Spreading Rumors

Upon hearing Yuan Miaoyi's words, Yaoguang easily guessed his intentions. However... "Be that as it may, presiding over an entire domain yields dozens of times more than being an idle deputy sect master with no responsibilities. The sect wouldn't be willing to make up the difference for me, would it?" Yaoguang said calmly, "If the sect can make up the difference, I wouldn't have any objections." "Well... the sect can offer you a certain amount of compensation, but as for making up the full amount... it is simply beyond our means..." "In that case, it is better if I go myself," Yaoguang smiled. This was practically obtaining an entire domain for free—a territory equivalent to at least dozens of prefectures. To call it an enduring foundation for ten thousand generations would not be an exaggeration. "Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang, I still advise you to cultivate within the sect for now. The Southern Domain has far too many trivial affairs, large and small. If you go, you might not be able to keep the situation under control. If something goes wrong and you fail to meet each period's tribute quota, it wouldn't reflect well on you before the sect either, would it? Therefore... letting the Sect Master administer it on your behalf isn't a bad idea," Yuan Miaoyi said in a heavy voice. He seemed to feel Yaoguang failed to appreciate what was good for him. They were already prepared to support him with three million Pure Yang Great Pills every year, yet he was still not satisfied? He insisted on claiming the profits of the entire Southern Domain?! However, considering that Dao Lord Penglai stood behind him, as well as the astonishing potential Yaoguang had displayed, Yuan Miaoyi added, "Of course, this is merely my recommendation. You may consider it carefully, Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang. The final decision remains in your hands." "Then I believe Lineage Master Yuan Miaoyi can keep his advice to himself. I have already made myself very clear," Yaoguang smiled. "There is no need to rush to answer me." Yuan Miaoyi gave Yaoguang a deep, meaningful look, then transformed into a rainbow streak and vanished without a trace. After Yuan Miaoyi departed, Qi Sha appeared behind Yaoguang, looking somewhat grave. "Yuan Miaoyi is the most loyal to the Sect Master. This time, he was speaking on behalf of Sect Master Zong Wenxian." "I know," Yaoguang remarked. "After all, it brings in over a hundred million Pure Yang Great Pills a year. It is only natural that the Sect Master is reluctant to part with it. However, with the rules of the Golden Book of the Great Dao in place, no matter what reasons or excuses he has, he cannot prevent me from presiding over a domain." At this point, he paused before continuing, "At most, when we take charge of the domain, he will cause us some trouble. But as long as he doesn't dare make a move openly, I fear nothing." Qi Sha recalled Yaoguang's battle prowess, capable of slaying a Void Refining Demon Emperor the moment he broke through to the Void Refining realm... If Yaoguang were truly given time to consolidate his foundation in the Void Refining realm, his strength would undoubtedly reach an even higher level. Moreover, his natal Dao art was the teleportation-type Void Flicker. Even if he were to face the peak Void Shattering experts standing at the very pinnacle beneath Dao Lords, he could likely retreat with ease. "When we head to the local domain, you all will have your hands full," Yaoguang said to Qi Sha. "I cultivate the Great Dao of Destruction. To begin with, only through repeated combat and slaughter can I come closer to the true essence of this Great Dao. Therefore, if anyone wants to stir up trouble, let them come. I do not fear them in the least." Qi Sha smiled as he spoke. "Perhaps it might even allow me to grasp the true essence of the Great Dao of Destruction more quickly and advance to the Void Refining realm." Yaoguang smiled faintly. He already had plans in mind. If Qi Sha truly rendered meritorious service then, Yaoguang would use the Great Annihilation Sword Qi as a foundation to custom-craft a Dao artifact of the Great Dao of Destruction specifically for him. Yaoguang then returned to Nine Cauldrons Peak. A moment later, as if recalling something, he went to the communication formation and took out the jade talisman that directly linked to the Jiuxiao Sect's transmission formation. As the formation activated, Yaoguang waited patiently. Before long, Li Hanqiu's figure manifested within the formation. Seeing Yaoguang initiate contact, this Void Piercing Battle Immortal wore a stern expression. "Has something happened?" "Good news," Yaoguang replied. He smiled faintly. "The Jiuxiao Sect can begin making