Sect Master

"Er..." Hearing Yaoguang's blunt inquiry, the gazes of Zhen Xuanyuan and the others immediately fell upon the Supreme Elders Dongxi, Yuanxing, and the rest. The several of them exchanged looks, and Supreme Elder Dongxi stepped forward, saying, "Sect Master, Zong Wenxian claimed he must continue investigating the secret treasury of the Light God race's Dao Lord and has no time to return. Furthermore, he said the Heavenly Dao Sect needs someone to oversee the extraterrestrial starry sky to ensure nothing goes amiss. Therefore, he will be lingering in the starry sky for a very long time to come. During this period, the Heavenly Dao Sect cannot remain without a leader. Hence... he is willing to step back behind the scenes and become a Supreme Elder, while the position of Sect Master will be succeeded by an apex Void Shattering cultivator with greater capability and qualification, such as yourself, Sect Master Yaoguang." "Oh?" Hearing Dongxi's words, Yaoguang was somewhat surprised. Yet immediately after, he found it completely reasonable. Zong Wenxian... did not dare to return. Having repeatedly targeted the development of the Southern Domain and suppressed Yaoguang as deputy sect master, deep grudges had already formed between the two. Now, realizing that Yaoguang's momentum was fully established, that he had soared into the sky and could no longer be held down, Zong Wenxian had no choice but to surrender the seat of Sect Master. He himself... naturally had to hide far away, not daring to step foot in the Heavenly Dao Sect again. Lest he follow in the footsteps of the two Void Shattering True Monarchs, Jing Yuntian and Buzhou. "In addition, during his continuous journeys through the extraterrestrial starry sky, Supreme Elder Zong has also reaped considerable gains. One of these gains he specifically entrusted me to deliver to you, Sect Master Yaoguang, as a congratulatory gift for assuming the role of Heavenly Dao Sect's Sect Master." Dongxi stepped forward, presenting a storage treasure that still bore a divine thought seal. "Due to unusual movements from the Light God race, Supreme Elder Zong stated that the situation in the extraterrestrial starry sky is turbulent, making him unable to personally attend your succession ceremony. He asks for your forgiveness..." "He certainly knows how to read the room," Yaoguang remarked. Without ceremony, he accepted the storage treasure. Sweeping his divine thought over it, a look of surprise couldn't help but surface in his eyes. Inside... was actually a set of materials for forging a pinnacle Dao artifact. Even among materials for pinnacle Dao artifacts, these were top-tier. If handled by an eighteenth- or even seventeenth-rank artifact refiner, they could even be used as auxiliary materials for forging an immortal artifact. In terms of value, even if it fell short of ten billion, it was likely not far off. If calculated by the premium value Yaoguang was about to offer in purchasing treasures, it might even cost twenty billion. For Sect Master Zong to offer up such a gift... could it be considered "money to buy his life"? Only... "Ever since Zong Wenxian became Sect Master thousands of years ago, who knows how many geniuses in our Heavenly Dao Sect were suppressed by him and faded into mediocrity—such as Shen Junyan, Jiang Guike, Chu Gushan, Qin Shiyue, and more. Other talents, unwilling to endure humiliation and choosing to fight to the end, died with lingering grievances under his suppression. Such transgressions can never be wiped clean with a casual wave of the hand." Yaoguang spoke calmly, but his words sent a sudden jolt through the hearts of Dongxi, Yuanxing, Gu Li, and the others. Even Zhen Xuanyuan, Chiyun, and True Monarch Liaochen felt their scalps tingle. How long had it been since Yaoguang attained Void Shattering? In merely several decades, he had successively slain two Supreme Elders, Jing Yuntian and Buzhou. Countless Void Refining and Void Piercing cultivators—and even disciples who had not yet reached Void Piercing—had been implicated because of it. They... truly did not wish to see the Heavenly Dao Sect plunged into further turmoil. As for Zong Wenxian suppressing those deputy sect masters... that in itself was the Heavenly Dao Sect's internal system of operation. Therefore, hearing Yaoguang speak as though he intended to ruthlessly eradicate Zong Wenxian, the Supreme