Rules

"Slew a Void Piercing demonic cultivator! And refined Peak Master Xie Tong of the Shadow Moon Sect to death?!" Hearing Wang Que's words, Qin Zhengfa almost thought his ears were deceiving him. Staring blankly at this Great Shang Void Piercing cultivator, who could claim distant kinship with him, he asked, "Refining a Void Refining demonic cultivator to death?! You aren't joking with me, are you?" "It is absolutely true, without the slightest falsehood," Wang Que replied with a solemn expression. "How could that be... Isn't he a newly ascended Void Refining cultivator? No matter how extraordinary his cultivation, it has been less than ten years since he broke through to the Void Refining realm. In ten years, bringing one or two other Dao arts to minor accomplishment beyond his lifebound Dao art would already be the limit. Against a demonic cultivator like Xie Tong, who has been renowned in the Void Refining realm for many years, matching him evenly would be his absolute limit. Even defeating that fiend would be hard to believe. How could it be possible to... kill him?!" Qin Zhengfa spoke again, his voice filled with doubt. Ordinarily, such an attitude of distrust would have irked Wang Que, who had spoken out of goodwill, but he showed no displeasure. For had he not reacted the exact same way when he first received the news? Even after confirming repeatedly that the news was genuine, it had still taken him a long time to fully accept it. Thus, facing Qin Zhengfa's skepticism, he remained patient: "I know you find it hard to believe, but this news has already spread throughout Nandu today. The process of refining Xie Tong, that Void Refining demon, lasted three days, witnessed with their own eyes by thousands upon thousands of cultivators. You need only inquire a little to have the full picture. I would never deceive you about something that is already common knowledge." "This... this..." For a moment, Qin Zhengfa was at a loss. A Void Refining cultivator who had ascended less than ten years ago was actually powerful enough to refine a veteran Void Refining demonic cultivator of the Shadow Moon Sect to death? Crucially, hadn't this cultivator been cultivating for less than a century in total? Since when had the Void Refining realm—just one step away from the pinnacle of Beihai Star—become so cheap? The panic of being an old wave dashed against the beach by the surging waves behind swept over him, leaving his churning thoughts unsettled for a long time. "Xie Tong's abilities... even if he couldn't surpass ninety percent of the Void Refining cultivators on Beihai Star, sixty to seventy percent would pose no challenge. For Yaoguang to not only defeat him, but also refine him to death... such strength is already among the very pinnacle of the Void Refining realm." At this point, Wang Que's tone shifted: "Unless a Void Shattering expert intervenes personally, almost no one in the Void Refining realm could possibly kill him now. And as long as no one can kill him, with his rate of growth... reaching Void Shattering is likely only a matter of time. When that happens..." Qin Zhengfa felt a sudden chill in his heart. As if doused with a bucket of cold water, he cooled down instantly. Void Shattering! Those were beings who truly stood at the very pinnacle of Beihai Star. After all, the Dao Lords were either deep within the planet's core contemplating the Immortal Realm Gate and waiting for it to open, or venturing deep into the cosmos—first, to see if they could find other Immortal Realm Gates with less competition, and second, to seek fortuitous encounters and bolster their strength for the Dao Contention when the gate opened. Except during the few decades when the Immortal Realm Gate drew close to opening, the figures of Dao Lords were virtually never seen on Beihai Star. Under these circumstances, Void Shattering cultivators were the true rulers and strongest beings on the surface of Beihai Star. A Void Shattering expert... And one backed by the Heavenly Dao Sect... Was by no means someone a clan elder like him could afford to offend lightly. Noticing the shift in Qin Zhengfa's mood, Wang Que seemed to guess his thoughts and continued, "Master Yaoguang publicly announced half a year ago, when news of the Dao artifact auction began, that no matter what grievances anyone harbored, no one was permitted to fight in Nandu... He gave fair warning beforehand. Since we have arrived, we should act as accommodating guests and follow the local rules." He turned