Ambisi yang terbuka dan niat yang tersembunyi beredar di udara, menciptakan ketegangan yang begitu pekat hingga pisau baja astral pun tak sanggup membelahnya.
Saat pameran cahaya alkimia yang menyilaukan menghiasi langit dalam bentuk aurora tujuh warna yang menari-nari dengan indah, mata seluruh peserta tertuju ke atas dengan emosi yang intens dan bergetar.
Tian Yinwu tidak terkecuali; Pangeran Kekaisaran dari Klan Tian itu menancapkan bendera lain, namun mata cokelat keemasan yang menjadi ciri khas dominan Klan Tian itu menatap ke atas dengan kilatan cahaya serius. Ia mengamati sosok anggun Na Xinyi saat wanita itu menyalurkan Energi Solar dari Domain Bintangnya ke sudut kubus yang menyegel Su Mei.
Ledakan menggelegar yang dalam sesekali meletus, mengguncang udara dan mana dengan hebat. Mirip dengan Wei Wuyin, Tian Yinwu bisa mengintip ke dalam kubus itu dan melihat Su Mei yang sedang bermeditasi dengan tenang, melakukan sesuatu yang fantastis di dalam kurungan—ledakan-ledakan itu hanyalah sandiwara.
"Dia kuat," komentar Tian Yinwu pelan.
"Menurutmu begitu? Bagaimana perbandingannya dengan keturunan langsung dan murid-murid dari Penguasa Ascended Wilayah Galaksi Azure-Prime di Alam Fana?" Tian Yinwu mengerutkan kening saat bertanya.
"Kebajikan Dao? Apa itu?" Kerutan itu dengan cepat berubah menjadi kebingungan saat ia bertanya.
"Apa maksud kalian tidak relevan bagiku untuk tahu? Kalian baru saja bilang itu eksistensi legendaris! Bukankah ini kesempatan untuk memperluas pengetahuanku?"
"Oke. Oke! Semua perdebatan dan pengelakan ini membuat telingaku panas. Baiklah. Jangan beri tahu aku kalau begitu. Tapi bagaimana aku membandingkannya?" Mata Tian Yinwu berbinar saat ia bergumam.
"Hm." Ekspresi Tian Yinwu berubah menjadi sangat kontemplatif, seolah sedang mencerna informasi analitis yang luar biasa. "Bagaimana dengan Na Xinyi?" tanyanya santai di tengah lamunannya.
"Ah. Tidak mungkin dia akan menyebabkan masalah sebanyak itu, bukan?"
"Berhenti berdebat! Unik dan mendalam, Wadah Yin yang sempurna, cih. Aku mengerti." Tian Yinwu tanpa sadar menyalurkan jiwa Rajanya, membiarkan 'cih' yang tajam lolos. "Dia lebih dari itu, kau tahu."
"Aku tidak buta. Hiya! Ada apa denganku dan pria itu yang selalu melibatkan diri dengan wanita-wanita bermasalah? Kecantikan luar biasa adalah kutukan sekaligus berkah bagi pria yang ambisius. Apakah kita memang ditakdirkan untuk hubungan seperti itu?" Tian Yinwu meratap dengan desahan emosional. Di akhir kalimatnya, ia menggelengkan kepala dengan ekspresi santai yang jarang terlihat di wajahnya yang tampan. "Yue Songli untuknya, Jiang Feilan untukku, dan sekarang... kurasa kita hanya harus menghadapi masalah itu saat mereka datang."
Sementara percakapan yang sangat aneh dan abnormal ini terjadi di wilayah luas Upacara Evercrown, situasi aurora borealis mencapai puncaknya.
3:53.
Kemunculan Evercrown sudah dekat!
Ketenangan sementara menyapu medan perang Upacara Evercrown yang tadinya kacau. Para Ascendant telah berhasil menangkap Su Mei, tetapi mereka tidak langsung mengarahkan pedang satu sama lain lagi. Ancaman Su Mei yang akan melarikan diri telah menciptakan suasana kedamaian yang sunyi.
Suara dentuman yang tak henti-hentinya dari Formasi Larangan Dunia terasa seperti palu yang menghantam jantung mereka. Jika mereka bertarung lagi dan Su Mei entah bagaimana melarikan diri di tengah kekacauan, perjuangan mereka akan sia-sia. Sebaliknya, yang terbaik adalah mengalihkan perhatian dan energi sepenuhnya untuk merebut Evercrown saat kekacauan akhirnya pecah.
