Chapter 863: Ma Zheng’s State

Chapter 863: Ma Zheng's State
An outpour of Mystic Aura and Spiritual Strength gushed out of Wu Yu as he faced the oncoming comets of light. The Grand Knight of Neo-Dawn didn't hesitate for a single moment—3rd Grand Transformation!
He had learned from his mistakes! He wasn't going to face his enemies in anything but his strongest state. Just as he clenched his fists, ready to unleash a barrage of strikes to at least kill one or two outright, he heard an explosive voice detonate within his mind.
"Stand down!"
Two words. Wu Yu's eyes that were seething with killing intent and charged with the will to dominate all things beneath the stars receded like a tide. His 3rd Grand Transformation ceased mid-way, his long hair returned to normal.
Wu Yu flew backwards to stand beside Wei Wuyin within Bai Lin's flames, protective and at-the-ready, but he listened without any further questions. However, he remained completely on guard against any startling development.
Wei Wuyin communicated with Bai Lin roughly the same time, and she slowed down, turned around, and her Fire Phoenix Transformation began to abate in intensity until they were once again visible. Wei Wuyin gave Wen Mingna back to Bai Lin, who brought her into the depths of her fiery form once more.
'Is that one of my spatial rings?' Wei Wuyin grew concerned and curious. He had given out numerous spatial rings with his spiritual and void signatures imbued within, allowing him to connect with its coordinates and act as Void Anchors. At the moment, it felt like one was approaching, but he didn't know which.
"They aren't mobilizing their Sky Destroyers," Wei Wuyin explained another detail to Wu Yu, and while Wu Yu didn't need an explanation, his eyes brightened as he discovered this fact. If they were here for battle, it would be better to bring in their moving fortresses that possessed numerous formations, arrays, and means of attack. The reputation of those Sky Destroyers were extraordinary, to say the least.
"And they aren't approaching at their fastest." Wei Wuyin noted with a hint of a frown. If these Earthly Saints wanted, they could spatially shift in less than a blink of an eye and reach them without any delay. Clearly, they hadn't done so to prevent Wu Yu from automatically retaliating to protect his Alchemist. Seeing how Wu Yu had just reacted, Wei Wuyin wouldn't have enough time to react or give out orders if they swiftly engaged in battle.
Wu Yu realized he misjudged the situation, and looked at Wei Wuyin once again. To spot that detail while Earthly Saints were approaching, frighteningly intelligent was an understatement. It required nerves of steel and utmost confidence.
A single mistake and lack of preparation could lead to an instant death, especially for a mortal. While Wei Wuyin might be strong for a mortal, he was just that—a mere mortal, and facing an Ascended being was already beyond him, let alone an Earthly Saint that grasped Awakened Mystic Intent and the Way of Mysticism.
Still, Wu Yu told Wei Wuyin his observation from earlier. "The old man amongst them, from his Mystic Aura, he's only at the 5th Runic Ascendant. They don't seem to be too impressive." When the old Imperial Monarch flared with rage, he leaked his foundation, and Wu Yu easily grasped his limits. Despite his age, status, and power, he was only at the 5th Runic Ascendant.
If the Earthly Saints of the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region were to hear that Wu Yu referred to the man as 'only' at the 5th Runic Ascendant state, they might spew out blood from anger and frustration.
Wei Wuyin nodded, understanding why the Imperial Clan was feared. While Wu Yu's standards were inflated due to his own cultivation base, since Wei Wuyin had arrived in the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region, he'd seen many Earthly Saints, and almost all of them were at the 3rd Runic Ascendant state or lower. It seemed each state elevation was a massive reflection of talent, resources, and hard work.
Wei Wuyin readied himself, setting his state of mind, pushing himself into a confident mindset with control of his surroundings. While the situation could easily spiral with a single mistake, he couldn't afford to allow it too.
Woosh! Woosh! Woosh!
Woosh! Woosh! Woosh!
One after the other, figures arrived and stopped a fair distance away from Wei Wuyin. At the lead, a burgundy-haired woman who held two familiar figures for Wu Yu, but unknown figures to Wei Wuyin. One was an old man with yellowing skin and dark spots, his eyes the embodiment of lethargy, and his aura waned to an uncomfortable brink.
