Destruction

Outside Longxiang City. Yaoguang descended upon the square where the Star Gate connecting to the attached world stood. Having received word in advance, personnel from the Nine Cauldrons Sect were already hard at work calibrating the Star Gate. Even Huang Wei, Hall Master of the Mysterious Formation Hall from the Jiuxiao Domain branch, had arrived in person to assist in operating the astral formation. "The formation still hasn't opened? Didn't you say the Star Gate connecting to the Yaoguang Realm had already been upgraded?" Seeing everyone bustling about without pause, Tang Fenghua, who accompanied him, couldn't help but ask with an urgent tone. "It was upgraded. Theoretically, calibrating and opening the Star Gate should take at most a month, but... we can't lock onto the coordinates of the Yaoguang Realm," Huang Wei said anxiously. "Can't lock onto the coordinates of the Yaoguang Realm?" Tang Fenghua was baffled. "What does that mean?" "Let me take a look," Yaoguang spoke up, having stepped forward. Huang Wei glanced at him. Compared to spirit-gathering formations, defensive formations, amplification formations, and offensive formations, Star Gate formations belonged to an entirely different system. Even though Master Yaoguang was proficient in many types of formations, when it came to Star Gates... Pondering this, she nevertheless quickly stepped aside. Over the years, Yaoguang had wrought countless miracles. In artifact forging and formations, he seemed all-proficient, as if there were nothing he did not understand. Now that he wanted to inspect the Star Gate, he might truly be able to figure out the reason. Before the Star Gate. Yaoguang personally began operating the gate. At the same time, information on Star Gates that he had previously been reluctant to let clutter his mind came surging forth. Star Gates encompassed a vast array of disciplines, seemingly touching upon void studies. Even with his formation level having skyrocketed to level ten, Yaoguang could not claim to understand everything regarding Star Gates. However, the gate before him was already built. Operating it did not require a cultivator to construct one from scratch, but merely to inspect and activate it. Just as a driver did not need to know how to manufacture a car, only how to drive it to use the vehicle. Under these circumstances, Yaoguang's inspection yielded results swiftly. "All the Star Gate's parameters are completely normal. Yet, we simply cannot lock onto the Yaoguang Realm." As Yaoguang spoke, a hint of perplexity furrowed his brow. Why were all the parameters normal, yet the Yaoguang Realm remained impossible to lock onto? This was an utter contradiction. Beside him, Huang Wei nodded in agreement. "I also conducted a thorough check and ran various operations. This anomaly isn't an issue with the Star Gate... It seems to originate from the Yaoguang Realm itself." "Could the Star Gate on the Yaoguang Realm's side have been destroyed?" Tang Fenghua made a sharp guess, his expression shifting slightly. After all, over a month ago, someone in the Yaoguang Realm had sent word that someone was calibrating coordinates to enter the Yaoguang Realm. By now, the cultivators hailing from Beihai Star belonging to the Wuji Astral Palace, the Immortal Alliance, and the Myriad Beasts Sect had all arrived. It was entirely possible that Jiang Tianzun, who wished to "return to his hometown to pay respects to his ancestors," had already linked to the Yaoguang Realm's Star Gate and arrived there. If that was the case, heading to the Yaoguang Realm to buy time by destroying its Star Gate before Jiang Tianzun discovered the truth of the Jiang family's demise was already too late. "No, if the opposite Star Gate were damaged or nonexistent, the reaction wouldn't be like this... From the feedback our Star Gate is receiving right now... it's like..." Huang Wei searched for words for a while before finally saying, "It's as if... the Yaoguang Realm no longer exists." "No longer exists? What do you mean, no longer exists?" Tang Fenghua couldn't help but press again. "Literally that. It's as though beyond the Star Gate, there is no planet at all, no world whatsoever." Huang Wei herself looked incredulous as she spoke. After all... A world as vast as the Yaoguang Realm. How could it suddenly vanish into thin air? It was impossible for it to... Just