Turmoil broke out within the Heavenly Dao Sect. Supreme Elder Jing Yuntian, a cultivator of the Void Shattering realm, had perished on the spot, and the Jing clan, with tens of thousands of years of heritage, was uprooted entirely. Everyone in the sect had witnessed the great battle with absolute clarity; there was simply no keeping it secret.
While Yaoguang was reviewing intelligence to select suitable hunting targets, the news swept across the Ten Immortal Sects like a tempest and rapidly spread to the wider human race and even beyond.
In an era where Dao Lords rarely appeared, Void Shattering cultivators were figures who stood at the absolute pinnacle of Beihai Star.
The emergence or demise of such a powerhouse would send shockwaves throughout the star.
When Yaoguang previously relied on a formation to slay the Eight Desolations and Dark Demonic Sovereigns, it had already made his name known throughout the world. Yet in this battle, he had not used the power of any formation at all, slaying another Void Shattering combatant in an outright, head-on clash. This moved countless Void Shattering figures to sheer awe.
Moreover...
Yaoguang had used only three sword strikes to slay Jing Yuntian.
Afterward, he fought a fierce battle against Supreme Elders Zhen Xuanyuan and Gu Li, who had come to stop him, and defeated both of them in a two-on-one confrontation. Such prowess...
It had already surpassed peak Void Shattering.
It was genuine Dao Lord Candidate List strength.
All at once, countless factions swapped out the gifts they had originally prepared for far more valuable ones.
Even some Void Shattering experts who had not planned to attend the advancement ceremony—or had merely intended to send a disciple as a courtesy—set out in person with lavish gifts, heading straight for the Heavenly Dao Sect.
After several years, the name Yaoguang echoed across Beihai once again.
In the months that followed, Void Piercing elders and Void Refining peak masters arrived in endless streams to pay their respects to Yaoguang.
One after another, they did everything in their power to pledge their loyalty to him.
With things having developed to this point, anyone could see that Yaoguang's rise to replace Zong Wenxian as the new sect master of the Heavenly Dao Sect was inevitable.
Perhaps...
In the future, he might even advance a step further along the path of Void Shattering and step into the domain of Dao Lords.
Once he achieved the Dao Lord realm...
Saying that the factions and families who had thrown their support behind him early on would rise to the heavens would be no exaggeration.
Thus, not only Yaoguang's residence, but even the thresholds of the Chi and Ling families were nearly worn down by visitors, with people arriving in an unbroken stream to pay calls and curry favor.
It was in this very atmosphere that the day of Yaoguang's Void Shattering advancement ceremony officially arrived.
...
On this day, the Heavenly Dao Sect was exceedingly lively from top to bottom.
From the Ten Immortal Sects, the Three Immortal Martial Sects, and the Four Great Celestial Dynasties, virtually every faction dispatched at least one Void Shattering powerhouse as a representative to observe the ceremony and offer congratulations.
Even factions like the Six Buddhist Temples, which differed from the immortal path yet were dominated by the human race, were no exception.
At a glance, cultivators of the Void Piercing, Void Refining, and Void Shattering realms—figures rarely seen by ordinary Golden Core disciples—were present in countless numbers.
Leaving ordinary Void Shattering experts aside, several factions were represented by their sect masters in person.
Among them was Grand True Monarch Xuandu, the Hall Master of the Sanqing Sacred Hall.
Such treatment...
Was in no way inferior to the lineup that would attend Yaoguang's assumption of the sect master position.
Void Piercing elders like Chi Yu and Ling Ruogu, who had aligned themselves with Yaoguang early on, felt a surge of pride as they looked at the Sanqing Sacred Hall's Hall Master seated among the guests.
One had to realize that when Zong Wenxian assumed the sect master seat back then, the Sanqing Sacred Hall had only sent an elder.
Now, having True Monarch Xuandu attend in person as the Hall Master demonstrated that the paramount sect of the immortal path held Yaoguang in higher esteem than the true sect master of the Heavenly Dao Sect, Zong Wenxian.
