"Dozens of true disciples blasted away together—what a magnificent sight!"
"Such a spectacle hasn't been seen in a thousand years."
"True disciples... true disciples... So it turns out even true disciples are nothing more than this."
Farther from the Heavenly Dao Sword Platform, countless inner disciples witnessed this scene. Who knew how many sighed with emotion, and who knew how many gloated in secret?
Yet, as more and more true disciples were sent flying out, Yuan Miaoyi, the Lineage Master of the Immortal Lineage, looked increasingly grim.
When nearly all the true disciples had been blasted off and only Yan Huang remained...
The lineage master could not help but curse under his breath, "Disgraceful fools."
This generation of true disciples was truly an utter disgrace.
On the Heavenly Dao Sword Platform.
After Yaoguang landed a Sky-Cleaving Strike square on the body of third true disciple Liang Lin, forcing Venerable Golden Book to sweep him off the platform, not a single true disciple remained on stage aside from Yan Huang.
"It's over."
Yaoguang's gaze fell upon Yan Huang.
Yet the foremost true disciple wore a somber expression. Driving his Red Gold Divine Phoenix Body onward, the war sword in his hand crackled once more with destructive lightning, resolute on fighting to the very last moment.
He was stubbornly holding on.
Or rather, his identity...
The foremost true disciple of the Heavenly Dao Sect.
The Eldest Senior Brother acknowledged by all disciples.
The Sect Master's direct disciple.
Everything he carried on his shoulders forbade him from admitting defeat.
Seeing this, Yaoguang showed no mercy either.
What did whatever burdens you carry have to do with me?
Golden light flashed from the Swimming Dragon Sword.
Relying on his traits as a Child of the Void, stirring a void tsunami at this moment was as effortless for him as a fish swimming in the sea.
With the slightest movement, he could channel the void tsunami into a Sky-Cleaving Strike and bring it crashing down with immense weight.
Under the relentless barrage, Yan Huang could withstand one strike, two strikes, even five or six strikes, but he could not hold out against eight or ten.
Finally, as Yaoguang unleashed ten consecutive Sky-Cleaving Strikes, Yan Huang's Red Gold Divine Phoenix Body could no longer hold; it fractured and burst into myriad zhang of blazing flames.
When Yaoguang immediately followed with an eleventh Sky-Cleaving Strike before Yan Huang's Red Gold Divine Phoenix Body had time to complete its nirvana rebirth, golden light flashed, and Venerable Golden Book teleported his figure directly outside the Heavenly Dao Sword Platform.
"He lost."
Seeing this, even though many true disciples had already anticipated this outcome while Yan Huang was bitterly holding on, their hearts were still filled with bitter sorrow.
To them, this unfamiliar Yaoguang had appeared out of nowhere like a great demon lord, crushing every true disciple of the Heavenly Dao Sect under absolute dominance.
And worst of all...
They were powerless to resist.
The one who claimed final victory was precisely this demon lord.
Yan Huang's defeat seemed to mark the end of an era.
Yet Venerable Golden Book could not care less about what they thought.
Golden Cores had a lifespan of merely a thousand years.
To someone who had lived for untold tens of thousands of years, they were like silkworms in spring, like dragonflies, like butterflies; their sentimental lamentations held no meaning whatsoever in his eyes.
He only needed to act according to the rules set down for him by Dao Venerable Hongmeng.
"Is there anyone else who wishes to step onto the Heavenly Dao Sword Platform to issue a challenge?" Venerable Golden Book asked indifferently.
He did not look at the sullen faces of the Void Piercing elders or the Lineage Master of the Immortal Lineage.
The attitude of the Golden Core realm was meaningless.
And the thoughts of those elders and lineage masters...
Were equally so.
As Venerable Golden Book's divine mind echoed, the gazes of all the disciples in the arena turned toward the remaining true disciples.
Those true disciples...
Each and every one remained silent.
Some true disciples could not even endure the strange looks from others and streaked away in beams of light.
Meanwhile, the elders and lineage masters exchanged glances, feeling utterly helpless.
"It seems there is no one else."
