Setelah mendengar kata-kata wajah raksasa itu, harapan mekar di hati triliunan orang. Banyak yang merasa tersesat, takut, dan tidak pasti setelah dicabik-cabik dari rumah yang selama seumur hidup mereka tempati, terpisah dari teman, keluarga, dan sekutu-sekutu dekat, namun mengetahui bahwa mereka akan segera bertemu kembali menyalakan nyala obor antusiasme di hati yang kacau.
Setelah mencatat dua nama dan informasi mereka di layar mengapang, Tuo Bihan dengan tenang menunggu transportasi berikutnya. Tak banyak hal yang bisa dilakukan, namun pikirannya tetap sibuknya dengan pemikiran lain.
'Haruskah aku memberikan cincin-cincin ini kepada mereka di dalam ruang aneh ini, atau aku menunggu hingga kami berangkat?' Ia memiliki sebuah misi—mengirimkan tujuh belas cincin kepada pemilihnya, tidak termasuk miliknya sendiri. Mengingat perintah terakhir Wei Wuyin yang menekankan pentingnya tugas ini, besar kemungkinan cincin-cincin ini akan menjadi alat penting bagi pengembangan para Ascendant di tempatnya yang tidak hadir. Ia tidak bisa membiarkan rahasia itu bocor.
Ia belum benar-benar yakin sejauh mana kemajuan wilayah bintang baru yang disebut Grand Cyclic Stellar Region atau Aeternal Sky Starfield ini, tetapi hasil karya seorang Alkemis Sovereign Fana pasti tak bisa dipandang sebelah mata. Ia merasakan dengan jelas bahwa cincin-cincin ini bisa menimbulkan darah berseru di mana saja dalam masyarakat kultivasi.
Sesampainya Tuo Bihan merasakan sorogan cahaya yang jatuh dari langit, menyelimutinya seluruhnya. Setelah sedikit tekanan, ia terasa buta baik secara fisik maupun spiritualnya sebelum gelombangan pusing mengelilingi tubuhnya… Ia seperti sedang digulingkan secara liar. Hal ini sama sekali tidak konsisten dengan cara transportasi sebelumnya yang tenang dan tiba-tiba.
Ketika rasa itu mereda, mata-matanya perlahan pulih, dan hal pertama yang ia lihat adalah seorang wanita muda. Sepasang mata hitam pucat yang memancarkan cahaya tegas, tenang, namun penuh keberanian. Di sekitarnya ada energi unik yang membuatnya terasa tak terkubur namun sekaligus sangat sederhana.
Rambut hitamnya yang panjang dan agak gelombang, dipotong dengan gaya bob pendek hingga ke dagu, dengan sebagian rambut di sisi kanan yang berantakan menyelimuti wajahnya, menambah daya tarik misteri. Dengan kulitnya yang putih kekinian kontras, semakin lama dikelihat, semakin orang akan merasa terpesona oleh mata-mata yang tajem itu.
Tuo Bihan agak terkejut. Su Mei berdiri di hadapannya dengan postur seperti prajurit yang stabil— tegak dan kokoh seperti tiang langit.
'Mimpi indah,' bisiknya, tangannya kirinya dan lengan tangannya dengan lembut bertumpu pada gagang pedang panjang yang terikat di pinggangnya.
'Su Mei,' dengan tenang menyapa Tuo Bihan. Rupanya ia tidak terganggu oleh gaya transportasi berputar, hanya mengamati sekeliling dengan cahaya tajam di matanya. Semakin banyak sosokan yang tiba di sisinya dalam sorogan cahaya mendadak. Setiap cahaya tersebut ditempatkan dengan jarak sempurna agar tidak bertabrakan.
'Tapi matanya tetap tidak henti mencari.' Jelas ia sedang mencari seseorang secara khusus.
'Seorang ahli besar,' panggillah suara lain, menarik perhati Tuo Bihan. Ia menoleh dan melihat seorang wanita dengan rambut pirang keemasan panjang mengalir ke bahu, berpasangan dengan mata laut biru yang menenangkan. Kulit kulitnya putih bersinar dengan kilap sehat, dan postur tubuhnya luar biasa.
Itu adalah Lin Ziyan.
'Seorang ahli,' desis suara lainnya, akankan suara familier. Beberapa wajah lain pun mulai muncul di sekitar mereka.
'Hong Ru,' seorang wanita dengan rambut merah menyala dan mata kemerahan seperti bunga api yang menyala, muncul di situ.
