Chapter 577 - 573: As If Searching
"Desolate Dragnet Region?" Wei Wuyin pondered, digesting the implications in the name and what Wang Yutian had said. His primary focus was on the history of this stellar region, and its state when Wang Yutian had thrived. This was likely thousands of years ago, and supposedly, beasts from the Dragon Lineage ruled this 'desolate' region.
The question regarding what happened sparked in his mind, followed by an obvious answer: Divine King Han Xei.
As if reading Wei Wuyin's mind, Wang Yutian explained: "Yes. This stellar region lacked an essential quality that made it extremely undesirable. Because of this aspect, the strongest beasts were only at the peak stage of the Star-level. When a true Mystic Ascendant, a cultivator at the Soul of Mysticism descended, they could only accept their fate."
The so-called 'fate' was their imprisonment and subsequent suffering that lasted for thousands of years. The former rulers of this stellar region that likely neglected the humans, demons, and elven race that had settled here were rounded up and enslaved by those same beings.
"The fate of the weak, huh…" Wei Wuyin had a fiery hatred for how the dragons had been treated, but that only because it went against his principles… But he wasn't a saint nor a fool, and he understood that cultivation was difficult and there was a story behind every action.
Why the Divine King Han Xei despised those of the Dragon Lineage so much that he rounded up all beasts of said lineage all those years ago, imprisoning them to a life of horrific and painful suffering, awaiting for their inevitable demise, was likely a story with merit.
Softly sighing, Wei Wuyin placed this matter to the side of his heart, not allowing him to develop prejudiced thoughts without knowing the full story. He didn't live all those years ago, and he wasn't Divine King Han Xei, so until he knew the truth, the absolute truth, he would not allow it to drive his decisions or opinions. The only thing to keep in mind was vigilance.
"Does the True Element Sect know about my status as a Chosen?" It had been a few days, and he wasn't sure if the True Element Sect might search for his existence. If Divine King Han Xei was truly alive, a figure of high status, then his True Dragon Bloodline might endanger his life. It was but one reason to avoid the sect altogether.
Wang Yutian was aware of Wei Wuyin's bloodline, and so he mischievously chuckled: "For now, no. I only reported the other Chosen's information, keeping yours out of it. It's not much, but it should buy you a few days, if not weeks."
Wei Wuyin nodded.
"The Ascended that were in the Elementus Chosen Trial are completely aware of your appearance, and soon will discover the truth that you were the one to manifest Element Heart Intent. The True Element Sect will find this out as well, and they will try to find you. The other information about the trial will be released too, including your outstanding foundation and achievements. I imagine your identity in your own starfield is rather prolific, this will make it easier to find you and all your relationships." Wang Yutian laid out the situation clearly, and Wei Wuyin could only breathe out a slow, drawn-out breath.
Prolific?
He was the Ascendant Emperor of Neo-Dawn, a sub-fifty year old Emperor Alchemist that bested an Alchemic Astral Soul in front of billions. If he wasn't prolific, who was? Furthermore, his relationships weren't hidden.
This might prove to be an issue. He wasn't worried about the True Element Sect, but their enemies. As for the reason, wasn't it obvious? Yet he didn't wish to attach himself to the True Element Sect, for numerous reasons. The first and foremost was the threat of his True Dragon Lineage being revealed.
"Thank you," Wei Wuyin earnestly said.
"You're a Mortal Sovereign Alchemist with a Spatial Dragon Bloodline, an outstanding cultivation foundation, with Element Heart Intent and Saber Heart Intent. Just your independent Astral Souls are enough to shake my civilization, especially with one in the Alchemic Astral Soul. All before the age of fifty. I'm shocked you're a nobody from a desolate starfield. In a way, you shouldn't exist.
