Achievements

"Dao Contention..." Yaoguang murmured those few words under his breath. Back when he served as deputy sect master of the Heavenly Dao Sect, he had already gained access to quite a few secret records. The most important piece of esoteric knowledge among them was the concept of the "Dao Contention." Unfortunately, during his time as a junior sect master, he had never taken a master. Moreover, his breakthrough to the Void Refining realm had occurred too rapidly—within a mere decade, he had completed a cultivation leap that many Void Piercing cultivators might not achieve in a thousand years. As a result, no one had found the time to share this critical piece of information with him. Dao Contention! The secret of achieving immortality on Beihai Star was the Immortal Realm Gate concealed deep within the planetary core. Deep inside Beihai Star, the Immortal Realm Gate drew upon the power of the planet's core and opened roughly once every ten thousand years. Of course, if all the Dao Lords joined forces and funneled their energy into the Immortal Realm Gate, they could force it to open ahead of schedule. However... That was virtually impossible. Channeling energy meant a Dao Lord would be left in a weakened state. And the moment the Immortal Realm Gate opened, it would release only three thousand spots. Three thousand Grand Daos, one for each. If one cultivated an obscure, niche Grand Dao, and were the sole Dao Lord of that path when the Immortal Realm Gate opened, one could step through the gate with supreme ease. Yet if a vast number of people cultivated that particular path... For that single spot, the Dao Lords of that lineage would inevitably fight tooth and nail until heads rolled and blood flowed like rivers. This was the most dreadful tribulation faced by every Dao Lord seeking to enter the Immortal Realm Gate and ascend to the Immortal Realm—the Dao Contention! And because the Grand Dao of the Void served as the foundation of all Daos, was hailed as one of the four supreme Grand Daos, and was also the first and most accessible Grand Dao encountered by all cultivators, the result was... This path claimed the largest number of cultivators and Dao Lords. Consequently, the Dao Contention for the Grand Dao of the Void was the most brutal. Practically every ascendant who entered the Immortal Realm Gate through the Grand Dao of the Void had to tread upon the bones of countless Dao Lords to reach the Immortal Realm. In many eras, the ascendant of the Grand Dao of the Void was virtually equivalent to the undisputed strongest expert under heaven. Their renown was immeasurable. While Yaoguang did not fear engaging in the Dao Contention against other Dao Lords of the Void, if there was an easier way to attain immortality, why not take it? Pondering this, Yaoguang examined his second Dao seed. His gaze then shifted toward an exceedingly rare time-attribute Dao art: the Torrent of Time. *Dao Lords of the Dao of Time are exceptionally rare. At least, within my current scope of knowledge, I have never heard of a single one... Of course, that's partly because the Dao Lords haven't returned yet... During the decades when the Dao Contention arrives, Dao Lords will arrive from the depths of the starry sky, crossing boundaries, and step forward from every local sect... They will practically pop out from every forgotten corner. Even so, no matter how fierce the situation becomes, as one of the supreme Grand Daos, Dao Lords of the Grand Dao of Time should still be a rare commodity.* With that thought, Yaoguang hesitated no longer. Although the Torrent of Time, like Void Flicker, was an auxiliary Dao art, and he... He was indeed somewhat lacking in offensive Dao arts capable of dealing a decisive, lethal blow to his targets. Yet there was no denying the extraordinary caliber of the Torrent of Time. Moreover, he had witnessed the immense might of dual-casting and even quadruple-casting during his clash with the Eight Desolations Demon Lord and the Dark Demon Lord. With wave after wave of Dao arts bombarding down in rapid succession, he, while merely in the Void Refining realm, had battered two Void Shattering demon cultivators to the point where they could barely retaliate. Advancing the Torrent of Time would therefore go a long way toward curing his fear of insufficient firepower. Without delay, Yaoguang engraved the Torrent of Time into this Dao seed and planted it within his grotto-heaven. A Dao seed and a grotto-heaven inherently complemented and reinforced one another. Earlier, the Dao seed of the Grand Dao of the Void had elevated the strength of his grotto-heaven; now, planting a Dao seed of the Grand Dao of Time raised its solidity and stability to an entirely new tier. More notably... With a thought from Yaoguang, an invisible ripple radiated from the Dao seed of the Torrent of Time. Bathed in this invisible wash, he could clearly sense time within the grotto-heaven warping, seemingly... doubling its flow relative to the outside world. *Activating the Dao seed's power can double the flow of time. If I stimulate the Dao seed and apply the Torrent of Time to my grotto-heaven, the lifespan of my grotto-heaven—which is my lifespan—can likewise double!