Despite leaving at different times, they had all controlled their pace, so they were all there. There was the old male Imperial Monarch, the female Imperial Monarch, and Tian Muyang, including another handsome man of a young age among them, all dressed in imperial robes adorned with multicolored stars, but the stars had different numbers with Tian Muyang containing the most. It was clear these robes and their stars represented something important, equivalent to status amongst Imperial Monarchs.
The other two Earthly Saints were the Sky Monarchs, those who were outside of the Royal Bloodline yet operated the Sky Destroyers. The burgundy woman was beautiful, clear and simple, with a slim and fit physique. She had a pair of calm, intelligent eyes.
The other was a man, also young looking, roughly his late twenties with thick eyebrows and tanned skin. His build was quite muscular, and you can see the outline of his body well-defined by his tight-fitting robes. They both wore robes that were a mixture of white, blue, and gold. Their backs were adorned with a gorgeous 'Sky' character.
Wei Wuyin gave Tian Muyang a curious look, "Is ther-"
"Young Lord! Those two are Ma Zheng and her daughter, Ma Sujiang from the Golden Life Pavilion!" Wu Yu immediately realized that Wei Wuyin was ignorant of these two identities, having never met them in person before. Wu Yu hastily sent this message spiritually in a panic.
Wei Wuyin's heart thumped violently in his chest. He hastily frowned, looking towards Ma Zheng and Ma Sujiang, these two figures of the Golden Life Pavilion and his first set of connections on the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region. He was inwardly shocked. What happened to Ma Zheng?
"-e a need for this? To hold hostages, Imperial King Muyang?" There was a fearless icy-chill carried in Wei Wuyin's voice. Wu Yu also acted in kind, his eyes glinting with Mystic Power, absolutely fearless before six Earthly Saints of the strongest clan in the Aeternal Sky Starfield.
"A misunderstanding," Tian Muyang shook his head. Despite his beliefs, he wasn't one to cower before anyone, so he reacted extremely calmly.
The burgundy-haired woman spoke up at this moment. From her gorgeous eyes that were like rubies, one could see a tinge of hesitation within. She seemed to be uncertain about something, but cemented her thoughts fairly quickly. "Ascendant Emperor Wei, these two are urgently seeking you out, so I brought them here." She gestured slightly with her hands, and Ma Sujiang and Ma Zheng floated forwards to Wei Wuyin.
"..." All the Earthly Saints remained silent, and the female Imperial Monarch's left eyebrow twitched slightly. To call Wei Wuyin 'Ascendant Emperor' was a whole level of ass-kissing and it was overly obvious. Wei Wuyin's status as a Mortal Sovereign Alchemist wasn't officially recognized due to his absent nature, and he didn't have an Alchemist Title.
Without an official status in the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region and due to his status as a mortal rendering him unfit of the titles of Exalted, Venerable, Highlord, or Monarch, it was an ambiguous throw-up as to what to refer to Wei Wuyin as. But the only known title was outrageously grand, almost disgustingly so, referred to as the 'Ascendant Emperor of Neo-Dawn' as a mere mortal.
The terms 'Ascendant' and 'Emperor' carried extreme significance in the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region's society. The former linked to the Mystic Ascendant Realm, the cultivation realm the powerhouses and rulers all tread with great effort, earning their power and status, while the latter linked to a being of who reached great heights. It felt ridiculous to call Wei Wuyin by that title, even Tian Muyang had outright avoided referring to Wei Wuyin as anything, only acknowledging him by name.
The female Imperial Monarch sent a spiritual transmission to the burgundy-haired woman, "You may as well get on your knees, Yang Chaoyue." The burgundy-haired woman's facial expression shifted ever-so-slightly, but she didn't allow it to disturb her.
She retorted with a gentle sigh: "Tian Lingyu, must you be so childish? It's unbefitting of your status."
Tian Lingyu, the female Imperial Monarch, sneered back through spiritual transmission, "Yang Chaoyue, must you be so good at guzzling and gagging? It befits your status." They all saw how Yang Chaoyue had taken action, and sole credit, to bring these two to him. How shameless must one be?
"..." The sharp, harsh exchange went unnoticed by the others, mostly due to their focus directed elsewhere.
Wu Yu retrieved the two Ma's, bringing them onto Bai Lin's fiery and broad back. She adjusted her Nirvanic Flames to become gentle, accepting them without any harm.
Ma Sujiang had been shaken by the sudden grab and then being brought forward. She was merely at the Soul of Mysticism Phase, so she couldn't even resist Yang Chaoyue. Fortunately, they didn't seem to be acting maliciously.
