Chapter 770 - Afterword & Alternative Event
We're here! A little over half a year ago, reaching this point felt like a far-off, unreachable dream to me. Seven months, 450+ chapters, two and a half volumes, approaching a million words, an astonishing period for writing this fantastic novel. An incredible journey traveled thus far.
And its all because of YOU! Your support and enthusiasm has led me to this point, and you'll never know how much its helped. Even if you're vocal in comments and discord or silent and a spectator, you've all contributed!
Having said that, we're certainly not done yet. We have so much story to left, so many things to see and explore in the Paragon of Sin Universe that its unimaginable! Cultivation is difficult, and I intend to make this journey a long, enjoyable, and satisfying one, with you hopefully coming along for the ride.
Now let's just dive right into it.
Volume 5, to me, was an amazingly new type of writing experience. The first-half was all about development, of side-characters, plot-lines, expansion of personalities, and foreshadowing of the future. The premise obviously being that Wei Wuyin's actions were like ripples. Even without his presence, he was the driving force of so many things.
For those who read the Afterword of Volume 4, you'll know this was my intention. But I have some lingering regrets, so not all positive. When I was thinking of the end of the Volume, I was wondering how it should be. I inevitably decided to end it the moment Wei Wuyin's latter-half and the first-half of Volume 5 was about to meet. Yet, due to this, I was unable to solidify some of his relationships, as I'm sure many of you wanted to see.
This will obviously be rectified in Volume 6 and Volume 7 going forward. Still, I'm satisfied with it overall. I feel like the first-half of the Volume was a fresh take that very few novels explore, always following the POV of the MC with very little variation. While the second-half was a tremendous jump, breaking the format step-by-step MC experience, introducing a world we might not see for two or so volumes!
As for my intentions towards Volume 6, its far too simple. It's time to unravel a lot of old threads woven into the story, bringing them out in full and allowing them to play out. We've got things stretching back all the way to Volume 1 that will be re-introduced, perhaps shocking some, exciting others? After all, everything is connected!
That's it.
The name for Volume 6: Rise of the Chosen King!
Its one of my first non-location based Volume titles, the very first if Volume 1: Wei Wuyin is ignored. Haha. So that's cool!
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Mental Update: A brief and reassuring overview that I'll make a priority every Volume Afterword. I know my abrupt hiatus of eight months was heavy cause for concern, so I'll tell you all: I'm great. Mentally, I'm healthy. Physically, I could be better, but can't everyone?
Always vigilant, even again myself.
And for those who say that taking a break is perfectly normal, and I shouldn't push myself, thank you! I might actually do a full month / two weeks off one of these days! When? I'm not sure, but every human being needs a mental break, especially if their focus requires ample creativity. Until then, we'll remain with the minimum guarantee of 1/Ch every 24hr, with the hopes of more.
<3
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Once again, to fit the Afterword Requirement, I'll put in an Alternate Timeline/Rewritten Chapter.
Context: Wei Wuyin had been traveling through the Dark Void of the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region shortly after arriving. He met the Liu Clan, one of the Eight Noble Clans, during this and also a karmic deduction had just happened prior. His goal was to obtain the asteroid floating in space that contained materials.
Some of you may remember this plotline in Volume 5, haha. It was rewritten entirely and occurred earlier. This is an excerpt of the Volume 6 Chapters written nearly two years ago. Crazy!
I changed the names. At this point, Kratos and Eden hadn't been named, but I kept that a little consistent. Left some things in there, like the original name of the Celestial Eyes. Haha, that name is so dumb to me. XD Young version of me makes me go awwww.
Here ya go in all its unrefined glory:
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"Alright!" Wei Wuyin hadn't hesitated to accept Kratos' declaration. Even if the entire asteroid lost its natural formations, thus its ability for benefits in the far-off future, what did it matter to him? He was already on a clock!
Even if he could take a hundred more than what the Heavenly Daos intended, he would accept that without hesitation. He couldn't help but laugh. The Heavenly Daos wanted him to depart with just a small taste of this reservoir of resources? Foolish!
Briefly, he ran a few calculations in his mind and felt calmer as a result. The method of instantly causing all the asteroid's force to dissipate was to destroy its core. Usually, finding its core was a difficult task, but that was for others. For Wei Wuyin, it was a matter of moments.
