"Preposterous!" He spat. Jiang Lanlan selfishly and one-sided considered him as a love rival to someone he never met, took the initiative to kill him, and did not care about the resulting fallout. This was the very definition of spoiled rotten. He had half a mind to slay her right now. If it wasn't for her mother, she'd have long since been relegated to a corpse or a slave in his opinion.

In her memories, he learned that the Princess of Everlore admired him, and Jiang Lanlan felt threatened as a result. Whether this admiration could lead to feelings or other emotions was unknown, but her mind was already settled on avoiding any possibility of it happening.

He pressed his finger against her glabella. A pulsing wave of spiritual force surged and her eyes glazed over before slowly closing. After rendering her unconscious, Wei Wuyin lifted her up by the waist. This matter should be handled by the Myriad Monarch Sect. While he indeed had the qualifications, influence, and personal power to handle this situation, since it involved the status of the sect and another hegemonic power, it would be best he didn't act carelessly or without much thought of the consequences.

He wasn't a saint; he didn't feel a welling desire to exact justice on behalf of those who lost their lives. It was an unfortunate, heart-breaking event, but killing this woman would do little to alleviate the situation or the pain of those who were severely injured, killed, or lost loved ones from her actions. It'll only be the ignition for the call to war, and even the remaining people's lives would be at risk.

"It's shocking how it's the Alchemist Association's fault yet also not. Haaaa..." Wei Wuyin was starting to realize that his overly excessive planning was becoming a massive waste of energy and time. He had devised numerous stratagems and contingencies to contend and dominate Yuan Longshi, but had dealt with him in the most direct manner possible.

He had created various safeguards against the Alchemist Association, but he never accounted for them to take such a violent, aggressive, uncaring, and destructive action or that it would include the Sacred Light Palace. The unexpected was both simple and devastating. All his planning went down the toilet with no returns.

Unbeknownst to Wei Wuyin, the Alchemist Association was indeed making their move. However, just as he thought, their way of handling things wouldn't include such violent and concealed means. Despite their looming presence, they hadn't acted against him in the shadows yet.

With a last sweep of the devastated surroundings, he decided to invest more in the continent. While the loss of life, the grief, confusion, and frustration that will be birthed due to this event couldn't be easily remedied or eliminated, he could invest to help make repairs and provide resources for those to withstand the resulting fallout. While he wasn't a saint, he also wasn't someone that would completely detach himself from responsibility.

The continent's and its citizens current state was partially due to him. Furthermore, he could expand Ying's objective to help others. If he did everything in Ying's name, he could eliminate two matters in his heart with relative ease.

-----

Three days later, Wei Wuyin and Xue Yifei were sitting on a boulder, gazing emotionally at the scenery of the Xue Country's citizens trying to repair the damage dealt to their homeland. The efforts of these people were quite an admirable sight. Regardless of how cruel the cultivation world revealed itself to be, in moments of tragedy like this, lifeforms with intelligence always found ways to band together in a united objective.

Xue Yifei's eyes were staring into the distance with a wisp of quivering emotions. While she may come off as indifferent sometimes, she actually cared deeply about her birthplace and the people in it. There were innocent children and infants, old elders reminiscing, and young men and women enjoying life. She, as a princess, was more exposed to the struggles of daily life for commoners than most.

It was often said that those born from up high can not understand those below, but wasn't it those above that had the best view of those below? She knew what she had and what they lacked.

"To think there are those willing to treat innocent lives like grass, eliminating others without a conscience for their own objectives. It's truly vile and evil." Her voice was rather low as she commented. Wei Wuyin didn't hold back on informing her of the details. The daughter of the Sacred Light Palace's Palace Master had plotted to take his life because of her jealousy and self-believed rivalry. This resulted in hundreds of thousands dead and countless more injured.

It was quite pathetic to Xue Yifei, and unbefitting of Jiang Lanlan's status and worth.

Wei Wuyin sighed as he shook his head, "We don't know her innermost feelings or thoughts. We only know her purpose and reasoning. Furthermore, I don't find it evil. I don't find it vile."

Xue Yifei went silent.

"If the people that died and suffered weren't those you had a connection with, maybe your thoughts would be different," Wei Wuyin said.

Xue Yifei bit her lower lip, a hint of frustration radiating from her hazel eyes. She knew in her heart that Wei Wuyin was right, but having it dragged out in front of her made her unwilling to face the truth of her hypocrisy. Her words were said due to her emotions she felt, but that wasn't an excuse.

She could only begrudgingly sigh, "Yuan Longshi killed numerous individuals without much thought, and I supported it. While it might not be at the same scale, a life is a life. You're right." There wasn't a single cultivator of any renown who didn't have blood on their hands. While the scale may be different, the cultivation world faintly followed the laws of the jungle where the strong dominated and weak were eaten.

