In the sky above, the chaotic and explosive cackling of thunder and lightning overtook senses of those below. In a grand entrance, Xiao Bai inhaled before letting loose a powerful snort that shook the world before descending, smashing his hooves aggressively in the air as if it was flat ground. He floated directly above the execution tower.
"Is that a Sky Thunder Pegasus?!" An avid connoisseur of beasts spoke fervently. He was a middle-aged man with a gruff voice and beady eyes, but his words were particularly noticeable! With a feverish cadence, he continued: "Only three of them exist in the entire sect! Who does this belong to?!"
Sky Pegasus were a rare breed of creatures that were winged horses. However, their individual bloodline was quite diverse and varied. It was rumored that they were the descendents of the progenitor of feathered creatures that had mated with a mortal horse, thereby giving birth to pegasi. However, due to the mortal horse's poor bloodline and physique, all of its multifaceted bloodline abilities were sealed. These abilities randomly split apart as the pegasi continued to breed.
It was this reason that Pegasus who've awakened their bloodline are varied, with some harnessing lightning, fire, ice, or an entirely different bloodline characteristic.
Sky Thunder Pegasus were a star-grade pegasus who've awakened their latent bloodline power, capable of harnessing the chaos of black lightning and forceful power of thunder! This was their innate bloodline potential. Unfortunately, unless they were given the appropriate trigger that could awaken their respective sealed bloodlines, most pegasi are never capable of exceeding their limitations of being a slightly better winged horse.
Bo Kay had stated once that there was a chance for Alchemic Kings to awaken their Pegasus's Bloodline Power, and almost a certainty for Emperor Alchemists. With sufficient talent, deducing and concocting the appropriate product merely required some effort before success. Yet, it was still quite difficult to achieve to the point less than a hundred pegasus have awakened their bloodline potential.
Xiao Bai's bloodline power was that of lightning and thunder, and the black-colored characteristic was evidence of being influenced by darkness-based forces. It was now one of four in the sect, but most definitely the youngest, being a mere colt that was barely four years old. Unlike the others, it still had time to develop its strength.
"Look!" Numerous eyes swiveled as they saw a tall, upright figure standing on Xiao Bai's back, dressed in the signature black alchemist robes of the Extreme Creation Mountain. While he seemed very small in comparison to the glorious size of Xiao Bai, his presence was dominating to the point that no one could miss it. It was like his body emitted vigorous physical energies that dominated space.
Wei Wuyin swept his silver eyes over the crowd of nearly a million people. There were countless disciples from Extreme War, Origin, and Creation Mountain spectating. 'To think an event like this would instigate numbers of this amount to gather. Quite intriguing. Regardless if you're mortal or a cultivator, executions simply are an attractive experience. As long as its not you, right?' Sneering in his heart, Wei Wuyin knew this was the basic nature of humanoid creatures.
He didn't dally. After all, he had a show to give. Lightly kicking off Xiao Bai, he swiftly descended on the tower's platform. When his feet landed on the platform, there wasn't a single sound that was made. It was as if he was as light as a feather, yet it was like a rock crushing into the earth to those who observed him. This jarring contrast caused many hearts to stall briefly, even assuming the execution tower would collapse.
Bei Ming's eyes focused heavily on this tall, handsome figure, and the other Knights of Enforcement that stood guard were similarly paying the utmost attention to the new arrival. Subconsciously, their cheeks tightened, both below and above as they took subdued breaths. It was one thing to hear about the man, an entirely different thing meeting him.
And his sheer presence truly eclipsed his reputation!
Bei Ming's heart raced without her consent, and an unfathomable amount of pressure seemed to overtake her thoughts. Despite Wei Wuyin's current cultivation being insignificant in comparison to hers, she couldn't help but feel a wisp of awe in her heart. This was the youngest Alchemic King, albeit unofficially, in the entire starfield.
Furthermore, his rate of refinement and concoction quality trumped every single Alchemic King present. Others of the lower levels might be unaware, merely basing their knowledge and thoughts off rumors, but she knew. She knew of his capabilities.
In three years, he has thoroughly spread his hands throughout the five extreme mountains and various upper-echelon members. For example, her. While it was painful to admit it, and while she had never met the man herself, she was already in his debt and under his banner. This debt could not be repaid either, and her decision was not a light one.
Now, standing before her, was the man who helped her in ways no one else could. A continuous wave of emotion surged in her heart.
