Decision

"A Dao artifact?!" Standing behind Yaoguang, Qi Sha could not help but shudder at Leng Qingqiu's words. A Dao artifact! For a Dao Lord, forging a Dao artifact was not particularly difficult. Yet just like billionaires earning billions a year who could amass in a single day wealth that most societal elites could not save over a lifetime—would they ever be willing to squander an entire day for some so-called elite? Thus, to any being below the Dao Lord realm, a Dao artifact was a supreme treasure they might never manage to scrape together the funds to purchase in their whole life. Yet Yaoguang... He did not seem to lack Dao artifacts. After a moment of shock, Qi Sha swiftly calmed himself. This sight, however, took Leng Qingqiu by surprise. A Dao artifact! This was a genuine Dao artifact! A supreme treasure for proving the Dao that many Void Refining experts did not even possess. And this was their only reaction? Noticing the faint astonishment in her eyes, Qi Sha seemed to guess her thoughts, sighing inwardly. Ever since he began following Hall Master Yaoguang, he seemed to have developed an immunity to Dao artifacts that he would ordinarily never dare dream of. Upon hearing of one now, he had merely shown a flicker of surprise and nothing more. His horizons had clearly been broadened. Compared to the various thoughts swirling in Qi Sha and Leng Qingqiu's heads, Yaoguang paid far more attention to another issue. "You want me as bait because the demon race placed a bounty on me? How much is it?" He was genuinely curious. Leng Qingqiu pondered for a moment. Considering this was information Yaoguang could easily uncover with minimal inquiry, she did not hide it. "Currently, Junior Sect Master Yaoguang ranks ninth on the demon race's Void Piercing bounty list, with a price of thirty thousand Void Dao Pills." "Forty thousand Void Dao Pills... That comes to 480 million Pure Yang Great Pills? Nearly half a Dao artifact," Yaoguang remarked. "Indeed." Leng Qingqiu nodded, adding, "Therefore, our Penglai Immortal Sect offering a Dao artifact to request Junior Sect Master Yaoguang's assistance is already a show of immense sincerity..." "Using a Dao artifact to buy the life of a Void Piercing cultivator sounds wonderful. But that is merely your perspective. As I see it, I only need to enter secluded cultivation for a period to step into the Void Refining realm. My life is hardly so cheap," Yaoguang said. Leng Qingqiu frowned, speaking only after a long pause: "We never meant to buy Perfected Lord Yaoguang's life with this Dao artifact. We are merely asking for your aid... The team led by Demon King Tuntian bullies the weak and fears the strong. They possess demon kings adept at concealment who mask our perception, as well as demon kings skilled in reconnaissance who can pinpoint Dao seeds, allowing them to evade all cultivators who have planted one. That is why we are asking for your assistance, Perfected Lord Yaoguang." She looked at Yaoguang, her tone brimming with supreme confidence. "Demon King Tuntian and his crew are not particularly strong in themselves. What makes them formidable is their elusive nature. In other words, once Perfected Lord Yaoguang lures them out, my strength alone will suffice to slaughter these demon kings with ease. You will not face any substantive danger." "You would be following behind me, not traveling alongside me. From the moment I am ambushed by Demon King Tuntian's group until you arrive in time, at least several breaths of time will pass—perhaps a dozen breaths if you are slow. During that window, facing so many demon kings alone... you call that facing no substantive danger?" Yaoguang asked. Leng Qingqiu remained silent for a good while before saying, "That is precisely why we are willing to offer a Dao artifact as compensation." "A Dao artifact... against six to eight demon kings skilled in ambushes springing upon me without warning. How is that not blood money?" Yaoguang smiled. "For an ordinary Void Piercing expert, a sudden ambush by six to eight demon kings skilled in surprise attacks is indeed perilous in the extreme. But Perfected Lord Yaoguang is a figure capable of slaying three Void Piercing demon kings single-handedly. Such prowess can already be called the pinnacle of the Void Piercing realm. Even against Demon King Tuntian's battle squad, you wouldn't fail to hold out for just a few breaths, would you?" A slight smile also appeared on Leng Qingqiu's face. "Of course, if there was some hidden truth behind your slaying of three Void Piercing demon kings on your own... and you do not actually possess such power, then consider me presumptuous. After all, if you truly lack that strength, this task would indeed be life-threatening for you." "Save your provocations. Slaying three Void Piercing demon kings and serving as bait to hold off six to eight of them are two entirely different matters." The former was an open confrontation. The latter... Offering oneself as bait meant placing one's life in the hands of the enemy. Could he guarantee that the intelligence Leng Qingqiu gave him was accurate? Were there truly only six to eight demon kings led by Demon King Tuntian? Even if her information contained not a shred of falsehood, what if the demons had intentionally fed it to her? What if a Void Refining demon emperor was hidden among those demon kings? What then? Furthermore, Leng Qingqiu's intelligence had likely been gathered some time ago—if not a year or two, then at least several months. Whether Demon King Tuntian's lineup had expanded over these months remained an unknown. There were far too many variables. Naturally, he would not risk his life. "Sect Master Leng, you had best seek someone better suited," Yaoguang refused outright. "It seems Perfected Lord Yaoguang truly lacks confidence in himself... How disappointing," Leng Qingqiu said indifferently. "Disappointing?" Yaoguang's