The Gift

"Void Piercing?" "You truly broke through to the Void Piercing realm? Transiting from a Void Piercing Battle Immortal to true Void Piercing is such a perilous path, yet you actually succeeded?" "Unbelievable! Li Hanqiu, this is... truly unbelievable!" From the Cangwu Lineage, both leaders, Xie Xiong and Gelin, had arrived. Accompanying them were Elder Juekong and a number of Void Piercing Battle Immortals who maintained good relations with Wan Liugui. At that moment, everyone gathered around Li Hanqiu, looking him up and down, their eyes brimming with envy and incredulity. Setting aside the fact that a Void Piercing Battle Immortal's combat power fell short of true Void Piercing, their very state of life was hanging by a thread. Even if they refrained from fighting, stabilizing the primal cavern within their bodies consumed tremendous effort. If they engaged in high-intensity combat, they were essentially burning away their own lifespans. Because of this, once a cultivator transitioned into a Void Piercing Battle Immortal, living for another two to three centuries was already considered a long life. Most Void Piercing Battle Immortals perished within a century or two after the transition. True Void Piercing, however, was fundamentally different. Relying on the grotto-heaven's distortion of time and its effect on life, a Void Piercing cultivator could often survive for tens of thousands of years, enjoying what was hailed as boundless longevity. Compared to a Void Piercing Battle Immortal, their lifespan was dozens of times longer, allowing them to freely enjoy endless leisure in the future. How could the Void Piercing Battle Immortals of the Cangwu Lineage not feel envy and longing? "It was merely a stroke of fortune. I received immense help from Sect Master Yaoguang to successfully take this step. In truth, when it comes to talent and potential, I fall far behind all of you," Li Hanqiu replied with a smile. "Being able to achieve Void Piercing is proof in itself of your talent and potential. Not to mention our Cangwu Great World lacked a complete Void Piercing heritage back then, even if we had possessed one, throughout the long history of the Cangwu Realm, ten thousand years might not have produced a single Void Piercing cultivator! For True Monarch Li to reach this stage has already surpassed the ten-thousand-year historical record of the entire Cangwu Realm!" Elder Juekong remarked. "You flatter me. I believe that with everyone's talent and ability, you might very well overcome the fate of a Battle Immortal in the future and step into the realm of true Void Piercing," Li Hanqiu continued. Yet these words cast complex expressions across the faces of the Cangwu Lineage. This was especially true for Xie Xiong and Gelin. Three centuries ago in the Cangwu Realm, the two of them were indisputable Soul Transformation experts, immortal dao overlords capable of holding down the Cangwu Great World almost single-handedly. In their eyes, nearly everyone in the Cangwu Lineage was their junior. Li Hanqiu in particular! When the full-scale war with the Moon Demon Empire broke out, Li Hanqiu had merely been at the Golden Core realm. How immense was the chasm between Golden Core and Soul Transformation? More often than not, cultivators like Li Hanqiu would not have even qualified to become their disciples. And now... While they were still wasting away as Void Piercing Battle Immortals, Li Hanqiu had beaten them to true Void Piercing. Such a disparity... It left a bitter taste in their hearts. Above all, they understood that Li Hanqiu's breakthrough was not because his talent was genuinely superior, but because he had received Yaoguang's full support. In other words, even if they had talent equal to Li Hanqiu's, or even surpassed him, they still might not have managed to forge the path from Void Piercing Battle Immortal to true Void Piercing. This only deepened their sense of helplessness. Sometimes... Choice truly mattered more than effort. Regrettably, at the most critical juncture, their Cangwu Lineage had made the wrong choice. At that moment, among the helmsmen of the top sects who were chatting and laughing in front, True Monarch Taiyuan suddenly spoke up: "Sect Master Shi Lin's gift reminded me of something. An outcast of my Taiyi Sect once