Chapter 1526 1519: Fading Era, Tian (1)

Chapter 1526 Chapter 1519: Fading Era, Tian (1)

Tian Xiaocheng's appearance shocked the three World Emperors and they examined her cloak. It was translucent and thin. They couldn't sense the cloak, only 'visually' observe it now that it was exposed, and Zhangjie Wushu and Hu Meifang recognized the cloak's origins instantly.
"Null Cloak!"
The Null Cloak was an incredibly fascinating and renowned object in the Azure-Prime Galactic Zone. They were exclusively created by the assassination organization known as Emptiness. Emptiness was mysterious to an absurd degree as few knew any details outside of their signature Null Cloaks and Soul Daggers. The vast majority of the world was unaware of their hierarchical structure or composition, except that it was one of the most fearsome forces that killed as long as the price was right.
They've slayed Original Magistrates before! These were cultivators at the Heavenly Saint Phase! There was even an incident of severely injuring a Mystic Overlord, forcing them into an indefinite seclusion, their current state of life or death was still up to speculation. It was known that they only killed when paid or spared when paid, and the Mystic Overlord in question had lost a relative to Emptiness and launched a brutal search and destroy effort. They only lived because they paid for their lives! At the very least, that was the widely circulated yet unsubstantiated rumors.
They operated very strangely. There were several incidents where it was said that Emptiness had been paid off to spare their targets. Unlike typical assassination organizations, this detail was quite peculiar. It made one question whether they were legit or a scam, especially given how many unverified rumors there were about an assassination organization.
The Null Cloak was one of their signature treasures.
Wei Wuyin had seen a Null Cloak before, and it couldn't escape his Celestial Eyes' gaze. San Yongli, the Temporal Reincarnator, had used it while assisting that Blessed Earthly Saint cultivator against the Evil Sentinels. That time, however, he noted the cloak was inherently damaged and had some shoddy repair efforts. The Null Cloak Tian Xiaocheng used was ancient, almost like a lesser prototype of the damaged version in San Yongli's hands. Despite such qualities, it could effortlessly evade the passive senses of a World Emperor.
"You know where she is?" Tian Xiaocheng didn't try to run or hide, and neither did she glance at Liu Xiulan. However, Wei Wuyin could keenly sense Tian Xiaocheng's perception and she was covertly observing every movement of Liu Xiulan. There was a fluctuation of urgency within her Sea of Consciousness.
Liu Yinlan's eyes flashed with a deadly glare. Her killing intent spiked as she watched Tian Xiaocheng, who she considered Tian Taizong's pretty little slut that rode on the dragon's lap to her current position. While she was talented and renowned across the Ancient Sealed Region for her beauty and cultivation base, the truth of Tian Xiaocheng's origins left an unbearable bitterness in her heart.
Tian Xiaocheng felt Liu Yinlan's killing intent. She was remarkably swift as she landed, gliding across the ground to arrive next to Wei Wuyin. Then, and only then, did her racing heart not betrayed by a calm expression could relax.
Liu Yinlan sneered with contempt as she snarled, "If the Endless Voyage Realm knew you were jumping from one man to his murderer twice in a lifetime, I'd wonder how they would see you." During her festering rage and seething disgust, she hadn't forgotten her sister. She rushed toward her side in a flash, using her barely recovered energy without care. Fortunately for Tian Xiaocheng, Liu Yinlan's priorities were elsewhere and her mystic energies had been mostly spent. If not for Wei Wuyin's grace, she might not be able to move or breathe properly.
Liu Xiulan felt her younger sister's hand in hers. The warmth of reuniting after so long caused her heart to pound and her stomach to feel fluttery. "..." She looked at her with eyes yearning to say a thousand and one things, but her concern was still far more pressing in her mind. "Later."
Liu Yinlan didn't care about her so-called 'later'; she was launched into a hug so tight that stars could be snuffed out between them. Liu Xiulan could only accept it. Her eyes glistened with happiness and relief, alongside guilt and worry.
