The cascading beam of multicolored light that descended without rhyme or reason prompted numerous reactions, but the most noticeable was the Tang Clan's increased vigilance as they halted their attempts at extracting Bai Lin from the planet. There was a strange, intense tension within the world that was slowly increasing with every passing second.
—–
Returning to a short period before the present, Wei Wuyin and Bai Lin were together on the scorched earth of Blueglow.
"Those bastards tried to remove me from the planet!" Her complaints were followed by her one-sided explanation of what happened during his absence, causing Wei Wuyin's expression to become slightly unsightly. To think that this development would occur in such a brief period of time.
He was ignorant regarding many intricate details, such as the Tang Clan's personal invested interest and why only they had acted in a foreign starfield, but from how they were so well-prepared, their intent was obvious. Still, it was odd that the Tang Clan, a Noble Clan with inseparable connections to the Imperial Clan of the Aeternal Sky Starfield was able to move such a strong force into the boundaries of the Ninestar Starfield.
It was quite perplexing. Unfortunately, his ignorance couldn't be solved at this moment. Moreover, he had more pressing issues.
"Will we leave?" Bai Lin's was brimming with violent intent, but she was well aware that Wei Wuyin's strength wasn't invincible. She had eclipsed him swiftly in this category, so staying to fight wasn't a logical course of action. In fact, she had almost forgotten about Wei Wuyin's strength and limits, still imagining him as that invincible figure that challenged the world and overcame every obstacle with wit and decisiveness until he returned.
Wei Wuyin frowned, his spiritual sense impacting the array as he considered various things with a flexible mind. Yet, as he recalled Bai Lin's severe injuries, his inner rage was unable to be suppressed. This wasn't the first time others have tried to capture Bai Lin in his absence or even in his presence, but this was the most dangerous development of them all.
First and foremost, he wasn't able to escape freely. He was still within the spatial restrictions of the Ninestar Starfield, so opening a Void Portal a large enough distance where Demi-Mortal Lords wouldn't notice was highly unlikely. When he sent Bai Lin through the Void Portal during her fight, it severely drained him to open a relatively short distance. This was absolutely crucial to consider when thinking about any plans he could muster.
Secondly, he didn't have personal strength or forces to deploy to establish a basis of power. At the moment, they were surrounded by a well-prepared force with little connection to himself. He was also Wei Wuyin, and according to Wu Yu, he was a notoriously desired figure. His freedom could be restricted if he revealed himself.
While the King of Everlore was capable of acting freely in his time without disturbance, their circumstances weren't the same, and who knew what he faced when his talent was truly revealed. Moreover, the King of Everlore was just an alchemist—he wasn't.
Lastly, that Trueborn organization was quite shady, and with such an imposing force moving out to capture Bai Lin, it was very unlikely they weren't currently observing the situation. This furthered the unknown variables. This all stemmed from his relatively incomplete information about these organizations and their stances, including their practices and intent.
The situation was already so complicated as is—with numerous vexing factors. But the core of it was simple: Bai Lin was assaulted. The rage in his heart was implacable. His calm visage aside, even his Astral Souls screamed for bloody vengeance. And they weren't silent about it. They roared, howled, cursed, and exchanged their own thoughts on the matter. Their thinking was synchronized: "Teach them a vicious, unforgettable lesson!"
"Master…?" Bai Lin leaned closer as she eyed Wei Wuyin with concern. She could feel it, the unbridled rage building up. Her heartbeat was accelerated as continuous streams of pure lifeforce integrated within her body.
Wei Wuyin's breathing slowed as he started to think rapidly, consuming copious amounts of mental energy as he thought of multiple angles. His utmost priority was undoubtedly to remove himself from this passive position surrounded by numerous forces and unknown variables, but retaliation was a crucial event that must not only be considered but enacted. After all, he had means to escape if he truly decided to make some hefty sacrifices.
It's not as if he hadn't considered Trueborn and others intervening when they returned, but he had a fail-safe: the pellets. Moreover, he hadn't expected to leave the planet without Bai Lin.
'How unfortunate that my pellets were all used up in the Battlefield…' Wei Wuyin wouldn't have hesitated to unleash his fire-attributed pellets, knowing his Elemental Origin Intent could convert the violent fiery blaze into calm wind, granting him a pseudo-immunity from its effects. A devastating distraction and smokescreen.
'I don't have much time before they discover my presence and identity. It'll be hard to control how this unfolds then, so I need to be extremely swift with my decision.' His low cultivation base was the critical issue here. If he was an Ascended being, these issues would be a non-factor.
There was fluttering thoughts in his mind to rush through the tribulations at this moment and propelling in power, hopefully enough to possess enough strength to ensure his own safety. But he threw that thought aside almost immediately. Each breakthrough required subsequent consolidation and maximizing of his foundation to ensure that his Astral Souls antics wouldn't lead to his eventual suicide by tribulation or the upcoming Calamities of Hell. The Tang Clan wasn't worth such a sacrifice.
