Kree!
The scene of unpredictable chaos and destruction soon ceased as Bai Lin dispersed her control of the Nirvanic Flames occupying the Imperial Monarchs' attention. No longer besieged by these terrifying flames, they soon made haste toward the Voidship.
Tian Muyang and Tian Lingyu were both steel-faced, showing only indifference as they observed the trio's escape from the Sky Destroyer's deck. The latter looked to see Xun Yicao's headless corpse lying lifeless on the deck, her eyes and expression briefly betraying her contempt and disgust. Since the beginning, this aged fool had set himself unreasonably against Wei Wuyin. Now he'd reaped the karmic consequence of his pointless taunts and mindless actions.
Tian Muyang's focus was on Kong Yi. The Sky Monarch was terrifyingly powerful amongst the Earthly Saint ranks, but the fight between him and Wu Yu was so embarrassingly one-sided that it didn't feel like a battle between those of equal cultivation. Moreover, they had an in-depth understanding of the Imperial Heaven Qi Method, including its Grand Transformations that heavily resembled their Skylord Transformations.
Wu Yu hadn't used any of them, yet his combat strength greatly exceeded the eldest Sky Monarch by a large margin. There was no feasible way the Imperial Heaven Qi Method could grant such terrifying strength alone. He was once again reaffirmed in his decision to follow Wei Wuyin. If not for the Mythical Oaths, he would have unhesitatingly become Wei Wuyin's Alchemic Knight.
However, his expression slightly changed. It wasn't just Wu Yu that was outstanding, Wei Wuyin could, as a Timelord, kill Xun Yicao using strange and powerful means. It was only then that he remembered that Wei Wuyin wasn't the King of Everlore, he was a cultivator with outstanding Alchemic Talents, possessing two Spirits, and abnormal comprehensive talent to grasp not one, but two extremely rare World Heart Intents before the age of a hundred.
He was a heaven-defying, demon-level talent.
Soon, the entire world will learn of his true talent and strength. Soon, the world will realize that he wasn't the King of Everlore's Second Coming, but the New Dawn of the Next Era.
Wei Wuyin's means and power greatly exceeded a mere Earthly Saint at this point, while Wu Yu and the Armored Saint handled most of his pressing issues. Considering his growth rate, Wei Wuyin was going to have higher and higher requirements for those who seek his favor.
This was the King of Everlore all over again. He clenched his right fist tightly, furrowing his brows in extreme frustration, while his heart tensed at the future. He was running out of time, and while he'd shown himself as being helpful to Wei Wuyin's causes, the extent of which could only go so far. For once, the Imperial Clan was a shackle to his growth.
Moreover, it might be the reason for his death. His eyes surreptitiously arrived onto the exquisitely well-proportioned and exceptionally alluring body of Empress Xiaocheng. This woman only pushed the Imperial Clan into an all-out war using her proxy authority of the Divine Emperor. Did she not just watch Wei Wuyin likely seal away thirty Earthly Saints at once?
Did she not just witness Wei Wuyin charge into enemy territory and leave content and unharmed?
Suddenly, his mind recalled her killing intent from earlier. She had hidden it well, but Tian Muyang was extremely sensitive to killing intent, and after the oppressive Mystic Heart Intent, the Empress was unable to keep her unreadable facade intact, unintentionally leaking her true thoughts. Did she want…?
"Imperial Monarch Muyang," the Empress suddenly called out. "Keep Xun Yicao's body safe and preserved. We'll need to investigate his current status and if he used any substitution spells or if this corpse was an intricately executed Avatar Art." Her orders brought shock to Tian Muyang, Tian Lingyu, and the crew.
"H-he's alive?" Tian Lingyu looked at Xun Yicao's headless corpse, baffled by this possibility. They all witnessed him die, as the life faded from his eyes, as his cultivation dispersed in accordance with laws of the world, and yet the Empress' words indicated that Xun Yicao, this old codger, was still alive?!
"This is what we'll seek to ascertain." Even the Empress couldn't help but be stunned by the fact Xun Yicao's life talisman was still intact and signaled that his life was not in any danger. There was no feedback whatsoever, so this left her shaken considering she was personally there and saw Xun Yicao's end.