Venerable Golden Book took in the scene, then turned toward Yaoguang on the stage, who was still maintaining the power of his Deep Blue Golden Core. "Then... congratulations. You have become a true disciple!"
"Thank you." Yaoguang nodded slightly.
As long as an artifact spirit had not spent too long influenced by mortal cultivators, it could handle affairs from an entirely fair and impartial stance.
Their thought processes were completely different from those of humans.
"I merely act according to the rules."
With a wave of his hand, a book roll unfolded before Venerable Golden Book, displaying eighty-eight names.
"All true disciples shall drop down by one rank. The eighty-eighth true disciple is automatically demoted to an inner disciple."
As the artifact spirit spoke, completely ignoring the pale face of one among the true disciples, he beckoned with a hand, captured a mental imprint from Yaoguang, and etched it into the book.
The entire process took place under the watchful eyes of the crowd.
Not a single person stepped forward to stop it.
Nor could anyone stop it.
The rules inscribed upon the Golden Book of the Great Dao were the very foundation of the Heavenly Dao Sect's existence, transcending all worldly power.
No one's claim to the status of true disciple was more legitimate than Yaoguang's.
The atmosphere in the venue remained solemn for a moment until finally...
Among the true disciples, Lingxi was the first to smile and cup her hands toward Yaoguang. "Congratulations, Senior Brother Yaoguang, on taking your place among the true disciples."
The moment she spoke, Zhang Qing immediately followed, cupping his hands in congratulation. "Congratulations, True Disciple Yaoguang."
Following the stance taken by these two true disciples, other pragmatic true disciples as well as countless inner disciples offered their congratulations in unison: "Congratulations, Senior Brother Yaoguang, on your promotion to foremost true disciple!"
For a time, all kinds of divine mind transmissions filled the surroundings of the Heavenly Dao Sword Platform.
The inner disciples, in particular, were exceedingly eager to voice their congratulations.
Anyone could see that with True Disciple Yaoguang claiming the top rank, a new rising faction was bound to swiftly emerge within the Heavenly Dao Sect.
...
Above the Heavenly Dao Sword Platform.
Jin Yuliu frowned, saying nothing.
After exchanging glances, the other elders turned their eyes toward the Lineage Master of the Immortal Lineage.
After all, this lineage master had ordered all the true disciples to strike together to thwart Yaoguang from becoming a true disciple. Yet no one expected...
Faced with twenty to thirty true disciples, including top true disciples like Yan Huang and Liang Lin striking simultaneously, they still failed to halt Yaoguang's rise. This Immortal Lineage Master had surely lost all face.
At this moment, however, the Immortal Lineage Master paid no mind to the gazes of the other elders, instead stealing nervous glances at his own Sect Master.
His heart was filled with apprehension.
Zong Wenxian glanced at him, rose indifferently into the air, and flew directly above the Heavenly Dao Sword Platform.
Once aloft, a faint smile finally appeared on the Sect Master's face. "To think that among the inner disciples lay an undiscovered gem like you, Yaoguang. With your performance on the Heavenly Dao Sword Platform today, you could rank among the top three on the Void Piercing Candidate List jointly established by the Ten Immortal Sects—or even contend for the renown of being its very first. That the Heavenly Dao Sect has a true disciple like you is indeed our sect's great fortune."
"The Sect Master flatters me," Yaoguang replied politely.
"This is no empty praise, but the plain truth," Zong Wenxian said, going straight to the point. "It has been a long time since I last took in a disciple, but facing a true disciple like you, Yaoguang, I cannot help but be moved. Today, before these many elders and lineage masters, I intend to accept you as my direct disciple and instruct you with utmost care to help you attain Void Piercing at an early date. What do you say?"
As soon as these words were uttered, the ordinary true disciples, inner disciples, and deacons all wore looks of shock.
Jealousy was written across the faces of many.
The Sect Master's direct disciple!
The Sect Master of a sect on Beihai Star was unlike those in other worlds.
They represented the supreme authority within a sect.
In weight and stature, they were a cut above even the Supreme Elders.
