Attitude

Three days later. Led by the battleships of the Tianshang Battle Hall, three massive fleets set sail from the Heavenly Dao Sect and its outer cities, heading straight for the Southern Domain. As for the original Nine Cauldrons Peak... Lü Suoyu, along with Xu Nianhua—who had formed an Incandescent White Golden Core—and others, was left in charge of holding the fort. Furthermore, two Battle Immortals from the Tianshang Battle Hall remained behind to handle any emergencies. After all, as a deputy sect master here at the Heavenly Dao Sect, Yaoguang still possessed considerable assets that brought in an annual revenue of over three million Pure Yang Great Pills—profits he had no intention of relinquishing for nothing. Meanwhile, on another peak some distance from Nine Cauldrons Peak, Sect Master Zong Wenxian of the Heavenly Dao Sect watched from afar as the battleships took to the sky and vanished past the horizon, wearing a brooding, wordless expression. Behind him, Langya, who was originally slated for a diplomatic mission to the Northern Domain but had yet to depart, offered a comforting word: "Master, we have cultivated the Southern Domain for so many years after all. Which among the Lu, Li, and Jing families lacks deep-rooted connections? Especially the Jing family, which is backed by Supreme Elder Jing Yuntian. Coupled with Elder Wu, Wu Changfeng, coordinating everything, the entire Southern Domain is an impenetrable monolith. Even if Yaoguang arrives there, opening up a foothold will take him several decades at the very least." Here, he smiled with confidence. "Given several decades, I will certainly achieve harmony between my grotto-heaven and Dao seed and step into the Void Refining Realm. When that time comes, he will be a deputy sect master, and I will be a deputy sect master as well. Contending with him for the lordship of the Southern Domain will be completely legitimate, compliant with the rules, and only natural." "My only fear is that Dao Lord Penglai behind Yaoguang might intervene again and cause the situation to shift," Zong Wenxian said in a deep voice. "Even if Dao Lord Penglai wants to secure an exit route for her sect, she wouldn't act so brazenly. After all, the ones she has offended right now are not just Demon Saint Yulin, but also Dao Lord Yuanyi of the Sea Sky Sword Pavilion. Back then, although she relied on the Great Dao of Origin's Sovereign Human Emperor to gain the upper hand over Dao Lord Yuanyi, once one reaches the level of Dao Lord, it is essentially the utmost limit that the lower realm's heavens and earth can accommodate." Langya's face bore a confidence peculiar to youth. "When everyone's upper limit is nearly identical and differences rely solely on Dao arts and Dao artifacts, the advantage of numbers becomes magnified. Therefore, as powerful as Dao Lord Penglai may be, she absolutely lacks the courage to offend three Dao Lords of the same realm." As he spoke, he seemed to recall something and added, "Actually, it should be four Dao Lords. The depth of our Heavenly Dao Sect is not something ordinary sects can compare to." Zong Wenxian pondered slightly and agreed that Dao Lord Penglai wouldn't dare press things to such an extreme. After all, currently a single Demon Saint Yulin gave her quite a headache. Not long ago, because of Demon King Tuntian, she had even been forced to contract her territory in the outer sea. Under these circumstances, overtly interfering in the Heavenly Dao Sect's affairs would undoubtedly thoroughly offend Dao Lord Juntian of the Heavenly Dao Sect, as well as Venerable Golden Book, who guarded the sect. When that time came, no matter how great her strength or how sharp her edge, she would end up universally denounced. To say nothing of further down the road, once she stepped through the Gate of the Immortal Realm and ascended, the lineage she left behind would inevitably be wiped out completely. "Last time, Dao Lord Penglai helping Yaoguang quickly reach Void Refining caught us completely off guard. None of us expected this Dao Lord would personally instruct Yaoguang, allowing him to bridge the insights from a newly ascended Void Piercer to the peak of Void Piercing within just a dozen years or so. But this time, with Elder Wu there constantly keeping watch, if Yaoguang continues to entangle himself with the Penglai Immortal Sect and we catch proof..." Langya smiled faintly. "We can expel him directly and clean house. Even Venerable Golden Book wouldn't be able to voice the slightest objection then." "That is true." Zong Wenxian nodded. He still had great faith in Wu Changfeng's ability. Over the years, the Southern Domain had been managed in good order under his care, barely requiring him to worry. After a moment's reflection, the sect master added, "I shall pay a visit to Supreme Elder Jing Yuntian. In addition, go prepare two gifts for me—they need not be too lavish—and send them to Peak Masters Lu Wanshi and Li Baijie. They will understand my meaning." Langya nodded. Over the years, the reason Zong Wenxian had been able to keep a firm grip on the Southern Domain and have all the Supreme Elders and high-ranking figures turn a blind eye was, aside from his own abilities and methods, naturally because he had shared a great deal of the profits. Lu Wanshi, Li Baijie, Jing Yuntian, Wu Changfeng, and the rest were all beneficiaries of the Southern Domain's gains. Yaoguang seeking to take charge of the Southern Domain would inevitably infringe upon their interests. In boycotting Yaoguang, they naturally could not just stand by as idle spectators. *** While the fleet comprising Yaoguang's Nine Cauldrons Peak lineage, the Tianshang Battle Hall, the Ling Family, the Chi Family, and others was journeying grandly toward the Southern Domain, an argument was brewing within the Penglai Immortal Sect. "Master is playing favorites!" At this moment, inside Penglai Pavilion, where Acting Sect Master Shi Lin handled the sect's affairs, Leng Qingqiu's voice rang out: "At the very most, that Yaoguang