At the Taiyi Immortal Sect.
Upon receiving the news, True Monarch Taiyuan sighed with emotion.
"This Dao Lord is as sharp and aggressive as ever."
"Earlier, she was already capable of beating the Tianhai Sword Pavilion into sealing their mountain and sending Demon Saint Yulin fleeing in all directions. Now that so much time has passed, it is only natural that her cultivation would progress further and step into a brand-new domain."
Supreme Elder Yuhuang said, "I simply didn't expect that Dao Lord Yuanxu would actually bully the weak like that, attacking Yaoguang directly..."
"Isn't bullying the weak completely normal for Yuanxu? And not just Yuanxu—Kongming, Jimie, Wujin—which of them isn't a lunatic? Dao Lord Jimie in particular. Twenty thousand years ago, it is said he intended to slaughter every single Void Shattering cultivator walking the path of the Void across the entirety of Beihai Star. If Dao Lord Taiqing hadn't stepped forward to stop him, the two Void Dao Lords who broke through afterward would never have existed," True Monarch Taiyuan said calmly.
"Kongming, Jimie, Wujin..."
Hearing his sect master mention the names of these Dao Lords, Supreme Elder Yuhuang felt his scalp tingle with dread.
There were simply too many Dao Lords on the path of the Void.
Every time the Gate of the Immortal Realm opened, among the Dao Lords arriving from across the world, those of the Void accounted for perhaps thirty to forty percent.
Yet there was only a single vacancy for the Grand Dao of the Void.
From this, one could imagine how cutthroat the competition among the Dao Lords of the Void had become.
When ordinary mortals were subjected to immense pressure and driven to collapse, they were prone to extreme behavior.
How much more so for mighty Dao Lords, each embodying boundless, terrifying power?
"Dao Lord Yuanxu was considered one of the more notoriously ferocious figures among Dao Lords. Now that this ancient Dao Lord has been directly slain by Dao Lord Penglai... hopefully it can deter those Dao Lords who commit atrocities across Beihai Star during every Dao Contention."
As Supreme Elder Yuhuang spoke, he couldn't help sighing. "There is still no sign of the Gate of the Immortal Realm opening. The Dao Contention hasn't even begun, yet a Dao Lord has already fallen ahead of time. Truly... an ominous omen."
"Dao Lord Yuanxu was, after all, an ancient Dao Lord who had lived for a hundred and twenty thousand years. The endless passage of time eroded his mind, leaving his thoughts and divine sense far less agile than they once were. Like an ancient machine, no matter how advanced it originally was, it develops all sorts of problems when ground down by the years. Therefore, even though such a Dao Lord has fallen, I'm afraid it won't deter the other Dao Lords very much..."
True Monarch Taiyuan looked up, gazing at his sect's protective grand formation. "However, our Dao Lord will be returning soon. With our Taiyi Immortal Sect's grand formation, coupled with the mutual defense pact signed with the Heavenly Dao Sect, weathering this Dao Contention shouldn't be too difficult."
Supreme Elder Yuhuang nodded, but a lingering shadow of worry remained on his face.
To those pinnacle figures of the Void Shattering realm who ranked on the Dao Lord Candidate List, the coming of the Dao Contention was both a danger and an opportunity.
Yet for ordinary Void Shattering cultivators...
This period was bound to be a torment.
Take Supreme Elder Yuhuang himself: right now, he was already considering whether he should apply for a posting stationed somewhere out in the starry skies beyond.
"By the way, a true disciple of the Heavenly Dao Sect has advanced to Void Piercing, and they will soon be holding a Void Piercing Grand Ceremony... Do you want to send someone over to attend?" True Monarch Taiyuan asked at this moment.
Supreme Elder Yuhuang couldn't help feeling speechless. "It's merely a true disciple advancing to Void Piercing. Wouldn't it suffice to just have the department in charge of protocol send an elder to show courtesy? Do we really need to..."
