Return

The vast starry sky knew neither months nor years. At this moment, a luxurious warship resembling a floating fortress cruised through the void. Not only did it possess astonishing traverse capabilities, but each time it leaped across a void node, it crossed a distance of several thousand or even tens of thousands of light-years. At the highest deck of this warship, five figures sat together, talking and laughing casually. The Dao rhyme emanating from them was enough to bring enlightenment to any Void Piercing cultivator who witnessed it. And this Dao rhyme was also sufficient proof of their status—without exception, all five were Dao Lord figures who had successfully achieved Dao Integration. On the middle deck of the warship, Void Shattering cultivators—occasionally joined by one or two in the Void Refining realm—were gathered in small groups, chatting idly and sharing stories of the various sights and wonders they had encountered during their travels. "The starry sky is boundless; truly, any sort of wonder can occur." "This time, we encountered a peculiar civilization. They had entirely transformed themselves into the form of artifact spirits, calling it 'quantum ascension' to achieve a confluence of information. Their strength wasn't half bad—none of us could take them down. In the end, Master had to step in personally, refining their entire civilization into a single artifact spirit, one that is quite useful for calculations and optimization." "We've run into that kind of lifeform before, but it's nothing special. On the other hand, I discovered a civilization that moved numerous massive primal caverns across the cosmos to form a Great Wall of Primal Caverns. It was a magnificent sight. At the time, Master even thought it was an immense gravitational source and wanted to see if there were any cosmic singularity objects inside." "Speaking of the Great Wall of Primal Caverns, that reminds me of an astral spirit. Well, they called themselves plasma lifeforms. This plasma lifeform was astonishingly gifted, directly taking the form of a super blue giant with a mass more than ten thousand times greater than any Azure Blue Golden Core cultivator. It was truly brilliant. If such a creature could embark on the path of the astral spirit system, it would accumulate the foundations for Void Piercing and Void Refining in no time! However, those not of our kind are sure to harbor different intentions. In the end, I was fortunate enough to obtain a pinnacle stellar core from it. Its quality is so exceptional that it would rival any material used to forge a pinnacle Dao artifact." "Material for a pinnacle Dao artifact? That's a harvest worth several billion! Ying Feng, you really got lucky." Over a dozen figures—every one of them a direct disciple of a Dao Lord, with several ranking on the Dao Lord Candidate Board—conversed warmly among themselves. Speaking of pinnacle Dao artifact materials, True Monarch Ying Feng suddenly turned his gaze to a woman in fiery red robes who exuded a sultry, alluring charm. "Nichang, your Heavenly Dao Sect has made quite a name for itself on Beihai Star lately. In particular, that new sect master of yours, Yaoguang, managed to recruit an Artifact Saint to the Heavenly Dao Sect—one qualified to attempt refining pinnacle Dao artifacts. Such craftsmanship is truly the pinnacle of perfection." True Monarch Nichang was not surprised to hear True Monarch Ying Feng say this. The Dao Lords had brought along their closest and most valued disciples to travel the cosmos, but that did not mean they were ignorant of news from Beihai Star. Beihai Star was their true foundation. They paid close attention to developments there. Naturally, Yaoguang, whose fame had surged across Beihai Star recently, had become a household name even to them. "Whether that Artifact Saint can actually forge a pinnacle Dao artifact remains to be seen. It's too early to pass judgment now," True Monarch Nichang said with a smile. "Even setting aside that Artifact Saint, Sect Master Yaoguang himself is quite remarkable. From first making the Dao Lord Candidate Board to charging straight into second place took him a mere few decades..." As he spoke, True Monarch Ying Feng couldn't help glancing at a gentle, refined man. "True Monarch Wusheng, care to share your thoughts?" "Me?" The gentle and refined True Monarch Wusheng chuckled. "What thoughts could I possibly share? I'm merely a thing of the past. With the shifts in ranking, I've already slid to fourth on the Dao Lord Candidate Board. If you truly want someone's opinion... you should ask Tianxiao. Right now, he has the most authority to comment on True Monarch Yaoguang." With this redirection of attention, everyone turned to look at a white-haired man who was perusing a star chart. Seeing this, the man set aside his star chart with a helpless sigh. "Wusheng is being too modest." He said with a smile, "The Dao Lord Candidate Board evaluates cultivators based on individual combat prowess. Wusheng has spent all these years far from Beihai Star. Though he has braved countless perils and undergone trial after trial, his exploits haven't reached Beihai Star at all, so the board naturally hasn't updated to reflect his true strength. But if we are talking about actual power... there shouldn't be any comparison between the two." Having said that, he quickly turned to True Monarch Nichang. "My apologies. I don't mean to look down on True Monarch Yaoguang. I'm merely sharing my personal view on the Dao Lord Candidate Board's rankings..." "Senior Brother Tianxiao, there's no need to explain. I understand," True Monarch Nichang said. "When I left Beihai Star, Senior Brother Jinghong was an invincible existence in my eyes. But looking back now... he seems like nothing more than that. If I were to fight him again, claiming I could defeat him might be arrogant, but fighting him to a draw wouldn't be difficult at all. And yet, isn't my name completely obscure on the Dao Lord Candidate Board?" She added with a light chuckle, "Yaoguang's so-called second place on the Dao Lord Candidate Board is just something