Paragon of Sin

The first grand stage of the Chosen King Competition-Everworld-began to instill degrees of intense competition, savagery, and desperation within the participants. Every Chosen King Competition had deaths, and these deaths often led cultivators to be abnormally safe and vigilant after each Chosen King Competition passed.

The dangers of Everworld had Strength requirements that very, very few could attain. So the priority for most at the time was to survive until the second stage, to group up and find safety in numbers, or a location that has been deemed free of environmental hazards. Typically, this had become common 'meta' amongst Chosen.

However, the standards of Chosen over the last three decades grew, but the perilous dangers of the Everworld that stabbed fear into the hearts of Chosen hadn't-they became conquerable. As the average cultivator's cultivation base rose to the Realm World Phase, the seventh stage of the Astral Core Realm, even for those first-timers such as Ming Yuling, Zeng Xiaohui, and Yi Yun, the dangers that once instilled the 'meta' of survey, understand, camp, and survive had begun to lose their influence.

The opportunities on Everworld, at least the vast majority, could be fought for by everyone! The fight for survival had shifted to the fight for fortune! Across the landscape, countless Chosen fought, either single-handedly or in groups.

Top-tier Chosen with unquestionably high combat strength often tried to seize Fortune Zones alone, obtaining all the benefits themselves. This was a feat they could have originally achieved with ease before but this competition proved different.

Those of outstanding talent and strength began to meet allied groups, either sect-oriented, clan-oriented, or benefits-oriented with other Chosen at an equal or slightly lower cultivation base. These formally tyrannical existences began to be contested by ordinary Chosen using numbers. They were either pushed out, forced to flee, or in rare cases -killed. These groups occupied Fortune Zones and split their fortunes amongst themselves.

Due to the last sixty-odd times of the Chosen King Competition, the instructions given by masters and elders had mostly been about survival regarding perils of the environment, not the insidious dangers of other Chosen. They prioritized survival over combat, and as such, besides extremely rare cases such as He Yanglei where Incarnations were created using Incarnation Manifestation, a profound ability of the Mystic Dao, costing lifespan and precious energy, most seniors and masters gave tools for fleeing or escaping, not fighting.

Lin Ziyan's bracelet was similarly a rarity amongst Chosen. Even Na Xinyi and Wu Baozhai had been astounded by her bringing out an offensive tool of such power. The usually held belief was that using one's own strength was more important in the Chosen King Competition, preached by almost all.

This type of conditioning that hadn't caught up with the change of average cultivation levels had inadvertently caused individual strength of prominent and talented Chosen of the first stage to have considerably less influence than ever before. Moreover, due to the tiny-sized planet area of Everworld, escaping other cultivators without the ability of flight was extremely, extremely, extremely difficult!

As the days passed, the fight for fortune evolved further, as groups began to form to do other things...

...such as...

HUNTING!

The hunting of Chosen!

By Chosen!

69 Days : 13 Hours : 37 Minutes : 42 Seconds.

There was a grassy knoll, it was quiet and peaceful, surrounded by verdant trees, picturesque rivers, and tranquil, fragrant flowers. The land was utterly bewitching. The air was incredibly rich in astral essence, a rarity in Everworld.

Atop the grassy knoll, sitting cross-legged at the center of a cleanly sliced tree stump was a tall, lithe woman with an oval face and smooth skin. She was garbed in burnt orange-colored robes, standing out considerably before the green and blue scenery.

"The times have changed. No longer is independent superiority vital in this stage of the Chosen King Competition. I wonder if this is what the King of Everlore intended?" Her words were calmly spoken in a soft tone, yet there was an underlying dominance that was hard to overlook. Her thoughts, however, were not unique to her. The King of Everlore was a renowned Alchemist with extraordinary rallying strength, it wasn't unlikely that forming groups to seize fortune wasn't the intended function.

"Zhu Dandan!" A voice called out as several auras approached, disrupting the peace and beauty of the world. Half a dozen young and middle-aged men and women stomped their way over.

The burnt-orange-robed woman lifted her lowered chin, revealing a pair of soul-stirring amber eyes. It was as if the eyes of a Queen were opened, surveying the world with utter carelessness and disregard.

"This grade four fortune zone is not yours to occupy alone! Share it, or we'll have to remove you." The leading man's voice was borderline growling with hatred and humiliation. He was young, handsome, and clearly of the truly talented variety even amongst Chosen, yet before this woman, all his innate pride and sense of superiority that was entrenched in his bones were abolished.

"This is my territory. Shoo." She casually spoke in an understated and indifferent tone, gesturing with a wave of her hand as if these Chosen were all petty flies before closing her eyes.

A beautiful woman with sharp eyes chuckled at this, "Long Gua, it seems you can't control your fiancée. She has utterly no respect for you." Her words caused the atmosphere to tense, instigating a raging flame in Long Gua's eyes.

"Zhu Dandan!" He shouted.

Zhu Dandan's eyes opened halfway, seemingly utterly bored, but there was a faint, flickering light that contained a forceful power. The single action caused silence to befall the tense atmosphere.

Before long, dozens of other auras began to appear from all over. Zhu Dandan's eyes furrowed.

Long Gua's expression changed. He instinctively turned to the beautiful woman beside him, his eyes carrying a wisp of shock.

The beautiful woman smiled sweetly, "I simply asked for a few others to assist us. Shouldn't be an issue, right?"

