Tracing Origins

Nandu. Wu Changfeng led a contingent to welcome them. Watching more than three hundred warships arrive one after another, filling over half the Domain Lord's Estate's skyport, this native Void Refinement cultivator of the Southern Domain was all smiles. Tens of thousands had departed; hundreds of thousands had returned. Moreover, the vast majority of these hundreds of thousands were technical talents that the Southern Domain desperately needed. With the influx of this talent, it would not be long before Nandu's productivity ascended to an entirely new level. Once the flying sword business expanded into spirit treasure circles, Nandu's gross domestic output would undoubtedly see a dramatic surge. An annual revenue of five or six hundred million would by no means be an extravagant dream. "Changfeng," Yaoguang called out to him. "Have the personnel arrangements been sorted out?" "Preparations began months ago when you first notified me, Sect Master," Wu Changfeng replied at once. "We will soon assess their technical proficiency and assign them to their respective posts." "Good." Yaoguang nodded. Nandu was currently implementing the fifteen-tier professional skill system he had formulated. Anyone wishing to take up a post had to undergo an assessment. The test question banks had been personally prepared by Yaoguang. He could not speak for other crafts, but when it came to artifact refiners and formation masters, the tests would definitely evaluate their true proficiency. "Only by elevating Nandu's industries can we exchange for sufficient cultivation resources, and only with abundant resources can everyone in Nandu grow rapidly," Yaoguang instructed. "Understood," Wu Changfeng answered solemnly. As they set to work, the artifact refiners, alchemists, and formation masters who had accompanied Yaoguang, along with the Void Piercing elders and Void Piercing clans that had pledged allegiance, were promptly settled into place. Yaoguang also delegated authority, allowing himself some leisure. In a world where supreme might converged within a single individual, there was no need to worry about subordinates vying for power. Just as many Dao Lords did not care whether internal sectarian rivalry might affect their plans: It was Dao Lords who made a top sect, not top sects that nurtured Dao Lords. The Penglai Immortal Sect was the finest example. Though Yaoguang had yet to become a Dao Lord, compared to the Southern Domain, the weight of his strength was scarcely different from that of one. ... "Relying solely on [Merchant] to gain enough experience is still a bit too slow." Now that he had free time, Yaoguang sensed the growth progress of his various "branches." Recently, he had just brought [Formation] to Level 15 at 100%, but going further... It was stuck, just like [Immortal Dao: Void Shattering] and [Artifact Refining]. It seemed a new realm could only open once his "Higher-Dimensional Cognition" underwent a true transformation. Over this period, between vigorously developing Nandu's industry and slaying Jing Yuntian, he had accumulated quite a bit of experience. It was time to pick a new branch to advance. "Theoretically, the next one to upgrade should be the [Alchemy] branch I've looked forward to the most. But as things stand, there's little point. Whether it's Pure Yang Great Pills or Void Dao Pills, I can simply buy them. Besides, concocting pills takes time, and I'm already backed up on a large backlog of artifact-refining orders. I don't have the luxury of concocting pills with my own hands." Pondering this, Yaoguang turned his gaze toward the remaining [Demon Hunting] and [Merchant] branches. "The experience growth of Merchant is heavily influenced by 'labor costs.' On the other hand, while the experience gained from Demon Hunting varies depending on the strength of the hunted demons, the returns are far more consistent. Therefore..." With a thought, Yaoguang channeled a massive amount of experience into the [Demon Hunting] branch. As the experience poured in, this branch grew rapidly. In just a few breaths, Yaoguang witnessed the branch blossom and bear fruit several times. Almost every bloom and harvest birthed a divine ability. However, these Dao fruits, which had functioned like "divine abilities" at lower realms of cultivation, meant little to him now. Just like the "Child of the Void" trait that had once been of great use to him—the amplification brought by merging his body with the Boundless Sword was countless times superior to "Child of the Void." His mind held plenty of Dao arts that could replace these demon-hunting divine abilities. Yet, when [Demon Hunting] surged in one go to what corresponded in his cognition to Level 14, the newly born Dao fruit caught his attention. "Tracing Origins?" Yaoguang examined this Dao fruit divine ability. It already leaned toward the Dao of Karma. There were likely similar Dao arts within the Great Dao of Karma, but... Yaoguang had never come into contact with any Dao art that directly targeted the Great Dao of Karma. As such, this divine ability found its purpose. "It can trace back to ancestral origins through soul and bloodline..." It looked like a tracking-type Dao fruit divine ability, but the offspring left behind by a Void Piercing demon king and a Golden Core great demon were clearly different. Even in the mortal world, there was a saying that wealth never survived three generations; in the jungle of the demon race where the weak fell prey to the strong, this rule was demonstrated even more vividly. Any great clan capable of passing down its lineage originated, at the very least, from a demon king capable of living ten thousand years. Clans without a demon king were essentially wiped out. Furthermore, the stronger a great demon's bloodline, the more formidable its origin would naturally be. Extrapolating from this logic... "This Tracing Origins divine ability has immense potential," Yaoguang said. "As long as I capture a descendant of a demon sovereign, I can trace back through that descendant's bloodline to locate the demon sovereign and slay them... The