Attention

The Great Sun Sword Sect. Its mountain gate was a towering peak standing by the sea. At this moment, Chisongzi, Deputy Hall Master of the War Hall and Director of the East Sea Archipelago Affairs Department, was quietly waiting in the sitting room of the fortress's main hall within the mountain gate. Soon, an elegant figure walked out from within. It was a young woman who looked to be only eighteen or nineteen, dressed in heavy ceremonial vestments. Yet the moment he saw her, even Chisongzi, a Deputy Hall Master of the War Hall, dared not be careless and immediately rose to his feet. "Miss Qingzi." "The Holy Lord is waiting for you. Please come with me." With those words, the young woman led Chisongzi deeper into the hall. As they crossed a courtyard, Chisongzi noticed traces of formations. And upon stepping into the area influenced by these formations, he felt an inexplicable pressure. It was like entering a high-gravity field; in this area, even a Foundation Establishment cultivator like him felt slightly uncomfortable. As the two proceeded forward, this gravitational force grew heavier and heavier. It was not until they passed through another corridor that the view before them opened up dramatically, revealing an open square a full kilometer across, from which the churning sea of clouds on the opposite side was clearly visible. Yet what caught Chisongzi's eye immediately was not the vast sea of clouds, but a giant three-headed python coiled upon the kilometer-wide square, its body spanning a diameter of a hundred meters even while resting on the ground. That terrifying pressure, like an overwhelming gravitational field, emanated directly from this dreadful beast. The Black Sky Divine Python! Codenamed Daheitian. The strongest entity of the Great Sun Sword Sect! A terrifying sacred beast comparable to a First Generation Star God! It was also the very foundation that allowed the Great Sun Sword Sect to stand as a major sect! Quickly, Chisongzi withdrew his gaze and bowed to a man who was personally washing Daheitian's body. "Sacred Sect Master." This man was none other than the supreme ruler of the Great Sun Sword Sect and master of the sacred beast Daheitian—Long Zechuan. However, the Great Sun Sword Sect Master did not respond at this moment. Having bowed, Chisongzi dutifully stood to the side. He had already seen that Baishi, Hall Master of their Great Sun Sword Sect's Heavenly Palace Hall, and Tengye, Hall Master of the Penal Hall, were also standing by in wait. Both were figures of far greater weight than himself. After a good while, Long Zechuan finished washing Daheitian's body. The colossal behemoth let out a low hiss, flicked its tongues, and then... Its massive body shifted, slowly uncoiling, and... Like a three-headed flood dragon, it soared into the sky and flew toward the sea of clouds. Only as the sacred beast's body fully stretched out did Chisongzi see clearly that it was not merely a hundred meters long—it easily exceeded a thousand meters. As it took flight, its immense body cast a suffocating pressure over the area, and even Chisongzi, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, was no exception to its weight. Only after Daheitian had receded into the distance did Long Zechuan set down his cleaning tools and speak. "Baishi, tell me what news you have gathered." "Yes," acknowledged Baishi, Hall Master of the Heavenly Palace Hall, who was present in projection form. He began his report: "After two years and three months of continuous investigation, we have finally gotten to the bottom of the Shenhuo Institute's defeat in the East Sea Archipelago and the disappearance of the sky-patrol warship *Chunyu*. Strictly speaking, these two events can be considered one: a shift in the Jiuding Sect's strength. And at the heart of this shift is that the Jiuding Sect has acquired a powerful high-grade spirit treasure." He glanced at Chisongzi and Tengye. "I imagine both of you have heard of it. This spirit treasure is named the 'Origin Realm'!" "The Origin Realm?!" Chisongzi and Tengye were both startled. "That special spirit treasure the Artifact Sect was said to be crafting back then, specifically meant to counter the Moon Demon Empire's spirit cultivators?!" The two quickly recalled the origins of this spirit treasure. This had been the primary reason why the Moon Demon Empire had later spared no effort to annihilate the Artifact Sect. "Indeed." Baishi nodded. "The reason spirit cultivation in our Cangwu Great World was able to evolve into the Dharma Idol system was precisely because it drew upon the Moon Demon