preparations to relocate. Soon, on Beihai Star, we will have a territory entirely our own. And..." He paused. "...the name of the Nine Cauldrons Sect will once again resound across Beihai Star." "We... will possess a territory that belongs to us? The name of the Nine Cauldrons Sect can resound across Beihai Star again?" Li Hanqiu was momentarily stunned, followed by an irrepressible look of pleasant surprise welling up in his eyes. Yet after this joy lasted for a moment, he swiftly brought himself back to reason, though the smile on his face could not be entirely restrained. "What happened? Did you render great service in the Heavenly Dao Sect? Are they granting you a city as territory?" "No." Yaoguang had no intention of hiding anything. His breakthrough to Void Refining would likely spread across the Ten Immortal Sects soon enough, so there was no need for secrecy. Hence, he spoke plainly, "My cultivation has simply made another breakthrough. According to the rules laid down in the Heavenly Dao Sect's Golden Book of the Great Dao, any junior sect master who reaches Void Refining within a thousand years shall become a deputy sect master of the Heavenly Dao Sect. Another rule stipulates that deputy sect masters must shoulder the heavy responsibility of presiding over a territory to guard the sect's borders. At present, the Heavenly Dao Sect only has three deputy sect masters... Well, the process might have some twists and turns, but the outcome will not change. I should be heading to the Southern Domain to preside over it, becoming the Lord of the Southern Domain for the Heavenly Dao Sect." "Another breakthrough in your cultivation?!" "Void Refining?!" "Deputy sect master?!" "Lord of the Heavenly Dao Sect's Southern Domain?!" The barrage of news struck like a saturated carpet-bombing, leaving Li Hanqiu's head buzzing. Any single piece of this news was earth-shattering. Yet right now, they were all unleashed at once... Even though Li Hanqiu had weathered countless storms throughout his hundreds of years of life, he was still stunned wide-eyed by these revelations, unable to regain his senses for a long time. After several full breaths... Only then did this former Golden Core patriarch of the Nine Cauldrons Sect come to his senses and begin to grasp the sheer weight of those words. In the next moment, he drew in a sharp breath of cold air and stared fixedly at Yaoguang, his voice trembling uncontrollably: "You... you have truly reached Void Refining?!" "Calm down," Yaoguang said calmly. "I told you, you need to get used to the surprises I might bring you." As he spoke, he seemed to realize that his words sounded a bit... arrogant and conceited. For a moment, he could not help but chuckle. "Advancing from the Void Cavern realm to the Void Refining realm is primarily about comprehending the Dao of the Void. With my special constitution, I can naturally advance through this step extremely fast." "B-but this is still too fast. Ten years... only about ten years... I haven't even fully moved past the joy of your advancement to the Void Cavern realm, and you've already brought me an even greater surprise!" "Rest assured, there will be plenty of time. Going from Void Refining to Void Shattering is a stage that piles up resources, so ten years will definitely not be enough for this step." Yaoguang estimated the matters he still needed to address in the Void Refining stage... ...as well as the resources required to advance his cultivation with maximum efficiency and convert them into Dao artifacts... "For this stage, if things go smoothly, it will still take thirty to forty years. If things are slow, it will probably take nearly a century," he replied truthfully. And this honest reply made Li Hanqiu widen his eyes once more: "Even if it's slow, it's only a century?!" A century?! Going from Void Refining to Void Shattering would only take a century?! If this news got out, the entire Heavenly Dao Sect—indeed, all of Beihai Star—would likely be thrown into an uproar. After all, once one formed a grotto-heaven, one could use its temporal distortion to survive for tens of thousands of years. A century was merely one percent of a ten-thousand-year lifespan. In the perception of ordinary mortals, it was less than a single year. In such a short time, Yaoguang would ascend straight to the peak, standing at the summit of the world, second only to Dao Lords? "This is truly... truly..." Li Hanqiu desperately wanted to vent the surging emotions in his chest. Yet though his mouth hung open for a long time, he found that thousands upon thousands of words could not convey even one ten-thousandth of the excitement, joy, and exhilaration he felt right now. In the end, all his words coalesced into a single exclamation: "Good!" "Good!" Li Hanqiu