Paragon Of Sin Chapter 1988 Chapter 1980: Brutality of War

The horrifying vista unfolding ahead resembled a terrifying inferno, a stark reminder of war's wicked nature—the grueling labor, the heavy toll, and the lives offered up to propel advancement and sustain the strife—a shattered terrain littered with blood-soaked, twisted, and fragmented remains. This ghastly panorama had the power to chill blood in the veins, and Tilly endured that chilling effect completely. Even with her role as an Entry Moderator, she seldom ventured into the heart of the fray or confronted the wild atrocities lingering afterward.

With hands clasped over her mouth, Tilly shook noticeably amid the thousands of fallen. A sturdy hand softly grasped her shoulder, delivering a refreshing wave of solace and security. She pressed nearer, discovering reassurance in the closeness; it was solely then that her quivers from dread ceased.

Wei Wuyin's eyes remained steady, methodically scanning the scattered bodies and ruined structures with detached indifference. This area was meant to serve as a 'safe zone'. Though it lacked any unique safeguards under battlefield regulations, it functioned as a reinforced base for strategy and coordination, hosting a military outpost for one faction. Moreover, it lay profoundly entrenched within allied lands captured and held secure for hundreds of years or longer.

For such a stronghold to crumble, the foes had not just pierced far inward but advanced with ruthless force, decimating these troops and leaders in droves. The structures had been reinforced using Essence of War, infused with Metal, Earth, and Wood Intent reaching the World Heart Intent stage, akin to materials of Mystic-World quality. The attackers displayed fearsome power even under the crushing limits of the Ascendant Battlefield.

Wei Wuyin advanced a few paces, carefully shifting the bodies out of the way, probing the destruction via his Spiritual Sense. Leveraging his time-based awareness and sharp intellect, he swiftly reconstructed ghostly echoes of the conflict with uncanny precision. The phantoms surged and charged, battled, collided, guarded, perished, endured, pleaded, and bellowed with the desperate fervor of creatures clinging to existence. Their ferocity proved both savage and alarming.

Every warrior here was an Ascended entity enduring the heavy constraints of the Ascendant Battlefield, and although the suppression exceeded that of the Stellar Battlefield, their displayed might outstripped ordinary humans by leaps. Numerous could soar through the air or deploy techniques, spells, and wield mystic tools, much like the leaders in the Stellar Battlefield. They wielded immense power, equipped with innate survival methods from their cultivation level, and a bold assurance stemming from their grasp of their own capabilities to join the fray and persist.

Fatalities occurred infrequently. Much less often than in the Stellar Battlefield, where Astral Core Realm experts perished in massive waves every moment. But right now, sprawled out before him, lay countless Ascended figures cut down in numbers surpassing hundreds of thousands. The vision he pieced together revealed several key hints.

To start, a far smaller force compared to the outpost's defenders had caused this, as injuries showed uniform patterns from identical arms and energies. This pointed to a lone Battalion, around a thousand fighters strong. They operated with seamless harmony, aiding and bolstering one another, even rescuing comrades with exact timing while felling opponents.

They employed strategies Wei Wuyin recognized well, ones he'd used in his own campaign in the Heavenly Realm of War, drawing on the core mysteries of the Law of War. The key elements involved Banner Intent and Siege Intent, led by an exceptional Commander. Their bond felt instinctive, with flawless teamwork, probably linked through heightened senses and thoughts, perhaps sharing messages mentally or via Intent.

He further observed that the elite Battalion's gear outclassed that of the fallen. The defenders' protections and blades lay cracked, demolished, or fractured. Given that most of these defenses and weapons were crafted from Essence of War—the sole substance untouched by the pervasive suppressive aura—they must have incorporated an Apex-Level Intent in their creation.

Just like Elemental Intents, including Absolute Hot Fire Intent and Absolute Zero Ice Intent, various Intents featured different tiers of refinement, yet all demanded similar effort to grasp and offered more adaptability. A cultivator's Sword or Saber Intent could reach Apex-level through its sheer potency.

For instance, Wei Wuyin's Saber Intent captured the core of 'conclusion' in its sharpness. The Omega Saber Intent qualified as an Apex-level Intent. Still, while Wei Wuyin relied on terms he knew from the Material Dao, particularly the War Dao, he understood that elsewhere the formal label was 'Limitless' Intent. It signified boundless possibilities, a prestigious rank achieved via superior essence and force.