Step. Step. Step.
Wei Wuyin calmly stepped towards the shackled and sealed Qing Qiumu. His gaze was the epitome of calm as he didn't even sweep his eyes towards Bei Ming or her subordinates. This only tightened their stressed heart. Was this woman truly his wife? If so…
"…" Qing Qiumu.
She was shackled, her emerald-colored hair ruffled and free, and those originally glistening eyes were slightly dimmed from the spiritual and physical suppression from the shackles that bound her. They flashed with various lights and were etched with various esoteric marks.
Lifting her head slightly, those eyes of hers observed Wei Wuyin's approach. °It's actually him.° Her thoughts were a mess. The entire situation was a mess, and she was scared. Before, after she was captured and sentenced, she was similarly terrified. However, she had three days of stalled time to quell her hope and accept the possible consequences of her action. She acted to avenge Lin Ziyan, and this was a good reason to die, for a friend, right?
She had thought she accepted death with no regrets. It was even to the point where when she was brought to be observed and executed atop this tower in front of nearly a million people, her eyes were suffused with pride, dignity, and a complete lack of regret. But when…
Her head was forcefully placed on the guillotine and she saw the crowd of hundreds of thousands watching, including all her friends. A tinge of sadness flashed in her heart at that moment. Even still, she didn't reveal an ounce of fear on her face, ensuring that her friends who were watching would know she died as she lived—fearless.
"Ready!" This sound caused her neck to tense and her heart to become gripped with a strange emotion. Her life flashed swiftly before her eyes and she realized something no one facing death wanted to: she still had so much to live for. She tried to maintain her strong will, show the world that she still had no regrets; she didn't want to cry.
"Release!!" The fall of the guillotine's blade sound was like the release of the floodgates of her emotions, the straw that broke the camel's back, and her tears welled within her shut eyes and she wanted to shout, scream, yell until her lungs collapsed: "I don't want to die!"
Shockingly, her tears fell, but not her head. The one shouting for her death had shattered the blade and her life was unexpectedly spared.
She didn't know why she was spared, her thoughts and senses were overwhelmed with emotions, but everyone seemed to be quietly awaiting something…someone. To think it was Wei Wuyin.
"Heavenly King Wei…" Bei Ming hesitantly spoke, completely unbefitting of her station.
Wei Wuyin gently gestured with his right hand, and Bei Ming acted almost instinctively to it, activating the various formations and arrays that restricted Qing Qiumu, suppressing her energies and qi with ruthless dominance. They lit up and in the next moment…
Clank!
They were unlocked and fell from her limbs.
The crowd gasped. Without a single word, she was freed against protocol and not a single knight dared to speak out. This was telling and gripped countless hearts! Beneath the field, Long Chen balled his fist as a myriad of thoughts echoed within his mind.
Wei Wuyin soon stood a few feet away from Qing Qiumu, who was on her knees, and sat down. He folded his legs, reaching her level, leaned in and warmly smiled.
"It's quite something that I cause shackles to fall from you twice in a lifetime, huh? If you keep at it, people might think you have a kink." Wei Wuyin lightly chuckled, rubbing his nose.
"Ah!" Qing Qiumu was startled as the shackles left her, and Wei Wuyin sat before her, and even made a joke. It was quite true that Wei Wuyin was the cause of her release twice in this lifetime, saving her from not just being ruthlessly extracted and abused, but executed.
Her emerald eyes roamed his unearthly handsome features, his kind smile, and bright silver eyes. He was still the same man as before, the man she first met and shared a several hours long conversation with on that day.
She took a deep breath and lightly laughed, nearly forgetting where she was for a moment, or the dried tears that still stained her face.
"You know, this is the first time I've seen you without your veil." Wei Wuyin pointed out. These words were the only thing that were being said, as everyone else was silent to the point a dropped needle could be heard. Outside of breathing, everyone else just remained silent and observing. These two were the center focus right now!
Qing Qiumu's eyes widened as she rubbed her bruised wrists. She actually never showed Wei Wuyin her face before. Furthermore, she never felt his spiritual sense invade her veil, or even attempt to, and this caused her to immediately pause as she touched her face.
"Do you like it?"
While it was marred by the past sadness and stress, she was still an exceptional beauty. Her bright emerald-colored hair, limpid eyes, and pale skin that seemed as smooth as jade. Her peach-colored lips with a sharp cupid's bow and gentle lines, and soft fullness that made it seem as if it could squeeze water from it.