Keinginan untuk melenyapkan pesaing tetap ada di hati mereka, tetapi mereka terpaksa menahan diri. Beberapa kelompok yang terbentuk sebelumnya perlahan bubar. Sebelumnya, mereka dibentuk untuk meningkatkan peluang melawan orang lain, namun dengan situasi yang berkembang seperti ini, aliansi mereka hanya akan menciptakan celah yang bisa dimanfaatkan sekutu mereka.
Meski kesepakatan tertentu dibicarakan melalui transmisi, tak satu pun yang bisa dipercaya. Mereka dilarang bersumpah Sumpah Surgawi oleh dekrit Wei Wuyin; lagipula, mereka semua adalah ahli papan atas yang melayani Yang Mulia, kemungkinan memiliki cara untuk menolak Sumpah Roh, dan Sumpah Mitos bukanlah hal yang diucapkan dengan enteng.
Suasana saling tidak percaya ini hanya menghasilkan perjanjian spiritual, membuat mereka sangat rentan.
3:22.
Na Xinyi memfokuskan matanya pada Formasi Larangan Dunia saat ia menyalurkan energi Solar Domain Bintangnya dalam seni yang dirancang dengan indah untuk memperkuat kekuatan segel di dalamnya. Namun, dalam tatapannya, ada sedikit ketidaksengajaan yang terbentuk oleh gangguan pikiran.
Saintess Yin Ekstrem itu merasakan sesuatu yang mungkin dilewatkan orang lain. Ia merasakan fragmen aura jiwa berpusat pada Yang pada beberapa tubuh Ascendant, termasuk pada Xue Yifei dan dirinya sendiri. Fragmen itu tersembunyi dengan sangat dalam, disamarkan sebagai panas biasa. Jika bukan karena afinitasnya terhadap segala hal yang bersifat Yin, ia tidak akan melihatnya lebih dekat.
Selain itu, stabilitas Formasi Larangan Dunia sedang memburuk dengan cepat. Ada cacat di dalamnya yang sulit dilihat sekilas. Ia menyadari cacat itu berada dalam kondisi degradasi lambat. Pada titik tertentu, segel itu akan runtuh sekaligus.
Dengan serangan konstan Su Mei pada formasi tersebut, keruntuhan ini akan semakin cepat. Jika ia harus menebak, mungkin... tersisa tiga menit lagi?
Na Xinyi menyimpulkan bahwa Xue Yifei sadar akan keadaan ini. Begitu pula Bei Weiwei, seorang Spiritualis yang memiliki kemampuan sensorik lebih kuat darinya. "Ada sesuatu yang aneh dengan kematian-kematian sebelumnya juga," gumamnya.
Na Xinyi menemukan beberapa aspek mencurigakan, dan perasaan ini membuatnya secara sukarela setuju untuk memperkuat Formasi Larangan Dunia. Ia melirik sosok raksasa Da Shan. Titan Iblis berkulit ungu itu belum menghilangkan transformasinya. Ukurannya sangat mencolok bagi semua orang.
Bukankah dia target yang mudah?
Akhirnya, ia menarik napas ringan. Luka internalnya parah, tetapi ia masih memiliki kartu as terakhir. Ia memiliki 'dua' jurus dalam Kondisi Alam Fana-nya, dan hanya menggunakan satu secara terbuka. Untuk yang lainnya, ia sudah lama mengeksekusinya.
Ia belum menyerah untuk merebut Evercrown; keinginan itu adalah sesuatu yang ia inginkan sama seperti orang lain, mungkin bahkan lebih, dan mendapatkannya tidak akan berbeda dengan mengamankan masa depannya.
Ia mengeksekusi mantra spiritual dengan Domain Bintangnya sebagai sumber energi, menyalurkannya melalui sinar cahaya solar yang memperkuat Formasi Larangan Dunia. Ia harus menahan keinginan untuk gemetar karena rasa sakit akibat mengerahkan kekuatannya, namun ia tidak menyembunyikannya dengan terlalu baik.
Dengan upaya 'terbaiknya', ia meletakkan upaya terakhirnya untuk memperebutkan mahkota. Itu adalah mantra sederhana yang bisa mengaburkan kemampuan sensorik, seperti awan asap, tersembunyi di dalam ruang tetap.
Di kejauhan, mata Wei Wuyin berbinar penuh minat. "Seseorang baru saja melompat dari peringkat kelima ke ketiga dalam skala kemungkinan."
"Hm?" Roh Perang Surgawi menganalisis perubahan tersebut. "Licik," komentarnya pelan. Namun, ia tidak berpikir itu akan cukup.
