The remnant chaos of the explosion lingering about for trillions of miles beyond the epicenter, distorting all manner of energy, essence, mana, light, and time was thinning with remarkable speed. A swirling funnel drained it all with targeted precision, not affecting the celestial phenomena of galaxy formation or mysterious phenomena of Dominion formation, and creating a thick twister that shrank with each passing moment.
A total of seven void vessels designed for exploration and investigation, leaning towards defense and scanning during their construction, had been oddly allowed to exit the Utmost-Heaven Guardian Array. They cautiously moved as a unit despite carrying different colors, insignia, banners, or of different sizes and designs. One thing they all had in common was their existence as native Void Hunter organizations of the Utmost Purity Galaxy led by Original Magistrates or Mystic Overlords.
Waves of scouring energy emulating spiritual sense pulsed incessantly outwards with a gentle, heavy, or oscillating thrum, transmitting details of the Dark Void to those within. Crews of varying sizes scurried about, picking apart information and locating points of potential interest. The hubbub in each was hyperactive and focused, relaying declarations of findings such as the scattered flows of Mystic-Heaven grade essence dispersed by the explosion, capable of being retrieved carefully through a variety of techniques and items.
These essences originally belonged to Long Shiya, Heaven-Saint Thunderhaven, Superior Duan, Superior Yujin, and lastly, Heavenly Treasure fragments of the Neo- Dawn Ascendant Emperor. They were originally portions of their now-shattered bodies or the destroyed heavenly treasures.
"Alert! Alert! I've discovered faint signs of ascended life!" Within one of the vessels, a competent middle-aged woman with a stern, dedicated presence exclaimed in discovery.
A young man's voice with three eyes overflowing with spiritual light followed soon after on the same vessel, "Venerable! The life sign belongs to a Venerable!"
Within the Mystic Ascendant Realm, each stage had a designated title on a multi- galactic scale. Starting from the first stage of the Mystic Ascendant Realm, the Mystic Star Phase, to the ninth stage, the True Soul, they were: Exalted(Mystic Star), Venerable(Soul of Mysticism), Highlord(Demi-Mortal), Rune King(Earthly Saint), World Emperor(Worldly Saint), Original Magistrate(Heavenly Saint), Mystic Overlord (Ascended Saint), Sage(True Sage), and Enlightened Sage(True Soul).
To find a Venerable's life sign within the remnant explosive chaos of a Supreme Sage was far beyond anyone's expectation, except for a select few whose ears were sensitive to the recent accusations flown viciously about of an ancient entity possessing the body of a youth blessed with unreasonable talent within the Alchemic Dao with starting achievements.
The Neo-Dawn Ascendant Emperor!
Subtly, stealthily, and carefully, various spiritual sense-esque waves swept the region with focused precision. Among these waves were the hidden perceptions folding meticulously into them of truly Supreme Existences. Their masquerade was nearly flawless. Few could ever hope to discern their involvement, and even those few might have some doubts.
SHIIING! A saber howl screeched outwards, combating the waves as the lone, floating figure's saber intent erupted defensively, as if it were a guard dog tasked with defending its owner. The backlash feedback caused multiple vessels to tremble. However, excitement swept the crews.
"Saber Heart Intent! A Mystic-Heaven graded treasure! Nascent Soul Armament Spirit!" Numerous evaluations were thrown out there by the knowledgeable observant keenly observing the howl. The crews scrambled about, but they oddly stayed in a loose formation, ready to defend or retreat as a united fleet upon any signs of chaotic events. This type of recently disrupted area was often a breeding ground of deadly dangers for Void Hunters.
Curiously, there was no Sage or greater existence present on the surface. Moreover, the draining twister that was the result of the Keeper of Time's actions, something that only certain high-level beings could hope to discern or discover, was deliberately ignored. However, they weren't too focused on investigating the cause of the drain, almost as if they were long since warned about doing so.
They seemed intent on investigating a few things, and upon finding that vague life sign, the attention of the fleet was fully focused.
