Decided

The warship of the Tianshang Battle Hall cleaved through the wind and waves, its massive bulk gliding swiftly through the sea of clouds. Along the way, birds and beasts alike fled in panic at its approach. The wake churning behind the warship even whipped up localized storms that lingered long without subsiding. After a long while, Yaoguang opened his eyes in the captain's quarters. "Even after reaching Void Shattering, the available Daos have only increased from over nine hundred to a thousand and eighty-eight." He felt a quiet pang of regret. Most of all... Among these 1,088 Grand Daos, the Grand Dao of Fate was nowhere to be found. Not even the Grand Dao of Karma or the Grand Dao of Time were present. Of the four Supreme Grand Daos, only the Grand Dao of the Void was available, and from it branched a vast array of Dao techniques. This was because the Grand Dao of the Void was the bedrock upon which all Daos manifested. Without the Grand Dao of the Void, none of the other 2,999 Grand Daos could exist. Therefore, the Grand Dao of the Void was the most common and possessed the greatest abundance of Dao techniques. This meant that if he chose the Grand Dao of the Void as his foundation, he would virtually never run into the dead end of having no path forward. "The Grand Dao of the Void... calling it the Grand Dao of Space works just as well..." Yaoguang shifted a portion of his attention toward the Dao Fruit born from his breakthrough from [Void Refining] to [Void Shattering]. "Heart of the Void." Planting it in his grotto-heaven would truly grant it the foundation to evolve into a world. "A world." Yaoguang savored the myriad wonders of this Heart of the Void. Void Piercing realm experts used their true spirits as a foundation to carve out a grotto-heaven, already laying the groundwork to evolve into a heaven and earth of their own. Yet that realm was built purely on the Grand Dao of the Void—like an expanse of stark white space where nothing existed aside from the energy and mass of the original primal cavern. Only as one's cultivation rose could this grotto-heaven ultimately evolve into a true world. Yet as for how long one had to wait for that step... Even Yaoguang did not know. Perhaps it required becoming a Dao Lord, or perhaps... A true immortal. Yet having obtained the Heart of the Void, Yaoguang could allow his grotto-heaven to enjoy the authority of a "world" ahead of time. He could relocate any living being or material directly into his grotto-heaven world. Furthermore, whenever any living creature in the grotto-heaven world made progress in cultivation, it would increase the stability and strength of his grotto-heaven. If a creature managed to break through to the Void Piercing realm and planted a Dao seed in his grotto-heaven, he would even share that expert's insights into the Grand Dao. In other words, he could have others cultivate certain Daos to complete his own comprehension of the three thousand Grand Daos. The size of the grotto-heaven and the strength of the creatures it could sustain depended on his own cultivation and his comprehension of the Dao of the Void. "Now, there's no need to hesitate over the choice." Yaoguang remarked inwardly. The Dao of the Void. He would proceed according to his original plan: choose the Dao of the Void and plant a Void Dao Seed. "Once the Void Dao Seed is planted, the power of all void-type Dao techniques will increase, and my lifebound Dao technique in particular will receive a comprehensive enhancement..." Techniques such as the Void Sword and Void Flicker flowed through Yaoguang's mind. He even reviewed the newly unlocked techniques in his memory, such as the Void Myriad Tribulations Physique, Universe in the Palm, and One Thought World. He weighed and compared them one by one. In the end... He still decided to use Void Flicker as his lifebound Dao technique to nurture the Dao seed. In this world, speed reigned supreme. The Dao technique Void Flicker served precisely that purpose. Flicker close for an instant kill. Or, if the strike missed, flicker a thousand li away. Ideal for both offense and defense. *** Just as Yaoguang settled on the Dao seed he would plant, Qi Sha's divine mind sounded from outside the door: "Hall Master, the demon lair lies just ahead." "Understood." Yaoguang composed his thoughts. Planting a Dao seed would cause slight tremors in his grotto-heaven, which made an environment like the deep sea unsuitable for it right now. He stepped out of the quarters and sent his divine mind probing into the distance. Before