Dispute

*Bang!* Already missing half its body, another portion of Demon Emperor Tuntian's Heavenly Demon True Body was frozen and shattered. "Tuntian, die!" Accompanied by a chilly shout, the frosty sword qi that had impaled Demon Emperor Tuntian's body wheeled around without the slightest hesitation, whistling straight toward the demon emperor's head. Wherever the sword light passed, it froze thousands of li around it. Even the void seemed thoroughly solidified by the biting chill on the blade, forming a tangible staircase of ice and snow. "Leng Qingqiu!" Demon Emperor Tuntian cried in indignation. Dying at Yaoguang's hands meant its skills were simply inferior, but to be slain by Leng Qingqiu—a "weakling" it had led around like a dog on a leash not long ago... It refused to accept this! *Whoosh!* Just as this sword was about to deliver the final lethal strike to Demon Emperor Tuntian, a streak of golden light seemed to jump through the void, flashing into place and colliding with pinpoint precision against the sword light carrying the biting chill. As the two swords clashed, countless shards of ice and frigid air burst outward in an instant, conjuring what looked like a snowstorm across the void. Yet before the blizzard could spread to freeze thousands of li, expanding ripples in the void annihilated all the snow and ice. "You?!" A trace of fury ran through the chilly divine mind. Yet the golden sword light didn't pause for a moment. After dispersing the frosty sword qi filling the void, the blade spun around and slashed toward Demon Emperor Tuntian as well. Before she could react further, the void power on the blade cleaved into the exhausted, cornered demon emperor. This time, the demon emperor did not struggle desperately. On one hand, it understood death was inevitable today. On the other... Dying at the hands of another powerhouse was far better than being slain by an opponent it had looked down upon. Still... "With blood as the medium, spirit as the kindling, Dao as the firewood..." *Bang!* The sword light of the Swimming Dragon Sword blasted through Demon King Tuntian's head, utterly destroying the Dao seed within. "Impudent!" Amid the sharp reprimand, the sword light shrouded in cold currents bloomed violently into a hexagonal snowflake of ice crystal thousands of meters across, threatening to lock down not just space, but even the surrounding ripples of divine mind. Yet just as this crystal snowflake began to exert its power, the Swimming Dragon Sword wove nimbly through the air. Using the sharpness of the Void Sword, it cut a seam clean out of the frozen world. With an adroit maneuver, bearing Demon Emperor Tuntian's Heavenly Demon True Body, it flashed across the void and returned into the hand of Yaoguang, who had flickered into place thousands of li away. "Heavenly Dao Sect, Yaoguang!" Leng Qingqiu stared at Yaoguang, the emotions in her eyes shifting rapidly. Shock, anger, disbelief, and... A trace of fear. In their brief clash across the distance, she had already discerned that the conversion between his grotto-heaven power and void power lacked even the slightest hesitation. What did that mean?! It meant... He had already attained Void Refining! In particular, his mastery of Dao arts was by no means inferior, and like her, he possessed a Dao artifact. As a result, she had failed to gain the slightest upper hand in their brief exchange. Amid her anger, shock, and dread, she had no choice but to stop and demand harshly, "Yaoguang, what is the meaning of this? Couldn't you see I was about to deliver the final strike to this demon king? You actually dared to interfere—what are your intentions?!" Reflected by the True Spirit Light, Yaoguang could clearly sense the hostility the Deputy Sect Master of the Penglai Immortal Sect bore toward him. All because he had refused her proposal several years ago to act as bait to lure out Demon Emperor Tuntian? "You know full well who barged in and meddled! Belligerent, twisting black and white—is this the conduct befitting a Deputy Sect Master of the Penglai Immortal Sect?" Having spoken, Yaoguang moved to turn and leave. "Halt!" Leng Qingqiu leveled her sword across her chest. Right at that moment, six streaks of light pierced the sky from the far horizon. The six streaks were split into two squads. Leading each of them were experts who had reached Void Refining—figures capable of establishing a peak, or rather, founding a palace within the Penglai Immortal Sect! "Sect Master Leng." "What happened? Where is Demon King Tuntian? An intense battle erupted in this region. The fluctuations were so strong that I detected them with a secret technique from hundreds of thousands of li away. Did you catch up to this demon king and slay it, Sect Master?" The two Void Refining cultivators spoke one after the other. "Palace Master Zhengyang, Palace Master Xuanyin, you've arrived at just the right time," Leng Qingqiu said directly. "I was on the verge of killing Demon King Tuntian when Junior Sect Master Yaoguang of the Heavenly Dao Sect suddenly intervened, blocking my Nine Profound Ice-Condensing Sword and delivering the fatal blow himself. When I questioned him, he had the gall to claim I was twisting black and white and making unreasonable trouble. Today, I ask you two palace masters to join me in taking him down. When the Sect Master of the Heavenly Dao Sect arrives, we'll let him judge who is in the right." Hearing this, the two Void Refining cultivators naturally harbored no doubt regarding their own deputy sect master's words, and immediately moved to intercept Yaoguang. "You keep claiming you were going to kill Demon King Tuntian, but Demon King Tuntian always moves in a pack. Where are the other demon kings that were by his side? Or was it rather that I shattered his pack and forced him to flee in panic, and seeing that he was at the end of his rope, you decided to cut in and snatch the kill midway?" Yaoguang produced a crystal in his hand. "I happen to have recorded footage of my battle against Demon King Tuntian's group, originally intended for claiming the contribution point bounties on them. Would you care to take a look?" These words brought both palace masters to an abrupt