"It'll make more sense if you came from a higher-tiered starfield, one with cultivators that rivaled my highest level. I can't fathom it, to be honest. However, I've seen your home, and observed the mental fluctuations of your memories. You truly lived and grew up in a flat continental earth in a low-graded, mortal-tiered starfield." Wang Yutian's amazement was not concealed, and it wasn't only him.
Wei Wuyin was thoroughly shocked that Wang Yutian was so aware of his cultivation base. However, since he had kept watch over him from the beginning in the Elementus Chosen Trial, then it made sense. At some point, he used all of his various powers, from his Saber Heart Intent to his concoction of ninth-grade products.
"However, don't overestimate your strength or specialties. That other Chosen child is outstanding as well. While he had used a shortcut to forge his Worldly Domain, doing so will cause his cultivation to skyrocket. Chances are he'll reach the Realm World Phase in a decade. That's how terrifying possessing a Worldly Domain before the Realm World Phase is." Wang Yutian mentioned, cautioning Wei Wuyin.
After all, a cultivation base's aspects were capable of conquering outstanding foundations. Wei Wuyin was well-aware of this fact. If it wasn't for the Season of Regression's suppression, he might not have rushed to fight Realmlords and Timelords without fear.
But Wei Wuyin calmly smiled in response. He had devised and concocted the Neo-Dawn Eclipse Pill, so Lin Ming's outstanding advantage was irrelevant. Furthermore, he fully believed his pill will have no set-backs, unlike the intermixing of another's soul energies in your own. As an alchemist, he could imagine the variety of ill-effects that would siege upon Lin Ming in the future. These ill-effects were, with his greatest confidence, completely absent in his pill.
A thought popped into his mind that he couldn't help but ask: "Is there an alchemical product that can prematurely develop a Worldly Domain?" The civilization Wang Yutian lived in was clearly far more advanced, being a Worldly Saint expert, so he was quite curious
"A Worldly Doman? No. A False Worldly Domain? Sure. There are a few that help facilitate its manifestation, but nothing that outright performs the job." Wang Yutian answered with some thought.
"Facilitate? You make it sound like it happens a lot," Wei Wuyin was skeptical.
"It does. At least in my Stellar Region. When a cultivator reaches the Earthly Saint, helping a Spatial Resonance Phase junior forge an artificial Domain Seed is well within their ability. I've done so twice myself. However, it needs support from various mystic-rank materials or alchemical products." Wang Yutian said with a little shrug in his tone. It was clear that he didn't find this odd.
But Wei Wuyin fell silent. His product was a ninth-grade, and could perform the deed itself. From his experimentations and mental calculations, this was its effect.
"What about the flaws?"
"Flaws? Oh. The Domain Seed is hard to stabilize because the Soul Aura used to forge it belongs to the Earthly Saint. Its the purging of this Soul Aura that is required, lest all sorts of issues will manifest. That other Chosen child will suffer a lot of complications. A lot." Wang Yutian emphasized the issues. While he didn't list them, he ensured that Wei Wuyin knew it was numerous and disastrous.
Because of the Engorging Foundation Evil Method, the Soul Aura of three individuals were intermixed with the Domain Seed of Lin Ming, including himself.
"…" Wei Wuyin went silent. He had used the Soul Ash of Divine Jade and Spiritual Mana to help facilitate the merging of one's Soul Aura based on their Spirit of Cultivation, the fragment of their Soul Aura present within. After thinking about the other additional materials, contemplating the various methods used to concoct his product.
"…FUCK!" Like a bolt of lightning, Wei Wuyin's shouted in frustration. With gritted teeth, he looked visibly vexed.
"What happened?!" Wang Yutian was startled by the outburst.
With deep inhales and steady exhales, it took quite a while to calm himself down. After Wei Wuyin's mind settled, he couldn't help but let loose an amused chuckle.
Wang Yutian thought Wei Wuyin was going insane. What was going on in that mind of his?
In fact, Eden was releasing throbbing pounds of mental energy throughout his Sea of Consciousness. It, too, was vexed.
