Secret Realm

Deep in the extraterrestrial void. A star spanning one million li across burned slowly, casting its radiant light across the sea of stars. Suddenly, not far from this stellar body, space warped violently. Before anyone could make out where the distortion originated, a vortex seemed to churn across the calm surface at the star's innermost depths. Flameless fire and radiance spun inward, collapsing into the core, until the next moment... They blossomed into a resplendent ring of brilliance, blazing with the utmost light the dying star could unleash in its lifetime. And at the center of that dazzling halo lay a primal cavern! Or rather, a grotto-heaven vastly more stable than any primal cavern. With every breath the grotto-heaven took, even the radiance unleashed by the dying star's desperate exhaustion of power was swiftly torn to shreds and swallowed whole. Before long, the brilliant starry sky dimmed into darkness. Immediately after, three figures materialized in the expanse of void where remnants of dissipating energy still lingered. Had any true disciple of the Heavenly Dao Sect been present, they would have recognized these three at once: Sect Master Zong Wenxian and the two Supreme Elders, Buzhou and Dongxi. "This is not their spatial node," Zong Wenxian said. "But we are getting close." A sharp light flickered in True Monarch Buzhou's eyes. "If the Light God race hopes to monopolize such a treasure ground, they have not yet asked whether our Heavenly Dao Sect agrees." "Currently, the Light God race has eight God Emperors scattered across this expanse of stars. Although only six intercept us, they have operated here for a long time, and we are still at a numerical disadvantage. Naturally, finding the true spatial coordinates they have hidden—and thereby locating that secret realm—remains difficult." True Monarch Dongxi said thoughtfully, "I believe we need more reinforcements." After a pause, he added, "If necessary, we should inform the other immortal sects." "The Ancestral God of the Light God race, much like Dao Lord Juntian of our Heavenly Dao Sect, plunged deep into the starry cosmos and has yet to return. With no threat from a Dao Lord, our sect can swallow the Light God race whole." True Monarch Buzhou was brimming with confidence. "Once we pinpoint that secret realm and confirm it truly yields such staggering wealth, I will personally venture into the core of the world to ask my senior brother to take the field. Sweeping across all four corners, he will crush every one of the Light God race's God Emperors." "Judging from the cargo ships we intercepted three times in a row, the secret realm's existence is all but certain. Otherwise, the God race could never have reaped such a tremendous harvest." As Zong Wenxian spoke, a burning eagerness showed in his eyes. "The resting ground of a Dao Lord..." Not only him—True Monarch Buzhou and True Monarch Dongxi felt the same. The extraterrestrial void and its battlefields had always been the staging grounds for supremacy and war among the human race and alien species, including the Ten Immortal Sects, the Nine Demon Immortal Lineages, the Six Demonic Paths, and the Ten Direction Ancestral Gods. Factions unable to secure core interests on Beihai Star dispatched disciples and Battle Immortals into surrounding worlds and astral bodies to pillage resources to sustain themselves. Stronger factions simply plundered ready-made spoils along the outer perimeter of Beihai Star. Though perilous, with returns often disproportionate to the cost, all internal benefits within Beihai Star had long been carved up. To obtain greater wealth, they had no choice but to take such risks. Not long ago, Zong Wenxian received intelligence that a fleet belonging to the God race, laden with spoils, intended to return to Beihai Star. He personally led a team to intercept them. And that single ambush... The resources seized from the fleet were substantial enough to count as a tidy fortune even for the Sect Master of the Heavenly Dao Sect. Subsequent clues strongly suggested that this branch of the Light God race had discovered a secret realm formed from the passing of a Dao Lord in the distant cosmos. Because the distance was immense, they were traversing the cosmos through spatial nodes, transporting materials soaked in Dao resonance from the perimeter of the Dao Lord's resting place back to Beihai Star. Their interception by the Heavenly Dao Sect was purely a stroke of chance. To prevent the news from leaking, the God race went so far as to mobilize six God Emperors to hunt down Zong Wenxian. Realizing the staggering worth of such a secret realm, Zong Wenxian swiftly transmitted word back to the sect. True Monarch Buzhou soon arrived with three other Supreme Elders—Yuanxing, Dongxi, and Liaochen—to reinforce him. Over these years, the God Emperors of the Light God race had constantly tried to hem in the Heavenly Dao Sect, while the sect's elders evaded their encirclement and sought the spatial node the Light God race used to reach the cosmos surrounding the Dao Lord's secret realm. The two sides had traded blows across this starry expanse for decades. "A Dao Lord passing away in meditation is unlike dying in battle. The Great Dao power within their body dissipates, causing the entire secret realm to be transformed by Dao resonance and turn into precious materials. With slight refinement, they can be forged into Dao artifacts. Furthermore, the resting place of a Dao Lord is bound to contain all manner of treasures, pills, Dao arts, cultivation methods, and Dao artifacts... There may even be high-grade Dao artifacts, or, if we are fortunate, pinnacle Dao artifacts!" True Monarch Buzhou's eyes gleamed with covetous ambition. "No matter what, we must uncover the spatial node of the Light God race and ascertain the precise location of that Dao Lord's secret realm!" True Monarch Dongxi nodded. Though he remained neutral within the Heavenly Dao Sect's Supreme Elder Council, when it came to competing for such monumental benefits, his stance naturally aligned with Zong Wenxian's. "Let us continue the search," the True Monarch said. Just then, Zong Wenxian's brow furrowed, as though he had received an urgent transmission. "What is it?" True Monarch Buzhou asked. "I fear we must return," Zong Wenxian said heavily. "Return?" True Monarch Buzhou asked in surprise. "Return at a time like this? Once we leave this starry expanse, the God Emperors of the Light God race will conceal themselves far deeper, perhaps