Elders all furrowed their brows, sighing inwardly. Whenever a new sect master took office, purging the previous sect master's remnant faction... was practically standard procedure. Yaoguang's approach... at most, was simply showing no mercy and driving things to an absolute extreme. ... As Yaoguang spoke these words, he paid close attention to the reactions of the Supreme Elders. No one stood forward to object... Truth be told, that surprised him a bit. After all, once he set the precedent of executing a former sect master and let such a trend take root... from then on, sitting sect masters would suppress any deputy sect master qualified to challenge them even more ruthlessly and unscrupulously, ultimately crossing every boundary. Since things had come to this... "Sect Master, in my personal opinion... it might be better to treat the previous sect master according to our sect's historical traditions," Supreme Elder Chiyun spoke up at this moment, bracing himself. "Oh?" Yaoguang's gaze fell upon this Supreme Elder. "Why? If I'm not mistaken, your interests and Zong Wenxian's do not align." "It is merely a suggestion... If Sect Master feels it is improper, just pretend I never brought it up..." Supreme Elder Chiyun quickly waved his hands. Yaoguang's terrifying reputation of single-handedly suppressing a sect and annihilating the seven Void Shattering cultivators of the Shadow Moon Sect was fresh before their eyes. For Chiyun to speak such words at this juncture was already quite conscientious. After all... this was Beihai Star, where the weak were prey to the strong and the mighty reigned supreme. How many people truly cared to play by the rules? Hearing this, Yaoguang gave a faint smile. "Since Supreme Elder Chiyun has spoken..." His gaze swept across the Supreme Elders present. "Zong Wenxian's faults naturally cannot be lightly brushed aside. However, considering that he has presided over the Heavenly Dao Sect for all these years—even without grand merit, he has toiled hard—and since he volunteered to oversee the extraterrestrial starry sky, we shall grant his wish. Let him oversee the starry sky for a thousand years." A thousand years later... He would definitely have become a Dao Lord. Perhaps he might have already entered the Immortal Realm alongside Dao Lord Penglai. Even if Zong Wenxian wanted to return then, Yaoguang wouldn't care. Hearing Yaoguang's words, Zhen Xuanyuan, Chiyun, Liaochen, Dongxi, and the other Supreme Elders breathed a slight sigh of relief, cupping their hands in unison. "Sect Master is wise." "Undoubtedly, once Supreme Elder Zong learns of this, he will be deeply grateful for Sect Master Yaoguang's magnanimity." "Sect Master Yaoguang is truly righteous!" Several spoke at once. They all understood in their hearts that Yaoguang was showing mercy to Zong Wenxian for the sake of the Heavenly Dao Sect's future institutional development and to uphold the proper values of morality and ethics. He fully deserved the praise of "righteousness." "We shall immediately make arrangements for the Sect Master's succession ceremony," Zhen Xuanyuan took the initiative to request instructions. "Go ahead," Yaoguang said, then added, "While delivering invitations for this succession ceremony, announce another piece of news to spread across all sects." He smiled as he explained, "At the commission of Dao Lord Penglai of the Penglai Immortal Sect, my Nandu will, effective immediately, attempt to forge a pinnacle Dao artifact. As certain materials are still lacking, we are purchasing pinnacle Dao artifact materials from the Ten Immortal Sects, the Three Immortal Martial Sects, the Four Great Immortal Dynasties, and the Six Buddhist Temples. Materials aligned with the Grand Dao of the Void and the Grand Dao of Origin will be prioritized. Depending on the material quality, we will offer a premium of up to one hundred percent!" The moment these words left his mouth, Zhen Xuanyuan, Chiyun, Liaochen, Dongxi, Yuanxing, Gu Li, and the other Supreme Elders all froze. Immediately afterward, their eyes widened one after another. "A pinnacle Dao artifact!?" "Sect Master... you mean the Artifact Saint behind you... that Nandu is going to forge a pinnacle Dao artifact!?" "Th-This... how is that possible!?" Decades ago, Yaoguang's Nandu had already been accepting commissions to custom-craft Dao artifacts for others. Over the years, several Dao artifacts