has been part of our Penglai Immortal Sect for less than twenty years. Why does Master regard him so highly, even going so far as to personally impart arts to him? Besides, he hasn't even been registered in our Penglai Immortal Sect's rosters, so he can't be considered a true member of our sect!" "Master's decisions are not for us to question. Furthermore, we are not discussing that matter right now, but rather the report from Palace Masters Zhengyang and Xuanyin." Shi Lin looked at her junior sister and said sternly, "Why did you try to shift the blame regarding Demon King Tuntian and even have Palace Masters Zhengyang and Xuanyin move against Perfected Lord Yaoguang? Do you know what kind of impact this will have on our Penglai Immortal Sect?" Her tone was fraught with severity. "He came in goodwill to the Deep Blue Sea to help us slay demons, yet you people actually attacked him?! If word of this gets out, from now on, what Void Piercing or Void Refining expert from any sect would dare come to the Deep Blue Sea to assist us?! Not to mention that Perfected Lord Yaoguang is also a deputy sect master of the Heavenly Dao Sect! Do you know the consequences of you, as a deputy sect master of the Penglai Immortal Sect, making a move against a deputy sect master of another major sect?" Yet her severe tone did not intimidate Leng Qingqiu in the slightest. Having lived together for so many years, Leng Qingqiu already knew this Eldest Senior Sister's temperament like the back of her hand. She even retorted tit for tat, "Deputy sect master? He wasn't a deputy sect master back then! Besides, don't tell me you don't know why he was able to become a deputy sect master of the Heavenly Dao Sect so quickly, Eldest Senior Sister! And yet, you kept all of us entirely in the dark about something like this. Do you even consider us family anymore?" "Junior Sister, I am talking to you about the repercussions of this incident. Stop changing the subject," Shi Lin said hastily. "Are the repercussions of this matter more important than the trust between us? More important than driving a wedge into our family?! Eldest Senior Sister, you said it yourself—our Penglai Immortal Sect is different from the other sects on Beihai Star! Our Penglai Immortal Sect should be like a family, helping and caring for one another! A family is a place for affection, not for talking about profits or reasoning! But now, Eldest Senior Sister, you completely ignore that and instead take an outsider's side to blame me?" Leng Qingqiu's voice carried a hint of aggrieved hurt. "Did you ever consider whether I was injured back then? Did you ever consider that perhaps he made the first move against me, and I was forced to act in self-defense?" Seeing her junior sister like this, Shi Lin felt a pang of pity and could only offer comfort: "You... weren't hurt, were you? At that time, was it really he who struck first?" "He didn't strike first, but Eldest Senior Sister, do you still remember when I invited him to deal with Demon King Tuntian back then? Back then, he found fault with me in every possible way with his words, mocking and sneering at me. I feel he must bear immense malice toward me, so just to be safe, I was merely a little overzealous in some of my words and actions," Leng Qingqiu argued plausibly. "That reasoning is far too subjective," Shi Lin said. Without realizing it, she had already been led astray by Leng Qingqiu's deflection. "I am merely stating a fact," Leng Qingqiu said. "He clearly views all of us as rivals to be suppressed. If we don't unite and stand together now, his next step will be meddling directly in the Penglai Immortal Sect's affairs!" "If it really is as rumors outside say, that is also Master's decision..." Shi Lin sighed. "Then let me see Master! I have so many questions about cultivation that I want to ask Master, but Master has always declined to see me on the grounds of preparing for the Dao Contention. Yet she could spare such a long time to instruct an outsider step by step! Have all our years following Master and serving the sect diligently amounted to less than an outsider who joined the sect—and even arrived on Beihai Star—barely a dozen years ago?" "There is less than a millennium left before the Gate of the Immortal Realm opens, and how perilous is the process of the Dao Contention? Master must make thorough preparations. You need to understand Master, she—" Just as Shi Lin was about to say more, a dignified young man and a rather quirky young woman flew into the hall in beams of light simultaneously. "Eldest Senior Sister, where is Master right now? The outside world is rumoring that Yaoguang is Master's newly taken disciple—is that news true?" "Eldest Senior Sister, Master is playing favorites! Why does she have time to guide an outsider instead of me? If I could also receive nearly ten years of Master's meticulous guidance, I would definitely be able to reach the Void Refining Realm too!" They were none other than the Penglai Immortal Sect's other two disciples, Zhan Xiao and Shui Yunhan. Looking at the two who had arrived upon hearing the commotion, Shi Lin wore a helpless expression. "Eldest Senior Sister, please just report this to Master, or we'll never let this go!" "That's right, Eldest Senior Sister. At least we should know where we fell short." "Master has the leisure to instruct someone else, so she couldn't possibly lack the time to see us even once. We are her personal disciples!" The disciples voiced their grievances one after another. The barrage of relentless complaints left Shi Lin feeling even more helpless. In the end, she could only say, "Then... I will request instructions from Master..." It just so happened that she also needed to consult Master to clarify what kind of attitude they should adopt toward Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang from now on. Whether to treat him simply as a Void Refining Perfected Lord on good terms with the Penglai Immortal Sect... Or... as the Penglai Immortal Sect's implicit deputy sect master.