The Hunt

Though Qi Sha did not understand where Yaoguang obtained his information, upon receiving the order, he still swiftly had the crew steer the warship and change course. Over the next few days, Yaoguang cast the True Spirit Light nearly every half-day, searching for targets through the subtle resonance between the True Spirit Light and the Grand Dao of Souls. Like this... Six days later. After casting the True Spirit Light once more, Yaoguang suddenly focused his attention on a particular area. Immediately afterward, his figure flickered, and he materialized a thousand li away. The Swimming Dragon Sword flew forth, slashing down with a thunderous roar toward a calm stretch of sea. Almost the instant his Swimming Dragon Sword struck the sea, a streak of light whistled out from the seabed, draped in demonic qi as it bolted toward the horizon. "A demon king?!" In the distance, Qi Sha, who had followed to back him up, felt his heart shudder. This... It was indeed a demon king active in the outer sea! Sect Master Yaoguang had actually dragged a hidden demon king right out of the vast outer sea?! Compared to Qi Sha's shock at Yaoguang ferreting out the demon king, the demon king itself was in a state of utter panic. It clearly recognized Yaoguang's identity and knew of his feat of slaying three demon kings. Daring not clash with him at all, it tried to flee at maximum speed the moment it surfaced. Unfortunately... Yaoguang directly unleashed the Heaven-Sealing Stele. The power to suppress the void descended, and the demon king's speed visibly plummeted. "Not good!" Sensing mortal peril, the demon king struggled desperately. Demonic qi surged to the heavens from its Heavenly Demon True Body, breaking through the Heaven-Sealing Stele's suppression while it turned around to counter the Void Sword unleashed by the Swimming Dragon Sword. But... It could not block it. Even though its combat strength was by no means weak—such that even if Qi Sha, who cultivated the Grand Dao of Destruction, were to take action, he might not be able to overcome it in a short time—facing Yaoguang, who wielded two Dao artifacts simultaneously and had already achieved Void Refining, it held out for only a fleeting moment. The Swimming Dragon Sword seized the opening; wrapped in the edge of the void, the blade pierced through its Heavenly Demon True Body, slaying it on the spot. This was still with Yaoguang holding back, reluctant to expose how freely he could convert between grotto-heaven power and void energy. Otherwise, the demon king would have fallen even faster. With a wave of Yaoguang's hand, the demon king's corpse was pulled into his grotto-heaven. His grotto-heaven had already integrated the Void Heart, allowing it to contain energy and matter in a preliminary capacity. However... Before formally allowing the grotto-heaven to digest the demon king's corpse, he would have to wait until it was verified at the Penglai Immortal Sect's Demon-Slaying Hall. "Swish!" At that moment, Qi Sha arrived beside Yaoguang. "You really... actually found a hidden demon king?" Saying so, he also realized the significance of Yaoguang's Dao art. "Lord, if this ability of yours is exposed, demon emperors or even demon sovereigns might take the risk to slay you. For the many demons hiding all over, this means they have nowhere left to conceal themselves." "I know. I'll watch the frequency. Once I kill enough demon kings to ensure Demon King Tuntian is alarmed and brings his pack right to our door, I will eliminate them and head back," Yaoguang said. Truly embarking on an all-out slaughter in the outer sea would have to wait until he had tempered his Void Refining realm sufficiently and made a formal attempt at becoming a Dao Lord. Hearing this, Qi Sha was finally put at ease. Yaoguang had already achieved Void Refining. Even though he was newly advanced, judging from the Dao arts he displayed, he had clearly made that movement and blinking Dao art his innate Dao art. With such a Dao art at his disposal, ordinary Void Refining demon emperors could do nothing against him. As for demon sovereigns... If any dared show themselves, Dao Lord Penglai—who likely had plenty of pent-up fury and nowhere to vent it—would descend in her true body immediately and swat them dead with a single slap. This being the case, their safety was naturally assured. With this assurance... Luring out Demon King Tuntian and his cohort, wiping them out, and claiming that bounty of up to 4.8 billion contribution points was by no means an extravagant wish. Now, the warship set off once more. Yaoguang continued to cast the True Spirit Light, sensing for possible "dangerous" factors. If he detected nothing in one area, he would search farther out. He would always find something. Under these circumstances, just over a month after killing this demon king, he found a second demon king. In fact, thanks to the Penglai Immortal Sect having contracted its forces in the outer sea, making the demon race slightly bolder, it did not take long to locate a third demon king either. Barely two months later, another was dragged out by Yaoguang. In under half a year, he had slain three demon kings back-to-back. Such efficiency left Qi Sha utterly astounded. If his lord could really keep this up, wouldn't he be able to amass enough contribution points to exchange for a Dao artifact in just two or three years? ... The Void Piercing Realm held pivotal importance in any great sect or race. The Nine Demon Immortal Lineages were no exception. Even though these nine lineages possessed slightly more demon kings, demon emperors, and demon sovereigns than any single one of the Ten Immortal Sects, they still could not endure losses like this. How long had Yaoguang been in the Deep Blue Sea? Five years. Yet six demon kings had already met their end at his hands. If he kept this up for ten or twenty years, wouldn't the demon kings of their lineage be completely wiped out? At this point, the demons of the Yulin