for people to gawk at. There's no need to take it seriously." "This Sect Master Yaoguang's ranking should still carry some real weight," True Monarch Wusheng spoke up again. "The reason he could storm his way to second place on the Dao Lord Candidate Board in just a few decades is entirely because he fought and killed his way there with sheer might. I've read his dossier: in mere decades, he successively slew a total of sixteen Shadow Moon Sect demon lords and Light God race God Emperors, truly making him the reincarnation of a calamitous slaughter star, possessed of terrifying renown." "Hearing that actually makes me curious. I hope that after returning to Beihai Star, I can have a bout with this True Monarch Yaoguang to see if his strength truly matches his rank on the Dao Lord Candidate Board," True Monarch Ying Feng couldn't resist saying. He was ranked fourteenth on the Dao Lord Candidate Board himself. Though he had not broken into the top ten... ...he had been traveling and training outside with his master for three thousand years. Three thousand years ago, he had already reached fourteenth place. After three millennia of arduous cultivation... ...he believed his strength was not much inferior to True Monarch Wusheng's. And that meant the current True Monarch Wusheng. Compared to Wusheng when he had first reached third place back then, defeating him would have been more than easy. Now that his cultivation had borne fruit, he wanted nothing more than to make a display of himself on Beihai Star and spread his name across the realm, accumulating confidence and karmic luck for his attempt at Dao Integration when the great era of the Dao Contention arrived. This Yaoguang, who had made the board and reached second place in just a few decades, was clearly the finest stepping stone to make his name. "The Dao Lord Candidate Board is a joke in the millennium leading up to a new Dao Contention. Which truly powerful cultivator, which genius True Monarch with real hopes of attempting Dao Lord, isn't out traversing the cosmos alongside their Dao Lord master? When the tiger is away from the mountain, the monkey crowns itself king... But with our return, this board will surely regain its weight." Another True Monarch spoke up. This was True Monarch Jingmo, a direct disciple of Dao Lord Danding of the Baicao Sect, one of the Ten Immortal Sects. Before leaving Beihai Star, he had also held a spot on the Dao Lord Candidate Board, though ranked lower at thirty-first. By speaking out now, he clearly shared the same ambition as True Monarch Ying Feng, intending to carve out his own fame upon Beihai Star. Not only him—several others in the group who were also listed on the Dao Lord Candidate Board, or who believed their cultivation had soared since departing Beihai Star, chimed in with agreement. "I'd also like to see what this young talent is capable of." "Second on the Dao Lord Candidate Board... isn't a seat just anyone is qualified to take." "Indeed. While Yaoguang's battle record sounds impressive, which of the opponents he killed is actually worth mentioning? The only notable one, Yinghuo, is the sort of useless wretch that falls apart the moment he leaves his earthly divine kingdom. Given that situation, I could have accomplished the exact same feat." These True Monarchs critiqued him as if no one else were listening. Yet not a single one spoke of challenging the two True Monarchs, Tianxiao or Wusheng. People always pick the softest persimmons to squeeze. Tianxiao and Wusheng had been renowned for years. Until they could figure out what methods and hidden trumps the two possessed, none of them intended to challenge them rashly. 'Attempting Dao Integration requires unstoppable momentum and an invincible determination and conviction. If one can reach the Dao Lord Candidate Board—especially the top ten, or even top three—it indisputably proves that one is among the most exceptional True Monarchs under heaven... That was the very purpose of establishing the Dao Lord Candidate Board...' True Monarch Wusheng mused inwardly. Then he gave a slight shake of his head. Those truly confident and peerless had already surpassed the level of the Dao Lord Candidate Board, having nurtured genuine, invincible momentum. Take True Monarch Tianxiao. Wusheng had directed the conversation toward him not out of belief that Tianxiao was merely stronger, but because in his eyes... ...the so-called Dao Lord Candidate Board had long lost all meaning to him. He was a truly invincible True Monarch! Invincible in Void Shattering! He had no need to explain himself to anyone, nor did he need anyone to validate him. "Since so many of you wish to exchange pointers with Yaoguang, I happen to have some news," True Monarch Nichang said at this moment, seemingly eager to watch the drama unfold. "When we arrive at Beihai Star, Yaoguang will lead a contingent to welcome my master's return in person. When that time comes... you might want to seize the opportunity." "Oh? Such a fine opportunity exists?" "That's wonderful! In the extraterrestrial starry sky, we can fight without holding back." "Haha, I'll be the first to step forward then. Nobody fight me for it!" One by one, the True Monarchs chimed in with excitement. Listening to their talk, True Monarch Nichang glanced out the window. That Yaoguang... His prestige within the Heavenly Dao Sect was far too high, and he acted far too recklessly—he had even dared to murder Senior Brother Buzhou... Though Senior Brother Buzhou's actions in recent years had made him unlikable, he was still her senior brother. When she had first joined the sect, Senior Brother Buzhou had taken good care of her. Given his status as a direct disciple of a Dao Lord, if he were to be executed, it should have been Master himself who cleansed the sect. Yaoguang? What right did he have to overstep his authority? What qualification did he possess? It was high time for these people to take him down a peg, to make him understand that there are always people beyond people and heavens beyond heavens, lest he continue to do as he pleased in the Heavenly Dao Sect.