At the edge of Armored Boon Stellar Region's stellar-borders demarcated by fleets of Voids.h.i.+ps and an-invisible celestial pressure floated a void vessel adorned-with precious jewels, the kind that would move Ascended beings, from Fire Spirit Rubies to Greater-Earth Diamonds, all of which were Mystic-Earth grade.
The largest gem was a dazzling, sparkling sapphire-emanating watery ripples, releasing deep azure light-with a holy, purifying aura, and exerting a strong-Worldly Pressure. It was the Empress Gem—the Hallowed Aqua Royal Sapphire, ranked 3rd on the
Precious Worldly Gems Ranking by the Blessed Sentinel!
It was a peak-grade material, often considered 'pinnacle-grade' by gemologist scholars and Earth-Hunters who made a living collecting and selling-precious gems and minerals! The single value of this-gem vastly exceeded an Incomplete World Soul! There-was a standing market price determined by the relevant-authorities of two billion Mystic-World essence stones!
TWO BILLION!
Within the Onestar Domain's Ancient Sealed Region,-qi-grade essence stones and astral-grade essence-stones had a simple conversion of a million to one; a-single astral-grade essence stone was valued at a-million qi-grade essence stones, and a million astral-grade essence stones were valued at one Mystic-Earth grade essence stone. However, in greater-galaxies such as the Utmost Purity Galaxy and Treasured Vale Galaxy, those galaxies with genuine-Supreme Sages without strict operational limits like the-Divine Guardian of the Resolute Dusk Galaxy, the value-of Mystic-Earth, Mystic-World, and Mystic-Heaven-grade essence stones did not have such simple conversions, largely due to both their ample abundance-followed by an unnaturally steep drop-off of supply.
In these greater galaxies, cultivating planets and entire-starfields that could give birth to copious amounts of-Mystic-Earth and Mystic-World grade essence stones-was a simple matter while cultivating specific materials-of similar grade was far more difficult, so they were-honestly of less value, causing a ma.s.sively gross-inflation in practical products such as alchemical-products. After all, using essence stones for cultivation-was gruelingly slow. The average refinement time for a-Mystic-World grade essence stone by an ordinary and-average World Emperor can require one to two centuries, while Mystic-Earth could still take up to-several decades.
This was why a single peak-tier Arising Sage Elixir was-valued at one hundred and eighty million Mystic-World-Essence Stones! There were too many Mystic-World-Essence Stones, and not nearly enough alchemical-products or other materials!
However, there still existed a market conversion. A-single Mystic-World grade essence stone can be reasonably exchanged for a million Mystic-World
Essence Stones, but a single Mystic-Heaven grade-essence stone could only be unreasonably exchanged-for a billion Mystic-World Essence Stones! That was if-a trader was found.
The actual value of the Hallowed Aqua Royal Sapphire-was two Mystic-Heaven Essence Stones! An astonis.h.i.+ngly vast sum!
Standing on the deck of this bejeweled void vessel,-three figures stood under the deep azure radiance of the-Hallowed Aqua Royal Sapphire Gem, especially as all-sorts of envious and greedy eyes observed from afar,-each possessing a cultivation base at least at the World-Emperor level. However, none of them dared to take-any action.
That was because two of these three figures were either-astonis.h.i.+ng figures that should never be offended or-characters rising rapidly in fame by virtue of their-strength!
A young woman with deep black wavy hair with rainbow highlights stood at the bow, her two green-eyes glistened like emeralds, utterly mesmerizing and-potentially valuable, while she wore silver and gold-rings on her fingers and thumbs, each embedded with a-unique gem—onyx, ruby, amber, citrine, emerald, blue-topaz, aquamarine, amethyst, pearls, and naturally-last, a diamond.
If one observed closely, the gems seemed to depict the-orientation of Primary Light, beginning with black and-ending with clear, likely indicating True Light. Atop her-head was a thin crown with a rhombus-shaped gem of-uncertain origins, but it was crystalline, releasing-prismatic light that felt unusually soulful.
She was a picture of startling wealth. This was none-other than the Dazzling Jewel Alchemic Saint—Yue-Baoyue, a true representation of her t.i.tle and name!
