The Disparity

A planet composed entirely of high-density metal. As Zong Wenxian and Dongxi returned, a Void Cavern realm elder stationed on this planet came forward immediately to greet them. "Sect Master." "Mm." Zong Wenxian gave a slight nod, then asked immediately, "Has any news arrived from the sect?" "Yes. Branch Master Yuan Miaoyi sent word that once you returned, you should activate the formation immediately, saying something of great importance has occurred. However, Branch Master Yuan did not specify what it was," the Void Cavern cultivator replied at once. Their current location was already quite far from Beihai Star, well beyond the range of any communication jade talisman. Relaying messages was possible only through specialized formations. "Hm?" Zong Wenxian's brow furrowed. The message had actually come from Yuan Miaoyi? Logically, shouldn't it have been True Monarch Buzhou? Calculating the time, True Monarch Buzhou should not only have reached Beihai Star by now, but should also have had plenty of time to invite True Monarch Jinghong over. Sending a message at this time... Shouldn't it be to ask for his exact current coordinates? After pondering for a moment, he said anyway, "Go. Activate the formation." "Uh... Sect Master will need to wait a moment. Supreme Elder Liaochen is currently using the communication formation," the Void Cavern cultivator said. "Supreme Elder Liaochen has returned?" "Not just Supreme Elder Liaochen—Supreme Elder Yuanxing is back as well." "Oh?" Hearing this, Zong Wenxian raised an eyebrow slightly. Beside him, Supreme Elder Dongxi looked surprised. "Both Supreme Elders are back? Does that mean they've found the God race's void node?" "This... the two Supreme Elders did not say," the Void Cavern cultivator replied, bowing his head. Zong Wenxian said nothing further upon hearing this. This was the disadvantage of the cosmic void—the vastness was simply too great, making communication far less convenient than on Beihai Star. Over short distances, information could still be transmitted through the subtle resonances between communication jade talismans, but once distances stretched across light-years... Communication jade talismans were essentially useless. "Then let us go over and wait," Zong Wenxian said, heading promptly toward the site of the communication formation. The Heavenly Dao Sect maintained numerous outposts in the extraterrestrial starry void. Aside from essential defensive formations, the most valuable assets at these outposts were often the formations capable of ultra-long-range communication. Many Void Piercing Battle Immortals were stationed at such places. Such formations were of little value to marauders who lived by plundering, and since a Void Piercing Battle Immortal fighting desperately was no small trouble to deal with, these outposts were rarely attacked, and Void Piercing Battle Immortal-level power was enough to keep them secure. Before long, Zong Wenxian arrived at a "mountain peak" on the planet. Here, tower after tower rose from the ground, each standing a thousand meters tall, numbering exactly one thousand and twenty-four in total. These towers formed a colossal formation that resonated with other formations deep within the starry void to transmit information. At that moment, the formation was enveloped in flowing light, within which two figures could be seen conversing. However, upon sensing Zong Wenxian's arrival, both of them ceased speaking at the same time. As the light dimmed, the two figures stepped out. "Supreme Elder Liaochen, Supreme Elder Yuanxing," Zong Wenxian greeted them. "Sect Master Zong." The two replied, but their expressions were... undeniably rather strange. "Have the two Supreme Elders found the Light God race's void node?" "We have a rough area, but the exact location hasn't been pinpointed yet," Supreme Elder Yuanxing said, shifting the topic. "Is someone urgently seeking to contact Sect Master Zong? You should reply as soon as possible. We plan to re-examine the suspicious locations we found, so we will take our leave." Although Zong Wenxian found their attitudes slightly peculiar, he did not dwell on it and stepped into the formation. Meanwhile, Supreme Elder Yuanxing, having turned to leave, immediately called out, "True Monarch Dongxi, there is something I must discuss with you. Might you have a moment?" "Of course." Dongxi nodded slightly and soon departed with Supreme Elder Yuanxing. As they walked away, Dongxi could not resist asking, "When you contacted the sect just now, did you ask when True Monarch Jinghong will arrive? While the Light God race's strength wanes away from their Divine Kingdom, they have hidden the void node leading to the Dao Lord's secret vault very deeply. It will be exceedingly difficult for us to uncover it through our own scouting. It would be best for True Monarch Jinghong to make a move, capture a member of the God race, and interrogate them directly... In any case, according to the timeline, it will be another thousand years before the Gate of the Immortal Realm opens, so an excursion by the True Monarch will hardly interfere with the Dao Lord's instructions." "True Monarch Jinghong..." True Monarch Yuanxing took a deep breath. "I'm afraid... True Monarch Jinghong won't be coming." "Won't be coming?" Dongxi was surprised. "Why?" "A monumental incident has occurred in the sect," True Monarch Liaochen interjected. At the same time, he glanced back at Zong Wenxian, who had already entered the communication formation. "Let's leave first. It's best if we leave this outpost entirely and put some distance between ourselves and Sect Master Zong... otherwise, I fear he might go mad." "Sect Master Zong?" Dongxi was baffled. "It has to do with him? What happened?" Then, as if realizing something, he suddenly asked, "Is it that Sect Master Yaoguang? Could it be... he was taken as a disciple by Dao Lord Juntian? And so True Monarch Buzhou's words held no sway, and even True Monarch Jinghong plans to support him?" "While the details differ, what you said isn't far off the mark," Yuanxing said, his tone still tinged with the disbelief he had felt when he first received the news. "That Sect Master