Finally, the remains were exclusively from the allied side. Though certain phantom assailants fell to frantic counters or demanded groups of dozens to subdue due to their prowess, the invaders had removed their casualties entirely, without leaving even a strand of hair. Not a trace of their blood could be detected.

'Did they even bleed?'

As his eyebrows knitted, Tilly courageously navigated over the bodies to reach Wei Wuyin's position and inquired in a hesitant but intrigued tone, "Who could have done this?" She sought clarity; her insights and comprehension fell well short of the man standing there.

Wei Wuyin drew in a soft breath, releasing it as he eyed the sky tinged faintly red with thick blood essence. "So it's begun, huh?" His words caused Tilly's eyebrows to lift.

"What's begun?" Tilly couldn't grasp it. What had ignited this slaughter?

Wei Wuyin's gaze grew a touch dimmer, "The race for the last Daospark." His eyes shifted to the distant edge, detecting a chaotic vibration in the atmosphere heavy with impending doom and hopelessness, all driven by the drive of the supreme talents, his voice turning grave as he added: "A storm of blood and death is coming."

Tilly felt her pulse quicken inexplicably under some profound pull. Her eyes turned instinctively to the horizon, narrowing as she spotted distant silhouettes. She shuddered. Dropping her gaze, she noticed a fractured blade embedded in a body vibrate faintly. That same vibration seemed to span the gap, climbing from her feet up her limbs, waist, and into her chest.

"That's..." Her expression drained of color the instant she comprehended the implication. Her head jerked up as an urge to escape surged in her spirit.

Wei Wuyin remained unmoved, merely easing his fingers onto his saber's grip as the Law of War awakened inside him. "Is there a way to locate others through their War Souls, or better yet, the Identity Runes we hold to contain them?"

"Wha-? What?" Tilly recoiled from the sudden query, her vision capturing the forms of countless human-like shapes barreling toward them with savage speed. They were hundreds of miles off, but their ferocious advance shook the ground enough for her to sense it from afar. Yet she reflexively responded to Wei Wuyin's inquiries or offered details to feel of value. Thus, she replied almost on instinct: "There shouldn't be-No. Wait. There might be a way!"

Wei Wuyin produced his Identity Runes housing his War Souls gathered from the Stellar and Ascendant Battlefield. An impressive count dwelled inside his Identity Runes. Whereas the Stellar Battlefield's Identity Rune held solely Stellar-grade War Souls, the Ascendant Battlefield's contained Ascendant-grade War Souls.

"I remember now! I've heard rumors that a Supreme Seer had invented a Soul Scrying Tool to locate War Souls. However, they were only viable beyond the Battlefield. Some of the Entry Moderators had found them, but they were ineffective due to environmental suppression prevalent in all Battlefields."

"So that's what this is." In Wei Wuyin's grasp sat a metal compass about twice his palm's width, just graspable in one hand, featuring a hemispherical green lattice with evenly spaced black markings. At its core gleamed two radiant golden points like stars, pulsing vividly. He'd discovered this device amid several bodies.

The core points probably represented him. The luminous stars on its face corresponded to his Identity Runes. A nearer inspection revealed a separate spot for Tilly, but it shone white. This could imply her Identity Rune varied, suited to her Entry Moderator status, and thus unclaimable.

"It won't be precise!" Tilly warned while suppressing her flight instinct.

"It isn't," Wei Wuyin agreed, as the lattice offered little detail on the War Souls within his Identity Runes, noting that from its outer detection limit, perhaps several hundred miles out, the rapid-approaching shadows appeared as a cluster of a thousand stars. All equal in brightness. Though his outshone them slightly, the difference was minimal.

"Is that...is that it?" Tilly asked.

Wei Wuyin pocketed the Soul Scrying Tool. "Stay here." Issuing that command, he steadily advanced toward the approaching foes. These were Ascended warriors vying for the Daospark, undoubtedly the cream of the crop. From their surging intent to kill, they'd witnessed endless bloodshed and combat.

In essence, they embodied vital war prizes ripe for harvest and ideal for honing skills.

Wei Wuyin softly summoned, "Athena."