Moreover, her greatest beauty was how all these gemstones that would normally be considered gaudy-and excessive perfectly accentuated her beautiful-features of olive skin and berry pink lips.
Standing next to her was a humble, modestly dressed-young maiden, her role was both a maidservant and an-Alchemic Knight, and despite her unadorned appearance and lack of anything precious, she was a-natural-looking young woman who could get lost in a-crowd, her True Sage Phase cultivation base would-startle anyone!
Su Yi leaned on the railing, his posture relaxed, his-mood seemingly unfettered by the raging commotion-beyond the vessel, yet his voice carried hints of-exasperation as he spoke: "Why must you involve yourself with this, Baoyue?"
Three days ago, the Dazzling Jewel Alchemic Saint had-intervened in Wei Wuyin's invitation, involving herself-in this game and causing five others to join as well. It-was difficult to know if this was Wei Wuyin's original-goal or not, but the situation grew increasingly-complex. After all, it was unclear if the pressure from-his Supreme Sage backing had forced Wei Wuyin to-compromise, unable to easily take Shang Wanqing away or kill him.
Yue Baoyue revealed a small dazzling smile, entirely-unafraid. "If I hadn't, who would?" Her question-revealed a valiant disposition, but could easily confuse-outsiders listening in. She was fully aware that Wei-Wuyin was planning a scheme, and Su Yi was checkmated into an untenable position, unable to-extricate himself with Shang Wanqing in his
possession, so she had to throw her lot in to stir the pot-or expose his hidden intentions.
For example, if he refused others from joining, Su Yi-could try to sound out his real objective, gaining some-insight and understanding into his goals. This would-fortify Su Yi's precarious position. Unfortunately, he-had accepted her desire to partic.i.p.ate with little-thought and opened the floor with a broad invitation to-anyone with qualifications. That said, the meaning of-'qualification' was very specific, only known to those-genuinely involved in the Knightly Dao Calamity.
That 'qualification' was exactly those involved in the-Knightly Dao Calamity! Was this not Wei Wuyin's
attempt to give those whose plans he ruined a chance-to retaliate?!
While she wasn't a core player in what took place in the-Essence Sword Starfield that day, she had supported Su-Yi from afar with a few schemes, including delaying the-Zenith Creation Tower's response against Su Yi attacking the Knightly Dao Pavilion by relying on a-favor she worked extremely hard to acquire. She hadn't-expected that her actions would inadvertently cause-those scheming to gain an advantage. Moreover, the-Zenith Creation Tower didn't just delay their response,-they directly avoided the situation altogether!
Clearly, others had convinced all levels of the tower to-look away at this incident. After all, the combat of-Sages could have Galactic Zone impacting consequences. If not for Wei Wuyin and Su Yi, the-damage that would have wreaked havoc across the
stellar region and its neighbors would have been…-Anyhow, the earlier schemes, this invisible game that-had the lives of three Sages and involved at least six-Sages had ended disastrously due to Wei Wuyin and-was moved inexplicably to this new game.
Su Yi blinked, exhaling a soft sigh.
"There's no need to dwell on what's already happened.
Today's the day," Yue Baoyue said meaningfully. Her-dazzling gaze observed the Original Dawn Palace that-floated atop a tiny continent. The list of players meant-this game wasn't going to be easy or simple!
"I already had a plan," Su Yi said, but then halted his-next sentence as he shook his head, "Just keep yourself-safe if something happens."
Yue Baoyue's eyebrows lifted. "What are you planning?"
Su Yi gazed at the vast starry skies, his eyes contained-an unparalleled sharpness, and his heart and will were-subtly ignited, burning blazingly with fighting spirit.
No matter what, he would save Wanqing.
Above him, the faint signs of tribulation of the Mystic-Dao brewed.
Yet simultaneously, the Heavenly Daos that would-normally be active remained silent.
On the other side of the Armored Boon Stellar Region, a-gargantuan green-colored void vessel shaped in a 'C' anch.o.r.ed at the edge. It was extremely eye-catching,-not just for its size, but the incessant release of soul-light indicating an utterly supreme status. This void-vessel belonged notoriously to the Head Dao Enforcer of-the Zenith Creation Tower, Suo Haoran. While it acted-as a representative for him, very rarely was he personally on board.