seemed to have greatly offended Sect Master Yaoguang as well. It just so happens that I brought him along this time, so I shall hand him over to Sect Master Yaoguang to deal with as you see fit." "Oh?" Hearing this, Yaoguang seemed to recall something. Sure enough, True Monarch Taiyuan's disciple, Chaoyang, soon escorted a man forward. The primal cavern power within this person had been completely sealed, and restrictive spells had been placed upon him. Let alone moving or struggling, he could not even utter a sound. The moment they saw this person being brought forth, the expressions of Xie Xiong, Gelin, Juekong, and the other Void Piercing Battle Immortals of the Cangwu Lineage shifted at once. "Jiang Tianzun!" "It's him?" "Jiang Tianzun... why was he escorted up by Junior Sect Master Chaoyang? What happened?" Several Void Piercing Battle Immortals who had accompanied the delegation could not help but let out hushed exclamations. Many eyes turned toward Jin Rui, who was specifically in charge of intelligence gathering for the Cangwu Lineage. This Battle Immortal hastily explained in a low voice, "After Jiang Tianzun broke ties with our Cangwu Lineage, we ceased providing him with resources. Stripped of cultivation resources, he had no choice but to guard a border battlefield to earn cultivation supplies. As luck would have it, that battlefield was struck by a Demon King invasion. Jiang Tianzun fled without fighting, suffering severe punishment and expulsion from the sect..." Hearing this, Xie Xiong, Gelin, Juekong, and the others instantly understood. While Jiang Tianzun bore part of the blame for ending up in such a state, the primary reason was that he had offended Yaoguang. Originally, relying on his status as a direct disciple of Supreme Elder Jade Emperor, even if he failed to advance to Void Piercing, he would not have been reduced to earning meager scraps by guarding the border just to cultivate. Yet as Yaoguang's cultivation and standing steadily rose, with his influence growing day by day, even Supreme Elder Jade Emperor no longer dared to protect him. And now... Yaoguang's status matched that of the Heavenly Dao Sect Master, carrying even greater weight, to the extent that the sect master of their own Taiyi Immortal Sect took the initiative to curry favor with him. Naturally, Jiang Tianzun became an abandoned pawn, served up on Yaoguang's dining table to be slaughtered at will. For a time, the expressions of the Cangwu Lineage's Void Piercing Battle Immortals turned exceedingly complex. Watching the bound, terrified Jiang Tianzun, and then looking at Yaoguang seated on the high platform, conversing and laughing freely with supreme figures like the Hall Master of the Sanqing Sacred Hall, the Sect Master of the Taiyi Immortal Sect, and the Sect Master of the Penglai Immortal Sect... The stark contrast filled them with profound regret over their past decisions. Especially before their very eyes... Li Hanqiu, who had supported Yaoguang without reservation, had risen from the Golden Core realm to Void Piercing in less than a century, while Xie Xiong, Gelin, and the others, who had pinned their hopes on Jiang Tianzun, remained Void Piercing Battle Immortals to this day... The comparison between both sides was painfully glaring. For a moment, the Battle Immortals of the Cangwu Lineage exchanged self-reproachful glances, each sighing softly from the depths of their hearts. ... Aside from Wan Liugui, no one paid any attention to what the Cangwu Lineage was thinking. After all, at this grand banquet, they were merely inconsequential figures. As for Yaoguang himself, his expression showed a hint of novelty when the Taiyi Immortal Sect brought Jiang Tianzun forward. His reaction was somewhat stronger than it had been with Hou Feng. "Jiang Tianzun." Yaoguang recalled his time in the Cangwu Great World, when he first encountered Jiang Tianzun and felt the oppressive weight that Azure Blue Golden Core had exerted over him. Back then... If the two had fought, his only possible recourse would have been to flee for his life with the Void Disk. Perhaps he might have escaped, but Li Hanqiu, the Nine Cauldrons Sect, and everyone in the Su family's faction would have lost their lives, reduced to ash before the wrath of this Taiyi Immortal Sect prodigy. And