Located within the depths of the All-Fury Starfield, within one of its three greatest danger zones—the Furya Zone, a location permeating with chaotic solar essence fluctuations so lethal that Ascended beings dared not casually venture within, was the largest Shadow Egg in existence, the sole remaining Shadow Egg of the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region in Trueborn's possession.
A tall figure garbed in violet robes stood within the central control room of the Shadow Egg in front of a shadowy mirror. The mirror was oval-shaped, exuding ghastly hazy smoke, and strangely enough, the mirror reflected a negative image of the violet-robed figure.
The air in the control room was stifling and oppressive, and the violet-robed figure exuded ripples of Mystic Power. Within this power were traces of a deathly aura—Necro Intent!
"How did you not notice?" The violet-robed figure spoke, and if Wei Wuyin was here, he would instantly recognize it as the voice he had been communicating with thus far! Their tone was slow, questioning, and vexed.
A golden-robed figure, slender with well-defined feminine curves, shimmered into existence beside him. Her image in the shadowy image was hollow and dim, a sign of her being an Incarnation. "I warned you, did I not?"
"I've lost communication with all the Shadow Eggs in the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region, and the Necro Saint Unit has taken heavy losses; I can't sense the talismans, indicating they're either dead or trapped in an independent realm so powerful that even my Spiritual Sense can't penetrate. This isn't the simple 'attack' you illustrated to me, but an all-out precision strike at my foundation. And now, this mortal is baiting me to expose myself so he could kill me." The violet-robed figure's voice didn't seem angry, but there was an imposing, forceful manner to his words.
"Do you think he can?" The golden-robed woman asked curiously, seemingly unbothered by the violet-robed figure's response.
"Do you think he can't?" The violet-robed figure responded in return. "I'm not a fool; he's aware of the Endless Void Realm with capabilities and means far surpassing the Sealed Regions and can be considered a heaven-defying talent in his own right. Someone like that is unafraid of me risking it all, asking me to do so, and fearlessly invading my territory simply to bait me into making a move?" Any experienced cultivator could tell that Wei Wuyin was extremely intelligent, and his fearlessness was backed by legitimate, well-grounded confidence.
"What if he's bluffing?" The golden-robed woman faintly smiled, seemingly suggesting that Wei Wuyin was all hot air and he was merely using exceptional bluffing tactics to present himself as having an absolute advantage but was merely a flimsy paper that couldn't handle true fire.
"Bluffing?" The violet-robed figure stared into the shadowy mirror. Wei Wuyin had two World Heart Intents, twin Astral Souls, great Alchemic Talent, and a brilliant mind unbefitting of a mortal youth under the age of a hundred. Since the beginning, they were being played around and forced into a corner like a rat.
"What if you're colluding with him?" The violet-robed figure instead retaliated with this response, his Mystic Power causing the air to tremble, the golden-robed woman's body distorted like a hazy flame, but she seemed entirely unbothered.
"If he can get the Grand Sage to collude with him, then your potential loss here isn't just justified; it's well-deserved." The golden-robed woman was fearless in her reply.
"I didn't say the Grand Sage—I said you," the violet-robed figure clarified.
Shrugging her shoulders indifferently, the golden-robed figure didn't respond to the accusation. There was no difference in either statement. If she collided with Wei Wuyin, then it was under the tacit understanding of the Grand Sage, so it was the same. "If you want to destroy this Incarnation of mine to dissipate your anger, then go ahead and do so. That said, I expect to be compensated at least a thousand times its worth."
"..." The violet-robed figure became eerily silent, simply staring at the shadowy mirror. A long, long while passed before they spoke again, "What's the Grand Sage's message?"
The golden-robed woman's voice became indifferent, lacking strength, warmth, and speed: "Those born true to the Sealed World must coexist for survival against the upcoming calamity." After saying that, the golden-robed figure's voice resumed its usual tonal inflections, "That's all."
She vanished.
The violet-robed figure was left alone; the damp chill of loneliness within the control room was uncomfortable. "How useless," they spat. That message offered no direction or help to his current situation, especially with that silver-eyed mortal devil at his doorstep. For the first time in their life, they felt animosity towards the Grand Sage, but this lasted only for a brief period before it dissipated like snow in the summer heat.
Could Wei Wuyin be bluffing? The possibility was thoroughly considered.
-----
At the edge of the All-Fury Starfield, Wei Wuyin's Celestial Eyes were drawn to a strange location. This was the Furya Zone, considered one of the three great danger zones of the All-Fury Starfield. This particular zone contained a type of chaotic solar essence that was extremely volatile and difficult to refine. It was also one of the greatest treasure troves of the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region. This chaotic solar essence can be converted into Astralis Essence, an extremely beneficial resource for cultivation.
However, it was incomparably dangerous to explore, and the All-Fury Starfield sustained unimaginable losses each year while trying to extract it. There was one incident where several Highlords died due to a strange eruption within, and since then, few cultivators dared to carelessly explore its depths.
