"Auctioning a Dao artifact?! And a void-type Dao artifact with the broadest range of application at that?!"
At the Heavenly Dao Sect.
As the sect master, Zong Wenxian received the news spreading from the Southern Domain at the earliest opportunity.
For a moment, disbelief filled the sect master's eyes.
His gaze instantly fell upon Yuan Miaoyi, who had brought the news. "I recall that not long ago, he just sold a flying boat Dao artifact? How long has it been, and he wants to sell another Dao artifact again? Where is he getting so many Dao artifacts to sell?!"
"We are currently investigating," Yuan Miaoyi replied immediately.
Zong Wenxian did not press further, but pondered, "Selling one Dao artifact could still be explained as an urgent need to raise sufficient resources for cultivation, forcing him to part with it. But now, barely a dozen years later, he is selling a second Dao artifact..."
"I have an intelligence report indicating that after Yaoguang sold the flying boat Dao artifact back then, he purchased a vast quantity of materials for refining Dao artifacts. Now... quite a few people suspect that an Artifact Saint stands behind Yaoguang..." Xiang Zhenlong, the Heaven Lineage Master who was also present, asked tentatively.
"An Artifact Saint? Rather than believing an Artifact Saint stands behind him, I find it more likely that these Dao artifacts are connected to Dao Lord Penglai behind him. After all, people from the Penglai Immortal Sect visited the Southern Domain not long ago..." Yuan Miaoyi said.
"If Dao Lord Penglai were stepping in, he would never do so in this manner." Zong Wenxian waved a hand, cutting off Yuan Miaoyi.
Originally, he had used Yaoguang's ambiguous relationship with the Penglai Immortal Sect as a pretext to suppress him, but that was because he knew Yaoguang might be a pawn favored by Dao Lord Penglai, yet not necessarily someone who would receive much genuine backing.
Now things were different.
Yaoguang was selling Dao artifacts again and again...
Such a degree of support could not be matched even by the so-called disciples of the Dao Lord within the Penglai Immortal Sect.
If the world truly came to believe that Dao Lord Penglai stood behind Yaoguang and was constantly providing him with Dao artifacts to foster his growth, countless opportunists would flock to curry favor with Yaoguang in hopes of forging a connection to Dao Lord Penglai.
Among them, let alone Void Refining cultivators, even Void Shattering experts would likely be tempted.
Even without meeting the Dao Lord or receiving his guidance, obtaining an extra Dao artifact or two from Yaoguang would still be a tremendous windfall.
"If Yaoguang didn't receive backing from Dao Lord Penglai and has no Artifact Saint behind him either, then there is only one explanation left..."
A gleam flashed in Yuan Miaoyi's eyes. "He obtained the legacy of a great figure, acquiring quite a few Dao artifacts from it. Progressing from Void Refining to Void Shattering requires expanding one's grotto-heaven in mutual harmony with the growth of the Dao seed until both grotto-heaven and Dao seed reach grand completion. Only then can one shatter the void and perceive the Three Thousand Grand Daos carried by the Grand Dao of the Void. Reaching grand completion with a Dao seed relies on enlightenment, but bringing a grotto-heaven to grand completion requires substantial resources. He must need resources to bridge this process and prepare for a swift push into Void Shattering."
Zong Wenxian glanced at Yuan Miaoyi with a touch of approval in his eyes.
Whether this news was true or false did not matter. As long as word spread...
Naturally, people would want to investigate and see for themselves.
If the Heavenly Dao Sect happened to be delayed by certain matters at this time, leaving them no leisure to attend to that deputy sect master in the Southern Domain and freeing those eager to investigate from worries of retaliation...
Plenty of people would seize the chance to strike.
When the time came, directly taking down Yaoguang in Nandu would be difficult, but sabotaging this Dao artifact auction, or even causing the entire Dao artifact to be snatched away and making this Southern Domain Lord lose face completely, would be no problem at all.
If things went smoothly, as the sect master, he could legitimately march troops into the Southern Domain under the pretexts of defending the region and displaying the sect's prestige, thoroughly quashing the Southern Domain Lord's arrogance and turning him into a mere figurehead.
Then the Southern Domain would substantially return to his grasp.
"I think so as well. Our deputy sect master has truly met with great fortune," Zong Wenxian remarked with a smile.
Yuan Miaoyi was exceptionally adept at divining the sect master's thoughts and asked tentatively, "Then this auction..."
"Anyone who wishes to go may naturally do so," Zong Wenxian said with a smile. "Our Heavenly Dao Sect's deputy sect master is holding such a grand event to promote the Southern Domain, so the Heavenly Dao Sect naturally must support it. Otherwise, if petty miscreants take advantage of the chaos to cause trouble and disrupt the event, it would not only humiliate Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang, but also tarnish our Heavenly Dao Sect's prestige."
Hearing this, Yuan Miaoyi was certain his guess had hit the mark. "Indeed. However... on the extraterrestrial battlefield, the Battle Lineage sent word that they have acquired intelligence regarding a God race fleet returning laden with spoils after plundering an advanced world... The resources seized by the fleet are likely worth no less than a hundred thousand Void Dao Pills. However, one or two Void Refining figures oversee that fleet, so our forces on the battlefield fear they cannot take it down alone and hope to receive our aid..."
"Resources worth a hundred thousand Void Dao Pills?! That is more than enough to purchase a Dao artifact! Especially if those materials are refined and repurposed, their value would likely double!" Zong Wenxian seemed intrigued.
"More importantly, the God race has never gotten along with our Ten Immortal Sects. Plundering a God race fleet to strengthen our human race is inherently an enduring merit for the ages," Yuan Miaoyi promptly chimed in.