Spiritual Spell: Eyes of Divine & Truth!
He executed his most optimal perceptive spiritual spell. Unlike other sensory spells, this was ocular based, hence entirely internal. Even the cold aura and corrosive substance couldn't hinder his penetrating eyes. The Heart of Saber and Elements intent were thoroughly infused within, allowing him utmost penetrative prowess and clarity towards the natural elements.
As he gazed downwards, he noted that the rock still had a basic elemental composition of the elements, such as traces of earth, metal, water, and ice. His gaze revealed all. Immediately, he noticed an abnormality amongst the various substances. It was spherical about three thousand kilometers below his feet.
With a cold smile, he leapt above. After reaching a sufficient height, he dived downwards in a swimmer's posture, both his arms pointed and hands like a sharp spear.
While he leapt upwards, he was noticed by those keeping a keen awareness towards abnormalities. Liu Shaokun turned his gaze to a gray figure shot upwards. "What is that?!" He exclaimed, bringing the attention of Liu Baili and Liu Mulan. They simultaneously looked to see Wei Wuyin's figure within the dark void. Their eyes were honed by all sorts of energies, yet they couldn't quite make out details of that figure.
"Is it a winged beast?" Liu Baili noticed outlines of wings that were unfolded. His question was immediately answered when the figure unfurled its wings, and revealed a thirty meter-wingspan. Just as he was rummaging through his memories to grasp at a correlating existence, the figure turned and dove downwards.
"What!" They all gasped in shock, an uncomfortable and uncertain feeling in their hearts. There were quite a lot of oddities in the dark void, including abnormal beasts that could survive in the void. Usually, they were mindless and lacked intelligence. To those who had the protective and offensive means of the Valiant Sky Starship, they weren't worried by an attack.
However, to plummet into the asteroid was an unexpected outcome. In the matter of moments, they couldn't react before the figure silently entered the depths of the asteroid.
"This...what is that?" Lin Mulan questioned. Just like Liu Shaokun, her heart felt unsure and worried. Despite those feelings, she couldn't help but repress her thoughts of ill-events occurring. After all, this asteroid's core would require a Mystic Ascendant Realm cultivator to destroy it. As the empowering unit for a natural Mystic-Level gathering and refining formation, how could it be easy?
A few seconds passed, then minutes, and then an hour, yet nothing happened. This relaxed their troubled hearts. "Perhaps this asteroid is the abode of a void creature?" Liu Shaokin said. This was indeed a possibility.
After all, asteroids were numerous and many void creatures would carve out dwellings within them. If that was the case, then they shouldn't be startled. In the future, when excavating the asteroid, they could handle it anytime they wished.
However, Liu Baili felt an even greater feeling of uncertainty and even a hint of danger within his heart. This feeling was like a whisper constantly telling him that his things weren't safe. However, it didn't offer any solutions, simply that he needed to act. It wasn't truly clear, as if it was transmitting it through a medium of some sort. It was far yet ever-present.
He couldn't help but think about Liu Ming. This was his adopted grandson, who displayed an exceptional talent and potential that exceeded his younger peers. He rose up from being a cripple to an outstanding talent and future leader of the Skyrend Sect and Liu Clan. His ambitions, instincts, and tools were all outstanding for a young man like himself.
In fact, it was one of his tools that inadvertently discovered this asteroid. Just as his thoughts reached this point, he said, "We'll deal with that creature first! Have the surveyor team inspect any dwelling in the-"
Bang!
As he was giving his orders, a rumbling quake erupted from the asteroid, vigorously shaking the starship. Even he had to use his astral force to maintain his balance, his eyes widening in disbelief. What is happening?!
"Grand Elders! The asteroid has experienced a change!!" An urgent voice filled with rapid breathing and exhausted panic resounded within the transmission crystals of the Grand Elders simultaneously. It was obvious the voice originated from someone running away. It belonged to one of the surveyor captains.
"Change? What changed?" Liu Baili immediately sent back. However, even after a few seconds, there was no response. They waited as the rumbling and quaking of the asteroid continued to intensify. In fact, their breathing halted as they awaited the news.
