The Outer Sea

Void Refining! Deputy sect master! Presiding over an entire domain! Though the impact of these revelations crashed over Qi Sha in a tidal wave, it did not throw him into greater confusion. Instead, it brought him to a swift, sharp calm. Junior Sect Master Yaoguang... No! He should be called Deputy Sect Master now. Having achieved Void Refining, he merely had to return to the sect once, and he would soon become the fourth deputy sect master of the Heavenly Dao Sect, taking charge of the Southern Realm—a vast territory that currently lacked a presiding deputy sect master. That was an opulent region capable of generating an annual revenue of over a hundred million Pure Yang Great Pills. Even if half of that hundred million had to be handed over to the sect, it would still leave upwards of fifty million. A mere fraction plucked from that sum would effortlessly support his daily cultivation. In the future, Void Refining was within reach. Not to mention that Yaoguang was suspected of having an Artifact Saint backing him. Once Qi Sha reached Void Refining, he too could wield the wonders of a Dao artifact to comprehend Dao techniques. With that thought, Qi Sha hesitated no longer. He stepped solemnly forward and bowed deeply. "From this day forth, Qi Sha is willing to serve Sect Master Yaoguang as his lord and follow My Lord's every command." "Good." A smile on his face, Yaoguang immediately stepped forward to support him. "With your assistance, Qi Sha, no matter how treacherous the situation may be in whichever domain I am assigned, I will have more than enough confidence to handle it with ease." "I will never disappoint My Lord," Qi Sha said solemnly. Having secured Qi Sha's allegiance, the bond between the two visibly grew closer. As the warship pressed forward, heading toward the waters bordering the outer sea, Yaoguang gained a thorough understanding of this hall master's past. A thousand years ago, during his days as a true disciple, this Void Piercing cultivator had indeed been an unrivaled figure. Although his best result had only been third true disciple, that was not because his strength was lacking. Rather, his background and equipment had fallen short compared to the two ranked above him. Moreover, he had come into contact with supreme divine abilities far later than many other true disciples. Even so, he had managed to surge from behind and seize third place. Regrettably, he had been too proud back then. When faced with the olive branches extended by numerous Void Piercing elders, and even peak masters and lineage masters of the Void Refining realm, he had rejected them all. That behavior incurred the displeasure of certain petty elders who suppressed him from the shadows, repeatedly assigning him sect missions that consumed vast amounts of time. This severely disrupted his cultivation schedule, so by the time he finally achieved Void Piercing, he was already approaching four hundred years old, having missed the opportunity to become a junior sect master. Even after he attained Void Piercing, various factions still tried to recruit him. He rejected them all, only to end up banished to the Tianshang Battle Hall, gradually fading into obscurity. Of course, that so-called obscurity was only in comparison to his dazzling prominence as a true disciple. In truth, among the true disciples who had broken through in his generation, hardly any were actually stronger than him. After a heart-to-heart conversation, Yaoguang had gained a comprehensive grasp of Qi Sha's circumstances. "If I am not mistaken, what you cultivate is the sect's Dao technique—the Great Annihilation Sword Qi, correct?" "Precisely so." Qi Sha nodded. "Has My Lord also studied this technique?" "Indeed. I considered that Dao technique in the past, but due to my constitution, I ultimately chose what suited my strengths and planted a Void Dao seed instead." As Yaoguang spoke, he took out a crystal, infused it with his divine mind, and handed it to Qi Sha. "These are my insights regarding that Grand Dao. Take a look; I hope they prove useful to you." "Thank you, My Lord." Although Qi Sha doubted that a Void Piercing cultivator walking the Grand Dao of the Void could possess any deep insights into the Grand Dao of Destruction, he naturally would not decline a gift from his lord, and accepted it. "In addition, since I have not yet returned to the sect for my promotion to deputy sect master, maintain our previous forms of address when others are present," Yaoguang said. Qi Sha nodded. At the same time, he sent a wisp of his divine mind to sweep across the crystal bearing the divine mind information. With just a single sweep, his mind was instantly ensnared by the contents, his eyes widening in shock. Only after a long while did he look up at Yaoguang with profound reverence. "My Lord, to think your understanding of the Grand Dao of Destruction has reached such profound heights... Especially regarding this Great Annihilation Sword Qi—even a Void Refining expert I once consulted did not understand it as thoroughly as you do." "You flatter me." Yaoguang smiled faintly, unperturbed. Among the 1,088 Dao techniques he had acquired, more than half originated from Beihai Star. Naturally, that included the various Dao techniques possessed by the Heavenly Dao Sect. Of course, to avoid needless disputes, the Dao techniques he personally cultivated either had lost their lineages long ago or did not belong to Beihai Star in the first place. "Since it is useful to you, go and digest it well," Yaoguang instructed. "Understood." Acknowledging the command, Qi Sha promptly withdrew. Once Qi Sha departed, Yaoguang turned his gaze back to the distance. Beihai Star bore "sea" in its name, and naturally, it was dominated by vast oceans. The landmass of the entire planet made up less than ten percent of its total surface. A body of water like the Deep Blue Sea alone exceeded the entire territory of the Heavenly Dao Sect. And seas comparable to the Deep Blue Sea were scattered in great numbers across the world. Thus, across Beihai Star, ocean vistas were the norm. It was only because humanity was better suited to terrestrial life that most sects established their headquarters on solid ground. "It has been so long, yet we haven't encountered a single demon king. As expected... even within the deep waters of the Deep Blue