The Myriad Yore Continent was a vast, daunting landmass surrounded by oceanic waters. It was divided into six countries, three mountain ranges, and one grand forest. Each country spanned millions of kilometers, divided into further various domains and states.
The Scarlet Solaris Domain was one domain amongst the nine total in the Wu Country, which was further divided into various lands of territory such as cities, towns, villages, lakes, and individual mountains - like the Scarlet Solaris Mountain.
It was a small blip in regards to the entirety of the Myriad Yore Continent.
There were seven others like it: Jade Lotus Domain, Sky Sword Domain, Aqua Lotus Domain, Hidden Shadow Domain, Gaia State, Ji State, and White Wind Valley.
All of these locations held Godlord-level figures standing behind them. The Bai Clan, one of the two great clans, controlled the White Wind Valley. The Ji Clan, also one of the two great clans, controlled the Ji State.
While the final power, the Hidden Shadow Domain, belonged to a loose alliance of cultivators who strived for independence within the country, far from accepting the power structure of the Five Great Sects & Two Great Clans.
They were the strongest power amongst the forces, with a Mortal Godking, a Ninth Stage of Qi Condensation Realm expert, holding down the fort and leading the way. Even the Wu Central Lands, and by extension the Wu Imperial Clan, avoided open conflict with the alliance.
Wei Wuyin sat quietly upon Bai Lin as she glided through the skies. Su Mei was next to him, her eyes closed. She was cultivating by absorbing the refined essence within an essence stone. Despite her vulnerable state, she cultivated wholeheartedly beside Wei Wuyin. To her, this was the safest place to cultivate.
They had been traveling for several days already, but there was a definitive issue that Wei Wuyin hadn't solved: where to go.
The Scarlet Solaris Sect had been his home, but now he was untethered and free. Before then…
His previous home was the Wei Clan. It was a clan located in Red Dove City. They were subordinates to the Saber Wolf Sect, a subordinate to the Scarlet Solaris Sect. However, the Saber Wolf Sect and Wei Clan had long since ceased to exist.
He was alone.
His eyes were calm as he recalled his past. A crushing sensation emerged in his heart, forcing himself to well up in a sense of despair and loss. These feelings and emotions were immediately pushed deep into his heart, hidden and suppressed once more as it had been before.
"The Wu Country is vast, and I haven't seen all of it yet. Leaving too early without doing all the things I've wanted to do since young would be too hasty." As he thought this, he looked at his right arm:
Karmic Luck Value: 602.8.
First Calamity: Survived - 7/7.
Second Calamity: Suppressed - 41 Years.
"...I have thirty-nine years before I face the second calamity, and I may not be as lucky as I was with the first." Wei Wuyin had this responsibility forced into his hands, unable to walk away or escape from the title of an Inheritor of Sin. However, according to the skeleton, it should've waited until he'd reached the Realm of Sages.
At that time, he could cultivate the third scripture, Soul of True Sin and could use sin to cultivate the soul. The only reason it interfered was because his natural karmic luck made it impossible for him to avoid his upcoming calamity, ensuring his untimely demise. Likely, since he didn't know what an Inheritor of Sin was, if he was killed, forget passing it along, he couldn't even curse his murderer.
Now, he was entirely inadequate to survive the trials. He had zero confidence in passing the second trial. Therefore, he decided to live like he had a clock on his remaining life: 39 Years.
"Since this is the case, I'll live as I wish. One of my goals is seeing the Imperial Capital City in the Wu Central Lands!" His eyes that had an innate calm quietly lit up with anticipation.
When he was younger, his older brother had always talked about the majesty of the capital. He was but a child when his brother had ventured into the capital, exploring the world, and lived his life to the fullest. His achievements and beliefs were why Wei Wuyin had become a cultivator, why he had strived without end for power and status.
"Brother, I'll finally see the capital!" He exclaimed in his heart. A gentle smile emerged on his face.
"Lord Wei," Su Mei awoke from her cultivation and saw Wei Wuyin's gentle expression. She had been stunned into a stupor, subconsciously calling out for him.
Wei Wuyin turned towards her, a rare warmth emerged in his heart. Su Mei had left behind everything without question to journey with him. He didn't know her feelings, whether romantic or strictly platonic, but he was grateful for her.
While he had Bai Lin, it would be lonely without human companions alongside him. Especially if these were his final four decades of life in this world.
"You don't have to address me as Lord Wei. You can call me by my name, Su Mei." His words held his truest feelings. In normal etiquette, calling your direct superior by his name was considered disrespectful and affront to their superior status.
However, they were no longer the leader and his subordinate in his eyes. He no longer had that status.
Su Mei calmly looked into Wei Wuyin's eyes. She didn't break away from her serene stare for a long time. "You misunderstand. When you took me in on that day, I swore to always follow by your side, as a soldier, maid, whatever you required. You'll always be my Lord, Lord Wei."
Wei Wuyin was taken aback when he heard this, recalling that day in a flash. He sighed with relief in his heart. He said with a hearty laugh, "Thank you. I won't disrespect your intentions then."
Su Mei smiled. She no longer was an average woman, possessing beautiful and a valiant look that could move the hearts of men.
Wei Wuyin understood what she wanted to convey, and it comforted his heart. Thinking a bit, he said: "Do you know what happened to Wei Si?"
