Pinnacle

Outside Biyou Immortal Market. Jiang Tianzun, Hou Feng, Tongming, Mo Shan, and the others gazed from afar at Biyou Immortal Market, which continually radiated immortal light. Every one of them was in a somber mood. Tongming could not avenge the Heaven Lineage's true disciple and uphold the lineage's majesty. Hou Feng could not obtain the reward Jiang Tianzun had promised. As for Jiang Tianzun... At this moment, his desire to kill Yaoguang was no longer merely about wiping away lost face; it contained a deeply buried trace of terror. Although he showed not the slightest outward sign, in the depths of his heart he was truly shaken by Yaoguang's rise. First, during the Heavenly Dao Sect disciple examination, Yaoguang had displayed combat prowess on par with an Azure Blue Golden Core, nearly becoming a true disciple of the Heavenly Dao Sect in one go and gaining a talisman of protection from the sect. Then, in the Haizhou provincial capital of Great Shang, he had slain two of the Xi family's Void Piercing Battle Immortals and two Azure Blue Golden Cores. Such combat prowess truly struck terror into the heart. Among them, the Void Piercing Battle Immortals might be explained by premeditation and thorough preparation on Yaoguang's part. Yet slaying two Azure Blue Golden Cores was an unyielding fact. When Xuan Shuang, ranked thirty-fourth among the Heavenly Dao Sect's true disciples, also likely died at Yaoguang's hands, the sense of crisis in Jiang Tianzun's heart mounted to the absolute limit. Although Xuan Shuang's strength was inferior to his own, dealing with him would still require Jiang Tianzun some effort, and if Xuan Shuang were dead-set on fleeing, Jiang Tianzun might not be guaranteed to kill him. Yet such a true disciple had fallen by Yaoguang's hand... Crucially, step by step, he was growing far too fast. This rapid growth was what truly horrified and terrified him. Right now, Yaoguang already possessed strength comparable to the top twenty, or even top ten true disciples of the Heavenly Dao Sect. If another ten years passed, would he be like Jiang Tianzun, landing on the Void Piercing Candidate List? And after another decade or so, would he advance to the Void Piercing Realm even faster than him?! At this thought, Jiang Tianzun said with heavy gravity, "This boy must not be allowed to live!" "What can we do about it? He has hidden himself in Biyou Immortal Market. Who dares risk offending the Penglai Immortal Sect behind Biyou Immortal Market to strike?" Tongming said irritably. In minor matters, he was willing to give face to Jiang Tianzun, a true disciple of a Void Shattering cultivator, but if life-threatening danger was involved... Jiang Tianzun's face fell far short. As for Tushan behind them, at this moment he spoke up: "Gentlemen, I have already found the person. Apprehending suspects and conducting interrogations is the business of your immortal lineages. I shall take my leave first." With that, he departed directly. Clearly, he had no intention of remaining with this group. Tongming and Hou Feng opened their mouths, wanting to urge him to stay, but since he was also in the Void Piercing Realm and refused to give them face, there was nothing they could do. "I'm afraid I must report this matter to the Lineage Master," Tongming said, also sensing that something was amiss. Hou Feng's eagerness and Jiang Tianzun's relentless pursuit clearly contained other motives. Perhaps it had something to do with how Yaoguang had formed an Azure Blue Golden Core so quickly. A fortuitous encounter? An inheritance? Or perhaps... a Dao artifact?! Previously, Tongming would have believed it was the former, but all along the way as they pursued Yaoguang, they had consistently failed to match his speed, leaving Tongming no choice but to suspect that Yaoguang might possess a void-traversing Dao artifact. When it came to a Dao artifact... And with the matter also involving a grand elder's personal disciple from the Taiyi Immortal Sect, it was an opportunity, but also a peril! Hou Feng had chosen to see it as an opportunity. Tongming, however... before reaching Void Refining, clearly had no desire to get dragged into a vortex involving a Dao artifact. "Report to the Lineage Master? Lineage Master Xiang attends to thousands of daily affairs; there's no need to disturb him over such a trifle, is there?" Hou Feng said hurriedly. If Heaven Lineage Master Xiang Zhenlong intervened in this matter, the fact that Yaoguang possessed a Dao artifact might be exposed. "Yaoguang, the culprit who murdered a true disciple of our Heaven Lineage, is holed up inside Biyou Immortal Market and refusing to come out. Only if higher-ups from our Heavenly Dao Sect step in to negotiate will the Penglai Immortal Sect back down. Otherwise, if he hides in there and never emerges, where will our Heavenly Dao Sect put its face?" Tongming said. "Actually, there might not be no way." At this moment, Mo Shan spoke up: "We hesitate to act because we have great foundations and vast establishments, fearing that a single misstep would provoke the wrath of the Penglai Immortal Sect and incur massive risk. But if the person who strikes does not fear the Penglai Immortal Sect, all our problems will be resolved smoothly." "Does not fear the Penglai Immortal Sect? How could anyone not fear the Penglai Immortal Sect? A Dao Lord?" Tongming asked, frowning. "No need for a Dao Lord. Someone who casts life and death aside will suffice—for instance, Void Piercing Battle Immortals," Mo Shan said. "Void Piercing Battle Immortals?" Tongming and Hou Feng both felt a stir in their hearts. Void Piercing Battle Immortals were people who lived one day without knowing if there would be a tomorrow; they truly did not place much weight on life and death. As long as the benefits, compensation, or conviction were sufficient, Void Piercing Battle Immortals were indeed willing to sacrifice themselves. "Of course, at least two Void Piercing Battle Immortals must act. In fact, to ensure nothing goes awry, it would be best if three or four of them took action," Mo Shan explained briskly. "Two of them can lure Lu Li away. The Penglai Immortal Sect has always been short-handed, and apart from guarding Biyou Immortal Market, Lu Li also bears the duty of rescuing true disciples in distress nearby. So long as we use a Penglai true disciple