Word Arrives

Outside Nandu. A battleship bearing the emblem of the True Dragon Immortal Dynasty sped swiftly toward Nandu. Unlike the group that had arrived previously, the leader this time was none other than a clan elder in the Void Refining realm. Qin Zhengfa. A Void Refining expert who held immense seniority within the True Dragon Immortal Dynasty. Even the current emperor of the True Dragon Immortal Dynasty was merely one of his juniors. Relying on this status, he was accorded exceptional respect wherever he went. Beside this clan elder stood an imperial prince who had recently been expelled. In the True Dragon Immortal Dynasty, any member of the imperial clan who cultivated to the Void Piercing realm could be enfeoffed as a prince or princess. However, direct descendants who formed a Deep Blue Golden Core were likewise granted the privileges and status of an imperial prince. Such was the case with the Fourteenth Prince standing before him. A few days earlier, this prince had disregarded the ban and come to blows with a true disciple of the Golden Crow Sect. Qi Sha had led men to personally drive him out of Nandu, inflicting a deep sense of humiliation upon someone who had always been showered with boundless favor. Now that his clan elder had arrived in person, sailing forth grandly aboard a Dao artifact-grade battleship, the Fourteenth Prince naturally followed along, feeling thoroughly vindicated. "Fourth Great-Uncle, you must speak up for justice on my behalf when the time comes! A mere true disciple of the Golden Crow Sect dared to spout insolence at me; teaching him a lesson was only natural and right! Yet that fellow named Qi Sha drove us right out of Nandu and spoke with utter disrespect. Such conduct clearly shows he has zero regard for our True Dragon Immortal Dynasty!" At this moment, the Fourteenth Prince was pouring out his grievances before Qin Zhengfa. "My personal humiliation is one thing, but that the prestige of our True Dragon Immortal Dynasty was compromised is something I can never accept! I was clearly the victim in this matter, yet I ended up suffering this fate..." "Enough. I am already aware of this matter," Qin Zhengfa remarked impassively. "The people under that Sect Master Yaoguang did indeed overstep. Though you are only a Golden Core cultivator, you enjoy the treatment of an imperial prince. For Qi Sha to disregard that and expel you alongside the Golden Crow Sect true disciple was indeed ill-considered." Pausing briefly, he continued, "Of course... Qi Sha is, after all, a Void Piercing cultivator serving Sect Master Yaoguang. It would not do for us to push too hard. When the time comes, I shall mention it to Sect Master Yaoguang and have Qi Sha apologize to you. We can consider the matter settled then, lest others accuse our True Dragon Immortal Dynasty of being unreasonable and overbearing." "An apology? This concerns the dignity of our True Dragon Immortal Dynasty—how could a mere apology suffice? At the very least, Sect Master Yaoguang must imprison him for a century so he learns what it means to respect guests..." The Fourteenth Prince grumbled with dissatisfaction. "That is impossible. Not only can we not make such a demand, but even if we did, Yaoguang would never agree." Qin Zhengfa glanced at him. "Do not forget, he is a Void Piercing cultivator." "So what if he is Void Piercing? I enjoy the exact same treatment as a Void Piercing cultivator..." "Yes, merely the same treatment," Qin Zhengfa said flatly. "If you were truly a Void Piercing cultivator and Qi Sha humiliated you like that, I would naturally take action in person to demand justice for you. But you are not a true Void Piercing cultivator. Being Void Piercing and not being Void Piercing are two entirely different matters." "Fourth Great-Uncle..." The Fourteenth Prince was still unwilling to let it go. "Leave it at that," Qin Zhengfa waved a hand dismissively. "Yaoguang did announce beforehand that fighting was forbidden in Nandu, and you indeed engaged in a brawl with the Golden Crow Sect true disciple, violating the rules set by Yaoguang. Although this rule is unreasonable in itself, out of respect for Sect Master Yaoguang, we must mind our manners to some extent. I will have a word with Sect Master Yaoguang, and once Qi Sha apologizes to you, this matter ends." Although the Fourteenth Prince remained reluctant, the clan elder had clearly made up his mind, and