then, as if sensing something, Yaoguang suddenly looked up toward the vast, starry cosmos high above the vault of heaven. *** Meanwhile. Above the nine heavens, the Golden Core cultivators of the Wuji Astral Palace and the Immortal Alliance gathered together, discussing their stance toward the Nine Cauldrons Sect. "So... the Nine Cauldrons Sect is the Nine Cauldrons Sect, and the Artifact Sect is the Artifact Sect. Our congratulating the Nine Cauldrons Sect holds little meaning? In fact, are you suggesting we force the Nine Cauldrons Sect to yield the territory that originally belonged to the Artifact Sect, so True Disciple Jiang can rebuild the Artifact Sect on its ancestral lands and restore its glory as a top immortal sect from a hundred years ago?" Yang Han looked at Lu Xi, who had just spoken, with an inquiring expression. "Yes," Lu Xi nodded. "Although some members of the Artifact Sect who originally looked down on the Nine Cauldrons Sect have returned to it over the years as it grew stronger, their situation is hardly pleasant. Nearly every person who went back faced a purge. In milder cases, they surrendered their family fortunes and techniques to spare their lives; in more severe cases, they were even put on trial by the Nine Cauldrons Sect. Therefore, we can fully support these people, recognize them as the orthodox line of the Artifact Sect, and join forces to pressure the Nine Cauldrons Sect into leaving. Surely the Nine Cauldrons Sect wouldn't dare oppose the collective will of us all." "Do you realize what you're doing? You're trying to use True Disciple Jiang!" Yang Han said in a deep voice. "If we want to rebuild the Artifact Sect, the existence of the Nine Cauldrons Sect cannot be avoided no matter what," Lu Xi argued. "In the past, the various sects were a loose sheet of sand, unwilling to fight Yaoguang of the Nine Cauldrons Sect to the bitter end. But this time the situation is different. With True Disciple Jiang as our pillar, even if someone were truly unfortunate enough to perish, their death would carry immense meaning and be remembered by True Disciple Jiang... Furthermore, if all of us Golden Cores strike together, Yaoguang and Li Hanqiu might not have the power to drag any of us down with them." "Enough. Let's wait for True Disciple Jiang to return before making a decision on this matter," Susan waved her hand dismissively. "True Disciple Jiang is a man of deep sentiment and duty. That was a major factor in Supreme Elder Yuhuang taking him as a personal disciple. If True Disciple Jiang recognizes the legacy of the Nine Cauldrons Sect and intends to recruit them as an asset within the Taiyi Immortal Sect, wouldn't our taking matters into our own hands incur his displeasure?" "Indeed. None of us expected the situation in the Cangwu Realm to be so complex. We thought the Artifact Sect had declined into oblivion just like the Yang God Sect and the Pill Sect. We assumed returning early to rebuild the Artifact Sect would certainly earn True Disciple Jiang's gratitude, never expecting a Nine Cauldrons Sect to suddenly emerge... Before we ascertain True Disciple Jiang's stance, let us remain calm." Hela chimed in as well. Beside them, Yang Han and the others nodded in agreement. Seeing this, Lu Xi, Qiao An, Zhan Ke, and the rest had no choice but to suppress their petty designs. "Then... when will True Disciple Jiang return?" "How could the likes of us pry into True Disciple Jiang's whereabouts? Just wait patiently," Susan remarked coolly. However, since it was Qiao An asking, she ultimately added, "Given True Disciple Jiang's character and his need to maintain his public image, it shouldn't be long." Hearing that, the crowd could only continue waiting patiently. Yet at that moment, Feng Ao, who had been responsible for intelligence gathering, suddenly spoke up: "I do not know True Disciple Jiang's attitude toward the Nine Cauldrons Sect, but toward that boy Yaoguang, he will undoubtedly harbor utter revulsion, even wishing he could slaughter him on the spot." The moment these words were uttered, everyone's gaze snapped to him, awaiting his explanation. Feng Ao made no attempt to conceal anything, stating directly, "Ever since Yaoguang rose to prominence out of nowhere, I used every conceivable method to investigate all information about him. Beyond finding out that he hails from an attached world... I have