"This newly advanced Void Piercing cultivator is Su Yaoxue, Sect Master Yaoguang's sister," True Monarch Taiyuan said, adding, "His blood sister."
"..."
Supreme Elder Yuhuang's half-spoken words cut off abruptly.
"I plan to have Chaoyang represent me. If you don't intend to go..."
"I'll make arrangements right away."
***
The fall of a Dao Lord prevented Beihai Star from settling down for a long time to come.
When even Void Shattering cultivators like Supreme Elder Yuhuang—backed by one of the top ten immortal sects and protected by a rank-fifteen mountain-protecting grand formation—were considering avoiding the brunt of the storm, one could easily imagine how it affected those in the Void Refining and Void Piercing realms.
Over the ensuing period, noticeable numbers of Void Refining and Void Piercing cultivators led their core clansmen away from Beihai Star.
Some returned to their ancestral lands of origin, while others sought out secluded planets or realms, intending to hide away for one or two millennia and return only after Beihai Star regained its calm.
In the past, such a mass exodus would occur at least several centuries later, but this time, it happened prematurely due to the fall of Dao Lord Yuanxu.
For figures of a Dao Lord's caliber, any move could stir ripples that swept across all of Beihai Star.
Much less the death of one?
Yet while the outside world was abuzz over the death of Dao Lord Yuanxu, inside the Heavenly Dao Sect, business went on as usual.
Such as Su Yaoxue's Void Piercing Grand Ceremony.
Void Piercing cultivators counted as experts in any top force across Beihai Star.
The emergence of a Void Piercing cultivator indeed drew notice, and holding a grand ceremony was perfectly reasonable.
However, usually only friendly factions would send representatives to offer congratulations.
Those truly taking part in the celebrations were mostly the various factions within the sect to which that Void Piercing cultivator belonged.
Yet this time, Su Yaoxue's grand advancement ceremony was clearly different.
The presiding host was none other than the Sect Master of the Heavenly Dao Sect, who had recently "joined forces" with Dao Lord Penglai to slay a Void Dao Lord.
With such an immense figure hosting the ceremony, which force would dare to be remiss?
Yet the center of the ceremony was merely a Void Piercing junior...
For a time, the leaders of every top force wracked their brains trying to decide who was appropriate to attend.
Nevertheless, as the ceremony drew near, representatives from each power arrived in succession.
Wherever one looked, they were either young sect masters, deputy sect masters, or Void Piercing direct disciples capable of inheriting their sect master's mantle. At the very least, they were the most cherished scions of some supreme elder.
The weakest among them was at the Void Piercing realm, and there was no shortage of Void Refining experts. Moreover, the number of forces attending was unprecedented.
The other nine of the Ten Immortal Sects, the Three Immortal Martial Sects, and the Four Great Celestial Dynasties—not a single faction was absent.
Even the Six Buddhist Temples, who rarely ventured out, were no exception.
A single Void Piercing advancement ceremony was held on a scale grander than the succession of a deputy sect master.
It could even rival the imperial coronation of the Four Great Celestial Dynasties.
A person's fame is like the shadow of a tree.
The cultivation world was no exception.
It was also during this ceremony that everyone truly realized Yaoguang's influence across Beihai Star.
To say he was the most influential figure on Beihai Star below the Dao Lords—no person or force would ever doubt it again.
***
The ceremony lasted for nearly half a month before dispersing.
Everyone of the Nine Cauldrons Sect lineage had made a tremendous showing before all the powers of Beihai Star.
Many secretly urged themselves to attain Void Piercing as soon as possible.
They did not expect to be like Su Yaoxue, with Yaoguang personally hosting their ceremony, but who wouldn't want to experience that feeling of dazzling glory?
Especially since...
the time was almost ripe.
Over the coming period, the Nine Cauldrons Sect lineage was indeed about to usher in an explosive era for its new generation.
It was foreseeable that within a century, the Nine Cauldrons Sect would inevitably become a formidable force within the Heavenly Dao Sect.