'Dan ia bersisian dengan Xiao Bing,' wanita berambut putih dengan tatapan sejuk yang melengkapi aura panas Hong Ru, menciptakan keseimbangan unik. Ketika keduanya saling melihat, mereka langsung saling memegang tangan.
"Di mana Wei Wuyin?" pertanyakan Qing Qiumu dengan suara gemeteran penuh kecemasan. Semua orang berbalik serentak dan menyadari suaranya.
Tuo Bihan memperhatikan bahwa di depan masing-masing wanita hebat ini ada layar seperti miliknya. Ia membaca nama-nama di layar masing-masing dan tidak bisa tidak tersenyum lemas.
'Baik Qing Qiumu, Su Mei, Long Tingyu, maupun yang lain—mereka telah menuliskan nama Wei Wuyin, usia, dan jenis kelaminnya.'
Masih masuk akal,' bisiknya, 'namun ada yang tak terduga—beberapa orang juga menuliskan namanya di layar.' Ia tidak menyangka Long Tingyu menuliskan nama Wei Wuyin. Namun, ia harus mengingatkan dirinya bahwa hanya sedikit yang menyadari kematian Long Chen dan apa pun yang terjadi di sekitarnya.
Mengejutkannya, nama kedua Long Tingyu bukan Long Chen. Ia adalah Qing Qiumu.
'Wei Wuyin?!' teriak Qing Qiumu, memanggilnya tanpa jawaban. 'Wei Wuyin!' Meskipun lokasinya berubah, pengiriman spiritual tetap mustahil, dan ia belum menyadari kedatangannya. Namun, tak lama yang lalu, ia melihatnya tersenyum ceria dengan ekspresi hangat dan geleng tubuh penuh semangat. Detak hatinya terasa seperti kapur ditumpukan perlahan—intuisinya menyadar bahwa sesuatu tidak benar.
'Bukan hanya dia,' semua orang merasakan ketegangan di hati, melalui indera yang tak bisa menemukan sosokan pria yang begitu tangkasa—pria hebat yang perlahan berhasil mengukirkan dirinya dalam hati mereka secara tak terhapuskan.
Mata Su Mei bersinar dengan cahaya tajam tak berujung. Mata hitamnya yang murni kini ternoda dengan aura mematikan saat ia menatap ke langit, menemukan wajah raksasa yang tak bergerak di antara bintuknya.
Tuo Bihan memutuskan untuk campuri sebelum Su Mei atau siapa pun bertindak sembarangan. "Wei Wuyin tidak berada di sini."
'Mengapa?!' Semua orang tiba-tiba terdiam karena kejutan. Tiba-tiba mendapat perhatian dari sekitar satu dekade wanita hebat, membuatnya merasa asing, namun ia segera pulih.
"Aku tidak menginginkannya," bisiknya dalam hati. "Aku hanya merasa ini cukup menarik saja."
Tanpa bisa berbicara melalui transmisi tersembunyi, Tuo Bihan tidak menjelaskan lebih lanjut atau memberi tahu mereka tentang niat Wei Wuyin. Ia tidak tahu mengapa Wei Wuyin memutuskan untuk tidak ikut, namun karena ia datang begitu saja, alasannya pasti penting. Sebaliknya, ia berkata: "Ia hidup dan sehat. Setelah kita selesaikan, aku akan menjelaskan semuanya."
Kalimat pertamannya menenangkan hati mereka, terutama Qing Qiumu. Ia tahu bahwa Tuo Bihan adalah orang terakhir yang berbicara dengan Wei Wuyin, jadi mendengar kata-katanya mengurangi kekhawatirannya secara signifikan. Rasa kaku di hatinya pun menguap ketika ia menekan tangannya ke dada, menciptakan adegan yang menggoda meskipun kepolosannya.
Su Mei menatap Tuo Bihan sejenak. Ia baru mengalihkan pandang setelah melihat Qing Qiumu tampak lebih tenang. Lalu, matanya kembali tenang. Semua orang tiba-tiba tiba dibawa ke sini, namun ia menyadari ada Penggilan Kekaisaran dari Wei Wuyin. Ini kemungkinan berarti bahwa Tuo Bihan dan Qing Qiumu—salah satu dari mereka yang memasuki alam aneh serta ditempatnya—paling menyadari kondisinya saat ini.
