Thud!
The lifeless corpse of Xun Yicao fell, the heavily refined body of the Demi-Mortal Lord slammed against the deck, and a deafening silence descended across the Dark Void.
The flying head of the Lavender Alchemic Sovereign burned with Originfire, sizzling as the last vestiges of Xun Yicao's fading consciousness were besieged by the excruciating pain of Hellfire. It twisted and spun until it was eventually reduced to scattered ash.
Silently and invisibly, the Soul of Xun Yicao was claimed by the rights of the Nexus War Flag's profound law. In the future, Xun Yicao will no longer exist.
"Only Zhan Yicao," Wei Wuyin thoughtfully settled on this decision, planning to use Xun Yicao as the foundation to formulate a Combat Alchemy division within the Legion of War. In the future, a unit specializing in a variety of pellet-based combat styles will be formed. Pellets were extremely diverse, they could be used to suppress, weaken, destroy, paralyze, escape, defend, absorb, and alter, and Wei Wuyin fully intended to allow his Legion of War to grasp this terrifying strength.
As for the Law Seed of Imperial within him, it sublimated and began to rapidly absorb his Soul Light. This act of personally completing his decree was a sign of treading the correct path of the Imperial Law.
"He's…dead?" Empress Xiaocheng was the first to break the silence with her quivering and disbelieving voice, her eyes widened slightly, her mental calm fractured, and her breathing grew a little heavy.
Wei Wuyin didn't reply or look at her shocked state, merely silently turning his gaze upward to see the battles taking place in the Dark Void. Wu Yu was abnormally fierce, fighting this 'spar' with great relish and dominating his opponent.
Kong Yi had tried several tactics to evade Wu Yu's attacks and return to protect his Alchemist, but the Grand Knight of Neo-Dawn was relentless and kept pressuring him until he could barely breathe. The eldest Sky Monarch soon became serious, but even then, Wu Yu's every strike caused him to shake and suffer injuries both externally and internally.
By now, it was clear who was the strongest of the two, and Wu Yu hadn't even launched any lethal attacks. Kong Yi, on the other hand, was unleashing the fullest extent of his cultivation base and launching brutally vicious attacks. But like snow in the hot sun, Wu Yu dissipated them as they came without effort. The stark difference caused Kong Yi's eyes to flicker with intense despair.
If Kong Yi knew that Wu Yu hadn't even entered his 1st Grand Transformation, he might not have only experienced despair.
Tian Lingyu and Tian Muyang were simply protecting the crew as they flew about, dancing alongside Bai Lin's flames, merely observing with solemn expressions, but they never unleashed even the slightest attack. They seemed to prioritize the lives of the crew first and foremost. Since they weren't given any orders from the Empress to fight the Fire Phoenix or defend Xun Yicao, they merely played along.
"Why is the flow of time so abnormal? Temporal Reversion is…impossible?" The Empress had already arrived before Xun Yicao's corpse, standing directly above it, her delicate hand stretched out as Time Power surged, but she found out that the cost of distorting time vastly exceeded her strength. If she burned her lifespan entirely to fuel Temporal Reversion, she might be able to do something.
However, that would lead to her inevitable death for a chance.
Wei Wuyin finally looked away from the fighting, observing the beautiful Empress Xiaocheng exert her powers just nine meters away from him. Even if she wanted to reverse the state of time here, she'd find it impossible with her cultivation base. Not only would she be actively going against the Law of War instilled within the Nexus War Flag, but she'd have to fight against the Law of Time itself thanks to his Minor Authority of Time's influence.
She was 'only' an Earthly Saint.
"Not even shocked that he died, but curious how he died. So tell me: Why did Xun Yicao think the Aeternal Sky Divine Emperor was nearby?" Wei Wuyin asked as he walked towards Empress Xiaocheng, his silver eyes reflecting her exceptional figure as her body lightly trembled from his words.
Why was Xun Yicao so arrogant? So confident? So incredibly despotic and fearless? The Empress had told him through a discreet Spiritual Transmission that the Divine Emperor wanted to wait until Wei Wuyin made a move on him, and then he'd have the basis to suppress him thoroughly and swiftly! After all, the Divine Emperor was already here to protect him!!
