Paragon of Sin

Beneath the final atmospheric layer of the vast sky of the Myriad Monarch Planet, bellowing winds raged endlessly causing clouds to be sundered and twisted. These turbulent and chaotic gales had an epicenter, clear as the sun in the sky: a proud, dignified, and luxurious palace that sat upon the sky.

Blasting from within to the outside world was loud rumbling sounds and scintillating seven-colored light that pierced through the windows, entrances, and cracks within the palace. Those seven colors were striking, tinting the world in their vibrant hues, and this caused the clouds and air to change alongside it. At times, there would be a single color amongst the seven more dominant than others, alternating in a set pattern.

The commotion was endless, and those below the Sky Layers were looking up in wonder as the light show cascaded downwards. From their perspective, it was as if the sky was being painted and near collapse. It was both a terrifying and invigorating sight that attracted the attention of everyone.

At this moment, the sky palace that seemed to give birth to this event was surrounded by numerous figures as they watched with shocked eyes. Among these figures were five unmistakable individuals that were recognized and respected by the entire starfield—the five Grand Imperial Sages.

It had just been two weeks ago that a phenomenon had been caused by Wei Wuyin's insane return. Now, they were startled and shocked to discover another event that drew an infinite amount of attention. Regardless of what this youngster does, he was a star that could not be ignored.

From the time he stepped in the sect, it had been following his lead.

"What is happening? Is it bad?" Qin Rui lamented in her heart as her subordinates of her Extreme Mountain were behind her, watching the events with astonished gazes. These were the Sky Nobles, Heavenly Kings, Earthly Elites, Heavenly Commanders, Imperial Sages, and Prime Imperial Sages of her mountain. Her words that were uttered without much thought caused those behind her to tremble.

Even their revered Grand Imperial Sage was confused? They couldn't help but watch more intently but simultaneously preparing themselves for any unexpected event. It wasn't just them who reacted as such or was watching nearby, essentially all of those of sufficient ranking, be it disciple or elder, were here.

This meant all Extreme Mountains experts and geniuses were currently watching the sky palace above.

Yao Zhen was wreathed in a demonic aura as he imposingly stood next to Tuo Bihan. He was the only Grand Imperial Sage that stayed near another. The others were spread out as their subordinates were behind them. As for the demons of the Extreme Demon Mountain, they were watching from an even safer distance.

"Grand Imperial Sage Tuo, what's happening?" His violet eyes burned brightly as it inspected the sky palace erupt in a variety of colorful lights and caused the air to vibrate into a chaotic rumble. Unlike the others, he felt the seven-colored light was quite familiar. But he couldn't pinpoint it.

Tuo Bihan's dull grey robes fluttered endlessly as he levitated with furrowed brows. In the end, a confused light suffused his eyes. "It shouldn't be possible." He shook his head, trying to consider the various things he knew about Wei Wuyin. But it shouldn't be possible.

It shouldn't.

Yao Zhen frowned and inquired, "Alchemic Force?" He had seen alchemists before. He knew of the Alchemic Aura, energies, and forces that could unleash in concocting products. It typically produced a glow, but the glow wasn't clearly seven-colors. Despite the Alchemic Dao being divided into seven traits, alchemic qi and force was clear. The only evidence of it was its aura that often permeated the atmosphere, giving off a unique smell and feel.

"Wait...could it be?" Yao Zhen stilled immediately and his expression became dignified.

Tuo Bihan's eyes stared at the phenomena and still couldn't reconcile with what was happening. He was an Emperor Alchemist, but he cultivated a unique method to convert essence into energy with alchemical properties. However, there was one indicator that caused the normally clear form of energy into seven-colors.

An Alchemic Natal Soul!

The purest form of alchemical energies was defined by their seven colors.

But it's utterly impossible.

After all, Wei Wuyin had an Astral Soul. He hadn't realized it was two, believing it to be a merged Astral Soul like Long Chen. When Wei Wuyin returned, his internal body was visible by all, but he threw away the oddities. Primarily, there were tens of thousands of cultivation methods alone that could turn one's skeleton grey, one's brain to release light, and heart to become scaled.

For example, Yao Zhen, his eyes weren't originally violet flames. He refined his eyes with Demonic Flames of the Violet Sun. By doing this, he simultaneously opened up a unique path for Spiritual Spells & Violet Sun Arts. He strengthened himself and changed his physiology for cultivation.

This standard belief and the commonly accepted reason was similarly why the other Grand Imperial Monarch hadn't questioned his irregularities. In their eyes, it wasn't. If you extracted their blood, sinew, their brain, bones, or heart, one could find numerous abnormal changes to them.

