state as if he was processing everything. They allowed him to do so, taking as much time as he needed because this moment was all but decided.
"So you want to place shackles on me? I see." Wei Wuyin finally nodded acceptingly and then looked at the Empress, knowing full well that she was the leading figure to this orchestrated event, and likely not by choice but by obligation. None of the others wanted to be the one to stand out because they might not be able to handle Wei Wuyin's reprisal in the future.
But having the strongest Clan with the strongest cultivator act as the lead, they secured themselves an invincible pillar and could firmly place every speck of blame on the Tian Clan's methodology towards maintaining a peaceful and well-maintained society.
Empress Xiaocheng calmly responded: "Yes, but only for the sake of the stability of the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region and the peace of mind of the people. As a smart young man, you should be well aware of the terror an unregulated Earthly Saint can unleash. Remember Rainbow Sky, Alchemic Sovereign Wei."
Wei Wuyin's eyes constricted slightly, and this wasn't an act. Billions died because the Everlore Association attempted to kill him, destroying their own planet in the process. After all, they thought he was on it. And he was indeed on it! If it wasn't for Wen Mingna's warning, he might've died then and there.
"Oaths didn't stop that from happening," Wei Wuyin indifferently pointed out.
"The fate of their lives was in their own hands, but what if others could freely do the same?" Empress Xiaocheng explained, adding: "Should you want, you could torch the lower-ranked starfields and slaughter countless lives just as you were trying to do here. Do you think those in the Pentastar Cluster deserve to live in fear? Deserve to be burned to death? The infants who've only taken a few breaths, those fetuses that have yet to see the world, the young that are filled with hopes and dreams, or the parents that have unconditional love in their hearts while trying to provide for their families. Do they deserve to die because of a foreigner?"
"Is Trueborn not a foreigner?" Wei Wuyin retaliated with a sharp tone. Trueborn could be considered invaders, and the countless lives of those she spoke of were firmly in their grasp, and they could freely slaughter them for their own benefit.
"Hmph! You truly are ignorant!" Xun Yicao spat with contempt.
Wei Wuyin ignored him entirely as if he didn't exist, and his aged expression grew red with rage. Empress Xiaocheng continued speaking, sending Xun Yicao a glance that stifled all words at the throat: "When the Unchained Heart Sect was determined to establish themselves, they, too, had to make certain concessions. For example, the lives of the Pentastar Cluster, including the Great Blue Starfield, must not be subjected to various inhuman acts. There's more to it. Far, far more than I'm stating, but you can be certain that the Mythical Oaths have restrained them from harming a life for a long, long time."
Wei Wuyin's eyebrows lifted in genuine surprise. Trueborn had sworn Mythical Oaths before conquering or after? It didn't matter, but this firmly established the stance of the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region towards the Born True Starfield. This was quite a bit to take in, but given how the society of the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region was, this made sense.
"And any acts of aggression?" Wei Wuyin couldn't resist asking for clarification of certain oath details.
"As long as they're unprovoked, for the next half-century, they won't act against any starfields or organizations at the Mystic level, including those allied with them." Empress Xiaocheng explained, but Wei Wuyin could feel the growing animosity from the Earthly Saints of the Unchained Heart Sect. It was clear that they preferred certain details of their oaths to remain unknown to the majority, but Wei Wuyin had exposed that.
Wei Wuyin frowned, asking: "Only half a century?"
Empress Xiaocheng faintly smiled at his implied meaning, "It's a quarter of a century longer than the typical oaths of newly established powers. Or do you think half a century is too low?" This restraint couldn't last forever because forces often entered conflict for resources, and Born True Starfield was an Evil Cultivation force, so it was already a heavy blow to restrict them for half a century.
"I sense a loophole," Wei Wuyin pointed out.
"It's deliberate," Empress Xiaocheng stated.
Wei Wuyin nodded, knowing that many of these oaths had been scrutinized and specific loopholes were deliberately formed. Perhaps even the Saint Cyclic Renewal Summit's oaths were made in such a way that Trueborn could act against the World Between the Fold and destroy a node despite the Void Voyage Sect being regarded as protected by the sworn oath.
"Fine. What are my Oaths?" Wei Wuyin looked about and seemed as if he was left with no choice; his eyes regained a sense of serenity that showed an acceptance of his situation. This brought relief in the hearts of many; quite a few feared that Wei Wuyin would act out irrationally due to his youthfulness and unwillingness to suffer this particular loss.
