Paragon of Sin
chapter-1685

Eden, Ori, and King went silent.

For a single moment of time, all things fell silent within the Battlefield of the Fallen Divine. Only a deafening silence within Wei Wuyin's mind, soul, and heart. For the first time since their inception, Wei Wuyin and Kratos were alone. An indescribable familiarity and bond was established, almost like the connection with soul-connected twins; the two resonated with each other wholeheartedly without the slightest separation of id, ego, and thought. It was an inexplicable resonance.

Since Wei Wuyin began his cultivation path with his four Spirits of Cultivation, he has always been exploring their powers step by step through experimentation and a carefully curated process of theory and results. He discovered Eden's ability to alter memories and Kratos' ability to conjure Void Portals through this method. It was an arduous, risky path, yet he strode toward bravely each time with startling success.

The Spirits themselves were similar, as ignorant as Wei Wuyin, and slowly yet surely delving into the powers of their immense powers. They were no different than cultivators in that respect, only their familiarity and ease of usage with their powers were considerably higher. There were times when Eden, Kratos, Ori, and King were entirely unaware of what they could and couldn't do, left with no choice but to allow Wei Wuyin to experiment.

As much as Wei Wuyin needed them, they, too, needed him.

Since becoming an Inheritor of Sin, Wei Wuyin often remarked that his four Spirits, who were as sentient and sapient as any living, intelligent species, were traversing their own cultivation paths, especially when they took the reins of their tribulations, advancements, and evolutions, steadily planning for each heaven-defying step. And, just like cultivators, there were times they overestimated or underestimated themselves, and Wei Wuyin had to narrowly escape the predicament with his own cunning and means.

This was Wei Wuyin's most obvious benefit, but what others could never guess was that it was his and his Spirits' greatest weakness. Normally, cultivators had an intuitive sense of what their Spirits of Cultivation could or could not do, including what they were, and they could delve into it and explore it little by little, excavating its secrets. Until recently, Wei Wuyin and Eden had both referred to its respective powers as Eden Energy, not Akashic Energy. That was ignorance that would normally not exist for Spirits of Cultivation and their respective Cultivators.

Long, long ago, Wei Wuyin had once experienced that wondrous feeling. But only once. During the evolution of reaching the Zenith Origin State, he felt as if each of his Spirits were a Dao. While that was largely a state of naivety due to his ignorance, the depths of their powers at the time genuinely felt as expansive and complex as the Daos themselves.

Back then, King had decisively kicked him out.

This id, ego, and thought separation brought about by their greatest disconnect despite being the greatest contributor to Wei Wuyin's current success. After that moment of enlightenment and resonance, Wei Wuyin had never felt that feeling again, despite gaining the ability to send a Mental Incantation into their Astral Cores.

It was that degree of separation that was as invisible and intangible as thought itself. Wei Wuyin's greatest flaw in his cultivation, unseen yet heavy as the world itself.

However, at this very moment, at this single, silent, and still moment of time and thought, Wei Wuyin felt as if that degree of separation had been torn down—forcefully!

Wei Wuyin could feel every emotion of Kratos. Every single huff of frustration, pent-up bouts of anger at being repeatedly relegated, the internal vexation of being the youngest and weakest Spirit of his family, reduced to a glorified transportation and hiding device in battles, and unable to claim victory over any genuine opponents.

Wei Wuyin could feel the very heart of a True Dragon, the majestically endless sense of pride, and the unyielding will manifesting as an unfettered spirit for conquest, supremacy, and battle. Only now did Wei Wuyin realize a huge factor of his development of the Imperial Law Seed was largely due to Kratos, not King.

This wasn't the first time that Kratos had felt underused and inadequate. There was a time long ago when Eden, Ori, and King had taken a back seat so that Kratos could prove itself within the Everlore Starfield back then. At the time, Wei Wuyin preferred using Ori and King for battles, leaning toward Ori due to its versatility. This was reinforced by the fact that Kratos had reached the peak of the Mortal Dao before the others in terms of its Mark of Myth. It could be considered Wei Wuyin's strongest asset and ability at the time, yet it was always relegated.

