Suppression

"Supreme Elder Eight Desolations?!" "How could this be... The Eight Desolations Demon Lord was suppressed?!" "Damn it! I knew there was something fishy about the Demon Lord collaborating with the Heavenly Dao Sect! Why would they willingly send a deputy sect master with hopes of reaching Void Shattering right before us to be killed?! This is clearly a trap! A trap to lure and slaughter our Shadow Moon Sect's experts, leaving us crippled and powerless to reclaim the thirteen border provinces!" With the Eight Desolations Demon Lord suppressed by Yaoguang using the power of his grotto-heaven, the four Void Refining demon cultivators of the Shadow Moon Sect were gripped by panic. On the other hand, the Void Refining and Void Piercing cultivators of the Southern Domain were ecstatic, their morale surging. "Hahaha! Suppressing a Void Shattering demon cultivator! Worthy of Sect Master Yaoguang! This is slaying a Void Shattering expert while in the Void Refining realm! Looking across the entire history of Beihai Star, how many have ever achieved such a feat?!" "Good! Good! Magnificent! After this battle, let's see who dares act insolently in our Southern Domain again!" "Sect Master Yaoguang is invincible in the Void Refining realm!" In high spirits, the Southern Domain's Void Refining and Void Piercing cultivators grew increasingly coordinated and fierce in their siege against the Shadow Moon Sect's four Void Refining cultivators. However, compared to the others, the Shadow Moon Sect's other Void Shattering expert, the Dark Demon Lord, remained far more composed. Although he was startled by Yaoguang suppressing the Eight Desolations Demon Lord, that shock lasted only a fleeting moment before he regained his cool. The Eight Desolations Demon Lord had merely been suppressed after his demonic body was shredded by Yaoguang; he was not truly dead. As long as he could shatter Yaoguang's grotto-heaven, not only would the Eight Desolations Demon Lord break free, but even the Void Refining demon cultivator suppressed earlier could be saved, suffering at most a minor loss of resentment qi. As for his confidence in shattering Yaoguang's grotto-heaven... "How many more times can the state of your grotto-heaven support you unleashing Dao arts at such a high frequency?" The Dark Demon Lord looked at Yaoguang, feeling more relaxed than when he had first fallen into the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation. Yaoguang offered no reply. Holding the Heaven-Sealing Stele high, waves of void-suppressing force rippled outward. At the same time, the brilliance of the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation swirled once more. Azure chains stretched forth from the firmament, locking onto the Dark Demon Lord. Above Yaoguang's head, the Swimming Dragon Sword drifted continuously, yet it did not bring forth the sharpness of the Void Sword. Instead, he directly pinched his fingers into a sword gesture as the destructive fluctuations of the Great Annihilation Sword Qi spread from his fingertips. A demon cultivator's true body stemmed from Heavenly Demon origin—a formless, intangible gaseous state. This was completely different from the Yao race's Heavenly Yao True Form, a human's grotto-heaven, or the God race's Divine Kingdom. Against them, the killing effect of the Void Sword was not as potent as the Great Annihilation Sword Qi. While preparing the Great Annihilation Sword Qi, the Light of the True Spirit radiated from Yaoguang, clearly locking onto the Dark Demon Lord's form. Just as the Dark Demon Lord melted deep into darkness, seemingly fading into absolute mystery and the unknown, the Light of the True Spirit pierced straight through the shadow, pinning down the demon lord. Immediately afterward, the void-suppressing might of the Heaven-Sealing Stele crashed down like a deluge, causing the Dark Demon Lord's figure to stiffen. In the next moment, four bursts of Great Annihilation Sword Qi blasted forth in rapid succession, striking the demon lord's demonic form. "You... you have mastered an Awareness-type Dao art as well?! And the nature of this Dao art is so immensely powerful?!" The Dark Demon Lord instantly realized the danger. He violently swung a cloak-like Dao artifact, and the Dao art Dark Canopy formed a pitch-black barrier that severed everything, rolling toward the Great Annihilation Sword Qi. Yet the Grand Dao of Destruction inherent in the Annihilation Sword Qi destroyed all things. Although Yaoguang lacked a corresponding Dao artifact to elevate this Dao art's might to the level of the Void Sword, with his Great Accomplishment attainment, the Great Annihilation Sword Qi still forcefully tore apart the Dark Canopy amplified by the cloak. The final