Decisiveness

Just as Yaoguang settled into his immortal abode, the inner disciple who had caught a fleeting glimpse of him earlier immediately began asking around for information about him. Upon learning that he was an inner disciple admitted to the Heavenly Dao Sect in this term's intake, the disciple hurried over to the mountain peak of True Disciple Xuan Shuang, who ranked thirty-fourth among the eighty-eight true disciples. Because the two were full brothers, his passage onto the mountain was completely unimpeded. He soon arrived inside True Disciple Xuan Shuang's palace and said with a face full of pleasant surprise, "Brother, Brother, do you know who I just saw?" "Xuan Mo?" Seeing his excited state, Xuan Shuang asked calmly, "Did you run into Yan Huang?" "Uh..." The excitement of the Golden Core cultivator named Xuan Mo stalled. Yan Huang was the most peerless prodigy in the entire Heavenly Dao Sect. He was a figure who had once driven three Supreme Elders to vie fiercely amongst themselves to take him as a disciple. He had embarked on the path of cultivation at age sixteen, formed a Radiant Sun Golden Core at just thirty, and achieved an Azure Blue Golden Core by fifty-nine. Today, he was the universally acknowledged Eldest Senior Brother of the Heavenly Dao Sect, boasting a terrifying combat power exceeding 1,500,000. No one knew the exact figure, for no one had ever been able to force out his full strength. All that was known was that the number of Void Piercing Battle Immortals who had died by his hand could not be counted on one hand. On the Void Cavern Candidate List compiled jointly by the Ten Immortal Sects, he ranked sixth! To him, the Void Cavern realm was practically within arm's reach; he had delayed his breakthrough merely because he sought to polish his foundation to absolute perfection to guarantee a hundred percent success rate. In this state, not only was success foolproof, but once he broke through and his Golden Core collapsed into chaos, he could swiftly bypass the primal cavern stabilization period of the early Void Cavern realm and step directly into the mid Void Cavern realm. "Eldest Senior Brother went into seclusion three years ago and hasn't emerged since. By now, he's probably already broken through to the Void Cavern realm, hasn't he? It wasn't him..." "Then who? Ren Xianyou? Zhu Tianming?" Xuan Shuang asked. These were all figures ranked among the top three true disciples and mentored by the sect's Supreme Elders. "Not them. It's related to Jiang Tianzun from the neighboring Taiyi Immortal Sect," Xuan Mo said hurriedly. "Jiang Tianzun?" Xuan Shuang's heart stirred. Naturally, he had heard of this peerless prodigy of the Taiyi Immortal Sect. On Beihai Star, while the lower tiers were locked in perpetual infighting, the upper tiers banded tightly together in alliances of the strong to safeguard their mutual interests. Only in this way could the interests of the top immortal sects endure and thrive indefinitely. The reason the Ten Immortal Sects were spoken of as a collective entity was precisely that they shared a common ideology. Otherwise, with the mainstream members of the Ten Immortal Sects, the Six Demonic Sects, the Three Martial Sects, and the Four Great Immortal Dynasties all belonging to the human race, why would they be divided into distinct factions? It was entirely because of their differing ideologies. For this very reason, while lower echelons among the Ten Immortal Sects warred incessantly, the middle and upper echelons... They had their rivalries too, but amidst their struggles, cooperation also existed. Between sect pairings with cordial relations among the Ten Immortal Sects, true disciples even addressed one another as fellow apprentice-brothers. Consequently, everyone was intimately familiar with the top prodigies of the Ten Immortal Sects, and they would even gather from time to time to sit and debate the Dao. As one of the Big Three among the true disciples of the Taiyi Immortal Sect, a direct disciple of Supreme Elder Yuhuang, and a prodigy ranked ninth on the Void Cavern Candidate List, Jiang Tianzun was a heavyweight figure at every Dao discussion assembly. Nine years ago, Xuan Shuang had accompanied Senior Brother Ren Xianyou to attend a Dao gathering hosted by Jiang Tianzun; that awe-inspiring talent and demeanor had truly left an indelible impression. "What about him?" Xuan Shuang asked. "Brother, do you remember that a few years ago, Jiang Tianzun issued a bounty in our inner circle? To hunt down someone named Su Yaoguang? And the reward was as high as one million Pure Yang Great Pills!" "There was