Paragon of Sin

WOOSH!

It was at the very moment the robed figure fled with haste that the shockwave from the explosion had arrived, causing dirt storms and forceful winds to be generated. Surrounding the robed figure's body was a layer of astral force that propelled its body with extreme speed.

The figure that had arrived had a set of calm silver eyes. From his lips was a wisp of discontent and dissatisfaction. Wei Wuyin clicked his tongue as he felt the shockwave, "So many people died. How did I miss this?" While the robed figure seemingly blazed across the skies, Wei Wuyin remained silent as the emotions in his heart were somewhat seething in frustration.

He had expected an assassination attempt, but he hadn't calculated such an explosion at the Bloodforge Astral Tower. The planning, access, timing, cultivation base, and resources required to pull that off without anyone noticing needed to be impeccable, impressive, and intelligently conceived.

In the end, he could only lament at the resulting destruction and sigh within his heart. The only fortunate matter was that Xue Yifei, Xiao Bai, and the others were safe. If he wasn't there, it was highly unlikely they wouldn't have survived such an explosion. At the moment, they were beyond the Dark Void with Xiao Bai. They couldn't survive for long, but Xiao Bai could live in that hazardous environment and his bloodline powers can offer protection to others.

He closed his eyes for a moment. At this point, the robed figure had already traveled a hundred kilometers away with startling speed. While its cultivation base resonated with the qualities of a Sky Ruler, their strength was definitely comparable to a Soul Idol Phase expert. This displayed her exceptional foundation in their cultivation.

The robed figure's head turned briefly, confused by Wei Wuyin's inaction, but it was at this very moment that Wei Wuyin's eyes opened. When it saw Wei Wuyin, the world changed in its eyes.

「Celestial Eyes of Spiritual Divinity: Eye of Illusion」

The figure felt its entire world sloppily plunge downwards and fade away into utter blackness before a sublime white world encompassed its vision and senses. In what seemed like a blink of an eye, the world started to crack like fractured glasses as countless chaotic lines crept into it. Instantly, it collapsed and the world had regained its clarity.

However, when it did, the figure was aghast to realize a pair of silver eyes were staring at it with a hint of confusion. "You broke my Eye of Illusion?" Wei Wuyin was completely startled by this event, but not enough to delay his not actions. Before the figure could muster a fight, Wei Wuyin pressed his hand forward causing a vast, endless, and world-collapsing Elemental Earthen Force to gush outwards. A dark-brown palm, no larger than his own, was manifested to crush towards the robed figure's back.

Boom!

The robed figure fell as if a mountain had pressed against their body and they smashed heavily against the ground, causing tremors to echo out and producing brief earthquakes throughout the continent. A gasp of pain, horror, and rage screeched out.

"A woman?" Wei Wuyin's eyes brightened as he descended. The palm created from his elemental earthen force was relentless, suppressing not just the culprit's body but their Astral Soul as well. When he arrived, he saw traces of platinum blonde hair escaping from the figure's hood. The wails she released seemed like it lacked air, but it still contained her raw power causing rippling waves. These ripples were quite peculiar, as if they were calling for something.

Wei Wuyin didn't stand on courtesy. He removed the hood and got a look at the figure's identity. He was taken aback for a moment, his eyes flashing with more confusion, and then his eyes became serious. His original intentions to interrogate, torture, and kill this person had been set aside. He felt a cold, chilling 'eye' sweep his body.

He shook his head after feeling this, "If you hadn't activated the bombs remotely and instead set it to proximity, I'd never be able to trace it back to you." While he said those words and it caused the woman to still for a moment, she only bared her teeth and continued to struggle. She clearly wanted to speak but the suppression of that single palm manifestation sealed her voice.

Wei Wuyin bent down and saw her in with even greater clarity than before. She was a gorgeous creature. Her face, body, and lips were slender with a sharp chin, pale skin, bright eyes, and pointed ears. She was an elf, and a pureblood one as well without a hint of demonic or human influence. From within her eyes, a light of innate superiority flowed like cascading waves.

This was quite a rare existence. Even Qing Qiumu wasn't a pureblooded elf. Her platinum blonde hair was quite telling, causing Wei Wuyin's head to hurt slightly as he lightly rubbed his temples. He recognized her appearance and origins almost immediately. Since arriving, he made sure to brush up on those of exceptional status and standing. She was one of them.

