Paragon Of Sin

Chapter 1864 Chapter 1856: Miss Them

Several hours of peace unfolded without disturbance for one hybrid, one beast, one Nascent Soul, one World-Bound Solar Star, three Spirits of Dao, and four Spirits of Cultivation as they caught up or discussed random topics. These hours were filled with laughter, pouts, and ease, unaffected by any looming shadows of crisis.

If they had a choice, excluding an anxious and anticipating embodiment of war, this peace of theirs could stretch endlessly without complaints. Even if time had to be frozen. Unfortunately, life was about progression. And out of everyone in the Utmost Purity Galaxy, the young Magi with an Anima-Devourer lineage blessed by the Heavenly Daos was relentlessly pursued by a devilishly hellish shadow known as Hell.

It stalked without caring for his happiness, content, and peace. It paid his special qualities no mind, seeking to eradicate him from a single moment of carelessness.

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[RIGHT ARM: Pride]

Karmic Luck Value: 268,334.4.

First Calamity: Survived - 7/7.

Second Calamity: Claimed - 1/1.

Third Calamity: Claimed - 3/3.

Fourth Calamity: Claimed - 18/18.
Fifth Calamity: Suppressed - 31 Years.

-

[LEFT ARM: Lust]

Karmic Luck Value: 268,334.4.

First Calamity: Claimed - 7/7.

Second Calamity: Claimed - 1/1.

Third Calamity: Claimed - 3/3.

Fourth Calamity: Claimed - 18/18.

Fifth Calamity: Suppressed - 31 Years.

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ʼThirty-one years…ʼ Wei Wuyin stretched his weary arms as Bai Lin flew properly toward the Blank Dominion, the new home to his Original Dawn Palace. The All-Alchemic Clash hadnʼt just been a grand stage for him to cultivate and establish himself in the Holy Void of Fortune, but it had forced him to accelerate his Fifth Calamity by nearly sixteen years.

However, given his chosen path—the path of a paragon, he couldnʼt hold back on improving himself, and he refused to follow in the complacent footsteps of his alternate lifetimes. That said, he similarly refused to revoke his opportunity to live. To truly live.

If he spent every waking moment obsessed with surviving the Calamities of Hell, there was very little doubt in his mind that the compounding stress would escalate to shattering levels, pushing him to the brink in mind, body, and soul. He would be prone to making mistakes, not able to calculate or plot out schemes clearly out of a paralyzing fear of wasting a millisecond.

Every second would be excessively valued like the worth of pure gold in mortal eyes.

Wei Wuyin had long since broken free from such mental fetters as he established his Heart of Cultivation step-by-step, taking it one breath at a time, ensuring that each breath was made with satisfaction rather than if each breath was maximized to a singular goal.

After all, what was the point of cultivating, fighting, and surviving desperately if he couldnʼt live a life worth living?

”Are we going to see Sister Songli?” Bai Lin asked, her voice rife with excitement.

”Sister?” Wei Wuyinʼs left eyebrow raised.

”What?” Bai Lin snapped back.

”Haha! Nothing. Nothing,” Wei Wuyin waved his hands around as if to dismiss it. How could he point out the clear shift in address? However, he had already suppressed his humanity, becoming a True Dragon, and plucked the chastity of a young fire phoenix, so there was nothing else to say. Bai Lin was bound to decide her place by his side, and that was clear from the title sheʼd given Yue Songli.

”Thatʼs right! Hmph!” Bai Lin triumphantly spat. Then, her tone grew somber and emotional: ”Sister Songli has always been a little reserved so itʼs hard for me not to worry about her. Did our plan work?” Back then, Yue Songlin was a prisoner forced to extract Yang Energies and cultivate by Trueborn for hundreds of years. The two of them encountered her by chance and then freed her.

Wei Wuyin barely acted; the heroic rescue and following combat effort were almost exclusively hers. Bai Lin was greatly invested in Yue Songliʼs mental state. That girl lived a tale of lonely tragedy, saved only by the unique properties of her body from a greater tragedy, and then was pursued by Wei Wuyin wholeheartedly.

”It did,” Wei Wuyin confirmed as he glanced in the direction of the Incinerated Dominion. With his Celestial Eyes, he observed an operation unfolding to force Su Yi out of his turtle shell. Various Supreme Sages were acting alongside several massive Void Vessels imposing on the dominionʼs spatial stability, seeking to cause it to implode and shatter.

Blinking once, he continued: ”Qing Qiumu and Yue Songli found common ground, forming a great bond. Theyʼve traveled together extensively, and only recently have they grown enough to begin exploring independently. Yue Songli has Dakarai and Qing Qiumu has a wisp of my quintessential power with her.

”Iʼve done everything to hammer that theyʼre safe, free, and can exist without fear out in a greater world filled with unknowns. Fortunately, others are offering their indirect assistance as they seek their favor and highly value their opinions. Qing Qiumu has grown to being able to go a full day without my immediate presence. Itʼs impossible to remove the scars etched in their hearts and minds for healthy self-growth, but the progress to heal has been incredible. Theyʼre both strong women.”

