Justice

"Oh?" Yaoguang's expression did not change in the slightest. "No longer defending Jing Yuntian? I haven't fallen into the demonic path after all? You, the exalted Chief Supreme Elder, are actually willing to speak with someone of the demonic path like me?" He pressed his hand down in an empty gesture. Even as the second Void Sword cleaved downward, a third was already rapidly forming under the empowerment of the Torrent of Time. Zhen Xuanyuan exhausted every technique and trump card at his disposal, barely managing to block the second sword. Fortunately, Gu Li rushed over in the nick of time, drawing away a portion of Yaoguang's focus and causing the third Void Sword to redirect its strike toward him. Yet... This Supreme Elder Gu Li could only bear a single sword on Zhen Xuanyuan's behalf. Though Gu Li cultivated the Grand Dao of Light, exhausting all his means still could not stop the lethal onslaught of the Void Sword, and its devastating power cleaved directly into his grotto-heaven. Had every Void Shattering cultivator not possessed a handful of life-saving measures, this single strike would have been enough to tear the Supreme Elder's grotto-heaven apart. Witnessing this from afar, the numerous Void Piercing and Void Refining cultivators of the Heavenly Dao Sect were struck with sheer terror, finding it utterly inconceivable. "One strike?! Supreme Elder Gu Li was almost cut down with a single strike? He... he's a veteran Void Shattering cultivator!" "Sect Master Yaoguang... how can he be so terrifyingly powerful? Didn't he... didn't he just advance to Void Shattering? How could he possess such strength immediately after breaking through?" "Supreme Elder Jing's death was no injustice... Even Supreme Elder Zhen Xuanyuan is completely suppressed by Yaoguang, let alone Jing Yuntian! Yaoguang's might... could it already rival the experts on the Dao Lord Candidate Board?" Watching Yaoguang display his overwhelming power with absolute abandon, an identical thought surged unbidden in the hearts of all the Void Piercing and Void Refining cultivators present: The sky was about to change. The Heavenly Dao Sect was truly in for a seismic shift. Not only had Sect Master Yaoguang developed the Southern Domain to blazing prosperity, yielding hundreds of millions in profits every year, but his personal strength was also so monstrous. What did Zong Wenxian have left to fight him with? Looking upon this battle that had not yet concluded, but whose outcome was already obvious, who knew how many Void Piercing and Void Refining experts secretly made up their minds. ... "Yaoguang!" Zhen Xuanyuan looked at Gu Li retreating in panic and fleeing for his life, then looked back at Yaoguang, who had already condensed another Void Sword Dao art with the aid of his time Dao art. Bitterness welled deep within Zhen Xuanyuan's chest. Too strong! This was indisputably the combat power of someone on the Dao Lord Candidate Board! Within the Heavenly Dao Sect, apart from True Monarch Jinghong, no one was his match. If they kept fighting... He feared he would follow right in Jing Yuntian's footsteps. He would die. Confronted with this dire reality, he cast aside all dignity as the Chief Supreme Elder and spoke with a hint of pleading in his voice: "Sect Master Yaoguang, I had no intention of defending Jing Yuntian! It was purely out of concern for the sect that I could not bear to see a Void Shattering cultivator perish so wastefully, and in my panic, I acted rashly... I was ignorant of the full situation, and that was what caused this misunderstanding..." Before he could finish, another Void Sword came crashing down. Seeing the descending edge of the Void Sword, and noting that Yaoguang was already preparing to condense yet another one, Zhen Xuanyuan—having exhausted all his remaining life-saving treasures—completely broke down. "Stop!" He roared, "Yaoguang, what in the world do you want?! Must you slaughter us all to the last man before you're satisfied?!" "What do I want?" Yaoguang replied coolly, "All I want is justice." Rumble! The unleashed Void Sword shattered the Great Void Collapse Art that Zhen Xuanyuan had hastily unleashed, tearing through it like splitting dry bamboo. Cast in sheer desperation, this Great Void Collapse could not hold back the cutting edge of the Void Sword at all. Having obliterated the art, the sword edge cleaved unabated into Zhen