Paragon of Sin

The situation instantly began to intensify as the quintet of Chosen faced their pursuers, ruthless and determined, led by a Heavenly Seer that was actively and openly tracking their movements. They had nowhere to run. Forced to respond, Lin Ming, Bai Yuxi, and Qiao Shulin exchanged glances, sensing the thoughts of each other with precise familiarity.

Fight!

Yi Yun was still tired, his breathing a little heavy, but his eyes were increasingly lively as a fighting spirit forged from constant battles and challenges blazed from within. He was deeply aware of the situation as well, knowing that a stand must be made.

Ming Yuling was thoroughly exhausted-she couldn't fight. However, she felt the rising tension in the stifled air, and determined not to be a burden, brought out a talisman forged by her grandmother. It radiated stifling traces of Mystic Aura, exuding a terrifyingly oppressive aura of warning.

Sensing this, the lead character of the Solar Zenith Palace and the others' expressions dramatically changed. However, did they lack trump cards at that level? In fact, there might be Venerable elders that left behind even greater measures to protect their descendants and pride's life than some Highlords or Earthly Saints had despite the outstanding personal cost. This was a true display of love.

Instantly, Qiao Shulin visibly panicked as she glared Ming Yuling's way. Over the weeks that passed, it became an almost unwritten rule to not bring out these talismans, tools, and treasures unless one's life was in imminent crisis. Why? Because it was almost entirely pointless.

If you bring out yours, they'll bring out theirs.

Then the world goes to hell.

There've been far too many instances of unfortunate casualties from mystic-forged talismans and tools, and the sorts of Ascended beings. It's a wonder why the King of Everlore didn't outlaw those things. While not everyone could afford to bring them, those who had were at an overwhelming advantage.

"Put it away!" Bai Yuxi softly growled as she saw the other group begin to bring out their own mystic-forged talismans and tools. If this went wild, forget about the Spirit-Bound Lotus, they and everything they have will be obliterated.

Ming Yuling clenched her talisman tightly, her heart racing. She clenched her teeth, deeply unwilling. It was only when Yi Yun reached out and grabbed her hand, giving her a reassuring look, that her heart inexplicably grew calm.

"I won't let them touch you," Yi Yun said firmly, his gaze unwavering. Ming Yuling's eyes widened as a sense of security overwhelmed her body. She put away the talisman, her eyes losing a lot of their fear.

Seeing this, the other group's tension was instantly relieved as breaths of subconscious relief left their chests. A bead of sweat was across the forehead, palms, and backs of those without protection. Not all of them had Ascended beings to sacrifice a portion of their precious power or lifespan to protect them nor would pay for the materials for talismans, tools, or the like. Not everyone had a grandmother like Ming Yuling who doted on her, most of these Chosen were even abandoned by their masters due to the changing era standard putting them at a severe disadvantage to those of the younger generation, forced to become Dark Chosen.

It wasn't easy making any of these tools or talismans. Why waste it on the old?

Woosh!

Lin Ming didn't hesitate, he brought out his Origin Spear and valiantly rushed toward the group. Clearly, the only way to resolve this was to fight! Qiao Shulin brought out her bow, steadying it to support him. While Bai Yuxi brought out a nine-colored longsword, gorgeous as a rainbow, and charged beside Lin Ming fearlessly.

The Heavenly Seer fled far away seeing the situation erupt.

The Solar Zenith Palace's group matched Lin Ming's intensity and intent. A few members shot out, weapons in hand, and fighting spirits flared. They were here to hunt, so hunt they will hunt!

"Don't hurt that half-elf!" The leader shouted.

Before long, the two groups clashed intensely! A battle of epic proportions unfolded for fortune and treasure that left that portion of Everworld trembling and forever changed.

45 Days : 10 Hours : 15 Minutes : 00 Seconds.

The Everworld became a hunting ground for Chosen. The death toll reached greater numbers than ever before in the shortest period. Simply a month and nearly eleven percent of the population had lost their lives to environmental damage or other Chosen.