even moving or destroying the spatial node. If that happens, the difficulty of locating the cosmos harboring the Dao Lord's secret realm will multiply exponentially." "I have no desire to return either, but if we do not... an outsider will seize the sect from under us." Zong Wenxian drew the message from the jade talisman in his hand and sent it to the two Supreme Elders via divine sense. A moment later, both of their expressions changed. "Void Shattering?" "That Yaoguang... how could he advance so fast?!" "Reaching Void Shattering is not the issue. What matters is that the moment he succeeded, he set out to hold a grand advancement ceremony—and not in Nandu, but deliberately back at the sect. Both Supreme Elders should know what that implies far better than I. Therefore..." Zong Wenxian let out a sigh. "I must go back." "However... only by remaining here, incessantly scouring for spatial nodes and keeping watch over the area, can we deter the Light God race from destroying the node. They dare not do so for fear that we will detect the shockwave of its collapse and deduce the coordinates of the secret realm from the shattered remnants. If we return now, will all our past efforts not be wasted?" True Monarch Dongxi also frowned. "There is no other choice. Yaoguang was clearly nurtured by Dao Lord Penglai. Were it not for that Dao Lord's unstinting support, how could he possibly have cultivated to Void Shattering in such a brief span? Now that he is hosting his ceremony at the sect, once he has gathered illustrious prestige, he will almost certainly use the Southern Domain's development over the years to plead his case before Venerable Golden Book and petition to succeed as sect master. Thus, I must return!" Zong Wenxian said helplessly. "Damn it!" Upon hearing this, True Monarch Buzhou flew into a rage. "A worthless wretch, incapable of building anything yet great at ruining everything! Here we Supreme Elders are, fighting to the death against the Light God race in the extraterrestrial void, while he sits in the sect fomenting internal strife and discord day in and day out! And now he dares to covet the seat of sect master?! Our Heavenly Dao Sect's immense nurturing of him was utterly wasted—he is truly an ungrateful wolf!" True Monarch Dongxi glanced at True Monarch Buzhou. He knew this was the True Monarch's typical stance on matters concerning Zong Wenxian. Fomenting internal strife and discord? Was that not Zong Wenxian's greatest specialty? As for the sect's 'nurturing' of Yaoguang? Ha! How did the Heavenly Dao Sect have the nerve to claim credit for that? Still, as this was a critical juncture in pinpointing the secret realm's cosmic coordinates, Dongxi kept his thoughts to himself. "I shall return," Zong Wenxian said, adding, "I will go alone. As it happens, we require more hands. I will explain the matter to Supreme Elder Zhen Xuanyuan and bring two more Supreme Elders back with me. He should be able to distinguish what is urgent from what can wait." "There is no need for you to go," True Monarch Buzhou said with a wave of his hand. "If you leave, the Light God race will inevitably sense it. I will go!" A chilling glint showed in his eyes. "The reality of the Dao Lord's secret realm is practically assured. To suppress the Light God race, we will need my senior brother's intervention sooner or later anyway. My return will serve two purposes: first, to teach those short-sighted fools in the sect who disregard the greater picture a lesson; second, to venture into the core of the world and invite my senior brother. With his might, if he captures a God Emperor alive, we will easily force out the exact location of the secret realm." "Buzhou, if you go..." Zong Wenxian's eyes flickered slightly. True Monarch Buzhou waved his hand dismissively. "Leave it to me. While we bleed and fight on the front lines, Yaoguang stirs up trouble behind our backs. This time, I will make him understand that the Heavenly Dao Sect belongs to us! It is no place for someone relying on a wo—relying on an outsider to reach Void Shattering to throw his weight around!" Seeing this, Zong Wenxian did not insist. He merely said, "I have always had faith in your handling of matters, Buzhou. I will pen a letter to Supreme Elder Zhen Xuanyuan setting forth the opportunity before us. He should recognize the priorities." True Monarch Buzhou nodded. The two conferred briefly and quickly settled their plan. To the side, True Monarch Dongxi listened in silence, saying nothing and preserving his neutral stance. *** Yaoguang was unaware of what was transpiring deep in the void. At that moment, the massive fleet he commanded moved openly and ostentatiously, passing directly from the Southern Domain into the Central Domain under the sect's direct jurisdiction. Yet, unlike the desolate reception he had received upon departing for his post in the Southern Domain years ago, numerous Void Piercing clans along the way, and even factions backed by Void Refining peak masters, came out to greet the fleet midway, preparing all manner of pills, spiritual wine, and delicacies to entertain them. Yaoguang refused none of it. His return to the Heavenly Dao Sect was intended from the start to contest Zong Wenxian for the sect master's seat. Naturally, he could not act low-key; the proper grandeur had to be displayed. The Void Piercing and Void Refining clans greeting and entertaining him were, in essence, placing their bets on his rivalry with Zong Wenxian. A Void Shattering expert within a century of cultivation, who in just a few decades had grown the Southern Domain's annual revenue to three hundred million—what remarkable capability was that? Moreover, barring any unforeseen mishaps, as more artifact refiners entered the Southern Domain over time, its warship and artifact-refining industries would continue to expand. The warship industry in particular had the potential to capture ninety percent of Beihai Star's market. What monumental wealth would that yield for the Southern Domain and the Heavenly Dao Sect? Anyone could see that Yaoguang's ascent was blazing like the midday sun. His rise to replace Zong Wenxian had already become an unstoppable tide. Showing goodwill in advance was unquestionably the right choice. Amid this lively and bustling atmosphere along the entire journey, the fleet of over thirty warships finally arrived at the Heavenly Dao Sect. Having departed decades prior, Yaoguang once again stepped onto the ground chosen for the Nine Cauldrons Sect to establish itself.