Empress Xiaocheng waved her delicate fingers and summoned a golden scroll. She gently pushed it out, turning it into a comet of golden light that arrived before Wei Wuyin, caught by Bai Lin's wing, and then brought to Wei Wuyin while enveloped in Nirvanic Flames that were ready to incinerate it.
Wei Wuyin opened the scroll, seeing a series of scripted lines, and it read:
"I, Wei Wuyin, swear to…for twenty-five years determined by the Grand Cyclic Cycle…assault those of or allied amongst officially recognized Mystic-Rank Organizations without provocation…will not destroy the property of Mystic-Rank Organizations…intrude upon the territory of Mystic-Rank Organizations without permission…
"I, Wei Wuyin, swear to…fairly trade with the officially recognized Mystic-Rank Organizations of the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region and their allies…will not place unfair third-party sanctions…to those unprovoked past the date of this oath…sell at least an eighth of my…"
Wei Wuyin couldn't help but scoff at the second scripted Mythical Oath, solely placed there to prevent Wei Wuyin from isolating others from his products after he became an Earthly Saint. Moreover, he would be obligated to sell an eighth of his decadal concoctions to external parties through official channels.
Moreover, the Golden Life Pavilion was an exception, but only upon fair Auction Practices. It was likely that almost all Alchemic Sovereigns had to swear this oath, or at least those that weren't a part of any top-tier organization. However, upon further reading, he realized that this was specifically designed so that you didn't have to sell to outside starfields, but could give it to only those within one's home starfield. This was quite an interesting detail to him.
However, he didn't have any officially recognized starfield, so he would only be left with the auction route.
"I, Wei Wuyin, swear to…the cessation of lives exceeding a million within a century without the result of genuine, fairly recognized war…will not enslave the elven race without due pay and Grand Cyclic Mandated Rights…limit the creation of planets and Solar Stars within the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region…"
Wei Wuyin saw a total of seventy-two oaths, an absolute minefield of oaths that could easily be breached out of carelessness, and many restrained his future actions by a considerable degree or enforced a certain standard of operation.
After he finished, he folded the golden scroll with a thoughtful expression.
Suddenly, an Earthly Saint of the Unchained Heart Sect conjured two identical violet-colored scrolls and then sent one to Empress Xiaocheng and one to Wei Wuyin. Empress Xiaocheng frowned as she reached out, grabbed it fearlessly, and opened it.
Wei Wuyin had the urge to ignore the scroll, but he decided against it, curious about what they wanted. So Bai Lin retrieved the scroll, and he opened it from afar, reading it with his Celestial Eyes. It was a seventy-third Mythical Oath!
"I, Wei Wuyin, swear to…Yue Songli…unharmed…" Wei Wuyin and Empress Xiaocheng's eyes both changed at the same time, but their emotions were entirely different. The Mythical Oath involved Yue Songli!
They wanted her for a certain period, and the reason was undefined!
"What is this?" Empress Xiaocheng demanded, her voice chilly as she stared at the Earthly Saint while her body exuded unrestrained imperial dignity!
The Earthly Saint was unflinching, "Non-negotiable. Should he refuse, then he can forget about leaving today. After all, he provoked us first."
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Suddenly, a dozen more Earthly Saint auras of unfathomability erupted within the defensive array! The expressions of everyone drastically shifted!
Thirty Earthly Saints?!
What type of strength was this?! Could the Imperial Clan even rival this force?!
"You think I'll allow Yue Songli to fall into your hands again? Not in this lifetime," Wei Wuyin stated plainly, lacking any hint of emotion within his tone.
"Not in YOUR lifetime," the Earthly Saint threatened openly. They were giving no face to the Imperial Clan or the others!
Wei Wuyin's grim eyes gradually narrowed, "Empress Xiaocheng, are you sure you're going to give them time to grow? Since they've changed their modus operandi, they might seek to conquer the entire world in the future." To the outside, it seemed as if Wei Wuyin wanted the Imperial Clan and Trueborn to clash right here and now!
But in actuality, Wei Wuyin was seeking out Empress Xiaocheng's reaction. She was a little angry, but she didn't seem to be surprised. Wei Wuyin assumed that she must know why Trueborn was changing gears, and this meant they weren't a threat. Moreover, there wasn't the slightest hint of fear in her eyes as thirty Earthly Saints revealed themselves, only anger at being blindsided and used to pressure Wei Wuyin.
"I'll give you thirty seconds to decide," the Earthly Saint coldly declared.
"Shall I count, or will you?" Wei Wuyin discarded his acting mask, and a grin of amusement replaced it all.