"Beberapa dari mereka akan bentrok dan melenyapkan satu sama lain," Roh Perang Surgawi menunjukkan dengan suara yang sangat antusias. "Itu akan terjadi dengan cepat."
Wei Wuyin mengangguk setuju. Pemenangnya akan ditentukan dalam momen yang singkat. Mungkin satu detik.
2:15.
2:02.
1:34.
1:03.
"Sudah hampir waktunya," kata Wei Wuyin sambil mengangkat lengannya ke udara, telapak tangan menghadap langit. Suaranya bergema dengan megah, mengguncang langit: "Satu menit." Setelah kata-katanya bergema di hati semua orang yang hadir, aurora borealis mulai bersinar dan intensitas cahayanya meningkat hingga menyilaukan. Cahaya tujuh warna itu mengalahkan Bintang Solar yang bersinar dari atas!
Setelah satu detik, ketujuh warna itu mulai menyatu dengan cepat, berpadu secara ajaib, berubah menjadi warna yang jauh melampaui cahaya alkimia biasa, membawa sesuatu yang tak terduga dan tak tertandingi, sesuatu yang abadi.
Ketujuh warna itu perlahan berubah menjadi perak! Cahaya perak itu seketika mengepung indra semua orang yang hadir.
"Itu..."
Jantung mereka bergetar saat para Ascendant mengenali warna ini. Itu adalah warna yang persis sama dengan sepasang mata tertentu! Sangat megah, sangat ganas, dan tajam secara tidak wajar. Namun, tak satu pun dari mereka merasa takut, hanya rasa hormat dan pemujaan.
1:01.
Di detik terakhir sebelum menit itu berakhir, dari tirai cahaya perak aurora borealis, sebuah objek perlahan turun seperti benda abadi yang dijatuhkan dari surga itu sendiri. Perak, megah, dan surga yang tak berujung!
Sebuah mahkota daun setengah lingkaran terbentuk.
Warnanya hijau subur dan perak yang berkilau, dihiasi dengan tujuh permata berwarna-warni seperti berlian, masing-masing dalam salah satu warna unik dari Tujuh Aspek Dao Alkimia. Mahkota itu mempesona bagi Jiwa Sejati, menggoda dan mulia hingga ke titik yang tak terlukiskan.
Ini adalah Evercrown!
EVERCROWN!
Itu bukanlah mahkota berat yang megah dan mencolok, melainkan tiara permata yang mulus, halus, rumit, dan elegan!
Menyelubungi Evercrown adalah bola cahaya sferis yang memancarkan aura putih suci yang tak tertandingi, terasa murni hingga batas ekstrem. Bola cahaya itu berdiameter sekitar lima ratus meter.
Semua mata langsung fokus. Banyak kultivator menggenggam Jiwa Mistis Sentinel Jahat mereka di telapak tangan dan Cincin Santo, tegang dan bergetar saat mereka menatap Evercrown. Apa yang mereka lihat bukanlah artefak yang sangat diinginkan dari Kompetisi Raja Terpilih atau gelar Raja Terpilih itu sendiri, melainkan satu-satunya hadiah dari Wei Wuyin: sebuah permintaan yang 'masuk akal'!
Untuk itu, mereka rela bertarung sampai mati dan seterusnya!
"Dan begitulah dimulai," kata Wei Wuyin pelan saat ia merasakan aura para Ascendant-nya mulai menyembur keluar, membentang di sekitar mereka dalam pameran kekuatan yang mulia.
Open ambitions and concealed intentions circulated through the worldly air, generating a tension of an unfathomable thickness that not even an astral steel knife could cut.
As the dazzling display of alchemical light graced the skies in the form of a dancing, gorgeous aurora borealis of seven colors, the eyes of all participants were, in one way or another, looking up at it with intense, quivering emotions.
Tian Yinwu was no exception; the Imperial Prince of the Tian Clan planted another flag, but the signature genetically dominant hazel-gold eyes of the Tian Clan were directed upwards with a solemn light glinting within. He observed Na Xinyi's graceful figure as she channeled her Star Domain's Solar Energy into a corner of the cube that sealed Su Mei.
There were deeply hollow-like booming explosions erupting at times, shaking the air and mana violently. Somewhat similar to Wei Wuyin, Tian Yinwu could glimpse within the cube, seeing that a blurred Su Mei was calmly meditating, executing something fantastical while in containment-the explosions were theater.
"She's strong," Tian Yinwu commented softly.
"You think? How does she compare to those direct descendants and disciples of the Azure-Prime Galactic Region's Ascended Sovereigns in the Mortal Realm?" Tian Yinwu frowned as he inquired.