indeed such a bounty." As Xuan Shuang spoke, he quickly realized something and turned his gaze upon Xuan Mo. "You found a lead?" Xuan Mo swiftly produced the intelligence he had just gathered. Xuan Shuang took a look and rapidly brought out a jade talisman containing a divine mind imprint, which was remarkably an aura simulation of the bounty target left behind by Jiang Tianzun. After cross-referencing, Xuan Shuang was nearly ninety percent certain that it was indeed him. "Splendid! Marvelous! The target was said to possess mediocre cultivation—at most a Radiant Sun Golden Core. Jiang Tianzun offered one million only because there was a Void Piercing Battle Immortal beside him... No, according to Senior Brother Jiang, counting the passage of time, that Void Piercing Battle Immortal should already be dead! In other words, all I have to do is take down a cultivator who is at most in the Radiant Sun Golden Core realm to pocket a million Pure Yang Great Pills for nothing?! I could even win Senior Brother Jiang's goodwill and have a supreme prodigy on the Void Cavern Candidate List owe me a favor?!" Xuan Shuang was both surprised and overjoyed. "'Radiant Sun Golden Core'... that description isn't quite accurate," Xuan Mo said hastily. "When I investigated his information, I discovered that he has already become an inner disciple of our Heavenly Dao Sect. What's more..." He produced another jade talisman. "This is the assessment record concerning him that I purchased from someone else... This person's strength is astonishingly formidable. He is likely scarcely inferior to a newly ascended Azure Blue Golden Core! If left to grow, he is bound to become a true disciple." Xuan Shuang took the jade talisman and swept it with his divine sense. An instant later, he sprang abruptly to his feet. "How is that possible?!" "Brother?" Seeing his elder brother react so strongly, Xuan Mo was taken aback. Xuan Shuang did not answer him, muttering repeatedly under his breath, "Incandescent White Golden Core realm! Combat strength approaching that of an Azure Blue Golden Core..." As he muttered, he shook his head. "Impossible... This is impossible..." "What's impossible?" Xuan Mo couldn't help asking from the side. This inquiry snapped Xuan Shuang back to his senses. "Where is he?" "In the inner sect. I confirmed it afterward—he resides in Cave Yi-366," Xuan Mo answered quickly. "Wait here. I need to confirm this in person," Xuan Shuang said, departing in a flash. Xuan Mo had no idea what was going on, but having achieved everything he had today entirely thanks to his brother's backing, he knew his own limitations and obeyed every instruction his elder brother gave. Since Xuan Shuang told him to wait here, he dutifully stayed put. Half an hour later, Xuan Shuang returned. Though his expression was calm, Xuan Mo, who knew him inside out, could see an irrepressible shock in his eyes. "It really is him." Upon returning to this resting chamber, the true disciple waved his hand forcefully. Guiding it with his divine mind, the formation activated, swiftly enveloping the area where the two stood and sealing off all prying from the outside world. "Brother, what on earth is going on?" Xuan Mo asked persistently upon seeing him make such a major fuss. "What is going on?" Xuan Shuang looked at Xuan Mo and said in a low, heavy voice, "Do you know what level of cultivation this Su Yaoguang possessed fourteen years ago, according to Jiang Tianzun?!" Without waiting, he immediately gave the answer: "The Heavenly Fire realm! Fourteen years ago, he was merely a cultivator at the Heavenly Fire realm!" "The Heavenly Fire realm?" Xuan Mo froze for a moment, and then his pupils constricted violently. "Fourteen years?! From the Heavenly Fire realm to an Incandescent White Golden Core?! And boasting combat power comparable to a newly ascended Azure Blue Golden Core?! How is that possible?!" "Yes, how could it be possible!" Xuan Shuang muttered to himself. "From what I know, this young man's talent is indeed remarkable; otherwise, Jiang Tianzun wouldn't have sent someone to his homeland to try and nip him in the bud. Naturally, this Su Yaoguang was very vigilant and fled ahead of time to Beihai Star, intending to turn the tables. That was why Jiang Tianzun offered a bounty of one million Pure Yang Great Pills in our circle. His talent, the Dao-protecting Void Piercing Battle Immortal at his side... plus Jiang Tianzun's own face—it was worth the price..." At this point, he took a deep breath. "One million Pure Yang Great Pills was mainly aimed at the Void Piercing Battle Immortal guarding Su Yaoguang. In