The Everworld was tainted with the hot blood of a million talented and hopeful youths of the last Aeternal Sky Era's generation. While most of those that died had been outdated Chosen who've decidedly become Dark Chosen in a desperate bid to prove themselves or those who've grossly overestimated themselves and fought against truly terrifying existences, the fact remained that the sheer casualties number exceeded the last twenty Chosen King Competitions.

Normally, besides the environmental dangers and unavoidable battles for fortune that leads to death, which later leads to being hunted down by Evil Sentinels, few Chosen died during the Everworld Venture Stage of the Chosen King Competition. To see such great numbers of death was incredibly unprecedented, only exacerbated by the increasing number of Fortune Zones that kept arriving sporadically and endlessly.

Additionally, Evil Sentinels were overwhelmingly sweeping across cultivators that have killed or tried to kill others. On the other side, equally as shockingly, Evil Sentinels were dying daily. Top-tier Chosen were hunting them so heavily that they were hiding. Not only were the tokens of Evil Sentinels worth value, but they carried and never used ANY thing they looted from those they killed. They were literal walking treasure troves. Eventually, it was normalized to send messages of sightings of Evil Sentinels.

There were many times when Evil Sentinels had cornered their prey, only to get surrounded and counter-killed. Chosen who were hunted even resorted to delaying Evil Sentinels, focusing entirely on defense, knowing that Evil Sentinels would sooner or later attract enough attention and get slaughtered by someone more powerful. Some even actively baited out Evil Sentinels with their killing auras, like fishes to a hook!

The ridiculousness of this Chosen King Competition vastly exceeded every last one before it!

Pluck!

"What type of chaos is this?" San Yongli said as she sensed a group of cultivators fighting to kill an Evil Sentinel at the Timelord Phase from afar. The battle was incredibly intense. A few Chosen were graciously injured and had to bow out, roars of frustration resounded thunderously. Whenever the Evil Sentinel was about to get killed, someone would divert their focus to saving them. This led to a fierce fight with multiple layers.

"Is this what the King of Everlore anticipated? Is this what he wanted for this competition?" San Yongli commented in her heart with a wry smile as she took a grade four fortune zone fruit from an apple. Her fortune with fruit-based, tree-grown fortune zones was beyond magical. She looked at the sky, knowing that her guardian angel was pointing her to these fortunes.

Fruits and the like were the best materials because they were meant to be eaten and digested naturally, so one could actively move about while cultivating. Things like the Tungsten Realm Liquid required extensive periods of refining to properly extract its essence.

San Yongli had already claimed over 70 different types of fruits from various graded zones, having consumed them for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a midnight snake. She hadn't slept yet her every breath, every beating heart, and every blood movement induced great changes to her cultivation base. She was growing stronger!

The latent, organically refined mana in these fruits was the greatest benefit for her. The True World, Martial Way Method she had acquired by following Yi Yun was pushing out outstanding results, pushing her physical body to incredible levels. This feeling of passive cultivation was utterly blissful.

She bit into the juicy fruit she just plucked casually, enjoying its sweet flavor before retrieving the rest. San Yongli pocketed it all. If it was before, she might have been more conservative, but Wei Wuyin had reminded her constantly that her passivity had affected her potential strength and standings.

If she had, from day one, taken the route that Wei Wuyin had, using his foreknowledge of their former timeline to obtain everything she could, she felt that she would have been far, far stronger in cultivation. While she didn't have Wei Wuyin's Alchemic Talent or knowledge given her wasted past life, she knew about major events, access to San Luoyang and the Everlore Association, and the Book of Heaven's Path.

Clicking her teeth, she pushed the regret beneath her heart as she left. More gains awaited.