Zhangjie Wushu observed Tian Xiaocheng with interest. "So you're her, huh? No wonder. No wonder." Her tone was suffused with amusement and mockery. Meanwhile, Hu Meifang was largely ignorant of all these intricate relationships and history. She only felt that Tian Xiaocheng's facial beauty was greater than hers, but she couldn't compete in terms of bodily endowments. That sustained her ego.
Tian Xiaocheng didn't bother with any of the World Emperors present. She only moved to Wei Wuyin and stayed close. Her spiritual sense was honed onto Liu Xiulan and Liu Yinlan as if on guard against a random, life-threatening attack.
Wei Wuyin adjusted Liu Suyin's resting position with gentle movements. This was twice that he had carried a sleeping person in recent days, and he was getting quite proficient in holding slumbering beauties. The thought caused him to gain distinct awareness of his current situation.
Since the Chosen King Competition ended, he had been indulging in beauties of world-shaking cultivation and beauty, and now he was surrounded by World Emperors and Rune Kings, three and two respectively, and every last one of them was certainly gorgeous enough to outshine moons.
Some might consider him fortunate given the situation.
Wei Wuyin's mind, as most men would do, began to conceive the possibility of having every last one of these supremely talented and powerful women in a single bed, all catering to each other's most intimate needs, and enjoying the bonding of flesh, yin, and yang with each.
The idea was like a forest fire. After being spontaneously born, it couldn't be put out easily, and it was unpredictable.
Of course, it was merely a thought...
...right?
Ohn.
"World-Saint Neo-Dawn!" A voice snapped him out of his stupor, and he found his vision filled with Tian Xiaocheng's flawless complexion and impeccable facial features. She was tense, and sweat dripped down from her forehead. She seemed to be under some sort of strain.
Wei Wuyin lightly breathed. A gust of spiritual strength enveloped Tian Xiaocheng, shielding her from Lin Yinlan's attempt at crushing Tian Xiaocheng's Sea of Consciousness and shrouding her from any further assault. Wei Wuyin looked at Liu Yinlan who had narrowed eyes and the image of Tian Xiaocheng's figure reflected in her pupils.
"Stop." Wei Wuyin demanded. The simple word left Liu Yinlan feeling as if the entire world was going to crush her out of existence if she didn't listen. It was slowly closing in, on the verge of suffocating her. Not even Liu Xiulan next to her felt anything, but Zhangjie Wushu's eyes glistened.
She whispered, "Minor Imperial Law."
Liu Yinlan hurriedly stopped her spell using her gifted energies as sweat now dripped from her back and palms. Liu Xiulan was quietly infusing Liu Yinlan with Spiritual Energy and assisting her in recovering. Just a few seconds was enough for her to launch a deadly spell at Tian Xiaocheng.
They both were clearly in cohorts. Despite only having met again recently after twenty thousand years, it was clear that the two sisters that survived and fought in the Dark Stars Era were no greenhouse flowers and had a familiar degree of coordination where they could still execute energy-sharing arts.
After catching her breath, Tian Xiaocheng took a step closer to Wei Wuyin. At this point, Wei Wuyin could smell her bodily fragrance. He frowned.
Ohn.
His frown deepened.
"Let's settle grudges later," Zhangjie Wushu intervened here. She didn't want Wei Wuyin to kill Liu Yinlan after she was just spared. Moreover, great men with world-shaking beauties were often very protective. Liu Yinlan wouldn't be able to compete with Tian Xiaocheng's beauty or her youth. She turned to see Wei Wuyin staring at his right arm with a dark, contemplating expression.
Zhangjie Wushu was confused. Did something happen?
"Can you please tell us where Tian Xiaolu is?" Liu Xiulan asked softly, her voice was gentle and her eyes soft despite her attempts at discrete murder just earlier.