Yaoguang... can only be described as a legend! According to Supreme Elders Chiyun, Zhen Xuanyuan, and Gu Li, he fought a duel against True Monarch Jinghong, and it ended in a draw..." "That's not even the half of it," True Monarch Liaochen said grimly. "True Monarch Buzhou is dead... Although a shadow-recording stone shows he died at the hands of the Shadow Moon Sect's two Demon Lords, Zhanpo and Chihun, the probability that he was indirectly killed by Yaoguang is far higher. Moreover, afterward, on the pretext of avenging True Monarch Buzhou, Yaoguang charged straight into the Shadow Moon Sect, slew seven Void Shattering Demon Lords of the Shadow Moon Sect in succession, and battered that sect—a grand lineage of a Dao Integration Demon Venerable—into sealing its mountain and closing its gates..." "Wait! Wait!" Listening to them, Supreme Elder Dongxi's mind could barely process it. "Yaoguang? Fought True Monarch Jinghong to a draw?! And killed True Monarch Buzhou using the hands of Shadow Moon Sect devil cultivators?! Then charged up to the Shadow Moon Sect afterward, slaughtered seven Void Shattering Demon Lords, and beat the Shadow Moon Sect into sealing its mountain?" He looked at the two Supreme Elders with an expression that said, *Are you joking with me?* "Are you serious?" "I know how hard it is to believe. When I received the news, I thought it was completely preposterous too. Suppressing an entire sect single-handedly, comparable to Dao Lord Penglai—an unprecedented feat in a thousand years... But... it is true," Supreme Elder Yuanxing said gravely. Supreme Elder Dongxi looked at Supreme Elder Yuanxing, then at True Monarch Liaochen... How long had they been away from the Heavenly Dao Sect? Merely a few decades. How had the sky above the Heavenly Dao Sect changed so completely all of a sudden? "Slaying seven Void Shattering devil cultivators of the Shadow Moon Sect with his sword... and counting the two previous Demon Lords, Bahuang and Hei'an, nine Demon Lords of the Shadow Moon Sect have now fallen by Yaoguang's hand. Even if Zong Wenxian were to find the Dao Lord's secret vault, that accomplishment could not possibly compare to this," Supreme Elder Yuanxing said. "What's more, True Monarch Jinghong has now returned to the planetary core. Trying to interrogate the location of the secret vault by capturing a God race expert is no longer feasible. In other words, Zong Wenxian has virtually no hope of obtaining the Dao Lord's secret vault." Under such circumstances, whether to stand with Zong Wenxian or with Yaoguang... Did that even require consideration? This was precisely why Yuanxing had called Dongxi away from Zong Wenxian. "How... how could this be possible..." Supreme Elder Dongxi murmured to himself. Reason told him that the two Supreme Elders had no reason to lie to him about this, yet deep down... He still found it hard to believe. Just at that moment, a terrifying aura erupted from the planet where the Heavenly Dao Sect's outpost stood. That aura was saturated with Zong Wenxian's shock and terror. From those fluctuations alone, Supreme Elder Yuanxing and Supreme Elder Liaochen guessed what had happened. Zong Wenxian... knew what had taken place in the Heavenly Dao Sect. The shock of the news was so overwhelming that it caused this peak Void Shattering sect master to completely lose his composure, his emotions pouring forth unchecked. "He's lost control of his emotions," Supreme Elder Liaochen urged. "Let's go. We should put more distance between us so we don't get caught up in it." At once, he and Yuanxing sped away. Sensing the fury and dismay radiating in those spilling emotions, Supreme Elder Dongxi came to his senses as well. "Wait for me!" Calling out in a low voice, he quickly hurried after the two Supreme Elders. ... "Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Inside the formation, Zong Wenxian glared fixedly at the phantom projections of Yuan Miaoyi, Xiang Zhenlong, and the others. The massive shock of the information caused violent turbulence in his emotions. "That Yaoguang... a cultivator who has only cultivated for a hundred years! Reaching the Void Shattering realm would already make him a genius favored by the heavens, so how could he possess such terrifying strength?! Suppressing an entire sect on his own?! How is that possible?!" "Sect Master... we sent scouts to investigate the Shadow Moon Sect more than once, and even activated top-secret sleeper agents. The information we ultimately gathered confirms... it is true. The Shadow Moon Sect has lost seven more Void Shattering Demon Lords and was forced to seal its mountain," Yuan Miaoyi replied. "Indeed, Sect Master. Such a matter... anyone could verify it with a simple inquiry." Xiang Zhenlong asked for guidance: "Sect Master, what should we do next? You should come back quickly... True Monarch Jinghong has already acknowledged Yaoguang, and didn't even hold him accountable for indirectly causing the deaths of True Monarch Buzhou and Supreme Elder Jing Yuntian... And Supreme Elder Gu Li has betrayed us as well, taking his cues entirely from Yaoguang just like Chiyun and Zhen Xuanyuan... If you don't return soon, it... it will..." It will what? Xiang Zhenlong could not bring himself to finish. Because when he thought about it carefully... it seemed Zong Wenxian's return was pointless anyway. What did he have to compete against Yaoguang, who was now at the zenith of his power and renown? In capability, strength, talent, and potential, Yaoguang was more than a cut above Zong Wenxian. Unless Zong Wenxian could immediately achieve Dao Integration and become a Dao Lord to turn the tables, continuing to contest with him would be nothing more than inviting self-humiliation. Yet the difficulty of that... was roughly equivalent to handing him a plain rock and telling him to refine a Dao artifact from it. He couldn't contest. He couldn't contest at all! "Yaoguang!" Zong Wenxian uttered the name. No matter how furious or unwilling he felt, it seemed he had no choice but to accept this reality. For a time, the Heavenly Dao Sect's sect master slumped into a daze, utterly despondent. "Why... why did it turn out like this..."