* The lifespan of cultivators in the Void Piercing, Void Refining, and Void Shattering realms was universally ten thousand years. A twofold increase... That meant twenty thousand years. Were such a miraculous marvel to be leaked, it would drive any Void Refining or Void Shattering cultivator mad with envy. *Most of the Void Piercing cultivators I have encountered are between one and three thousand years old, with older ones reaching five or six thousand. But Void Refining cultivators, aside from a small minority, are generally over six thousand years old. Void Shattering cultivators are never under six thousand... And going from Void Shattering to Dao Lord is the most difficult breakthrough and metamorphosis in the cultivation journey. With only three to four thousand years remaining, how could that ever be enough? That is precisely why ninety-nine percent of Void Shattering cultivators fall before achieving Dao Integration... They run out of time.* Yaoguang mused, *If a Void Shattering cultivator had the same lifespan as a Dao Lord—one hundred and twenty-nine thousand six hundred years—their chances of advancing to Dao Lord would increase more than tenfold.* Pulling back his thoughts, Yaoguang turned his attention to the other two Void Refining demon cultivators swept into his grotto-heaven. With an additional Dao seed, the stability of his grotto-heaven had climbed once more. Coupled with the doubled flow of time granted by the Torrent of Time within the grotto-heaven... Yaoguang turned his gaze to the two Void Refining demon cultivators suppressed beneath the Heaven-Sealing Stele and swept all four remaining Void Refining demon cultivators into his grotto-heaven at once. *** Ten days later, Yaoguang concluded his cultivation. Seeing him emerge, Qi Sha, Wu Changfeng, Li Hanqiu, Wan Liugui, and the others stepped forward immediately to greet him. Exchanging glances, they cupped their fists in unison and proclaimed, "Congratulations, Sect Master, on vanquishing powerful foes! With your supreme divine abilities, you have slain two Void Shattering demon cultivators and five Void Refining demon cultivators! From this day forth, your name shall shake the world, known to all under heaven, and all realms shall sing praises of Sect Master Yaoguang's glorious renown!" Yaoguang smiled at them. "There is no need for such formalities. In repelling the enemy this time, all of you are meritorious contributors. I shall reward you according to your deeds." He extended his hand, and eight clumps of flowing radiance shimmered above his palm, each swirling with Dao charm. From this great battle, he had obtained a total of nine Dao artifacts. Six had belonged to the two Void Shattering cultivators, and three had come from the five Void Refining cultivators. "I will keep the Dao artifact armor for my own use. As for the rest, each of you may choose a Dao artifact suited to yourself." Yaoguang then added, "Of course, if you are in no hurry, I can also forge custom-tailored ones for you." Among the crowd, Wu Changfeng froze slightly. He seemed caught off guard. Guessing his thoughts, Yaoguang remarked, "Your previous warning and your actions in today's battle are more than enough to prove that you stand on our side—or rather, on the side of the Southern Domain. For that, I naturally will not treat you unfairly." Meeting Yaoguang's gaze, Wu Changfeng nodded firmly. "Thank you for your trust, Sect Master. Still... as a member of the Southern Domain, when demon cultivators invade our lands, it is my duty to fight for the Southern Domain..." Before he could finish, Li Hanqiu cut him off with a chuckle. "Since you know the Sect Master trusts you, just accept it. If you feel unworthy of it, then simply pour even more dedication into the development of the Southern Domain hereafter." Wan Liugui nodded in agreement. "Possessing a Dao artifact not only bolsters your own strength, but your comprehension of your natal Dao art will also advance by leaps and bounds. Once you grow stronger, won't you be able to better repay the Sect Master and the Southern Domain?" Wu Changfeng looked at the two of them, then back at Yaoguang, before finally nodding. He stepped forward and took the cloak-type Dao artifact that had belonged to the Dark Demon Lord. This Dao artifact was quite severely damaged, so Yaoguang said, "Wait a while, and I will repair it for you." "Thank you, Sect Master." Wu Changfeng bowed slightly. Next, Ling Ruogu stepped forward and took a treasure mirror Dao artifact that