Breakthrough

Hundred Refinements Peak. Yaoguang infused a clump of golden energy radiating blazing-sun brilliance into the Limitless Sword, which had already taken rudimentary form. Having absorbed this golden energy, the Limitless Sword, which had birthed an artifact spirit, conveyed a wave of joyful emotion. "Little fellow, grow quickly. I'm waiting for the day you transform into a top-tier Dao artifact," Yaoguang murmured softly. After feeding the Limitless Sword, he once again took a batch of recently spirit-nurtured materials to feed the Swimming Dragon Sword. The reason only the Swimming Dragon Sword received this treatment was that under his nurturing over the years, this Dao artifact-grade sword had already shown signs of advancing. He intended to press forward in one breath and raise this Dao artifact to the high-grade Dao artifact level first. Once the Swimming Dragon Sword transformed, he could then help the Two Realms Ruler and the Heaven-Sealing Stele advance toward high-grade Dao artifacts. "Ultimately, my own artifact crafting mastery is still somewhat lacking. If I could elevate my artifact crafting to Level 16, the efficiency of forging Dao artifacts would surge dramatically. Elevating my Dao artifacts to high grade one by one wouldn't require going step by step like this; I could easily feed all three Dao artifacts together." Yaoguang mused, but in the end shook his head. Although the resources required to raise artifact crafting from Level 15 to Level 16 were not as exaggerated as advancing [Immortal Dao: Void Shattering] to the Dao Lord level, reaching that step would still require slaying at least five or six Void Refining experts. And unless he stormed into the Yinyue Sect's headquarters, where in the world would he find so many Void Refining cultivators to kill? Even if he went to the Deep Blue Sea again, he might not be able to catch enough demon emperors to raise his level. Moreover, whether storming the Yinyue Sect or slaughtering Void Refining demon emperors on a grand scale in the Deep Blue Sea, killing them in large numbers would inevitably draw out demon sovereigns. Although he was now well-versed in Supreme Human Sovereign and Torrent of Time, and felt confident facing a single Void Shattering demon sovereign, the trouble was that if they couldn't win, they could call for reinforcements. If one demon sovereign wasn't enough, there would be two; if two weren't enough, there would be three, four, five, six—besieged by multiple demon sovereigns, who could withstand that? Not to mention that in the waters of the Deep Blue Sea, there was also that invincible existence—Demon Saint Yulin. Therefore, when facing Void Refining-level monsters and demons, he could only wait for opportunities on his own turf and react defensively. "Speaking of which, it's already been four years since I refined and killed True Monarch Crimson Fiend, hasn't it? The Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation has also been repaired for over a year now. That Eight Desolations Demon Lord can truly endure. I've been waiting for this Void Shattering demon cultivator to lead his forces here so I can raise my cultivation realm to Dao Lord." Yaoguang pondered inwardly. Raising his realm to Dao Lord... ...would inevitably bear a new Dao Fruit. With the myriad wonders of Dao Fruit power, as long as it pertained to combat, his battle prowess would likely skyrocket immediately. To say nothing of further ahead, becoming invincible among Void Shattering cultivators was certainly within reach. After all, the leap from Void Shattering to Dao Lord was too crucial. The gap between Void Shattering and Dao Lord was even greater than that between a Deep Blue Golden Core and Void Piercing. If a Deep Blue Golden Core's combat strength jumped from an extreme of over two million to over ten million in one breath, Void Shattering would be equivalent to surging from an extreme of one hundred million to over one billion. Throughout history, there were records of Deep Blue Golden Core cultivators surviving pursuit by Void Piercing experts. But Dao Lords... Whenever one chose to act against a cultivator below Dao Lord, not a single person had ever survived. Let alone any feats of briefly contending against a Dao Lord, fighting on equal footing, or even slaying a Dao Lord from below. Thus, the Dao Fruit from Void Shattering to Dao Lord would undoubtedly be extraordinary. He was filled with anticipation, yet the Yinyue Sect's retaliation never arrived, leaving Yaoguang waiting with eager longing. "With my current capabilities, even if I go to the Penglai Immortal Sect and that woman Leng Qingqiu causes trouble unreasonably, I can suppress her with ease. If the Yinyue Sect still doesn't launch their retaliation against me, I'll have to