How many times did Wei Wuyin use Void Flames? How many times did he rely on those Elemental Dragons?!

Now, Wei Wuyin could feel all of its raging emotions during that time amplified a thousand-fold.

'I've neglected you…' Wei Wuyin felt a pang of pain in his soul that was indescribably horrible. Ori, Eden, and King never felt any neglect due to their constant contributions, especially King, who sharpened its edge and elevated the intensity of its Intent largely by being very selective in its usage. When it was unsheathed, the world would be brought to annihilation by its edge!

Ori and Eden were in constant usage, especially in regard to Alchemical Concoctions. Especially during the seventeen years of secluded cultivation on the Minor Elysium.

However, in the same vein, Kratos could feel more intimately Wei Wuyin's thoughts, intentions, and mindset at each of the times it felt underused and forgotten. All of Wei Wuyin's considerations, careful and conscious attempts at highlighting each of their strengths, and trying his very best to ensure none of them ever felt forgotten or neglected, especially after his earlier incident of flaring up…

For the first time, Kratos saw Wei Wuyin's side of things.

'I understand now…' Kratos felt a pang of pain in its soul that was equally as horrible. It was being selfish, nursing an unfair and one-sided grudge.

The two felt closer than ever before.

'So this is how it feels?' Wei Wuyin and Kratos both felt, for the first time, what it meant to possess a Zenith Origin State Spirit, that degree of connectivity between two entities—Spirit of Cultivation and Cultivator—on an entirely different, vastly elevated stage of intimacy and closeness.

Suddenly, everything came into focus. Wei Wuyin's Sea of Consciousness was intimately connected to the inner world of his Draconic Void Mystic Core, and further linked to the Mark of Mystic Myth in a wondrous, magical manner. The process of unprecedented, like serendipitous enlightenment!

For the first time, the Draconic Void Mystic Core, Mark of Mystic Myth, and Wei Wuyin's True Void Dragon Bloodline resonated together, releasing a single, faint, almost inaudible roar.

BOOM!!!

Sage Pakhet's rising aura was unstoppable, and the same could be said for her assault! While she had taken a brief moment to unleash her built-up energy in a fantastic roar of excitement and thrill, her attack occurred within a fraction of a millisecond!

The entire Battlefield of Fallen Divine was an apocalyptic sight of fissures with leaking golden heavenly light that was slowly transforming the very air into metal, and all of its energies were being rapidly converted. Earlier, Sage Pakhet had crashed the Heavenly Realm of Metal Law against the very Void and three dimensions of space with reckless force, invading the entire realm with its presence, and forcefully pushing Wei Wuyin out of the Void.

It was an instinctive tactic on her behalf, but it had proved exceedingly effective, yet also exhausted a considerable amount of her power. But the action had indirectly transformed the Battlefield of Fallen Divine into a Domain of Heavenly Metal Radiance, Energy, Aura, and Power as the fissures bled golden metallic light.

She had inadvertently set the stage for herself, executing an unprecedented ability by pure instinct alone! A Heavenly Domain! While it was incomplete, while it was entirely haphazardly deployed, her strength and heavenly aura were on the constant rise while all other Laws were suppressed! If the Supreme Sages of the outside world knew of this, they would be deeply shaken by Sage Pakhet's raw talent!

But considering she was a Sage who comprehended a Major Authority of a Law, she was astonishingly, no, demonically talented in the manipulation and development of Laws! A true genius!

At this point, however, her entire body was almost made of solid gold with very little distinction. It was difficult to decipher her facial features, and besides knowing that she was beautiful, she resembled a golden statue shaped in the image of a divinity rather than a person. Even her head faintly resembled a lioness at times!

Wei Wuyin felt the raging, torrential pressure on his body.