Orang lain juga cemas, namun hanya bisa menyimpannya untuk saat ini meskipun pertanyaannya mendesak. Jika ada satu orang yang tidak perlu khawatir, itu adalah Wei Wuyin.
Tuo Bihan terjebak dalam keraguan. Sebagian besar nama yang tercantum di cincin ruang khusus ini berada di sini, namun ia belum benar-benar yakin apakah aman untuk mengirimkannya saat ini. Ia juga belum tahu seberapa efisien transportasi di sini atau betapa luasnya lokasi baru ini. Jika mereka terpisah, berapa lama akan dibutuhkan untuk mengirimkan cincin-cincin ini?
Namun, Su Mei mengambil inisiatif: "Ada tiga pilihan di depan kita — kita harus memutuskan apa yang ingin dilakukan masing-masing, baik secara kelompok maupun perorangan."
Suarannya tenang, namun menyalakan semangat di hati semua orang.
'Mengapa kita bisa memutuskan hal yang penting ini ketika Wei Wuyin tidak di sini?' sahabat bertanya. Ia adalah seorang wanita dengan mata abu-abu mengkilap yang bisa membuat seluruh Indra tak berdaya. Dengan rambut coklat terang yang panjang, bibir merah purnama yang pucat, ia berdiri dengan anggun di tengah lautan kecantikan ini.
Na Xinyi bisa dianggap sebagai tunangan Wei Wuyin, jadi bertanya ini wajar. "Tapi ia juga menulis namaku," desisnya defensif. "Wei Wuyin takkan pernah dapat dijelaskan, tapi Da Shan tahu itu,"
Da Shan tidak mundur. Ia menghadapi wanita ini dengan tegas, mencibir dan mengandalkan niat pertarungan. "Cukup!" seru Lin Ziyan, menghentikan situasi yang semakin memanas.
"Kami tidak perlu keputusan darinya," kata Wu Baozhai. "Wei Wuyin tidak di sini, dan ia tak akan ingin kita hanya duduk di sini seperti wanita hina yang tak berdaya."
Semua orang terdiam sejenak, merenungkan keadaan mereka.
Qin Rui menatap para wanita yang hebat ini, melihat layar dengan nama Wei Wuyin di setiap layar. Ia tidak bisa tidak tertawa kecil, merasa sedikit frustasi dan tidak yakin.
Kemudian, suara lembut seperti embunan pagi pun bergaung: "Su Mei?"
Su Mei tersentuh oleh suara itu, langsung mengenalnya. Ia berbalik, mata tertarik lebar dengan keheraan.
After hearing the giant face's words, hope brewed in the hearts of trillions. Many felt lost, scared, and insecure after being dragged away from their lifelong homes against their will and separated from their friends, families, and allies, but knowing that they would soon be reunited lit a burning flare of excitement in their disarrayed hearts.
After inscribing the two names and their information on the floating screen, Tuo Bihan quietly waited for the following transportation. There wasn't much else to do, but his mind was still occupied with other thoughts.
'Should I give the rings to those while within this strange space, or should I wait until we depart?' He had an assignment, and that was to deliver the eighteen rings to their chosen recipients, minus his own. Considering Wei Wuyin's last orders that stressed the importance of this task, it was likely that these rings will serve as crucial tools for the development of the Ascendants in his absence. He couldn't allow it or its contents to leak.
He wasn't exactly sure how advanced this new so-called Grand Cyclic Stellar Region or Aeternal Sky Starfield was, but the products of a Mortal Sovereign Alchemist couldn't be insignificant and casually dismissed. He had a distinct feeling that these rings could instigate a bloodbath in any cultivation society.
Soon, Tuo Bihan felt a burst of light cascade downwards from the sky, encapsulating him whole. After a slight pressure, he felt blinded both physically and with his spiritual sense before a whirling sensation engulfed his body… It was as if he was being moved wildly. It was entirely inconsistent with the quiet, sudden manner of his previous transportation.
When he felt the sensation dissipate, his eyes slowly regained their unobstructed vision, and the first sight he saw was a young woman. A pair of pure black eyes that radiated a stern, serene, yet valiant light. There was a unique air around her that made her feel unfathomable yet incredibly simple.
Her short, wavy, jet-black hair was styled in an angled bob that reached her chin, with the right side of her hair's tousled strands concealing a slight portion of her facial features, adding a mysterious charm to her. With her light pale skin that seemed flawless as a contrast, the longer one gazed into her pure eyes and observed her symmetrical features, they would find her more and more fascinating.
