Slaying the Demon

Whoosh! Ripples parted across the void as a flying boat abruptly manifested. It was none other than the Longxiang Flying Boat carrying Yaoguang. Having completed another void traverse, an easy smile played across his face. "Not bad at all. I possess the Child of the Void talent to begin with, making my sensitivity to the void scarcely inferior to that of a Void Piercing cultivator. Now that I have formed a Deep Blue Golden Core, relying on the sheer mass of this supergiant star has dramatically lowered the difficulty of stirring spatial ripples. Operating the Longxiang Flying Boat now is hardly any less efficient than when True Monarch Li Hanqiu steered it." As he spoke, he turned over in his mind the various powers in the surrounding regions... Soon, his gaze settled upon a force tens of millions of li away. The Penglai Immortal Palace, one of the Ten Immortal Sects. Towering over the Deep Blue Sea, which extended from the Sea of Chaos, it was the true overlord of those waters. The Penglai Immortal Sect was an up-and-coming power, founded less than a century ago. To speak of the Penglai Immortal Sect, one could not help but mention another of the Ten Immortal Sects, the Tianhai Sword Pavilion. Over a millennium ago, at a grand assembly of true disciples held by the Tianhai Sword Pavilion, an extraordinarily gifted true disciple had risen above all others. Yet, far from receiving the treatment befitting a top true disciple, she had suffered all manner of suppression. A Void Piercing elder had even coveted her astounding talent and sought to refine her into a cultivation vessel. In a fit of fury, this true disciple had rebelled and fled the Tianhai Sword Pavilion. A defecting true disciple naturally faced relentless pursuit from the Tianhai Sword Pavilion. Yet during that pursuit, she was rumored to have obtained the legacy of a supreme expert. Relying on that legacy, she rose with startling speed, growing stronger with every battle. She achieved Void Piercing, ascended to Void Refining, and stepped into Void Shattering. Along the way, countless Tianhai Sword Pavilion experts became the stepping stones of bone that paved her world-shaking renown. By four hundred years ago, this former Tianhai Sword Pavilion true disciple had soared into becoming a Dao Lord, standing at the summit of Beihai Star. A hundred years ago, she descended directly upon the Tianhai Sword Pavilion, erupting into an epoch-spanning battle that shook all of Beihai Star. None knew the outcome of that battle. Yet in its aftermath, the Tianhai Sword Pavilion sealed its gates for a hundred years. Meanwhile, she journeyed deep into the Deep Blue Sea, swept away the demon races across that expanse of water, and carved out a domain by sheer force from the wilderness to establish the Penglai Immortal Sect. Because she had risen to fame by trampling the Tianhai Sword Pavilion beneath her feet, she attracted countless followers and adherents. In a mere hundred years, her sect had already attained sweeping grandeur. Awe-stricken by her majesty, the world no longer addressed her by name, venerating her instead as Dao Lord Penglai. As a top power founded only a century prior, the Penglai Immortal Sect was the only one among the Ten Immortal Sects that paid at least a modicum of heed to its reputation and integrity. After all, if they wished to expand, appearing overly tyrannical was ill-advised. Moreover, at the Biyou Immortal Market established in the Deep Blue Sea specifically for external commerce, Dao Lord Penglai had personally issued a decree forbidding anyone from fighting or causing trouble within its bounds. This sense of security, which could scarcely be found anywhere else, prompted countless forces and merchant guilds to establish themselves in the Biyou Immortal Market. Many cultivators traversing the four seas likewise treated it as their preferred trading hub. Under such circumstances, in almost every year, the Biyou Immortal Market saw a transaction volume of ten million Pure Yang Great Pills. The taxes collected each year by the Penglai Immortal Sect from the Biyou Immortal Market alone allowed them to reap staggering profits. "Back when I intended to sell supreme divine abilities in the Jiuxiao Sect, I considered the Biyou Immortal Market. However, the Biyou Immortal Market is far from the Jiuxiao