Empire's 'Divine Path' system. Therefore, in terms of cultivation systems, our Dharma Idols are fundamentally no different from the powerful entities within the Moon Demon Empire; the distinction lies merely in the nature of their life forms. Since the Origin Realm the Artifact Sect planned to craft was claimed to be capable of suppressing the Moon Demon Empire's spirit cultivators, then suppressing Primordial Spirit cultivators in our world—and even displaying might comparable to a Dharma Idol cultivator—would naturally be no difficult feat." At this point, he sighed ruefully. "The Shenhuo Institute and the *Chunyu* were effectively pitted against the Jiuding Sect's two most powerful battle institutes alongside a Dharma Idol cultivator. Their defeat was hardly undeserved." "To think..." A flicker of dread crossed Chisongzi's eyes. The Jiuding Sect... It truly lived up to being a sect that inherited the legacy of the Artifact Sect, one of the Ten Great Immortal Sects, to possess such hidden foundation! "Of course, while the Origin Realm was the primary cause of the Shenhuo Institute's defeat, it only played an auxiliary role in the *Chunyu*'s disappearance..." Baishi continued solemnly, "According to intelligence gathered at great risk by our spies, the *Chunyu* arrived at the Jiuding Sect's Third Sky-Patrol Research Institute as early as two years and three months ago, where the Jiuding Sect has been secretly studying and reverse-engineering it... We previously suspected as much based on personnel movements around the Third Sky-Patrol Institute, but the Jiuding Sect guarded that facility too tightly. It wasn't until recently that we obtained confirmed reports..." "The *Chunyu* was actually captured?! How could that be?! Everyone aboard the *Chunyu* was a brave warrior, and Zuo Chuan was fiercely loyal to the sect! Had he realized they couldn't hold out, he would have detonated the *Chunyu* rather than let the warship fall into the Jiuding Sect's hands! How could it... be captured by them?!" Chisongzi found it hard to believe. "That brings us to a key figure: Head of the Zixiao Institute, Head of the Zhenhai Institute, and Deputy Hall Master of both the Xuanzhen Hall and the Artifact Refining Hall—Yaoguang!" "Him?" Naturally, Chisongzi remembered the name vividly. The Wuji Astral Palace had even demanded that they deliver this "talent" into their hands. With a grim expression, Baishi said, "Actually, several years ago, when the Zixiao Institute sold a batch of superior spirit artifacts to the Golden Divine Temple on the spirit artifact market, we already noticed his existence. At that time, however, most of our attention was focused on the truly prominent figures of the Jiuding Sect. We didn't place much importance on someone who could only refine spirit artifacts. Yet in truth... this Yaoguang is a genuine artifact-refining genius. The Zixiao-series flying swords recently equipped by the Jiuding Sect in these past few years were essentially forged through his sole efforts!" "The Zixiao-series flying swords." Chisongzi had learned of these flying swords from the survivors of the Shenhuo Institute. In terms of sophistication, they were already on par with their own mainline flying swords. "And what is most astonishing is that artifact refining is merely his sideline—what he truly excels at is formations!" Baishi said in a heavy voice, "Although none of us witnessed it firsthand, judging by our analysis of the intelligence gathered from various sources, the *Chunyu* was captured partly because it was utterly suppressed by the power of the Origin Realm, but another crucial factor was Yaoguang himself. Relying on his exquisite mastery of formations, he dismantled all of the *Chunyu*'s defensive formations in a remarkably short time, leaving Zuo Chuan no chance to take everyone down with him." "How is that possible?!" Chisongzi and Tengye exclaimed in unison. Tengye, Hall Master of the Penal Hall, continued, "Although I don't know much about sky-patrol warships, I know that a sky-patrol warship incorporates formations of every conceivable kind. Defense is paramount among them, possessing a complexity and hybrid nature far beyond any Treasure Weapon or city-guarding barrier. What kind of person could possibly possess the skill to master all types of defensive formations and destroy a sky-patrol warship's defenses in such a short window of time?" Chisongzi nodded. Evidently, he shared the same thought. "Hard as it is to believe, it is the truth," Baishi said. "Two years ago, that Yaoguang was appointed Chief Director of the Third Sky-Patrol