"Little Boss?! Who?" Xiao Bing started. Who dared to call Wei Wuyin, the Neo-Dawn Alchemic Sovereign, whispered by the elites as the Oathless Cmity, leader of the Ascendants, and a mortal that could y Ascended beings as little boss?! She had kept herself deeply apprised of all Wei Wuyin''s unimaginable feats since she regained her freedom in the Bing n, so this greeting startled her.


    Wei Wuyin was unable to contain his warm smile that leaked with unconcerned tion. The only existence in this world that still had the gumption to refer to him as anything other than his Majesty, Young Lord, Young Master, or Alchemic Sovereign Wei was only that endlessly familiar grey-bearded old man.


    Wei Wuyin turned to see him—Tuo Bihan! The old man was stylish with a moon-white robe, his long hair tied back, and his grey beard was trimmed. He had changed considerably from before, regaining some of his youthful exuberance and handsomeness of his past. Yet despite that, the casual air of an elder that slept at random ces carelessly remained. Despite being in contact, Wei Wuyin hadn''t personally met Tuo Bihan since he gave him the assignment to distribute those spiritual letters.


    He had performed this task astonishingly.


    "Old man," Wei Wuyin called out. Xiao Bing was instantly stunned, she instantly recognized Tuo Bihan, the former Grand Imperial Sage of the Myriad Monarch Sect! After the World-Shifting Net''s secret realm, she hadn''t seen him or heard of him since.


    Tuo Bihan arrived before them, his sporadic naming sense aside, he was utterly wless with his respectful greeting and gesture. The old man had been one of Wei Wuyin''s first subordinates, amongst the first of the Ascendants, and he had operated as such since obtaining the title.


    "Are you our escort?" Wei Wuyin inquired curiously. He had thought it would be an Ascended being of the Ma n, this minor branch''s manager, but Tuo Bihan had arrived instead.


    "Haha, I am." Tuo Bihanughed boisterously. After having his Worldly Domain crushed by Ma Sujiang, the Golden Life Pavilion provided him with a rich environment, resources, and a variety of other tools to recover and grow stronger. It was Ma Zheng''s way to appease Wei Wuyin''s possible resentment toward the event. After all, attacking the messenger was a deeply disrespectful act.


    "You''re this minor branch''s manager?" Xiao Bing asked, her astonishment fading as she regarded Tuo Bihan as one of Wei Wuyin''s subordinates. This was the branch established to oversee the operations within the Vermillion Domain. It was rare for an Ascended being to not head the department.


    "Temporarily," Tuo Bihan said mysteriously with a sly look in his eyes. "The Vermillion Domain''s minor branch has more or less been closed down, so there''s not much to it."


    "Closed down?"


    "Yeah. Since their assault on Bai Lin in the Ninestars Starfield, business with the Tang n has been plummeting. The Golden Life Pavilion first elevated all prices of their merchandise, and then various shipments to resupply were diverted elsewhere. After Pavilion Master Ma gained the seat, the branch is a mere shadow of its original brilliance, with all imports stalled or stupidly overpriced." Tuo Bihan chuckled. "You wanted information about the Vermillion Domain?"


    Wei Wuyin hadn''t kept himself informed of the Golden Life Pavilion and Tang n''s rtions, so he was a little shocked by the development, albeit he expected it. Ma Zheng was very proactive in handling his matters and establishing firm lines even when he was just a Branch Manager.


    The trio soon left, entering a Voidship as they shot towards the Vermillion Domain''s capital, Unity. It gave off a reddish hue that felt as if it would be naturally hot.


    During their journey, Xiao Bing and Wei Wuyin learned a lot about the Vermillion Domain. It was rife with internal conflicts and battles. After their failed attempt at seizing Bai Lin, they suffered monstrous losses, and many elite members were severely injured, killed, or crippled. This caused the power bnce among the upper echelon of the Tang n to go berserk.


    Furthermore, the Tang n had subordinate ns, sects, and associations throughout theirnds like most Domains of the Aeternal Sky Starfield, and these organizations further divided the Tang n into various elites by siding with various members. The fight for resources grew, and the Golden Life Pavilion''s stance of reducing their business further crushed the morale of the Vermillion Domain.


    While the Tang n was tethered to the Imperial n, they had been suffering cold shoulders recently from thetter.


    "Why? Aren''t they interconnected with various marriages and blood rtions?" Xiao Bing couldn''t help but ask. Given the Tang n''s history with the Imperial n, it should be difficult for them to receive any form of a cold shoulder.


    Tuo Bihan shook his head, "It''s because of the various marriages and blood rtions that their rtionship had grown awkward. It has to do with the Young Mistress of the Tang n, Tang Xingyun, and the current leader of the Tang n—the Seventh Generation Matriarch."


    "Oh?" Xiao Bing''s interest was instantly piqued.


    Tuo Bihan exined: "Unlike the Bing n, the Tang n''s marriages have more or less been refused."


    "Trying to break away from their destiny as Yin Cauldrons?" Wei Wuyin said.