now... This very Jiang Tianzun who had once exerted such terrifying pressure did not even require Yaoguang to lift a finger; he was escorted and delivered straight before him by the sect master of the Taiyi Immortal Sect himself, left entirely to his disposal. Life or death hung on a single whim. The pressure and despair Jiang Tianzun faced at this moment... It was likely not one bit inferior to the scene where Yaoguang had been cornered back in the Cangwu Great World. "Back when you casually destroyed the Yaoguang Realm, displaying your tyrannical arrogance to your heart's content, could you have ever imagined today?" Yaoguang said to Jiang Tianzun. Completely restrained, this chosen prodigy once pinned with the hopes of the Cangwu Lineage could not utter a single word. He could only stare at Yaoguang with terror and a faint plea in his eyes. Yaoguang understood. "So your tyranny and arrogance were only ever directed at those weaker than yourself." He waved his hand and said to Xu Nianhua beside him, "Take him away and hand him over to Lin Xia, Leng Jun, and Su Yaoxue to deal with." Letting the native beings of the Yaoguang Realm execute the culprit who destroyed their homeland was the most fitting end. "Understood," Xu Nianhua answered. Under Jiang Tianzun's desperate, pleading gaze, he escorted him away from the scene. "Sect Master Taiyuan is truly thoughtful; I am very fond of this gift." Yaoguang cupped his hands with a smile toward the sect master. "Before long, I shall return to Nandu. When the time comes, Sect Master Taiyuan is welcome to visit me as a guest in Nandu." "Nandu?" True Monarch Taiyuan was somewhat surprised. He had assumed Yaoguang would immediately take power and succeed the seat of Heavenly Dao Sect Master. Yet a moment later, another thought crossed his mind. Beneath the Dao Lords of the Heavenly Dao Sect, aside from Chief Supreme Elder Zhen Xuanyuan, the figure of greatest weight was True Monarch Jinghong. If Yaoguang wished to secure the position of sect master, True Monarch Jinghong's approval was vital. Even so, he had no doubt regarding Yaoguang's strength and talent. Yaoguang taking charge of the Heavenly Dao Sect was ultimately just a matter of time. Thereupon, the Taiyi Immortal Sect Master nodded with a smile: "When the time comes, I shall surely visit Nandu to trouble Sect Master Yaoguang." Yaoguang nodded slightly. Following that, he conversed once more with the Hall Master of the Sanqing Sacred Hall, the Sect Master of the Penglai Immortal Sect, the Sect Master of the Golden Crow Sect, and others, extending invitations and even proposing specific collaborative projects. The Heavenly Dao Sect intended to produce Nine Provinces Warships on a massive scale and would subsequently enter the spirit-treasure-grade flying sword market. Refining such items inevitably required materials. Many materials that were exorbitant in the Heavenly Dao Sect were considerably cheaper among other factions. By exchanging what each possessed, they could smoothly drive down the production costs of the Nine Provinces Warships and flying swords. The Void Shattering Advancement Ceremony lasted for several days. In the end, both hosts and guests enjoyed themselves to the fullest. Once the grand banquet concluded and Yaoguang had seen off all the sect masters one by one, he lingered at Nine Cauldrons Peak for another month. During this month, his primary purpose was to coordinate with the family clans and Grandmasters of Artifact Refining who were willing to pledge allegiance and accompany him to Nandu. In addition, he conducted a series of repairs on the formations of Nine Cauldrons Peak, elevating their strength to the level of a Level 13 formation. While reinforcing the formations of Nine Cauldrons Peak, he also gained a detailed understanding of the Twelve Demon Gods Heaven-Sealing Formation, ensuring he possessed the capability to halt the activation of that formation in time should the need arise. Once these matters were resolved, Yaoguang, preparing to make his move against the Shadow Moon Sect, lingered no longer. The fleet that had arrived with thirty-one warships expanded tenfold upon departure. Over three hundred warships, laden with vast stores of resources, artifact refiners, and cultivators, headed straight back toward Nandu.