40 Days : 00 Hours : 00 Minutes : 01 Seconds.

A hierarchy began to form soundlessly, organically, and pervasively throughout the Everworld Venture. Chosen began to understand their limitations and the limitations of their groups' power, which eventually caused gains to be lopsided and difficult to obtain, further leading to a division amongst groups as many went on their lonesome for gains.

It almost became natural for Realmlords to seek out grade one and two zones, Timelords to seek out grade three, and Starlords to only seek out grade four. Regardless of where, it was often that societies with unspoken rules would be formed for the sake of preservation.

This heavily prevented lopsided distributions of gains and kept competition to those in the same cultivation base. It was only when a zone possessing multiple rare materials appeared that chaos would temporarily reign supreme, and cultivators would fight in groups and launch small-scale wars. More often than not it was one versus many, with Starlords being besieged by those of lesser cultivation until they either retreated, died obstinately, or dominated the whole lot, leaving hordes of talented, young, bloodied corpses strewn about.

Not a single cultivator was contemplating the dangers of killing so many important cultivators. Besides Dark Chosen, those who've officially entered had their seniors all swear oaths to not seek vengeance for the outcome of their Chosen by the Everlore Association. Interestingly enough, they and the Golden Gate Pavilion solemnly vowed to protect or avenge those targeted by seniors of Dark Chosen.

After many, many Chosen King Competitions were completed, it was simply understood by Ascended beings that death was potentially possible, and sending their juniors here to seek out fortune was a risk they could only accept. The only precaution allowed was bestowing tools, talismans, pellets, or the like to serve as means of protection.

The Everworld Venture kept unfolding...

30 Days : 23 Hours : 59 Minutes : 59 Seconds.

Fifty days passed. The intensity of the competition began to slowly lower as cities were formed with safeguards by Starlords, elite Chosen, or an entire group ensuring the protection and safety of one's gains. The deaths had gotten to far too many people, and the Evil Sentinel's Strength started to become far too great while they moved sinisterly, striking at the most unseemly times to slaughter those who'd killed.

Fear began to permeate as the Timelord Sentinel vastly exceeded Pinnacle-tier standards. A top-tier Timelord Chosen that was flagrantly slaughtering for treasures, who even fought against some of the older Starlords that relied on time and hard work rather than talent to reach their level, establishing shoddy foundations at a young age, was killed by this Timelord Evil Sentinel.

The sight caught everyone off-guard. They could only watch as the Timelord Evil Sentinel looted his corpse of likely hefty treasure and flicker away silently, hiding like a rat instantly. Their tactics began to change, slaughtering, running, and hiding, even if the prey was far weaker than them, and this left everyone in constant fear due to their previous killing spree leaving behind tracking markers.

Cities had to be established for the safety of Chosen, and after several days, there were brightly lit Fortune Zones that remained untouched across the planet.

Everworld quietly became a near ghost world, hordes of Chosen isolating themselves in these fortified cities for fear of the retaliation of Evil Sentinels.

The Starlords were no different, especially the Dark Chosen Starlords that couldn't reach the minimum requirement set by Wei Wuyin. Unlike those at the Gravity Emission Phase and lower, they hadn't received too much support from anywhere! Their strength barely changed in the arriving light of this new era.

The only ones brave enough to traverse Everworld were the truly top-tier talents blessed with fortune and protection of their seniors.

The stage had now become theirs.

00 Days : 23 Hours : 59 Minutes : 59 Seconds.

BOOSH!!!

Along the equator of Everworld, a thick, mile-long golden pillar shot into the sky for all to see!

San Yongli sat on a shattered rock, her eyes that were like treasured rubies gazed at the pillar piercing the sky. She softly muttered with great anticipation and excitement, "Grade five!"

Notes from the author: After receiving your feedback <3, I gladly decided to accelerate through some intended small arcs(2-3 chapters) of the Everworld Venture that were like half-fillers, which might have spanned half the month. The Chosen King Competition is better than that. You all deserve better! So let's start!

Notes from Erdiul: Thank the gods. Chapters lately were quite painful.