also grasped his experiences within that attached world..." "The fact that Yaoguang comes from an attached world is no secret. What is the point of bringing it up now? Accusing him of colluding with the Moon Demon Empire? That excuse might not carry much weight," Linden remarked from the side, somewhat puzzled. "I'm not referring to that. Before Yaoguang became the Realm Lord of that attached world, that world was an Artifact Nurturing Realm under the Artifact Sect's name. Theoretically, it was governed by a Foundation Establishment family named Xie. But in reality, I discovered that while the Xie family managed that Artifact Nurturing Realm, the Jiang family never truly left. It seemed they intended to claim that world for themselves." Having said that, Feng Ao immediately continued, "The original Jiang family stepped out and rose to prominence from that very world. Thus, they held deep sentiment for it... Compared to the Artifact Sect, that world should be their true ancestral domain." At these words, everyone's expression changed simultaneously. Susan blanched, horrified. "The Jiang family never left and wanted to claim that world?! But that world has now become the Yaoguang Realm?! Then what of the Jiang family..." "If the Artifact Sect were still around, the transition between the old and new overlords might have been relatively peaceful. But with the Artifact Sect gone, Yaoguang became the lord of that Artifact Nurturing Realm. Do I need to spell out the fate of the Jiang family, the ancient overlords? At the very least, not a single member of the Jiang family existed among the first batch of people who emerged from the Yaoguang Realm," Feng Ao stated swiftly. Upon hearing this, Zhan Ke, Miller, Qiao An, Lu Xi, and the others were both shocked and overjoyed. To think that just when Susan and the others refused to act against the Nine Cauldrons Sect, a sudden twist of fate had emerged! Yaoguang had courted his own doom, thoroughly offending True Disciple Jiang. Meanwhile, Susan, Yang Han, and Hela were overcome with shock and fury. "Is what you're saying true?!" "How could he dare?! That Yaoguang, how dare he commit such an outrage?!" "This is... equivalent to exterminating one of True Disciple Jiang's family branches?! It might have been merely a branch that was not highly regarded, but to slaughter the descendants of True Disciple Jiang's family... this brat named Yaoguang is simply seeking his own death!" What kind of peerless genius was True Disciple Jiang? Ever since he was accepted as a personal disciple by Supreme Elder Yuhuang, he had become the hope of their entire Cangwu lineage. Whether the Cangwu lineage could secure more benefits and gain a greater voice within the Taiyi Immortal Sect in the future all hinged on True Disciple Jiang. Yet now, when so few members of the Jiang family had survived in the first place, Yaoguang had actually eradicated the branch left behind by Jiang Tianzun in his 'hometown'... For such an atrocity, dying ten thousand times over could not atone for his sins. Right then, Luofu, another Dharma Idol cultivator from the Wuji Astral Palace who had remained silent all along, suddenly cried out in shock, "Look! Deep in the starry sky—I'll mark the coordinates for you!" Though no one understood why Luofu suddenly asked them to look deep into the cosmos at such a crucial moment, they all cast secret arts and turned their gazes toward the coordinates he provided. With that look... They quickly made out what had occurred. "A world was shattered?" "Of the one hundred and eight thousand realms outside the Cangwu Great World, another one is gone?" "Alright, there's nothing to see. A planet turning into cosmic dust—go to the Beihai battlefield and you can see that every single day. Let's first discuss how to resolve the matter with True Disciple Jiang and how to deal with this vile wretch Yaoguang." After looking, the Golden Core cultivators present showed little interest. In the past, such an event might have been a spectacle to watch, but right now... They truly were in no mood for it. Feng Ao, however, stared intently at that location for a moment, and realization suddenly dawned upon him. "Wait... that location... that world... could it be..." "It's the Yaoguang Realm." Meeting his gaze, Luofu nodded heavily and gave an unequivocal confirmation: "The Yaoguang Realm has been destroyed."