Paragon of Sin

The rules for Evercrown Ceremony were widely considered both incredibly simple and extremely complex. No doubt a paradoxical statement that was, yet despite so, all those who've ever participated in the Evercrown Ceremony and lived would unanimously describe it using those two-worded phrases.

Incredibly simple.

Extremely complex.

The third most commonly used two-word phrase was undoubtedly: "Mercilessly brutal."

As Wang Yutian had described earlier, the Evercrown Ceremony's rules and conditions for victory could be divided into three main objectives. The Evercrown Ceremony represented a key determining relic called the 'Evercrown', and it was divided into seven different fragments throughout the stage's vast area.

The purpose of the Evercrown Ceremony could be described as obtaining a 'complete' Evercrown and, at the dawn of the day, at the center of the ceremonial altar, to be crowned at one's coronation. Then, and only then, would one become proclaimed as the Chosen King!

Seven fragments.

A single crown.

A single king.

Simple, really. However, the extremely complex aspect of the ceremony was the conditions to obtain each objective, filled with subtle and overt difficulties that could bring horror and despondency to the soul, tainted by a bloody, ravenous slaughter.

Wang Yutian hadn't been able to delve too deeply into the rules with Wei Wuyin due to various restrictions, but primarily, the first objective of obtaining the seven fragments was quite daunting for those participating with several layers of complexities, to be exact-three layers.

The initial location of each fragment was given a guardian called a Chosen Sentinel, bearing a heavy resemblance to the Evil Sentinels. These fragments were not in a single, easily locatable area, but constantly on the move in their possession. Not only were these Chosen Sentinels extremely adept at concealment arts, but they all possessed cultivation bases at the Mystic Star Phase, making it difficult for even cultivators at the Soul of Mysticism to find them.

However, even if they're found, the Chosen Sentinels have the fragment imbued in their Spirits of Cultivation, interlinked with their cultivation base, Sea of Consciousness, and Meridians. There was only one way to obtain the fragment-off their cold corpse. This was the first layer.

After obtaining an Evercrown fragment, the fragment would then begin exuding a ray of iridescent and blinding light into the heavens for a thousand miles to see. This would constantly reveal its location to others. The only way to halt this blaring reveal was to refine the fragment into one's Spirit of Cultivation, becoming a Chosen Sentinel. This was the second layer.

The third and final layer was that the Evercrown fragment cannot be stored in spatial rings, even Saint Rings forged from Internal Worlds of Mystic Ascendants were no exceptions, and it weighed enough to rival a titanic-sized planet. While destroying a planet was easy, even creating one would only be a matter of time and energy for these talents, to possess sufficient strength to move a titanic-sized planet was things cultivators at the Soul of Mysticism would find extremely exhausting. Additionally, this weight wouldn't dissipate even if one refined it into a Spirit of Cultivation.

Just the object of obtaining the fragments came with many subtleties and maneuverability for the agile-minded and cunning, but equally as difficult for anyone without sufficient power. It all depended on one's means.

The second objective was similarly divided into three layers: Combining the Evercrown into a single whole.

Even if one, within the time limit given, acquired all fragments, they couldn't merge the crown into a single whole. They needed an Alchemist or several Alchemists to pour their purely refined Alchemic Force or Alchemic Power into it. The speed of the process wasn't simply reliant on power as each fragment could be considered a 'material' for concoction, the Evercrown itself was the final product. Moreover, a Chosen's body and soul must be the cauldron.

Each fragment of the Evercrown was defined by one of the seven aspects of the Alchemic Dao-Extraction, Growth, Containment, Refinement, Creation, Transformation, and Fusion.

An Alchemist had to be skilled in the respective fragment's property to merge it with the others, while simultaneously having some proficiency in the other properties as well. If not, multiple Alchemists would typically be required to cover the inadequacy. This was the first layer.

Throughout the vast stage of the Evercrown Ceremony were scattered translucent objects in the shape of cubes, pyramids, or spheres. They couldn't be sensed and the things inside were difficult for even Worldly Saints to peer through with their Spiritual Sense. These objects contained one of two things: An Alchemist or an Evil Sentinel. The latter's main objective when released was to wreak havoc and unleash an indiscriminate slaughter. They had cultivation bases at random, with a minimum of a Mystic Star Phase, and once before, a Demi-Mortal Lord had been unleashed, carrying out an unprecedented slaughter that was only overcome by several Chosen banding together.

These cages each had requirements to be unlocked. These range from something completely wild like bringing a certain fragment of an Evercrown or mundane such as infusing strands of Yin Aura within an orb until a certain limit was reached. As for the cages themselves, their durability rivaled a Mystic Ward of Demi-Mortal Lords, making them extremely difficult to breach. Moreover, who knew if the Alchemist within would survive if they resorted to such destructive, earth-shattering force? This was the second layer.