Tuo Bihan was startled for a moment. Su Mei stood before him with the posture of a stable warrior, as upright and firm as a pillar of heaven. Her right hand and forearm were gently resting on the long hilt of her saber that was tied to her waist.
"Grand Sage Tuo," Su Mei calmly greeted. She seemingly wasn't affected by the whirling force of the transportation, and was merely observing the surroundings with a faint sharp light in her eyes. There were more and more figures arriving beside them in sudden bursts of light. Each light was perfectly distanced from each other ensuring no random collisions. However, those eyes of hers were continuously searching without pause. Clearly, she was looking for someone specific.
"Grand Sage Tuo!" Another voice called out, attracting Tuo Bihan's attention. When he looked over, he saw a woman with a sea of sleek cascading golden-blonde hair that reached mid-torso, with a pair of soothing ocean-blue eyes. Her milky white skin seemed to glimmer with a faint healthy sheen, and her bodily figure was outstanding, curves and shape. It was accentuated by a white robe with golden borders, a rather opulent attire.
It was Lin Ziyan.
"Grand Sage Tuo?" Another voice followed, also a familiar voice. This was followed by a few others as these figures all started to appear around each other. The voice that resounded belonged to Qin Rui.
A fiery red-head with scarlet eyes that seemed to contain the flicker of burning embers, Hong Ru, appeared as well.
Directly next to her was Xiao Bing, the white-haired, icy gazed, chilled air that complimented and accentuated Hong Ru's fiery aura, bringing about a unique equilibrium. When the two noticed each other, they were the first to move and grabbed each other's hands.
More and more arrived, such as Xiang Ling, Long Tingyu, Wu Baozhai, and Da Shan.
Before long, this area was the gathering location of top-tier nation-crippling beauties. A sea of outstanding aroma and a visual feast that could consume the untrained male mind manifested in an instant! It became an idyllic fantastical paradise, a heaven of sorts.
"Where's Wei Wuyin?" A shakingly anxious voice asked. The others turned simultaneously and noticed it belonged to Qing Qiumu. The others glanced around, their spiritual senses unleashed as they scoured the immediate surroundings.
Tuo Bihan noted that before each of these outstanding females were screens much like his own. As he read the names on each of their screens, he couldn't help but form a helpless smile on his face. Whether it was Qing Qiumu, Su Mei, Long Tingyu or the rest, they had all written down Wei Wuyin's name, age, and gender as one of their names.
It made sense; however, there were an unexpected few that also had his name etched on their screens. He wouldn't have expected Long Tingyu to write down Wei Wuyin's name. However, he had to remind himself that only a few were aware of Long Chen's death and the events that led to it.
Shockingly, Long Tingyu's second name wasn't Long Chen. It was Qing Qiumu. It baffled him further.
"Wei Wuyin?!" Qing Qiumu shouted out after receiving no answer, calling out to Wei Wuyin. Despite their relocation, sending out spiritual transmissions was still impossible, and she hadn't noticed his arrival. However, just a short while ago, she saw him brightly smiling with a warm expression and energetic wave. Her beating heart felt as if cement was slowly being poured into it as her intuition noticed something was wrong.
She wasn't the only one.
At some level, they all felt a tension in their hearts as their senses were unable to find that unearthly handsome figure that seemingly could uphold the sky, the outstanding man who slowly established himself as an unerasable presence in their hearts.
Su Mei's eyes gleamed with an inexplicable sharp light. Those pure black eyes of hers had become tainted with a killing aura as she looked upwards, locating the giant face that remained stationary in the star-less sky. Her left hand grasped the hilt of her saber, clenching it tightly.
Tuo Bihan decided to intervene before Su Mei or anyone else decided to act recklessly. "Wei Wuyin isn't here."
"What?!" Everyone turned to Tuo Bihan in simultaneous shock. Suddenly having the attention of nearly a dozen world-toppling beauties left him feeling strange, but he regained his composure swiftly. He wasn't desirous or envious of Wei Wuyin, he just felt it was a little interesting.
Unable to speak through concealed transmission, Tuo Bihan didn't elaborate or inform them of Wei Wuyin's intentions. He didn't know why Wei Wuyin decided to not come along, but since he had, then the reason must be important. Instead, he said: "He's alive and well. When we settle ourselves, I'll explain everything."