Sect. Even with the Void Disk, a round trip would have taken under a year, but the Jiuxiao Sect was too weak back then. If Li Hanqiu and I had left, the Jiuxiao Sect would have had zero ability to withstand risk, which was why we settled for second best and went to the East Sea Immortal Market." Now, he had over two million Pure Yang Great Pills' worth of goods to liquidate. Going back to a place like the East Sea Immortal Market would simply be asking for trouble. The newly founded Biyou Immortal Market, which still cared somewhat about its face, was undoubtedly the finest choice. With that thought, Yaoguang drove the Longxiang Flying Boat, shuttling rapidly toward the Biyou Immortal Market. Compared to the Void Disk, the greatest advantage of the Longxiang Flying Boat was comfort. This comfort was enjoyed not only by the passengers, but also by the pilot. "The Longxiang Flying Boat is easy to operate. It allows me to travel and cultivate simultaneously." Staying inside the control cabin, Yaoguang mostly only needed to use his Child of the Void trait to search for spatial ripples. He still had time to attend to other matters. "However, over such a vast distance, I'm afraid I won't make it back in time for the Heavenly Dao Sect's true disciple assessment two years from now." His thoughts drifted. Yet in the next breath, that faint regret was tossed to the back of his mind. "What a joke. Once I sell the goods at hand and obtain two million Pure Yang Great Pills, I can immediately enter seclusion in the Biyou Immortal Market to charge into the Void Piercing Realm. Once I achieve Void Piercing, I will be treated as an honored guest by any force I visit. Even a sect on the level of the Ten Immortal Sects would welcome me as I please, with plenty of factions extending invitations. Why should I care about a trifling identity as a true disciple?" With this thought, he tossed the Heavenly Dao Sect's so-called true disciple assessment straight out of his mind. How could being a disciple compare to the unfettered freedom of being an elder? ... The Longxiang Flying Boat shuttled forward. Bearing this flying Dao artifact, Yaoguang's speed was by no means slow. Even compared to an ordinary Void Piercing cultivator, he was barely any slower. Under these circumstances, he naturally had no idea that four Void Piercing experts and a Deep Blue Golden Core cultivator were bitterly pursuing him from behind. Namely, Tushan, Hou Feng, Tongming, Moshan, and Jiang Tianzun. Had this group consisted solely of the four Void Piercing experts, it would have been fine; even though Yaoguang held the head start, they might have caught up had they traversed at full speed. The problem was that Jiang Tianzun, with his Deep Blue Golden Core, was dragging them down. The four Void Piercing experts had to accommodate his pace. Consequently, far from closing the distance, their pursuit only saw them fall farther and farther behind. ...Naturally, Yaoguang could not be bothered about any of this. Crossing mountains and traversing vast oceans aboard the Longxiang Flying Boat, he gradually entered the boundaries of the Deep Blue Sea. Although the Deep Blue Sea was not as chaotic as the Sea of Chaos, it remained extraordinarily perilous. After all, this expanse of water had originally belonged to the demon races. Dao Lord Penglai had carved out a domain by force from the demons' grasp to establish the present Penglai Immortal Sect. Yet as an exalted Dao Lord, those she personally deigned to slay were essentially demon kings or above—demon races at the Void Piercing Realm. As for the remaining great demons, she had not bothered to clear them out one by one, delegating the task to the disciples and elders of the Penglai Immortal Sect. Deep within the ocean, demons were beyond count. A hundred years was clearly insufficient for the Penglai Immortal Sect to eradicate all the demons completely. Under such conditions, cultivators traversing the Deep Blue Sea were still subjected to attacks from time to time. Just like right now... As Yaoguang's Longxiang Flying Boat completed another traverse, intense tremors of combat registered within his sensory range. Releasing his divine mind to investigate, he discovered a squad consisting of four Incandescent White Golden Cores and five Radiant Sun Golden Cores locked in battle against a ninth-order