Wei Wuyin looked towards her and took her soft hand into his own. An open-minded woman was the best type of woman in his opinion.

"That day, I was planning on killing you and everyone unrelated to me at that ceremony for my own goals. Not once did it ever cross my mind the damage I'll leave behind to their families, friends, or the world they lived in. Simply because its not my world. This perspective of mine won't change. Its the cruelty of the cultivation world, and we cultivate for the sake of a long life, unquestionable power, and the ability to impose our wills on others and relish in our innermost desires. I don't blame her." Wei Wuyin explained his thoughts.

Xue Yifei felt Wei Wuyin's warmth of his hand touching hers, and her heart raced slightly. When he spoke those words, she felt her mind shake. Indeed. It might sound cruel, uncaring, and cold, but it was the truth.

"She should at least die." Xue Yifei understood, but she still wanted justice to be enacted. Because those were her people, and they were in her world. She could accept that her actions weren't wrong objectively, but personally, she wanted nothing more than to ravage with heart-rending torture.

"If you or I can become strong enough to act without fear of consequence or retaliation, then she will. Just not today." Wei Wuyin comforted. Jiang Lanlan had backing, and while it wasn't the most concrete way to preserve your life, it forced others to consider.

When he tried to kill Long Chen in the Myriad Yore Continent, Xiang Ling had interfered at the crucial moment. At that moment, he had to consider whether taking further action would result in his mutual demise and if he valued Long Chen's life with the same importance as his own. This didn't factor whether he could kill or not, simply whether he was willing to risk it.

The same applied even now with Wu Yu and now for Jiang Lanlan. If she didn't have an exceptional mother, would he not have tortured and killed her out of revenge by now? However, if he did act, would that not ignite a war? Would that not evoke a calamity upon his head?

Was he passive? Was he a coward? Others might think so, but he considered himself intelligent and far-seeing. Acting without a modicum of certainty in his own self-preservation was a fool's gamble and often led to a foolish fate. The cultivation world was about becoming stronger, so as long as his bottom-line wasn't touched, he could patiently wait.

Xue Yifei's eyes brightened. If one day she could possess power to ignore all backings and slaughter whoever she wanted, whenever she wanted, wouldn't she be the ruler of this world? The very thought caused her heart to beat with anticipation.

Their conversation continued for a bit before Wei Wuyin received a transmission. It was from the Myriad Monarch Sect. The Bloodforge Astral Tower was the only Void Gate on the continent, so its destruction would prevent his return to the sect. He had sent a message regarding this issue and had just now received a response.

According to it, the Myriad Monarch Sect usually took a few decades to build a Void Gate, and traveling the dark void was a nigh impossible feat. Many of these Void Gates were constructed and placed during the era where cultivators of the Realmlord, Timelord, and Starlord level were far more prevalent. These cultivators could freely travel the dark void's hazardous environment without much issue.

While they could send others to the Bloodforge Continent, leaving was impossible for now. This weighed on his heart slightly, his plans deviating a little. He originally had over thirty years before the second calamity, but his actions of killing Yuan Longshi, a Blessed, had seemingly provoked an acceleration of that timeline. Now, he had nine years left.

His elation of this was dampened by his current status of being trapped on the Bloodforge Continent. This might not affect him much, and with Su Mei and Zuhei out acting on his orders, many matters could be dealt with, he still disliked the feeling of being trapped.

"Hmph!" Kratos coldly harrumphed, causing Wei Wuyin's heart to throb deeply. He nearly choked. If it wasn't for his familiarity to such an event, he might've embarrassed himself in front of Xue Yifei.

"What now?" Wei Wuyin sent a message to Kratos. It was obviously upset over something.

"I am the Dao of Void! There is nowhere I can not exist, nowhere I can not go, and nothing that could restrain me!" Kratos boldly and arrogantly announced. As a Draconic Void Astral Soul, it had the pride of a dragon and the breadth of thought as expansive as the endless void itself. It seemed Wei Wuyin's thoughts of feeling trapped had triggered it. Considering it could break the restrictions of the Heavenly Daos, there was some truth in its words. At least for now.

"Hm? Just saying this doesn't actually help the situation. Explain clearly." Wei Wuyin rolled his eyes. King and Kratos were definitely the most arrogant of the four, with the former being prideful and vicious while the latter was prideful and arrogant. He enjoyed Ori's playful enthusiasm and directness the most. The others tend to act mysterious and conceal their ignorance in vagueness.

"If YOU need a portal, just make one!" Kratos shouted with vigor.

For a moment, Wei Wuyin felt a buzz in his ears as if he was struck with an epiphany.

Void Gate…

Dao of Void…

Draconic Void Astral Soul…

His eyes brightened to inconceivable levels.