lineage could no longer sit still. After some deliberation, the order to slay Yaoguang quickly reached the front lines, and the mission predictably fell upon Demon King Tuntian. ... At this moment, on the seabed across the boundary between the outer sea and the deep sea, a streamlined warship barely a thousand meters long lay quietly moored. The warship blended seamlessly into its surroundings, boasting such potent concealment that even if a Void Piercing powerhouse passed overhead, they could never detect a vessel stationed underwater. "Oh? So you're saying that while we didn't catch a big fish from the Penglai Immortal Sect, we hooked a little fish from the Heavenly Dao Sect?" Speaking on the warship was a demon king with four wings on its back and crimson scales covering its body. If any disciple of the Penglai Immortal Sect had been here to see it, they would instantly recognize it: this was the terrifying being that had inflicted massive losses on the Penglai Immortal Sect and even forced them to slightly contract their forces in the outer sea—Demon King Tuntian. "What big fish could the Penglai Immortal Sect possibly offer? They can't even produce a Void Piercing cultivator raised by their own hands, and their two deputy sect masters are busy squabbling over power and scheming against each other, terrified that Dao Lord Penglai won't pass the Penglai Immortal Sect to them after stepping through the Gate of the Immortal Realm. Bah, as if they're even qualified!" Another demon king chimed in. This was the demon king controlling the warship. Its true form was a shadowless beast that had undergone a mutation, awakening a formidable innate divine ability that it subsequently deduced and elevated to the level of a Dao art. Coupled with this Dao-artifact-grade Formless Boat bestowed by a demon sovereign above, it had achieved true invisibility and formlessness. It was precisely its cooperation with Demon King Jinchan that allowed their squad to operate with complete ease across these waters. "Come to think of it, Dao Lord Penglai couldn't fail to see what sort of caliber her disciples possess. She must have secretly supported some geniuses to secure a way out for the Penglai Immortal Sect. It could very well be this Junior Sect Master Yaoguang of the Heavenly Dao Sect. Given the talent of this person called Yaoguang, there is a strong probability he will reach Void Shattering within a millennium. Once he reaches Void Shattering, he might even vie for the position of Sect Master of the Heavenly Dao Sect. Ha, if all goes smoothly, he might even pull off cuckooing the nest..." Another demon king spoke up with excitement. "Counting it this way, we might have hooked a truly massive fish after all!" "Sanshou is right. There's no way Dao Lord Penglai wouldn't leave a fallback for the Penglai Immortal Sect. There is a high probability this Yaoguang is a pawn she cultivated in secret. One can tell as much from how he hurried over to the Penglai Immortal Sect as soon as he attained Void Piercing. And right now, he's even willing to take risks for the Penglai Immortal Sect, offering himself as bait in an attempt to fish us out. This is clearly a display of loyalty to win greater backing from that Dao Lord." Demon King Tuntian also chimed in, savage light gleaming in his scarlet eyes. "In that case, if we kill him, Dao Lord Penglai will surely be deeply grieved and full of regret." Their lineage had fought the Penglai Immortal Sect for over a century, suffering heavy casualties among demon kings, demon emperors, and demon sovereigns alike. Especially during the first few decades after the conflict erupted, when that Dao Lord bullied the weak and swept unchallenged across the Deep Blue Sea, countless clansmen had perished under her hand. Many demon kings, demon emperors, and demon sovereigns hated and feared her in equal measure. "Then let us make our move," Demon King Jinchan said in a deep voice. "If we can cause that human Dao Lord grief, sorrow, and regret... even taking a small risk is well worth it." "With me here, nothing will go wrong. Never mind that Yaoguang only advanced to Void Piercing a mere decade ago—even if he had reached the peak of Void Piercing and planted a Dao seed, he would still have no hope of escape before me." Demon King Tuntian was brimming with confidence. Yet none of the demon kings present disputed his words. Among them, Demon King Wuying even chuckled and said, "We naturally believe this. After all, you broke through twenty years ago. You shouldn't rightfully be called Demon King Tuntian, but Demon Emperor Tuntian! Enduring all these years without ever truly revealing your cultivation was done entirely to hook a big fish. And now... it's finally time to reel in the net. There's no longer any need to hide." The gazes of the other demon kings toward Demon King Tuntian—or rather, Demon Emperor Tuntian—held a trace of awe and yearning. At the same time, they harbored not the slightest doubt regarding his words. With the might of a demon emperor leading six demon kings, let alone facing a newly advanced Void Piercing cultivator like Yaoguang, they had ample certainty of defeating even a newly advanced Void Refining expert. With that, the invisible, formless vessel got underway, darting rapidly through the ocean depths. At the same time, they maintained constant communication with other demons. Finally... Three months later, word reached them that the human named Yaoguang had arrogantly slain yet another demon king. Having roughly determined Yaoguang's area of activity, the squad led by Demon Emperor Tuntian headed straight for him. Since Yaoguang was sailing the Tianshang Battle Hall warship boldly and openly across the outer sea, they did not waste much time on this occasion. In merely half a month, Demon King Tianqing, whose senses were the keenest, suddenly gave a warning: "Found him!" "In that case..." A streak of cruelty flashed in Demon Emperor Tuntian's scarlet eyes. "Let the hunt begin."