"Nothing. I just realized I made a mistake in my allocation of materials in a recipe I created. If I changed the method used, and added a bit more, I think I could've solved the issue that prevented me from concocting peak-quality products. Haha," Wei Wuyin shook his head. During his concoction process, he could only reach the theorized high-quality product for the Neo-Dawn Eclipse Pill. He was rushing, so he didn't have time to delve into it, but he finally understood why he couldn't reach the peak-quality.
The peak-quality would, in theory, conjure a genuine Worldly Domain, not a False Worldly Domain, and be able to merge with the Domain Seed manifested by the Realm World Astral Tribulation. The end-result was Worldly Domain that would terrify the world!
Unfortunately, he couldn't figure out what he was missing, but now he did: Attunement. If he used a little more Spiritual Mana via a better fusion method, it was all but guaranteed. The vexation originated from this tiny change having a massive difference, and both he and Eden missed it.
"…" If Wang Yutian knew the specifics of what Wei Wuyin was talking about, perhaps his entire belief in alchemy might be overturned. A ninth-grade pill that can flawlessly perform the task of an Earthly Saint? And it was conjured by a Mortal Sovereign Alchemist under the age of fifty? What were those mystic-rank alchemists doing with their thousands of years?!
Putting that aside, Wei Wuyin decided to concoct peak-quality Neo-Dawn Eclipse Pill and forge four Domain Seeds for his Astral Souls later. With the Primal Yin Energies and contained comprehension he'd obtained, including the forged Domain Seeds, he had no doubt that reaching the Gravity Emission Phase will be far, far easier.
As for the low and high-quality products sent to the others, it should be enough. At least they should be devoid of complications, experiencing all the benefits with no disadvantages.
"We've gotten sidetracked. What about this Star-Devourer? You said its strange that its in a desolate stellar region, why?" Wei Wuyin was reminded of his first question, returning back to it.
"Oh, that? Right. I said before that a Star-Devourer typically resides in better environments, and that's because, like other things in an functioning ecological system, there's a reason for any type of creature to exist. The Star-Devourer exists to prevent an over saturation of solar stars from emerging. At least, that's the prevailing theory of their existence. But this isn't a problem in desolate stellar regions, that's why they're called 'desolate'. So it's like an apex predator entering an area with little to no prey. Its just not practical.
"The death of a Star Core Phase Cultivator sends out their Star Core that'll eventually become Solar Stars in the far off future. But if too many gather in close proximity, they can start to collide and produce a terrifying force, generating an explosion far greater than a detonation of a single Solar Star. It's capable of wiping out entire starfields. We call these events Scarlet Collisions.
"These Starlet Collisions aren't limited to just two Solar Stars. Even three, four, or thirteen can collide at the same time. Its an astronomical phenomenon, like a domino effect, and the gravitational force produced by two Solar Stars gathers more nearby in a certain range. I've been told of one having over three hundred stars in one collision. It was called the Great Scarlet Divide, and it destroyed half a Stellar Region, splitting it in two, in an extremely short period of time."
"…" Wang Yutian's words caused Wei Wuyin's heartbeat to accelerate. The memory flashes of starfields that were utterly devastated emerged in his thoughts. While he knew they weren't due to Scarlet Collisions, the thought of this abruptly happening while he was sleeping, cultivating, or basking in his life was a terrifying thought.
"But desolate stellar regions rarely have Star Core Phase cultivators, so they don't produce enough to feed a Star-Devourer or warrant one existing in it. That's why its so strange, and from what I can see, this Star-Devourer has already eaten some Solar Stars along the way, as if casually satiating its hunger while looking for something, and has been here for a long, long time. If it was truly eating, then this tiny stellar region would've died out in a few decades," Wang Yutian stated, highlighting the oddity once more.
Wei Wuyin's heart halted for a moment. He lifted his gaze and observed the approaching white dot that seemed like a miniature star at this moment.
Searching for something…