As they began to plot a course, the half-corpse of the only living thing remaining within the Dark Void stayed silent. However, the saber kept sheathed within its partially ruined scabbard, struggled to act on its own power, and continuously failed to achieve anything more than defending against any incoming dangers. It seemed to be trying to actively cut an incision in the dimension of space, seeking refuge elsewhere.
However, each attempt was met with a burst that ruined its scabbard a little more. Then, it would be forced to protect its owner with greater levels of mystic energy infused with the aura of Imperial Law, a sign of a true Mystic-Heaven grade treasure. This was not due to its weakness, but that the chaos still lingered in the three dimensions of space and the void. As it wasn't a Mystic-Heaven treasure or Heavenly Treasure of space, it could only fail to stabilize the disruptive chaos existing there.
This was repeatedly analyzed and relayed throughout the seven vessels' competent crews. Nothing was obfuscating these attempts. It resembled a weakened, loyal dog trying to drag its unconscious owner out of a collapsed home, unable to do so as each exit was blocked. The sight could inspire some pity if not for the greed.
Using a recently established Mind-Realm, several Supreme Sages communicated without leaving the slightest fluctuations, disguising their presence through this extra circumventing and extremely cunning means of communication. Via Mental incarnations, voices echoed out, and among these Mental Incarnations were familiar figures.
Both Supreme Sages of the Arachnids, Sovereign Goliath Bird and Superior Black Widow, and the foreign Supreme Sages known as Superior Yanzi and Superior Di. They had championed this operation. However, there were more.
In the shadows of this operation involving multiple Superior Sages, the Talisman Star Palace Master, a short, stout, and balding man with smooth, chubby baby smooth skin and a round belly, completely lacking any distinguished aura of a Supreme Sage, and the Shattered Star Palace Master, a tall, willowy woman with a flowing grey hair and layered robes disguising all her bodily curves, were right here as Mental Incarnations.
They had been tasked with keeping the Incandescent Star Palace Lord in a deep “discussion’ during the operation.
Originally, Sovereign Skyfather and his family—Sovereign Earthmother(wife) and Sovereign Dual-Lotus(daughter)—would have been right here if not for their earlier withdrawal.
If all the tallied individuals were counted, a total of seven Superior Sages(if Superior Yushi's Avatar was considered) and eight unconsolidated or consolidated Microheaven Envoys (if half-crippled Long Shiya was considered) had been involved. The scale of this operation was on an entirely different level!
Most galaxies had no Resonant Soul Realm cultivator, let alone fifteen working in tandem!
Despite the deaths or withdrawals, either via forced servitude or decisive intuition, this was a grand line-up typically only gathered via the gathering power of a Heavenly Saint Alchemist-level organization on a viciously mouthwatering bounty. However, those original numbers had drastically dwindled.
As said by a wise sage: "Men plan and heaven laughs."
Fifteen was shrunken to three Superior Sages—Black Widow, Yanzi, and Di, and three consolidated or unconsolidated Microheaven Envoys—Goliath Bird, Palace Master Shattered Star, and Palace Master Talisman Star. A drastic reduction from fifteen. However...
“You did plan this, didn't you?" Superior Di was sullen and infuriated, directly questioning Superior Black Widow without the slightest politeness. He was about to follow Sovereign Steelguard to investigate the results of the explosion, but when he entered the chaos, his Mental Incarnation stalled, disconnected from its owner, and then, by some ungodly force, the Keeper of Time had eradicated him.
He must have gotten caught within a Voidstream, causing him to enter a different timeline and spatial designation, unable to rid himself of the intense paradoxical energies built within him, and upon escaping it, he was smited by the Keeper of Time. This was the unanimous conclusion of everyone here.
Because the detonation of a Resonant Soul was the only thing that could disrupt the Void enough to expose a Voidstream!
THE FOOL!
Steelguard was a vicious idiot, but he was a friend. He was his idiot. And now, all traces of his influence upon the world were scrubbed from the temporal records, left behind as an indistinguishable shadowy figure looming in the memories of others, only provoking the emotions he once summoned from them.
