Improvements

Having digested what he had gained as a level thirteen formation master, Yaoguang set directly to studying and reshaping the Tiandu Dragon Slaying Formation. Laid down by a Dao Lord, the Tiandu Dragon Slaying Formation's defining trait was achieving miracles through sheer, overwhelming force. Relying on the formation's talisman seals and his own understanding of formations, it took Yaoguang merely three days to make discoveries. "Excellent! By improving this node, the formation's operation will undergo a massive transformation. Anyone who previously understood the Tiandu Dragon Slaying Formation and tries to disrupt it using their old methods will only suffer a backlash and trap themselves within the array." A smile surfaced on Yaoguang's face. Moreover, there was more than one node he could modify. "This node should enhance the formation's stability, making it much harder to breach." "This node exerts a suppressive effect on enemies... Even one as mighty as a Void Shattering expert would have their battle prowess shaved down by ten percent." "Hmm? This node has an extraordinarily high affinity with the Grand Dao of the Void? If I use a void-type Dao artifact as the formation core, it will make casting my Dao arts thirty percent smoother!" Yaoguang unearthed a vast number of areas ripe for improvement. Although refining the Tiandu Dragon Slaying Formation would not raise its rank, it would align it far better with Yaoguang himself, allowing him to unleash even greater might when controlling it. Furthermore, improving this formation was equivalent to putting his experience as a level thirteen formation master into practice. For a time, he poured even greater passion into modifying the formation. ... While Yaoguang was modifying the Tiandu Dragon Slaying Formation, the Lu and Li families trembled in terror upon learning that he had refined and killed yet another Void Refining demon cultivator in Nandu. The Void Refining peak masters backing the two families fled back to the Heavenly Dao Sect at once, not daring to linger in the Southern Domain a moment longer. It seemed only returning to the interior of the Heavenly Dao Sect could give them the slightest sense of security. Even as the Lu and Li families panicked, the Jing family fared no better. Jing Zhengyang in particular was scared half out of his wits for days after learning that the Void Refining demon cultivator refined and killed by Yaoguang was none other than True Monarch Crimson Fiend, who had come to liaise with them. Had he not feared that fleeing back to the Heavenly Dao Sect right now would be too obvious, he would have relocated his entire clan. Yet even so, he spent the following days in constant dread. He even contacted Wu Changfeng repeatedly—with whom he previously had conflicting interests—hoping to uncover the truth behind Yaoguang refining and killing this demon cultivator. However, ever since pledging his stance to Yaoguang, Wu Changfeng had thrown himself whole-heartedly into his work. Furthermore, Yaoguang did not truly trust him and had not granted him access to core secrets, so try as Jing Zhengyang might, he could extract no useful information from Wu Changfeng's lips. Not only Wu Changfeng, but even factions that had once professed undying loyalty to the Jing family now seemed to waver. From Wuyou Valley, Jing Zhengyang found gathering intelligence significantly harder than before. This was because many factions had realized Yaoguang's immense power; combined with the fact that he was already the rightful authority over the Southern Domain, they had shifted their allegiances and fallen in line. Only after several full days did Jing Zhengyang finally obtain intelligence: Yaoguang had intercepted True Monarch Crimson Fiend not because he had discovered anything, but because Crimson Fiend had courted his own doom by failing to control his urges. He had tried to sweep away an entire city of cultivators, only to run headlong into the guardian of Xuan Prefecture. To make matters worse, Yaoguang had been patrolling the border out of concern for security. Moxie, the guardian of Xuan Prefecture, had fought with all his might to pin Crimson Fiend down until Yaoguang arrived, resulting in the demon cultivator being refined to death and sent to the netherworld. "These demon cultivators act with utter recklessness! If he had obediently left the Southern Domain and returned to the Shadow Moon Sect after delivering the