Its mere existence unsettled countless souls, especially-among the surrounding planets that suddenly had a-green crescent moon appear in their skies, visible-regardless of day or night.
Suo Haoran was on board. Not personally, but his-Incarnation pulsed with a terrifying aura. Shockingly,-the fluctuations could be sensed and mistaken for a-Sage, not a Supreme Sage. This was a commonly difficult hurdle for Supreme Sages, as creating a-stronger Incarnation required the segregation of one's-True Soul, an extremely dangerous process.
However, cultivating a few wisps of Breath of a True-Sage alongside gathering their Resonant Qi and
materials of the Mystic-World grade to construct these-Incarnations via spells wasn't too harsh.
Next to him was the Angelic Peach Alchemic Saint,-Tians.h.i.+ Ya. She was dressed in a peach-colored alchemist outfit, her skin released soft, gentle, and-flawlessly enhancing light that elevated her graceful-elegance by a tier. The aroma of freshly ripe peaches-wafted from her body intermixed with the tantalizing-aura of Utmost Purity Mist.
Her outfit was modest in covering, exposing very little-skin, yet it did little to hide her bodacious backside that-stood out, faintly bestowing the image of the ripest-peach containing the juiciest fruity nectar, tempting-one to have a taste. Her aura was gentle yet carried a-peerless demeanor cultivated by confidence and time,-her mental state was prime for what was to come.
Suo Haoran was silently observing from a one-way-privacy window that revealed the Armored Boon Starfield and all its stars, planets, lunar satellites, and-visitors.
"Why play into his desires? Exposing yourself like-this?" Suo Haoran asked softly.
Tians.h.i.+ Ya was in a state of prepared focus, and that-question couldn't douse or compromise her rising-compet.i.tive spirit at all.
Suo Haoran's eyes narrowed sharply, "Acting as his-proxy to dole out his seething rage after suffering-disastrous loss. That old goat is spiteful to use you like-this, dangling your future to do so is even more-frustrating."
"..." Tians.h.i.+ Ya remained unmoved. She was determined, and Suo Haoran could sense that with-every fiber of his being. However, he couldn't fault her-at this moment. That old goat that stood at the top of-the tower, that tower that overlooks the Alchemic Dao,-reigning supreme as the foremost authority of alchemical creation, was naturally meticulous and-vengeful.
The thoughts of Supreme Sages were hard to decipher,-yet the mood of an Alchemic Heavenly Saint was unfathomably profound in impact, capable of deciding-the state of entire stellar regions and even the very-lives of Sages with a mere thought!
Suo Haoran, as a Supreme Sage, knew far more of the-undercurrent behind the Knightly Dao Calamity and-was keenly aware of certain indistinct details that not-even the various news outlets dared to publish casually-for their highest-ranked members.
The game board of seven.
A game of Mystics.
It was a different variation than Mystics: Cultivation,-not often played on a general scale. It was called-Mystics: Cataclysm and it was all an extended, heavily-invested game with a single victory condition for each-player, which had to be fulfilled within a very specific-window.
A very, very, very specific window.
For example, the 200,000th Birthday of an ancient-Mystic Overlord.
A game that began seventy-seven thousand years ago.
Among those seven that began this game, this far-reaching, insidious game that hinged on the lives-of three Sages, the incomplete World Soul of a continent, the life of a girl yet to be born, which were-subtly influenced little by little to advance to their-current stages of cultivation and their very existence by-unseen, unknown hands, was the Zenith Creation Alchemic Saint, the Heavenly Saint Alchemist of the-Zenith Creation Tower—Tians.h.i.+ Zaoxuan!
A single unexpected foreigner had caused six out of the-seven players to lose, and only the last remained-somewhat victorious, but his victory was heavily-unclear due to various variables, and those seven were-still arguing the semantics of that specific winning-condition, leaving it deadlocked.
Moreover, this game was difficult to settle given that-there were endless variables that were unexpected. This-was why Wei Wuyin, a foreign variable, wasn't interfered with. They had agreed to accept all variables,-such as the outrageously strong Su Yi, the strange-tri-soul Shang Wanqing, and Wei Wuyin!