his gaze to Qin Zhengfa and asked with a smile, "True Monarch, what do you think?" Weighing the pros and cons, Qin Zhengfa took a deep breath. "What you say is not without reason." He glanced at the Fourteenth Prince beside him... Toward this Deep Blue Golden Core whom he usually doted on and felt was quite similar to his younger self, an inexplicable sense of disgust welled up within him. Despite enjoying the treatment of an imperial prince, he had still failed to break through to the Void Piercing realm after all this time—lacking in ability. It was clearly he who was in the wrong first, violating the rules set down by Master Yaoguang, yet he had come crying and whining—stirring up trouble. A mere Deep Blue Golden Core dared to face a Void Piercing cultivator like Qi Sha and demand a century of imprisonment—arrogant and domineering. With a wave of his sleeve, he said, "Since you are on Nandu's blacklist and have become unwelcome guests, get off." Hearing this, the Fourteenth Prince's eyes widened in shock: "Fourth Great-Uncle... you're casting me off?" Qin Zhengfa did not reply to him, but looked at Wang Que instead: "You are right. Guests should defer to the host. Since we have come to Nandu, we must naturally give Master Yaoguang face and abide by the rules he established." At the same time, he waved his hand. Immediately, a Void Piercing Battle Immortal stepped forward and approached the Fourteenth Prince: "Your Highness, please." "Fourth Great-Uncle, as a prince of the True Dragon Immortal Dynasty, being turned away at Nandu's doors is a slap in the face to our True Dragon Immortal Dynasty..." the Fourteenth Prince protested unwillingly. "Not a shred of discernment," Qin Zhengfa said, frowning deeply. "Among the Four Great Celestial Dynasties, generally only those who reach the Void Piercing realm qualify to be enfeoffed as princes or princesses. You, a mere Deep Blue Golden Core, enjoy prince-tier treatment and call yourself a prince—that itself deviates from the rules. When I return, I shall advise His Majesty to revoke your princely status." At these words, the Fourteenth Prince's mind went blank, freezing him on the spot in utter shock. "Take him away," Qin Zhengfa said, flicking his sleeve. "Disgraceful fool." With that, the Void Piercing Battle Immortal dropped all courtesy, grabbed the Fourteenth Prince, and hauled him straight off the battleship. At this moment, the Fourteenth Prince seemed to finally realize something... Fear. His Fourth Great-Uncle... Was afraid. The True Dragon Immortal Dynasty... Appeared unwilling to offend this deputy sect master of the Heavenly Dao Sect! This feeling did not sit well with his Fourth Great-Uncle either, yet he had failed to see it in time and walked right into the crosshairs, becoming the outlet for his Fourth Great-Uncle's pent-up frustration... In panic, the Fourteenth Prince began pleading desperately, "No! No! No! Fourth Great-Uncle, I know I was wrong! I'll never dare do it again..." But Qin Zhengfa ignored him completely, piloting the battleship onward into the interior of Nandu. Seeing the Fourteenth Prince escorted away, the Void Piercing Battle Immortal of Tianshang Battle Hall stationed at the formation's perimeter tactfully stepped aside and said, "Welcome, distinguished guests of the True Dragon Immortal Dynasty, to Nandu. May you all enjoy a pleasant shopping experience." Qin Zhengfa adopted a low profile as well. Toward this Void Piercing Battle Immortal of Tianshang Battle Hall whom he previously looked down upon, he now behaved with polite restraint, nodding in a friendly manner. The battleship sailed smoothly into Nandu. ... Scenes similar to Qin Zhengfa's played out all across Nandu. After receiving this information and verifying it multiple times, the well-informed Void Refining cultivators ultimately had to concede that the news was true. Immediately afterward, they sent urgent transmissions to their juniors, strictly forbidding anyone from acting arrogant or violating the rules in Nandu, on pain of bearing the consequences themselves. Especially a few days later, when Yaoguang suddenly announced that in addition to a Void Sword, the auction would also feature a Thunder War Halberd, not a single person doubted the news of him refining a Void Refining demonic cultivator to death. ... Meanwhile, among the Heavenly Dao Sect contingent, four Void Refining experts gathered together. Of these four, one was Yue Kuhai, the head of the Dao Branch. The other three were Peak Master Qianren