Bestowing the Sword

"Hanqiu..." Wan Liugui could not stop his astounded gaze from turning toward Li Hanqiu. And Li Hanqiu... He knew what that look meant. He gave a solemn nod. At once, Wan Liugui inhaled sharply, his whole body trembling uncontrollably. "Dao artifacts! Dao artifacts! Dao artifacts!" It was true?! Yaoguang... Could he truly forge Dao artifacts?! A... A Void Refining cultivator capable of forging Dao artifacts?! *Slap!* At that moment, Wan Liugui could not stop himself from slapping his own face. "Master, what are you doing?" Li Hanqiu hastily stepped forward to stop him. "I truly deserve death," Wan Liugui spoke with deep regret and guilt. "If only I had believed back then that Yaoguang possessed the ability to forge Dao artifacts, how could I have let you both waste so much precious time..." Yaoguang glanced at him, bearing no blame or resentment. "Even if I had exposed my ability to forge Dao artifacts back then, the best outcome would likely have been imprisonment by some major sect, forced to forge Dao artifacts day and night until I died of old age. More extreme figures, desperate to unravel the secret of how someone not even at the Void Cavity realm could forge Dao artifacts, would have searched my soul and refined my spirit on the spot. Keeping it hidden was the best choice." With that, he added, "The fact that Perfected Lord Wan stood on our side at the critical moment and deterred Jiang Tianzun is something I am already deeply grateful for." "I..." Wan Liugui choked up for a moment, at a loss for words. "All right, we have endured the hardest times. What awaits us now is an incomparably bright and splendid future," Li Hanqiu smiled and said. "Once Yaoguang sells this Dao artifact and promotes the Zixiao-31 and Jiuzhou warships, the operations of the Nine Cauldrons Sect will be completely on track." Yaoguang also nodded with a smile. An annual income of several million Pure Yang Great Pills was enough for the Nine Cauldrons Sect—which lacked even a single Void Cavity cultivator—to live in immense luxury. At this moment, another thought crossed Li Hanqiu's mind. "However... Nandu is not the Heavenly Dao Sect after all, and the scope of guests you have invited this time is quite broad. Moreover, those who participate in auctions for Dao artifacts are often major figures at the Void Refining realm. If they refuse to follow the rules..." "Then that will serve as a fine opportunity to kill the chicken to warn the monkeys," Yaoguang said calmly. "When I had just advanced to Void Refining, I was already able to slay Demon Emperor Tuntian, who was also in the Void Refining realm. Now, I have settled into the Void Refining realm for quite some time, and my two core Dao arts have improved substantially. On top of that, we have Nandu's Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation. If any Void Refining cultivator dares to break the rules and act recklessly, I wouldn't mind making an example of them, letting the world see whether my ability to slay a demon emperor is genuine or false." Reflecting on Nandu's city defense formation, which Yaoguang had been steadily reinforcing over the years, Li Hanqiu relaxed slightly. Yaoguang could not set up the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation from scratch, but he could decipher parts of it. Nearly all the bounty contributions sent by the Penglai Immortal Sect had been exchanged for precious materials and poured into this formation. The formation's grade had not risen, and its power had not seen an obvious increase, but its stability had reached an entirely new level. Relying on this formation... Even a Void Shattering expert would hardly be able to run amok in Nandu. "The reason I haven't dealt with the Jing, Lu, and Li families yet is that I had not demonstrated sufficient ability. This time, I have revealed an ability to forge Dao artifacts that the world can easily infer. If any foolish Void Refining cultivator comes along and wishes to perish beneath my sword, then I imagine these families will obediently withdraw from the Southern Domain." Yaoguang outlined his plans. "Of course, even if they refuse to leave the Southern Domain, it matters little. I believe that simply by virtue of my ability to forge Dao artifacts, even if I take direct action to expel them—or even kill them all—the Supreme Elder Council would never pass any motion Zong Wenxian might propose to suppress the Southern