there was nothing he could do to sway him. "Xiaoyi, send a message to the person in charge of the Southern Domain. I wish to pay Sect Master Yaoguang a visit and speak with him regarding this matter," Qin Zhengfa instructed. "Understood." A rather aloof-looking young woman behind him, who had also condensed a Deep Blue Golden Core, acknowledged the order and swiftly transmitted the message. A moment later, she knitted her delicate brows. "Ancestor, the affairs of the Southern Domain, large and small, are currently handled by a Void Piercing Battle Immortal named Li Hanqiu. But he claims... Yaoguang is preparing for the upcoming Dao artifact auction and is unavailable for the time being..." "Unavailable for the time being?" Qin Zhengfa's tone carried displeasure, though he remained aloof. "Tell him that I have arrived. Surely he will find the time soon enough." "I already mentioned your name, but..." The aloof young woman added, "I shall send another message. That Li Hanqiu is merely a Void Piercing Battle Immortal; how could he comprehend the prestige of Grandfather's status?" "Fourth Great-Uncle, there is something you do not know—that Sect Master Yaoguang is exceedingly arrogant," the Fourteenth Prince interjected quickly, as if seizing upon a sore point. "Rumor has it that over the past few days, Void Refining mighty figures from the Golden Crow Sect and the Immortal Martial Sect wished to visit him, but every last one was turned away at the door. Among them, True Monarch Pan Yuan, a Void Refining expert from the Immortal Martial Sect, flew into a rage and nearly struck Li Hanqiu to teach him his place. However, Nandu's Tiandu Dragon-Slashing Formation had already been activated, and that audacious Qi Sha even dared to use the formation's power to confront True Monarch Pan Yuan head-on! Truly overweening and insolent!" Qin Zhengfa's brows furrowed deeply upon hearing this. Although the gulfs between Void Piercing, Void Refining, and Void Shattering were not insurmountable chasms, for a mere Void Piercing cultivator to act so boldly before a Void Refining expert... Calling it overweening and insolent was hardly an exaggeration. "Hmph! Turning away visits from multiple Void Refining experts—this Sect Master Yaoguang is arrogant indeed. No wonder even Zong Wenxian finds him an eyesore and turns a blind eye to the Shadow Moon Sect making trouble in the Southern Domain." Qin Zhengfa flicked his sleeve. "Offending his sect master on the inside and rubbing so many factions the wrong way on the outside—once this Dao artifact auction concludes, he will find himself drowning in endless trouble!" The Fourteenth Prince and the aloof young woman named Xiaoyi nodded in deep agreement. Right at that moment, Nandu was already right before them. At the same time, the formation enshrouding Nandu came into view. As if sensing the presence of the blacklisted Fourteenth Prince, the formation's inner light surged and churned. Before long, a small group soared out through the barriers, led by a Void Piercing Battle Immortal from the Tianshang Battle Hall. "Distinguished guests of the True Dragon Immortal Dynasty, you are welcome to visit Nandu. However, there is a person aboard your flying vessel who is not welcome in Nandu. Please have this persona non grata depart," the Void Piercing Battle Immortal stated, neither servile nor overbearing. "Audacious!" The fact that a mere Void Piercing Battle Immortal dared to obstruct his battleship fueled the discontent already brewing within Qin Zhengfa after having his face slighted. "Everyone aboard this battleship belongs to our True Dragon Immortal Dynasty. What, if I do not have him leave the ship, do you intend to bar us from entering Nandu?" "So it is True Monarch Zhengfa. Greetings, True Monarch." The Void Piercing Battle Immortal cupped his hands slightly. His etiquette was proper enough, but his words... "My apologies. Our sect master gave strict orders that no unwelcome person may enter Nandu again. We ask that the True Monarch not make things difficult for us." "What insolence! Even your Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang would not dare speak to me in such a manner. Tell him to come out! He must give me an explanation today, or else he should not blame me, Qin Zhengfa, for disregarding his standing as deputy sect master!" Qin Zhengfa thundered in anger. These words caused the Void Piercing Battle Immortal's expression