Extermination

"Convene the Supreme Elder Council and announce it directly?" Zhen Xuanyuan stared blankly for a moment. This was the Sect Master of the Heavenly Dao Sect—a heavyweight position holding supreme authority over one of the Ten Immortal Sects. Could this... really be decided so casually? However, having barely managed to preserve his life beneath Yaoguang's sword, he naturally dared not harbor the slightest hint of defiance now. He immediately replied, "I shall gather the Supreme Elders at once." To the side, Gu Li could no longer sit still. This was the seat of the sect master! For Venerable Golden Book to so casually demand that Zong Wenxian step down from the role of sect master was far too frivolous. Most critically, Zong Wenxian was not even present in the Heavenly Dao Sect. He had journeyed to the starry sky beyond as the Heavenly Dao Sect's sect master; if he returned only to find himself demoted to a Supreme Elder, Zong Wenxian would not even have a shoulder to cry on. At this moment, Gu Li did not even care about Yaoguang looming close by, hastily saying, "Venerable One, the succession of the sect master's seat is of paramount importance. In my view, it would be better to wait until Sect Master Zong returns from the starry sky and convene a council once more than half of the Supreme Elders are present before making a decision. To announce it like this seems a bit..." "A bit what?" Venerable Golden Book cast a glance at him. "The rules are written this way. Is there a problem?" "For the development of our sect, Sect Master Zong led a force to campaign abroad and fight against the God race. If he returns only to find himself stripped of his post as sect master... it would surely chill everyone's hearts," Gu Li said, bracing himself. "Oh? Then so long as one campaigns abroad, they can sit on the sect master's throne forever? In the future, whenever a sect master realizes their capability is insufficient to lead the sect, they simply never return and govern by remote control—what meaning would there be in the Heavenly Dao Sect's election system then?" Venerable Golden Book remarked without emotion. "This..." Gu Li was momentarily at a loss for words. Fortunately, no one capable of cultivating to the level of Supreme Elder was foolish. He said in a deep voice, "It is true that during Sect Master Yaoguang's tenure in the Southern Domain, development was exceptional. But in the Central Domain... Sect Master Zong is also orchestrating a venture of massive returns. If this matter is handled properly, the benefits brought to the sect will not be a simple matter of hundreds of millions or billions—it could easily be in the tens or even hundreds of billions!" "Tens or hundreds of billions in revenue?" Hearing this, Venerable Golden Book shifted his stance. "In that case, having Yaoguang succeed the seat immediately would indeed be somewhat inappropriate." He turned directly to Yaoguang. "You and Zong Wenxian shall each submit a centenary plan. I will evaluate them and make the final choice based on those plans." Having said that, he added, "If a verdict proves truly difficult to reach, I will transmit the materials you prepare to Dao Lord Juntian for him to make the final determination." "A hundred years?" Yaoguang furrowed his brows. "Isn't that too long? I believe ten years would be quite fitting." "Ten years?" Venerable Golden Book was somewhat surprised. Gu Li immediately countered, "How could ten years be enough? A round trip through the starry sky takes one or two years at best. With the slightest delay, travel alone could take eight to ten years. How could tens or hundreds of billions in returns be secured in such a short window?" "If I am allowed to take charge of the Heavenly Dao Sect in advance and direct all artifact refiners in producing Jiuzhou Battleships and refining flying swords and spirit artifacts, then over a century, while I cannot guarantee an increase of a hundred billion for the sect, twenty to thirty billion would be well within reach," Yaoguang said plainly. "Twenty to thirty billion!" Hearing this figure, even Gu Li, a Supreme Elder, felt his heart quiver. With such an immense fortune, let alone purchasing ordinary Dao artifacts, they could even make a bid for high-grade Dao artifacts. Although high-grade Dao artifacts were considered strategic assets in any peak faction and were almost never sold to outsiders, as long as enough wealth was poured in, there would always be Void Shattering cultivators willing to put them up for trade. At this point, Zhen Xuanyuan, eager to curry favor with Yaoguang and mend their relationship, spoke up: "The venture Sect Master Zong is developing primarily requires combat personnel; the demand for artifact refiners, formation masters, alchemists, and other support personnel is minimal. Why not place these personnel under Sect Master Yaoguang's command? That way, everyone and everything is put to the best use, and we can all work together to develop the sect and bring greater prosperity to the Heavenly Dao Sect." "What is your opinion?" Venerable Golden Book looked at Yaoguang. Yaoguang pondered for a moment. Although he had not managed to seize the seat outright, he was well aware that the chances of success for such an opportunistic shortcut were inherently slim. Being able to divert those talents to the Southern Domain was hardly a bad outcome. Besides, in this battle, he had already achieved his objective. With the martial might he had displayed, coupled with the Southern Domain's astonishing capacity to rake in daily fortunes, plenty of Void Piercing elders and Void Refining peak masters would flock to pledge allegiance to his banner. If things went smoothly, after a few decades of development, whether the Heavenly Dao Sect's headquarters would reside in the Central Domain or the Southern Domain remained entirely up in the air. With that in mind, he nodded. "Very well." He then added, "However, Sect Master Zong must not obstruct anyone who wishes to accompany me to the Southern Domain." "I shall convey this to Sect Master Zong. I am certain he will not refuse," Gu Li hurriedly agreed. To preserve Zong Wenxian's position as sect master before such a formidable, ruthless madman like Yaoguang was already the absolute limit of what he could achieve. As for defending any more authority... He truly lacked both the strength and the means. "Then let it be