As for why Wei Wuyin possessing an Alchemic Astral Soul was impossible, it was because he had combat prowess! From what he gathered from the Bloodforge Continent, Wei Wuyin's astral force was powerful and vast. He used his astral force to overwhelm his opponent, a genius of that continent with relative ease. This meant the alchemical energies within his body were refined via a method and used specifically for the concoction process.

To be clear, Tuo Bihan, a renowned Emperor Alchemist and non-wielder of an Alchemic Soul, his body currently contained no alchemical energies of any kind. If his alchemical energies were to infuse with his other energies before being converted into astral force or enter and permeate his Astral Core, the entire batch of force would become an innocuous force.

This was the general method all alchemists who lacked an Alchemic Soul employed.

But those with an Alchemic Astral Soul entire body was permeated with Alchemical Energies. This wasn't possible to stop. When their bodies, mind, and meridians were continuously refined by this energy, its qualities would inevitably merge into every facet of one's cultivation. It was impossible to change.

Or so it was believed.

"It's not possible. That rascal should be executing a conversion method, attempting to create pure alchemical energies for the concoction." Tuo Bihan wasn't a narrow-minded individual with a lack of thought, but his thousand and longer years of cultivation reinforced his belief that Wei Wuyin couldn't have an Alchemic Soul.

Yao Zhen found this explanation plausible and relaxed. His eyes lost its fear as he seemed to find the reasoning behind the commotion. If Wei Wuyin was using a conversion method to refine out purer alchemical energies, then he should be safe due to the energies' lack of offensive and threatening potential. Furthermore, he should be preparing a big move.

Qin Rui's eyes roamed and saw Tuo Bihan and Yao Zhen. Seeing Yao Zhen's relaxed and expectant expression, she frowned and flashed over. Her subordinates reeled, losing their sense of safety they retreated the same distance as Yao Zhen's demons.

Qin Rui questioned Yao Zhen and Tuo Bihan. Yao Zhen explained their thoughts, and Qin Rui's expression similarly relaxed with expectations. Why would someone need pure Alchemical Energies that rival an Alchemic Astral Soul? It was obvious that it was to concoct a product! Even she felt a hint of expectation within her heart, her fear dwindling to absolutely nothing.

Ji Changkong and Zen witnessed this and similarly flashed, soon learning what Tuo Bihan had reasoned out. Their expression brightened as expectation suffused their cheeks.

"Is it an eighth-grade product?" Ji Changkong asked Tuo Bihan with bright eyes. He was the only Alchemic Emperor of the Myriad Monarch Sect. The other two in the Myriad Monarch Astral Territory belonged to other forces, but their skills, age, and experience paled greatly beside Tuo Bihan.

An eighth-grade product had a maximum effect on those at the middle-phases of the Astral Core Realm. Even the low-tier eighth-grade product would be exceptional. Regardless if it was a pellet or paste, it would be useful.

"..." Tuo Bihan didn't answer. His eyes were fixated on the sky palace. If the intensity of this light was any indication of the alchemical energies brewing within, then it would rival an Alchemic Astral Soul. This was unprecedented. According to logic, An Alchemic Natal Soul can produce alchemical energies rivaling an Astral Core Realm alchemist's conversion method, and an Alchemic Astral Soul can do the same; producing energies that rivaled the Mystic Ascendant Realm!

If that's the case, an eighth-grade product seemed to be too little, no?

RUMBLE!!!

Just as he was pondering what product it could be, the entire planet rumbled! It wasn't just the clouds, the sky layers, the mountains, but the entire planet! It was ceaseless and everyone's expressions turned into ash, abject fear flashing within their hearts.

Even Tuo Bihan and the others had widened eyes as they felt the boundless power that was affecting everything on the planet and even the planet itself. Their cultivation bases circulated without end as boundless astral force instinctually left their bodies. This startled the others, their bodies immediately felt the boundless astral force and they were washed with it. Immediately, everyone was paralyzed.

The Grand Imperial Sages were simultaneously rendered aghast as they felt their Astral Souls act on instinct. This should be nearly impossible because Astral Souls typically don't have true sentience. However, they did act on instinct. They barely cultivated and recovered by themselves, without the urging or will of their masters, but this was the same as lungs breathing or heart beating while unconscious.

While the lungs might react against a person's will, it needed to be stimulated by a frightening external force. To leave their bodies and protect themselves?! What in the hell was happening?!

Zsoom!

While the world's rumbling remained constant, the eyes of everyone on that same hemisphere of the Myriad Monarch Planet as Wei Wuyin's sky palace was met with a brilliant silhouette above the skies. It was bright, vibrant, yet imposing and hung overhead while emitting endless color. It felt as if it was a celestial body, a star, and a moon yet had the shadow of a planet in the distance.

