Chapter 572 - 568: Left Behind
Wei Wuyin arrived at Grandquake City's tall walls that contained no entrance. The design that was established to fend off against the Season of Devils had been rendered obsolete and a definitive flaw of city design. However, Wei Wuyin was unbothered by this limitation as he flew over the wall.
Normally, this would instigate forces to retaliate, but the city was already under his control. Before he could even inspect the environment, he felt the movement of spatial power before him and in a silver flicker, Tuo Bihan appeared. This old man was still dressed in grey robes and carried a casual air despite being regarded as the strongest expert of the starfield.
When Tuo Bihan met the familiar aura at the city walls, his eyes shone as he regarded Wei Wuyin. "You're back," he revealed a smile on his face.
Wei Wuyin nodded, faintly smiling.
"I…" Tuo Bihan recalled Xue Yifei's disappearance. He had scoured the area as well, and more thoroughly than others… If anyone felt guilty at this event, it was him. Unable to protect the little boss's beautiful concubine was a gross mistake that, if on mortal standards, might lead to execution.
However, Wei Wuyin waved him off. "I'm well aware of what happened and why. When you get to the Aeternal Sky Starfield, be sure to tell Ma Zheng to take good care of Xue Yifei, Nyla Shur, and Zuhei as well. As for the dragons, I'll cover their cost too."
"…?" Tuo Bihan was confused by those words. Aeternal Sky Starfield? Ma Zheng? Was this person responsible for taking all the beasts and those of bestial lineage away? If so, how terrifying was this Ma Zheng?!
"Oh yes," Wei Wuyin forgot about a specific detail, "they'll be in the Golden Life Pavilion. Remember that name."
Tuo Bihan subconsciously nodded. He had already set himself to being Wei Wuyin's subordinate wholeheartedly, so if he gave orders, then he'd follow them even in the face of death.
Wei Wuyin softly smiled, sensing the Ascendants and Wu Baozhai that were within the city. He didn't fly towards them, or give them some explanation. Instead, he said to Tuo Bihan: "You have a very important assignment. You must, without fail, accomplish this. Do you understand me?"
Hearing that serious tone, Tuo Bihan stood a little bit straighter. "Your wish, your Majesty."
Wei Wuyin felt a warmth in his heart. Tuo Bihan had always referred to him as strange titles, oftentimes including little or boss in the title, but this direct usage of a proper title reflected his understanding of the importance of this mission.
Wei Wuyin withdrew a large silver rectangular box. It was forged from white wood, brimming with ample elemental wood energies that flourished with life. There were intense yet swarming spiritual light flowing over its surface. It was utterly gorgeous.
"Within this box is eighteen rings. They are all marked with specific names, either for an individual or a group. They contain alchemical products and raw resources. I need you to deliver each of these rings to those they belong to. They have special seals on them, and if they aren't given the correct seal, opening a spatial ring will cause the space to collapse.
"There's a ring for you, but you can only view and withdraw from your own. The seals can only be transferred once, and they can't be placed on the same person besides you, if they do, they'll vanish." Wei Wuyin pushed the box to Tuo Bihan, who hesitated as he looked at the box.
It seemed…so heavy.
For some reason, he felt like this was a parting gift. It was clear that Wei Wuyin knew something he didn't, but was it going to force him to leave such an important task to a mere Realmlord? For some reason, his throat felt dry.
"Can you do it?" Wei Wuyin asked.
Tuo Bihan snapped out of his stupor, and reached out. Despite the light weight of the box, the comfortable aura, it felt like he was holding a starfield. If he knew Wei Wuyin, this box might contain hundreds, if not thousands, of alchemical products at the ninth-grade.
"The box has a special spell formation placed on it, and unless its your spiritual sense, it'll be impossible to peer into it. If the spell formation is triggered, it'll shift away and try to locate you. So don't be scared to abandon the box if need be."
With every instruction of Wei Wuyin, Tuo Bihan felt the responsibility weigh heavier on his shoulders.
"When you get to the Golden Life Pavilion, give Ma Zheng the ring meant for him. Tell him that it's a down payment. There's handwritten letters in each ring, be sure that they each are aware of them before you leave. Understood?" Wei Wuyin said his last words of instructions.