Jiang Tianzun's view, reaching the Radiant Sun Golden Core in ten to twenty years would be the absolute limit for Su Yaoguang. Who would have thought..." "An Incandescent White Golden Core!" Xuan Mo said. "And an exceptionally powerful Incandescent White Golden Core at that!" With that, he couldn't help sucking in a cold breath. "Fourteen years to progress from the Heavenly Fire realm to an Incandescent White Golden Core... and he is not far off from an Azure Blue Golden Core. This... is even more outstanding than Senior Brother Yan Huang! Senior Brother Yan Huang took eleven years just to go from a Radiant Sun Golden Core to an Incandescent White Golden Core, and another eighteen years from Incandescent White to Azure Blue! But... how is this possible?!" "It is impossible!" Xuan Shuang stated with utter certainty. "What kind of monstrous talent does Eldest Senior Brother Yan Huang possess? Yet to cultivate to the Incandescent White and Azure Blue realms so rapidly, he still consumed a vast amount of resources along the way. No matter how great this Yaoguang's talent is, he couldn't possibly surpass Senior Brother Yan Huang! Yet he achieved something that even Senior Brother Yan Huang could not accomplish... There is only one explanation!" As he spoke, irrepressible delight and excitement surged across his brow. "He has had a fortunate encounter! An astronomical, miraculous encounter!" "A fortunate encounter!" Hearing this, Xuan Mo had an epiphany, and then suddenly thought of something. "Do you think the reason Jiang Tianzun spent as much as one million Pure Yang Great Pills to place a bounty on Yaoguang... was because he also knows there is a grand secret on him?" "Nine times out of ten, that is the case. After all, one million Pure Yang Great Pills is no small sum," Xuan Shuang sneered. "Besides, someone like Jiang Tianzun would rather kill by mistake than let anyone slip through. Even if there were only a slim chance, he would still make the wager." "Then what about us...?" Xuan Mo asked excitedly. "Keep an eye on him. If he plans to leave the sect, report to me immediately..." Xuan Shuang trailed off, then immediately corrected himself, "No, speed is of the essence in war. Quite a few people know about Jiang Tianzun's bounty; we can't rule out the possibility that someone else might recognize his identity. I'll go right now, find some random pretext, capture him directly, and interrogate him for the secrets he holds! He's just an inner disciple anyway. As long as I don't kill him on the spot and merely detain him, the sect won't bother asking questions at all." "Brother, be careful. Since this Yaoguang harbors a major secret, chances are... he might have hidden trump cards," Xuan Mo said solemnly. "Even a lion uses all its strength when hunting a rabbit." Hearing this, Xuan Shuang also cooled down. "The Wang family that attached themselves to us offended the Chi family last year, and they've been begging me to step in and negotiate peace with the true disciple backing the Chi family, yet failed to show sufficient sincerity... Just as well. The pillar of the Wang family, Wang Daoshu, is a Void Piercing Battle Immortal. Having him step forward to test the waters is most appropriate. With him as the vanguard and me overseeing things from the shadows, ready to seize the opportunity, success is guaranteed." Xuan Mo nodded. That Void Piercing Battle Immortal's primal cavern frequency was under his brother's control, so it would naturally be effortless for his brother to deal with him. "Go keep watch on Yaoguang. His talent is not bad—having near-Azure Blue Golden Core combat power while still at the Incandescent White stage. Make sure nobody else takes a liking to him and causes unexpected complications. If necessary, you can use my name," Xuan Shuang instructed. "Understood." Xuan Mo quickly rose and left. Meanwhile, Xuan Shuang promptly sent a message to Wang Daoshu without a moment's hesitation. In just three hours, the Void Piercing Battle Immortal Wang Daoshu arrived in haste. "True Disciple Xuan!" "Capture a newly admitted inner disciple for me. Once you bring him in, I'll settle the matter with the Chi family for you. Take him alive," Xuan Shuang ordered directly. "A newly admitted inner disciple? Very well!" Wang Daoshu agreed promptly. "As soon as he leaves the sect—" "Go right now. If anything happens, I'll take full responsibility," Xuan Shuang said with a wave of his hand, decisively. Wang Daoshu hesitated for a moment, but soon agreed, "I'll go at once." "My younger brother is watching him. Make it quick." "Leave it to me." Wang Daoshu nodded heavily.