"I've found you," Wei Wuyin quietly muttered. His sensitivity toward energies became exceptionally high after Ori birthed a Law Seed of Origin, and he instantly located the Shadow Energy infused into the concealment array of the Shadow Egg. Not even Worldly Saints would be able to locate it within such a short period, but his Celestial Eyes and heightened sensitivity had!
"You should strike," the Heavenly War Spirit suggested. It wanted Wei Wuyin to unleash the 10,000 Spirits of War, summon the full might of the Legion, and explosively siege the Shadow Egg. Bai Lin could hear her and cried out while echoing her statement.
Wei Wuyin bitterly smiled. If it was so simple, wouldn't he have done so? While Wei Wuyin made it seem as if he occupied the absolute advantage, that he held all the cards, possessed all the knowledge, and was ready to deal with any retaliation, the truth wasn't so easily seen.
Was Wei Wuyin bluffing?
No!
Wei Wuyin could, by all rights, launch an incomparably ferocious strike, and if the one behind Trueborn decided to act, he was certain of putting them down like a dog in the streets with his Legion of War. Unfortunately, that would come with a cost. Even dogs can bite, and right now, that cornered dog was hiding in a turtle shell of epic proportions.
It was the detonation of the Shadow Egg that truly worried him. If driven to the brink, the Shadow Egg here might explode with greater intensity than the previous Chaosnova. If that happened, the resulting damage would be catastrophically horrific.
Trueborn didn't need to care about the lives of those in the Sealed Regions, especially if they were currently living on a clock before the descent of the Endless Void Realm, but he couldn't simply allow this to happen.
However, Wei Wuyin was playing up his hand with fanfare. The act of him personally invading, threatening, searching, and hunting for the leader's location was something no one could take casually, promoting himself as being extremely dangerous. He hoped to get Trueborn to lower their head, not engage in a battle to the death. Moreover, he wasn't so idiotic to think Trueborn was limited to simply the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region or the neighboring Stellar Region.
They were hidden amongst the top-tier forces; they were scouring the Void-Blank Space for the third node; they were conducting various cultivation of resources and materials in World Realms and Secret Realms. It would be delusional to think a clandestine organization of this size and scope could be brought down so simply.
More importantly, they existed for a mission. An organization with a mission was terrifyingly powerful and wouldn't end simply because you killed the leader. To truly rid one of their potentially dangerous agenda, one had to either control it or eradicate them thoroughly.
Wei Wuyin patiently explained his position to the Heavenly War Spirit, who was momentarily stunned and then changed its tone. "Your insight into the situation is phenomenal. Unfortunately, if this group decides to give it their all, what can you do but fight?"
"It's not a fight—it's a minimizing effort of losses," Wei Wuyin corrected. The fight was already won. The Legion of War was invincible in the Sealed Regions, this was an indisputable fact, so the only thing left to consider was how to use their powers to ensure he suffered the least amount of losses in the event of the most desperate retaliation of a dying, cornered rat.
"I see," the Heavenly War Spirit settled down. It seemed Wei Wuyin hadn't dominated the Nexus Battlefield without reason. "So what's the plan?"
"We wait," Wei Wuyin answered.
Wait they did.
After several minutes, Wei Wuyin finally heard the voice once again. The voice didn't sound defeated or having lost its edge, but there was something different about it that made it seem slightly more gentle.
"I can agree to reasonable oaths. In return, a truce agreement." The voice had decided to lower its head! Albeit not completely, Trueborn had made its decision.
Wei Wuyin felt relieved in his heart, but then the following words left his eyes glinting with spiritual light.
"The mission to free the Sealed Regions from its bindings can not be stopped. It is our purpose, our raison d'être and those born true to this world have an obligation and right to strive to break free from this cage, including yours. At most, I can agree to this condition: Until the Endless Void Realm descends, Trueborn will not search for or attempt to destroy the last node."
"..." Wei Wuyin thought for a long while. He knew the reason for the last condition was because the Endless Void Realm would likely expose the last node's location to guard it against accidental destruction, likely doing their all to protect it, or if they are unable to escape themselves after the calamity's descent, they might shatter it deliberately. Wei Wuyin couldn't stop that from happening, given their control over the Endless Void Mirror, regardless of his Legion of War's power.
In the end, Wei Wuyin could only accept this. Fortunately, if their descent leads to further complications, Wei Wuyin could annihilate Trueborn then and there with more time to prepare for the fallout.
"Was that so difficult?" Wei Wuyin smilingly said, but his heart was infuriated. Wei Wuyin had long since learned about intricate wordplay in oaths and keenly noticed Trueborn's loophole. He knew what Trueborn intended to do, but he couldn't stop it no matter what, even if he did. Not even attacking now would stop it.
Soon, they'll announce the truth to the entire world!