His draconically-empowered celestial eyes shifted to her rapidly approaching form. For the first time, he saw her movements. Standing firm, he faced Sage Pakhet and met her kick aimed at his head with his two arms crossed. They bulged in preparation.

Sage Pakhet held nothing back. She kicked out with her strongest power! It would be enough to obliterate starfields instantly!

BAM!!

Wei Wuyin's entire body was impacted by her golden leg, and a flush of golden light washed over him as every scale on his body shattered, his skin split in every single conceivable area, and his upper robes were torn asunder into nothing more than rags. His entire body was ravaged and damaged.

However, he didn't move a single step back!

Not. Single. Step!

"I finally understand where your confidence comes from," Wei Wuyin softly muttered to himself as his entire draconic exoskeleton was blown off. On an instinctual level, Kratos felt that it could win. However, Wei Wuyin had tried engaging multiple times and even used a different tactic, but failed each time. At the time, he didn't see how Kratos could be confident, and their separation always prevented Wei Wuyin from understanding the nonsensical explanations that Kratos conjured up.

But now… he understood.

Kratos was a True Dragon, a primordial beast, and it functioned on instincts. This was why it could never give Wei Wuyin a clear explanation for any of its abilities. It was difficult to explain instincts. Incredibly difficult.

Now, Wei Wuyin's Mystic Core, Mark of Myth, and Bloodline had felt merged, and he could feel those instincts in his Sea of Consciousness. They weren't just Kratos' anymore but his!

"..." Sage Pakhet was shaken. Her kick contained almost limitless heavenly metal power, and she was being bolstered by her incomplete Heavenly Domain, feeling stronger than ever, yet Wei Wuyin had withstood her attack by guarding with just his physical body. While he was de-scaled, quite literally, the fact that his aura was as calm and healthy as before was a shocking fact.

Still, her brief disbelief only lasted for the briefest of moments before she spun beautifully, kicking at Wei Wuyin's bloodied, scaleless abdomen.

BOOM!!!

Like rolling thunder, Wei Wuyin was kicked yet again, and his body spewed out grayish draconic blood across the sky for dozens of miles while the ground beneath his feet had endless fractures across its golden surface.

But he remained standing! Unmoved!

Covered in blood, Wei Wuyin's trembling body moved slightly, and his head lifted to meet Sage Pakhet's pure golden gaze that was almost inhuman. The Alchemic Stars of Transcendent Purity were gone, only silvery True Dragon eyes remained.

Sage Pakhet felt her heart quiver inexplicably. With urgency, she raged! She struck, kicked, and clawed until the entire sky and ground, both tainted with a golden hue, were painted in dragon's blood! Each blow contained a portion of heaven's might!

Wei Wuyin remained unmoved despite the worldly destruction unfolding, despite the accruement of horrific damage to his body, bones, and organs. It was almost as if Sage Pakhet was excavating portions of Wei Wuyin's body.

This lasted for two whole seconds!

'So there it is!!' Wei Wuyin's eyes suddenly widened as they repaired from any damage due to his Eye of Immortality, and his soul resonated with Kratos!

What was the difference between the Mark of Mortal Myth and the Mark of Mystic Myth? Was it just the difference between the Mortal Dao and the Mystic Dao? Was it simply that simple?

No!

Wei Wuyin had only recently entered the First Level of the Mark of Mystic Myth, but he hadn't delved into its truest abilities and distinctions, such as its ability to neutralize foreign powers on the level of the Aura of Law and Heavenly Radiance until he felt everything Kratos felt on an instinctual level!

The difference was between two words:

Transformation.

And…

ASCENSION!!!

For the first time, Sage Pakhet, enveloped by heavenly might, felt a primal fear! She felt all of time, space, astronomical forces, and the void grow still, and her own body froze!

Wei Wuyin tapped into the depths of his True Void Dragon Mystic Bloodline!

The sound of Kratos' voice and his melded together seamlessly as they roared deeply:

"DRACONIC ASCENSION!!!"