message, how could he have been caught by Yaoguang and turned into yet another illustrious exploit to awe the Southern Domain for that bastard?" Jing Zhengyang could not help but curse inwardly. "A bunch of useless fools, more than capable of ruining things but incapable of achieving anything." After hesitating for a moment, he took out a jade talisman and conveyed the news to Supreme Elder Jing Yuntian in the Heavenly Dao Sect. Upon receiving the report, the supreme elder's expression turned exceedingly solemn. "He actually... refined and killed yet another Void Refining demon cultivator! Though demon cultivators take extreme paths in pursuit of speed, still... to slay two Void Refining experts in succession, this Yaoguang truly possesses the combat power of a top-tier Void Refining cultivator." "Ancestor, Yaoguang is at the height of his power right now, his edge far too sharp. Do you think... we should avoid his brunt for the time being?" Jing Zhengyang asked cautiously. "Avoid his brunt?" Jing Yuntian gave a soft snort. "Are you afraid?" Jing Zhengyang said nothing. Yet in this moment, remaining silent was the clearest answer. "Humph! No matter how formidable Yaoguang is, he only recently broke through to the Void Refining realm. Even if his cultivation is impressive, how strong could he possibly be? In my estimate, his ability to refine and kill Void Refining demon cultivators from the Shadow Moon Sect must rely on a Dao artifact—a high-grade Dao artifact!" Jing Yuntian said heavily. "A high-grade Dao artifact?!" Jing Zhengyang stared blankly, taking a while before asking, "The Dao artifact Yaoguang revealed that seals space... didn't look like a high-grade Dao artifact, did it?" "You haven't experienced it in person, so how would you know whether it's truly a high-grade Dao artifact?" Jing Yuntian retorted. Jing Zhengyang fell silent once more. Whether it was a high-grade Dao artifact or not... hardly mattered to him. Even if the man had relied on a high-grade Dao artifact to refine and slay two Void Refining demon cultivators of the Shadow Moon Sect, it still proved he possessed top-tier Void Refining combat strength. With that level of power... were Yaoguang to target Jing Zhengyang, Jing Zhengyang might not be able to walk away in one piece. "Each term, the Southern Domain yields over two hundred million Pure Yang Great Pills in revenue for our Jing family. Your ability to attain Void Refining owed everything to the Southern Domain's profits. Once you withdraw from the Southern Domain, those revenues will be lost entirely. Therefore, unless forced to the absolute brink, we must never let go of this revenue," Jing Yuntian said in a tone that brooked no argument. "Then, regarding Yaoguang..." "Enough. I will inform the Sect Master of this matter. The Sect Master chose to go to the extraterrestrial battlefield precisely to provide an opportunity for you and the Shadow Moon Sect. Yet who would have thought you would prove so useless?" Jing Yuntian's divine sense rippled with displeasure. "If not for the fact that none of the younger generation has grown capable enough to shoulder heavy responsibilities, would the affairs of the Southern Domain ever have fallen to you?" Rebuked so harshly, Jing Zhengyang dared not utter a word of protest. "Ask the Shadow Moon Sect whether they still plan to make a move. If they do, they had better be quick about it. Otherwise, once our Heavenly Dao Sect's Sect Master returns, even if they want to strike, we won't be able to buy them time by convening the Supreme Elder Council for deliberation anymore." With that, Jing Yuntian terminated the transmission. Although filled with dread toward Yaoguang, Jing Zhengyang dared not disobey since his ancestor had not permitted him to return to the sect. Moreover... Over two hundred million Pure Yang Great Pills per term was enough to sustain more than a dozen Void Hole cultivators in their daily cultivation. The sum was truly colossal. As long as a glimmer of hope remained, he was loath to give it up. At this thought, his heart weighed heavy. *What was the Shadow Moon Sect thinking, sending such an impulsive Void Refining cultivator, who derailed the plan at the final hour...