settled," Venerable Golden Book said. "There is no need to submit your plans to me either; when the time comes, transmit them directly to Dao Lord Juntian." Clearly, he held little interest in managing the internal operations of the Heavenly Dao Sect. "Understood," Zhen Xuanyuan quickly responded. Within the Heavenly Dao Sect, those with the authority to contact Dao Lord Juntian directly—aside from Venerable Golden Book—were only himself, Zong Wenxian, and True Monarch Jinghong. "Enough of this. Fellow disciples should kill and fight less, and give Juntian fewer headaches." Having spoken, Venerable Golden Book flickered and vanished without a trace. Once the Venerable departed, Yaoguang's gaze fell back upon Zhen Xuanyuan. "Jing Yuntian is dead, but the evidence of the Jing family colluding with demonic cultivators of the Shadow Moon Sect is incontrovertible. What does Supreme Elder Xuanyuan have to say?" "They must naturally be punished without leniency. I leave this matter entirely in Sect Master Yaoguang's hands," Zhen Xuanyuan declared his stance. Following that, feeling too humiliated to linger any longer, he hurriedly said, "Today's matter was truly a misunderstanding. Once Sect Master Yaoguang has concluded dealing with the Jing family, I shall prepare generous gifts and pay a visit to apologize in person." Yaoguang nodded slightly. He too wanted to know why Zhen Xuanyuan had abruptly shifted his stance. And what Gu Li meant by the project yielding tens or hundreds of billions. Zhen Xuanyuan cupped his hands, flickered, and vanished without a trace. In this battle, he had completely depleted the life-saving treasures he had accumulated over thousands of years—a catastrophic loss! Seeing Zhen Xuanyuan leave, Gu Li did not dare linger either. Even though Venerable Golden Book had admonished them to fight and kill less, he was still terrified that Yaoguang might find some pretext to slash him with a sword, costing him his life for nothing. Consequently, he departed in a hurry. In fact, after leaving, he dared not remain at his mountain peak at all; he swiftly sealed off his peak and fled toward outer space. A Heavenly Dao Sect with Yaoguang in it... It was far too dangerous. An ordinary Void Shattering cultivator like him had best stay as far away as possible. With the two Supreme Elders gone, Yaoguang turned his gaze once more to the battlefield that had paused when Zhen Xuanyuan and Gu Li intervened. "Did you all hear that?" He spoke calmly: "The evidence of the Jing family colluding with demonic cultivators of the Shadow Moon Sect is incontrovertible, and the Supreme Elders have entrusted full authority over this matter to me. In accordance with the rules of our Heavenly Dao Sect, anyone who colludes with demonic cultivators to frame a true disciple or higher of the sect..." As he spoke, he waved his hand, uttering three chilling words: "Execute without mercy." "Yes!" Having received the order, Qi Sha, Chu Gushan, Qin Shiyue, and the others roared in exhilaration. Having witnessed with their own eyes Yaoguang take on three opponents at once and crush three Supreme Elders, they no longer harbored the slightest doubt that Yaoguang would take command of the Heavenly Dao Sect in the future. In fact... Even if Zong Wenxian truly defied fate, unearthed some vast treasure trove, and managed to cling to his position as sect master, he would not escape the fate of becoming a mere figurehead. On Beihai Star, power spoke loudest in the end. Even fellow disciples within the same sect were no exception. Now, faced with Yaoguang's command, the two peak masters and the newly pledged Void Piercing elders, having glimpsed their boundless future, naturally sought to prove themselves with all their might. Not only Qin Shiyue and Chu Gushan; Several other peak masters and elders who recognized that this golden opportunity must not be missed leaped forward as well. "Sect Master Yaoguang is the sect master of our Heavenly Dao Sect! Any action directed against him constitutes treason against the sect! For the Jing family to commit such atrocious villainy, their crime is punishable by death!" "To think the Jing family dared collude with demonic cultivators of the Shadow Moon Sect to frame Sect Master Yaoguang! No person of conscience in the Heavenly Dao Sect could ever permit such an outrage! Today, I shall take action to cleanse the sect on behalf of the Heavenly Dao Sect and Sect Master Yaoguang!" "Jing clan, Sect Master Yaoguang represents the future of our Heavenly Dao Sect! How dare you frame him—you truly deserve death!" In an instant, the Jing family became the target of universal fury. More than half of the Void Piercing and Void Refining cultivators across the Heavenly Dao Sect stepped forward, denouncing the Jing clan with ferocious words. Some leaped directly into the fray, using ruthless action to demonstrate their loyalty. In particular, several factions that had previously been close to the Jing family showed no hesitation in slaughtering the Jing clan members, as if only this could instantly draw a clean line between them and the condemned family. "No! This isn't our fault! Our Jing family was only acting on orders..." Seeing one member of the Jing clan after another besieged and slaughtered, the head of the Jing family, Jing Zhengyang, cried out in agonizing despair. He turned toward Yaoguang: "Sect Master Yaoguang, we truly only acted on Zong Wenxian's instructions, that was why we..." "So did Zong Wenxian hold a sword to your necks and force you?" Yaoguang looked coldly upon the Jing family head. "In the end, it was nothing more than tied interests. You claim time and again that it was Zong Wenxian's order, but in truth, it was because you feared Zong Wenxian stripping away your interests that you obeyed his command. Otherwise, how could Zong Wenxian order a family with a Void Shattering expert around?" In an avalanche, no single snowflake is innocent. He turned away, heading toward Nine Cauldrons Peak. Qi Sha and the others grasped his meaning from his callous departure. Instantly, the Master of Tianshang Battle Hall raised the Annihilation Sword high: "Treason against the sect—kill! Leave none of the Jing family alive!" "Kill!" Amidst the despairing cries of Jing Zhengyang and all the members of the Jing clan, the surging tide of cultivators roared and charged into Tianjing Peak, completely engulfing the people of the Jing family.