"…" Tuo Bihan sharply nodded, but the heavy feeling in his heart increased. "Your Majesty…"
"No need for an emotional show; I'm not dying or vanishing." Wei Wuyin chuckled heartily, feeling quite relaxed after leaving this task to Tuo Bihan. While he rather gave it to Su Mei, her absence on the continent left him with Tuo Bihan, a similarly reliable individual. Furthermore, Tuo Bihan was old, yet Su Mei might gain opportunities in this new starfield. He didn't wish to waste that karmic surge, not even a bit.
"Very soon, that colorful net in the Dark Void will send you far away. Be sure to find the Ascendants. While they can thrive alone, be sure they don't forget their origins. When I or others come calling, they better respond. Once an Ascendant, always an Ascendant." Wei Wuyin's voice leaked a little bit of emotion, but there was no fear or grief. It was clear that this was brought about by his own choice, and it wasn't one filled with regret.
"…Why aren't you coming with?" Tuo Bihan couldn't help but ask. He still didn't understand the situation, but from what he could gather, the starfield and everyone was being prepped for transportation to this Aeternal Sky Starfield. And Wei Wuyin…he wasn't coming…
Wei Wuyin looked at the sky, his silver eyes brightened with a glint of power. When Tuo Bihan saw his eyes, it was as if he could peer into the secrets of the world and observe things far beyond his understanding. Recalling the Celestial Eyes of Spiritual Divinity, his heartbeat raced.
He never knew if Wei Wuyin successfully cultivated it or not, but finding out that he had left him emotional.
Wei Wuyin didn't answer. There was no need. But in his heart, a single sentence was said: 'It's coming for me.'
This was the feeling he had felt, and it coincided with the timeline he constructed. Perhaps his Eye of Truth increased in power after his ascension to the Soul Idol Phase, allowing him to view and understand more, but pairing the fact that his glimpse of the starfield's demise was directly after his advancement and so was Wen Mingna's vision happened after, then the Tiangou, this Star-Devourer, was coming here for him, honed onto him.
How could he leave? Wouldn't the Aeternal Sky Starfield be in danger as well? What about Bai Lin? What about his home? There were too many reasons why he couldn't leave.
The Heavenly Daos found it difficult to peer into his existence, being fooled by his Bloodline of Sin, and the world trend was very difficult to gather direct information from, so they couldn't determine the culprit, but he was almost certain of his theory.
"Wei Wuyin!" A voice resounded from below the city walls, causing Wei Wuyin to look beyond Tuo Bihan to spot the beautifully enchanting Qing Qiumu. Her emerald eyes gleamed with joy as she ran towards him.
Wei Wuyin couldn't help but once again realize that Qing Qiumu was a world-toppling, breathtaking beauty that could define an era with her looks alone. With a warm and large smile, he waved at her with energy. Before her, he was just Wei Wuyin, not that devastatingly reputable Ascendant Emperor.
Shroom!
Shroom!
Shroom!
Without warning, the World-Shifting Net brightened and shot down trillions of pillars of lights from every direction. With unfathomable speeds, they descended and engulfed every single figure of every single living human, demon, and elf in the starfield—Wei Wuyin included.
However, Wei Wuyin released his draconic aura, unleashing a faint roar, and the pillar instantly dissipated around him, as if correcting in accordance to predetermined and set parameters—no beasts allowed. Everyone was shocked by this turn of events, including Tuo Bihan who tightly clutched the box with both hands.
"We'll definitely meet again. Be sure to take care of yourself," Wei Wuyin smilingly said.
Unfortunately, Tuo Bihan couldn't hear Wei Wuyin or see him, his vision and hearing was sealed off by the aurora-like pillar of light. He stared at Wei Wuyin's previous location with intense, quivering emotions.
OOOOOMMMM!
OOOOZZZZUUUUU!
BOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The pillars were all sucked into the net. The net flashed with bright, blinding silver light, and then vanished from the sky as if it was never there.
And the Neo-Dawn Starfield went quiet.
Only a single man remained.