That being said, he was sure his Astral Souls would certainly settle down given this pressing situation, but who knew if this would have other consequences later on. After all, their actions in the early stages of the Astral Core Realm afforded them the rumored requirements to reach higher levels in the Mystic Ascendant Realm. He didn't wish to willingly throw away these benefits for a quick surge of strength. Moreover, he hadn't taken all products gated at the Sixth Stage yet.
Suddenly, Wei Wuyin's spiritual sense felt a series of unfathomable spiritual senses come into contact with his own, causing his eyebrows to twitch. He hastily halted them, preventing them from properly inspecting the situation for a brief period.
Outside the Dark Void, several figures exclaimed simultaneously.
"Oh?!" The Soul Rising Saint was startled. She glanced at the other two to see them exchange a look of surprise amongst themselves. They, too, were shocked by this development. "An extremely powerful spiritual sense is serving as an obstacle against inspecting the planet," she stated.
The Soul Erupting Saint slowly nodded, "Seems like that strange beam of light was the Earthly Saint descending from wherever they left to. It seemed very similar to the Void Voyage Sect's Rainbow Bridge."
The last speculation caused the Soul Enlightening Saint to frown, "The Void Voyage Sect…" This power was the most mysterious of the sixteen mystic forces of the Aeternal Sky Starfield, renowned for their astonishing spatial prowess and tools. This was more evidence further pointing towards the Void Voyage Sect's involvement with this matter.
Could the Ascendant Emperor of Neo-Dawn be a disciple of this sect or a descendant of a grand figure? If so, this situation would become even more complex than it already was. The Soul Enlightening Saint was extremely tempted to have a battle of spiritual sense, but then he'd be interfering with the arrays, and that'll violate some agreements. He could only look to the Soul Rising Saint as this was her domain.
"…We'll wait and see." The Soul Rising Saint said as they retracted their spiritual sense and observed with ocular spells. Unfortunately, the mass of spiritual strength was like a concrete wall. While they could breach it with their spiritual powers, they restrained from doing so without provocation.
The black-robed figure was also surprised by this development. Shockingly, he wasn't alone. Beside him were two other black-robed figures with perfect concealments. The original black-robed figure's voice resounded softly, "It seems he's here."
A faint killing intent emanated from this group. Clearly, they were ready for a fight, and they seemed to care little about the three Earthly Saints observing the situation. The two looked at each other, then formed hand-seals. A strange fluctuation integrated with the Dark Void.
Wei Wuyin's expression instantly changed.
"The surrounding space has become a quagmire!" Kratos immediately voiced its discovery, causing his Astral Souls to fall silent. If before it was extremely difficult to escape through Void Portals or Spatial Shifting, now this made it ten times more difficult. Wei Wuyin even felt sluggish despite his Void Dragon Bloodline.
The Earthly Saints noticed this development as well. Their expressions became extremely dark, especially the Soul Rising Saint.
The Tang Matriarch and the other Highlords felt the ambient spatial energies and fixed space itself become stale and slow. "As long as we get the Fire Phoenix, nothing else matters! Be ready to activate all defensive propulsion formations!" She hurriedly gave orders as all the Highlords were on one ship, including many of its crucial members.
The other Voidships were almost all empty, with a few old figures at the end of their lifespan piloting and maintaining the arrays and formations. She was clearly not stupid enough to not anticipate this development. How could she, a prestigious leader of an entire clan, not realize Trueborn's intent? They wanted vengeance.
They wanted her to be bait. She had no issue with that, but she refused to be cannon fodder.
"…haaa…" Wei Wuyin sighed heavily. While it didn't seem like it, he was certainly given a check in this position, likely one move left before checkmate and subsequent defeat. Even if he revealed his identity, this might not be enough to ensure his safety or freedom. There were just far too many variables and pieces of incomplete information. Who knew the situation would develop so unfavorably so fast?
He had no choice…
With a swift hand-seal, on his abdomen, the outline of 'War' bled through his outfit with shining golden light. A tiny orb of white light escaped his abdomen. The sphere had a brilliant golden character of 'War' etched on its spherical surface.
Wei Wuyin formed another hand-seal. The orb released faint rays of light and a radiant glow before it transformed into a small golden flag. On this tiny flag were extremely dots of star-like objects with varying sizes, all of which were orbiting a single, slightly bigger star at the center. They numbered ten thousand exactly.
Bai Lin was shocked by this development, asking curiously: "What's that?"
Wei Wuyin gave a faint smile, "Your vengeance." He formed the final hand-seal, and from his pores, uncountable amounts of light strings left and entered the flag. These strings were all Primary Soul Light!
The flag began to vibrate at an unnatural rate!