"What the hell is that?!"

"Oh my god, is that a sun? How the hell is that possible?! Is it crashing into us?"

"NO! IT'S A MOON! NO...A PLANET?!?!"

The commotion below was filled endlessly with similar comments. The vision of those who were looking above was met with a blazing spherical object that seemed like a shadow that emitted light rays. Its confusing appearance made determining its identity nearly impossible to determine. Whether it was a sun, a moon, or a planet, they all felt in their hearts that it was some sort of celestial body.

To those below, they saw this. To those beside Wei Wuyin's sky palace, they were met by a different sight. The entire world was covered in an aurora borealis of dazzling and gorgeous colors that were ever-shifting. It mixed with the astral force released by the Grand Imperial Sages and the others, constantly changing into colors. When it touched a certain astral force, as if synchronizing with it, its colors would change.

For Qin Rui, the aurora borealis contained four colors, each denoting the four basic elements: fire(red), water(blue), earth(dark brown), and wind(light green).

For Tuo Bihan, the colors were light grey. It reflected his path of a purist, cultivating only Astral Force without a particular element or focus. His path was the same as Duke Zhao of the Bloodforge Continent. Those of this cultivation path focused on mastery of arts, spells, and the foundation of their cultivation bases, not diverging their time in comprehending all sorts of elemental methods.

Yao Zhen's had multi-colored shades of violet. It was one of the most beautiful ones.

Below the Sky Layer, Long Chen and his group were staring at the skies above. Their eyes were filled with wonder and shock. While they had no idea what was happening, they were all cultivators who fought numerous battles, and they didn't feel danger from this manifested phenomenon. Instead, they were beside themselves with speculation and a desire to approach.

Long Chen's eyes reflected the celestial shadow that emitted various lights. It was beautiful to the point of exceeding a heavenly painting. He felt a desire to reach the manifestation and reach out, claim what caused it, and soar through the heavens. His unassuming black ring that contained Wu Yu's consciousness briefly flickered.

The others were too distracted to notice a spiritual form exiting from the ring and manifesting before them. It was Wu Yu. His imposing aura and regal demeanor were overshadowed by the awe, shock, and disbelief in his eyes. The lips of his spiritual form quivered, "Impossible!"

Others couldn't hear his words, but Long Chen could. He turned to see Wu Yu and his heart shook. He had thought Wu Yu still needed more time and materials to recover before regaining his ability to manifest outside the ring, or at least that's what he said.

"...Is everything okay?" For Wu Yu to forcibly exit his slumber and manifest, the situation had to be pressing. A wisp of fear entered his heart. He knew of Wu Yu's past and his previous height. If he was concerned enough to act like this, then how shocking must this event be?

Wu Yu seemed dazed, his eyes flashing with memories of the past. A sense of nostalgia surged throughout his spiritual form and he said, "The Stellar Manifestation of the Mortal Sovereign!" Those words were accompanied by a heart-shaking reverberation. Others might not be able to recognize this phenomenon, as its likely been thousands of years since it was last seen, but he, who lived in the King of Everlore Era, was incomparably familiar with it.

Once it manifested, it usually meant the unstoppable birth of an expert! An expert of the old era!

"The Stellar Manifestation of the Mortal Sovereign?" Long Chen was confused in his heart. What was that?

Wu Yu turned his eyes towards Long Chen. When he did, he recalled the journey they've traveled thus far. Together, they went from nothing to here, becoming prominent and an upcoming expert that could rival the geniuses of the King of Everlore's era. He had a hint of pride within his heart originally, but now…

His thoughts recalled that silver-eyed figure. The figure that Long Chen was swearing day and night to kill if he dared to cross him. As a Spiritual Form that was connected to Long Chen since he was a child, and knowing his personality, he felt in his heart that they would inevitably fight. This was especially so considering Na Xinyi and Qing Qiumu. This wasn't something he could change.

For a moment, a thought flashed in his thoughts: "Should I give the Imperial Heaven Qi Method to...but what about…" His gaze towards Long Chen soon became filled with conflict, blurred by the possibility of his revival. Furthermore, the possibility of recovering his previous heights and pushing beyond that.

If he stayed with Long Chen, the chances of reviving were still incomparably slim and far away, but…

Long Chen felt the odd gaze sent his way by Wu Yu. He felt somewhat uncomfortable. "What's this manifestation mean?"

Wu Yu closed his eyes and sighed in his heart. He lifted his head towards the shadow of an indeterminate celestial body and said with a sharp and impactful voice, "It means the birth of a Mortal Sovereign Alchemist!"