had indeed been delivered one after another. Although those several Dao artifacts appeared to have been modified from spoils of war, being able to modify Dao artifacts so they perfectly aligned with the client's specifications was itself proof enough of that Artifact Saint's craftsmanship. Therefore, regarding the presence of an Artifact Saint behind the Southern Domain, the Heavenly Dao Sect—and indeed many human factions—had never doubted it. However... Custom-crafting a Dao artifact was one thing; custom-crafting a pinnacle Dao artifact was another matter entirely. On Beihai Star, those who possessed high-grade Dao artifacts were basically figures at the level of the Dao Lord Candidate List, masters of apex factions, or cherished direct disciples of Dao Lords. Someone like Zhen Xuanyuan who could produce a high-grade Dao artifact despite lacking a Dao Lord's direct legacy was entirely due to an immense stroke of serendipity and could only be treated as an isolated case. If that was true for high-grade Dao artifacts, how much more so for pinnacle Dao artifacts? Those were existences capable of significantly boosting even a Dao Lord's combat prowess. And now... The Artifact Saint behind Nandu was actually going to attempt forging a pinnacle Dao artifact... How could this be possible!? "Sect Master Yaoguang, is... is this news true!?" Zhen Xuanyuan couldn't help but ask again. Immediately afterward, thinking of something, he hurriedly added, "I do not mean to doubt you, Sect Master Yaoguang, but... it's a pinnacle Dao artifact! How could someone who is not a Dao Lord... possibly forge a pinnacle Dao artifact!?" "It is merely an attempt," Yaoguang stated. "You should know that less than a thousand years remain before the Gate of the Immortal Realm opens. When the time comes, a battle of Daos among the Dao Lords will inevitably erupt. Under such circumstances, every Dao Lord must make full preparations, and even Dao Lord Penglai, acclaimed as the foremost on Beihai Star, is no exception. Furthermore, from Tianhai... ah, she happened to obtain an invaluable immortal artifact material. If she can acquire other top-tier materials or even immortal artifact materials to pile onto a Dao artifact... it might not be impossible to forcefully elevate a Dao artifact that would otherwise only reach high-grade into a pinnacle Dao artifact." Saying this, he smiled. "Therefore, having accepted the commission during this period, I need to purchase even more materials for pinnacle Dao artifacts and even immortal artifacts... As for Pure Yang Great Pills and Void Dao Pills, neither will be an issue; Dao Lord Penglai provided me with considerable funding." "Forging a pinnacle Dao artifact through piling on materials..." Hearing this, Zhen Xuanyuan felt a bit more convinced. In this world, many of the pinnacle Dao artifacts in the hands of Dao Lords were forged precisely this way. Dao Lords possessed vast lifespans. If they spent tens of thousands of years studying artifact forging and were fortunate enough to obtain a main material suitable for an immortal artifact, they could essentially forge a pinnacle Dao artifact on their own. However... Even a pinnacle Dao artifact would only enhance a Dao Lord's combat prowess by ten to twenty percent. Thus, not every Dao Lord chose to waste tens of thousands of years on artifact forging. They preferred to seize every passing moment to diligently cultivate Dao arts or roam the extraterrestrial starry sky in search of opportunities. It was precisely due to these differing choices that Dao Lords in possession of pinnacle Dao artifacts were so few. "I shall spread this news right away..." Zhen Xuanyuan said, pausing slightly. "However, it would be best if the Penglai Immortal Sect also cooperated... If we could ask that Dao Lord to make a statement as well, that would be ideal. Otherwise... I fear there might be complications." "Rest assured, Dao Lord Penglai will announce this news shortly," Yaoguang said, pondering briefly. "As for this news... I will also inform Dao Lord Juntian." With that, he glanced at Zhen Xuanyuan. "I now have the authority to communicate directly with Dao Lord Juntian, do I not?" "Of course," Zhen Xuanyuan nodded slightly. "You may now receive the Sect Master's Seal through Venerable Golden Book and take charge of all Heavenly Dao Sect organs, including the highest-grade communication formation."