"Virtue of Dao? What's that?" The frown quickly transitioned into confusion as he asked.
"What do you all mean it's irrelevant for me to know? You just said it's a legendary existence! Isn't this a chance to expand on my fundamental knowledge?"
"Okay. Okay! All this arguing and deflecting is grinding my ears. Fine. Don't tell me then. But how do I compare?" Tian Yinwu's eyes lit as he muttered.
"Hm." Tian Yinwu's expression went into a mighty contemplative look, seemingly digesting some incredible analytical information. "What about Na Xinyi?" He asked casually mid-thought.
"Ah. There's no way she'll cause that much trouble, no?"
"Stop arguing! Unique and profound, the perfect Yin Cauldron, tch. I get it." Tian Yinwu unknowingly channeled his inner King, letting loose a crisp 'tch'. "She's more than that, y'know."
"I'm not blind. Hiya! What is it with me and that guy and involving ourselves with troublesome women? Great beauties are both the bane and blessing of ambitious men. Are we simply destined for such relationships?" Tian Yinwu lamented with an emotional sigh. At the end of which was a shake of the head and a lackadaisical expression that was rarely seen on his beautifully handsome visage. "Yue Songli for him, Jiang Feilan for me, and now...we just have to deal with the trouble as they come, I guess."
While this extremely odd, abnormally solo-only conversation took place in a region of the Evercrown Ceremony's vast lands, the situation of the aurora borealis was reaching a crescendo.
3:53.
The Evercrown's appearance was imminent!
A temporary lull had swept the once chaotic battlefield of the Evercrown Ceremony. The Ascendants had succeeded in their capture of Su Mei, but they didn't immediately turn their blades against each other once again. The looming threat of Su Mei's escape had enabled this silent, quietly passing atmosphere of peace.
The incessant, heart-pounding booming sounds from the World Forbiddance Array were like a thunderous hammer onto each of their hearts. If they fought again and Su Mei somehow escaped amidst the chaos, they would all have fought for nothing. It was a fruitless act. Instead, it was best to divert the fullest extent of their attention and energies to grasping the Evercrown when the chaos finally unfolded.
The urge to eliminate their competitors remained eternally within their hearts, but they had to stay their hands reluctantly. The few groups that were established earlier slowly dissolved. Before, they were formed to better increase their chances to combat others, and to survive until the clock ran out, but with the situation developing this way, their alliances would only produce openings for their allies to exploit.
While certain deals were hashed out and discussed through transmissions, none of them was reliable. They were disallowed from swearing Heavenly Oaths by Wei Wuyin's decree; furthermore, they were all top-notch experts who served His Majesty, likely having a few means to resist Spirit Oaths, and the Mythical Oaths were things not sworn lightly, and no one trusted that the others didn't have the rumored product to dispel them.
The distrusting atmosphere led to the swearing of nothing but spiritual agreements, leaving them quite fragile before the possibility of a 'reasonable' wish.
3:22.
Na Xinyi's eyes focused on the World Forbiddance Array as she channeled her Star Domain's Solar energies in an exquisitely designed art to reinforce the sealing powers within. However, within her gaze, there was a slight level of inattentiveness formed by an inner distraction of the mind. This did little to disturb the World Forbiddance Array as she was only reinforcing it, and the activity itself was relatively simple, not very strenuous at all.
The Extreme Yin Saintess' slender brows imperceptibly sank inward as thoughts unfolded sporadically within her mind. She had refined a Spirit Core and immensely improved her Spiritual Sense, gaining an unnatural perception, alongside her already profound grasp of yin, she felt things that others might have missed.
For example, she sensed fragments of yang-centric soulful auras present on several bodies of Ascendants, including on Xue Yifei and herself. The fragment was profoundly hidden, disguised as typical heat. It was hard to describe, but it was 'heat' in its truest sense. Perhaps a slight fraction of a fraction of a degree intermingled with the flat temperature of the world. It was so intermingled that it was hard to differentiate to any extent. If not for her affinity toward all things yin, including how it interacts with all things yang, she wouldn't have taken a closer look.
For example, the stability of the World Forbiddance Array was decaying rapidly. There was a flaw within that was difficult to discern at a glance. She wasn't too familiar with formations and arrays, but she had studied certain auxiliary methods of Yin Formations and Arrays, and she gleamed that the flaw was in a state of slow degradation. At a certain point, it'll collapse altogether at once.
With Su Mei's constant battering of the array, this would only accelerate the rate of its collapse. If she had to guess, perhaps...three minutes or so left?