Xuanyuan's grotto-heaven, instantly tearing open a massive rift. The brilliance of the blade was so terrifying that it reached right before his natal Dao seed. "Yaoguang!" Seeing yet another Void Sword form, Zhen Xuanyuan was overwhelmed by terror and fury. At the brink of life and death, a golden scroll abruptly unfurled behind him. "Venerable One, save me!" Whoosh! Just as the Void Sword slashed down again, the figure of Venerable Golden Book manifested abruptly. Having rarely bothered with the mundane affairs of the Heavenly Dao Sect, he seemed unaware of what had transpired. However, he still remembered Zhen Xuanyuan, the Chief Supreme Elder. Seeing that a Void Sword was on the verge of sundering his grotto-heaven and Dao seed, the formidable artifact spirit swept his hand with immense force. An unprecedented, surging power rolled forth, seemingly carrying the ultimate truths of the Grand Dao. Under the sway of these profound truths, the Void Sword seemed to be "persuaded," willingly dispersing into the void. Having cheated death, Zhen Xuanyuan gasped violently for breath. "So, will someone tell me what has happened?" Venerable Golden Book spoke. He appeared rather dim-witted. Fortunately, though he was not particularly sharp, he was undeniably capable. "Never mind, I'll see for myself." With that, he interfaced with the entire Heavenly Dao Sect's formation network and information systems, gathering the exact sequence of events from countless third-party viewpoints. Before long, he understood the truth. His gaze turned toward Yaoguang. "Venerable One," Yaoguang greeted him. Venerable Golden Book looked at Yaoguang, seemingly a bit surprised. In his immensely long lifespan, he had seen more than one or two Dao Lords come and go, to say nothing of Void Shattering, Void Refining, or Void Piercing cultivators. Without looking up sect records, he likely wouldn't even recognize most of the Void Piercing elders in the Heavenly Dao Sect. However, having met Yaoguang not long ago and having just compiled the information on this conflict, he remembered him. And precisely because he remembered him, he was astonished that Yaoguang had grown to such heights in so short a time. "I now understand the cause and effect of the matter," Venerable Golden Book said calmly. "The internal grievances of the sect are not inscribed within the Golden Book of the Grand Dao, so I shall not interfere overly much. However... as members of the Heavenly Dao Sect, for senior figures such as yourselves to come to blows over personal feelings is truly improper. You are forbidden from raising arms over this matter any further." Yaoguang knew that with this venerable figure stepping in... The fight was over. At the very least, he could no longer kill Zhen Xuanyuan and the others. Whether to Dao Lord Juntian or Venerable Golden Book, their primary demand for the sect's Void Piercing, Void Refining, and Void Shattering cultivators was stability. If someone stirred up a major ruckus every few days and disturbed their peaceful cultivation, they would not even mind replacing the entire leadership. Moreover, Yaoguang knew in his heart that accusations of colluding with demonic cultivators were merely mud-slinging. Even from the standpoint of Supreme Elder Chiyun and others, Zhen Xuanyuan and his faction were not guilty of a capital offense. Yaoguang's original intent was to beat this Chief Supreme Elder into submission and intimidate all the Void Shattering elders, facilitating the execution of his future development policies. If he truly slaughtered all the Supreme Elders, leaving the Heavenly Dao Sect with no one to deploy across such vast territories, endless troubles would inevitably arise. Thus, taking the graceful exit offered, he said, "As the Venerable One commands." Zhen Xuanyuan originally wanted to ask Venerable Golden Book to uphold justice, but considering that the Venerable One had already stated he would not overly interfere in the sect's operations, and given that the strength Yaoguang had just shown had struck genuine terror into his heart, continuing to oppose Yaoguang... The consequences would be unthinkable. Taking advantage of Venerable Golden Book's presence, Zhen Xuanyuan hurriedly said, "We had no intention of clashing with Sect Master Yaoguang. It was merely that I acted in excessive haste, prompting Sect Master Yaoguang to strike back... Once everything