long, he noticed abnormalities in the ocean currents. Following these anomalies, he quickly sensed a patch of completely empty void. "A formation?" Yaoguang murmured. "Yes. There are wise individuals among the demon race who have mastered the arts of formations, artifact crafting, and alchemy. While their artifact crafting and alchemy are far inferior to our human race, when it comes to formations, their innate talents actually allow them to surpass us," Qi Sha explained. Yaoguang nodded. He scrutinized that patch of void. Although his own mastery of formations was respectable, it sat only at rank ten. At this level... Setting up formations to deal with seventh- or eighth-tier Golden Core cultivators was manageable, but against the ninth tier, it became rather strained. As for formations capable of trapping and killing a Void Piercing cultivator or affecting the Void Refining realm, those reached as high as rank twelve. Although the formation before them had not reached rank twelve, it was still a standout among rank-eleven formations; a Void Piercing cultivator who fell into it would face considerable danger. "Allow me to test it," Yaoguang said. "How could we trouble you to handle such a matter personal—" Qi Sha wanted to demonstrate his worth, but Yaoguang had already flickered away, reappearing high in the sky a thousand li distant. Throughout the entire process, Qi Sha had barely sensed a thing. Such consummate mastery of Dao techniques filled the talented Void Piercing cultivator with secret dread. With void attainments this profound, if used for sudden ambushes or assassinations, it would be virtually impossible to defend against. Moreover... The thought he had harbored not long ago of rallying the entire Tianshang Battle Hall to surround and kill Yaoguang flashed through his mind, leaving him inwardly grateful. Fortunately, he had not acted on it. Otherwise, with Yaoguang's flawless execution of Dao techniques, how could a mere Tianshang Battle Hall ever hope to trap him? Not to mention his terrifying might in slaying three demon kings single-handedly. Had they tried, it was far from certain whether he would be leading the hall to surround Yaoguang, or Yaoguang would be surrounding him and the entire hall all on his own. Having flickered a thousand li away, Yaoguang naturally had no idea what Qi Sha was thinking. However, intending to bring the Tianshang Battle Hall under his personal command, he did not mind displaying his talent and power from time to time. How else could one win sincere and wholehearted deference? Arriving a thousand li away, he raised his hand. The golden light of the Swimming Dragon Sword swirled with the power of the void, instantly condensing into a Void Sword that slashed straight down toward the patch of void displaying anomalies. Yet the outcome surprised him slightly. He had expected this rank-eleven formation to hold him off for at least a brief moment. But as the Void Sword cut through, the entire formation proved as flimsy as bean curd, sheared apart and cleaved in two in an instant. It seemed as if... There was no decent expert holding the line inside at all. It was not just an impression! As the formation was split open, Yaoguang's divine mind quickly perceived the conditions inside the abnormal void. In a demon lair capable of housing and supporting over a thousand great demons, only several dozen remained, and they were merely lower-stage rank-seven and rank-eight demons. There was not a single rank-nine great demon in sight. One had to understand that the success rate of demons condensing a Heavenly Demon True Form depended heavily on their species and bloodline. So-called rank-nine great demons were not as precious as human Azure Blue Golden Core cultivators; they were merely designated rank nine because their combat strength rivaled an Azure Blue Golden Core. Yet under these circumstances, every rank-nine great demon in this lair had withdrawn, leaving behind only some rank-seven and rank-eight creatures. Clearly, they had abandoned this stronghold. *It seems the demon kings and great demons who ambushed me earlier were drawn from this very lair. They must have learned that the ambush failed and fled in haste, leaving behind an empty nest. Without powerful demons to anchor it, the lair naturally fell to a single strike of my Void Sword,* Yaoguang thought. It was not difficult to deduce. Void Piercing demon kings were by no means minor figures. And he was in the deep sea, not the outer sea that the Penglai Immortal Sect had yet to clear out