to shift, and he immediately sent a transmission to Qi Sha. However, before Qi Sha could arrive, another Void Piercing cultivator hurried over. "A misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!" This Void Piercing cultivator swiftly landed between the Tianshang Battle Hall battle immortal and Qin Zhengfa, saying with a smile, "I shall go see who is on the blacklist right away and have him disembark. Once the unwelcome individual is off the ship, there should be no issue with the True Dragon Immortal Dynasty's battleship entering Nandu, correct?" "Naturally," the Void Piercing Battle Immortal of the Tianshang Battle Hall breathed a quiet sigh of relief, adding, "Nandu welcomes any guest who abides by Nandu's rules." Qin Zhengfa looked at this Void Piercing cultivator, his brow slightly furrowing. This was Wang Que of the Great Shang Immortal Dynasty, who was also a personal disciple of the immortal dynasty's Supreme Ancestor, Zhao Fuxi. The Great Shang and True Dragon dynasties had intermarried across generations; Zhao Fuxi and Qin Zhengfa were in-laws. Therefore, faced with Wang Que's intervention, although Qin Zhengfa was displeased, he did not immediately flare up. "True Monarch, junior offers his greetings," Wang Que said as he landed on the battleship, bowing respectfully. "What is going on?" Qin Zhengfa said unhappily. "A mere deputy sect master holds so little regard for us! Does he truly believe that just because he is auctioning a Dao artifact, everyone must come groveling before him?" "A deputy sect master of the Heavenly Dao Sect naturally would not carry such weight. But... what if this deputy sect master has cultivated for less than a hundred years?" Wang Que remarked. "A hundred years?" Qin Zhengfa was somewhat taken aback, but immediately sneered. "So what if his talent is extraordinary? In an environment like Beihai Star, it is far harder for geniuses to reach maturity than ordinary people. Above all, he has offended Zong Wenxian. With the Heavenly Dao Sect master clearly bent on suppressing him, the greater his talent, the faster he may meet his end." "Talent... It is no longer just a matter of talent." "Not talent? Don't tell me you believe the rumors put out by the Penglai Immortal Sect—that the moment he stepped into the Void Refining realm, he could slay a Void Refining demon emperor?" Qin Zhengfa chuckled coldly. "Setting aside how Demon King Tuntian suddenly became Demon Emperor Tuntian, the mere fact that Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang is acting as a traitor with suspicious ties to the Penglai Immortal Sect leaves us no choice but to suspect that Penglai is merely building momentum for Yaoguang so he can win greater backing within the Heavenly Dao Sect." "If you do not believe the matter of Demon Emperor Tuntian, then surely you know of Xie Tong, the Void Refining demonic cultivator from the Shadow Moon Sect?" Wang Que asked. "Xie Tong?" The sneer on Qin Zhengfa's face faded slightly, replaced by gravity. "One of the peak masters among the Shadow Moon Sect's twenty-three peaks. His Spirit-Deterring Mystic Light strikes straight at the soul and mind; unless a Void Refining expert concurrently cultivates a corresponding Dao or possesses a Dao artifact guarding the mind and soul, it is exceptionally difficult to withstand! Besides the Spirit-Deterring Mystic Light, he commands two powerful Dao arts and even wields a Dao artifact. Among Void Refining experts, he easily ranks in the upper tier..." At this point, as if realizing something, he suddenly blurted out, "You can't be telling me that Yaoguang, who advanced to Void Refining merely a few years ago, actually managed to kill a veteran Void Refining expert who has long been renowned and wields a Dao artifact?!" "Yes," Wang Que nodded heavily. "Not long ago, Peak Master Xie Tong of the Shadow Moon Sect led several Void Piercing elders into the Southern Domain to wreak havoc... Sect Master Yaoguang rode out alone. In merely a few days, he slew two Void Piercing fiends and... completely refined to death Xie Tong, a veteran Void Refining peak master of the Shadow Moon Sect!" Wang Que paused before underscoring each word: "While facing the combined onslaught of Xie Tong and three Void Piercing cultivators, he slew one Void Piercing demonic cultivator and then refined Xie Tong—a Shadow Moon Sect peak master and Void Refining fiend—alive until he was utterly dead!"