Paragon of Sin

"Was the story you told us before true?" Cao Cuifen asked. Earlier when they first arrived, after Wei Wuyin exerted his dominance upon the challenging, arrogant Young Master Shang who declared that should Wei Wuyin survive three strikes of his, he would allow him to live and fulfill his debt. After being crushed by a single move, Young Master Shang's attitude changed entirely and he seemed utterly relaxed and indifferent in regards to the future.

The elderly man had informed them of the situation in the Blessed Yri Empire and explained that their Young Mistress' promise in the Nexus Battlefield was causing issues, something that could be the start of an intergalactic war due to a prophecy of some sort.

"What I said was," Young Master Shang replied. "But not all of it was exactly clarified or specific in detail. Honestly, I didn't expect you to not ask more questions and just straightforwardly agree. But that matched with your grasp of the Imperial Law and their natural haughty behavior. Invincibility is one hell of a drug. Worse when it's false.

"While it is strong, especially those conceived by the principles of territory, faith, and number of thriving people, it's one of the easiest laws to conceive and the weakest beyond one's territory. In fact, it can be detrimental.

"Those who've resonated with the Laws of Imperial and use it to establish their foundation in the Mystic Ascendant Realm are one of the easiest cultivators to truly kill away, all one needs to do is draw them away from their territory. Even at the True Sage Phase, this was so, and the quickest to death after a grievous setback by cultivation deviation. The king dies with its people, or so they say." Young Master Shang went on a slight tangent after answering Wei Wuyin's question.

The elderly man's limited cultivation had prevented him from sensing many things regarding the situation, and Wei Wuyin's genuine grasp of the Minor Authority of Imperial Law left him cautious. He only acted against Trueborn because he couldn't resist, and he didn't kill a single individual despite his explosive actions. He showed Wei Wuyin the greatest respect while acting only after seeing the emperor of this territory not react.

Su Nianzu and Jia Yang did the same thing when Han Hyo-joo was captured by them and announced wishing to see the Ascendant Emperor. They knew the powers of anyone who grasped the Imperial Law to any degree had a level of divine awareness in their territory. When Wei Wuyin didn't respond, they brought her away for interrogation.

Yue Songli was still holding Wei Wuyin's hands as her beautiful eyes flashed with murder. "Why capture me?! What treasure am I?!" Her grip tightened and only then did she feel comforted. She, too, had experienced the illusion, and Wei Wuyin replicated her reactions perfectly for the elderly man, including her mental fluctuations. He was precise in every degree to prevent any form of exposure. Young Master Shang too.

That said, he felt a tad bit drained of Spiritual Energy. Unlike normal illusion-type Mental Incantations that used Mental Energy, the Eye of Illusion consumed Spiritual Energy and scaled with his Spiritual Strength. It was far greater than normal illusions, almost indiscinerable due to how it could perfectly emulate and replicate physical, essence, and spiritual aspects of reality.

It was much harder to discern a difference.

Wei Wuyin could feel Yue Songli's murderous aura. His eyes softened slightly, holding her a little tighter. Yue Songli felt that and then turned her eyes to Wei Wuyin, and then her mind was blasted by realization. "You know? You know why?"

WeI Wuyin didn't hide it. He nodded. He knew the exact details from the moment Han Hyo-joo came into his possession. She didn't hold any details back as to why she was so insistent on reclaiming Yue Songli and accelerating her cultivation base as a captive.

Yue Songli had heard Young Master Shang say that those at the True Sage Phase or higher might kill to have her, yet Wei Wuyin didn't hesitate to bring her along with him to the stars. However, her thoughts weren't of anger at this knowledge being concealed from her by Wei Wuyin. She wasn't ignorant of her beauty; she knew that in a world of cultivation where egos and strength mattered, beautiful women were lethal dangers and they would often wear veils or conceal themselves to prevent trouble or worse.

She was a treasure. An excessively beautiful treasure.

Moreover, Wei Wuyin wouldn't have kept it from her without reason. She trusted him.

Instead, Yue Songli felt a shroud of warmth and a sense of unbreakable safety. That feeling of being safe with a reliable person was indescribable. The thought of being caged again had been another fear of hers, and why she rarely left her mother's senses despite Trueborn no longer being a threat. Only in Wei Wuyin's presence did she feel truly and utterly safe.

"I'll tell you later."

"..." The one-armed elderly man wasn't shocked by this after hearing any of this. He remained silent and serene in the face of this adversity.

