Paragon of Sin

Everlore Domain, Everlore God Realm.

Within the Central World Realm of the Everlore Association, there was a rising tension surrounding the Evergod Absolute Palace, where the Mortal Sovereign Alchemists of the Everlore Association had gathered. Their expressions were a mix of gloomy solemness and barely concealed, near-erupting levels of anger.

They were all observing the mirror situated at the center of the hall. It reflected the scenery of countless Voidships all rallying together outside their Domain, all exuding various degrees of threatening aura.

"HOW DARE THEY?!" A harsh shout resounded from one of the Official Mortal Sovereign Alchemists, an older gentleman with a usually refined bearing was bristling with heated emotions. His aura, alongside those of many others present, was turbulent and waning. Many of them had to forcefully stop their concoctions of the Neo-Dawn Eclipse Pill to gather here while others were recovering from their recent failures or successes.

After obtaining a key to concocting the pill—the absence of Spiritual Aura saturation—they grew confident in concocting these products in smaller groups with Emperor Alchemist assistants at the rear. They had found great success due to the coordinated spell and art legacies of the Everlore Association. Unfortunately, many were still in the familiarizing stage and had failures, needing the personal guidance and oversight of Evergod to return to the right path.

They were all brought forth after receiving news from outside, of vast, hectic movements from other powers.

"Evergod! Are you not going to greet the peak powers of the Aeternal Sky Starfield?!"

The words of the Boundless Martial High King resounded through the mirror, causing it to tremble intensely. Despite experiencing the booming voice from a medium, their hearts all shook. There was a reason why the Boundless Martial High King was regarded as a peak-tier Earthly Saint of the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region, on par with the Imperial Advisor and the Soul Saint King.

"This…this bastard!" A beauty with heterochromia cursed, her gritted teeth and clenched fists shook. This was none other than Mu Yura, the Twilight Alchemic Sovereign.

"Where's Grand Secretariat San?! He dares to keep a Heaven Relic for himself? Does he not think of himself as part of the Everlore Association?!" An older alchemist who had been a part of the Everlore Association when it was originally named the Godpill Association roared indignantly. He was also deliberately bringing to attention the fact that San Luoyang had not answered the summons and that the rumors that seemed to spur this on were all due to San Luoyang. While that wasn't exactly the truth, his intent was to highlight San Luoyang's involvement.

The Everlore Association was not without its competition, ill relationships, and envy-fueled dislike. After all, San Luoyang was less than eight thousand years old, yet he was an Earthly Saint and a Prime Mortal Sovereign Alchemist, while he, someone who had devoted over twenty-two thousand years to the Everlore Association since before its name change, was unable to reach the Prime Mortal Sovereign Alchemist level.

"What Heaven Relic? If Grand Secretariat San had a Heaven Relic, he would've long since offered it to the association!" Mu Yura defended.

The elderly grudge-filled Alchemic Sovereign snorted, "If this information was all lies, do you think these forces would be out-"

Before he could argue more, wanting to refute Mu Yura's bias, a voice rippled through the mirror. It was imposing, domineering, and rife with confidence and amusement.

"Evergod, it's been a while."

Everyone's expression changed instantly. The mirror's surface changed as a well-built, handsome man with lime-green eyes garbed in white and gold robes that barely concealed his defined musculature that was as imposing as mythological legends appeared. His amused smile was soul-shaking.

If the Boundless Martial High King had a tyrannically oppressive aura, then the Soul Saint King's oppressive aura was drowning and penetrating, like the radiance of light emitted from a gargantuan solar star.

"You've arrived pretty fast, Soul Saint King." Another voice erupted. The mirror that was occupied by a single figure rippled, a crack spread from top to bottom, perfectly separating it into two, as a second figure emerged. Her voice was incredibly soft yet abnormally clear, like a sound resounding in complete silence. Despite her eyes being closed, it felt as if nothing could escape her gaze.

The Imperial Advisor!

"Just slightly faster than you," the Soul Saint King's eyes shifted to the space that the Imperial Advisor had occupied within the mirror before turning to face the man silently standing before them. At the Saint Cyclic Renewal Summit, the Boundless Martial High King hadn't been invited into the Main Hall like the others, and this spurred his rage as he forced his way in.

However, just from seeing how easily the Imperial Advisor and the Soul Saint King had infiltrated the Evergod's oval mirror, a mystic-graded spiritual treasure, while the Boundless Martial High King had to shout explosively from a distance, it wasn't hard to determine why.

"..." If a single figure had the biggest reason to be the most infuriated party, it would be Evergod! Adorned in golden robes, Evergod calmly stared at his cracked mirror. There wasn't the slightest trace of anger in his eyes, just pure, indifferent light.

And for those who knew him, this was a far more terrifying state than his anger.

The two peak Earthly Saints of the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region gradually grew serious, their expressions changing ever-so-slightly. However, the Soul Saint King didn't stay silent or was particularly afraid.

These two figures didn't need Evergod; the Soul Saint King had the Ennea-Hall Alchemic Saint, and the Imperial Advisor had the Divine Emperor and Sky Zenith Alchemic Saint. The former didn't need the Everlore Association in the slightest, and the latter was widely considered by most as the true successor of the Everlore Association, the rumored disciple of the King of Everlore.