great demon. This ninth-order great demon was far more ferocious than the one Yaoguang had faced during his true disciple assessment. Had these Golden Cores not possessed numerous powerful spirit treasures, they would have long since ended up as food in the demon's belly. Passing by, Yaoguang had not intended to meddle in business that was not his own. But upon seeing that great demon, a thought he had once harbored surfaced in his mind. To verify his hypothesis, he stored the Longxiang Flying Boat, took to the air upon his sword, and shot like a streak of golden light straight toward the great demon. Sensing the energy ripples emanating from Yaoguang as he flew, the leader of the four Incandescent White Golden Cores could not help but call out in joyful gratitude, "I am Ye Hongyu, a true disciple of the Penglai Immortal Sect! Many thanks to Senior for lending a hand!" These words could be seen as an expression of gratitude, but also as an announcement of her sect to deter anyone with foul intentions. After all, the Penglai Immortal Sect was not far from here. "A true disciple?" Yaoguang glanced at Ye Hongyu. His eyes were not deceiving him; she was indeed an Incandescent White Golden Core. Considering that the Heavenly Dao Sect also had Incandescent White Golden Cores who had surpassed Deep Blue Golden Cores to become true disciples, he said nothing of it. It was merely that he found her combat strength of barely four hundred thousand a touch weak. "Stand aside for a moment, everyone, and allow me to slay this great demon!" His divine mind rippled out. The Swimming Dragon Sword in his hand already stirred spatial ripples as the supreme divine ability Sky-Cleaving Strike condensed. Like a missile streaking across the sky toward an enemy fighter, his entire person struck the body of the ninth-order great demon with incredible swiftness. Even though the ninth-order great demon pushed its True Demon Body to the absolute limit, fresh blood sprayed in every direction beneath this assault. "Roar!" A shrill, agonized howl erupted from the great demon's maw. The true body of the demon that had nearly wiped out the nine-member squad of the Penglai Immortal Sect was torn apart in midair by the sheer might of the Sky-Cleaving Strike, its demon core gouged out on the spot. This sight left the nine Penglai Immortal Sect Golden Cores gaping in shock. "Slaying a ninth-order great demon in a single strike?! Is that... a supreme divine ability?!" "And it's at major accomplishment, or even perfection! Which immortal sect's true disciple is this?" "I've always heard that our Penglai Immortal Sect's heritage is somewhat inferior to that of other top immortal sects, but I never believed it. As fellow true disciples, how great could the disparity really be? Yet seeing this today... I have no choice but to acknowledge the gap..." The nine looked upon Yaoguang, who had casually annihilated the great demon, their expressions deeply complicated. Meanwhile, having slain the ninth-order great demon, Yaoguang did not immediately examine the usable spoils. Instead, he directed a portion of his consciousness to sense the ancient tree thriving within his mental world. More specifically, the branch of [Demon Hunting] upon the ancient tree. Back during the Heavenly Dao Sect's assessment, when he encountered a great demon for the first time, he had wondered what the exact definition of the Demon Hunting profession was. Demonic path cultivators? Beings of the Moon Demon or Heavenly Demon races? Yet as their realms rose, those cultivators could easily take on human form and consider themselves human. How would the [Demon Hunting] profession judge them then?! After much consideration, a hypothesis had faintly taken shape in his heart. Namely: all who are not of my kind are demons. And all who are demons may be hunted. This ninth-order great demon, at the same cultivation realm as himself... Served as the perfect experiment. And as the ninth-order great demon died, when he saw radiant light once more circulate along the [Demon Hunting] branch—which had lacked all presence for a long time—the hypothesis in his mind was instantly validated. "Excellent!" Yaoguang declared vigorously in his heart. The [Merchant] profession factored in labor costs. [Demon Hunting], however, required none of that. Whosoever hunts shall reap a reward.