Paragon of Sin

The Soul-Rising Domain of the Ninestar Starfield was filled with a distinctive silence that was accompanied by the observation of the Tang Clan. There were numerous prestigious individuals invested in the outcome, including the Soul Rising Saint—the Earthly Saint of the Soul Rising Sainthall.

Watching from a hundred thousand miles away, the Soul Rising Saint was dressed in a long-sleeved, long-skirt, azure-colored outfit. She was middle-aged, with faint wrinkles at the edges of her eyes and mouth, alongside a pair of blue-eyes that resembled a peerless ocean. Her hair was black with grey-colored highlights, furthering her aged appearance, yet she wasn't ugly by any means. In fact, she was quite outstanding. A mature beauty, as some would say.

While she lacked a motherly warmth, she contained the wizened aura of wisdom and experience. Within those eyes of her seemed to contain untold stories of the ages, including a firm will forged by adversity and conquests.

She wasn't the only one observing from the Dark Void, fluttering with her own power without issue, as two figures were situated beside her as equals. Their auras weren't any less unfathomable.

To her right was an elderly man with brown-colored skin and golden eyes, and not just his irises, but his pupils and sclera were entirely gold. He wore a simple outfit colored burgundy, consisting of linen pants and a top. If one were to observe him normally, he might come off as a strange old man in retirement. Yet to cultivators, those eyes of his were quite alluring and out of place. Those in the Ninestar Starfield would immediately realize this man to be Soul Erupting Saint, leader of the Soul-Erupting Sainthall.

To her left was a middle-aged man dressed in all white robes with a sword sheathed at his hip. He had an air of an immortal depicted in mythological legends, being both handsome and elegant. He was barefooted with impeccably immaculate feet and nails. He was none other than the Soul Enlightening Saint, leader of the Soul-Enlightening Sainthall.

They watched the planet burn fiercely from a distance, maintaining a natural role as spectators.

"Seems like she was given the truth. How unfortunate," the Soul Erupting Saint said with an amused smile. Despite his words, it seemed he wasn't bothered by this event. At this moment, the mysterious black-robed figure had arrived and informed Vermillion, the Tang Matriarch, about the Fire Phoenix's current location and state. As Earthly Saints, they fully knew all details that were happening even from such a vast distance, including Bai Lin's actions and concealment.

"Should we?" The Soul Enlightening Saint indifferently asked, his hand touching his hilt. A faint sword keen was emitted that shook the world. While his expression or eyes revealed no killing intent, a bloody aura filled the air.

"..." The Soul Rising Saint was silent, her eyes faintly narrowed as she formed a faint smile. It was only after the figure departed with haste that her eyes relaxed, "Bothersome."

"Indeed," the Soul Erupting Saint echoed her sentiment. They were well aware of that individual's identity and purpose, including why they acted in such a manner.

"That little girl is a fool." The Soul Enlightening Saint's bloody aura vanished. While he wanted to act with clear intent, this wasn't his Domain to do so. There were certain restrictions in place, and he couldn't outright violate it for a disgusting bug.

"Indeed," the Soul Erupting Saint echoed his sentiment. Clearly, they were all synchronized in their thinking of events. He continued, "But she's a willing fool."

"She's bait. A fool's a fool," the Soul Enlightening Saint countered. They were all aware that this black-robed figure was clearly using the Tang Clan to lure out the one responsible for the Fire Phoenix. There was no way such an outstanding phoenix had cultivated itself to that level nor eliminated an entire Shadow Egg of Trueborn by itself.

According to their own information channels, likely purposefully leaked by Trueborn themselves, a Void Portal had been conjured during the fight, and that wasn't within a Fire Phoenix's powers. While they were incredible, to open a Void Portal exceeded their limits. Furthermore, it was done within the Starfield spatial restrictions.

There was certainly an astonishing expert behind this Fire Phoenix, but there was no way to locate or eliminate this individual, so they sought to lure them out. Perhaps even the three of them were within their calculations, as a foreign Earthly Saint operating within their boundaries was enough to get them to take action.

"I wish we could remove these scourges from our world," the Soul Enlightening Saint coldly added. He wanted nothing more than to attack, but this wasn't his Domain, and there were certain reservations he had, such as direct orders from the Ninestar Soul Saint who advised them against direct action for now. Otherwise…

The Soul Erupting Saint revealed a wry smile, "Don't we all?" The 'we' didn't just include the Ninestar Sainthall, but even the Imperial Clan and other top-tier forces of the various starfields wished they could eliminate these pests called Trueborn. Unfortunately, their strength and means were unfathomable, prompting caution from all parties. It was a vexing reality.