"Right..." Wei Wuyin said absent-mindedly as he lifted his gaze from his right arm. "She's currently in a Chaos Realm far away known as the Battlefield." Wei Wuyin had found her only because he was a True Void Dragon familiar with the coordinates of the Battlefield and Qingye Ying had his Spatial Ring. He hadn't thought she would be sent off while he was returning to the Ancient Sealed Region after the Chosen King Competition.
He hadn't considered that Tian Yinwu and San Yongli would disappear too. Moreover, Wen Mingna, the Eye of the Ascendants, seemed to be following through with her plans and left with them.
"Battlefield?!" Zhangjie Wushu, Hu Meifang, Liu Yinlan, and Liu Xiulan reacted with shock while Tian Xiaocheng blinked her eyes ignorantly, only concerned toward a Chaos Realm known as the Battlefield. To her, that term and location were unknown.
"How?!" Liu Xiulan was overly anxious as she shook, her feet approaching Wei Wuyin shakily. She didn't get far, only a few steps before Liu Yinlan held her back.
"She was likely brought there or it was an accident because of her bloodline interacting with the spatial properties of the Endless Void Mirror and the coincidental activation of the Stellar Transit Light-the Rainbow Bridge-that led to the Battlefield." Wei Wuyin guessed, and it was extremely accurate to the point where Liu Xiulan was taken aback and Liu Yinlan's eyes bulged. The former was just shocked by the interaction while Liu Yinlan's reaction was triggered by the 'bloodline'.
"What? Is that even possible?!" Zhangjie Wushu was baffled. She understood the properties of the Endless Void Mirror, but Wei Wuyin's suggestion seemed far-fetched to an extreme!
Wei Wuyin shrugged. They were both equal guesses. He could only be certain that Tian Yinwu had purposefully activated the Rainbow Bridge leading to the Battlefield. Moreover, it was strange, because the bridge seemed to have been tweaked. He might not have been sent to the Titan's side of the Battlefield.
Wei Wuyin wasn't certain if Tian Yinwu brought them along like he did San Yongli. He had no clue about Tian Yinwu and Tian Xiaolu's relationship as they hadn't interacted once in the Chosen King Competition, and he had never seen them interact at all.
"She'll be fine; as an Alchemist, she'll be tasked with concocting products for those participating. At worst, she might attract some unsavory attention due to her looks, but she didn't seem incompetent to me." After saying this, given his calm tone, Tian Xiaocheng sighed in relief. She trusted Wei Wuyin greatly on a subconscious level. It was a type of instinctual belief that he didn't have any reason to lie to her. As if it was beneath him to do so.
Wei Wuyin knew Tian Xiaolu was a Blessed, and the Battlefield was a wellspring of fortunate encounters and opportunities. If she seized them alongside the Heavenly Daos' assistance, she'd reap an astonishing harvest. Perhaps on a higher level than what the Heavenly Daos intended for him initially, before he took to incidentally fighting on the perilous fields of war.
"How could Tian Xiaolu, that disgusting woman's spawn, have a bloodline connection to the Endless Void Mirror?" Liu Yinlan questioned. She seemed to not even consider her situation and needed to know!
Tian Xiaolu was indeed Tian Xiaocheng's child! This was a well-known fact! Moreover, she was Sky-Zenith Alchemic Saint's Disciple! To Liu Yinlan, these were very well-known facts!
At least, to her! The rest of the world was uncertain. While Tian Xiaolu was considered Tian Taizong's daughter, her natural navy blue hair was a stark difference from Tian Xiaocheng's! While they had similarities, there wasn't enough evidence of maternal relationship with Tian Taizong being the other genetic half.
Liu Yinlan spied on this traitorous witch during her pregnancy and after birth, so she was certain Tian Xiaolu was Tian Xiaocheng's. Meanwhile, Tian Taizong never made any announcements beyond her paternal lineage to the world. It sparked quite a lot of discussion back when Tian Xiaolu was born, but that slowly faded away as she was taken as a disciple by Tian Dingjian.
Tian Xiaocheng held her stomach, her flickering gaze conflicted and disheartened.