However, when she saw Wei Wuyin, her eyes widened, her heart raced, and her body experienced some sudden changes as heat surged from her body. And this heat didn't come from Bai Lin.
She swallowed slightly. Those silver eyes, the contours of his face, the quality of his skin, his imposing stature, and everything else, EVERYTHING ELSE, formed a complete and perfect handsome man that shook her to the core.
'Even Tian Yinwu might not be…' Her thoughts were uncontrollable at this point, enchanted like the others.
The Earthly Saints remained quiet, all waiting to see what Wei Wuyin does. Ma Zheng's situation was extremely terrifying, his life source was irreparable, and his soulspan had reached its limits. This was a death sentence and a half. A miracle was needed.
While they had come along due to an itching urge to seek out Wei Wuyin, a spur of the moment impulse due to Yang Chaoyue's actions, they wanted to see what this Grand Mortal Sovereign Alchemist could do, especially if he had links to that legendary figure!
Wei Wuyin could feel the anticipatory gazes on his body. He ignored them, giving Ma Zheng a look. He was a Demi-Mortal Lord, his body infused with refined mystic-grade energies, so his spiritual senses couldn't grasp any detail. Despite his exhausted state, those Mystic Runes imbued within his blood, bones, and flesh wasn't for show. Even after his death, they'd remain for quite a while.
If he was buried, that area would eventually become a mystic-grade location enriched with his unique cultivation qualities. A blessed cultivation ground for the future generation.
He could only look to Wu Yu who touched Ma Zheng's shoulder, inspecting his condition.
Ma Zheng was unable to speak in his current state, his breathing abnormally shallow, and his eyes almost devoid of life. Ma Sujiang seemed absentminded at the moment while the Earthly Saints were silent as if waiting for him to act. They were an audience he didn't expect to have. But he also didn't know what they wanted.
Was Ma Zheng so important that the Imperial Clan sought his revival? Considering what Wu Yu told him about the restrictions imposed on the Golden Life Pavilion, such as being unable to operate in their Domain, including the fierce competition over their banks, it seemed unlikely. It felt more like the Imperial Clan wanted to create a division to replace the Golden Life Pavilion. And if they cared, then why not go to their Medical Sages or the Sky Zenith Saint Alchemist?
Wu Yu frowned. "Young Lord…his Life Source has been damaged to an extreme extent, he's unable to contain lifeforce and his body is decaying at a rapid rate."
"..." Wei Wuyin was taken aback. But was this a grave issue? "Ever-Rebirth Pill?" He offered as an option to save him, but Wu Yu shook his head in reply.
"The Ever-Rebirth Pill could repair his body and cultivation, but it won't repair his life source, it's too far gone." The Life Source was the living generator and storage center of one's Lifeforce. It was the aspect of a cultivator that defined their body's lifespan, slowly decreasing until it was unable to contain any further lifeforce. With every breakthrough, the Life Source was enriched. At the Demi-Mortal Lord level, the Life Source advances to the mystic-grade, and it gains twenty thousand years of lifeforce and maximum capacity is extended at least.
"Furthermore, his Soulspan is nearing exhaustion. He's at his limits…"
Their words were spoken openly, so the others heard every last word.
When they heard the Ever-Rebirth Pill being offered, their eyes all flickered with various emotions, including Han Yuhei. The Ever-Rebirth Pill was a ingenious concoction of the King of Everlore to restore the body of a cultivator, and while it capped at the Demi-Mortal Lord stage in effectiveness, it was still a ninth-grade product with an outrageous degree of difficulty to concoct. At this point, Zhang Ziyi arrived on scene out of curiosity, and Ma Sujiang broke out of her stupor. She felt ashamed, hurriedly moving forward through Bai Lin's gentle flames to arrive before Wei Wuyin, "Ca-can you help?"
She had come all this way because her father was certain that Wei Wuyin's arrival meant all their problems would be swept away, dust in the wind, or so he said. He suspected him of being a descendant of the King of Everlore, and even formed relations with him early on, tolling on his behalf, ushering profits into his pockets, elevating his reputation, withstanding the pressure of external and internal forces wanting to know details regarding him, and more.
The least Wei Wuyin could do was save his life.
Wei Wuyin, however, was completely speechless.
What the hell was he supposed to do?