Sea, encountering a demon king is no easy feat. The reason we ran into three of them at once back then was likely sheer luck—we raided a demon den, and the demons allied with that den knew we had wiped it out and were heading for their next stronghold, so they deliberately assembled a force to intercept us halfway." Yaoguang withdrew his gaze. "The Tianshang Battle Hall has many members and searches quite thoroughly. For other squads, failing to encounter even a single rank-nine great demon for ten days to half a month would be entirely normal." He did not waste any more time on the deck, quietly waiting for the warship to sail into the outer sea. As they approached the outer sea, the number of demons in the vicinity noticeably multiplied. Unless rank-seven and rank-eight great demons gathered in large swarms, Yaoguang rarely made a move. But when it came to rank-nine great demons... The moment a member of the Tianshang Battle Hall spotted one, he crossed the distance in a single Void Flicker. On average, the round trip took merely a few breaths of time. It was exceptionally efficient. Although rank-nine great demons contributed very slowly to his realm progress now, still... Even mosquito legs were meat. If he wanted to propel his realm toward Dao Lord as swiftly as possible, he could not afford to pass up any increase in experience. *Whoosh!* Just as Yaoguang was hunting down these great demons, four streaks of light swept past the edge of the horizon. Upon sensing the Tianshang Battle Hall's warship, one of the streaks swiftly altered its course, flying toward their position. All four streaks of light were Void Piercing cultivators. The leading Void Piercing cultivator halted not far from the warship, sending forth his divine mind and cupping his hands from afar. "Is that True Monarch Yaoguang before us?" Yaoguang appeared and returned the salute. "True Monarch Hailing." These four individuals were all Void Piercing cultivators of the Penglai Immortal Sect. The leader, True Monarch Hailing, was also a figure of renowned stature within the Penglai Immortal Sect. What he cultivated was the exceptionally rare Grand Dao of the Soul. However... As one of the core Daos, cultivating the Grand Dao of the Soul was excruciatingly difficult. This Void Piercing expert had brought his grotto-heaven to perfection three thousand years ago, yet he had never been able to fuse his Soul Dao seed with his grotto-heaven to break through to Void Refining. To this day, having lived past eight thousand years, he remained stranded in the Void Piercing realm. In contrast, those peers who had cultivated the Dao of the Void alongside him had virtually all stepped into the Void Refining realm, provided they had not perished along the way. When he learned that Dao Lord Penglai had founded the Penglai Immortal Sect, he had immediately volunteered his allegiance and became an elder within the sect. "Has True Monarch Yaoguang reconsidered? Are you willing to step forward to lure out Demon King Tuntian?" True Monarch Hailing asked with a hint of a smile. "The promise made by our Sect Master Leng still stands." "I fear I must disappoint both you and Deputy Sect Master Leng," Yaoguang said calmly. At the same time, an ethereal wisp of Void Dao charm radiated from his figure. "I have already condensed a Void Dao seed; luring out Demon King Tuntian will no longer be an easy matter." At these words, True Monarch Hailing's expression froze slightly, and he ultimately let out a sigh. "True Monarch Yaoguang... how foolish of you. A golden opportunity to obtain a Dao artifact was right before your eyes, yet you failed to seize it... Alas..." "It matters not. As long as I can locate Demon King Tuntian, the contribution points I earn will not fall far short of a Dao artifact," Yaoguang remarked with a smile. "Locate Demon King Tuntian...? Among that demon king's squad is a demon king formed from a Great Dao Golden Cicada. Its vigilance is exceedingly acute; how could finding them be anything but an impossible task?" True Monarch Hailing shook his head, thoroughly disheartened. He even lost the desire to continue speaking with Yaoguang, simply cupping his hands. "In that case, I can only wish you all good fortune. Farewell." Yaoguang returned the gesture politely. The party of four Void Piercing cultivators soon streaked into the distance, vanishing beyond the horizon. "They even deployed True Monarch Hailing. It seems the Penglai Immortal Sect is feeling quite a bit of pressure," Yaoguang murmured. "To be backed into such a corner by a single demon king is indeed a loss of face for the Penglai Immortal Sect. Many factions are watching and laughing at their expense. From what I know, more than half of the Penglai Immortal Sect's Void Piercing cultivators have been dispatched here," Qi Sha replied, having also emerged upon hearing the commotion. "Finished reading?" Yaoguang glanced at him. "The gains are tremendous." Qi Sha looked thoroughly invigorated. "I feel that I have gained a brand-new understanding of the Great Annihilation Sword Qi that I have cultivated for centuries. In a few decades at the fastest, or a century at most, I will surely master this Dao technique to the minor accomplishment stage." "Then I shall await your good news." Yaoguang smiled. "It is all thanks to My Lord's aid," Qi Sha replied. Immediately after, he looked into the distance. "We have already reached the outer sea. How should we search for Demon King Tuntian next?" "There is no need to force it. The ocean is vast, and looking for Demon King Tuntian's squad alone is no different from searching for a needle in a haystack." Yaoguang paused, then added, "We will let them come seeking us on their own." "Let them come right to our door?" Qi Sha was startled. "How will they come?" "Very simple. We will hunt other demon kings. As long as we slaughter enough of them, those demon kings won't be able to sit still." Before his voice had even faded, Yaoguang's figure rose into the air, keeping pace alongside the warship. Then, he activated his True Spirit Light. Deep within his soul, a radiant sphere of light appeared to materialize, illuminating all directions. The sphere shone brilliantly, dazzling and majestic. Yet, toward the north, a faint patch of dimness subtly revealed itself. Without hesitation, Yaoguang pointed toward the north. "That way."