However, he was unaware of the sinister scheme behind the scenes made by Superior Black Widow. On the surface, they were all shaken, but two knew the truth. What they couldn't fathom was how it went horribly wrong, losing three Superior Sages and a Superior Sage's Avatar. These two were known other than Superior Black Widow and Palace Master Talisman Star!
“The Keeper of Time's paradoxical correction has given us a great chance: the chaos was dealt with," Sovereign Goliath Bird tried to ease tensions with good facts, but she only received an eye full of disgust and frustration from Superior Di. Fortunately, he was the cautious one. If not, he might have gotten caught too.
"Daoist Su Yi seemed to have survived alongside Superior Yujin," Superior Yanzi mentioned. They all sensed Su Yi leaving with Chu Xing while carrying a strange bottle that exuded Superior Yujin's soul aura.
"He was further out from the epicenter, so he would have had the highest chance to survive..unlike Superior Duan and Heaven-Saint Thunderhaven,” Palace Master Shattered Star gave Superior Black Widow a sidelong glance. Long Shiya's detonation exceeded all of their expectations.
What happened?
If it wasn't for Superior Black Widow vehemently denying detonating Long Shiya's Resonant Soul remotely under a lingering oath while admitting her built-in mechanism for it, they wouldn't know what to do. Something went wrong as Long Shiya should have only exploded if things went horrifically and Faux-Immortal Talismans were used. It was designed primarily as a defense, not a bomb to eradicate their target.
That wasn't their purpose. that was counter to their purpose!
“It seems that all things worked out in the end. Just not for Superior Duan and Heaven- Saint Thunderhaven..." Superior Yanzi awkwardly chuckled as he brought to their attention the half-corpse, actively fading Neo-Dawn Ascendant Emperor.
They were all physically on the scouting vessels; they couldn't quite trust Superior Black Widow any longer despite the standing oaths, so their objective had inadvertently been completed.
In their eyes, Wei Wuyin's strength was heavily leveraging on his physical body and Heavenly Treasures, either ordinary or supreme, and if not for Long Shiya's explosion, the three Superior Sages would have dealt with the situation.
Originally, it was designed to be a wave-like assault, swapping out Supreme Sages upon exhaustion or injury after forcing him to use trump cards repeatedly, but since the explosion occurred, much to their unwitting benefit, they were focused on completing this task swiftly.
This group was considerably stronger than the previous one, and with the Neo-Dawn Ascendant Emperor's typical form of escape being entirely impossible, as the disruption would have prevented any easy or safe interaction with the Void lest they were some eerie Star Devourer uniquely attuned to the Void or a Void Apparition, there was no escape from the explosion. Turtling was the only effective strategy in their eyes and from their experiences.
And if one happened without any indication whatsoever, it was no different than a mortal walking near several pounds of C4 while completely unaware of its imminent detonation —the complete inability to mount any defense.
"He's down," Superior Yanzi remarked. He had just sent his Soul Perception over, testing if there were any responses from the half-corpse. Except for a saber howl, which he easily penetrated past, he was able to determine a faint Alchemical and Imperial Spirituality, distinct from each other, with the latter possessing disgustingly pure soul energy teetering on collapse, while the former was fragile and of a normal Soul of Mysticism level.
All their theories finally had proof: the Neo-Dawn Ascendant Emperor had possessed an unusually talented Alchemic Dao talent from his star field. Whether it was unwilling or not was an entirely different matter, as there were quite a few who knew discarnate spirits in the form of half-dead Ascended beings hiding out in objects for hope to possess or survive, finding young talents to build relationships with and trust.
After all, it was hard to trust anyone of your cultivation level within a fragile state, fearing betrayal. They could take a few hundred years to rebuild and recuperate rather than risk their anatomy, forced into extensive servitude even. So they weren't too surprised by this.
But it also made incredible sense; the wives that this Neo-Dawn Ascendant Emperor had were too young and mostly virgins. This didn't align very well with their understanding of the Imperial Dao, but if it was added that these women were the young talent's wives, then it ALL fit.
