Paragon of Sin

Forty-four days came and went.

The Grand Cyclic Stellar Region was not peaceful during this time. 

The death of Jiang Jingshi struck like a thunderbolt to the ears and minds of everyone who learned of the news. He was officially and completely dead; his Life Talisman stored in the Jiang Clan's Onesword Domain had crumbled into dust. 

Beyond a shadow of a doubt, the illustrious legend of One Sword ended on the anniversary of the Neo-Dawn Starfield's breathtaking creation. As word of the justification continued to spread, the Ascendant Emperor of Neo-Dawn reputation elevated to an ungodly height. 

Additionally, reports of Empress Xiaocheng's 'invitation' into the Neo-Dawn Starfield had stirred the Aeternal Sky Starfield's citizens' hearts, especially the Imperial Clan, who were all fiercely riled up, sending envoy after envoy to 'deliver and receive' updates to the Empress regarding the Imperial Clan's current developments. While the truth of these visits was obvious to all, the Empress remained in the Neo-Dawn Starfield as a 'willing' guest. 

The Imperial Clan, eight Noble Clans, three World Sects, two Pavilions, and two Associations were openly hosting a summit of leaders to discuss the Neo-Dawn Alchemic Expo, but those who could see the undercurrents, the recent actions of the Neo-Dawn Starfield, and the solemn attitudes of the Mystic Forces knew that the purpose of the summit was much more serious than a simple discussion about an alchemic expo.

The ghastly whispers of a call to war flowed across the Aeternal Sky Starfield. The words 'Oath 33' and 'Defiant Star' kept repeating in the mouths of many, spreading like wildfire to every corner, and the tension of the atmosphere began to unquestionably rise with every passing day.

In the vast world, for countless miles in every direction, the radiant star in the distance signified the birth of a new location, a new superpower, and the prelude of a new era!

-----

Wei Wuyin quietly stepped out of the Alchemic Chamber on the forty-fourth day after his starfield's official establishment, his expression ruminative. He glanced back at the Alchemic Chambers' door before smiling. 

The Neo-Fruits of Eden Spell was profoundly useful. The spell could transfer insights, knowledge, and experiences with great efficiency. The powers of Eden's mixture of Mind Dao and Alchemic Dao produced an unimaginably heaven-defying spell. While there were some drawbacks to it, Wei Wuyin's cultivation foundation had more or less eliminated all of them. This was one of the many benefits of his staggeringly high cultivation foundation that was pushed to its limits. 

Eventually, Wei Wuyin left the hallway and began to walk through the halls. During the last month and a half, he had been mostly occupied by his joint concoction and instruction operation with Cao Cuifen, so he had very little time to focus on other matters. But what little time he did spare, he kept himself abreast of the matters outside.

The Imperial Clan's overt movements, the continuous messages sent to Empress Xiaocheng, the never-ending probing inspections of Baby Defiant by multiple forces, and the attempts to enter the territory under various reasons and justifications. The world couldn't stand still after Baby Defiant's emergence. It was roughly ten times larger than the Aeternal Sky Star and exuded a natural mixture of mortal and mystic light. Unlike the Aeternal Sky Star, which had its solar essence refined through the process of a Mystic Radiance Belt, Baby Defiant didn't have such an unnecessary expenditure. 

While it might seem like a small difference, the result was indescribable due to the amount of solar essence that was expelled. During the process of radiance refinement, a portion of the mortal-graded solar essence was converted, which resulted in a loss. However, Baby Defiant didn't need to refine or suffer any loss through conversion. 

Even if the Aeternal Sky Star and Baby Defiant were the same sizes, Baby Defiant would be the better Solar Star. The fact that it was ten times its size only exacerbated the difference. It was hard for the true elites not to wish to know more about the possible benefits. 

Wei Wuyin didn't directly restrict it as long as they didn't violate the Neo-Dawn Starfield's borders or enter without permission. Due to Baby Defiant's reach, there were already forces of rogue cultivators beginning operations to move their flat continental earths and world realms closer to the edge of the border.

The Imperial Clan had prohibited the Void-Blank Space near the Aeternal Sky Starfield from being inhabited, they considered leeching off the star to be a transgression, but the Neo-Dawn Starfield hadn't said anything about it.

"Those four have already moved in. How efficient," Wei Wuyin learned that, about twenty or so days ago, the four forces, consisting of the Inferno Solaris Church, the United Source Clear Palace, the Sanguine Ghosts, and the Great Blue Royal Clan, had already moved into the Neo-Dawn Starfield. They had mostly left behind their deep-rooted foundations, traveling to the Neo-Dawn Starfield without hesitation. The only things they brought were portions of critical planetary locations, their secret realms, and World Realms. 

"They've already begun investing time and energy to increase the size and quality of their designated planets and lunar satellites. Smart." The organizations understood that Wei Wuyin wouldn't allow further planets or lunar satellites to form, so they set their roots in the existing locations. 

At first, Wei Wuyin was a little startled by the Inferno Solaris Church and United Source Clear Palace's decision. The two forces ruled over their own starfields, where they held unimaginable power, but they left them behind without the slightest hesitation. He somewhat understood Lady Clearwind's decision, especially considering that Wu Yu and her relationship status wasn't very hard to discern, but the first submission—the Inferno Solaris Church—still felt a little unreal.