brow furrowed. Leng Qingqiu's remark bordered on insolence. With a half-smile, he replied, "Palace Master Leng, that is not a word you should use lightly." "Oh? Did I misspeak?" Leng Qingqiu said. "The fact that you chose me for this mission proves that across the entire Penglai Immortal Sect—from true disciples to Void Piercing elders and junior sect masters—not a single person is more capable or suitable than I am. Yet now, you claim to be disappointed in me... Does that not mean that in the entire Penglai Immortal Sect, not one true disciple, Void Piercing elder, or junior sect master can catch Vice Sect Master Leng's eye, and all of them are even greater disappointments?" Yaoguang gave no ground, speaking bluntly. He even placed special emphasis on the words "Vice Sect Master." "You..." Leng Qingqiu looked displeased and was about to speak, but Lu Li hurriedly stepped forward to smooth things over. "Since Junior Sect Master Yaoguang is unwilling to lure Demon King Tuntian, we shall drop the matter and find another way." "Indeed. I trust the Penglai Immortal Sect is filled with talents, and someone will surely replace me to carry out this mission," Yaoguang agreed with a nod. "Besides, Vice Sect Master Leng is a Void Refining expert. Demon King Tuntian's squad might hide from your pursuit for a short while, but can they hide for a lifetime? If Vice Sect Master Leng applies herself a little more, you will surely capture those demon kings eventually." "Hmph!" Leng Qingqiu flicked her sleeve sharply. "My affairs are no concern of yours!" With that, she vanished directly from the lounge. This departure left Lu Li somewhat embarrassed. "Perfected Lord Yaoguang, Vice Sect Master Leng has been unable to ferret out Demon King Tuntian for some time, yet that demon king's squad continues to ambush and slaughter our sect's elites again and again. Vice Sect Master Leng is under immense psychological pressure, so please forgive her momentary lapse in courtesy." As Lu Li spoke, he bowed on Leng Qingqiu's behalf. "No matter. Perfected Lord Lu, simply gather the materials I need as soon as possible," Yaoguang said. "I shall send a message to the sect at once to urge them further," Lu Li replied hastily. Yaoguang nodded. The Void Piercing cultivator stationed at the Biyou Immortal Market then took his leave. Once he was gone, Qi Sha, who had accompanied Yaoguang, finally spoke up: "Junior Sect Master, it seems the outer sea is far from peaceful, and the Penglai Immortal Sect cannot fully control the situation. Should we...?" "It is only natural that they cannot control the situation," Yaoguang said. The Deep Blue Sea originally belonged to the territory of Demon Saint Yulin of the Nine Demon Lineages. Back then, Dao Lord Penglai had defeated Demon Saint Yulin before seizing the Deep Blue Sea, founding her sect here, and simultaneously achieving the great feat of expanding humanity's territory. Yet just as human lands were each carved up and occupied by the Ten Immortal Sects, the Four Immortal Dynasties, the Three Immortal Martial Sects, and the Six Buddhist Temples, demon territory was similarly divided. Having lost the Deep Blue Sea, Demon Saint Yulin's clan saw their living space drastically compressed, leaving them no choice but to try every means to reclaim it. For that reason, over the past century, battle in the outer reaches of the Deep Blue Sea had never ceased. Unable to match Dao Lord Penglai, Demon Saint Yulin simply avoided confronting her. Whenever Dao Lord Penglai appeared to slay a demon emperor or demon sovereign, the demon saint would flee in another direction to ambush the elders, palace masters, and deputy sect masters of the Penglai Immortal Sect. If Dao Lord Penglai pursued, it would retreat deep into demon territory. The other demon saints among the Nine Demon Lineages could hardly sit by and watch Dao Lord Penglai run rampant in their stronghold, so they naturally stepped forward to force her back. Their entire strategy was to avoid head-on clashes and grind her down through attrition. Unfortunately, the Penglai Immortal Sect had been established not long ago and possessed a limited number of experts, yet it had already occupied nearly the entire Deep Blue Sea—a domain even larger than those of the Heavenly Dao Sect and Taiyi Immortal Sect. Relying on Dao Lord Penglai alone, maintaining absolute control over the situation was bound to be difficult. Of course, on the whole, the Penglai Immortal Sect still held the upper hand. "Every time Dao Lord Penglai makes a move, she exposes her position. As long as she isn't too close to Demon Saint Yulin, the hiding demon saint will inevitably strike in response. But Dao Lords move too swiftly; the concept of being 'relatively close' spans half the Deep Blue Sea. More often than not, Dao Lord Penglai strikes three times before Demon Saint Yulin finds a single opening to act. It is only because the Penglai Immortal Sect has shallower foundations and cannot afford to trade pieces that Yulin's lineage hasn't been wiped out already." Yaoguang smiled as he spoke. "With a loss ratio of three for one... demon kings are slightly better off, as they aren't necessarily worth Dao Lord Penglai intervening personally. But the demon emperors and demon sovereigns in the outer sea must be living in constant dread. To avoid drawing her attention, they will definitely slack off. In other words, while there are plenty of demon kings in the outer sea, it will actually be safer than we imagined." "Junior Sect Master, are you planning...?" "Naturally, to go join in the excitement." Yaoguang estimated the timeline briefly and said with a smile, "Still, there is no rush. We will rest for a while. It won't be too late to head out once the Penglai Immortal Sect's bounty on Demon King Tuntian is released and our Battle Hall members have digested what they earned from this excursion."