Wei Wuyin wasn't polite with his tone. He began to soar upwards slowly as he spoke: "Tian Taizong used Tian Xiaocheng as a surrogate due to her yin physique, which made her an exceptional surrogate but unable to have her own eggs fertilized by external yang. Tian Xiaolu's true mother is-'' He looked at Liu Xiulan, "-her. "
"WHAT?!" Liu Yinlan felt as if she was hearing something extremely ridiculous.
"..." Liu Xiulan, Tian Xiaocheng, Zhangjie Wushu, and Hu Meifang. Zhangjie Wushu's eyes brightened several degrees as she dawned with incredible realization, her knowledge regarding formations and arrays was unfathomably deep, and she instantly made the connection.
Wei Wuyin ignored Liu Yinlan's reaction, continuing: "The Endless Void Mirror requires a bloodline link to gain a semblance of authority and control over its powers." He paused at this point as he recalled Liu Yinlan's actions of replacing his debonair Wei Wuyin's bloodline with her own, effectively slaughtering Kratos, while forcing him into the position of Sect Master unwillingly, all for the sake of revenge after seeing no hope of escaping from the Endless Voyage Realm.
He took a short breath, settled his heart, and was about to continue when Tian Xiaocheng soared beside him.
"Please don't," she begged, her voice utterly pitiful.
Wei Wuyin gave her a fleeting glance, "I have no intention of using Tian Xiaolu as a sacrifice to open a pathway to the outside world. Believe me when I say this: even now, I can leave the Ancient Sealed Region with the ease of a single breath with my own power. It's merely a thought away. Only someone as conniving and useless as Tian Taizong would use you to create a perfect bloodline clone for his means, giving up his child for the taste of freedom. What Divine Emperor? He doesn't deserve that title."
Bloodline clone?!
Leave as easily as breathing?!
Tian Xiaocheng's eyes softened with relief and shame. She subconsciously touched her stomach with the gentleness of a pregnant mother. The experience was something she wouldn't give up for the world, and yet...the world was very cruel. Her physique meant she'd never have a child, unable to accept external yang to create life.
Wei Wuyin didn't stop explaining as he rose higher. The others subconsciously began following as if drawn by some lawful authority. He soon reached the atmospheric layer. He stopped rising.
Looking toward Liu Xiulan, "You were willing to go along with this plan too. You're not innocent in this matter, and no less vicious. All three of you, even Tian Dingjian, were willing to cultivate Tian Xiaolu as a pawn just for the sake of a taste of freedom. If she hadn't escaped, Tian Taizong might have used her already.
"If she hadn't been a part of the scheme to seize the Chosen King Competition's alchemical legacy after discovering her astonishing Alchemic Talent, she would have just been raised in a cage until needed. Right?
"Well, after exploiting the bloodline connection, Tian Taizong intended to generate a crucial weakness by mimicking Liu Yinlan's authority. A gap to squeeze through without anyone noticing. The only thing was Tian Xiaocheng needed to enter the Mystic Ascendant Realm to perfectly replicate Liu Yinlan's bloodline. It might have been cruel, but it was a level of intelligent planning that was phenomenal given who he was scheming against. Vicious as it was." Wei Wuyin explained as he sighed.
Wei Wuyin manifested a command rune out of Void Energy on his glabelle. The entire world rumbled.
Zhangjie Wushu's eyes widened. "The Endless Void Mirror's Command Seal!" With it, one could exert some control over the Endless Void Mirror and the Ancient Sealed Region. With it, they could send themselves in or out!!
The only thing stopping Liu Yinlan from doing so was her sworn oaths! It was no different from suicide, and if she somehow survived, she would be hunted and slaughtered by the Ascended Sovereigns for breaking the rules!
However, Wei Wuyin was not tethered by any oath! He...where did he get that?!
"I'll deal with all of Tian Taizong's plans, eradicating everything he wished to establish for the sake of my Neo-Dawn Stellar Region-for my home." Lifting his hand upwards, the command rune radiated rainbow light!