halt. "Nonsense! Clearly, you couldn't handle Demon King Tuntian and let him escape. Had I not intervened to intercept him, he would have vanished without a trace by now—yet here you are, claiming all the credit for yourself!" A crystal appeared in Leng Qingqiu's hand as well. "I recorded in haste, so the footage isn't complete, but it records evidence of me almost killing Demon King Tuntian before being intercepted by you." Hearing this, the two palace masters naturally chose loyalty over impartiality. They flanked Yaoguang left and right, blocking him. "Junior Sect Master Yaoguang, please accompany us to the Penglai Immortal Sect to provide an explanation. Rest assured, once the Sect Master of the Heavenly Dao Sect comes to ransom you, we will naturally let you leave." "Do not resist. Otherwise, if our strikes lack restraint and harm a brilliant talent with boundless prospects like Junior Sect Master Yaoguang, that would be regrettable." "Harm me? You lack the ability." Yaoguang turned his gaze to Leng Qingqiu. "Now I understand why the Penglai Immortal Sect, despite being backed by a Dao Lord, has never produced any decent experts of note besides Dao Lord Penglai herself. With people like you around—becoming a deputy sect master, no less—how could the Penglai Immortal Sect have any future? In my view, once Dao Lord Penglai ascends to the Immortal Realm, the Penglai Immortal Sect will crumble to dust within a century!" Hearing Yaoguang's evaluation that offended everyone in the Penglai Immortal Sect, Leng Qingqiu felt no real anger; instead, she was secretly delighted. Once these words spread... Yaoguang would have completely alienated himself from the Penglai Immortal Sect. However, despite her secret glee, as a Deputy Sect Master of the Penglai Immortal Sect, she was bound to uphold the sect's dignity with righteous indignation. "Impudent!" She shouted sternly, "Yaoguang, how dare you insult our Penglai Immortal Sect! If we do not teach you an unforgettable lesson today, how can the Penglai Immortal Sect hold its head high on Beihai Star?! Palace Master Zhengyang, Palace Master Xuanyin, set up the Yin-Yang Liangyi Formation! Do not let him escape!" Having heard Yaoguang's insults toward their sect, the two palace masters did not hesitate either. Both struck out simultaneously, unleashing Yin and Yang Dao arts that collided against each other, threatening to reduce the region to chaos and prevent the Grand Dao from manifesting. Yet before their strike could fully land, void ripples flickered across Yaoguang. "Thinking of leaving?!" Leng Qingqiu's Nine Profound Ice-Condensing Sword flared, shooting toward Yaoguang's position in the void. Its absolute-zero might seemed to freeze the movement of all matter, threatening to freeze space itself alongside it. Yet as the Dao charm of the Two Realms Ruler was stimulated, the frozen void reactivated. In the next moment, Yaoguang took a step through the void and materialized a thousand li away. The chaotic force of Yin and Yang channeled by the other two palace masters surged toward Yaoguang next, but his Void Flicker had already triggered again, carrying him to the outer limit of their attack range before the chaotic power could engulf him. "In the Penglai Immortal Sect, who can touch me unless the Dao Lord steps in herself?" Yaoguang chuckled softly. The void fluctuations flickered once more, and he vanished completely from the senses of the Void Refining cultivators. Such casting speed, so rapid that even Void Refining cultivators could barely react, allowed the two palace masters to recognize something, and their expressions instantly transformed. "He isn't using grotto-heaven power to stir void power, but directly wielding grotto-heaven power as void power?! Void Refining! That is the power of the Void Refining realm!" "How is that possible?! Didn't this Yaoguang achieve Void Piercing on the spot just ten years ago when he swept through all the true disciples of the Heavenly Dao Sect? It has only been ten years—how could he possibly have stepped into the Void Refining realm?!" Taking action against another major sect's Void Piercing junior sect master versus its Void Refining deputy sect master were two entirely different matters. The former... As long as they didn't kill him, it wouldn't spark a major conflict between sects. The latter, however... Merely making a move against him constituted a grave provocation, if not a declaration of war! If handled poorly, it could easily trigger an all-out war between the two top factions. Of course, what mattered most was that three Void Refining masters of the Penglai Immortal Sect had acted together, yet failed to do anything to Yaoguang, allowing him to calmly withdraw from their encirclement... If word of this got out, it would deal a tremendous blow to the face of the Penglai Immortal Sect. "Sect Master Leng, what really happened here? Which of you was telling the truth?" "As for the specifics of slaying Demon King Tuntian, Sect Master Leng will have to explain them to the Acting Sect Master." Palace Master Zhengyang and Palace Master Xuanyin looked at Leng Qingqiu with a tinge of displeasure. They had likely already deduced who was telling the truth. Earlier, Yaoguang had merely been a Void Piercing cultivator, so they had favored their own over what was right. But now... Yaoguang had actually advanced to Void Refining in a mere ten years. Such terrifying talent left them feeling duped and privately infuriated, blaming Leng Qingqiu for making them needlessly offend such a terrifying figure. "Hmph! What do you two palace masters mean by that?" Leng Qingqiu snorted coldly. "Admittedly, there may have been some oversights in my words, but... setting the facts aside, is Yaoguang completely blameless? As palace masters of our Penglai Immortal Sect, are you really going to lecture me?" Palace Master Zhengyang and Palace Master Xuanyin's faces darkened. They knew full well what kind of character this disciple of the Dao Lord was. Immediately, one said with suppressed resentment, "In any case, we will report this matter to the Acting Sect Master and let her handle it personally." With that, the two paid Leng Qingqiu no further attention and turned directly to leave.