There was no extent of reinforcements that could hold off this type of imminently inevitable collapse. In fact, it felt like the reinforcements were meant to disguise the rate of decay from others rather than to actually strengthen the seal against the individual inside. After reaching this point of thought, Na Xinyi concluded that Xue Yifei was knowingly aware of this circumstance.
Moreover, she didn't think Bei Weiwei was unaware of this. She was a Spiritualist; even if her Spiritual Sense was not the strongest present, Bei Weiwei's sensory prowess was stronger than her own without question. She might not notice the 'heat', but she should have noticed the array's state at a glance.
"There's something strange about those deaths earlier too," her frown deepened. She couldn't determine the exact irregularity, but Hong Chunhua's fragrant flora aroma kept flashing in her thoughts as she felt as if something was grinding against her thoughts trying to escape. She was on the verge of something.
Na Xinyi found several suspicious aspects almost immediately, and this feeling led her to voluntarily agree to reinforce the World Forbiddance Array. She glanced at Da Shan's gigantic form. The violet-skinned Demonic Titan hadn't dispelled her transformation yet. Her size was egregiously noticeable to everyone.
Wasn't she an easy target?
Eventually, her brows lifted as she took a light breath. Her internal injuries were excessive, but she wasn't without a final trump card either. She had 'two' moves in her Mortal World State, and only openly used one. As for the other, she had long since executed it.
She hadn't given up on seizing the Evercrown; the wish was something she wanted as much as anyone else, perhaps even more so, and obtaining it would be no different than securing her future.
She executed a spiritual spell with her Star Domain as an energy source, funneling it through the ray of sky-descending solar light reinforcing the World Forbiddance Array. She had to hold in her urge to shake and quiver from the pain of exerting her strength, but she didn't hide it too well.
There were subtle, swift glances her way, all originating from the exceptional figures from the Ascendants. They looked away with equal swiftness, seemingly ignoring the fluctuation.
With her 'best' efforts, she laid down her final attempt at contesting for the crown. It was a simple spell that could obscure sensory abilities, much like a smoke cloud, hidden within fixed space.
After setting that down, she maintained her neutral expression. "I still have a chance with this," Na Xinyi thought with a light breath.
Off in the far distance, Wei Wuyin's eyes were alight with interest. "Someone just jumped from fifth to third on the likely scale."
"Hm?" The Heavenly War Spirit analyzed the changes and verified Wei Wuyin's judgment. "Cunning," she commented softly. However, she didn't think it would be enough. Moreover, there were too many pieces in movement at the moment to properly gauge the end result.
"Some of them will clash and eliminate each other," the Heavenly War Spirit pointed out with a deeply invested voice. "It'll be swift too."
Wei Wuyin nodded in agreement with that statement. He wasn't sure who would take it as too many undercurrents meant many different, unpredictable flows and clashes. Moreover, the winner will be decided in a swift moment. Perhaps a single second.
2:15.
2:02.
1:34.
1:03.
"It's almost time," Wei Wuyin said as he lifted his arm into the air, palm facing the sky. His voice echoed out majestically, shaking the sky: "One minute." After his words resounded within the hearts of all those present, the aurora borealis began to brighten and intensify in radiance until it was blinding. The seven-colored light eclipsed the Solar Stars shining from above, causing them to become mere background images of a grand, majestic, and beautiful array of seven colors!
After a second, the seven colors began to rapidly converge together, melding and fusing miraculously, shifting colors far beyond the typical alchemical light, carrying something unfathomable and peerless, something eternal and unrivaled.
The seven colors slowly turned silver! The silvery light instantly besieged the senses of everyone present.
"It's..."
Hearts shook as the Ascendants recognized this color. Even if they were blinded, beheaded, and burned to ash, they would recognize this particular color!
It was the exact shade and texture as a certain pair of eyes! It was endlessly majestic, unimaginably fierce, and unnaturally sharp. But none of them felt any fear, only reverence, and worship, some felt love and warmth, while others felt fear and terror.
1:01.
In the last second before the minute concluded, from the curtain of silvery light that was the aurora borealis, an object slowly descended like an immortal object dropped from the heavens themselves. Silvery, magnificent, and endless heaven!
A semi-circle leaf crown formed.
It was verdant green and luscious silver, as lush and exuberant as the most glorious of forests and the most pristinely refined silver, and beautifully decorated around certain parts were seven colorful rhinestones-like gems, each in one of the exquisitely unique colors of the Seven Aspects of the Alchemical Dao. They were inlaid into the crown, interconnected through each other fantastically and mysteriously. If one segregated each of the locations of the stones, they would find that they perfectly matched the fragments that were used to form it!
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