To add insult to injury, these individuals were a large source of strange materials that were extremely beneficial to cultivation. There was likely not a single Demi-Mortal Lord or an Earthly Saint that hadn't obtained a rare item that could only be procured from these individuals. Especially if they wished to keep their reputation intact.

"They're sealing the planet," the Soul Rising Saint stated. Her voice was soothing and calm, like a musical instrument that could elevate the soul after a brief tone. The three watched as the Tang Clan moved with renewed vigor and surrounded the planet, establishing array after array. After they hastily tried to execute a variety of fire-suppression functions that doused the raging flames until only scorched earth and a significantly reduced planet of size and quality were revealed.

Then, they hastily started to execute a variety of means and methods to extract the Fire Phoenix, but to no avail.

"Smart little thing; she entrenched herself in the planet's core after feigning her demise, throwing the Tang for a loop, then spread herself throughout with Nirvanic Segregation. She's hid well enough. Unfortunately, such tactics before certain beings are as clear as day." The Soul Enlightening Saint was surprised by Bai Lin's creativity. She nestled within the planet and refused to leave.

With the arrays using the planet as its focal point, they couldn't destroy it without causing their collapse. This would give her enough time to escape with Rebirth of a Phoenix. The Tang Clan surely wouldn't do such a disadvantageous act, so a tense stalemate was formed.

"Using their knowledge of her abilities to her advantage, how peculiar. If it wasn't for that bug, she would've faked her escape and hid away unnoticed. Who trained this beast?" The Soul Erupting Saint complimented while rubbing his chin contemplatively. The golden eyes within his skull became slightly more radiant.

"We'll likely find out soon enough," the Soul Rising Saint said with certainty. Like all the others, she was certain that this beast belonged to a being at the Earthly Saint level. The issue was that they weren't present. The Fire Phoenix was likely settled here while they handled other matters. According to reports, the Fire Phoenix had breached Blueglow with a companion—a male.

Woosh!

Suddenly, a figure shot towards the three's location with remarkable speed. The Soul Erupting Saint glanced at that direction with a shadow of an excited smile. When the figure arrived before them and respectfully bowed, he couldn't help but speak: "The last princess of the Ma Clan, it is quite the pleasure to see you again. As gorgeous as a rose, as always."

The one who arrived was none other than Ma Sujiang. She smiled at the undisguised compliment that hinted at his interest in her, and politely replied: "It is always an honor to meet the Soul King of the Soul-Erupting Sainthall." Afterward, she bowed to the other two and gave out impeccable greetings.

The Soul Rising Saint didn't bother to look at Ma Sujiang, merely observing the ongoing struggle between the Fire Phoenix and the Tang Clan. As for the Soul Enlightening Saint, he only said a few words: "Why are you here?" His tone wasn't polite, even faintly cold.

The Golden Life Pavilion might be the most prominent merchant organization in the Aeternal Sky Starfield, but they didn't operate freely in all starfields. While they had some established branches here and did some dealings, it was mostly the Nine-Gold Pavilion that handled the business side of the Ninestar Starfield.

Ma Sujiang wasn't surprised by this reception. If Ma Zheng, her father, were an Earthly Saint or leader of the Golden Life Pavilion, their tones would certainly be different, but they had neither an Earthly Saint nor majority power of the organization. To these Earthly Saints, the Golden Life Pavilion only afforded her the right to arrive and speak without being immediately dismissed.

Ma Sujiang didn't beat around the bush, knowing this was a pressing matter. "Soul Monarchs," she used the proper plural reference for multiple Soul Kings, a unique title for the Ninestar Sainthalls Nine Saints, "My father had just given me a piece of crucial information regarding the possible origins of this Fire Phoenix. Shall I relay this information?"

"Speak. Don't be coy with us, little girl." The Soul Rising Saint indifferently said. Her attitude was extremely clear. If it weren't for a certain subordinate of hers needing their help for their Third Ascension, she would have never let a Demi-Mortal Lord of the Golden Life Pavilion step foot in her domain, let alone this last princess of the Ma Clan.

Yet Ma Sujiang's words prompted both the other two Saints to glance in her direction, visibly intrigued by this development.

"Apologies for my rudeness," she hurriedly said before continuing: "My father has recently learned that there's a high likelihood that the Fire Phoenix belongs to none other than the Ascendant Emperor of Neo-Dawn."

"...!" The three Saints all reacted, turned to look at Ma Sujiang with shock visible within their eyes. "Where does this assumption originate from?" The Soul Rising Saint demanded an answer, her attention now fully focused on Ma Sujiang.

Ma Sujiang revealed a faint smile. 'You didn't care about me or my father, but the moment this name is mentioned, you perk right up? How amusing.' Her scalding thoughts aside, she answered politely: "This information isn't entirely certain. However, it comes from a credible source."