burst of sword qi struck his demonic body. Even though he dodged with all his might, the suppression of the Heaven-Sealing Stele caused his movement to lag by half a beat. Nearly ten percent of his demonic body was obliterated by the Great Annihilation Sword Qi, reduced to nothingness. Taking such a hit, the Dark Demon Lord's expression turned exceedingly grim. Yet with Yaoguang presiding over the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation, and without a weapon like the Eight Desolations Demon Lord's Void Unbounded Divine Lightning capable of breaching a rank-thirteen formation in a single blow, he could only grit his teeth. "Let's see how long you can hold out!" the Dark Demon Lord snarled, holding his ground. Clutched tightly in his hand was a jade talisman obtained from a Dao Lord, waiting for the moment Yaoguang's grotto-heaven degraded to its limit to unleash a fatal strike and finish him off. *No matter what, Void Refining is still just Void Refining! How could his methods and foundations ever compare to those of us standing at the pinnacle of the cultivation world, second only to Dao Lords? In the end, victory will be mine!* "Hold out?" At this moment, Yaoguang understood the reason behind the Dark Demon Lord's persistent confidence. He looked at this Void Shattering demon cultivator. "Releasing Great Accomplishment Dao arts is indeed a massive burden for a Void Refining cultivator. But if you think you can exhaust me until I have nothing left, you are gravely mistaken." In the next instant, the power of the Great Dao of Origin channeled by the Supreme Human Sovereign incessantly washed over Yaoguang's grotto-heaven. Under this cleansing, his grotto-heaven—which had been trembling unstably from unleashing Dao arts again and again—and his dimmed Void Dao seed seemed to brim with renewed vitality. In less than a single breath, both were restored completely. He rebounded directly from near exhaustion back to his peak condition. This sudden transformation utterly stunned the Void Shattering cultivator, who had still clung to hope for a turnaround. Only now did he suddenly recall the rumor circulating outside—one they had previously dismissed as impossible. The rumor... that Yaoguang was a pawn groomed personally by Dao Lord Penglai. After Yaoguang attained Void Piercing, the Dao Lord had guided his cultivation in the Grand Dao of the Void step by step, allowing him to reach Void Refining in a remarkably short time, and had even gifted him numerous Dao artifacts afterward so he could grow rapidly and contest the position of Heavenly Dao Sect Master against Zong Wenxian. If that Dao Lord had guided him personally in cultivating the Grand Dao of the Void, then Yaoguang learning Dao Lord Penglai's signature Dao art—the Supreme Human Sovereign that pointed straight to the Great Dao of Origin—was only natural. Yet if Yaoguang could restore his condition through the Supreme Human Sovereign, then what about him? What was he supposed to do?! He had sacrificed his teammate, the Eight Desolations Demon Lord, to finally wear Yaoguang down to his limit, all while waiting to deploy his ultimate trump card. Yet in the blink of an eye... Yaoguang instantly restored his health and power to full through the Great Dao of Origin?! How could he even fight this?! "Supreme Human Sovereign!" The Dark Demon Lord let out an unwilling roar. The Dao seed within him thrummed violently as he drew upon the power of the Grand Dao of Darkness to the utmost, transforming it into an abyss capable of dragging a cultivator's mind and soul into endless depravity, attempting to pull Yaoguang down. Yet beneath the illumination of the Light of the True Spirit, the surrounding darkness was banished. Maintaining this state, Yaoguang drove the Great Annihilation Sword Qi down once more through the Torrent of Time. This time, another four bursts of Great Annihilation Sword Qi blasted forth. Four Great Accomplishment Dao arts—each possessing the might to severely wound his demonic body. The destructive power within them... No matter how much the Dark Demon Lord refused to believe it, he had to accept that Yaoguang had truly mastered the Supreme Human Sovereign Dao art and had used it to completely restore himself. "Get lost!" He whipped his cloak violently, wrapping the Dao art Dark Canopy around all four sword qis to sweep them aside. Taking advantage of the moment the Great Annihilation Sword Qi was deflected, he surged forward through the gloom directly before Yaoguang and hurled the jade talisman, blasting it toward Yaoguang's grotto-heaven. Empowered by the Light of the True Spirit, Yaoguang's perception of danger was extraordinarily keen. Even though the Dark Demon Lord had endured the four sword qis at