Disregard

At the Zixiao Institute. Yaoguang channeled the power of his Origin Spirit, guiding Yun Lai, Wei Yan, Lu Yuan, and the other Grandmasters of Artifact Refining in the rapid assembly of the export version of the modified Zixiao Type 12. "Once this batch of flying swords is complete, half of our production quota for the Golden Divine Temple will be fulfilled." His mood was exceptionally relaxed. Three thousand flying swords. With deliveries scheduled in cycles of three hundred, four batches had already been fulfilled. Soon, the fifth delivery would take place. Every single handover brought in an influx of over a million spirit stones. One had to admit, this business was immensely lucrative. Of course, it was mainly so profitable because Elder Pan Qi had offered an exorbitant price. Other factions might not be willing to pay such a steep premium for top-grade spirit artifact flying swords. Only Treasure Weapon-grade flying swords usually commanded such figures. Still, orders meant earning spirit stones. With spirit stones, cultivators no longer had to pinch pennies during cultivation. Spirit-gathering arrays could be upgraded, and the various other formations throughout the city could be reinforced as well. With an abundance of spirit stones, arrays could even be kept running routinely at low intensity, using their power to modulate the local weather and ensure favorable winds and timely rains across the region. Not to mention procuring superior pills and materials to enhance cultivation efficiency. For an immortal cultivation sect, spirit stones were the sole universal energy currency. Control the spirit stones, and you control the future. Once the day's refinement work drew to a close, Yun Lai hurried over, his face beaming with a broad smile. "First Seat, wonderful news!" Delight was written all over his face. "Relying on the edge provided by the modified Zixiao Type 12, Elder Pan Qi completely wiped out an armed faction backed by his old rival! This feat has made the other elders green with envy. Another elder has already approached our sect's Artifact Refining Hall, intending to purchase six hundred flying swords!" "Oh?" Although six hundred was far less than Elder Pan Qi's three thousand, it undeniably proved that the export version of the modified Zixiao Type 12 flying sword had won the Golden Divine Temple's approval. Once the elders wielding these flying swords grew increasingly powerful, would the other elders dare hesitate to place their own orders? "Very good. It looks like our Zixiao Institute won't need to worry about orders for quite some time," Yaoguang remarked. "Furthermore, the status of our Zixiao Institute has now been elevated, which means we will receive even greater support from the sect going forward. If we maintain this momentum, our Zixiao Institute might even have a shot at becoming the foremost institute in the Artifact Refining Hall!" As Yun Lai spoke, he glanced at Yaoguang with an eager smile. "When that time comes, First Seat, you can easily leverage these achievements to vie for the position of Vice Hall Master of the Artifact Refining Hall, rise from Vice Hall Master to Hall Master, and perhaps even compete for the post of Vice Sect Master." He wasn't referring to a hall master in the Jiuxiao Domain branch. He meant a hall master of the main sect. With the Zixiao Institute upgraded to a key institute directly governed by the main sect, the weight carried by the First Seat of the Zixiao Institute was already on equal footing with that of the branch Artifact Refining Hall Master. Given the institute's prominence, and since the top hall masters of both the main sect and the branch generally served concurrently as Vice Sect Masters, claiming that his current voice rivaled that of a branch Vice Sect Master was hardly an exaggeration. Along his path of advancement, the next rungs would naturally be Vice Hall Master of the main sect's Artifact Refining Hall, then Hall Master, and eventually Vice Sect Master concurrently serving as Hall Master. A steady ascent, step by step. Naturally, that progression would still take time. Yet as long as Yaoguang maintained this rapid growth... Attaining the rank of Hall Master of the main sect's Artifact Refining Hall—or even Vice Sect Master—was by no means an unattainable dream. "It's still too early. We can talk about those things later. Let's finish handling the orders before us first, lest we keep our distinguished guests waiting too long," Yaoguang replied with a smile. "Right, right, of course we should first..." Master Yun Lai nodded repeatedly. Yet at that very moment, Yaoguang seemed to sense something and snapped his head upward. Immediately after, Yun Lai felt it too. In fact, all the Great Cultivators across Longxiang City simultaneously turned their heads, gazing out of windows and open skies. Accompanied by rippling waves of spiritual energy, a protective barrier radiating a pale blue glow slowly began to rise from the array foundations laid into the ground... It did not ascend quickly, but every fraction it rose seemed to be fueled by an endless torrent of spiritual energy. Every second of the process burned through vast reserves of spirit stones. This was... "The city-defending grand array?!" Yun Lai cried out involuntarily, "Longxiang City was once the greatest city in the Jiuxiao Domain! Its city-defending grand array is a Grade Six formation! Because it's an early-generation design, activating it once drains at least five to six thousand spirit stones, and sustaining it afterward consumes over four hundred stones every hour—and that's without sustaining any attacks! Under fire, the consumption is even steeper... Unless foreign enemies invade, this array is never activated!" "Divine sense can still be used normally in this area, but all transmissions involving communication or mind projection have been completely blocked and intercepted," Yaoguang said abruptly. Then, with absolute certainty, he added, "Something has happened!" No sooner had the words left his mouth than Qin Yi and several Great Cultivators assigned to protect him rushed in. "First Seat Yaoguang, please follow us to the shelters immediately!" "What happened?" Yaoguang asked. Qin Yi hesitated for a brief moment before answering truthfully, "According to word from the sect, a sky-patrol warship is hurtling toward our position at