find time to visit the Penglai Immortal Sect and request an audience with Dao Lord Penglai. I ask for nothing else; as long as she can keep a close eye on Demon Saint Yulin for me, I'll dare to go on a killing spree against the demon kings and demon emperors in the outer sea, drastically relieving the pressure they face." As Yaoguang spoke, he reached out and took out a box. The box was a sealing-type artifact containing a vast space inside, and sealed within that space was remarkably a top-grade stellar core. The energy contained in this stellar core was comparable to a high-density neutron star. If released, even Nandu would be affected, and the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation would likely be triggered automatically and begin operating. However... Yaoguang took it out directly, and before the power contained within the stellar core could even unleash itself, he tossed it into his cave heaven in one go. Buzz! Buzz! Even with the Heart of the Void refined into it, his cave heaven still trembled slightly. The energy contained within the stellar core was swiftly refined and channeled into the cave heaven itself, causing it to expand slightly once more. "A top-grade stellar core is already one of the finest cultivation resources for the Void Refining realm. If I want to buy anything better... the price would be exorbitant even for me... That is a privilege reserved for direct disciples of Dao Lords—and direct disciples they dote on deeply, like Shi Lin..." Yaoguang had already calculated that refining top-tier stellar cores to elevate his cultivation to Void Shattering would likely take sixty to eighty years. However... If it were refining the Heavenly Demon origin of demon cultivators... Seven or eight more Void Refining demon cultivators would suffice. Buzz! Buzz! At this moment, he seemed to sense something. With a shift of his body, he appeared directly outside Hundred Refinements Peak. Not far from Hundred Refinements Peak, at the garrison of the Tianshang Battle Hall, void power swirled rapidly, and at its core, a terrifying force of destruction seemed to be gathering steadily. "This is..." Yaoguang was pleasantly surprised. "Is Qi Sha about to break through to the Void Refining realm?" The anomaly at the Tianshang Battle Hall attracted not only Yaoguang, but also numerous cultivators throughout the Domain Master's Manor and Nandu. When they sensed that someone at the Tianshang Battle Hall encampment was ascending to Void Refining, the various factions in Nandu naturally felt even more bitter. Qi Sha! As a peak Void Piercing cultivator wielding the Annihilation Sword, he was already an invincible figure among Void Piercing cultivators. Under his strict law enforcement, countless people feared him like a tiger. Now, taking another step forward from peak Void Piercing to step into Void Refining... From now on, in the entirety of Nandu, who could keep him in check? "Congratulations, Sect Master Yaoguang! Hall Master Qi Sha's breakthrough to the Void Refining realm is like giving wings to a tiger. The Southern Domain will become even more impregnable." Wu Changfeng, who had also appeared, congratulated Yaoguang immediately. Yaoguang nodded slightly. With a wave of his hand, a formation specifically encompassing the Domain Master's Manor was activated, isolating it from the outside world. Although with him present, no one would dare disrupt Qi Sha's ascension in front of his eyes, to be safe, he still activated the formation in advance. "Hall Master Qi Sha actually broke through? Truly wonderful! Now our Southern Domain's influence is bound to rise to the next level." Li Hanqiu's figure also appeared right after. Yaoguang glanced at him and asked with a smile, "How is your progress with the Nine Refinements of the Star Ring?" "The progress is very smooth," Li Hanqiu responded with a smile. "Practice diligently. If you can master all Nine Refinements of the Star Ring, it's not impossible to try turning your primal cavern into a cave heaven again and truly step into the Void Piercing realm," Yaoguang said. "I will do my utmost," Li Hanqiu nodded solemnly. That he could cultivate into a Golden Core Battle Immortal in the environment of the Cangwu Great World already proved his prodigious talent. If he had arrived at Beihai Star while maintaining an ordinary Golden Core cultivation and enjoyed such treatment over these decades, he would at least have formed a Deep Blue Golden Core. His chances of attempting the Void Piercing realm in the future would not have been inferior to Lingxi, or even Yan Huang, Jiang Tianzun, and the others. However, he had ultimately embarked on the path of a Void Piercing Battle Immortal. Wanting to cultivate back into an ordinary Void Piercing cultivator through the Nine