Paragon of Sin

Time flowed on and there was merely seven days left before the Gateway Door expedition was to be held, causing the Myriad Monarch Sect and Elemental Heaven Pavilion to be raving with activity to prepare their disciples. No one knew of the dangers that might be met within or if it'll be a disaster or an opportunity for these disciples. It was this sensation of venturing into the unknown that invigorated the spirits of these disciples, believing that the unknown always held extreme riches waiting to be plundered.

After all, Gateway Doors were merely spatial entrances that led to tiny worlds that were formed by Realmlords or higher. Realmlords were renowned for their Worldly Domain and Spatial Force, and with the latter, they could slice into the folds of space and isolate an area sufficient to house a tiny world.

These tiny worlds were divided into two types: Secret Realms and World Realms. The secret realms were often the locations that Realmlords, Timelords, and Starlords established as the storage unit for their Storage Rings. There were very few true spatial rings in existence, such as Wei Wuyin's, that contained their own independent realms.

Storage Rings were mobile keys and doors to locations in the real world, and acted as miniature-like Void Gates that brought items and objects from one location to the other. It was extremely easy to fashion, even Qi Condensation cultivators can form a small, elementary formation using space-attributed essence stones and materials.

These secret realms often contain an unfathomable amount of wealth and resources within. Those left by ancient experts who had their storage rings destroyed or simply died without extracting everything, leaving growing herbs behind.

This was the case for some secret realms left behind by Ancient Experts from older eras, and the four hegemonic forces had these uniquely constructed secret realms as well where they safely stored their most precious objects and wealth. This was their 'vault'.

The second, World Realms, were true tiny worlds that could range from the size of a continental flat earth or a planet with its own ecosystem, but it required an extreme amount of effort and resources to establish. These realms were often used as a training field for disciples or an escape plan for the expert's lineage.

The four hegemonic forces had several Gateway Doors leading to secret and  world realms established by Wu Yu and the other Grand Monarchs, and the secret realm stored all their most valuable treasures and legacies, while world realms contained their descendants or training locations. If the forces were ever besieged and destroyed one day, they could retreat within and survive in secret.

Finding Gateway Doors was exceptionally difficult. It required a little bit of luck.and a sufficient cultivation base that rivaled its creator. Even then, it might take up to a century of searching to accurately pinpoint it. Only those who had the means to find it or knew its location could find it with ease.

Therefore, everyone was extremely excited about this Gateway Door, knowing that regardless of the reason for its construction, they won't suffer a loss as long as they had a little bit of luck. After all, training locations or storages of treasures were the dreams for cultivators.

While this event neared, there was a planet within the starfield called Myriad Transformations. It was small in size, having a diameter of twenty thousand kilometers. There were some flat continental earths, such as the Myriad Yore Continent, that had larger surface areas. From afar, it held a unique beauty as its waters reflected a crystalline light.

It looked like a jewel in the far distance, precious and beautiful.

It was named after the founder of the Alchemist Association, and it was said to have been created by his request using the effort of numerous Starlords. There were numerous Starlords of the old era that had tried their hands at creating a planet, but many failed. There were even some Mystic Ascendants that hadn't achieved this feat. Even the Bloodforge Emperor only successfully constructed a continent for his descendants, the Bloodforge Continent.

The name, Myriad Transformations, was called this due to the Alchemist Title of the Founder, the Myriad Transformations All-Alchemist. He was one of the few alchemists, alongside the King of Everlore, that held the right to obtain the 'All' attached to their title.

It meant they had the ability to concoct each of the four products to their grade with astonishing success rates. Only the most talented and extraordinary alchemists of their generation can obtain that prefix. Unfortunately, the Myriad Transformations All-Alchemist was born after the King of Everlore had long since departed.

He was recorded as an Emperor Alchemist with an Alchemic Soul, having never ascended to the Astral Core Realm due to his lack of a Everlore Ascension Pill. The Alchemist Association had been built by him as a way to protect alchemists who sought the Alchemic Dao, braving the weakness of an Alchemic Soul.