Aside from Dao Lords, figures of the sect master level among the Ten Immortal Sects possessed full authority and qualification to mobilize every Supreme Elder and assign them tasks.
Of course, Supreme Elders in the Void Shattering realm enjoyed exalted status in any faction; even a sect master could not command them to risk their lives. But at the very least, the sect master represented the sect's orthodox succession and held the sect's moral mandate.
From this, one could see just how immense the prestige of a sect master's direct disciple was.
This was why all the inner disciples looked at Yaoguang with envy and jealousy.
Becoming the Sect Master's direct disciple was, if anything, even greater than becoming a Supreme Elder's direct disciple; for any disciple, it was truly a meteoric rise to the heavens in a single step.
Yet compared to the inner disciples and ordinary true disciples, the expressions of the numerous elders, lineage masters, peak masters, and even a select few true disciples like Lingxi were quite strange.
Lingxi in particular glanced at Yaoguang, then at the Sect Master, and swiftly lowered her head, not daring to utter a single word.
Becoming the Sect Master's direct disciple was indeed a meteoric ascent with limitless prospects for an ordinary true disciple.
However, Yaoguang possessed a spatial special constitution. If even she could see that, how could the other elders, peak masters, lineage masters, and the Sect Master fail to notice?
A spatial special constitution inherently reduced the difficulty of ascending to the Void Piercing realm by a massive margin. Coupled with the sheer depth of Yaoguang's Deep Blue Golden Core, with such a foundation, all he needed was a brief period of consolidation before stepping naturally into the Void Piercing realm.
Void Piercing, Void Refining, and Void Shattering belonged, to a degree, to the same major realm—much like the variations among the Radiant Sun, Blazing White, and Deep Blue Golden Cores.
And once they became master and disciple, a master could dictate many aspects of a disciple's path, even mapping out his entire life.
Under such circumstances, was it appropriate for someone with a Deep Blue Golden Core foundation to apprentice under someone of Radiant Sun Golden Core origin?
It was not.
Yet the Sect Master had made this very proposal nonetheless.
He seemed not to view Yaoguang as a future peer in the Void Piercing realm. What kind of underlying motives were involved in this...
Was certainly not something a mere true disciple like her could delve into.
"Accept me as a disciple to help me achieve Void Piercing at an early date..."
Looking at the smiling Zong Wenxian, Yaoguang's eyes drifted involuntarily toward where Jin Yuliu stood among the elders.
"Indeed. With your talent, guided by my teachings and backed by the resources I pour into you, I am confident you will step into the Void Piercing realm within ten years," Zong Wenxian said with a smile.
"Ten years to Void Piercing? No need."
As Yaoguang spoke, in the next instant, the Deep Blue Golden Core that had previously been only an illusory manifestation leaped out from within him.
At the same time, his Dharma Idol, condensed from countless strands of divine mind, soared into the sky and erupted in full force. Vaguely, as if tearing through heaven and earth, bringing existence from nothingness, it manifested the phantom of a world.
No!
It was not mere manifestation.
Due to the presence of the Dongyuan Technique, this process seemed to have been completed long ago. The eruption of the Dharma Idol, as if expanding from a single primordial point, manifested the phantom of a world and directly enveloped the entire Deep Blue Golden Core within it.
As the two merged, the Deep Blue Golden Core collapsed with a thunderous roar. Guided by incomparably exquisite spatial laws, a massive primal cavern emerged from within the Golden Core, reflecting brilliantly against the world manifested by the Dharma Idol.
This was...
Refining the illusory into reality.
Using the energy provided by the primal cavern born from the collapsed Golden Core to channel spatial laws, then using those spatial laws as the foundation of existence to unite as one with the illusory world manifested by the erupted Dharma Idol.
Transforming illusion into reality, bringing existence from nothingness.
In an unimaginably brief span of time, a grotto-heaven was woven into being by boundless spatial laws.
As spatial ripples emanating from this grotto-heaven continuously spread in all directions, Yaoguang's figure strode forth from within the distorted void that seemed to overlap two worlds.
"Void Piercing... is complete."
Chapter 315