Bai Linʼs eyes brightened with joy. ”See. I told you that Sister Qiumu isnʼt someone whoʼll break apart. She has a strength of the heart that reminds me of…well…you.”

Wei Wuyin chuckled, not out of amusement, but at how apt that description was. Qing Qiumu and he were kindred spirits, and not due to their shared tragedy or stories. After all, Qing Qiumu was a princess of the Elven Race of the Myriad Yore Continent, she was beloved by all and yearned for freedom and the power required to keep it. As for himself, he would have been satisfied spending his days with family, never reaching a high cultivation base even as a hot-blooded young man.

They didnʼt share histories, but they had a common view of the world. That it was…beautiful despite the tragedy or darkness within. They saw that. The beauty in things and possessed the courage to pursue it. Not counting their similar humor, they had great similarities in terms of mentality.

This was something they both felt very early on as they spent hours upon hours talking, forgetting the time and finding joy in each otherʼs words. While Wei Wuyin had contributed to her rescue, she had never believed she was going to die. Wei Wuyinʼs fate prior to becoming a Bloodline of Sin Inheritor was proof that her life was not meant to end there.

”I feel that Sister Yifei, Sister Xinyi, and Sister Baozhai all have qualities that remind me of you,” Bai Lin commented carelessly, pointing out something that Wei Wuyin was unable to see. ”Actually, I think…they all…”

”Yeah! Yeah! You sure like calling them sisters, huh?” Wei Wuyin interrupted with a tap to her noggin.

”Mmph!” She folded her wings and spun violently, yet her attempt to knock Wei Wuyin off her was thwarted by a simple adhesive technique, stuck to her. When her wings unfurled, Wei Wuyin triumphantly laughed. Bai Lin realized her attempt was pointless as she puffed her cheeks. Instead of sticking to that, she slowly became calmer, asking: ”Do you miss them? All of them?”

”...” Wei Wuyinʼs eyelids drooped a little, his gaze lowered, and his head tilted downwards. ʼEvery time I breathe,ʼ he thought mentally. Bai Lin heard it, her eyes grew briefly somber before rising with radiant happiness.

Wei Wuyin took a deep breath and expelled any turbid air, ”I talk to them, keep tabs. Thatʼs why I built those Void Altars to act as relays to transmit spiritual messages and empower them. Theyʼve been sending fewer and fewer messages. They have their own struggles to face, challenges to overcome, and goals to reach, so I can only support them from afar.”

”I know,” Bai Lin smiled. ”They have to grow on their own, right?”

Wei Wuyin firmly nodded; they were all strong women who had their own histories, tragedies, and adventures. They had their friends, their family, and their lives to live. He was an undeniable part of that, and a substantially large portion beyond any shadow of a doubt, but for right now, he couldnʼt settle down. He couldnʼt halt his footsteps as Hell chased from behind, threatening to swallow him whole.

”Do you still fear that theyʼll become you?” Bai Lin asked, gently prodding the subject that Wei Wuyin had tried to avoid earlier. While her wording was suspect, the one thing that Wei Wuyin feared in his life was that his women would become foils of himself, relying solely on him.

In the world of cultivation, riding the lap of a dragon was common. It meant a woman or man rising in status and power by virtue of their partnerʼs strength. It was a thing people often envied, but this created situations where the person who rides loses their own identity. After all, a tiny human would be easily missed in the presence of a planet-sized dragon.

If a woman were declared as just that personʼs woman, man, wife, husband, mistress, or consort. Their entire identity becomes tethered to that person, unable to stand on their own.

This was what happened with Long Chen, or at the least, there were clear early signs of it happening. He took center stage and they were mere foils to his brilliance.

”Yes,” Wei Wuyin admitted softly. ”But I know none of them would ever do so. Theyʼre themselves. And if I no longer exist in this world, theyʼll find their own happiness. Theyʼll have stability and peace.”

Bai Lin puffed out a breath of golden flames with a tinge of frustration, ”What if thatʼs not what they want? Youʼve always kept yourself a little distant from them—from everyone. You did that to Sister Songli, and she thought you abandoned her. You were hands off with Sister Xinyi, and instead of acting to take her immediately as your woman back then, you presented her with an option. You knew she loved you, even back then.

”Sister Yifei…you kept her as a concubine, refused to officially declare any of them as yours, when you had no reason to do so. Even Little Cousin Si. You knew where he was for a long time, and you didnʼt find him until after you grew enough in strength to reign supreme. Youʼve gotten closer, but as long as you keep that distance between those you care about fearing theyʼll either become overly reliant on you or suffer upon your death…I think…”

”...” Wei Wuyin didnʼt respond.

Yet Bai Lin finished her thought after hardening her heart: ”I think youʼll regret it one day.”

Wei Wuyin lifted his head to stare at the gorgeous starry sky, heaving a sigh. He had gotten considerably better at thinning that distance, but no words came out to refute Bai Lin.