Domain." Li Hanqiu nodded in complete agreement. A Void Refining cultivator capable of forging Dao artifacts! The Supreme Elders and Peak Masters of the Heavenly Dao Sect would be scrambling for ways to keep him within the sect; how could they dare move against him? If Yaoguang were ever to say he was disappointed with the Heavenly Dao Sect and wished to join another faction, never mind the nearby Taiyi Immortal Sect—even the Sanqing Sacred Hall, hailed as the foremost of the Ten Immortal Sects, would not hesitate to dispatch several Void Shattering experts to welcome him in person and invite him into their fold. "Very well. I will have Ling Ruogu, Chi Yu, and the others begin advertising and sending out invitations. The auction will be set for half a year from now. Go and prepare for the reception; things are about to get busy," Yaoguang instructed the two. "Understood." "I truly look forward to seeing what happens then." Both smiled as they replied. Once the two departed, Yaoguang retrieved a message transmission jade talisman and sent a message to Qi Sha: "Come see me at Hundred Refinings Peak." ... Hundred Refinings Peak was the mountain Yaoguang used for forging Dao artifacts. Five years had passed since he began focusing on artifact refinement. Presently, spirit treasures could practically be seen dancing across the entire peak. Because he hadn't devoted too much effort to them, the Swimming Dragon Sword, Boundary-Crossing Ruler, and Heaven-Sealing Stele had only had their foundations slightly elevated, and reaching the level of high-grade Dao artifacts would still require a good deal of time. As for the remaining Wuji Sword... It too was still in the nurturing phase. On the other hand, the Void Sword intended for the auction had completed its transformation. Not only the Void Sword, but the Annihilation Sword had also smoothly entered the Dao, becoming a proper Dao artifact. However, the Jiuding warship he had initially forged... Even though he had invested exceedingly precious resources into it, with costs exceeding fifty million Pure Yang Great Pills at one point, his focus had been stretched too thin across other spirit treasures and Dao artifacts. In the end, it failed to enter the Dao and was ruined completely. "There was too little time," Yaoguang mused with a sigh. He could only hope that after auctioning off this Dao artifact, his "experience" would surge significantly, allowing him to step into the "Dao Integration" realm early. Once he reached Dao Integration, he could decide based on the path ahead whether to raise his artifact refining level to improve his efficiency. "Speaking of which, compared to others, my speed in forging Dao artifacts is far faster than just a little bit. For other artifact masters—even those at the Void Refining level—forging a Dao artifact takes several centuries. Relying on the combination of the Spirit Nourishing Technique, Treasure Refining Technique, and Dao Infusion, my output rate averages nearly one Dao artifact every five years, tens of times faster than those Void Refining-level artifact masters..." As Yaoguang spoke, he beckoned with an empty hand, and the Annihilation Sword flew into his grasp. Just as he took the Annihilation Sword and arrived at the rest area outside Hundred Refinings Peak, a streak of sword light broke through the sky and landed on the peak, coalescing into a man with a cold, stern expression, radiating malevolent aura. It was none other than Qi Sha, Hall Master of the Tianshang Battle Hall, who had exterminated countless clans over the past few years and struck terror into the hearts of everyone across the Southern Domain. "You're here," Yaoguang said. "Lord..." Just as Qi Sha was about to bow in greeting, Yaoguang tossed the Annihilation Sword straight toward him. "Catch." Qi Sha swiftly reached out and grasped the Annihilation Sword. The instant the divine sword settled into his grip, the mind of this Tianshang Battle Hall Master, perched at the pinnacle of the Void Cavity realm, shook violently. His eyes immediately fell upon the sword. "This is..." "A Dao artifact tailor-made for your Great Annihilation Sword Qi," Yaoguang said with a smile. "Try it out; it should feel quite natural in your hand." "A Dao artifact!" Qi Sha's eyes gleamed with surprised delight and blazing brilliance. He immediately channeled the power of the Destruction Great Dao he had comprehended into the Annihilation Sword. At