Regardless, it doesn't matter if he's alive or not. The fact the life talisman was still intact, even if it shatters at a later date, it would be easy for Wei Wuyin to dismiss it as having only slayed a realistic substitution or some intricate Spiritual Avatar Art that resembled cloning, and he'll be absolved of any wrongdoings based on a timeline of events. Moreover, those unwilling to support an official declaration of war will tug on this thin thread and refute any involvement, likely something along the lines of: "He insulted him before all, and Alchemic Sovereign Wei only killed an Incarnation of his. That's too much of an exaggeration to declare war or infringe on our Mythical Oaths' requirements for war."
It was infuriating how well she could predict events, because those exact words would be echoed by many amongst the ranks of Sky Monarchs, Imperial Monarchs, Alchemic Sovereigns, Formation Masters, Mystic Forgers, Council of the Sky, and the Imperial Court.
"In the end, we were unable to make Alchemic Sovereign Wei swear any oaths." A Demi-Mortal Lord of the Tian Clan lamented on the Sky Destroyer. The terrifying existence that was Wei Wuyin still operated without restraints, becoming an unpredictable variable, and an oathless calamity. Moreover, Wei Wuyin's Alchemic Talent had long been proven, but now, his strength was revealed.
"Even if Xun Yicao was an Incarnation, most heavily invested in Avatar Arts can produce strength of one stage beneath the cultivator's might. A Timelord slaying a Soul of Mysticism cultivator with a single move…" A few of the crew mates had witnessed Wei Wuyin's strike, and while there was a heated debate on what went down, the general consensus was that Wei Wuyin had used his Saber Astral Force to slice off Xun Yicao's head. Additionally, it was directly before the eyes of Empress Xiaocheng, a genuine Earthly Saint!
This was undeniable as that saber light was remarkably similar to his Saber Heart Intent's aura he exuded earlier, and while there were other things infused in, at its essence, it was fundamentally the same power.
The Sky Destroyer's atmosphere was dejected and depressing, but they still pressed forward and began to make preparations to depart and return home. At some point, the Core Array of the Sky Destroyer had its imprinted control rune erased, and through the special refinement method bestowed to the Empress by the Imperial Court, she easily regained control of it by producing another despite Kong Yi's incapacitated state.
The representatives were left feeling empty; the events of before were world-shaking, to say the least, and they witnessed it all from start to finish, yet they felt as if it had ended too abruptly. There were so many heart-palpitating moments, even an official declaration of war by the Imperial Clan was on the horizon, but it all faded away as if by a calculating hand.
-----
The events of that day were world-shaking, and news spread as wildfire as Wei Wuyin's name was on everyone's lips throughout. Through the assistance of various organizations, especially the branches of the Golden Life Pavilion, several pieces of confirmed news spread out to almost every corner of the world.
There were titles such as: "Alchemic Sovereign Wei battles the Freshly-Established Unchained Heart Sect!"
And…
"The Grand Knight of Neo-Dawn's Strength! Sky Monarch Kong Yi Versus Grand Knight Wu Yu! Victor decided without question?!"
And…
"On the verge of war! The Lavender Alchemic Sovereign escapes death through an avatar, rumored to have gone into hiding!"
And…
"Alchemic Sovereign Wei? NOT JUST AN ALCHEMIST! A Shining New Era BEGINS!"
And…
"Imperial Prince Tian Yinwu returns?! The Greatest Cultivation Genius in Grand Cyclic's written history?"
The last title was prompted by Tian Yinwu's return to the Imperial Clan! When he returned, he set off many events! Firstly, he completed the Imperial Clan's Ascended Prince's Trial by Fire, establishing himself as a prospective Divine Emperor's successor! While it was a few stages far removed from being the Divine Emperor, as he'll not only have to be deemed worthy by the Council of the Sky and Imperial Court as a successor, he'll eventually have to fight for the Crown Prince title in the future!
All that aside, his feats since his return were outright heaven-shattering, most notably his feat of defeating an Ascended being as a mere mortal! A genuine Ascended at the Demi-Mortal Lord Phase!
In this time of unpredictable turmoil and rising geniuses, this feat stood out so explosively amongst everything that the world roared, especially those proud of their Imperial Clan's bloodline and Innate talents. It meant that, while Wei Wuyin was outstanding, didn't they have an equally outstanding genius, if not more so? Wasn't this exactly what the Saint Cyclic Renewal Summit foretold?! A rise of geniuses!
The last headline that snagged the throats of most, causing mouths to go dry with discussion, was:
"Tian Yinwu Versus Wei Wuyin? Who's the most handsome youth of our Grand Cyclic Stellar Region?!"
"..."