"Fool," Zhu Dandan said as she rose from her stomp. The action caused those who had stomped their way here to instinctually back away, even the beautiful woman's smile faded as a vigilant light flashed across her eyes. The only one to not move was Long Gau.

"You keep choosing those devious beauties again and again, always thinking with your other head." Zhu Dandan commented as her aura began to seethe into the air, stirring the world's energies and essence. The dozens of others, almost causing the number to exceed forty, had gathered together and formed a united group behind the beautiful woman.

Long Gau flew into an extreme rage. "Zhu Dandan!" As if he lost his mind, he rushed toward Zhu Dandan with his fists clenched and aura raging. However, the moment he reached a certain distance, his body abruptly twisted in a spin and he punched viciously toward a certain figure standing behind the woman.

The man was middle-aged, carrying an amused smile as he watched the lover's quarrel, but his eyes widened as a terrifying fist force crashed against his skull at lightning speed. He didn't even have time to exert his Star Core Phase cultivation before he was a headless corpse.

There was no heavy explosion or booming impact. The fist force was abnormally concentrated, aiming at the head and only at the head. The level of technique was impressive even amongst top-tier Chosen.

Long Gau shot toward Zhu Dandan, standing beside her with an amused, prideful smile on his handsome face. "Did you set up the formation correctly?" His words, however, were useless as Zhu Dandan executed a series of hand-seals in rapid succession. The area of tens of miles, enveloping the forty Chosen present and the hundred or so hiding in the surroundings trying to seek out benefits, both independent and grouped.

"What?!" The beautiful woman was shaken to the core, unable to process the situation. Suddenly, a few'weaker cultivators began to stumble as their cultivation bases began to grow sluggish and unresponsive.

"What is this?!" The beautiful woman questioned in shock and disbelief. She looked at Long Gau with fierce, aggrieved questioning, as if she was betrayed by her lover. The headless corpse of her sect's oldest Chosen with the highest cultivation base was at her feet, leaking blood profusely and tainting her shoes.

Her question was ignored, Long Gau looked at Zhu Dandan with a faint smile, "Time to harvest?"

Zhu Dandan nodded calmly, her temperament as aloof as before.

"Perfect! All of you are fish on my cutting board! You can either surrender your tools, armaments, alchemical products, and everything else, except your underwear of course, and swear oaths, or die here-today!" Long Gau took the lead and loudly exclaimed as the formation's sealing power began to take effect. He was entirely unaffected, so her aura at the Star Core Phase bellowed in the air, causing those standing to fall to the ground, with a few directly on their knees.

"Long! Gau!" The beautiful woman screamed as she fell to her knees with a weak thud. Her strength was being sealed away, causing her complexion to grow weaker. That Zhu Dandan was a talented Formation Master, but to think she could set one up so quickly with this degree of power!

"I was thinking of sparing you from our harvest, but you betrayed me first. Well, I calculated it, but don't blame me for that." Long Gau smilingly said, his eyes sly and meaningful. She could only growl along with the others in her heart. Some tried to escape, but a thick wall of energy prevented it, and it was so strong that even Starlords would find it difficult to escape in a short time.

They could only scream before surrendering. Over a hundred Chosen were caught in this trap, all had their previously acquired fortunes taken, their cultivation bases sealed, and buried in the depths of the planet to await the competition's end or they were freed. The fortune of the grade four fortune zone was thoroughly taken.

Long Gau and Zhu Dandan left, standing side-by-side. Long Gau was filled with laughter while Zhu Dandan was utterly serene and indifferent. After they walked for a while, Zhu Dandan turned to Long Gau. "Did you do something with her?"

"Eh-" Long Gau's bright happiness was instantly frozen on his expression. His eyes grew shifty before he smiled large with his pearly whites on full display, turning around and grabbing Zhu Dandan's hand in both palms and with the most sincere tone he could muster, he said: "You're the only one for me, my lovely wildflower."

"..." Zhu Dandan stared calmly into Long Gau's eyes for a long, long moment. Yet Long Gau remained smilingly bright and sincere, outwardly unfazed by her piercing eyes.

She pulled her hand away and kept moving. Long Gau saw this and sighed in his heart, humming delightfully as he followed her.

"Let's find somewhere to rest," she suddenly said as Long Gau was taken aback briefly before smiling lewdly.

"Haha, okay! I know just the place," he happily said as he led Zhu Dandan away. The two would count their gains and bask in their achievement soon, very soon.Shortly after they left, San Yongli's body shimmered into existence, removing her concealment art. She glanced in their direction, the light of curiosity in her eyes, "Are those two..."

She recalled two figures written in the Book of Heaven's Path, and she felt that they closely resembled those two.

A legendary Formation Master that was said to be able to arrange stars to seize fortune from heaven and earth, and a Martial Arts Emperor that could crush entire worlds with a single finger.

The Grand Constellation Heaven Empress and Star Crushing Earth Emperor.

"...Interesting," she regarded the book as she contemplated the best way to act. She was no longer acting as passive as before, and she felt the need to be more proactive, just like Wei Wuyin had since his return. "I'll bring them to my side," San Yongli's thoughts no longer focused solely on being an independent powerhouse. She wanted to develop a true organization that could contend with the World Beyond, just like Wei Wuyin was trying to do!

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