Incinerated Dominion, Eastern Region.
Atop the bed of obsidian-like earth, three figures stood side by side. At the center of the trio was a young swordsman with the vestiges of bountiful wisdom brought by age, wondrous experiences, and world knowledge suffused within his serene gaze. Dressed in pure white sword robes, he exuded an upright, unbent, and unrivaled aura.
This was none other than the man of the hour, the focus of countless experts of an entire galaxy, and beholder of the great secrets of samsara—Su Yi!
With a healthy shade to his handsome face, paired with bright eyes glinting with a steady flow of abundant energy, Su Yi calmly observed the ash-grey clouds up above, constituting the entirety of the starless sky of this Heavenly World.
However, fear-ridden and rattled with anxiety, Yue Baoyue stood to his right with a pale complexion. Just earlier, a godly voice descended across the worldscape, explaining the seven rules of the contest established and consigned by the Seven Towers of the Heavenly Sages. The fifth and sixth rules were targeted at them, yet while the sixth rule was beneficial to her, the fifth rule was undeniably detrimental to Su Yi. How could she not be terrified?
"I...Su Yi, I—" She stammered out an explanation.
Su Yi turned her way, revealing a warm, comforting smile as if he were unbothered by the disadvantageous rules or the favored rule made solely on behalf of Yue Baoyue. "Seems he refuses to give up on you. Haha, I must applaud his courage to persist despite rejection with gestures like this."
Yue Baoyue's heart jumped in her chest at the mention of him. Who else could it be but the Neo-Dawn Alchemic Saint? That utterly tyrannical existence that acted wildly within a foreign galaxy, daring to challenge Supreme Existences, and snatching an undisputed victory in a recent game of Mystics. He was unable to be forgotten in her heart. Even the dress she wore was gifted to her by him.
Now, he was openly declaring his intent to protect her. No one could harm her. Due to the explicit wording of the sixth rule, not even the alluded-to external competitors such as Star-Devourers, Void Creatures, or aberrations of unknown and unclear origin were able to violate this rule. Perhaps the explosion itself would see her acquiring the protection of multiple Supreme Sages, ensuring not a single hair on her head was harmed. She could freely walk about and claim treasures if she desired.
In fact, she could attack others one-sidedly. Any opponent would have to flee on sight for fear of harming her in the slightest.
It was absurd how favored she was here, and this ruling showcased how important she was to Wei Wuyin. Despite settling on her decision back then, such a powerful gesture where an action was performed without asking for anything in return was hard not to move one's heart. Su Yi noticed her guilt, comforting her with a carefree smile.
Due to their entrapment in the Incinerated Dominion, they were unaware of recent events, except that a potential new Heavenly Saint Alchemist was born or an established Heavenly Saint Alchemist executed the Phenomenon Manifestation at a horrifying cost to benefit the galaxy.
'That woman from earlier, and now this. Could the one who took that difficult step, a step equivalent to ascending the heavens, could it be?' Her thoughts were brief, yet that image of his starry gaze, that flawlessly masculine body that seemed to contain a paragonic presence, excessively handsome and unearthly attractive features that far exceeded the mortal and mystic in brilliance was unable to not emerge, seared itself into her heart and mind.
Afrit-tuza was indifferent to these rules. Afrit-tuza was indifferent to Yue Baoyue's rampant emotional state. Afrit-tuza was wholeheartedly focused on something else far more pressing and relevant.
The fiery demon born from the Incinerated Dominion, solemn in expression, in its magnetic voice, spoke with a resolved tone: "Only one hundred and twenty-seven seconds remain."
As it gave an accurate estimated time of detonation for this ancient Heavenly World, the only home it knew, Su Yi calmly nodded in reply without any fear or unsettled emotions. Suddenly, he felt an impulse to direct his gaze elsewhere, and he located a gathering of a few figures in the far western region.
As if possessing the same sporadic urge, Afrit-tuza simultaneously looked in that direction, its recently restored left arm clenched its fist tightly, unable to gather much strength as its refinement was fresh and tender in development, barely strong enough to crush a Rune King—an Earthly Saint Phase cultivator—with a single punch. A far cry from its true strength.