of the Thirteen Peaks, along with Lu Wanshi and Li Baijie, the figures backing the Lu and Li clans. Among the four, Yue Kuhai was indeed here for the Dao artifact, but Qianren, Lu Wanshi, and Li Baijie clearly harbored other agendas. Yet at this moment, none of those agendas mattered anymore. Even with their lofty status as Void Refining experts, the recently confirmed news had shattered their fighting spirit. "The Thunder War Halberd... that was indeed the Dao artifact in Xie Tong's hands. Now that even the Dao artifact has fallen into Yaoguang's hands, the matter of that Void Refining demon being refined to death is beyond all doubt." "I still find it hard to believe. Having ascended to the Void Refining realm less than ten years ago, how could he possibly kill an experienced Void Refining cultivator like Xie Tong? I crossed hands with that demonic cultivator years ago and know full well just how difficult he is to deal with!" "In this world, after all, there exist geniuses far beyond our comprehension. Take Dao Lord Penglai... Who could have imagined that in just a thousand years, she would rise from a true disciple fleeing Tianhai Sword Pavilion into one of the most formidable Dao Lords alive, battering Tianhai Sword Pavilion into locking its doors? This Yaoguang... might very well be on that same level." "Are you suggesting... he has hopes of becoming a Dao Lord?! Impossible! Utterly impossible!" "Then being groomed as a Dao Lord seed is hardly an exaggeration, is it? After all, Dao Lord Juntian cultivates the Grand Dao of Truth, which does not conflict with Yaoguang's Grand Dao of the Void. Not only would it avoid triggering a Dao Contention, but he could also become a powerful ally." The four discussed back and forth. When the topic turned to Yaoguang having prospects of Dao Integration... Silence fell over all of them. After a long while, Peak Master Qianren spoke up: "I believe that after losing a Void Refining demon, the Shadow Moon Sect will never let this matter rest—especially when our Sect Master has led people to the extraterrestrial battlefield, clearly unable to provide Yaoguang with timely reinforcement." "That may be true, but if Yaoguang holds firm within the Tiandu Dragon Slaying Formation and refuses to step outside, even if a Supreme Elder from the Shadow Moon Sect takes action, they won't be able to lay a finger on him, will they? And once a Supreme Elder descends upon the Southern Domain, no matter how much Zong Wenxian wishes to suppress Yaoguang, the sect will be obligated to dispatch a Supreme Elder of equal standing. Otherwise, if Yaoguang reports to the Dao Lord via the Golden Book of the Great Dao, everyone will face severe punishment," Yue Kuhai said. The Tiandu Dragon Slaying Formation. A rank-thirteen formation. A terrifying grand formation that, when presided over by a Void Refining cultivator, had a chance of ensnaring and slaying a Void Shattering expert. Second only to the sect's rank-fourteen mountain-protecting grand formation. With Yaoguang holding the formation, ensnaring and killing a Void Shattering cultivator of the Shadow Moon Sect might be difficult, but holding out for a period until reinforcements from the Heavenly Dao Sect arrived would pose no problem at all. "Enough, let us wait and see how things unfold after this auction," Lu Wanshi said. "Over the next few days, we had better instruct our clansmen not to step outside lightly." "Staying inside is still not safe enough," Li Baijie said. "We had better send those good-for-nothing clansmen out of Nandu entirely, lest they cause trouble, giving him the chance to punish them ruthlessly—or even use it as a pretext to seize the resource points in our hands." Lu Wanshi nodded. Qianren opened his mouth to say something, but remembering Yaoguang's terrifying might in refining even a Void Refining demon to death, he suppressed every thought and inclination. Lacking a Dao artifact himself, his strength was likely slightly inferior to Xie Tong's. Forget it, better let the Sect Master make the decision. As for causing trouble at this auction... Let whoever wanted to do it go ahead. ... The restless Nandu swiftly quieted down following the death of the Shadow Moon Sect's Void Refining demon. Everyone seemed to have learned what it meant to defer to the host, and what it meant to follow local customs. In this atmosphere where everyone obeyed the law and respected order, the final few days slipped quietly by. The day of the Dao artifact auction officially arrived.