Who else wouldn't dual cultivate with not one, not two, but three Catalyst Body virgins?! Someone whose body was currently occupied by his Emperor! Waiting for him to regain his body! Perhaps that was why they were widely exploring the Dark Void, trying to find ways of rebirth while collecting vassals along the way. A domineering journey perfect for an emperor!
All that aside, with many of their theories concluded, they didn't have many reservations. “Let's just go!" Superior Yanzi urged. They were being too cautious! And if they waited too long, who knew what would happen? Maybe that Alchemic Knight or Dao Protector of his would escape!
This could further complicate the situation.
The others exchanged gazes as Mental Incarnations, more or less seeing the same conclusion in each other's eyes. The Neo-Dawn Ascendant Emperor had used everything within reason to save his body and the other soul inhabiting it. There was no need to waste time.
From the void vessels, six lights soared out at once, all aiming toward the half-corpse. As they got closer, traveling millions of miles in a single moment, the half-corpse remained unresponsive but the saber began to howl in panic. It tried with all its might to cut into chaotic space, hoping to flee.
Alas... Superior Yanzi sealed all three dimensions of space with a clasp of his hands, further preventing the success of its attempt.
At the forefront was the Goliath Bird Sovereign. She was tasked with retrieving the body, and also as bait for any last-ditch effort. However, what happened next shook them. Sovereign Goliath Bird dispersed the saber intent with ease, arriving by the half-corpse. Then, she used all ten of her fingers to place multiple restrictions on Wei Wuyin. Besides a flash of saber light attempting to ward her off, there was no other resistance.
They were all pleasantly surprised and shaken by how easy this was. But after some thought, it was reasonable.
The seven of them soon encircled the half-corpse. They took turns, placing seals on the body, ensuring no one could take full ownership, causing Sovereign Goliath Bird to pout, hiding her happiness with false discomfort.
“iaolong's bloodline is finally ours," she said with a relaxed voice.
Suddenly, Wei Wuyin's eyes snapped open. But none of them were too surprised by this ghastly display. They had placed ample seals on him already, so everything was within their control. Even a Daoseed Seeker would find it difficult to break these shackles!
"So that's what you were after," Wei Wuyin said hoarsely, like a ghost from Hell. Superior Black Widow stared at him unemotionally, devoid of any compassion. The others could only gaze upon him with pity or dissatisfaction. After all, Superior Di still lost a friend. Without warning, Wei Wuyin smiled cheekily: "Thanks..."
A Void Crystallization Orb that was originally his Myriad Yore Crystal dissolved in an instant, releasing hundreds of billions, likely exceeding trillions, of spherical objects possessing either a fiery belt externally or fiery runes within the Dark Void, blocking out the region for hundreds of thousands of miles.
"..for coming..."
KuuuuuuU-BOOOOOOOMMMMMM! As the pellets exploded, an incandescent radiance comparable to a stellar region or seven erupted, exceeding the earlier Resonant Soul detonation<hrnvd> For more chapters visit Nov3lFɪre.ɴet</hrnvd>
The forming Dominion and galaxy were swept away, disrupted forever. And the scouting vessels were incinerated without response, not even ash remained.
Ninety seconds later.
Wei Wuyin was no longer putting on a masterclass for acting, his body and aura healthy and hearty, exuding supremacy upon the remnants of enormous tongues of fire that burned throughout the Dark Void, while not a single restrictive seal placed upon him remained. In actuality, it was almost as if they were never there. These tongues of fire could incinerate planets, starfields, and burn portions of entire stellar regions, yet they were as docile as kittens before him as the aura of Major Authority of Origin emanating from within him, and even the heat was unable to affect his refined physique.
The stockpile of fire-attributed pellets over the decades was mostly used here in a single move.
However, these were Supreme Sages, and a Resonant Soul explosion could threaten on an existential level. A flurry of pellets could only cause significant damage and expenditure of resonant qi.
With his silvery gaze glistening with murderous radiance, he grinned: "You wanted my attention, my presence. Well, you have it. You have it all."
Erdiul's Note: If you didn't skim a little in this chapter, I respect you honestly.

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