God race seems similar. Nearly every living being in the God race has their own patron god, and the god kings, god emperors, or god sovereigns they worship are undoubtedly the source of their souls. Therefore... as long as I find a divine general, I can root out the god king, god emperor, or god sovereign behind them. This will drastically reduce the difficulty of hunting down my 'prey.'" Sensing this Dao fruit divine ability, he had to admit it was an unexpected pleasant surprise. However, with this divine ability in hand, it was no longer ideal to target the Shadow Moon Sect first. Hunting demon sovereigns and god sovereigns clearly offered a greater advantage. "No, the Shadow Moon Sect must be put in their place first. Otherwise, after I wiped out two of their Void Shattering and five of their Void Refinement experts, their lingering lack of response gives me the feeling they're plotting something in the shadows." Pondering this, Yaoguang quickly reached a decision. First, he would conduct assassinations in the Shadow Moon Sect, killing until they pulled back into complete defense. Afterward, he would go to the Deep Blue Sea to slay some demons, building prestige through these deeds to prepare for taking over the Penglai Immortal Sect in the future. Of course, if a great war erupted between the Light God race and the Heavenly Dao Sect before then, he would still have to head to the extraterritorial battlefield. With that thought, he digested the vast pool of experience granted by [Demon Hunting]. The information provided by this keyword did not directly boost his strength, but it gave him a deeper understanding of the myriad beings and the myriad races of the universe. The God race, Demon race, Artifact Spirit race, Star race, Machine race, Insectoid race, Dream race, Void race, Parasite race, and more... In the vast universe, there were far too many bizarre and wondrous races. Every single race possessed inconceivable power. Observing closely, he discovered that human cultivators continually cultivated and strengthened themselves not only to withstand the universe's harsh environments, but also to combat the threats posed by all manner of bizarre races. Just as mortals evolved step-by-step, mastering technological creations to suppress all ferocious beasts and become planetary overlords, the same held true for human cultivators. Through cultivation, they formed Golden Cores, entered Void Piercing, integrated as Dao Lords, and glimpsed the ultimate mysteries of the universe. Ultimately, they stood at the pinnacle of the cosmos, making it difficult for those alien races to pose fatal threats to human cultivators any longer. Spending a month digesting the wealth of information regarding the God race, Fiend race, and Demon race within [Demon Hunting], Yaoguang felt all the more confident about his upcoming actions. "Have Wu Changfeng come see me," Yaoguang instructed Tang Fenghua, who was waiting outside. Then he added, "Call Qi Sha and True Monarch Li over as well." "Yes," Tang Fenghua replied, promptly carrying out the order. Before long, Wu Changfeng, Qi Sha, and Li Hanqiu arrived at Yaoguang's Hundred Refinements Peak one after another. "Sect Master." The three cupped their hands in salute. Yaoguang nodded to Qi Sha and Li Hanqiu, then turned to Wu Changfeng. "How is the installation of the Skynet system progressing?" "With the continuous investment over these years, we can already ensure that any Void Refinement fiendish cultivator entering our Southern Domain will be detected," Wu Changfeng answered immediately. "Void Refinement..." Yaoguang nodded. "Sufficient for now." He glanced at Qi Sha and Li Hanqiu. "Two Void Shattering and five Void Refinement cultivators from the Shadow Moon Sect slipped into our Nandu, nearly causing catastrophic consequences. Courtesy demands reciprocity. Our Southern Domain must naturally retaliate in kind, to make them understand the price of encroaching upon our territory. Therefore, after settling things for a year or two, I intend to take a trip to the Shadow Moon Sect's domain and execute several Void Shattering fiendish cultivators to demonstrate our Southern Domain's majesty." At these words, Qi Sha, Wu Changfeng, and Li Hanqiu all stiffened. "Sect Master... wouldn't that be too dangerous?" Wu Changfeng could not help saying, "The Shadow Moon Sect is no pushover. Even after losing two Void Shattering experts, the number of Void Shattering cultivators remaining in their sect is still no fewer than the fingers on a hand. If you venture deep into their territory alone and end up cornered by the Shadow Moon Sect's fiendish cultivators..." "No matter. Fiendish cultivators excel at self-preservation, but are deficient in killing power. On the Dao Lord Candidate List, there isn't a single fiendish cultivator from the Shadow Moon Sect. There is no danger in my journey." Yaoguang looked at them as he spoke. "This operation is an imperative. And to prevent the Shadow Moon Sect from launching an all-out counterattack against the Southern Domain in the meantime, I need you all to be fully prepared. Should the Shadow Moon Sect seek revenge, you must detect and extinguish the threat immediately!" He then added, "If necessary, request aid from Supreme Elders Zhen Xuanyuan, Chi Yun, and the others. After our last 'friendly' exchange within the sect, I doubt they will turn a blind eye to our Southern Domain's call for help, much less dare invent excuses like broken teleportation formations." Hearing this, although Wu Changfeng and Qi Sha felt the move was rather risky, they could only comply. Li Hanqiu, on the other hand, executed all of Yaoguang's orders unconditionally. He knew that Yaoguang certainly had his reasons; they needed only follow his instructions and safeguard their home base in Nandu. "I will maintain Nandu's stability and ensure no turmoil arises in Nandu during this time," Li Hanqiu said solemnly. Yaoguang smiled and nodded. Just as he was about to speak further, he seemed to sense something. "Someone is here." In the next instant, his figure flashed, appearing thirty thousand li away.