is talked through, all will surely be resolved." With that, he glanced at Yaoguang. "After all, there is no direct conflict of interest between us and Sect Master Yaoguang." Yaoguang cast a glance at Zhen Xuanyuan, somewhat surprised. Submitting so quickly? Yet upon further reflection, he understood the man's reasoning. For Zhen Xuanyuan, his interests were never completely aligned with Zong Wenxian's to begin with; there was no reason to throw himself into the vanguard and confront Yaoguang on Zong Wenxian's behalf. Of course, the most crucial factor was that this battle had beaten the Supreme Elder into complete submission. The lesson of nearly losing his life had made him understand what kind of fate awaited him if he remained Yaoguang's enemy. These words... Were themselves a tactful plea for peace. "Let us hope so," Yaoguang remarked impassively. Next, Yaoguang turned his gaze to Venerable Golden Book. "Since the Venerable One is here, the timing is impeccable. I recall there is a clear rule recorded in the Golden Book: if any deputy sect master advances to Void Shattering and develops a territory with prospects superior to the Central Domain governed by the sect master, it proves they possess greater capability than the sect master to lead the Heavenly Dao Sect toward greater glory. Therefore, they naturally qualify to replace the existing sect master and become the Heavenly Dao Sect's new helmsman." He produced a dossier. "This details the development of our Southern Domain over the past ten years. I believe... the prospects of the Southern Domain today already surpass those of the Central Domain directly under the sect master's administration. Coupled with the fact that I have advanced to Void Shattering... I believe I am qualified to take over Zong Wenxian's position and become the new sect master of the Heavenly Dao Sect." "Oh? You wish to take the helm of the Heavenly Dao Sect?" Venerable Golden Book curiously received Yaoguang's dossier. Meanwhile, Gu Li to the side, along with the lineage leaders and Void Refining experts loyal to Zong Wenxian's faction, grew frantic. None of them had expected Yaoguang to propose taking over the Heavenly Dao Sect at this exact moment. "Indeed," Yaoguang said. "I firmly believe that under my leadership, the Heavenly Dao Sect will undoubtedly prosper even further. To say the least, nearly doubling the Heavenly Dao Sect's gross output of six billion Pure Yang Great Pills per decade to ten billion will be well within reach." He added, "Coincidentally, my Void Shattering celebration has already invited all the surrounding powers. If I take over as sect master now, holding both celebrations together will save quite a bit of effort." After reading the dossier Yaoguang handed over, Venerable Golden Book gave a slight nod. "If your records are accurate, the development of the Southern Domain has indeed outpaced the Central Domain. In this regard, you have done better than Sect Master Zong Wenxian." The Venerable One paused, then asked, "You have reached Void Shattering? And your strength has reached such an extent?" "I chanced upon some opportunities," Yaoguang said without elaborating. Yet Venerable Golden Book sensed something upon sweeping his perception across Yaoguang. He did not say much, merely nodding. "A fine opportunity indeed. But opportunities are also a component of personal strength." An artifact spirit was different from a cultivator after all. Cultivators... Even Dao Lords might covet a top-tier Dao artifact. Artifact spirits, however... Most were rather detached. Or rather, their way of thinking differed from humans. Often, they believed good things should be shared with everyone so all could work together and progress together, rather than hoarded for oneself. Thus, even though he sensed a top-tier Dao artifact on Yaoguang, Venerable Golden Book felt no greed. "Since you have reached Void Shattering, and both your strength and capability are second to none, you should indeed take the helm of the Heavenly Dao Sect." Venerable Golden Book then swept a glance over Zhen Xuanyuan. "I recall you are the First Supreme Elder of the Supreme Elder Council. Convene the council and declare that Zong Wenxian shall step down and join the Supreme Elder Council. The principle for the Heavenly Dao Sect's leadership competition has always been that the capable rise while the mediocre step down."