"Can you believe this, Young Lord?!" Wu Yu exclaimed exasperatedly. The regal, renowned, and remarkably powerful Grand Knight of Neo-Dawn was flying across the Dark Void, a Spiritual Jade in hand, and beside the majestic, mesmerizing, and magnificent Bai Lin. Wei Wuyin rode her calmly, giving Wu Yu's exaggerated reaction a glance and a wry smile.
Wu Yu, however, was unable to settle his growing irritations, especially as it was continuously fueled by how ludicrous the situation had become. "Why does it feel like the entire Grand Cyclic Stellar Region isn't reveling in your brilliance? You slayed that irksome Alchemic Sovereign, and before that, you deeply outmaneuvered and dominated a force with thirty Earthly Saints! Thirty! Yet most of the news isn't about how you're the next up-and-coming ruler of this entire world, a cultivator and alchemist with greater potential than even 'him', but instead describing how outstanding this Tian Yinwu is. And even worse, who's more handsome? The answer is unimaginably easy: You."
Wei Wuyin didn't know how to react, speechless by Wu Yu's bold, unashamed statement. But Bai Lin was right alongside Wu Yu in his annoyance, releasing a faint dissatisfied cry that shook fixed space briefly. She had nearly taken down an entire super-sized Starfield, but she wasn't even given any credit in any news?! That was totally unfair.
Eventually, Wei Wuyin slowly shook his head, calmly explaining: "News is controlled by its distributors, and it's sent out to direct one's focus, attention, belief, and understanding in the favor of its distributors. This is the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region, ruled subtly by the Imperial Clan; I fear that if Tian Yinwu hadn't revealed his brilliance, my achievements would've been further suppressed, downplayed, and reasoned out by filling the unknown gaps with 'expected' justifications."
"..." Wu Yu frowned; he hadn't forgotten that at all, especially considering if the news was continuously released of Wei Wuyin's vast achievements, means, talent, personal strength, lack of proper affiliation, unbounded by Mythical Oath status, and unclear motivations as of now, the situation would certainly spiral uncontrollably if Wei Wuyin decided to make any open moves.
For example, what he was intending to do now.
The public's perception would greatly fuel their belief in the Stellar Region's direction. How absurdly disadvantageous would it be to peddle the upcoming rise of an ambitious youth with such unfathomable powers, a Grand Mortal Sovereign Alchemist, a mortal cultivator with the strength of an Ascended being, and starfield-threatening tools? The only thoughts that this would bring could be considered heavily skewed toward a new era of rulers. Or to be specific, a single ruler.
Unfortunately for those controlling this distribution of news, trying to control the conversation, Wei Wuyin had undeniably become a household name of excellence, and he was renowned as a talent that was almost unrivaled at this point. It was hard to snuff out a radiant star, and Wei Wuyin's size was supermassive!
Those higher-ups, those with wit and keen senses, could feel that the flow of the world was changing rapidly, and at the center of it was a single silver-eyed youth that had arrived no more than a few decades ago.
But it was still vexing!
"Moreover, they aren't spewing any lies harmful to me." Wei Wuyin pointed out amusingly, especially given how intricate the situation with Zhan Yicao had been and its many layers. The former Lavender Alchemic Sovereign was currently awaiting his transition as a Spirit of War, and until then, his original soul presence would remain in this world, continuing his life talisman's activity. Wei Wuyin would have to find an opportunity to complete the transformation, officially confirming his death and allowing the Imperial Clan to justify it all away.
"This campaign of regulated information…does the Imperial Clan think this will prevent the inevitable?" Wu Yu asked as he looked out towards the Dark Void, in the far distance was a gigantic Supermassive Solar Star that shone radiantly. It was much larger than the other specks of radiant light.
"..."
A period of silence was born, both immersed in their respective thoughts. Fortunately, this silence was shattered by Wei Wuyin: "We're here."
The trio halted their flight; they were currently located at the edge of the Sealed Regions, far away from the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region, separated by several desolate-type Stellar Regions that had been long forgotten with time.
Wu Yu sensed the area and saw the fragmented debris of celestial bodies, absolutely dead without the slightest trace of any high-level energy or material, corroded by Chaos Mana. He commented with growing curiosity, "So this is the Heptasage Pillar Stellar Region? The birthplace of the legendary Seven Sages Tower and reasons for the War of Fallen Stars."
This was a place with extremely heavy historical significance! It was tainted by sins and greatness, a strange duality immersed this place entirely. "To think, tens of trillions died, lost their homes, families, suffered in the bitter coldness as Solar Stars were snatched away mercilessly while awaiting death, all because of a few Alchemists." Wu Yu's awe was apparent.