After obtaining Xun Yicao's soul, it wasn't hard to find out his most recent memories, as everything Xun Yicao was, is, and can be had been claimed by the Nexus War Flag as Spoils of War, including his memories, insights, and cultivation!
As for the protection and presence of the Divine Emperor? This was the Pentastar Cluster, and the Aeternal Sky Starfield was far, far away. The Divine Emperor wouldn't be able to come here personally even if he wanted to! This was something that Wei Wuyin was certain of, given his knowledge of the debonair Wei Wuyin's memories!
Not only had Xun Yicao believed the Empress' words, but he tried to do everything in his power to enrage Wei Wuyin and provoke him to act. Not only did she want to throw Xun Yicao into the pit of death, but she manipulated him to ensure his death was all but guaranteed.
The Empress lifted her bright eyes, and despite her internal shock, her expression regained its calm with abnormal quickness. "You killed the Lavender Alchemic Sovereign of our Imperial Clan. This is an act of war." Her voice was imposing yet serene.
"..." Wei Wuyin silently looked to the Empress, who matched his gaze, and they both stared at each other for a long while.
-----
"WHAT?!" Cardinal Song's eyes explosively widened. She was sent into a spiraling daze as she saw Xun Yicao's head fly off his body. Moreover, there wasn't an Armored Saint in sight! From Wei Wuyin's previous words, it seemed that…he killed Xun Yicao!
"Did…did you see that?!" Huoyan Liulan was equally as shaken by the sight. She pointed with her right index finger, feeling like a young cultivator witnessing a supreme expert make a move and being awed at the profoundness of that very moment.
They were both Earthly Saints, but what they saw was different.
"Why did they just let Alchemic Sovereign Wei walk up and kill Xun Yicao with a slash of his saber?!" Huoyan Liulan asked disbelievingly. Did the Empress and Xun Yicao just let all this happen before them?
"What? What are you talking about? Xun Yicao was decapitated by a sharp light exiting from fixed space!" Cardinal Song instinctively shook her head and corrected Huoyan Liulan! In her eyes, Wei Wuyin never swung his saber, and Xun Yicao lost his head before the silver-eyed Alchemist began to walk forward.
"What?!" Huoyan Liulan was confused. "Did you not see Wei Wuyin slash with his saber?"
"He never slashed with his saber; it was a sharp light from the folds of space that attacked!" Cardinal Song vehemently protested. Their perception of events was clearly different, and they couldn't agree on what had happened.
From Cardinal Song's memories, a mysterious power killed Xun Yicao before anyone could react.
From Huoyan Liulan's memories, Wei Wuyin walked slowly forward and slashed Xun Yicao with his saber, and the latter simply let the blade cut through his neck.
From the Titanic Hell-Crushing Queen's memories, Wei Wuyin brought out his saber, unleashed a slice from afar, and then placed his saber back in its scabbard in one flawlessly smooth move. A thin line of saber light sliced into Xun Yicao's neck, and his head flew into the air after a delayed reaction, likely a result of the hidden struggle to keep his life.
All three Earthly Saints saw different courses of events, all as if they viewed different flows of time!
"You-your…Alchemic Sovereign Wei! He just killed Xun Yicao!" The petite queen of the Boundless Martial Sect exclaimed as her eyes widened. Regardless of which version, it was clear that Wei Wuyin had made a move! A Timelord had slaughtered a Demi-Mortal Lord with a single move!
Unlike the rest, Da Shan and those beneath the Soul of Mysticism Phase all saw the same course of events. Wei Wuyin had summoned his Saber, slashed out, sending a sharp line of saber energy, and it sliced into Xun Yicao's neck. Then, he returned his saber to its scabbard and walked forward until Xun Yicao's head shot off from his neck.
They all witnessed Wei Wuyin indisputably kill Xun Yicao in a single move!
Da Shan's eyes blazed with joy, awe, admiration, love, lust, and satisfaction. She clenched her fists tightly as she cried out excitedly in her heart. This was her man!
From today onwards, Wei Wuyin would no longer be considered as just an Alchemist!
-----
In the All-Fury Starfield, from within the largest Shadow Egg, the violet-robed figure silently observed the shadowy mirror.
"Law of Time?"
The tone of that voice was grim, yet there was some relief and acceptance within its voice. "A mere Timelord that's grasped, nurtured, and birthed a Law. Who are you?"