clapped his hands together forcefully. "Splendid! For our Nine Cauldrons Sect to produce a peerless figure such as yourself, Yaoguang, is truly a blessing across ten thousand generations!" Yaoguang smiled and did not dwell on the topic. Instead, he asked, "How is the cultivation of the Nine Cauldrons Sect's members coming along? Once we go there, we will need people in many places. If there are promising talents in the Nine Cauldrons Sect, we should nurture them intensively. When any of the Azure Blue Golden Core cultivators are ready to break through, I can step forward and personally protect their breakthrough." His current realm could not compare to a Dao Lord, and his methods lagged far behind a Dao Lord by more than just a little. However... Relying on the comprehensive depth of his knowledge regarding the progression from Azure Blue Golden Core to achieving Void Cavern, he felt confident that he was in no way inferior to any Void Shattering cultivator, and perhaps even surpassed them. In other words, if he personally stepped forward to protect Azure Blue Golden Core disciples, while perhaps not boosting their success rate by twenty to thirty percent, fifteen to twenty percent was well within his capabilities. "They are doing very well. Last time, you brought resources worth over a hundred million Pure Yang Great Pills, and practically all the cultivators the Nine Cauldrons Sect has been cultivating as a priority have reached the Radiant Sun Golden Core realm! The six most outstanding among them have even achieved Incandescent White Golden Cores." "Only six Incandescent White Golden Cores?" Yaoguang was somewhat surprised. "It has only been a few years since you achieved the Void Cavern realm and sent over the Pure Yang Great Pills. For so many to break through to the Incandescent White Golden Core realm in such a short time is already quite impressive," Li Hanqiu said with a smile, looking at Yaoguang's reaction. "After all, not everyone possesses talent as great as yours." As his cultivation grew, Yaoguang had already learned that pills such as Pure Yang Great Pills and Void Dao Pills were actually native specialties of Beihai Star. Each time the Gate of the Immortal Realm swung wide on Beihai Star, immortal qi would escape from it, permeating heaven and earth. This immortal qi was the primary component used to condense Pure Yang Great Pills. In other words, those who consumed Pure Yang Great Pills were not refining worldly spiritual qi to cultivate at all, but rather refining immortal qi and enjoying a cultivation environment akin to the Immortal Realm itself. With such an environment, for only six Incandescent White Golden Cores to have emerged after all this time... ...was indeed somewhat lackluster. However, Yaoguang had no intention of abandoning the people of the Nine Cauldrons Sect. So what if their talent was a bit lacking? He might not be able to do what Dao Lord Penglai did—forcibly elevating a cultivator without any Void Cavern talent into a Void Shattering almighty expert—yet... ...nurturing the few hundred core members of the Nine Cauldrons Sect to the Azure Blue Golden Core realm and securing a chance for each of them to attempt a breakthrough to Void Cavern was easily within his power. As for whether they could reach the Void Cavern realm, that would depend on their own fortunes. "Let them cultivate at their own pace. There's no need for excessive pressure," Yaoguang said, adding, "Once the matters regarding the Southern Domain are settled, I will notify you." "Understood," Li Hanqiu nodded vigorously. With that, the two concluded their conversation. Exiting the pavilion that housed the communication formation, Lü Suoyu brought news that several Void Cavern elders had sent generous gifts. Especially Jin Yuliu... The value of his gift was worth tens of millions of Pure Yang Great Pills. Yaoguang naturally knew why this elder had offered such a heavy gift. He did not bother standing on ceremony and accepted it directly. Given his current standing, agreeing to accept the gift was already the greatest mercy he could grant him. However, over the next few days, as gifts poured in until his hands were practically sore from receiving them all, a rumor began to spread within the Heavenly Dao Sect. Yaoguang... ...was able to achieve Void Refining so quickly because he was a pawn of the Dao Lord of the Penglai Immortal Sect. His sole reason for existing was to provide an escape route for the Dao Lord's disciples once Dao Lord Penglai ascended. When the time was ripe, he would usurp the Heavenly Dao Sect from within. When that time came, whether the Heavenly Dao Sect would still be called the Heavenly Dao Sect, or become a branch of the Penglai Immortal Sect, was something nobody could say for sure.