Her heart-shaped chin and thin neck that was accompanied by a slim body and an impressive set of breasts that could make any woman feel envy at their perky and uplifted form.
Wei Wuyin rubbed his chin as he nodded, but his eyes didn't contain a single trace of lust, just raw appreciation for beauty. While he had seen her facial features thanks to his powerful physical senses, it truly paled when observing without any obstruction. As an elf, she was most definitely at the top of her gender in terms of appearance.
Qing Qiumu felt relieved after realizing Wei Wuyin didn't reveal that gaze that most guys had when they saw her face. In fact, it was such a problem that she was forced to constantly wear a veil. When she didn't, the impending trouble nearly got her and Long Chen killed.
Long Chen…
Her eyes shifted to below the platform and saw that figure that was looking at them from afar.
Wei Wuyin didn't mind her wandering thoughts. "You know, to save you, Na Xinyi declared to everyone that you were my wife. Was this your plan all along?"
"…" Qing Qiumu stilled. What? She didn't know this. Her earlier thoughts were a mess, and she hadn't heard anything but the fall of the guillotine and the words leading up to it. Afterwards, all her senses were just a jumbled mess of memories and chaos.
"Oh? You didn't know?" Wei Wuyin briefly inspected the shackles and realized that they didn't suppress senses. But considering the event she experienced, he understood why she wasn't particularly concerned about other things at that particular moment. She was quite preoccupied.
"I…" Qing Qiumu didn't know what to say, but the seed of an idea formed. Did this mean she would have to marry Wei Wuyin? What…
"So, what do you say? Want to become my wife?" Wei Wuyin said while wearing a teasing smile.
"Yo…" Qing Qiumu couldn't speak a single syllable further. She…didn't know what to say, but her eyes were obviously revealing a light that considered the possibility.
Wei Wuyin rubbed his nose as he waved his hand, "I'm kidding. I won't accept it even if you say yes now. I don't want a wife who agrees because she thinks the only other alternative is death. I want to be their choice because I am a choice. How crazy would that be if I let her words be twisted into our truth? I think I and you are worth a little more than that, no?"
"…" A moment of silence was born as Qing Qiumu looked at Wei Wuyin with a piercing stare, as if she was trying to see his truest thoughts. She hadn't noticed that her fear of facing execution had already been abolished in the depths of her heart, and she felt serenity and safety, even enough to accept a joke and the teasing or think about other nonsensical matters like marriage.
Wei Wuyin didn't stray away from her gaze, and matched her without a hint of shyness. "I'll be honest, I wouldn't mind if you said yes. But I don't think that's what you or I really want or need right now." Since the day he met her, Wei Wuyin had never felt a desire or even an idea of conquering or wooing her. His mind had been as pure as a baby's first breath.
He felt a single feeling when he was with her: Comfort.
An unprecedented sense of comfort and warmth that he had only ever had with a few people in his life. Perhaps it was their natural personalities that clicked like two pieces in a puzzle or something else entirely, but he enjoyed this feeling. If Qing Qiumu was killed, he might not blink an eye due to the lack of development in their relationship, impeded by the consistent obstacle that was love-interest Long Chen, but he still wouldn't let her be killed now that he was on the scene.
Moreover, he would use this.
Qing Qiumu inhaled deeply and softly exhaled. Her eyes never left Wei Wuyin's eyes and she agreed somewhat in her heart with his words. At least right now, this wasn't the right moment or time to even consider that. She had never even considered marriage or union of any type, but she also didn't have any particular goal for the future. Since long ago, she merely followed Long Chen on his adventures, watching and observing his exceptional growth, and supporting how she could.
"So, what do you want?" Wei Wuyin asked.
"…" Qing Qiumu was silent for a moment before she smilingly said, "I want this entire thing to be over."
Wei Wuyin nodded without a moment of delay, "Alright. But, I think you might not like what I'm about to do and what I have to do."
"…what?" Qing Qiumu was startled. What was he going to do?
Wei Wuyin lifted himself up, and patted himself off slightly before he turned towards the crowd below. His eyes easily located Na Xinyi and the others amongst her group. He abruptly jumped off the platform, causing a few people to gasp, but before he even got a few yards off the platform, Xiao Bai flashed beneath him with an outstretched wing that he lightly stepped on, a strand of qi attaching himself completely.