There, in that direction, was none other than the culprit of his recent plight. The monster in human form wielding a saber light that felt as if it encompassed the genesis of dawning light and the finality of dusky darkness upon all of creation. Deeply unsettled was its heart.
Among them was a Sage. Su Yi recognized her, learning that she was Sage Pakhet, one of the ruling True Sages of the former No-Name Galaxy, now the Resolute Dusk Galaxy. Her aura was incredibly formidable, a true-blue Martial Cultivator with a fantastic physical foundation.
She was no longer a True Sage as when she first arrived. Due to the Heavenly Awakening of a Supreme Saint's incredible benefits, what felt like a burst of pure alchemical energy in effect, and the energies and essences of the Heavenly World, she used to fiery forces of the world to forge her body, empowering her soul, locating it, and then outright awakening it!
She was no longer a True Sage; Sage Pakhet was now an Enlightened Sage at the True Soul Phase, the final phase of the Mystic Ascendant Realm.
'I sensed the Major Authority of Metal within her actions earlier. Without it, there's no way she could establish any link in this Heavenly Realm imbued with the Law of Fire.' Su Yi concluded by exerting the fullest extent of his abundant knowledge. But what truly shook him was the true breaths of heavenly rotation she took before ascending.
A total of nine. A ninth-tier True Sage! Only by condensing ninth-tier wisps could one's body handle breathing nine times! Moreover, she had snatched a breath from the Heavenly Realm of Metal by virtue of her Major Authority, and it seemed to be in its embryonic stage.
A tenth-tier Heavenly Breath of an Enlightened Sage! While not yet fully formed, the attempt to take that breath was enough to indicate future potential.
Su Yi was quite amazed at such an incredibly sturdy cultivated foundation, especially when he was aware that the Cultivation Method the eight sages cultivated had noticeable flaws that hindered the showcase of outstanding talent, sacrificing that for reliable progression by the effort of seven others.
Even then, he discovered that those figures were all unimaginably exceptional, especially the young woman regarded by the demon Afrit-tuza as a "monster in human form" as it fled to seek safety from him. The red-haired cultivator in particular had siphoned the core energies from the Incinerated Dominion, requiring an unnatural affinity to the Law of Fire.
Major Authority as well?
When did grasping Major Authorities become so widespread? This type of power was something that Supreme Sages would envy, yet two Ascended beings possessed it, and one of them was young and rich in talent. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the red-haired cultivator was beloved by fire.
On an existential level.
He had encountered a person like this before, and their life was undeniably tragic, littered with hellish events, a true jinx towards anyone and everyone they touched. Not even Supreme Seers wanted to involve themselves in their matters, often leaving them to their fates of catastrophe. Despite knowing why it was happening, he was unable to understand how this cultivator was brimming with fortune, strength, and could laugh with great heart with that blindfolded cultivator next to him.
"Eighty-four seconds."
Afrit-tuza warned. RUMBLE! Abruptly, the Heavenly World began to grow hotter at an unsettling rate. Within a second, it was approaching the heat of a Solar Star.
At this moment, the figures in the distance seemed to take this as their cue, and Sage Pakhet activated a grey disc. A Void Portal formed, cut out of the Heavenly World.
"WHAT?!" Su Yi was instantly baffled. All forms of spatial arts and temporal arts should experience a drastic upheaval due to the great fluctuation. When the Heavenly World explodes, the chaotic energy would hinder any spatial shift. While possible, it would be no different than entering the hottest region imaginable.
He was aware of Void Portals. They were products of Void Gates, and while they were primarily spatial in nature, they included temporal effects that linked to the endless Void, and that was required because without the safety, a form of temporal dissonance of self and existence would occur that was a death sentence, even to Supreme Sages.
If Su Yi knew that Wei Wuyin had survived that exact dissonance as a mortal during his first jump through a Void Portal, he would be driven into a speechless state. Who could possibly survive such a twist of existential spatial affixation and temporal consistency? Perhaps only an existence born in the Void could do so!
Not the Dark Void, but the true Void that existed across all of the universe and time.
