Paragon of Sin

As years flowed on…

Throughout the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region, the new era and rise of fantastic talents instilled a peaceful atmosphere conducive to dedicated cultivation. As if determined by default, the hectic and greedy conflicts of unaligned cultivators were reduced to their bare minimum while the internal strife and competition within were growing increasingly intense. 

The Chosen King Competition, an event that occurred at intervals of eighty-one years, created by the illustrious King of Everlore and regulated by the Everlore Association, slowly approached. The concept of Chosen was foreign to the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region until his arrival and rise to peak prominence, becoming a Worldly Saint Alchemist in a few thousand years and marking the entire world with his unerasable radiance.

However, unlike the past Chosen King Competitions that came and went without any real success, this year was bound to be fundamentally different. The existence and arrival of a single mortal had overturned conventional standards of cultivation through a heaven-defying pill and then rewrote the very standards for Chosen. The Neo-Dawn Alchemic Sovereign was heralded as the bringer of a new dawn, true to his name, as not only did the number of successful Mystic Ascendant Realm cultivators spiked in recent years, but the drive for competition had paved the way for many Alchemists to rise in their fields and, to some, even instigated the birth the fifth Alchemic Saint of the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region's recorded history. 

Like a breath of fresh air, his feats and achievements showed that even those who were mortals could cause great changes to the world. 

Within a Secret Realm with a dwarf-sized Golden Sun that exuded a strong, blazing Yang Aura. 

A training field of young children was rife with activity as pre-teens, teens, and young adults all gathered around a tall, imposing figure seemingly forged of muscles. Despite his intimidating appearance of a hulking mass of meat and might, the youngsters were unafraid and had eyes brimming with excitement.

"Instructor Si! Is it true? Is Senior Brother Yang a relative of the Neo-Dawn Alchemic Saint?" A young boy, eyes with bright curiosity, blurted out. 

The one called Instructor Si, also widely renowned by the world as Highlord Si Yang, a figure whose power was near the top of cultivators throughout the world, hurriedly clasped the boy's mouth. His eyes darted here and there, and with an anxious light in his eyes, unbefitting both his status and figure, he held a finger to his thick lips.

"Shhhhh! That's a secret." Si Yang quietly said, looking left and right once more. The younger kids clasped their hands over their mouths while the older ones smiled amusingly. Then, a cunning look flashed across his expression, "But between us?" 

The youngsters instantly nodded. 

"Yes. Haha!" Si Yang laughed thunderously. 

"Between who?" A voice that shook the ground resounded, and Si Yang's spine straightened as if he got caught with his hands in the cookie jar. With a failed attempt at whistling, like a deflated tire, he looked at the Solar Star as if to calculate something, "Oh, look at the time. I've got to feed my fish." 

Without looking back, the hunk of muscle stomped away into the distance. After a few seconds, a figure of similar build, yet much taller, nearly four meters in height, arrived by the youngsters, and they all warily smiled. There wasn't any fear in their eyes despite the towering giant before them. The figure sighed, smiling at them. "A secret. Okay?"

"Okay!" They all nodded and agreed, obedient as always. 

"Then, back to training!" The giant left with those words as a newly infused vigor for cultivation had been imparted to them through the stories that Si Yang had told them. 

Shortly after, the two hulking figures sat at the edge of a mountain peak. They were side by side, but despite their similar build, Si Yang looked considerably smaller due to their height difference. 

"What are you doing, Elder Si?" The giant asked, his tone gentler than one would expect, yet there was a stifling presence in his breathing. 

Si Yang was unaffected by it. As a Highlord with a domineering physical body, there was little that this little fool could do to oppress him. He sighed, "Don't you think it's time for you to leave this world? Find the family that you thought was long dead? Look at him now; he's overturning the world outside and likely searching for you. I've heard endless whispers of others actively searching for someone fitting the description of when I first found you. Of course, now, you look entirely different, both in appearance and aura." 

Those words generated a silence between them. 

"...It's not time yet." 

"...haaa…" Si Yang sighed deeply. "Okay then. But when it is, don't hesitate. As a member of that forgotten race, you shouldn't cower before anything." 

The giant looked at the sky, finding the gorgeous golden sun; there was a light of rich nostalgia in his eyes. If Wei Wuyin were here, he would instantly recognize this giant despite his drastic changes. Why? Because he would never forget his only living family, not even if he was eradicated by the Heavenly Daos. 

-----

The World Between the Fold, Endless Void Realm. 

Dozens of figures were pouring Spatial Power into a churning, hellish vortex of ravaging space. At the lead was an armored figure and female scholar—they were Su Nianzu and Zhangjie Wushu respectively, two Worldly Saint-level characters. 

It had been years upon years, and the Spatial Vortex that barely occupied a small corner of the Endless Void Realm had vastly expanded. 

Short after, the two Worldly Saints halted their infusion as they backed off. They began to take recovery products, restoring their spent Mystic Power, as they observed the fruits of their efforts. 

"It's currently engulfing eighty-three percent of the realm. We're close," Su Nianzu said with a hint of joy. The idea of the untapped mystic-graded environment of the Sealed Region's Supermassive Solar Star had been fostered in his heart for decades. He could taste the benefits at the tip of his tongue. All their expended power would be worth it in the end, he convinced himself. 

Zhangjie Wushu didn't respond immediately. They were so close. Soon, when the Spatial Vortex consumed the Endless Void Realm whole, their oaths would allow them to enter the world within the Sealing Array. 

