Making a Move

"So there's been an unexpected turn?" Yaoguang was slightly surprised. Yet upon deeper reflection, it was only natural. This had to be one of Zong Wenxian's contingency plans taking effect. "Something we're unaware of must have happened." Supreme Elder Chiyun nodded. "Originally, only Jing Yuntian and Gu Li supported Zong Wenxian, while our side had me and Supreme Elder Zhen Xuanyuan—two against two. Add to that your own breakthrough to Void Shattering, and the chances of toppling Zong Wenxian while he was away were very high. Even at worst, we could have dealt a blow to his prestige and prepared for the next move. But now that Supreme Elder Zhen Xuanyuan has changed his mind... what you want to do next... will be exceedingly difficult." "Exceedingly difficult?" Yaoguang smiled faintly. "You don't know what I'm planning to do next." Supreme Elder Chiyun froze. Yaoguang pondered for a moment, then said, "Since the situation has changed, let's serve the appetizer ahead of schedule. It'll also serve to formally let my voice be heard in the Heavenly Dao Sect." He called toward the outside, "Qi Sha." "Sect Master!" Qi Sha's divine sense swiftly transmitted back. "Prepare for battle. Take the Tianshang Battle Hall and surround Tianjing Peak." He issued the command calmly. As soon as those words left his mouth, Supreme Elder Chiyun was completely stunned. Tianjing Peak?! The Tianjing Peak that was the Jing family's stronghold in the Heavenly Dao Sect? The Tianjing Peak where Supreme Elder Jing Yuntian resided? Yaoguang... was going to take his people and surround that peak?! In the next second, even though Supreme Elder Chiyun was a cultivator who had attained the Void Shattering realm, a violent shudder ran through him. He shot to his feet. "Yaoguang, what are you doing?! Surround Tianjing Peak? Are you trying to incite a civil war inside the Heavenly Dao Sect?" Yaoguang smiled with an unruffled expression. "My coming to the Heavenly Dao Sect to hold my Void Shattering advancement ceremony wasn't to vie for power. I came with a single purpose—to accomplish what I set out to do." "Calm down! This is the Heavenly Dao Sect, not Nandu! If things blow up, even Venerable Golden Book will intervene," Supreme Elder Chiyun said hurriedly. "Rest assured, I know what I'm doing," Yaoguang said. "Under normal circumstances, surrounding Tianjing Peak would naturally bring grave consequences. But what if I have evidence that the Jing family colluded with demonic cultivators from the Shadow Moon Sect against me, the deputy sect master of the Heavenly Dao Sect?" At this, Supreme Elder Chiyun's pupils contracted. He instantly recalled the incident where the two Void Shattering demonic cultivators of the Shadow Moon Sect, Bahuang and Darkness, led five Void Refining demonic cultivators in an assault on Nandu. If someone claimed there hadn't been an inside accomplice coordinating that attack, Chiyun would be the first not to believe it. Originally, he had suspected whether the accomplice was someone left behind by Sect Master Zong Wenxian. Now, it seemed... It was actually the Jing family? Yet upon deeper thought, that made total sense. "Do you truly have evidence?" Supreme Elder Chiyun asked, then immediately added, "No, wait. If you had evidence, you should have reported it directly back when you routed those two Void Shattering and five Void Refining demonic cultivators. Why would you..." "Every conspiracy ultimately requires someone to enforce the judgment! And for cultivators who embody boundless mighty power in themselves, if your strength cannot suppress the other party, any amount of evidence is utterly futile! If they stubbornly deny it to the death, even someone as formidable as Venerable Golden Book cannot truly step in to resolve it." Yaoguang calmly explained, "In the past, I lacked the strength. But now... it's about enough." Supreme Elder Chiyun understood what Yaoguang meant. According to Yaoguang's words, in the past he had merely been at the Void Refining realm. Even if he was invincible among Void Refining cultivators and possessed combat power rivaling a Void Shattering expert, he still had no certainty of defeating someone like Jing Yuntian, who had long established his renown among Void Shattering cultivators. But now, he had stepped into the Void Shattering realm... Supreme Elder Chiyun took a deep breath. "Your concern was justified. Regardless of what evidence you possess, if Jing Yuntian denies it to his dying breath, the issue can ultimately only be settled with force." Yaoguang nodded. He had already experienced this in the Cangwu Great World. Back then, the Wuji Astral Palace acted with utter impunity, willfully invading smaller sects and plundering the resources of small and medium sects. Even when those sects could produce evidence of their aggression, not a single power could put them on trial. Simply because they were strong enough. It was the same on Beihai Star. When Void Shattering figures standing at the pinnacle of the world adamantly denied something, the weak had no recourse whatsoever. Only someone like Yaoguang, combining hard evidence with the genuine might to resolve the problem, could thoroughly nail down a Void Shattering supreme elder. "It seems you've made up your mind to use the Jing family as a sacrifice for your banner. However, you must be extremely careful. Jing Yuntian's strength is not something the two demonic cultivators, Bahuang and Darkness, can compare to. Demonic cultivators excel at self-preservation, infiltration, and subversion, but not direct combat. But Jing Yuntian—his Myriad Manifestations World has directly crushed more than one demonic cultivator," Supreme Elder Chiyun cautioned gravely. "I know what I'm doing," Yaoguang replied. With that, Supreme Elder Chiyun said no more. "I will do my best to hold back Gu Li for you. As for the rest, it's up to you." The reason Yaoguang chose to act now was not merely that he possessed the strength to defeat Jing Yuntian, but rather... He was already confident enough that even if Jing Yuntian and Gu Li, along with True Monarch Buzhou and Zong Wenxian, all returned together, he would still be able to stand against all four of them. That was