Preparations

Nandu. With the arrival of personnel from the Nine Cauldrons Sect to staff various industries across Nandu, Wu Changfeng, a Void Refining powerhouse, was directly sidelined. Yet even so, this Void Refining expert still wore an expression devoid of resentment or regret, showing no signs of anything amiss. None knew what he was truly thinking. At this moment, however... A warship arriving from afar across the vault of heaven caught this Void Refining expert's eye. "A warship from the Penglai Immortal Sect? And... a Dao artifact-grade warship?! This is basically on par with the standard for Sect Master Shi Lin traveling in person! What is going on? Could the rumors in the outside world be true? Was Yaoguang... truly cultivated by the Penglai Immortal Sect all along?" Wu Changfeng was inwardly alarmed. However, the Domain Lord's Estate was now completely under the control of Wan Liugui, Li Hanqiu, and the others, protected by layers of formations. Even if he wanted to sneak in unnoticed to gather intelligence, it would be no easy feat. He could only resort to his own channels to inquire about information. The warship remained docked at the Domain Lord's Estate for three days. Three days later, it departed and flew away from Nandu. Not long after, a piece of news spread. Over a decade ago, Demon King Tuntian had run rampant across the Deep Blue Sea, inflicting massive losses upon the Penglai Immortal Sect. To address this, the Penglai Immortal Sect had placed a hefty bounty, which led to the slaying of Demon King Tuntian and his cohort. Yet who exactly had slain Demon King Tuntian remained unknown. Only now was the identity of the person who had killed Demon King Tuntian truly confirmed. It was none other than the Heavenly Dao Sect's deputy sect master, the legendary Void Refining powerhouse who had recently stirred up quite a storm across Beihai Star—Yaoguang! Furthermore, what he had slain was not Demon King Tuntian, but Demon Emperor Tuntian! The corpse was on display at the Penglai Immortal Sect, an indisputable fact! In other words, in this deputy sect master's very first battle upon reaching Void Refining, he had killed a demon emperor-level entity of the same cultivation realm. Although Demon Emperor Tuntian had also broken through not long before and had merely concealed himself in hopes of hunting down an important figure from the Penglai Immortal Sect... To be capable of slaying a demon emperor proved that Yaoguang's strength was outstanding even among Void Refining experts. For this reason, a palace master of the Penglai Immortal Sect had personally brought gifts valued at no less than six billion contribution points to thank Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang for ridding the Penglai Immortal Sect of this scourge. When this news broke, it caused a massive uproar. Many found it difficult to believe. How could Yaoguang, who had just advanced to Void Refining, kill a Void Refining demon emperor of the same realm? Even if Demon Emperor Tuntian had only recently broken through as well, it was still utterly unbelievable. Many even thought the Penglai Immortal Sect was deliberately concocting an excuse to gift resources to Yaoguang, attempting to win him over into joining their sect. Quite possibly... Daoist Penglai himself was behind this. However... Shortly after, Yaoguang's bounty among the demon race surged from the bottom of the Void Refining list all the way into the top ten, which caused people's suspicions to waver. No matter how much prestige the Penglai Immortal Sect possessed, they could hardly get the demon race to act along with them. In other words, the news that Yaoguang had slain the Void Refining-level Demon Emperor Tuntian might well be true! To be able to slay a demon emperor... right after advancing?! In an instant, Jing Zhengyang, who had already retreated far from Nandu, steered clear of the city altogether, immediately turning meek and docile. The Void Piercing elders who had originally been waiting for Jing Zhengyang and Wu Changfeng to make a move could no longer sit still after the news broke. They defected and surrendered in droves, expressing their loyal stance toward the Domain Lord's Estate. Yaoguang was not particularly interested in their loyalty; so long as they behaved themselves and properly played their roles as members of the Southern Domain, that was enough. After all, he was no demon who had to massacre everyone to secure peace and quiet for himself