Refinements of the Star Ring was several times more difficult than it was for the likes of Lingxi. Thus, he could only say he would do his utmost; whether he could truly achieve the Void Piercing realm would still depend on opportunity and fortune. "Sect Master." "Congratulations, Sect Master." At this time, Chi Yu and Ling Ruogu also appeared one after the other, cupping their hands in congratulations. Even Shu Wuya, the Deep Blue Golden Core cultivator from the Shu family who had recently been taken in, followed along. After nodding to them, Yaoguang turned his gaze back toward Qi Sha's seclusion ground. And the Hall Master of the Tianshang Battle Hall did not disappoint him. In just half a month, as the destructive power surged from him to its peak, his cave heaven seemed to turn into a source of destruction. With the slightest stir of his natal Dao art seed—the Great Annihilation Sword Qi—boundless destructive sword qi surged forth tempestuously. Relying on the advantages of his Great Dao and Dao art, along with his affinity with the Annihilation Sword, once this Void Refining cultivator broke through, his combat strength could likely already rival True Monarch Crimson Fiend. This was the deep accumulation and explosive release of a core Great Dao. Breakthrough was difficult, but the gains brought after breaking through were immediate. Shortly after completing his breakthrough, Qi Sha's figure descended, bearing a surge of destructive power. He bowed solemnly to Yaoguang. "Sect Master, entirely thanks to your meticulous guidance, Qi Sha has not failed your expectations and has finally attained Void Refining." "Good. I knew you would surely take this step; I simply didn't expect this day to arrive so soon," Yaoguang said with a smile. There was no real danger in breaking through between Void Piercing, Void Refining, and Void Shattering. Once the realm and accumulation were attained, one would break through naturally. It was just that Qi Sha's breakthrough was indeed somewhat faster than he had anticipated. "I happen to have some resources on hand suitable for consolidating your cultivation; I bestow them upon you to stabilize your realm." Yaoguang handed a spatial artifact to Qi Sha. "After you consolidate your cultivation, I'll be waiting for you to patrol the Southern Domain on my behalf." "Thank you, Sect Master! Qi Sha will surely assist you in purging all villainous scoundrels throughout the Southern Domain." Qi Sha received the spatial artifact and bowed solemnly. "Go on." Yaoguang waved his hand. After Qi Sha left, he also said to the crowd eager to congratulate Qi Sha, "Qi Sha still needs to consolidate his realm. Once he stabilizes his cultivation and holds a celebration banquet for his ascension to Void Refining, it won't be too late to congratulate him then. For now, disperse." "Yes." Everyone acknowledged and soon dispersed one after another. However, as Yaoguang headed toward Hundred Refinements Peak, he saw Shu Wuya following behind. "Sect Master." "Hmm? Something the matter?" "Yes..." Shu Wuya hesitated for a moment, then transmitted via divine sense: "The Ancestor asked me to pass along a piece of news... Sect Master Zong Wenxian's side... seems to have run into trouble and can't return for the time being." "Trouble?" Yaoguang gave a light laugh. "To provide an opportunity for the Yinyue Sect to act, is it?" "No, this time doesn't seem to be that." Shu Wuya said, "Sect Master Zong Wenxian ventured beyond the domain because he received intelligence that he could intercept a God race warship returning fully laden. In the end... he seems to have thoroughly infuriated the Light God race. It's said the Light God race dispatched six Void Shattering God Emperors and several God Sovereigns. Three of them cut off the Sect Master's retreat, while the other three are joining forces to hunt him down. Not long ago, the Sect Master's call for aid finally reached the sect, and the sect immediately dispatched four Supreme Elders to reinforce him." "Six God Emperors? And the sect sent four Supreme Elders?" Yaoguang frowned. With the God race deploying so many God Emperor-level experts, it was impossible for them to be staging an act to cooperate with Zong Wenxian. So... Zong Wenxian's plan to use intercepting the God race fleet as an excuse to avoid having the sect respond when the Yinyue Sect came after Yaoguang... had blown up in his face? "If this news is true... the Yinyue Sect will probably make a move very soon," Yaoguang pondered. Just as he felt both solemn and expectant, the transmission jade talisman on him used to contact Moye began to vibrate. Sweeping it with his divine sense, a flustered report from this Void Piercing cultivator quickly came through: "The Yinyue demon cultivators are attacking in full force!"