-----
A week after the events concluded and circulated amongst the populace of the Sealed Regions, Wei Wuyin sat in his Alchemic Chambers within a temporarily constructed Secret Realm without much foundation, and a replication of his Original Dawn Palace, a nude beauty was laying down on a wide and tall table with her eyes closed.
The fluttering of her eyelashes was extremely alluring, and her toned body, ample bosom, and curvy figure added a wisp of temptation in the air. However, Wei Wuyin was observing this ten-foot-tall giantess with the blood lineage of a Violet Mountain demon with extreme concentration.
This was none other than Da Shan! The transformed Da Shan!
"I've run every test I can think of, and I've determined your Astral Core has indeed merged with your Skeletal System, forging a unique Astral Skeletal Core. Using my Spiritual Sense, I can grasp the consistent similarities between a typical Astral Core and your Astral Skeletal Core. For example, your Astral Soul is stored within a central part of your body, your lower spine.
"As for the determination of size, I can only estimate it based on the thickness of your Skeletal Frame. Shockingly, yet not abnormal, your Skeletal Structure has room to grow. If my estimation is indeed correct, your Astral Core is equivalent to forty-four centimeters, and your height is exactly ten feet, four and eight-tenths inches."
Da Shan's eyes quivered slightly. Since cultivating with Wei Wuyin's top-tier resources for the last two decades, her foundation was heaven-defying by Grand Cyclic Stellar Region standards. It was only because of this that her master saw her as an exceptional talent and decided to accept her as a disciple after a strange chance meeting.
If Tian Xiaolu was to learn of this, considering her thirty-three centimeter-sized secret she was willing to kill to protect, who knows how she'd feel?
"What happened to me?" Da Shan asked, a little terrified. She had undergone an entire bodily change, so it would be abnormal if she wasn't scared. She had sought after her master's advice given her understanding of her titan bloodline, and her master was equally shaken by her change.
"As the Titanic Hell-Crushing Queen has said, your body experienced a metamorphosis of unimaginable levels. Not just you, the others too. But don't worry," Wei Wuyin held onto Da Shan's hand, and the latter tightened her grip, "your changes aren't something I'm ignorant of. Instead, it would be best to call it a purification of your racial impurities and correction of your unintended biological imperfections through the multi-racial mixture."
"...What?" Da Shan was stunned, her golden eyes opened to see the warmly smiling Wei Wuyin, and that soothed her growing worries.
"To put it simply, you've become a true member of the Titan Race, following their Cultivation System. However, your Demonic Lineage has perfectly melded with your pure Titan Bloodline profoundly. You're a Demonic Titan, but…your human bloodline and elven bloodline have fused with the demon lineage, likely due to the demon lineage's high compatibility without conflict." Wei Wuyin answered her.
"Elven bloodline?" Da Shan blinked. She had an Elven Bloodline?
"Haha. It was only a tiny trace from long, long ago in your Ancestral Tree. Don't forget, you were raised in a literal melting pot of racial acceptance and procreation. It's not just you, a vast majority of the Myriad Monarch Sect's residents are mix-blooded and almost impossible to determine without proper testing." The Myriad Monarch Sect's Astral Territory was indiscriminate to any race, accepted all forms of marriage, and accommodated even the demonic lifestyle. It was why he felt so at home there. A world where races weren't seen as inferior or spat on for how they looked or the way they lived.
"Ah." Da Shan lifted her upper body off the table, her twin peaks shook proudly. Then, too curious, she asked: "Are you a pure human?"
"Me?" Wei Wuyin wasn't expecting the question. He thought for a moment and then shook his head, "I can't say what I was born as, but since I've cultivated a certain method, I've long since discarded a simple 'pure' identity. I might even be classified as a plant in some categories, haha." Wei Wuyin couldn't help but laughed when he thought about Eden's original mind, further easing Da Shan's worries with his dismissive tone.
"I guess you're right; as cultivators, our methods often change our bloodline and bodies in strange ways. Qing Qiumu might be closer to a block of wood than an elf."
"Haha, right."
"..." A long moment of silence was born as Da Shan's eyes became gloomy.
"Can…can I still give birth?" Da Shan asked softly.
"...hm?" Wei Wuyin tilted his head to get a better look at her expression. This caused Da Shan to lower her gaze. Eventually, she bit her lower lips anxiously and asked the question that had been in her heart since her transformation: "Can w-"
Before she could finish, Wei Wuyin caressed her face, bringing her gaze to his. "Yes." Then, he leaned in, kissing her lips gently, allowing his warmth to abolish her heart's troubles.