The figures in the east left through the Void Portal, vanishing from sight as the portal closed without a trace; Afrit-tuza's eyes widened as his heart raced with fear. It was the only one who knew where they had gone. "They...THEY'VE ENTERED THE HEART!"
"...!" Su Yi's pupils instantly shrank.
Yue Baoyue was clueless. She hadn't fully recovered from the extraction of her treasured cauldron either, so she didn't dare to send her Spiritual Sense wildly about to investigate others. In her baffled state, she asked: "What heart?"
Afrit-tuza turned to Su Yi, ignoring Yue Baoyue. "They're trying to seize the heart! It'll be exposed only after the detonation. If they retrieve it..."
Su Yi touched his sword's hilt, his breathing slightly heavy? a sign of his mind contemplating scenarios.
What other heart could Afrit-tuza be talking about? This was a Heavenly World, its foundation was the Microheaven of a fallen Resonant Soul Realm expert, and what was a Microheaven?
Others might think it was an Internal World transformed by the resonance of the heavenly realms, emulating a tiny fragment of the 3000 Heavenly Realms' great power, and while that contained some truth, a Microheaven was a Spirit of Cultivation!
A Heavenly World was its corpse! Its metaphysical existence transformed into a physical force!
Wei Wuyin had once visited the worlds with King and Ori, seeing the fantastical wonders of their respective Daos, before being expelled later on.
That metaphysical space that existed, akin to the Sea of Consciousness of a Spirit of Cultivation, encompassing their core identities, was the very foundation of a Heavenly World! And so, what else could the heart be but the Heart of Qi that they formed at the very beginning of their cultivation!
This was the quintessential energy of the Microheaven! This was the core within the core!
How did they get in there? And if they got in there...they...
"The detonation?" Su Yi inquired. The detonation was of the Heavenly World, not the Microheaven acting as its foundation. This was no different than an Ascended being exploding their physical body, allowing their soul and spirit to abscond away.
In fact, this was akin to Long Shiya losing his physical body!
"It will still happen!" Afrit-tuza said deeply, its voice trembling with anxiety. But the detonation was inevitable; he could no longer stop it. However, that Microheaven was his gateway to the Resonant Soul Realm.
Similar to how Grey Rose had snatched a foundation in the White Abyssal Galaxy, it intended to absorb the power in the explosion, allowing it to gain the necessary power to step into the realm of a Supreme Existence. Then, the situation outside would be so much more manageable. If something happened to it... Su Yi knew this! He knew this!
However, not even he could casually enter the heart of this Heavenly World. Only Afrit-tuza could bypass the insane instinctive self-defense mechanisms without damaging the heart. After all, it was a living Shard of this Heavenly Realm!
A body wouldn't reject itself!
"FOUR! SECONDS!" Afrit-tuza shouted as its body bulged, readying for the explosion.
Su Yi brought out the Sword of the Transient Realm and grabbed Yue Baoyue's slender waist. He ignored her yelp of shock as he held it horizontally before him.
"They won't be able to take it. For now, after the detonation, absorb what you can. The plan remains—I'll buy enough time for you." As for the fifth rule? He didn't give two fucks about their arbitrarily decided-upon rules.
He existed by his own rules. Suddenly, a blazing radiance engulfed the entirety of the Heavenly World's internal space.
Wei Wuyin was standing on a flat platform above the White Heaven Sage Palace.
'Those guys are seeking everything. Here I thought they'd fight for just the pieces. How ambitious!' Wei Wuyin laughed with excitement. Su Mei was one after his own heart. She refused to take only a small piece in a competition. She wanted it all!
"Well! I'll help you out then!" His abrupt words caused the Supreme Sages next to him to be taken aback.
He located the Shadow Veil's Supreme Sovereign! A single transmission between them immediately resulted in the transmission of dozens to others across the galaxy, including those right next to him!
In it was a single message:
"Su Yi has a demon-born Shard of Heaven by his side! If it can absorb the power of the Heavenly World after its detonation, it will reach a strength far surpassing the Microheaven Envoy! And if that happens... "...the consequences will be unpredictable."
Instantly, Sovereign Vilesnow and Sovereign Primal Star both had drastic changes in their expression!

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