"I thought it would be the Alchemist Association, but to think its a force I've never had any contact with. How strange." His confusion continued to expand and he sighed further. He lifted his eyes and inspected the presence that had been called upon by this woman and was currently observing him. This observation was from a faraway area of the Tri-Vision Starfield, but it still pierced through the void.

There weren't any cultivators that could have such far-reaching abilities if he believed Wu Yu's explanation of cultivation, so it was likely a secret art that involved spatial energies and a tool that amplified or connected spiritual sense. To have such means, it could really only be a single individual.

This 'eye' that was observing him wasn't on him, but the figure below him. He soon realized that this pervasive sense wasn't directed towards him, but the woman before him. It was due to their proximity that he felt it. If he decided to kill this woman at this moment, it was very likely that war might spring up in the next couple of days and arrive at his doorstep.

This war might be the ignition to a Starfield War, encompassing all the powers due to the complex relationships amongst them and their bottom lines.

This was because this gorgeous elf that possessed the blood of hundreds of thousands of individuals on her hands in the last minute was someone of high status. A status so extraordinary that it was quite shocking she was even here; she was a member of the Sacred Light Palace; to be specific, the Daughter of the Sacred Light Palace Master!

The Sacred Light Palace was one of the five hegemons of the starfield and it was founded by someone of equivalent reputation and cultivation as the Grand Monarch Wu Yu of yesteryear, the Sacred Elven Queen! She had been a progenitor of many exquisite techniques such as the Haven Heart Qi Method and the Sacred Yin Blessed Cultivation Method. According to the records, she had forged three Natal Souls and combined them into a single, grander whole when assailing the Astral Core Realm.

Her abilities, means, and intelligence were world-shaking; a true trailblazer that left legacies for countless others. In fact, she was the highest-ranked Architect known in all eras, her reputation not lacking in accolades when compared to the King of Everlore. In fact, she had designed the basis of all the Grand Planetary Arrays used by the five hegemons today.

Her footprint was impossible to erase.

Having never engaged with the Sacred Light Palace before, he hadn't even conceived that they would act against him. Considering he's barely been five years in this environment, it truly boggled his mind as he thought about it. But now it made sense.

Quite a lot of the formations, arrays, and protective means were derived from the Sacred Elven Queen's legacy, and the core of which was located in the Sacred Light Palace. If there was anyone who could infiltrate and plant things, avoiding all whilst doing so, then it could only be them.

However…the question remained: Why?

He lifted his palm. As he did, a wave of spiritual sense filled with warning intent swept him. It was quite weak due to the vast distance, but the meaning was clear. If he decided to harm this elf, this illustrious and powerful Palace Master would use all their means to have him join her in the afterlife.

While it frustrated him, he didn't want to be someone's pawn. If killing her was an intended move on someone else's plans to disrupt his status, position, or threaten his life, he surely didn't wish to fall into that trap.

He didn't bother interrogating her nicely or with vicious means. Lightly, he directly touched her glabella with his right index finger. With her cultivation base suppressed, she couldn't resist as Wei Wuyin's Alchemic Eden Force infiltrated and read her recent memories.

He didn't go too in-depth to avoid potential lasting damage, just enough to gather information sufficient to understand the situation. In moments, he sifted through and discovered her secrets.

"...So it was like this." A deep, nearly vertical set or eyebrows revealed his thoughts. The woman's name was Jiang Lanlan, and she belonged to the main lineage that was directly derived from the Sacred Elven Queen. She's also the eldest daughter of the Sacred Light Palace's Palace Master, Jiang Feilan. Her reasoning for arriving here was simple:

To kill Wei Wuyin.

Why?

A member of the Alchemist Association was responsible, indirectly in fact. This was purely taken by Jiang Lanlan's own initiative, using the resources of her own sect, and a spur of the moment decision, and it was all because of a close friend of hers...the one referred to as the Princess of Everlore!

Wei Wuyin felt rather helpless as he ruminated on these memories. Even his original assumption wasn't accurate. She wasn't the powder keg meant to instigate a war in an attempt to destroy the Myriad Monarch Sect or him. A tool that would be sacrificed after he killed her or she was killed in retaliation by the Myriad Monarch Sect after killing or harming him. This arrogant, cold, decisively murderous and uncaring of the common people woman had acted out of pure selfish desire. Because he, the Prince of Everlore, in her eyes was...a love rival!

And the target of this love rivalry?

The Princess of Everlore herself.