completely. Outside of a major demon lair, rallying three demon kings was no easy feat. As he pondered, he felt no surprise. With a sweep of the Swimming Dragon Sword, he swiftly slaughtered every demon lurking within. Having finished, he issued an order to the Tianshang Battle Hall: "Clean up the battlefield, then destroy this demon lair." Pausing, he added, "Afterward, we will return to the nearest immortal market to rest and resupply, and exchange for some essential cultivation resources." "Understood!" Receiving their orders, the members of the Tianshang Battle Hall acknowledged enthusiastically, flying out on their flying swords and swarming into the demon lair. Faint looks of anticipation surfaced on quite a few faces. Returning to rest and resupply? Exchanging for cultivation resources? They wondered if they would be able to share in a portion of the spoils. Several hours later, the warship of the Tianshang Battle Hall set under way once more, heading straight for the nearest immortal market. *** The return journey took over a month. This was primarily because the Penglai Immortal Sect had developed this maritime region very little. Furthermore, considering that he had slain three demon kings and that ordinary small immortal markets might not possess enough resources for him to redeem his merits, Yaoguang had intentionally traveled further out to Biyou Immortal Market, which accounted for the month spent traveling. Arriving at this immortal market once again, Yaoguang's frame of mind was entirely different. The last time he had come, he had been merely a petty Golden Core cultivator pursued by several Void Piercing experts, forced to spend a fortune renting a cave abode in this market just to seek refuge in a rather wretched state. This time, however, not only had he achieved the Void Piercing realm, but he had also become the Junior Sect Master of the Heavenly Dao Sect—one of the Ten Immortal Sects. He arrived at the head of hundreds of men from the Tianshang Battle Hall, bearing the glorious record of having slain three Void Piercing demon kings and thousands of great demons to claim his rewards... The difference could hardly have been greater. Even now, while his warship was still some distance from Biyou Immortal Market, Lu Li, the guardian of the immortal market who had received word in advance, streaked over as a ray of sword light. "Welcome, Junior Sect Master Yaoguang of the Heavenly Dao Sect, to our Biyou Immortal Market!" The Void Piercing expert called out from afar using his divine mind. Yaoguang and Qi Sha both made their appearance. "Thank you for coming out to greet us, True Monarch Lu." "It is only right. Junior Sect Master Yaoguang led his forces into the Deep Blue Sea to slay demons, which expands our human territory through righteous campaign and safeguards the peace of our Penglai Immortal Sect's surroundings." With a sweeping gesture of his hand, Lu Li added, "Please, come inside." Yaoguang nodded, directing the others to steer the warship toward the skyport reserved for warships and flying vessels, while he and Qi Sha accompanied Lu Li into Biyou Immortal Market. Along the way, Lu Li covertly marveled as he observed Yaoguang. Who could have imagined that an unremarkable young man from seven years ago could undergo such an earth-shattering transformation in so short a time? Not only had he broken through to the Void Piercing realm in one leap, but he had also become the Junior Sect Master of the Heavenly Dao Sect, commanding a force led by Void Piercing experts across far-flung campaigns. Rising to the heavens in a single bound was an understatement. "By the way, True Monarch Lu, are the provisions in the immortal market still plentiful? We plan to exchange our contribution points for cultivation resources to restock this time," Yaoguang asked. "Rest assured, Junior Sect Master Yaoguang. Biyou Immortal Market is one of the largest immortal markets established by our Penglai Immortal Sect in the Deep Blue Sea. Our supply of all goods is extraordinarily abundant. Even if a Void Refining expert arrived in person, they could never dream of buying out Biyou Immortal Market in a single visit," Lu Li said with confidence. "Then I am relieved," Yaoguang said with a nod. "It seems Junior Sect Master Yaoguang has slain quite a few demons? Roughly how many contribution points do you intend to exchange?" Lu Li asked curiously. "I haven't calculated the exact total." Yaoguang gave a rough estimate. "Three demon kings, over a thousand great demons... roughly a billion or so."