Research Institute, winning the complete respect of everyone there. The Jiuding Sect's research and analysis of our Great Sun Sword Sect's *Chunyu* have all been carried out under his leadership. Furthermore, according to our reports, in just two short years, they have already achieved quite remarkable progress." "This..." For a moment, Chisongzi and Tengye found this hard to accept. "This world has never lacked geniuses. The talents of certain individuals truly cannot be measured by ordinary logic." At this point, Sect Master Long Zechuan spoke up: "The key right now is whether such a genius can be made to serve our Great Sun Sword Sect." "Sect Master, do you mean..." Tengye seemed to guess his intention. Long Zechuan's gaze fell upon him. "I have already informed the Wuji Astral Palace about the Origin Realm. Once their hands are freed from the Black Feather Sect, they will deal with it naturally. As for this Yaoguang, send someone to approach him. As long as he is willing to come to our Great Sun Sword Sect, we can satisfy any demand he makes." Here, he paused. "However, the likelihood is slim. If we possessed the might of the Wuji Astral Palace, we might be able to persuade him to join us. But the Great Sun Sword Sect... while stronger than the Jiuding Sect, is not so powerful as to possess an overwhelming advantage... Therefore..." The Great Sun Sword Sect Master's expression turned chillingly cold. "If he refuses, abduct him by force. If he cannot be brought back alive, make sure he dies." Tengye bowed his head immediately. "I shall make the arrangements at once." "Not merely make arrangements—ensure absolute success!" Long Zechuan looked at Tengye. "Even if we must completely tear off all pretense with the Jiuding Sect over this, we will not hesitate! Hall Master Chisongzi, I need you to lead a fleet and press close to the Jiuding Sect's coast to support Tengye." Hearing this, Chisongzi and Tengye instantly understood the Sect Master's resolve. Promptly, both bowed solemnly in assent: "We shall not disappoint the Sect Master." "Go. If necessary, follow the example of the Wuji Astral Palace: penetrate deep into the Jiuding Sect's heartland with the sky-patrol warship *Jingang*, and seize him by force right at their doorstep." Long Zechuan stated his stance unequivocally. "Yes!" The two responded firmly. …… Zixiao Institute. Yaoguang, Xu Qiexing, and the others, beaming with smiles, saw off the buyers from the Golden Divine Temple of the Heiyan Continent. "They truly have deep pockets. In this past year, we've already fulfilled orders for over a thousand Zixiao-13 swords from them, haven't we? Most importantly, the net profit on each of those thousand-plus swords exceeds fifty thousand spirit stones!" Yaoguang remarked with heartfelt awe. "The Golden Divine Temple suffers from severe polarization," Xu Qiexing explained with a laugh. "All wealth is concentrated in the hands of a tiny fraction of pharaohs, and public spending is minimal. Consequently, they can allocate fifty to sixty million every year to purchase various arms and equipment. When we slashed the price of third-generation low-grade Treasure Weapon flying swords—originally priced at around a hundred thousand—down to eighty-five thousand, of course they hoarded them like mad." He glanced at Yaoguang and added, "From these orders alone... Hall Master Yaoguang's personal earnings must be no less than forty million, wouldn't you say? Add in your dividend from the spirit-gathering formations next month, and your income reaching forty million for the year will be no problem at all! When will you place an order with us? Give the Logistics Hall and the Alchemy Hall a chance to earn something too." "Has Hall Master Wu managed to concoct third-generation treasure pills yet?" "Uh... still just a little short." "Just a little short..." Yaoguang was rendered speechless. Three years ago, she was just a little short. Three years later, she was still just a little short. Three years after three years—who knew when her alchemy skills would finally make a breakthrough? A moment later, however... He seemed to recall something and said, "Once the spirit-gathering formation dividend arrives, I actually do have a big order, though it isn't to buy goods. Rather, I'd like the sect to mobilize all Primordial Spirit cultivators capable of entering the Zixiao Divine Thunder layer to act out a scene with me. I will pay compensation to every participant." "Act out a scene?" Xu Qiexing asked in surprise. "What kind of scene?" "A scene... simulating the breakthrough from Primordial Spirit to Dharma Idol."