"The, the...the asteroid's crumbling! Help! HELP ME!" The surveyor captain wailed. He seemed to be too far and his fear had reached an unfathomable level.
Currently, this captain was dodging with all his might as the asteroid started to disintegrate. With the Void-Walking Armor, they could walk and survive within the dark void's environment, but their astral force was still restricted. Without their cultivation base at their fingertips, and with the dark void's impossible-to-control ambient mana, they couldn't fly on their own.
Therefore, he sprinted wildly like a mortal. The asteroid topography was constantly changing. One moment, the space before him was flat, and then turned into a sharp, jagged mountain. Other times, a path would collapse inwards to an unfathomable depth. He didn't dare try to leap a chasm, so he could only halt and travel around.
He was in full panic as he dashed forward.
A fellow surveyor in the distance saw him at one point and attempted to get to him. Unfortunately, a piece of the asteroid shot out at a speed he could barely perceive and penetrated that surveyor's armor. He didn't die from the penetration, but the cold armor and unrefined mystic essence entered his body instantly.
He died screaming and wailing. It was a very long, excruciating way to die. This scene soaked his back in cold sweat. The Void-Walking Armor not only had excellent survivability capabilities, its defenses were also top-notch. Unless one was a Realmlord-level expert, breaking through it was a difficult feat. Since the dark void restricted astral force, that made it even more difficult to deal with.
Yet...the armor was penetrated like paper.
Those fragmented pieces escaping were propelling at ridiculous speeds! He intended to send a message saying the asteroid was going to explode, but if he did that, the starship would leave and his life would be forfeit.
Therefore, he screamed that the asteroid was going through a change in hopes the starship would pick him up, saving this life of his. While this would put the starship in danger, he didn't give two shits about that. It wasn't just him, the other surviving surveyors were in similar thoughts. They knew what was happening and the consequences, so they all sent messages for help, but not explaining the situation clearly.
The three Grand Elders were confused. A change? Crumbling? What can cause the asteroid to crumble? Could the void creature be instigating environmental changes in hopes they'll leave?
Because of the vague explanations of the surveyor team, they didn't assume the asteroid's core was destroyed, that the asteroid was about to explode into fragmented bits soon.
"We should swiftly collect the surveyor team first," Liu Mulan suggested. A few members were a part of her direct ancestral lineage. Even if the Liu Clan were one whole, many had different lineages directly connected to their ancestors or even themselves. After all, they were three thousand years old. The Liu Clan's cherished members were usually their descendants or a part of their direct family tree.
Liu Shaokun frowned. He said, "Maybe we-"
BOOM!!
Before his words could be said, a hell-rising explosion occurred. This startled them. The dark void lacked sufficient environmental qualities to transmit sound. The first sound was the impact transmitted through the various formations of the starship, but this one felt incredibly different! It was...spiritual?!
They turned their heads simultaneously towards the sound. It originated from directly outside the various Valiant Sky Starship's defenses. Every crewmember and Grand Elder widened their eyes as they felt an imposing spiritual aura descend. They saw a form they couldn't believe!
Dragon!
It was a thousand meters in size, emanating an endless majesty. Its gray-scales and silver eyes seemed to collect the void itself and dominate its existence. Its teeth were like rows of swords and grand mountains. It rose its head and roared.
BOOM!!!
The spiritual formations of the Valiant Sky Starship were once more impacted by a resounding, hair-raising explosion.
"Is that a Soul Idol?!" Liu Shaokun shouted. It had a faint translucent figure, but it was the most realistically structured soul idol he'd ever seen and the largest! The true indicator was the ten-rings that circulated around it ceaselessly.
"A ten-ringed Soul Idol?!" Liu Mulan exclaimed in disbelief. To reach a ten-ringed Soul Idol required taking a Spiritual-God Ascension Elixir at the Third Stage of the Astral Core Realm, and it had to be a peak-quality one at that. Even legitimate Saint Alchemists would be hard-pressed to concoct one. This meant only those of an incredible backing from birth could even hope to take one and reach ten-ringed Soul Idol.
Liu Baili was stunned. He couldn't understand what was happening. How could a Soul Idol exist in the dark void environment and who did this Soul Idol belong to?