full speed." With that, he urged once more, "Please, come take shelter with us at once." "What about the others?" Yaoguang glanced back toward his living quarters. "Someone will guide them there," Qin Yi assured him. "First Seat Yaoguang, please leave with us first. Our orders are to prioritize your protection above all else," another Great Cultivator pressed. He seemed ready to take action right then and whisk Yaoguang away to safety. Seeing the grave expressions on Qin Yi and the other Great Cultivators, Yaoguang understood that this was no time to squander seconds. He gave a prompt nod and followed them out. "First Seat..." Yun Lai called out, looking as if he wanted to say something more, but in the end he simply declared, "Please rest assured, I won't let the operations of the Zixiao Institute falter." "Good," Yaoguang replied, quickly departing. At that moment across Longxiang City, streaks of sword light shot into the heavens. Numerous Star Lords engaged their astral force fields, stepping through midair to follow alongside the sword lights. Great Cultivators of the Origin Spirit sat at central command posts within the core of the activated array, prepared to reinforce any quarter at a moment's notice. The grand array's sudden deployment and the mobilization of so many Great Cultivators inevitably triggered panic throughout the city. Anyone with an ounce of common sense knew something had gone terribly wrong. In an instant, the once orderly, bustling streets descended into disarray. Collisions broke out in numerous places, even sparking explosions and fires. Cries and shouts echoed through every corner of the city. ... Under Qin Yi's escort, Yaoguang soon arrived at a palace heavily fortified by layer upon layer of arrays. The City Lord of Longxiang City and various other prominent figures were gathered within, stationed at the innermost core of the formation. And it was precisely as he stepped into the palace that Yaoguang, through the shared perception of a modified Zixiao Type 12 flying sword, finally "saw" the culprit behind all this chaos. A warship! A sky-patrol warship over a thousand meters in length, cruising at an altitude of ten thousand meters, brazenly smashing and tearing through the sea of clouds! Not only was the vessel immense, but it was also covered in dense formations, roaring through the air at multiple times the speed of sound. With such colossal mass and terrifying velocity... If it dipped just slightly lower and passed over any of the Jiuxiao Domain's towns that lacked city-defending arrays, the generated shockwave alone would be enough to level them to dust. Even cruising ten thousand meters high, it still appeared overwhelmingly massive. So much so that... The Great Cultivators flying up to intercept it seemed as minuscule as ants before its prow. ... "How were we spotted?" "Was it those four bugs earlier? Did the extinguishing of their life flames tip these people off?" "This is a nuisance. They're prepared!" "So what if they're prepared? Ours is a third-generation sky-patrol warship! At full firepower, tearing through the Grade Six array of their so-called premier city won't take long at all." "This is their territory after all..." As Great Cultivators began appearing outside the warship, varied discussions broke out among the Wuji Astral Palace cultivators aboard. In contrast to the crew, inside the bridge, Captain Qiao Man wore an expression of mild displeasure. He looked toward the deputy captain in charge of navigation. "Mr. Andeli, would you care to explain why, despite running completely dark the entire way, the Jiuxiao Domain still managed to prepare for us? They don't possess a Dharma Idol, after all." "This was my negligence," Andeli replied, bowing his head and candidly accepting the blame. "Captain, what should we do now? According to the charts, we are about to arrive at our destination, Longxiang City. But the city has already locked coordinates and activated its defenses, and outside, quite a few Nine Cauldrons Sect cultivators are assembling," another deputy captain asked. "Do you need me to instruct you on what to do?" Qiao Man said coolly. "We proceed exactly as planned. Head to Longxiang City, retrieve our target, and if he refuses to come, obliterate him on the spot. It's that simple." "And the Nine Cauldrons Sect cultivators outside...?" "If they want to gawk, let them. Could they possibly muster the courage to intercept and fire upon our sky-patrol warship? Any act of attacking our vessel will be treated as an open declaration of war against the Wuji Astral Palace. Tell me, does their Nine Cauldrons Sect possess such spine?" As Qiao Man spoke, a playful glint flickered in his eyes. "I'd actually welcome them trying. That way, I can find out whether this sky-patrol warship of ours can achieve the magnificent feat of destroying a major sect all on its own." Hearing that, the deputy captain felt his scalp prickle. Their captain was truly reckless enough to do such a thing. He hurriedly cautioned, "That wouldn't be wise, sir. We wouldn't be able to account for it to our superiors... Furthermore, the Nine Cauldrons Sect has Golden Cores..." "Heh. The Golden Cores of the Nine Cauldrons Sect understand perfectly well that the only threat they could pose to our Wuji Astral Palace is mutual destruction. But... do you genuinely believe their Golden Cores would throw their lives away for a handful of insignificant bugs? A Golden Core's life is far too precious. Unless the situation deteriorates to the point where they have no choice but to fight to the bitter end, a Golden Core will never easily step onto the battlefield." As a captain and an elder of the Wuji Astral Palace, Qiao Man waved his hand dismissively. "Ignore them. Push forward to Longxiang City." "Understood," the deputy captain acknowledged upon receiving the order. Yet at that very moment, an illusory figure projected into the airspace directly before the warship. Accompanied by the projection came a powerful divine mind, amplified and broadcast through an array: "I am Zhao Siliang, Branch Sect Master of the Nine Cauldrons Sect! I give you solemn warning: you have intruded into the sovereign territory of the Nine Cauldrons Sect! You are given ten breaths to turn back and depart! Otherwise, we will treat you as invaders, launch an attack, and destroy this warship where it stands!"