had originally belonged to the Eight Desolations Demon Lord. The Dao art he cultivated was called Void-Restricting Divine Light, a void-attribute Dao art. Although it had not yet reached the level where he could plant a Dao seed, it resonated exceptionally well with this sky-restricting treasure mirror. With the assistance of this Dao artifact, comprehending his Dao art would undoubtedly become far easier. Perhaps within a few decades, he might be able to plant a Dao seed and make an attempt at the Void Refining realm. Aside from those two, no one else stepped forward to choose a Dao artifact. On one hand, they were in no rush; on the other, the Dao artifacts of the Shadow Moon Sect demon cultivators were clearly not well-suited to the Void Piercing cultivators of the Heavenly Dao Sect. "No matter. Within a century at most, I will forge Dao artifacts suited to each of your Dao arts one by one. Once you have your own Dao artifacts... in the future, let alone Void Refining, even making an attempt at Void Shattering might not be out of reach." Yaoguang smiled and stowed the remaining Dao artifacts away. Only at that moment did Wu Changfeng, Ling Ruogu, Chi Yu, and the others finally register what he had just said. All three shuddered internally. Chi Yu, a Void Piercing cultivator who was not far from planting a Dao seed, could not help widening his eyes. "Sect Master, did you just say... that you will personally forge Dao artifacts suited to our Dao arts one by one? Could it be..." Wu Changfeng and Ling Ruogu also stared at Yaoguang, their faces filled with disbelief. Qi Sha, on the other hand... Having held it in for so long, he could no longer resist speaking up first. "Though even I still find it hard to believe to this day, it is the truth! The mysterious Artifact Saint you have all been speculating about is Sect Master Yaoguang himself!" He drew a deep breath. "Not only does Sect Master Yaoguang possess peerless, supreme talent in the path of cultivation, but his accomplishments in the art of artifact forging are also utterly earth-shattering!" With that, the newly ascended Void Refining cultivator turned toward Yaoguang, his eyes brimming with fervor. "To have been taken in by the Master is the greatest fortune of my, Qi Sha's, entire life!" This was the first time he had addressed Yaoguang as "Master" in front of everyone. "You haven't let me down either," Yaoguang said with a smile. "It has been less than ten years since you received the Annihilation Sword, yet you have already broken through to the Void Refining realm." At this moment, not a shred of doubt remained in the minds of Wu Changfeng, Ling Ruogu, and Chi Yu. *No wonder... No wonder Hall Master Qi Sha's Dao artifact harmonized so flawlessly with his natal Dao art... It was forged by Sect Master Yaoguang himself!* *Invincible might at the Void Refining realm! The ability of an Artifact Saint capable of forging Dao artifacts... Most crucially, Sect Master Yaoguang has cultivated for less than a century... Heavens above...* *The makings of a Dao Lord! The makings of a Dao Lord! This is unequivocally the timber of a Dao Lord! To think we are fortunate enough to serve a future Dao Lord?!* The three of them were overwhelmed with excitement, unable to contain their emotions. Even Li Hanqiu and Wan Liugui, who were quite familiar with Yaoguang, were overcome with profound emotion as they reflected on his accomplishments. It felt as though they were witnessing the birth of an unprecedented miracle with their own eyes. "All right, there is no need to flatter me. It is enough that we understand these matters internally. Before I reach the Void Shattering realm, do not let word slip out that I am an Artifact Saint," Yaoguang instructed. "Understood!" The crowd solemnly complied. They knew full well what kind of uproar would ensue once news broke that Yaoguang was an Artifact Saint. "Good. Next, I will refine and improve the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation a bit more. After that, I can go meet those supreme elders waiting outside Nandu," Yaoguang said with a light chuckle. Raising his progress in [Immortal Dao: Void Shattering] to 100% had only consumed the [Demon Hunting] experience gained from slaying the Void Shattering demon cultivators like Eight Desolations and Dark. The remaining Void Refining cultivators, along with the Dao artifacts "traded" from them, yielded a substantial amount of [Merchant] experience. That experience had allowed him to directly raise [Formation] to level fifteen. Furthermore, the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation was a grand array laid down by a Dao Lord through sheer brute force, possessing a solid foundation. Refining it further to reach level fourteen would be no difficult task, even if raising it all the way to a level-fifteen formation remained just out of reach.