The third and final layer for the merging of the Evercrown was often ignored yet at a critical moment, often was the most difficult detail of the Evercrown Ceremony. After each successful merging, the weight of the crown was enhanced by two. If a single fragment weighed the average of a titanic-sized planet, then a two-merged fragment was twice that, a three-merged fragment was four times as much, and so on.

The last objective was to be crowned; then, and only then, would one be a victor of the Chosen King Competition, after traversing a long road paved with blood, bones, and battle. The process needed all seven fragments merged. Additionally, the seven fragments are required to be merged for at least seven hours to be stable lest a potential consequence would occur during the crowning attempt, and it had to be placed on a person by an Alchemist, not themselves, with sufficient ability to perform the required ceremonial spell.

Furthermore, they needed to 'claim' the Ceremonial Altar. Unlike the first two objectives, there were many complexities within this act.

As for overall, there were only a few rules:

The time limit for the Evercrown Ceremony was eighty-one days.Leaving the area was forbidden until the end of the competition.Not even Alchemists were protected; there would be no punishment for killing them here.External factors such as offensive talismans or Spiritual Projections of outside forces BEYOND five hundred years of age were prohibited.Should either of the two last rules be broken, only death was the outcome for the responsible party. There was once a Mystic Overlord that had breached this condition for their favored young bribe-to-be as she was near death by an Evil Sentinel. The Mystic Overlord was more than capable of taking her away from the restrictive formation present, but shortly after, not even a full twenty-four hours later, their corpse was showcased to the entire Azure-Prime Galactic Region as a grand ceremony of mocking took place.

The funeral event, and later the story itself, was often referred to as: "The Old Fool Who Loved The Fawn." It became a piece of folklore, a cautionary tale of risking everything for love with a young, beautiful woman.

As for their lovers, descendants, forces, and such, the Mystic Overlord's entire legacy built over a lifetime ended within twenty-four hours, causing an uncountable amount of individuals to suffer. There were rumors that they were all slaughtered and also whispers that they had been taken as slaves for some horrifying excavation project until their dying day, paying off the love debt for their ancestor and lord.

That was slightly over four thousand years ago.

"So that's it, huh?" Wei Wuyin sat lazily in his translucent cube-shaped cage, his legs sprawled out on the ground as he used his elbows to halfway prop his upper body up as his head drooped back. Few would believe that the Ascendant Emperor of Neo-Dawn, World-Saint Wei, was currently in this type of scoundrel-like posture. It was as if standing was too much of a hassle for him.

The information regarding the final stage of the Chosen King Competition came in like a raging waterfall, flooding his sea of consciousness with a wave of androgynous indifferent tonal voice. It didn't seem to originate from San Luoyang or Wang Yutian, which suggests there was another overseer, likely from the World Beyond.

The rules were simply explained by the voice, but Wei Wuyin quite easily deduced the nuances of each. No wonder Wang Yutian looked apologetic. There was a chance that Wei Wuyin would have to wait a full eighty-one days in this cube without being able to do anything.

Wei Wuyin's Celestial Eyes examined the cube, peering beyond its translucent surface with ease, and he could already see Chosen. The sight he saw was quite interesting, as the land was covered in thick foliage and vines. He was in some rainforest-like area.

"Oh?" There was a young woman. She had a slender frame, her stature was petite, with bluish hair with light grey highlights, and she was cautiously moving forward. Her aura wasn't of the Sealed Regions. In fact, she had long, shape-tipped ears and a fluffy pink tail that could incite one to touch at the cost of their lives. As her star-pupiled eyes roamed the area, she kept her concealment spell circulating in full effect.

She was from the World Beyond!

The young woman of the Celestial Race eventually found Wei Wuyin's cube. It was confusing to Wei Wuyin as she seemed to have not noticed it until she got within a certain range. However, he could tell she was sending out discreet waves of spiritual intent about a mile out. She seemed to have only seen him after reaching roughly a hundred meters in distance.

She was like an agile feline predator, silently stalking closer to the cube as if the pounce. The young woman was quite diligent despite the competition only having been active for roughly five minutes as she continuously probed the cube as if looking for traps. It took her a full two minutes of inspection before gaining the confidence to approach.

Wei Wuyin stood up at this moment, standing at the edge of the cube's border, looking at her quietly. Her lack of a reaction, it was evident that she was unable to see him or even his silhouette. She allowed her Mystic Power to flow out of her fingers, gently touching the cube as if to gather some information.

Wei Wuyin's eyes focused on the strand of refined power of the Mystic Dao-she was in the Mystic Ascendant Realm! It contained traces of fragmented runes, clearly representative of her Rune Ascension. From the runes existing within her power, Wei Wuyin determined that she had achieved the 7th Rune Ascension, talented regardless of where she went, especially at an age beneath five hundred.

This was the same Rune Ascension that Wu Yu had achieved with the King of Everlore's assistance. If she was consistent with her cultivation, reaching the 7th Runic Ascendant State as an Earthly Saint, she could be classified as a near-peak expert in the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region.

Of course, that was only in the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region.