"If only we had Xu You, this would've been over already." Su Nianzu complained about the missing or entrapped Worldly Saint. While his life talisman was still active, they hadn't heard any news from the Time Vortex. He had likely gotten swept away due to all the strange events happening and could not extricate himself. Despite his potentially pressing situation, Su Nianzu didn't think Xu You was in any real danger.

He was a Worldly Saint, and as a selected cultivator to lead a city of the Endless Voyage Realm, he was beyond the average standards and adept in Space and Time Power. 

"..." Zhangjie Wushu kept silent. She focused solely on recovering. 

Su Nianzu frowned but followed suit eventually. It was clear that Zhangjie Wushu didn't wish to waste any time talking, even if it took them a millisecond to exchange thousands of words. 

-----

While the world seemed peaceful, the leaders of the world were deeply occupied with a spreading piece of news that was unsettling among their ranks.

What Wei Wuyin knew would happen had happened! 

Trueborn leaked news of the last sealing node, including the freedom bestowed to those who break it. The lack of conflict between forces over the years was entirely due to their joint, silent cooperation to find the last remaining node throughout the Sealed Region. While not everyone knew of its existence, those who did possessed great power, forces, resources, and authority.

There was a growing trend among top-tier organizations, and that was conducting affairs of a Void Hunter, hunting across the Dark Void for debris of forgotten eras and strange resources on the basis of finding things for future Chosen. The profession of Void Hunting began to get swarmed by top-tier organizations, and they operated in a strange, peaceful manner. Even fights between hunters dwindled considerably as they sought to find profit over competition.

However, the existence of the Sealed Region remained largely unknown to the majority of the population. Unfortunately, the name of the multi-Stellar Region area termed the Sealed Regions was bleeding through in conversations between peak cultivators and elite talents. It was clear that…the cultivation world was becoming aware. 

Slowly but surely.

-----

Since San Luoyang's ascent to an Alchemic Saint—the Tri-Vision Alchemic Saint twenty-six years ago, the atmosphere started to grow tense as the Chosen King Competition was a mere three years away! Countless organizations were finalizing their Chosen selection! 

The rumor that this generation would give birth to the first Chosen King ever was rampant, and names such as Tian Yinwu, the top ten Saintesses and Heroes, and descendants of peak powerhouses began to be thrown around as the Golden Gate Pavilion even unleashed a new ranking list:

The Golden Monarchs. 

It was indiscriminate between men and women and had names across multiple other rankings on the list. It announced to the world the top 100 Chosen or unfinalized Chosen with the greatest chances of becoming the first Chosen King of the era. It brought endless hype as the Golden Monarch Ranking wasn't static, and one could rise by defeating other cultivators relative to their age and cultivation base.

The last two and a half decades have been a world where countless mortals challenged Pinnacle Starlords or 'false' Ascended beings at the Mystic Star Phase to prove themselves and overtake others on the ranking! Some even challenged those at the Soul of Mysticism or Demi-Mortal Lord Phase with the same conditions as Tian Yinwu! While many failed horrendously, the courage to try was enough to bring about a buzz!

-----

Heptasage Pillar Stellar Region.

First Calamity: Survived - 7/7.

Second Calamity: Claimed - 1/1.

Third Calamity: Claimed - 3/3. 

Fourth Calamity: Suppressed - 22 Years. 

Karmic Luck Value: 212,732.5 → 217,663.3.

The Stellar Region had been sealed off from prying eyes, emulating an Absolute Void Region, yet within this space was a radiant Solar Star! 

"Fully harmonized!" A voice rippling with endless elation resounded from the depths of the thriving Solar Star! 

"Don't you think it's too big!" 

"It's not big enough!"

"Hehe!" 

"...tch."

Wei Wuyin's Astral Souls communicated as the harmonization reached its completion. The tireless efforts of multiple Earthly Saints had given birth to an astonishing celestial entity. If not for the abnormally dense Chaos Mana that refused to allow even light to escape, the entire Sealed Region would find the existence of a new star!

A new Solar Star!

A Solar Star that was emitting pure, mystic-graded Solar Essence without a Mystic Radiance Belt!!! 

A Solar Star whose size was larger than any other in the entire Sealed Region! 

While it was within the Supermassive size category, if compared to the Aeternal Sky Star, the latter would be considered tiny! At the cusp of the Absolute-size, the Supermassive Solar Star was an entire nine hundred times larger than the minimum Supermassive Solar Star, and about a hundred times larger than the Aeternal Sky Star.

It occupied roughly a single percentage of the entire Heptasage Pillar Stellar Region! It was larger than most average starfields! Moreover, it was completely harmonized—a true natural Solar Star! If exposed to the world, it would usher a new dawn across the Dark Void. The efforts of 10,001 Earthly Saints for decades were not wasted!

"When do we get out?" Ori's curious voice resounded. Wei Wuyin was nestled within the core of the Solar Star, and it was gargantuan from axis to axis.

"We don't," Kratos firmly announced.

"Hehe! WE DON'T!" Ori giggled maniacally.

Wei Wuyin was still immersed in his excitement from completing the harmonization process when he heard their playful conversation. He instantly realized that they were waiting for this very moment. Before he could urge them to wait, albeit it was more of a trained impulse than a genuine want, all four Astral Souls unleashed their suppressed states together!

They were triggering the Star Core Astral Tribulation! 

"Well, If you guys hadn't, I would've." Wei Wuyin no longer resisted, and instead felt a strong urge to challenge the next stage. The project that could be considered his most outstanding cultivation achievement was now about to be put to work!

The peak Supermassive Solar Star that occupied an absurdly large area…

VANISHED!