***
While the Deep Blue Golden Cores of the Nine Cauldrons Sect competed like a hundred boats vying against the current, Yaoguang, having returned to Tianqi Valley, was occupied beyond measure.
Before long, Dao Lord Penglai, summoned by Yaoguang to serve as a tool, became just as busy.
This bout of labor lasted for over a decade.
Throughout those ten-plus years, the two scarcely had a moment to catch their breath, pouring all their time and energy into forging the Human Emperor Sword and the Endless Tower.
Fortunately, hard work paid off.
After twenty years of continuous tempering, both the Human Emperor Sword and the Endless Tower successfully completed their transformations.
Accompanied by an intense Dao rhythm that constantly spilled outward in all directions—only to be contained by Tianqi Valley's reinforced formations—two pinnacle Dao artifacts shot into the sky simultaneously.
With a wave of her hand, the Human Emperor Sword descended into Dao Lord Penglai's grip.
Yaoguang vaulted up as well, seizing the Endless Tower as it surged toward the clouds.
"It's finished," Yaoguang said.
"Truly splendid."
Holding the Human Emperor Sword, Dao Lord Penglai flicked a finger against it, and invisible Dao rhythms rippled outward.
In the next moment, the power of the Source Grand Dao continually washed through it, turning this pinnacle Dao artifact fluid like water as it merged into her body.
Upon fusing with this pinnacle Dao artifact, her mastery over the Source Grand Dao noticeably increased by more than ten percent.
"Congratulations, Dao Lord, on finally acquiring a handy pinnacle Dao artifact," Yaoguang smiled.
"Are you fishing for praise?" Dao Lord Penglai said with an amused smile.
She pointed into the air, letting a trace of source power diffuse out.
After sensing it for a moment, she sighed with some regret. "While a pinnacle Dao artifact does enhance combat strength, it is hardly instantaneous after all. If only it were a semi-immortal artifact, or even a true immortal artifact. If I had a semi-immortal artifact like the Golden Book of the Grand Dao, I could charge right into the Nine Demon Immortal Lineages right now and butcher Demon Saint Yulin for causing non-stop trouble."
"Once I advance to Dao Integration, I will give it a try for you, Dao Lord. I cannot guarantee an immortal artifact, but as for a semi-immortal artifact... as long as you provide the materials, crafting one shouldn't be an issue," Yaoguang replied.
"Yet materials are not so easily gathered," Dao Lord Penglai said, glancing at the Endless Tower in Yaoguang's hand. "How can the foundation of our Penglai Immortal Sect compare to those top sects? The materials I acquired over all these years were all poured into the Human Emperor Sword and that Dao artifact of yours."
"If not a semi-immortal artifact, we can still try crafting another pinnacle Dao artifact," Yaoguang smiled and said. "There are quite a few related materials left over. If you are willing, Dao Lord, I can forge another Dao artifact for you."
"Oh?"
Dao Lord Penglai looked at Yaoguang, sizing him up. "Taking the initiative to help me forge a pinnacle Dao artifact? What are you after?"
"I would like to ask a favor of you, Dao Lord."
Yaoguang did not beat around the bush and said frankly, "I have heard that the material used in Dao Lord Wujin's pinnacle Dao artifact, the Sky Forbidden Tower, is Spirit Rhyme Mystic Crystal. Incorporating this mystic crystal into any Void-attributed material can elevate its quality to that of an immortal artifact material. If it is already an immortal artifact material, it can elevate its quality even further..."
"The Sky Forbidden Tower is Dao Lord Wujin's treasure. If you want to seize the Sky Forbidden Tower to dismantle the Spirit Rhyme Mystic Crystal from it, you might as well just say you want Dao Lord Wujin's old life."
Dao Lord Penglai laughed.
"You are right."
Yaoguang cupped his hands, his expression solemn. "If possible, I hope to borrow your strength, Dao Lord, to ambush and slay Dao Lord Wujin."
Chapter 458