"The Path of an Alchemist is not without its brutal realities," Wei Wuyin said as he surveyed the location with his Celestial Eyes. If his guess was correct, the third node of the Sealed Regions should be in this area or very close to it. Unfortunately, despite his knowledge as the Void Voyage Sect's Sect Master in an alternate timeline, he hadn't learned where it was exactly. Fortunately, he had methods to locate it, but he didn't do so; if he exposed the aura of the third node, Trueborn's malicious act of informing the world would cause everyone to violently pour in to escape their 'cage'.
"Yeah," Wu Yu agreed wholeheartedly. The King of Everlore had experimented with Demons, Beastmen, Elves, and Humans in various ways that would be wildly considered as unsavory, had plundered items treated as inheritance treasures and stripped continental flat earths or planets clean to experiment with his concoctions. While resources were ample between heaven and earth, that was a generalized statement—no resource was infinite.
Moreover, certain products needed…artificially-created materials. The Absolute Yin-Creation Pill that helped Na Xinyi realize greater levels of talent? It was concocted using Primal Dark Yin Pearls, and these objects were Evil Earthly Treasures forged by gathering the Primal Yin Energies of up to a hundred thousand virgin women, typically low-leveled Qi Condensation Realm cultivators.
…the Myriad Monarch Sect had two.
The use of this pearl was not to be understated, especially to those who cultivated Yin Cultivation Methods such as Na Xinyi or Yang Cultivation Methods. In fact, it could be used to forge unique Spiritual Armaments such as Yin-Spirit Flags, create and fuel terrifying arrays such as the Planetary Array of the Dark Yin Palace, enhance one's feminine beauty, or refine masculine energy.
Wei Wuyin's own Essence Blood recovery products required ungodly amounts of Blood Energy. If it wasn't for the Four Extreme Continent's vast supply of Draconic Blood Energy, he would've had to extract some from those beasts of the dragon lineage or powerful cultivators. Fortunately, his new physique had remedied that issue permanently.
"The Echoing Stars of the Vastless Pill was truly world-changing, so rampant greed was to be expected and the War of Fallen Stars—unavoidable," Wu Yu wasn't an inexperienced cultivator, and he had cultivated using the blood of beasts to temper his cultivation, plundered the fortune and gains of others, and slaughtered to secure resources from stubborn fools. He was a Monarch—hands dyed red in dripping blood.
"Was it?" Wei Wuyin tapped Bai Lin as she flew a few miles forward. Wei Wuyin had devised a way to circumvent taking real Solar Stars by using Elemental Heart Intent and the basic structure of a Solar Star created by an Ascended. Of course, that was solely due to their lacking existence. Still, he had found a way around snatching it from others.
However, Wei Wuyin refused to go down that hypocritical path; his first instincts were to traverse beyond the Sealed Regions and steal Solar Stars as well. Given how difficult it was to create Solar Stars, and the vast difference between natural and artificial Solar Stars, even if he gave them a replacement, the lives of those who basked in its radiance would plummet uncontrollably.
"This place's history is incredibly fascinating, and it served as the beginnings of the King of Everlore's true rise, upon the backs of countless lives." Wu Yu remarked as he flew alongside Wei Wuyin. The Seven Sages Tower was a critical trailblazer for the Alchemic Dao of our world. They braved and strove for every path imaginable, daring to venture, and willing to suffer.
Wei Wuyin had benefited from others' past successes and failures as well, and the King of Everlore was no different after arriving in the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region. The legendary figure had explosively risen shortly after arriving in the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region thousands of years ago. To go from a Mortal Sovereign Alchemist unable to enter the Realm World Phase to a Worldly Saint Alchemist in a few thousand years, was this not because of the legacy left behind by others, greatly reducing the need to explore as he had done once before?
"Wu Yu," Wei Wuyin suddenly said as he urged Bai Lin to halt. The Grand Knight was taken away from his thoughts, giving this young, fate-changing existence a readied look. But what Wei Wuyin said next was not the order he expected, "Did I ever tell you about the King of Everlore's current situation?"
"?!" Wu Yu's thoughts violently veered off, his eyes widening and his pupils constricting. "Yo-you…?"
Wei Wuyin had never told anyone about what he learned from that titan soldier, and due to the restriction of entry and information of the World Between the Fold, knowledge or news never truly spread. Those who knew were either unwilling to tell others or didn't have contact with the Sealed Regions in the first place, originating from the World Beyond the Fold, and were therefore suppressed into death here.
"The King of Everlore has established his very own kingdom, the Everlore Stellar Region."