why he decided to put his plan into motion. Whether Supreme Elder Chiyun was willing to help him stall Gu Li did not truly matter. However, since this supreme elder had displayed good faith, Yaoguang did not turn it down. Once he became the sect master of the Heavenly Dao Sect in the future, he would also need enough people to carry out his orders. Standing together in the same camp against a rival faction was undoubtedly the best way to draw closer and build mutual trust. Supreme Elder Chiyun soon departed. After he left, Yaoguang directly summoned Li Hanqiu, Chi Yu, and Ling Ruogu. He even summoned Peak Masters Qin Shiyue and Chu Gushan, who had only just declared their willingness to align with him. A direct clash like this was the best way to tell whether someone's allegiance was genuine or feigned. "What happened?" Li Hanqiu asked with a solemn expression. "I just saw Hall Master Qi Sha rallying everyone in the Tianshang Battle Hall. It looks like they're preparing for battle?" "I have confirmed that the reason Nandu was attacked by Shadow Moon Sect demonic cultivators back then was that traitors within our Heavenly Dao Sect colluded with them and provided support. At the most critical moment, they even interfered with the operation of the Tiandu Dragon Slaying Formation, nearly preventing our city protection array from activating! And in that battle... without the Tiandu Dragon Slaying Formation, not only would we have perished, but everyone in Nandu would have died as well!" Yaoguang proclaimed with righteous severity, "Therefore, such traitors who colluded with demonic cultivators to plot against their own sect's deputy sect master must be brought to justice and made to pay for what they have done!" At these words, the several Void Piercing cultivators who had been summoned and the two newly joined peak masters all changed color. Anyone could guess that something was amiss when the Shadow Moon Sect mobilized such a massive force, dispatching two Void Shattering and five Void Refining demonic cultivators to attack Nandu. In particular, right when the attack occurred, the teleportation array on the Heavenly Dao Sect's end happened to break down—it could not have been more obvious. Discontent had simmered within the Heavenly Dao Sect over the matter as well; many felt that Sect Master Zong's faction had completely crossed the line in suppressing the deputy sect master. However, as the "victim," Yaoguang had kept entirely silent, showing no intention of stepping forward to demand justice. After grumbling for a bit, everyone else naturally held their tongues, and the matter seemed to have blown over. No one expected... that Yaoguang would suddenly launch an offensive at this very moment. "Such rotten apples must be severely punished without mercy! Otherwise, what unity will remain in the Heavenly Dao Sect from now on?" Qin Shiyue, having just pledged allegiance, was the first to speak up proactively. "If Sect Master Yaoguang has any instructions, please command us! Whatever I can do, I will give my all!" "Indeed! Colluding with demonic cultivators to frame the deputy sect master of our Heavenly Dao Sect? Such actions must never be tolerated!" Chu Gushan chimed in as well. For Yaoguang to dare address this matter now, he had to have a certain degree of confidence. Since Chu Gushan was already aboard Yaoguang's ship, he naturally had to see it through to the end. "Good. The rest of you will come with me. At the same time, spread this news so as not to cause misunderstandings among our colleagues in the Heavenly Dao Sect. True Monarch Li, you will remain to guard Nine Cauldrons Peak and activate its formation to prevent anyone from harming our disciples!" Yaoguang said solemnly, "I already possess irrefutable evidence of those who colluded with the demonic cultivators. Therefore, I will not wrongly accuse a single innocent soul, nor will I let a single villain escape." "Understood!" Receiving Yaoguang's orders, everyone answered in unison and swiftly bustled into action. And as he took control of Nine Cauldrons Peak's mountain formation, Li Hanqiu said cautiously, "Be careful! If things prove impossible, do not force it. With your talent, time is on our side." "Don't worry, I have made thorough preparations. Otherwise, I wouldn't have chosen to hold the Void Shattering advancement ceremony at this time, nor would I have placed it at the Heavenly Dao Sect." Yaoguang nodded to him. His figure soared into the air, heading straight toward the assembled Tianshang Battle Hall. At Qi Sha's command, thirteen primary warships out of the thirty rose into the sky, carrying the Tianshang Battle Hall along with over a thousand disciples from families newly joined to the hall—such as the Chi, Shu, and Ling families—and charged straight toward Tianjing Peak. At this moment, Yaoguang himself was the focal point of everyone in the Heavenly Dao Sect. His sudden departure from Nine Cauldrons Peak at the head of the fully armed, murderously imposing Tianshang Battle Hall, speeding straight for the nearby Tianjing Peak, instantly drew every gaze. Right at this juncture, news had spread through various channels. When people learned that Yaoguang had obtained evidence of someone colluding with Shadow Moon Sect demonic cultivators and was seeking justice, everyone found it only natural. In fact, the moment Yaoguang placed his Void Shattering advancement ceremony at the Heavenly Dao Sect rather than Nandu, many knew this Sect Master Yaoguang was bound to make a major move. They simply had not expected the move to come so quickly. For a time, Void Piercing and Void Refining cultivators were stirred one after another, and even supreme elders like Zhen Xuanyuan were no exception. By the time the Tianshang Battle Hall led by Yaoguang reached Tianjing Peak and surrounded it, nobody was overly surprised. There was nothing new under the sun. When it came to colluding with the Shadow Moon Sect against Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang, the Jing family had indeed been the prime suspect all along. Now, it remained to be seen who would prove superior when this newly advanced Void Shattering deputy sect master clashed with Supreme Elder Jing Yuntian.