"There it is!" A voice resounded from inside the Valiant Sky Starship, and it attracted everyone's eyes. They witnessed a gray-scaled winged creature holding the helm of the skyship. It had half a face, only one wing, and its right arm was just bones. The majority of the gray-scales on its body seemed to have been destroyed, dripping with fresh gray-blood in its place. It was a gruesome appearance that caused their hearts to lurch.
They wanted to say a thousand different things, take a million different actions towards this unknown creature, but almost instantly they felt their bodies be imposed by an unfathomable force.
Wei Wuyin coldly smiled as he directly integrated with the helm, where he left the rest to Eden. The seven traits of Alchemical Energies allowed for various changes, and right now he was simply changing one thing - the key to the Starship.
The original key is in the possession of Liu Baili, and others only possessed temporary authority to control it, but it goes through Liu Baili's formation key. He similarly had the original key of his starship, but originally, there was none.
While he was unconscious on the Four Ways Continent, Eden had repaired the ancient starship's formations and refined a key. According to the Alchemic Eden Soul, he connected with the formations and simply redesignated the key to whatever he refined. If he could do that, it meant he similarly severed the original key's connection.
Eden's means and methods were insanely quick. It just needed a few uninterrupted seconds. With the Eyes of Divine & Truth, he easily found a way to bypass and slip through the defenses of the starship amidst the confusion and chaos.
As for Kratos' Soul Idol, it was meant to distract while he grasped the central formation at the helm. In truth, his Soul Idol was being constantly resupplied with spiritual energies otherwise it would've long since dispersed. In fact, those few seconds had already drained his spiritual energies reserve by twenty-percent.
This was from someone who had four Astral Souls, one of which was an Alchemic Eden Soul of the Mind Dao that continuously expanded and empowered his sea of consciousness, and consumed countless spiritual improvement products. The consumption was impossibly huge.
If it was any normal cultivator, let alone manifesting their Soul Idol in such a hostile environment, they wouldn't even be able to send out their spiritual sense for a few inches.
He recalled his Draconic Void Soul Idol and coldly smiled towards the gawking crewmembers and Grand Elders. He didn't know who these people were, but he felt their star cores. In that case…
"Please get off my ship."
"Your shi-?!" Liu Shaokun shockingly bellowed with rage, but once again was interrupted as he was pushed out.
Wei Wuyin activated the ship's internal repulsive formations. Without fail, before they could even react, they were pushed out by an ever-expanding barrier from the core of the ship and directly expelled, regardless of where they were.
He didn't hesitate. He retracted the anchor and the movement formations of the starship. It took off swiftly.
"Shit!" Liu Baili, Liu Mulan, and Liu Shaokun were stunned, but only briefly as countless harrowingly frightful wails and screams shouted endlessly. Only those who were at the Star Core Phase had the ability to resist the corrosive aura. They acted instantly upon noticing the unfavorable position and started to evoke their domains encapsulating the departed members.
When they collected the other members into their domains, they shrunk it and kept everyone in close proximity. This was to reduce the cold aura's effects. While they could resist the unrefined mystic essence corrosive effects, the cold aura was a threat. They had to lower their consumption to the maximum.
Wei Wuyin didn't stay to hear their curses or questions, but directed the starship to escape, an incomparably large smile on his face. It was filled with pride.
"You got it all?" Wei Wuyin anxiously asked Kratos.
He had to spend nearly an hour crushing the star core of the asteroid, suffering great external and internal wounds when it exploded. Half his face, his right arm's scales, flesh, nerves, and only the bones were left, and one of his wings had vaporized. The backlash from its explosion left him, who had a body that could resist mystic power, half-dead.
"All!" - Kratos.
The satisfied tone of the Astral Soul left his spirits feeling relaxed and comfortable. A starship and a few hundred thousand refined mystic stones, a few of which were high-grade! This was his best lucky chance yet! The Heavenly Daos wanted him to obtain a dozen or so? Well, fuck you! I'll take everything!!!
He couldn't hold it in anymore.
"Mwahahahahahahahahahaha!" He madly laughed endlessly.
Ka-BOOM!!!
The asteroid…was gone.
"Hahahahahahahahahahaha!"