With another step he arrived on its back and he arrived directly above Na Xinyi's group. Wei Wuyin jumped off, landing just as quietly as he did before. When he arrived, the crowd retreated, creating a large opening that left only Na Xinyi, Long Chen, Lian Yu, Wu Baozhai, and Xiang Ling. Even Hong Ru and Xiao Bing retreated just like the others.
Long Chen and Wei Wuyin's gazes met. A burning desire flared within Long Chen's pupils, but Wei Wuyin had a wisp of indifference.
Seeing this tense atmosphere developing, Na Xinyi stepped forward to quietly call out, "Wei Wuyin…"
Wei Wuyin shifted his gaze onto her. While he had given his word before, he didn't like the situation in which she decided to accept it.
「Spiritual Spell: Isolating Saber Barrier」
He lifted his finger as spiritual energies infused with Saber Intent started to ripple out endlessly, until it thoroughly encapsulated Wei Wuyin and the other five. Now, all physical senses would only perceive the sound of a keening saber and spiritual senses would be sliced apart without mercy. Unless a cultivator forced their way through, perceiving their conversation was impossible. And who would do that?
"I gave you my word that as long as you wanted, I'll accept you as my wife, and I won't go back on it now. But I'm quite disappointed in you. While others in the know might think what you're doing is a noble sacrifice, giving yourself for the life of your companions, I find it idiotic, pathetic, and unworthy of someone I'd call my wife." Wei Wuyin coldly uttered, causing Na Xinyi and Long Chen to freeze.
"I promised you on that day to give my everything to ensure your happiness and dreams while facing all trials of the heavens and earth together. This was me taking responsibility for something I didn't regret, but never coincided with my principles and morals. Yet you use it now? And for this?!" Wei Wuyin's tone became colder and colder, causing Long Chen to clench his fist in agitation and fury.
Long Chen couldn't hold back and said, "If you don't wan-"
"Shut the fuck up,. This matter doesn't concern you. Wait your turn," Wei Wuyin viciously interrupted.
"…"
Wei Wuyin ignored Long Chen raging huffs and killing intent, "You haven't broken my condition, so I won't decline, but I won't accept it either. At the very least, not now. I won't break my principles again, forming a substantial relationship with someone under duress, especially not with my first wife. If you want to truly become my wife, then you can decide that on your own by coming to me, not me coming to you. However, unlike before, you now have a time-limit."
Wei Wuyin glanced at his right arm slightly, "You have thirty-six years. After that, regardless of what you want, I will never accept you. I don't care if you finally realize that you're a tool of another man, unable to realize any of your dreams, and unwilling to remain as one of the many beautiful yet utterly useless shadows of another who cares not if you suffer, become crippled, or die. And…" He paused, looking into Na Xinyi's grey eyes before saying with a glacial and dark tone: "if you ever use me to get yourself or anyone else out of trouble again when you're not my wife, I'll kill you myself."
"…" Na Xinyi didn't know what to say, but her heart chilled as Wei Wuyin's words resounded in her ears and heart. For some reason, she knew that he truly wouldn't hesitate to kill her. She bit her lower lip, unable to reconcile with this in her heart. Yet those words of his truly pierced into it without a hint of mercy..
A beautiful yet useless shadow…of another. For the last three years, she'd been following the story of Long Chen, and she was absolutely useless in it. She even pondered deeply on whether she should use her Yin Physique and dual cultivate, helping Long Chen reach a sufficient state to breakthrough, accelerating what a rise she knew would happen regardless. However, her reservations caused by Wei Wuyin's promise had always stopped her.
Furthermore, was that all she amounted to? A cultivation tool for someone else? Could she only do this? Be a useless woman that could only follow behind, spread her legs, and hope she's remembered? Long Chen was constantly flocked by women, and even if you didn't count the two new additions, there were already five women vying for his love and attention! And he was endlessly busy, constantly entering conflict and fighting fierce battles.
She didn't want to become a shadow. She wanted to be a figure at the peak, having commanding influence, power, and wealth with exceptional personal strength. The reverence and worship of endless individuals, the fear of her every word that left her lips or gesture of her hand!
As she thought more about it, her heart quaked furiously.
She wanted what Wei Wuyin currently had!
After a long period of silence, Wei Wuyin's expression lightened up as he finally faced Long Chen with a hint of a smile. "Now it's your turn. How about we make a deal?"