"Evergod, per Mythical Oath 46 of the Saint Cyclic Accords, a member of Ninestar Sainthall is being illegally restrained by your organization, and I've come to reclaim her. If she has committed any illegal acts by breaching into the Aeternal Sky Starfield, I'll offer appropriate compensation, as I am afforded that right. But I expect all her possessions to be hers and her life to be intact. Should anything be taken, compensation for the confiscated goods or objects should be equivalent to the property in question and must be stated openly without falsehood." The Soul Saint King outright quoted the Mythical Oaths that kept the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region's peace since the beginning of the Tian Clan's establishment.

It was this same Saint Cyclic Accords that allowed Earthly Saints to establish Starfields, rule them, and give a short period of basic protection if they fit the requirements to prevent them from being invaded or overthrown. If not for these protections, for these oaths, there would likely only be three Starfields or two at most in the entire Grand Cyclic Stellar Region.

"Didn't think that you'd cite such a rule, Soul Saint King." The Imperial Advisor chimed in; her thoughts and tone were unreadable.

"These oaths were established for a reason, to protect all our interests, and should an illicit act of stealing resources be carried out, the proper sides can receive compensation relative to the situation. Should I not exercise our oaths?" The Soul Saint King solemnly said.

The oath wasn't established for exactly this situation, but it perfectly fit. He had even brought additional evidence to lean on further oaths by bringing the Soul-Rising Saint. He had at least three cards to play!

He wasn't the leading Soul Monarch without reason; his talent and power were secondary to his intelligence. Evergod would not be able to weasel his way out of this unless he accepted the loss of a Heaven Relic's estimated worth in resources. He didn't think Evergod would hand it over either, so he was inwardly excited by the future negotiations to equalize the loss of property.

As for Highlord Spiritwalker's breach of various rules, such as entering the Aeternal Sky Starfield illegally, he knew that she wasn't that stupid. Likely, she stayed outside of the Aeternal Sky Starfield at the edge of the Chaosnova and directly entered the Ancient Sky Realm, San Luoyang's World Realm, which wasn't recognized as a property of the Aeternal Sky Starfield.

There was no illegal entry to speak of, no crime to be placed. If there was, she would've long since been killed and hunted down by the Imperial Clan's Enforcement Unit.

"Always so combative with your words," the Imperial Advisor commented softly. The Soul Saint King only smiled in response. If there was someone who was conniving to the apex, it would be the Imperial Advisor of the Tian Clan. Her power was secondary to her intelligence, to the point where the Soul Saint King would openly admit his inferiority in planning and scheming if asked.

However, the Soul Saint King couldn't understand why she was being so passive here. This was a Heaven Relic, and the Imperial Clan certainly was desirous of it—who wasn't? Unfortunately for them, he had the advantage of oaths on his side and could leverage that despite being an outsider. Whether it was a huge lump sum of resources from the Everlore Association as compensation or the Heaven Relic itself, the Soul Saint King wouldn't suffer a loss.

"Since he's using oaths, I think it's best to handle that first. Don't you think so, Vice-President Evergod?" For the first time, the Imperial Advisor addressed the silent Evergod.

"..." Evergod gave the Imperial Advisor a look. It was so calm, settled, and direct that the Imperial Advisor's left brow twitched a little. Despite being segregated by multiple layers of space, those seven-colored eyes of his were terrifyingly piercing and imposing.

Eventually, after a short moment, Evergod revealed a slight smile. "Your subordinate wasn't harmed in our custody. However, we have taken her possession." He quietly said as he brought out a Jade box and opened it to reveal the shadowy mist that was the Heaven World Core!

He had taken it from Highlord Spiritwalker!

"I'll send an Ever-Knight to bring her to you. As for compensation, we'll estimate the value of the Heaven Relic within two yea—"

"No need; If you trust my judgment, I can appraise the Heaven Relic from here." The Imperial Advisor jumped in, causing the Soul Saint King to look in her direction.

"I'm the foremost Appraisal Specialist throughout the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region, and I'm quite adept at ancient relics such as the Heaven Relic. I'm simply offering my services to expedite the completion of the oath. Of course, should the Soul Saint King not want it, I'll simply stand aside." The Imperial Advisor's words caused the expressions of everyone to change! Even Evergod's!

What was she thinking?!

The Soul Saint King couldn't guess her objective at all! What was she doing?

"...Fine." In the end, he decided to see what the Imperial Clan wanted. Could they be trying to protect the Everlore Association?

"Can I?" The Imperial Advisor smiled.

Evergod looked as if he had the urge to grunt in frustration, but he kept it surprisingly in and calmly sent the Heaven Relic toward the mirror. The Imperial Advisor then opened her eyes!

For a brief instant, the world changed in indescribable ways!

Then, it ended.

It was so hard to describe that most in the room couldn't understand what had happened. Yet they all shivered in their hearts as if their very souls had been seen through by the most piercing means imaginable.

"The Heaven Relic is lacking some of its Heavenly Mana. However, it still retains a shocking amount, and its structure is intact and usable for various formations and arrays. If used for a powerful Mystic Array, no Earthly Saint alive could escape its power. I'll estimate its worth, based on rarity, state, uses…" Some of the Alchemic Sovereigns present were ignorant of the term 'Heavenly Mana', yet they all felt desire emerge from the depths of their Mystic Souls as the Heavenly World Core floated about.

"...About 530,000 Mystic Earth Stones." The Imperial Advisor confidently announced.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"?!?!"