The cube began to emit a faint droning sound that startled the young woman, her eyes looking at the cube with a tinge of disbelief and shock. She hurriedly pulled back, reinforcing her concealment spell two-fold, and quietly hiding in the foliage as if to add to her masking attempt. Wei Wuyin watched her slender figure obscure mysteriously beneath his Celestial Eyes. Her spell was not simple.

Suddenly, a figure flashed recklessly toward the area. Wei Wuyin recognized the aura instantly-a cultivator of the Sealed Region! They had a unique bodily signature marred by the energy that kept them sealed and prevented their powers from being suppressed prior to reaching the Worldly Saint Phase.

It was a young man, his eyes unusually bright as he saw the cube. He softly exclaimed, "Alchemist?!" He had a very optimistic glint in his eyes as he rushed forward. The stark difference in approach was heavily due to their familiarity with the stage itself.

Touching the cube, the same droning sound erupted as his astral force flowed from his fingers. This startled the young man too as he vigilantly backed away. However, almost immediately afterward, his eyes flashed with noticeable confusion as if information emerged in his mind.

"Seven hearts? From those at the Soul of Mysticism Phase? How ridiculous is this bullshit?" The man instantly exclaimed as he saw the conditions to open this cube. That was utterly outrageous! He was only a Realmlord; how was he supposed to acquire seven hearts from Ascended beings?! He cursed a little more, quite flamboyant and varied with his word usage. It was clear his upbringing wasn't exactly prim and proper from his colorful language.

Wei Wuyin's eyes moved away from the young man's exasperated expression, looking directly behind him.

"What an Evercrown Ceremony! Whatever, this might contain an Evil Sentinel thing anyways, so I'll just find an easier one." The young man reasoned before deciding to leave.

WOOSH!

Suddenly, two delicate hands grasped the young man's head. One hand was on the back of his head and the other was placed on his chin, clutching the lower half of his mouth. The eyes of the young man widened slightly in horror.

TWIST!!!

The young woman from the Celestial Race swiftly and decisively twisted, spinning the young man's neck a full one-eighty. Such a vicious maneuver would instantly render a mortal target immobile, severing their connection with their spine and their head. She seemed extremely practiced, her eyes exuding endless cold as she acted.

There was not an iota of mystic power in her actions, only raw physical strength. However, she instantly touched his spine, releasing a subtle burst of mystic power. The body of the young man expanded slightly before-

BURST!!

A slush of blood, bone fragments, muscle, and skin splashed Wei Wuyin's view within the cube. Not an ounce of the bloody display got on the young woman. She frowned slightly after doing the deed, confirming the death of the young man with her spiritual sense.

"Why is a Realmlord here?" She muttered softly to herself, bewildered by how suicidal cultivators could be. However, as she looked at the cube and remembered the conditions for unlocking it, she sighed to herself. Trying to take the hearts of seven cultivators at her level would be extremely difficult in this environment. Which of them wasn't an utmost talent?

She might have to get lucky and find those guardians of the Alchemists that were likely sealed alongside the true Mortal Sovereign Alchemists. That said, this wasn't the worst condition she had heard of.

There was once a condition of a Demi-Mortal Lord's intact Mystic Soul.

She could only leave and look for someone else, but she marked this location in a spiritual jade as she began to map out the area she could. This was common practice due to the ever-changing and vast environment of the stage.

"Big Sister, don't you think that was a little rude?"

The pupils of the young woman constricted as she hurriedly went on guard, her Mystic Aura on the verge of complete eruption within her body.

"You didn't even say hello before touching my body." Suddenly, the scattered flesh, blood, and bone of the young man began to ignite into flames. "I would have liked it if you at least bought me dinner or took me out to sightsee first. I'm not very traveled, you know?"

The young woman's eyes widened as she felt an extremely heart-palpitating aura emerge from the scattered flesh. A distinct life force raged within, almost as if it embodied the profound mysteries of renewal and resurrection. It reminded her of the Unique Intent energy described by her seniors belonging to the Fire Phoenixes-the Nirvanic Flame Intent! She jumped away, establishing distance as her Spiritual Sense spread outward as if seeking out additional traps.

Within the blink of a mortal's eye, the young man reappeared where he originally stood, clothes intact and all. It was as if he hadn't been injured or harmed in the slightest. His red hair had faint flames flickering all over, and a bright smile plastered on his face. "I, Shui Fengbao, feel violated. I demand compensation!"

The young woman could only sense a Realmlord cultivation base from Shui Fengbao, growing increasingly confused by the passing millisecond. Did he have a one-time resurrection talisman imbued within his soul? As the thought of that dawned on her, her breath began to relax slightly as the shock abated within her heart. There was no sign of any Ascended beings nearby, and they would have already attacked by now if so when she had been slightly off-guard before.

Her fear lessened as her eyes grew abnormally cold. She'll just have to kill this insect again. The young woman was about to make another move!

Shui Fengbao's smile didn't fade. "That's fine, I'll just retrieve it myself." The red-haired Prime Ascendant shamelessly eyed her chest.