Hearing this, Xiang Zhenlong, the Heaven Lineage Master, realized what was happening and added belatedly, "Then shall we assemble personnel at once to reinforce them and intercept this God race fleet?"
"That is only proper." Zong Wenxian gave a slight nod.
...
Having made his decision, the Heavenly Dao Sect's master immediately informed the Supreme Elder Council and departed for the extraterrestrial battlefield, taking almost the entire Battle Hall garrisoned at the sect with him.
The Supreme Elders who received the news wore peculiar expressions.
"Sect Master Zong... is starting already? Isn't he acting a bit too hastily? How Yaoguang acquired the Dao artifacts remains unknown. In case an Artifact Saint truly stands behind him, wouldn't doing this offend that Artifact Saint?"
"Zong Wenxian likely doesn't care about that at all. If an Artifact Saint truly stands behind Yaoguang, then in several centuries at fastest or a millennium at slowest, Yaoguang will inevitably achieve Void Shattering with that Artifact Saint's assistance. Once he reaches Void Shattering and has an Artifact Saint backing him... how rapidly will the Southern Domain develop? After holding two or three more Dao artifact auctions, Zong Wenxian might have to abdicate and yield his position as sect master! Therefore, from his perspective, he wishes nothing more than for Yaoguang to have no Artifact Saint behind him—or even hopes that the Artifact Saint will be infuriated and abandon both Yaoguang and the Heavenly Dao Sect."
"An Artifact Saint backing Yaoguang brings only harm and no benefit to Zong Wenxian, but to us, that may not be the case. The greatest value of an Artifact Saint lies not in selling Dao artifacts, but in custom-tailoring them. Which of us doesn't have a few juniors with hopes of reaching Void Refining or even Void Shattering? A custom-tailored Dao artifact with exceptionally high compatibility is virtually equivalent to paving a direct path to Void Shattering for them. Therefore, I will attend this auction in person."
"We understand the logic, but if you step in now... you might get dragged into the conflict between the sect master and this deputy sect master! Sect Master Zong... is not an easy person to cross..."
"This..."
"I think we should wait and see what kind of power truly backs Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang before making a decision."
"Very well. Let us see whether Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang can demonstrate sufficient ability in dealing with the crisis of this auction, and whether he is truly worth our full backing. Still, even if we do not go to the Southern Domain ourselves, having our subordinates compete for this Dao artifact as bidders shouldn't be an issue."
The Supreme Elders discussed among themselves. Every single person who could attain the seat of a Supreme Elder was a shrewd fox.
They naturally understood that Zong Wenxian's actions were meant to nip potential trouble in the bud.
Or rather, the capabilities Yaoguang displayed posed a future threat to Zong Wenxian, prompting him to resort to schemes to suppress him.
Such occurrences were nothing new.
Back then, the same had happened to Deputy Sect Master Song Youque. Relying on the vast network of connections amassed from his travels, he had made the Southern Domain flourish.
During that period, on the grounds of the Southern Domain's prosperous development, Zong Wenxian continuously raised the Southern Domain's tribute quota until the Southern Domain was overburdened and killed the emissaries without authorization.
What happened afterward was known to everyone.
Zong Wenxian led a host of Supreme Elders, peak masters, and elders to storm the Southern Domain, stripping it bare. Every Supreme Elder, peak master, and elder who took part made a fortune.
Now Yaoguang...
Showed signs of facing the exact same predicament as Sect Master Song Youque.
However, while Song Youque's foundation had lain entirely in the Southern Domain, Yaoguang relied wholly on that mysterious Artifact Saint. Since that Artifact Saint had neither shown his face nor joined the Heavenly Dao Sect, targeting him was far more difficult for Zong Wenxian. This was why several Supreme Elders looked favorably upon Yaoguang, to the point where even at the onset of suppression, some wanted to step in and shield him.
More precisely, they wanted to use the pretext of shielding Yaoguang to curry favor with the Artifact Saint behind him.
Yet Zong Wenxian's accumulated prestige ran too deep. Before intervening, these Supreme Elders had to weigh the consequences of defying him and making an enemy of him. Thus, they decided to observe first and act according to circumstances.
Swarming in to bully the weak; preserving oneself when facing the strong.
This was the way of survival for all cultivators of Beihai Star.
...
While the Supreme Elders within the Heavenly Dao Sect remained noncommittal due to Zong Wenxian's stance, peak masters and Void Cavity elders backed by powerful patrons accepted the invitations one after another, indicating they would attend the auction.
Beyond the Heavenly Dao Sect, people from the neighboring Taiyi Immortal Sect, Xianwu Sect, and Great Shang Immortal Dynasty set out one after another upon hearing the news.
Even from factions located much farther away, such as the Sanqing Sacred Hall, Jinwu Sect, Demonic God Cult, and True Dragon Immortal Dynasty, people traveled tens of thousands of li toward the Southern Domain.
In addition, the nearby Shadow Moon Sect and Demon Shadow Sect began stirring up trouble.
In the prefectures bordering the Shadow Moon Sect, demonic cultivators ran rampant, and the situation deteriorated visibly.
They clearly intended to take advantage of the Southern Domain hosting the grand auction and having no time to attend to other matters to reclaim the prefectures they had lost.
Even failing that, they aimed to tear away a piece of flesh.
In particular, when the Shadow Moon Sect learned that the sect master of the Heavenly Dao Sect had actually led a force to the extraterrestrial battlefield at this critical juncture, they realized the opportunity at hand.
Along the border, not only were Void Cavity cultivators making trouble, but Void Refining figures appeared from time to time, steadily encroaching upon the neighboring prefectures. The local factions in those prefectures suffered immensely and sent pleas for aid to Nandu one after another.
It was precisely amid this relentless turmoil that time slipped swiftly by.
The Dao artifact auction was right around the corner.
Chapter 361