    "Yes," Tuo Bihan confirmed, "and this has been going on for a while. The Tang n''s currently established marriages are all exceptionally old, with many having died due to cultivation difficulties or age. Thest marriage between the Tang n and Imperial n dated back about six thousand years. Since then, there have been no other engagements. Except one, Tang Xingyun."


    "Why?" Xiao Bing couldn''t fathom this. She hadn''t heard anything about this at all. During her studies, the Bing n''s instructor had referred to the Tang n as being in the same situation as them, tethered to the Imperial n by marriage. The Bing n has insanely deep interconnected marriages and even sought out actively entering into the Tian n''s harem.


    Wei Wuyin decided to throw out a guess, "the King of Everlore?" Xiao Bing started. What does he have to do with this?


    "Oh!" Tuo Bihan was ecstatic by Wei Wuyin''s intellect once more. The breadcrumbs here and there were almost always grasped by this young man, and it was borderline terrifying. "You''re correct, the King of Everlore had interfered with the process. I don''t know why or how exactly, but after the King of Everlore grew in prominence, the Tang n gained the freedom to decide their fate as a whole and the Imperial n allowed it. The only exception was Tang Xingyun."


    "Why her?"


    "She''s the firstborn of the Seventh Generation Vermillion, the Matriarch of the Tang n, and this was an agreement the Divine Emperor himself had orchestrated. His Seventh ''officially recognized'' son would be engaged to her firstborn. I also heard that the Divine Emperor had originally intended to not recognize a seventh son, but Tian Yinwu was simply too outstanding. As for the Seventh Generation Vermillion, she had simrly sworn off from having children to avoid that situation, but love and desire for partnership weren''t something one can resist so easily, and she had a child. It''s almost as if it was-"


    "..heavenly fate," Xiao Bing interrupted Tuo Bihan, who solemnly nodded and bitterly smiled.


    "I always thought the Tang n and Bing n had simr situations. To think the Tang n had shed off their status as Yin Cauldrons for the Imperial Elites long ago." Wei Wuyin thoughtfully and admirably said. He could guess that the Tang n had offered something to the King of Everlore to gain their independence.


    "But why wouldn''t they willingly agree? The Imperial n is outstanding, it''s rare for women to choose to marry down when they have the chance to marry up, right?" Xiao Bing instantly keyed into a critical point.


    "Perceptive! The answer is rtively simple when you think about it, littless: the Tang n isn''t the only one that''s refusing to marry; the Imperial n has decided to sever their rtions as well, likely forbidden by the Divine Emperor himself. It might have to do with the King of Everlore''s interference or the utter disrespect they disyed by trying to distance themselves after receiving support using an outside force." Tuo Bihan thoughtfully exined as he considered which was more likely.


    "Howe you know about it? Why isn''t this information well-known throughout the world?" Xiao Bing was unable to figure out why she was taught otherwise.


    "The Tang n wants to be protected," Wei Wuyin answered instead.


    "Correct!" Tuo Bihan eximed admiringly. "Little Lass, the Tang n, or any of the factions of the Aeternal Sky Starfield, do not operate solely in this starfield. The Imperial n''s alliance is a shield of unimaginable value. The world outside is dangerous with little protection, especially when ites to a contest for resources. If you take away the Imperial n, the Tang n is certainly powerful, but not enough to contend for high-end resources, perhaps they would struggle for resources in its own territory. If the Parasitic ns of the True Element Sect tells you anything, it''s not hard to make the Tang n a puppet for benefits.


    "Recently, the Ravenous Edge Starfield''s division of territory and resources could be used as a perfect example. If it wasn''t for this false protection, the Tang n or its subordinates wouldn''t have been able to involve themselves in it. Only forces with backings of Earthly Saints could''ve participated and taken a tiny piece of such a delicious pie.


    "As for why you don''t know and I do? Well, the organizations who do know are all under oaths. I, Tuo Bihan, am under no oath; I am an Ascendant." The old man rubbed his beard as he looked at Wei Wuyin smilingly. There was a reason why the world feared Wei Wuyin as an Oathless Cmity, just Wu Yu was enough to instill fear and insecurity, but the unregted information was likely more terrifying.


    Wei Wuyin could, without hesitation, leak this information and the Tang n''s area of operation would shrink after learning of how distant they were from the Imperial n.


    "This exins why the Tang n received no help from any force when they hunted Bai Lin and why every force waited with bated breath for their failure," Wei Wuyin remarked with a tinge of amusement in his tone. If all the elite forces knew of their situation, why would they help? They had no real support, and offending the behemoth that was the Ninestar Starfield or an Earthly Saint, why would they?


    It was as if an invisible piece of a puzzle had suddenly lost all its concealments enabling one to see the greater picture. Why hadn''t the Imperial n assisted the Tang n during their operation? If they grew in strength, as Yin Cauldrons, wouldn''t they also receive an explosive boost? Now it was clear as to the reason why.


    "So the Tang n''s situation must be increasingly worsening," Xiao Bing concluded with a tone rife with concern. Hong Ru was with the Tang n…


    "Indeed, it has. Indeed…it has…" Tuo Bihan said as they neared Unity. The''s atmosphere was chaotic, seething, and exuded a heat that affected the Dark Void.


    "This…" All three of them were stunned.


    The was at war!