The three fell silent. This was the same as saying nothing, but the Golden Life Pavilion's Ma Zheng wouldn't reveal this information without being more than sixty percent certain. His reputation was sufficient to back this. Still, this was the Ascendant Emperor of Neo-Dawn, a figure dipped in mystery.

According to the Golden Life Pavilion, he was an extremely young and talented Grand Mortal Sovereign Alchemist who invented the Neo-Dawn Eclipse Pill. They had already seen its miraculous effects first-hand, with at least one of their prospective Chosen or descendants receiving one of these products. Their talents bolstered by the Worldly Domain, and their cultivation bases rose rapidly as a result. It was heaven-defying, convention-breaking. To put it simply: it was everything it was advertised.

There wasn't a single power that wasn't trying to locate this mysterious genius of untold origins. The only clue was his presumed status as a Chosen of the True Element Sect, but few believed such outrageous claims. That said, the Ninestar Sainthall was the most informed about this figure due to their members acting as Dharma Protectors in the Demon War Realm for certain elites.

They had not only met this person, but they were aware that he had outrageous combat strength and talent, comprehending Elemental Heart Intent while simultaneously being a Mortal Sovereign Alchemist. This individual's innate talent, if the two were indeed the same, was unimaginable.

There were numerous questions swirling about his origins, yet no answers to be found. This was even more so after the Everlore Starfield was destroyed. And they couldn't act against their newly established planet and its inhabitants to obtain more information because if the rumors were true, then any harm befalling this lot could lead to tremendous repercussions in the future. The dilemma provided many headaches.

"Well, this just got a little more interesting," the Soul Enlightening Saint's eyes revealed an intense excitement. He turned towards Ma Sujiang and said with a narrowed eyes, "It seems that it's true that the Ma Clan has his wife."

"Concubine," the Soul Erupting Saint corrected. While they couldn't gather much information after the Everlore Starfield's devastation, after linking Wei Wuyin and the Ascendant Emperor of Neo-Dawn, how could they not discover that a recently declared Saintess on the Immortal Saintess Rankings was related to him? Their union wasn't a secret unlike with Na Xinyi, an unofficiated affair.

The Soul Rising Saint glanced at the two men for a moment, then turned her attention to Ma Sujiang. "Why are you telling us this?" Her eyes narrowed. She smelled a hint of a scheme. Ma Zheng should be fully aware that they couldn't interfere in this matter, yet this information was still given out.

Ma Sujiang gave off a mysterious smile, "My father simply wanted you to know this. Nothing more." After saying this, she bowed and excused herself, flying away without hesitation. The three watched as she departed with varying expressions.

The Soul Erupting Saint turned his gold eyes towards the planet, his current expression very difficult to determine alongside his thoughts. "Despite her beauty, she's quite vicious, don't you think? A good woman, haha." The Soul Erupting Saint suddenly burst into laughter, shaking his head with a soft sigh soon after. He looked at the Soul Rising Saint, a trace of pity flickered within his gold eyes.

"That's quite hateful," The Soul Enlightening Saint quietly muttered.

"..." The Soul Rising Saint's face was slightly dark, staring at the fleeing figure of Ma Sujiang with narrowed eyes. She wasn't so stupid to not realize what this meant or why it was done. There was no need besides ensuring that they were fully aware of Wei Wuyin's relationship with the phoenix at a crucial point, yet decided to simply watch despite obtaining this knowledge.

If there was the slightest chance that he became a figure as outstanding as the King of Everlore, this would forever strain their relationship or directly sever it. This was a calculated blow to their relations before they even had a chance to meet. This small move would undo all the goodwill they accumulated by purchasing that pill and its priority rights at an absurd price.

What made matters worse, they had some wiggle room to offer a slight hindrance to this operation for a heavy price. Ma Zheng was fully aware of this. Furthermore, Ma Zheng had done what he could to help the situation, informing them of their relations, and if true, the Saints next actions would be reflective of their valuation of Wei Wuyin. If they acted, it was a win for the Golden Life Pavilion, and if they didn't, then the Golden Life Pavilion had done what it could, yet they had sat on their laurels indifferently.

The Soul Rising Saint clenched her teeth slightly. A small move yet so incredibly potent. This was definitely indicative that this Fire Phoenix almost certainly belonged to that elusive figure. Otherwise, this gamble would only worsen relations between the Golden Life Pavilion and them without any pay-off.

WOOOOOOSH!

Suddenly, the Earthly Saints all turned to a specific location as a strange fluctuation caught their senses. A cascading beam of multicolored light impacted the scorched surface of Blueglow, directly ignoring the arrays and formations established by the Tang Clan.

"What's that?"