as bait, luring him away won't be difficult. Taking advantage of that window, the remaining Void Piercing Battle Immortals can strike, storming straight into Biyou Immortal Market to capture him, haul him away, or even slay him on the spot." "Three or four Void Piercing Battle Immortals..." Hou Feng said. "Void Piercing Battle Immortals are figures of some renown. Every person willing to become a Void Piercing Battle Immortal did so to protect the faction behind them. They might not care about their own deaths, but once they infuriate the Penglai Immortal Sect, the forces backing them..." "That is why we need three or four Void Piercing Battle Immortals who are complete unknowns on Beihai Star." Mo Shan glanced at Jiang Tianzun. "For other factions, gathering three or four Void Piercing Battle Immortals who leave no trace on Beihai Star would be no easy feat. But the Cangwu lineage is different. They arrived on Beihai Star less than a century ago, and they tread the Battle Immortal path. They must possess hidden Void Piercing Battle Immortals. If you can convince the Cangwu lineage to dispatch three or four such battle immortals, capturing and killing Su Yaoguang will be effortless." "Battle Immortals of the Cangwu lineage..." Jiang Tianzun's expression shifted slightly. "True Disciple Jiang, this is a perfect opportunity to see where the Cangwu lineage truly stands, isn't it?" Mo Shan said with a smile. Jiang Tianzun did not answer immediately. Hearing this, Hou Feng pressed immediately: "This method is indeed the most appropriate. Jiang Tianzun, we've bustled back and forth on your behalf; surely you don't intend to leave us empty-handed, do you?" His tone grew slightly heavier. Though Jiang Tianzun had bright prospects for reaching the Void Piercing Realm in the future, he had not yet truly achieved it after all. If he genuinely offended Hou Feng, not only would he make a potential Void Piercing enemy, but it would also deal a severe blow to his reputation. If people helped him without receiving any benefit, who would ever help him again? "I understand. I will contact the Cangwu lineage right away and have them arrange for several Void Piercing Battle Immortals to come over," Jiang Tianzun said in a low voice. "Good." Hou Feng nodded with a smile. "We will keep watch outside Biyou Immortal Market to ensure Yaoguang doesn't slip away during this time." *** Biyou Immortal Market. A cave dwelling spanning several li in diameter. Through the formation, Yaoguang watched the streaks of light that flashed across the outside from time to time. Those were the trails left behind by cultivators streaking through the void. "Truly beautiful," Yaoguang remarked with genuine admiration. A scene like this, where radiant splendor veiled the skies and multicolored light drifted everywhere, was something he likely never would have witnessed in a lifetime back in his original world. "If mortals lived on floating islands like these, it would indeed be pure torment; going up and down the mountain would pose a mortal danger to them. But to cultivators, these suspended mountains stretching thousands of li are the ultimate playground." He turned his gaze toward a mountain peak soaring into the clouds nearby, and the waterfall plunging straight down its face... "What's more, whatever shape they wish to reshape these mountains and terrains into takes only a single thought. Under such conditions, every corner of this floating mountain range can be called a wondrous sight of heaven and earth." How untrammeled, how carefree. This was already close to the life he dreamed of. Yet, as fate would have it... There were always people constantly disturbing him, unwilling to let him enjoy it in peace and insisting on thrusting him into danger. Without security for one's life, even delicacies tasted like wax, let alone these wondrous sights of heaven and earth. Fortunately, within this cave dwelling, these ten years were safe. And ten years... "Is plenty." Yaoguang turned and walked to the cultivation area. In a square a full thousand meters across, he sat cross-legged at the center. Pure Yang Great Pills lay scattered around his body, swallowed unceasingly as he circulated the Kunpeng Sky-Devouring Technique. The process... was exceedingly swift! In less than a year, his Azure Blue Golden Core had completed its second round of transformation, its mass soaring to a new height! Its colossal mass was such that even though it had not yet collapsed into a primal cavern, the might radiating from it still warped the surrounding void. Even the formation covering the square could barely contain the entirety of his aura. Such power naturally caused cultivators in nearby cave dwellings to take notice in astonishment. "What formidable might! Could it be an expert at the peak of the ninth level of the Golden Core realm on the verge of a breakthrough?" "I'm afraid even the peak of the ninth level doesn't do it justice. A foundation like this... could it be someone on the Void Piercing Candidate List?" "I once had the honor of meeting True Disciple Lingxi from the Heavenly Dao Sect, ranked thirty-third on the Void Piercing Candidate List jointly established by our Ten Immortal Sects, and even her might never reached such a level." All manner of discussions drifted from the surrounding area. Yet Yaoguang's aura escaped for only a moment before he reined it back in, swiftly stabilizing his condition. Half a month later, the Azure Blue Golden Core inside him rotated smoothly at will, without the slightest disharmony. "Finally... the middle stage of the Azure Blue Golden Core," Yaoguang murmured. To others, the middle stage of the Azure Blue Golden Core was far from its final form. To ensure a better breakthrough into the Void Piercing Realm, many cultivators would continue polishing it until the Azure Blue Golden Core was honed to its absolute limit, reaching a state where it could be elevated no further. But for Yaoguang... it was enough. "I can advance to the Void Piercing Realm," Yaoguang muttered. Just then, as if sensing something, he turned around in shock. Only to find that at some unknown point, a woman clad in a white robe, her hair cascading all the way to her toes, had appeared on the square where he cultivated. Yet how she had arrived, and how long she had been there, Yaoguang had not sensed in the slightest.