In their eyes, he was just another piece on the board.
Yet this foreign piece had shattered the board, flipped-it, and scorched it entirely!
Now, five involved forces had sent representatives to-this abrupt game, and the players of the old game were-aware that Wei Wuyin had no reason to challenge Su Yi-to any challenge given his strength and total disregard,-he was challenging them.
How could they not respond?!
To say that this game wasn't going to be easy or simple-was an understatement of an eon. The implications-were bound to be catastrophic, and Tians.h.i.+ Ya was-already standing with a resolved heart to bet her very-life at a chance to advance a step further along the-Alchemic Dao, lured by Tians.h.i.+ Zaoxuan's irresistible-promise.
But were the others partic.i.p.ating not the same?!
In a rare display of emotion, Suo Haoran revealed a-concerned, unsettled look far unbefitting of an
Ascended being that has ascended to a stage that could-grasp heaven's power, more fitting for a mortal. He-looked at Tians.h.i.+ Ya's upright back, "I can't lose you."
Those words were almost silent, yet the focused Tians.h.i.+ Ya briefly s.h.i.+vered. However, only briefly.
Her figure seemed taller and her aura firmer than-before. As if telling Suo Haoran that she was not here to-fail. That she would…come back…alive…
Despite his peerless strength as a powerhouse, he was-unable to offer her the one thing that she sought. Suo-Haoran's eyes focused on that tiny continent with the-silver palace.
Tians.h.i.+ Ya spatially s.h.i.+fted out to the Dark Void. She-withdrew a tiny-sized void vessel that resembled a-peach with six white wings, each wing etched with-runes emanating a holy aura. Boarding it, she resisted-the urge to look back at the gigantic void vessel as she-flew forward!
Wei Wuyin saw the six unique vessels incoming. "What-a fantastic opportunity. How could I ever let this go?"
As an exploitative Blessed, Wei Wuyin had existed,-subsisted, and cultivated on profound principles of-seizing the slightest opportunity and maximizing it, as-long as they did not infringe on his morals and principles, and as he observed the chaos unfolding that-day, all the hidden hands moving about, even including-the Heavenly Daos, he more or less gathered the rough-details of what was happening, especially as he sensed-the disguised and concealed auras of those paramount-existences.
There were various bits of information he was unaware-of until recently, such as Shang Liu's personal prophecy-of obtaining an opportunity to ascend as a Sage during-his 200,000th birthday. Moreover, as a cultivator with-the Celestial Eyes of Spiritual Divinity, he was keenly-aware that Shang Liu had a hidden soul seal that not-even Enlightened Sages could perceive with their Soul-Perception.
This would forever prevent him from entering the True-Sage Phase regardless of external support, negating the-gathering of heavenly fortune, preventing him from-ever forming a Seed of Law, a deeply concealed plot to-keep him suppressed, while his body was filled with all-sorts of life-extending products with various auras that-were exceedingly profound. If his senses were correct,-they were cultivated by Heavenly Saint Alchemists. It-wasn't hard to deduce that Shang Liu was targeted by-insidious intentions, designed to lead him to a specific-moment.
While the debonair version of himself never took it too-seriously, he had actively played numerous games of-Mystics in his days, including defeating Su Nianzu with-a flawless record. He was certain this was a great board-with ill.u.s.trious players. If he had to guess, players were-investing to develop the World Soul, players invested to-elevate Sui Yuan, Zai Yingwen, and Yuchi Yiseng to-either make other player's victory conditions harder or-to give them a greater chance at accomplis.h.i.+ng their-own, and lastly, there were players that were protecting-Shang Wanqing.
Her extraordinary protection to fend off the violent-fluctuations was a clear giveaway. To succeed, a casual-attack or attempt at s.n.a.t.c.hing her and fleeing immediately wasn't going to do it.
Initially, he was slightly reluctant to interfere after-discovering these intricate details, even with Yue-Songli's disposition that didn't want her date to be-ruined by slaughter and destruction, but after considering everything, his thoughts swirled with-ferocious ideas. While he likely would have ensured the-ma.s.ses survived, he decided to take it a step further.
Now, like irresistible bait to the lure, the piranhas were-coming for his held-out flesh.
But could they even get any?