He had forged numerous Starlords in his limited lifespan, establishing connections that would last for millennia to come. As it still stood today, remaining as a neutral force, this was evidence of its legacy. Furthermore, it was said that the Alchemist Association was the only reason that the cultivation society hadn't devolved further. If he hadn't forged loyal cultivators to protect alchemists, who knew what could've happened.

There were even faint whispers of forcing others to cultivate Alchemic Souls to mass produce products, making pill slaves. If it wasn't for the Alchemist Association, no, the Myriad Transformations All-Alchemist's foresight, who knew what would've happened to the Alchemic Dao.

He was widely heralded by Alchemists as the savior of the Alchemic Dao. It was woefully unfortunate that his cultivation was limited, making his life exceptionally short.

The headquarters of the Alchemist Association was located on Myriad Transformations and had been since it was formed. Despite its small size, none of the hegemonic forces would underestimate its Planetary Formation. With the wealth of alchemists, they certainly had the most complex and invested formation that had been worked on by generations of elite formationists through the eras.

On this planet, there was a Void Gate before a grand tower that touched the clouds. The tower was white with various beautiful markings of seven different colors that correlated to the Alchemic Dao over its surface. It glimmered with a faint radiance that made it seem like a holy object descended from beyond the heavens.

There were tens of thousands of alchemists dressed in uniform robes standing before the Void Gate, many squirmed about in anxiety. On their uniforms was the elegant embroidery of a cauldron shooting out stars. They anxiously looked at the Void Gate as if expecting the arrival of a great figure. With their current orderly formation and proper wear, they were well prepared for a grand welcome.

At the forefront of this group was a handsome middle-aged male with a seemingly unshakable calm disposition and lofty demeanor. He stood upright, as if pride and tranquility was etched into his very bones. His pair of cyan eyes and short golden hair paired extremely well with his milky white skin and pointed ears. As an elf, he was a fine member of his species.

Beside him was a young elven woman with a veil concealing her outstanding looks, as if trying to spare the pain of men and women alike who saw her but were unable to even touch. Her daintily slim form and ample bosoms allowed her too to be a fine member of her species.

Qingye Yun and Qingye Ying were calmly observing the Void Gate. While normally a Void Gate was a one-way portal, if there were restrictive formations set on the planet to prevent abrupt invasions and one did not have a unique Void Disk to bypass this formation, they would need to connect two Void Gates together.

This was why they were all here, all waiting for a single person to arrive.

Rooommmvvvvv!

Weeeeengg!

Various sounds resounded from the Void Gate, causing the hearts of those present to clench. The initiation of various internal gears were seemingly spinning and formations were revolving.

The Void Gate started to flash with silver light, and its silver arc's empty space started to rapidly flash with colorful, dazzlingly attractive lights. A thin, multicolored curtain started to descend from the top of the arc to the floor. If anyone was sensitive to bright and colorful lights and were prone to seizures, these flashing lights would induce them with a hundred percent certainty.

A figure soon emerged from this curtain.

A collective gasp and various murmurs sounded.

As the figure emerged, its silver eyes swept the surrounding curiously. "I'm finally here," the figure whispered as its eyes were attracted to the giant silver tower that radiated a majestic holiness.

Qingye Yun's emotions stirred, but in the end, he calmly smiled and said respectfully with a slight bow. "The Alchemist Association's Grand Association Master, Qingye Yun, greets Ascendant Emperor Wei! Welcome!"

Qingye Ying followed directly after, "The Alchemist Association's Saintess, Qingye Ying, greets Ascendant Emperor Wei! Welcome!"

Then, a collective kneel resounded from the alchemists of all ages, races, and genders. It was as if there was no difference between them as they were one, those who pursued the Alchemic Dao.

"THE ALCHEMIST ASSOCIATION GREETS THE ASCENDANT EMPEROR, WELCOME!" They shouted in practiced unison, creating an awe-inspiring scene. With all of them kneeling, it was extremely impressive.

Wei Wuyin's robes fluttered from the sheer wind generated by their voices. A faint smile formed on his face, "And what a welcome it is."