Su Mei's smile froze unnaturally, and she softly sighed. This caused Wei Wuyin's heart to twitch, but he still wanted to know. Wei Si wasn't his true cousin, as in they weren't blood related. Instead, he was adopted by his uncle when they were younger. Supposedly, they had found him near a river when he was just a baby.
No one knew he would grow up with such a unique physique and appearance. While others had treated him as an outcast and outsider, Wei Wuyin had always seen him as the loveable and naive little cousin, and thus cared for him.
Su Mei answered, "When you left, Wei Si had waited for your return. He stayed and cultivated as you said, but after a while, you didn't return. When news of your certain death had been revealed, he went berserk. Something inside him...broke." At the end, her voice shifted in tone, sounding depressed and unsure.
"What?!" Wei Wuyin's eyes snapped open with a fiercely questioning glance. Wei Si and him were incredibly close, like brothers even. He had always taken care of him since young, guiding him and ensuring he had what he needed in life. His heart quivered when he learned he went berserk.
As if feeling his emotions, Bai Lin screeched with sadness and anger. Without being ordered, she slowed her flight speed in mid-air. She seemed ready to perform a u-turn and return to the sect at a moment's notice. She had met Wei Si and he was such a weird softy, and she would often play with him. Despite his large appearance, he was like a righteous and lovable teddy bear.
Wei Wuyin felt her emotions. His own was just as intense as his qi started to circulate faster. It was as if all Su Mei had to say was that the sect harmed Wei Si and he would return to the sect and slaughter them to the last. All of them. His eyes told that much as he looked to her for further answers.
Su Mei felt that intense gaze and slightly shivered from the suppressed killing intent. She felt as if her next words could determine the fates of millions, and this feeling was as vivid as her heartbeat.
She hastily explained, "I'm not sure what happened, but I do know the Scarlet Solaris Mountain suffered damage after. I can't say the extent, but the Ancestral Elder was said to have come out to prevent Wei Si from causing further destruction. However, in the end, Wei Si escaped."
"What?! The Ancestral Elder came out and he still escaped? How?" He couldn't hide his disbelief, even Bai Lin let out a confused whimper. After all, the Ancestral Elder was a legitimate Godlord while the Wei Si was only at the First Stage of the Qi Condensation Realm, with a body that could rival Third Phase experts. He was far from being his match, nor had the ability to retreat while facing such an enemy.
"I'm not sure on the details, because the sect formation activated and even I had to retreat. I do know, however, that someone had broken through the barrier and took him away," Su Mei said with helplessness. She had only heard the general recounting of the story, except for the last bit.
The formation had ceased abruptly and she personally saw Wei Si brought away by a dark brown ray of light.
Wei Wuyin frowned throughout her story, but the confusion piled on.
"I wonder…" he slowly pondered and then asked, "how long did this happen?"
"Five years and ten months ago," Su Mei answered swiftly. If Wei Wuyin wanted to know the exact day, she knew that too.
His pupils constricted, and he had an idea. Could it be that when Wei Si went berserk, he had called upon something? Whatever happened, in the end, he had escaped and broken the spiritual formations and qi arrays of the sect.
Wu Xinghong had to have been injured then, right?.
"Before Mei Mei returned?" He added on another question.
Su Mei nodded her head, then added: "Three months before he left, exactly. When she returned, the Helios Witch had also joined the sect in an official capacity."
"I see." He felt like he knew a little more about what happened, such as what was responsible for the Ancestral Elder's current state, and even the Helios Witch's return. In fact, he could've called in a chit of sorts to have her reside in until he recovered.
After all, the Helios Witch had to have some interactions with the Scarlet Solaris Sect if she had returned to heal Mei Mei before. While he knew he was still ignorant of quite a few things, he assumed some of the events.
He soft sighed. The only thing he could do was hope Wei Si was okay. However, if he was dead, then he was dead. If he was alive, then he would be alive. He didn't dwell. As someone with a ticking clock on life, he didn't feel the need to overreact or make any immature promises as he did before. While it might sound cold-hearted, he didn't have the luxury, time, or ability to search the world for him.
He softly rubbed Bai Lin's back. She promptly resumed her flight path.
"We're going to the Wu Central Lands!" Wei Wuyin said, his eyes glowing with anticipation.
Su Mei nodded obediently. Wherever Wei Wuyin would go, she would follow.
Wei Wuyin couldn't wait to see the landmarks known throughout the country, the Wu Astral Tower, the Jade Pearl Lake, and the Warring States Pagoda. These were just three of the many places he wished to see. Outside of those places, there were people.
In the Wu Country, there was a lifestyle-type force that ranked cultivators of prominent renown and status. It included any force that had a Mortal God-level figure standing behind it. One of these ranking lists was a beauty ranking.
According to the list, the top three beauties of Wu Country were the Granddaughter of the Aqua Siren, who was the descendant of the Godlord of the Aqua Echo Sect, the Bai Clan's White Holy Priestess, who was a Mortal God, and the youngest Princess of Wu: Wu Baozhai.
That was ten years ago. When he had learned those names still hadn't been moved from the ranking list, his desire to see them grew even further.
"Bai Lin, faster!" Wei Wuyin impatiently urged.