"Do you not want to speak? I'll give you a chance to explain everything," Wei Wuyin stated as he slowly eased his way out of Yue Songli's hand. She let go, her heart palpitating as she felt the raging anger and killing intent within his figure. He placed his hand on the hilt of his saber, Element. It rested upon his waist, sheathed in its scabbard made of Essence of War.

Wei Wuyin didn't need to know why Yue Songli was targeted-he knew already. He knew that their original goal to find him was to bring him back, and the elderly man's orders were separate from Young Master Shang's intentions, and he had only changed tact after realizing that his target, who should have been a simple lower-stage Ascended being at most, was far stronger while he was at a severe disadvantage.

Young Master Shang challenged him to fight earlier. He had wanted to test out the mettle of the man his sister had chosen. This was expected, but the mental fluctuations of Young Master Shang were as if the situation was no longer under his control after being defeated. This was rather curious, but not unexpected. After all, he couldn't forcefully bring Wei Wuyin in himself, so why bother stressing out over the situation?

This was why Wei Wuyin wasn't initially suspicious. It was only after their disinterest in his existence after he agreed to leave with them that he grew suspicious. After his display, they didn't have any signs of happiness. In fact, the elderly man was stressed and his mental fluctuations were as if he was thinking about various plans again and again. It was a sign of a schemer. Furthermore, his thoughts slowly grew increasingly greedy after attacking Trueborn and whenever his gaze was on Yue Songli. And it was greed, not lust. Rampant and unrestrained alongside a heavy pile of happiness at great fortune.

From what he knew, the white vessel arrived and immediately traveled to the Ninestars Starfield and obtained an audience with Cao Cuifen. So they had little time to deal with anything else. Why did the elderly man seem stressed AFTER Wei Wuyin agreed to come?

While Ming Shufeng had tried to warn him, her warning of Ill omens ahead was unnecessary. He knew the elderly man was up to no good from the very beginning, and he never intended to allow Wei Wuyin to peacefully travel to the Blessed Yri Empire.

Still, Wei Wuyin wanted to give him a chance to explain now rather than later.

As for why later?

"..." The one-armed elderly man was silent. He wouldn't speak a syllable.

Wei Wuyin gave a slight nod of acceptance, "So be it."

"Why try? At best, you'll put him in a wretched state. Unless your cultivation is at the Resonant Soul Realm, killing him would be-" the Young Master Shang tried to warn Wei Wuyin. There was a backlash for trying to kill a cultivator at that level, and as a mere mortal, even with the Imperial Law guarding his soul, it would be terrifying.

However, his words were cut short as Wei Wuyin's aura erupted in a rising explosion of the finality of all things.

Element was drawn by a quarter.

SHIIIING!

Omega Saber Force gave rise to saber light that shook the very soul.

An eternal light hung on its edge. Alongside it was an ordinary light that seemingly contained endless stars and a mystical light that contained endless profound mysteries and infinite wills. They slowly harmonized into the saber light, infused thoroughly within.

Only the elderly man could feel it. His eyes opened as Wei Wuyin's unearthly visage seemed to glide across all time and space, grasp the creation of all things, and unleash the annihilation of everything, all gathered onto a single saber wielded by the sole sovereign of the world.

Six...

Fear.

In his lifetime, especially after reaching his heights, the dread of death had long since vanished from his existence. However, today, it was returned a thousandfold. Greater than his first life-and-death experience against assassins. Greater than his tribulations of Mystic Ascensions. Greater than the pain of watching his loved ones fade to the cruelty of time, helpless.

True fear.

"Wai-"

His word was cut short as a saber light slid calmly across his throat. Within him, an invisible battle raged against the laws.

The Law of Momentum roared as the Law of Time, Law of Space, Law of Origin, Law of Annihilation, and Law of Imperial, led by the Law of Saber descended upon it.

A screeching that only those who've grasped authorities could hear echoed across the vast starry skies, inducing endless ripples across all of creation.

A True Sage who wielded the power of Laws...

...Today was his last day after living hundreds of thousands of days.

The Nexus War Flag shone upon the invisible clash of laws, claiming the spoils with the Law of War, and even that piece of the Law of Momentum tethered to that unfortunate soul was claimed!

Thud.

Roll...

The head of the elderly man smacked against the floor and rolled a little distance away. The light in its gaze long since died out as it coincidentally looked at Young Master Shang, reflecting his image vividly in its lifeless pupils.

Wei Wuyin sheathed Element.