Presently on Beihai Star, words spoken by Yaoguang on behalf of the Heavenly Dao Sect likely carried even more weight than those spoken by Sect Master Zong Wenxian.
...
"Xuandu came in person! The Sanqing Sacred Hall truly thinks highly of Yaoguang."
Among the guests, True Monarch Taiyuan could not help but sigh with emotion as he watched True Monarchs Xuandu and Yaoguang conversing and laughing cordially.
"Didn't you come in person as well, Sect Master?"
Supreme Elder Yuhuang smiled and said, "Besides, it is only natural for True Monarch Xuandu to attend in person. Compared to Zong Wenxian, Sect Master Yaoguang possesses far greater potential. He has only just advanced to Void Shattering, yet his strength is already formidable enough to overpower the combined forces of Zhen Xuanyuan and Gu Li. Across our Ten Immortal Sects, how many could match such prowess?"
True Monarch Taiyuan nodded slightly.
Zhen Xuanyuan was already at the pinnacle reachable by standard Void Shattering cultivators.
The leaders of the Ten Immortal Sects, the Four Great Celestial Dynasties, and the Three Immortal Martial Sects all belonged to this tier.
True Monarch Taiyuan was no exception.
Since Yaoguang could defeat Zhen Xuanyuan, he could naturally defeat True Monarch Taiyuan as well.
Moreover, because Yaoguang had suppressed both Zhen Xuanyuan and Gu Li while fighting one against two, it meant that even if Taiyuan and Yuhuang joined forces, their fate would be no different.
After all, Supreme Elder Yuhuang's own strength was roughly on par with Gu Li's, possessing combat power around seventy to eighty million.
Even if he were stronger, it was only by a very narrow margin.
At this moment, on the side of the Penglai Immortal Sect, which had likewise been invited, Shi Lin, acting sect master of the immortal sect, smiled and said, "Sect Master Yaoguang, aside from offering congratulations today, Palace Masters Zhengyang and Xuanyin also entrusted me to bring a gift for you."
"Oh?"
Yaoguang turned his gaze to Shi Lin with curiosity. "May I ask what kind of gift it is?"
"Bring him up."
The Void Shattering cultivator clapped her hands. Soon, Lu Li, the guardian of the Biyou Immortal Market whom Yaoguang had met once before, brought a figure forward.
"This is..."
Seeing the captured individual, whose grotto-heaven appeared to have already collapsed, all the Void Piercing elders of the Heavenly Dao Sect recognized him at once.
"Hou Feng?"
"Isn't this Elder Hou Feng of the Immortal Lineage? How did he end up captured by the Penglai Immortal Sect?"
"Elder Hou Feng disappeared decades ago. Rumor had it that he left on some secret mission. How could he..."
Puzzled looks appeared in several eyes.
However, the expressions of those in the know shifted slightly.
If they remembered correctly, the mission Hou Feng had undertaken was...
"We inadvertently 'rescued' Elder Hou Feng when slaying a Demon Emperor. Yet he had not been captured by the Demon Emperor; rather, he had taken the initiative to seek one out. As for his purpose..."
Shi Lin took out a shadow-recording stone. "He was acting under someone's instructions to collude with the demon race against Sect Master Yaoguang."
As soon as these words were spoken, an uproar broke out among those who were unaware.
Meanwhile, the four lineage masters who were also attending the ceremony saw their expressions turn extremely grim.
"Now, I hand him over to Sect Master Yaoguang, along with this shadow-recording stone."
Shi Lin placed the shadow-recording stone into Yaoguang's hand while sending a divine sense transmission to inform him of the full story.
Listening to the transmission, Yaoguang quickly understood.
In Shi Lin's eyes, this shadow-recording stone and Hou Feng could be used to directly topple Zong Wenxian if handled properly.
It could indeed be counted as a generous gift.
However, if Yaoguang wished, he already possessed the power to hollow out Zong Wenxian's authority at any time. This evidence was good to have, but not having it made little difference.