in the Southern Domain. ... Time passed. During this period, Yaoguang presided over the situation in Nandu, using it as a foundation to squeeze the living space of the Jing, Li, and Lu families. Yet these families maintained restraint, unwilling to clash with Yaoguang head-on. They were waiting. Waiting for the decennial tribute of resources that the Southern Domain had to turn over to the Heavenly Dao Sect. Once Yaoguang failed to produce that many resources, he would inevitably face accountability from the sect. Of course, he could subsidize it from his own pocket, but this shortfall was by no means a small sum. After all, the revenue of the Southern Domain was over one billion Pure Yang Great Pills in almost every term, and more than half had to be turned over to the sect—amounting to over five hundred million. Yaoguang might subsidize it once or twice, but could he do so three or four times, or five or six times? Too many times would undoubtedly bankrupt him. Once he failed to hand over sufficient resources, the interests of everyone across the sect would be harmed. At that point, without them having to step forward, Sect Master Zong Wenxian would naturally find a way to strip him of his authority, stripping him of righteous justification and status. This was the only method they could devise to strike back at Yaoguang without triggering a mutually destructive showdown. And counting the time... Only one year remained until that moment. ... "The Crimson Golden Core, Radiant Sun Golden Core, and Incandescent White Golden Core all belong to the same realm. For certain geniuses—especially those who do not lack Pure Yang Great Pills—there is not even a need to distinguish these realms so strictly. Anyone who can reach the Crimson Golden Core will inevitably reach the Incandescent White Golden Core; what follows is merely piling up resources and increasing mass. And when it comes to piling up resources and increasing mass, the most critical point involved is control... This is also the greatest difference between orthodox cultivators and Battle Immortals..." Within the Domain Lord's Estate, atop a sermon platform, Yaoguang was guiding numerous Golden Core cultivators of the Nine Cauldrons Sect in their cultivation. Not only was he a Void Refining powerhouse himself, but through the informational advantages of Higher-Dimensional Cognition, he had thoroughly mastered the three realms of Crimson Golden Core, Radiant Sun Golden Core, and Incandescent White Golden Core. Explaining profound matters in simple terms, he analyzed the transformations of these three realms down to their core essence, regularly enlightening each Golden Core cultivator like a bucket of water poured over their head. In just five years, the number of Incandescent White Golden Core cultivators in the Nine Cauldrons Sect had multiplied tenfold! At this moment, as he gestured in the air, a golden core materialized before everyone, continuously shifting between crimson, radiant sun, and incandescent white. "When golden cores of different forms reach a certain mass, the power they manifest also differs. Among them, the only one worth elaborating on slightly is the Azure Blue Golden Core. Compared to the gradual advancements of the Radiant Sun Golden Core and Incandescent White Golden Core, the Azure Blue Golden Core requires breaking past a mass limit. But no matter how it is described, breaking this limit is fundamentally another form of piling up volume. At most, this time the volume becomes so immense that it exceeds the cultivator's control. That brings us back to the most critical word in cultivation that I have emphasized..." As Yaoguang spoke, he clenched the five fingers of his open right hand: "Control..." Those listening to Yaoguang share his cultivation insights were not only the most outstanding disciples of the Nine Cauldrons Sect; many Battle Immortals, including Wan Liugui and Li Hanqiu, were also present. Moreover, many had benefited immensely over these past few years. The Nine Refinements of the Stellar Ring mastered by many Battle Immortals had achieved successive breakthroughs. Relying on the enhancement to control provided by the Nine Refinements of the Stellar Ring, their probability of becoming Void Piercing Battle Immortals in the future would dramatically increase, sparing them from having to gamble on the mere one-in-a-hundred chance that ordinary Battle Immortals faced. This instruction lasted half a day before the crowd