As for what would become of these starfields left by their foremost powers, they were not without other Earthly Saints originating from there, or in the Hexaflame Starfield's case, they weren't without other organizations with Earthly Saints. Unfortunately, if those Earthly Saints decided to ignore these starfields, they would experience the same tragedy as the Ravenous Edge Starfield—torn and shared. 

As for the Great Blue Royal Clan, the Born True Starfield had begun moving into the Great Blue Starfield's territory to claim it as their own. They would soon complete their Pentastar Cluster's takeover plans with little resistance. Of course, Wei Wuyin had allowed this to happen tactfully; he didn't feel the need to handle the area while trying to consolidate his own starfield's territory and strength.

Also, the stronger Trueborn became, the more occupied those who descended would initially be. This would give him a bit more freedom to exploit the upcoming calamity to his benefit. 

Some lesser forces had submitted as well, but they had difficulties moving. Wei Wuyin had to give orders for the Demi-Mortal Lords and Earthly Saints under him to assist them, and the populations of the planets began to fill with lively citizens. While there were some spies present, they couldn't do much with the surveillance of eighty Earthly Saint-level Spirits of War. 

"The Alchemic Expo is halfway here," Wei Wuyin strolled through the halls as his eyes glowed profoundly. The Alchemic Expo was his breakout as an Alchemist. It was also the moment he'd shake the entire world and once again redefine the cultivation climate of the Sealed Regions. 

The Alchemic Expo was his moment to truly segregate his own legend and reputation from the King of Everlore's. From the beginning, since he started his rise in the world of alchemy, he had been overshadowed by the brilliance of that figure's past feats. It was time to show that no shadow could hide his brilliance.

"Everything has been proceeding smoothly so far," Wei Wuyin softly remarked as he recalled the layout of his plans. While there were some variables here and there, almost everything was going as he expected. As for those which hadn't, they were minor and easily dismissed, unable to cause any meaningful disruptions. 

"You need to focus on consolidating your cultivation base," the Heavenly War Spirit solemnly advised from within his Sea of Consciousness. It had told him this several times already, but Wei Wuyin was preoccupied with Cao Cuifen. 

Wei Wuyin arrived at the Void Gate in a spacious, well-crafted hall, his expression changing slightly. He was going to travel to the Neo-Dawn Starfield and find Empress Xiaocheng to answer a few of his questions, but the Heavenly War Spirit's advising words caused him to hesitate.

"Your cultivation base is unprecedented; you must consolidate your knowledge of it and determine your cultivation path going forward. You're still at the initial stages of the Star Core Phase, and your Stellar-Paragon Physique has mysteries that I'm unable to determine despite trying. You should discover whether the abnormality of having four individual Star Cores will hinder your path forward," the Heavenly War Spirit warned. 

From the Heavenly War Spirit's knowledge, even in the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region's history, possessing multiple Spirits of Cultivation wasn't abnormal. In fact, there existed the Multi-World Clan, whose lineage was founded on this principle, but even then, there had never been a Starlord that formed two Star Cores or more. 

Typically, the Star Core Phase was the complete assimilation of one's Mortal Dao cultivation base, and it would form a single entity, but Wei Wuyin had formed four independent Star Cores. Even the Heavenly War Spirit knew this was unprecedented, and she wasn't certain of how this would affect Wei Wuyin. 

"...Didn't you say that there have been Dual Mystic Core or Triple Mystic Core Cultivators?" Wei Wuyin softly asked, his eyes glinting faintly.

"Yes—the Multi-World Clan of this Sealed Region isn't unique; I've witnessed many humans that bore a resemblance to them in the Battlefield I presided over, your designated Battlefield, but they all merged at the Star Core and split at the Mystic Star Phase. But I've never seen four Star Cores.

"What would this mean? Four Ascensions? More difficult Ascensions? You have four times the amount of Mystic Rune Seeds of a typical Starlord, will this change your comprehension of the Mystic Runes? Will this change your Astral Physique's development? Your Bloodline? What about the World-Bound Star Domain in your Mind's Eye? How is it that size? What is different about it? How strong are you exactly? You need to find out these things and so much more."

"..." Wei Wuyin had also thought his Astral Souls would merge into a single entity. This was what happened to debonair Wei Wuyin's cultivation path. Only after his progression to the Soul of Mysticism Phase did he reuse the Haven Heart Qi Method that was revised to formulate four individual Mystic Cores. Unfortunately, he still wasn't a match for Liu Yinlan's schemes.

"You need to delve into your cultivation base properly. This should be your first and foremost priority." The Heavenly War Spirit was extremely serious and deeply concerned. After all, her life and death were tethered to Wei Wuyin's. She added: "You can't put it off. Your own strength is the most reliable thing in this world, don't forget that, nor neglect yourself."

Wei Wuyin closed his eyes and exhaled a wad of repressed air, nodding slightly: "You're right." He turned away from the Void Gate and decided to focus on his cultivation base. He was taking an unprecedented path, so he had to be extremely careful not to grow careless or complacent.

-----

In the Born True Starfield's depths, within the largest Shadow Egg, the violet-robed figure observed the shadowy mist enveloping the mirror with strange, questioning eyes. The Neo-Dawn Starfield's impressive imagery was shown, including the brilliance of Baby Defiant.

The violet-robed figure was silent for a long, long time until they spoke with a hint of disbelief and uncertainty.

"Could it be? The last node?"