Still, appreciating her good intentions, he smiled and nodded, accepting the stone. "Many thanks."
He waved his hand, and cultivators from the Tianshang Battle Hall promptly led Hou Feng away.
During the time that followed, the banquet became entirely Yaoguang's home stage.
Void Piercing, Void Refining, and Void Shattering cultivators toasted him in turn, expressing their admiration for this newly emerged expert capable of ranking on the Dao Lord Candidate List.
Further away, Golden Core cultivators such as Lingxi, Xu Nianhua, and Shu Wuya did not possess the status to step forward and toast, yet watching figures of supreme authority—the Hall Master of the Sanqing Sacred Hall, the Sect Master of the Taiyi Immortal Sect, the Sect Master of the Penglai Immortal Sect, the Sect Master of the Golden Crow Sect, the Sect Master of the Xianwu Sect—chatting and laughing cordially with Yaoguang, their hearts swelled with boundless pride.
This was the Lord of the Southern Domain, the one they had chosen to serve: Yaoguang.
A deputy sect master in name, but an existence possessing the actual authority of the Heavenly Dao Sect's leader.
Belonging to the same faction as him, these Golden Core disciples were overwhelmed with excitement, unable to contain their emotions.
While Yaoguang's side was brimming with fervor down to the lowest Golden Core disciple, the four lineage masters responsible for sect administration, who belonged to Zong Wenxian's faction, found the situation utterly excruciating.
In particular, Yuan Miaoyi and Xiang Zhenlong, two Void Refining masters fiercely loyal to Zong Wenxian, were gripped by dread as they looked at Yaoguang and the heavyweight leaders conversing with him.
This was merely Yaoguang's Void Shattering advancement ceremony, yet so many prominent figures from the Ten Immortal Sects and major factions had already gathered. What would it look like when Yaoguang truly ascended to the position of sect master?
No!
There was no need to wait for that day.
Even now, if the Heavenly Dao Sect sought to join hands with a faction for a large-scale operation, would that faction contact Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang first, or would they reach out to Zong Wenxian, the actual sect master?
No one knew.
"Unless Sect Master Zong can pull off something momentous to rally the hearts of all the elders, peak masters, and Supreme Elders, then starting from today... even if he remains on the sect master's throne, his authority will exist in name only."
Yuan Miaoyi felt a deep bitterness inside.
"Haven't Supreme Elders Buzhou and Gu Li already gone to the planetary core to invite True Monarch Jinghong? Why hasn't there been any response? If they have decided to give up contesting Sect Master Yaoguang, they should at least inform us so we can adjust our stance in time to avoid sharing the Jing clan's fate," Yue Kuhai said with a furrowed brow.
"True Monarch Jinghong is in closed-door cultivation at the planetary core. Unless it concerns a major event like the opening of the Immortal Realm Gate, he might not necessarily emerge. Even if True Monarch Buzhou contacts him, he might not respond immediately..." Xiang Zhenlong explained.
"I don't care to hear excuses. I hope Sect Master Zong can understand my position. So long as Sect Master Yaoguang issues legitimate orders, I cannot and dare not refuse..." Zhou Xingdou said gravely.
Evidently, though he had not formally pledged allegiance, to preserve himself and the family behind him, he was already prepared to comply with all orders issued by Yaoguang and was unwilling to oppose him any further.
"I trust the sect master will not blame you."
Yuan Miaoyi sighed. "Let us wait patiently. Remarkable though Yaoguang is, he is merely at the Void Shattering realm after all. Once True Monarch Buzhou invites True Monarch Jinghong out, we may yet turn the tide."
Xiang Zhenlong nodded.
Yue Kuhai and Zhou Xingdou, however, remained silent.
For the sake of their own lives and their family legacies, starting from now, they would have to turn a blind eye to certain matters.
And with True Monarch Buzhou and True Monarch Gu Li failing to appear, and two lineage masters already powerless and lowering their heads, the wind in the Heavenly Dao Sect had completely shifted.
The era of Yaoguang had officially begun.
Chapter 411