* "You had better hope it was indeed our Shadow Moon Sect's man acting recklessly that caused the accident." Right then, a voice of divine sense suddenly echoed. Detecting this divine sense, Jing Zhengyang's expression shifted drastically. His own divine sense surged out rapidly, sweeping across the surroundings. "Don't bother searching. I have used a demonic secret art to transmit my divine sense through an external vessel; my true body has not set foot in the Southern Domain." The divine sense spoke again. "Such methods..." Jing Zhengyang's expression hardened. "The Eight Desolations Demon Lord?" "Indeed," the divine sense replied, followed by, "You should count your lucky stars that, from what we can see, Crimson Fiend truly played the fool and ran into a fully alert Yaoguang. If I find out this was all a scheme concocted by your Heavenly Dao Sect—using Yaoguang as bait to lure our Shadow Moon Sect's experts into a trap in the Southern Domain—I don't know if others will die, but you and your Jing family will be doomed without question. Not a single one of you will survive." "Hmph!" Jing Zhengyang's face darkened, yet he did not argue. Facing a Void Shattering expert, he naturally lacked the confidence to stand firm. "When will your Shadow Moon Sect strike?" the Jing clan patriarch changed the subject. "From the fact that Yaoguang went so far as to patrol the border in person, one can see that he is currently maintaining a state of utmost vigilance. If we infiltrate now, we risk alerting the snake in the grass." "What do you mean?" Jing Zhengyang's face fell, and he pressed, "With Yaoguang causing such an uproar in the Southern Domain and tensions between our two sects escalating, no matter how many excuses our Sect Master has, he must return from beyond the domain. Otherwise, if a Void Shattering-level clash occurs and the Sect Master is not present to take charge of the sect, it would be a dereliction of his duty—he might even be impeached by the Supreme Elder Council." "A person's energy is limited. He may stay hyper-vigilant, patrolling the borders and keeping subordinate factions on high alert for half a year or a year, or even three to five years, but he cannot keep it up for eight or ten. In three to five years at most, his vigilance is bound to slacken. And when his guard drops, our Shadow Moon Sect will launch a massive offensive to eliminate this thorn in your Sect Master's side once and for all," the Eight Desolations Demon Lord's divine sense resonated. "Three to five years?" Jing Zhengyang's brow furrowed tightly. "That is far too long. The Sect Master cannot stay beyond the domain for that amount of time." "That is your problem. I imagine that as long as we do not act rashly, your Sect Master will always find an excuse," the Eight Desolations Demon Lord said indifferently. "Yaoguang achieved Void Refining through the Void Dao and commands a Dao art like Void Flicker. Even if I strike in person when the time comes, there is no guarantee he won't escape with his life. Thus, I must make thorough preparations and convince more people to join in order to ensure nothing goes awry." With that, the Shadow Moon Sect supreme elder reiterated, "If we fail to kill Yaoguang this time, then armed with such vast resources, he will swiftly advance to the Void Shattering realm as long as he hides within Nandu. If he is fast, that process might take only a few centuries—or even a single century. Once he attains Void Shattering and possesses sufficient power to bring that mysterious Artifact Saint behind him out into the open, do you really think your Sect Master Zong Wenxian will be able to sit securely in his seat?" As a supreme elder of the Shadow Moon Sect, this Void Shattering demon cultivator understood perfectly what Jing Zhengyang and the people behind him truly feared. These words struck directly at the heart of the matter. Jing Zhengyang parted his lips, wanting to speak, but for a long moment no words came out. Only after several breaths did the Jing family Void Refining cultivator manage to say, "I will report this matter upward. However, during this period, you had best refrain from acting rashly. Only if nothing happens can the Sect Master find a suitable pretext to remain away." "There is no need for you to tell me that," the Eight Desolations Demon Lord replied coolly before terminating the transmission. "Let it be so." Feeling the divine sense dissipate, Jing Zhengyang remained silent. At this moment, his desire to extricate himself from the vortex of the Southern Domain burned even stronger. Yet the moment he recalled his ancestor's stance, all he could do in the end was let out a sigh. He could only hope that everything would go smoothly.