once, a terrifying power of destruction surged out from his person, rapidly spreading in every direction. Even the formations of Hundred Refinings Peak were swiftly activated, humming into autonomous motion. However, with a wave of Yaoguang's hand, the power of a grotto-heaven containing the Heart of the Void descended, forming a spatial barrier that isolated the interior from the outside world, preventing this destructive fluctuation from spilling over and triggering the entire city defense formation of Nandu. "Forgive me, Lord, I... I..." "No matter. Go ahead and test it." Yaoguang waved his hand. "There is no need to test it; it is absolutely beyond perfection," Qi Sha said without hesitation. His lord had also studied the Dao art of Great Annihilation Sword Qi, and... Even though Qi Sha had now achieved minor accomplishment in this Dao art, he dared not claim his comprehension of it surpassed that of his lord. When an artifact master who deeply understood the exact Dao art he practiced personally tailored such a Dao artifact for him... The degree of compatibility could only be described as heaven-defying! With the amplification the Annihilation Sword provided to the Great Annihilation Sword Qi, his offensive power was now sufficient to pose a lethal threat even to Void Refining powerhouses who lacked Dao artifacts. "In my hands, the might of this Dao artifact will never fall short of high-grade Dao artifacts that do not align with the Destruction Great Dao," Qi Sha declared with absolute certainty. Then, looking at Yaoguang with excitement, he asked, "Lord... is... is this truly for me?" "The Dao artifact is already in your hands. Could it be a lie?" Yaoguang chuckled. "Thank you, Lord!" Qi Sha was moved beyond words. A Dao artifact! And one so perfectly suited to him. It would provide indescribable assistance to his future cultivation of Dao arts, his charge toward the Void Refining realm, and even the Void Shattering realm. Dao artifacts and Dao arts complemented one another. Moreover, one's level of comprehension of Dao arts was the core requirement for achieving Void Refining, Void Shattering, and eventually striving for Dao Integration in the future. How could what Yaoguang had bestowed be as simple as an ordinary Dao artifact?! He had clearly granted him an incomparably bright, immeasurable future! Even if Qi Sha exerted himself to the uttermost and ground his bones to dust, he could never repay this grace of guiding his future path to the Dao. "Acclimate yourself to the coordination between this Dao artifact and the Great Annihilation Sword Qi as quickly as possible. In half a year, the Nine Cauldrons Commerce Guild I founded will hold a Dao artifact auction to sell an offensive void-type Dao artifact. By then, there will be no small number of visitors and factions coming and going. With more people, all kinds of trouble will inevitably arise, and you will certainly have your hands full," Yaoguang said. "Rest assured, Lord. I will exert every ounce of my strength to maintain order at the Dao artifact auction," Qi Sha said resolutely. "I trust you. Go." Yaoguang waved his hand. Qi Sha bowed once more, then turned and took his leave. Afterward, Yaoguang summoned Ling Ruogu and Chi Yu to instruct them regarding the Dao artifact auction. Upon receiving the news, the reactions of the two were hardly any less intense than Wan Liugui's. Auctioning off a single Dao artifact could still be explained as a hasty move to gather cultivation resources. But auctioning a second Dao artifact now... An Artifact Saint! Standing behind Yaoguang was without a doubt an Artifact Saint capable of forging Dao artifacts! Even the speculation that "Dao Lord Penglai" was that very Artifact Saint surged into their minds once again. Regardless of who that "Artifact Saint" truly was, however, having the backing of such an existence meant Yaoguang's future would be limitless. For a time, the hearts of the two Void Cavity experts burned with fervor, and they felt immensely fortunate about their decision to follow Yaoguang to the Southern Domain. As Li Hanqiu, Wan Liugui, Ling Ruogu, Chi Yu, and the factions behind them simultaneously promoted the event and distributed invitations, news that an offensive void-type Dao artifact was about to be auctioned in the Southern Domain spread rapidly across the Ten Immortal Sects, the Three Immortal Martial Sects, and the Four Great Celestial Dynasties.