His first sentence settled their hearts, especially Qing Qiumu's. She knew that the last one to speak to Wei Wuyin was Tuo Bihan, so hearing him say this alleviated her worries by a considerable amount. That cement in her heart dissipated as she pressed her hands against her chest, producing a tantalizing scene despite its innocence.
Su Mei stared at Tuo Bihan for a long moment. She only looked away to see Qing Qiumu noticeably calmed down. Then, her eyes regained their serenity. Everyone present was taken abruptly, but she was aware of the Imperial Summons that Wei Wuyin had issued. This likely meant that Tuo Bihan and Qing Qiumu, one of the people that entered the strange realm with him, were most aware of his current condition.
The others were similarly concerned, but they could only set it aside for now despite their raging questions. If there was one individual none of them should be worried about, it was Wei Wuyin.
Tuo Bihan was caught in a dilemma. The majority of the names tagged to these special spatial rings were located here, but he wasn't certain if it was safe to deliver them at the moment. He was also unaware of how efficient travel was or how vast this new location was. If they were split up, how long would it take to deliver these rings?
Yet Su Mei took the lead, "We have three options before us, we should decide what everyone, individually, intends to do." Her words were steadily spoken, yet they caused the hearts of everyone to stir.
"How can we decide such an important matter when Wei Wuyin isn't here?" Someone questioned. It belonged to a gorgeous, grey-eyed beauty with an utterly mind-blowingly tantalizing air about her that could enrapture the senses. With long, light-brown hair and full, lustrous pink lips, she stood out amongst the sea of beauties with ease. Her warm, rich, golden and buttery brown skin accompanied by a bountiful pair of perky breasts held tightly together by her robe highlighted that drastic difference.
Na Xinyi could be considered Wei Wuyin's fiancé, so her asking this was well within her rights.
However, Da Shan audibly scoffed in response. Her displeasure was clear as day. She didn't like that Na Xinyi was engaged to Wei Wuyin. Most of them were clearly aware of how Na Xinyi was attached to the hip to a certain Grand Prince, only segregating after Wei Wuyin claimed total supremacy and became the Ascendant Emperor of Neo-Dawn, even having the starfield renamed after him.
So she was an opportunistic woman without shame in her eyes. And while jealousy likely affected her feelings towards Na Xinyi, it didn't fuel her dislike of Na Xinyi. The fuel was Na Xinyi's decision only after Wei Wuyin established himself as an individual with a limitless future.
Da Shan spoke her mind: "I don't know about you, but my life doesn't revolve around a single man nor do I need his input to make a decision for me."
Na Xinyi deeply frowned, glancing at Da Shan as faint yin mist exuded from her eyes. It was a natural expression of her unique physique, yet a strange, uncomfortable feeling overwhelmed the crowd.
"You wrote his name too, same as me." Na Xinyi spat out defensively. Wei Wuyin's level of importance couldn't be stated more. That being said, Da Shan's words struck a heavy chord in her heart.
"That's right; but I'm his woman, not his slave seeking his every approval for fear of being abandoned. Unlike someone here," Da Shan, however, didn't retreat. She fearlessly faced this shameless woman, glared, and brimmed with battle intent. The two seemed ready to come to blows.
"Enough!" Lin Ziyan shouted to halt the developing situation. She was one of the few that understood that Na Xinyi had agonized over the decision long before Wei Wuyin and Long Chen's paths started to rapidly diverge, with one rising and the other unable to match that speed.
Wu Baozhai chimed in, "Su Mei's right; we need to determine which of the three choices we'll take, either as a group or individual. While Wei Wuyin's input is appreciated, he's not here, and he wouldn't want us to twiddle our thumbs like inept damsels."
Wu Baozhai was well aware of Da Shan's comment, and she was similarly aware of what it meant. 'Perhaps this is the difference between him and Wei Wuyin…'
Unlike the situation where Long Chen vanishing left them helpless like chickens without heads, Da Shan and Su Mei's first instincts were to move forward without question. Wei Wuyin was himself and they were their own person. When she remembered how she acted when she was with Long Chen, she even felt embarrassed. At that time, it was as if she was living for him, following him, not moving in her own life unless he was the trigger.
Na Xinyi harrumphed, but her eyes flashed with a softened emotion. 'I'm not just his slave, I'll be his partner—his wife; his equal.' Wei Wuyin and her had met when she was at her weakest, and he gave her a new lease on life, and reminded her of the importance of strength. While she hated him for so long, this was only because she was naive, angry at the world for her weakness.
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