dispersed one by one. However, Li Hanqiu and Wan Liugui stepped forward. "Sect Master, the third production line for the Jiuzhou warships has been completed and is ready to enter production," Wan Liugui reported first. "After operating for the past few years, the production line for peak Treasure Weapon-grade Zixiao flying swords has also accumulated a stock of swords. Although their grade is not high—suitable only for cultivators at the Heavenly Fire realm, Constant Light realm, or at most the Crimson Golden Core level—our strength lies in their high cost-effectiveness. We should be able to open up the market quickly," Li Hanqiu added. "Good," Yaoguang nodded. The newly produced Zixiao flying swords of the Nine Cauldrons Sect, optimized by Yaoguang, were now designated as the Zixiao-31. Over the past twenty to thirty years, while the rest of the Nine Cauldrons Sect grew, artifact refiners like Dong Liushui were also developing rapidly. Now, the best among them possessed the ability to craft spirit treasures. However, because most artifact refiners remained at the stage of crafting Treasure Weapons, Yaoguang had specially designed the Zixiao-31 flying sword. Just as Li Hanqiu said, the sword's grade was not high, but thanks to its outstanding cost-effectiveness, it was sufficient to capture the entire low-end market and establish the Nine Cauldrons Sect's reputation through staggering shipment volumes. As for the Jiuzhou warships... They were fifth-generation sky-patrol warships. In terms of performance, they were actually somewhat inferior to the warships of the Tianshang Battle Hall. Yet the advantage lay in the low cost of production by the Nine Cauldrons Sect. A single warship cost less than one hundred thousand Pure Yang Great Pills to produce, while its selling price could reach five hundred to six hundred thousand pills. Selling just eight to ten warships a year would yield several million Pure Yang Great Pills in profit for the Nine Cauldrons Sect. "Very good. Next is the final promotion to make a name for the Zixiao-31 flying swords and the Jiuzhou warships. And for this step, I already have a plan." Yaoguang smiled faintly. Li Hanqiu had actually guessed something already, and now she ventured to ask tentatively, "Do you still intend to..." "Indeed," Yaoguang nodded. "Sell a void-type Dao artifact! I believe that with the renown of this Dao artifact, we can quickly build the reputation of our Jiuding Chamber of Commerce and draw Void Piercing and Void Refining powerhouses from the Ten Immortal Sects, Four Great Celestial Dynasties, and Three Immortal Martial Sects to the auction." He said with confidence, "Every Void Refining powerhouse holds a status second only to the pinnacle figures of the Void Shattering realm. Their arrival will inevitably draw countless eyes. Capitalizing on that buzz, we can vigorously promote the Zixiao-31 flying swords and Jiuzhou warships. Once the word is out, with both products being affordable and high quality, there is no fear of lacking sales." 'As expected...' Li Hanqiu understood in her heart. Yaoguang truly was going to drop this superbomb. "Auction a Dao artifact?!" Hearing Yaoguang's words, Wan Liugui could not help but suck in a sharp breath of cold air. If he remembered correctly, was this the second time Yaoguang was selling a Dao artifact? The last time had been within the circle of the Heavenly Dao Sect! This time... He intended to send invitations to all surrounding powers? And... Selling a Dao artifact for the second time?! He suddenly recalled the news Li Hanqiu had revealed when begging him to protect Yaoguang back then. Yaoguang... Could craft Dao artifacts?! Originally, he had not believed this claim in the slightest. Back then, Yaoguang had been so weak; how could he possibly forge something as precious as a Dao artifact? Yet now... Selling one Dao artifact could be explained away as an urgent need for resources to raise his cultivation realm, but now... How could selling a second Dao artifact be explained?! Valuable treasures like Dao artifacts were heirlooms capable of being passed down for generations in any Void Refining clan, or even a Void Shattering clan. Even if someone had no use for one, no one would ever bear to part with it. Yet selling one was not enough—Yaoguang actually intended to sell a second one?! There was only one possible explanation for such anomalous behavior! What Li Hanqiu had said... Was true! Yaoguang... Could truly craft Dao artifacts!