the cost of damaging his Dao artifact while concealing his form, the Light of the True Spirit still sounded an alarm as he drew near. And against a Void Shattering cultivator... One could never be too cautious. Yaoguang immediately executed Void Flicker, materializing several thousand li away in an instant. "No!" A wave of intense indignation erupted from the Dark Demon Lord's divine sense. Right at that moment, the jade talisman he had cast released a power that seemed capable of disintegrating all spatial structures. The void where Yaoguang had stood collapsed frantically. The Grand Dao of the Void seemed to be forcibly shattered at its most fundamental level; grotto-heavens, Dao arts, and even the very foundation upon which the Grand Dao rested ceased to exist. Void Shattering! This was the true power of shattering the void! Standing several thousand li away, Yaoguang felt a chill run through him. *As expected, reaching the Void Shattering realm places one at the zenith of Beihai, second only to Dao Lords. Having stood at this peak for countless years, every Void Shattering expert possesses foundations far surpassing those of Void Piercing and Void Refining, wielding hidden trump cards...* Yaoguang no longer dared to approach the Dark Demon Lord, seemingly melding entirely into the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation. Guided by the Light of the True Spirit, four chains descended from the formation once again. Yet among these four chains, only two were azure. The other two were shrouded in purple light, brimming with pure destructive aura. These were the Great Annihilation Sword Qi strikes that Yaoguang unleashed through the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation. "Yaoguang!" The Dark Demon Lord roared, executing Dao arts to counter the incoming sword qi. However, to secure an opening for that fatal blow earlier, his most attuned Dao artifact had suffered severe damage, drastically diminishing its power. Combined with the guidance of the Light of the True Spirit, he was unable to fully evade both strikes. *Boom!* Demonic flames violently shuddered. Though the Dark Demon Lord shattered one burst of sword qi, he was too late to dodge the other. The power of destruction erupted across his body, once again disintegrating nearly ten percent of his demonic form. Yet while withstanding this blow, he closed the distance to Yaoguang once more, preparing to unleash another Dao art. *Whoosh!* Void Flicker! Yaoguang's figure appeared thousands of li away once more. Having learned his lesson from almost having his grotto-heaven destroyed, Yaoguang refused to engage him head-on. From thousands of li away, he utilized the formation's power to channel the Great Annihilation Sword Qi and bombard the demon lord again. Darkness and destruction clashed furiously once more, but... it ended yet again with darkness being pierced through by destruction! The Dark Demon Lord's body shuddered, and his demonic flames waned further. His strength had been reduced by nearly half. "Yaoguang! As the Sect Master of the Heavenly Dao Sect, do you only know how to hide and scurry around? If you have the guts, face me head-on!" The Dark Demon Lord's composure was beginning to unravel. "Is that so?" Yaoguang showed no mercy. "As a Void Shattering cultivator who has lived for eight thousand years, you dare utter such words to a Void Refining cultivator who has cultivated for less than a century? Where is your shame?" With another flicker, he widened the distance again, simultaneously slicing out another Great Annihilation Sword Qi through the formation. "Ah, I forgot. An old fossil like you could join forces with another Void Shattering expert and five Void Refining cultivators to gang up on a newcomer who has barely cultivated for a hundred years. With such shamelessness, what face could you possibly have left?" "You..." Rage blazed through the Dark Demon Lord's divine sense. Yet he could only watch helplessly as the sword qi tore across his body once more, destroying another section of his demonic form and causing his Heavenly Demon origin to dwindle further. "That should be enough!" After several more rounds of clashes, Yaoguang suddenly cast the Heaven-Sealing Stele into the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation, unleashing an unprecedented sealing force that bore down from above. Even when the Dark Demon Lord attempted to trigger the power of darkness to break the lock, he found himself utterly unable to do so. "I..." The Dark Demon Lord's heart plummeted into a bottomless abyss. "A demon cultivator's Heavenly Demon origin is a precious treasure to any cultivator; it cannot go to waste! Once I refine the Eight Desolations Demon Lord, you will be next."