Trifles

The Nine Cauldrons Sect. At this moment, this faction hailing from the Cangwu Great World—or rather, the Jiuding Great World—had completely entrenched itself in the lands of the Southern Domain. Moreover, because the Southern Domain had annexed vast swathes of territory from the Shadow Moon Sect over the years with the aid of True Monarch Xujin and other Void Shattering cultivators, the entire Southern Domain was now nearly two-thirds the size of the Heavenly Dao Sect. If it broke away, establishing itself as an independent top sect would pose no problem whatsoever. Of course, as the current sect master of the Heavenly Dao Sect, Yaoguang naturally would not undermine his own sect. Even if he truly wanted to make the Nine Cauldrons Sect the eleventh sect of the Immortal Dao, he would wait until he had completely slain Demon Venerable Black Moon and conquered the Shadow Moon Sect, giving birth to a brand-new Nine Cauldrons Sect upon the ruins of their territory. As for right now... Maintaining the current state of affairs was by no means a bad thing. At this moment, whether as sect master of the Heavenly Dao Sect, the catalyst behind the Nine Cauldrons Sect's tremendous transformation, the foremost genius of Beihai Star who had surpassed Dao Lord Penglai, or the second-ranked on the Dao Lord Candidate List... Any single one of Yaoguang's titles was enough to fill everyone in the Nine Cauldrons Sect and the Southern Domain with joy and exhilaration. Thus, upon learning that Yaoguang had returned to Nandu, everyone across Nandu—including all members of the Nine Cauldrons Sect—rushed over from every corner of the Southern Domain. Scanning the gathering, Yaoguang saw dozens of Void Piercing powerhouses. There were even several in the Void Refining realm. Most of these Void Piercing and Void Refining cultivators were leaders of local Southern Domain factions, though several Void Piercing cultivators from the Heavenly Dao Sect were present as well. Yaoguang's gaze lingered primarily on the Void Refining cultivators. Beyond Wu Changfeng, Ling Ruogu and Mo Xie had unexpectedly broken through to the Void Refining realm as well. "Sect Master." Sensing Yaoguang's gaze, they immediately stepped forward to salute and pay their respects. "Not bad. You two truly surprised me," Yaoguang praised them. Ling Ruogu said modestly, "To tell the truth, it is quite embarrassing. If not for the stroke of luck that allowed me to obtain a Spirit Transforming Dao Pill from a treasury belonging to the Shadow Moon Sect, I might not have reached the Void Refining stage. Peak Master Mo Xie, on the other hand, truly fought tooth and nail for every bit of growth." "That I have lived to see the day the Shadow Moon Sect is on the verge of ruin is all thanks to your support, Sect Master," Mo Xie said with a smile. Yaoguang was reminded of the key Southern Domain reports Su Yaoyu would send him from time to time. Among those reports was mention of True Monarch Mo Xie. This Void Piercing cultivator had harbored a blood feud against the Shadow Moon Sect, never once wavering in his desire to exterminate every single one of them. Previously, when the Southern Domain was weak, he had been forced onto the defensive, doing whatever he could to preserve a single province. But as the Southern Domain rose and launched its counteroffensive against the Shadow Moon Sect, this Void Piercing cultivator had cast caution to the wind, throwing himself fearlessly onto the front lines of the campaign. After surviving brush after brush with death, he miraculously broke through his limits and stepped into the Void Refining realm. It could only be said that when a man had no fear of death, nothing could stop him. Provided... he survived. "Cultivate well. If the day comes when we wipe out the Shadow Moon Sect, its headquarters and surrounding lands will become a new domain, and I will place you in charge of guarding it," Yaoguang promised. For a Void Refining cultivator who hated the Shadow Moon Sect to his very marrow, this was surely the greatest commendation possible. "Thank you, Sect Master!" Light flashed in Mo Xie's eyes. "I will not let you down!" Yaoguang nodded. Next, he met with the Nine Cauldrons Sect's Void Piercing cultivators one by one. Many among them were familiar faces. Naturally, in addition to the Void Piercing cultivators, many Golden Cores gathered for the subsequent meeting. Figures such as Xu Qiexing, Liang Qiu, Wu Qingying, Qiangwei, and Dong Liushui were present. Though they had not yet broken through to the Void Piercing realm, none of them were very old. They had only been cultivating for three or four hundred years. With two or three centuries—or even three or four centuries for some—remaining before the optimal age of six hundred to attempt breaking through to the Void Piercing realm, and given the staggering influx of wealth and resources currently pouring into Nandu, they would undoubtedly have opportunities to make the attempt in the future. As for whether they would succeed... that would depend on their own potential and fortune. ... "It is hard to imagine our Nine Cauldrons Sect could ever see such flourishing prosperity on Beihai Star," Li Hanqiu said with a sigh. "I still remember when we first arrived here. Aside from myself—a Void Piercing Battle Immortal—and you, Sect Master Yaoguang, the entire Nine Cauldrons Sect could not even field a single Sky Fire realm cultivator. Many could only live within the confines of formations, unable to touch the true world of Beihai Star." Li Hanqiu looked down at the many talents of the Nine Cauldrons Sect gathered together below... There were more than five Void Piercing cultivators. And there was Su Yaoxue in the Void Refining realm. Such a lineup... Even without counting Yaoguang, sect master of the Heavenly Dao Sect, made them an undeniable pillar of strength among the sects of Beihai Star. "Speaking of the past... back in the Cangwu Great World, the Nine Cauldrons Sect was merely a medium-to-large faction among many," Yaoguang said. "Yet now, the other factions have all been washed away in the river of time, leaving only our Nine Cauldrons Sect flourishing and enduring." Li Hanqiu nodded slightly, sighing with emotion. "Those rivals who once competed with us in the Cangwu Realm... have all vanished like smoke..." As early as thirty years ago, a succession of Battle Immortals—including Gelin, Xie Xiong, and Li An—had passed away one after another, unable to stabilize their primal cavern states. Though the Cangwu Lineage had subsequently nurtured four Deep Blue Golden Cores, the two disciples who reached the peak of the Deep Blue Golden Core realm had both failed in their breakthrough attempts. The remaining two... were clearly unable to uphold the prestige of the Cangwu Lineage in the Taiyi Immortal Sect. Even though the Taiyi Immortal Sect had not disbanded the Cangwu Lineage out of respect for Yaoguang, Wan Liugui, and others, the resources allocated to them had already been meager. The arrival of numerous cultivators from the Cangwu Great World only made matters worse, forcing many to find ways to obtain cultivation resources on their own. Once they stepped outside the safe haven of the Taiyi Immortal Sect... the Golden Core Battle Immortals of the Cangwu Realm immediately felt the hostility Beihai Star harbored toward all outsiders. It was said that within a mere decade, half of those like Feng Ao, Qiao An, and Miller had died. The surviving half cowered trembling within the Taiyi Immortal Sect, never daring to step outside again. Later, unable to obtain sufficient resources to sustain their Golden Core states, some had no choice but to venture out once more, vanishing without a trace, while others suffered collapsed Golden Cores and perished within the Taiyi Immortal Sect. "Seeing how rapidly we developed and grew on Beihai Star, they assumed they could do the same. Little did they know that without the guidance and support of an unfathomable prodigy like Sect Master Yaoguang, we might not have even made it out of Yun Prefecture," Li Qingshan said bluntly from the side. "We gave them a choice back then, but they squandered it. They have only themselves to blame for ending up like this." "A group of Golden Cores who have not even reached the Void Piercing realm—and Battle Immortal Golden Cores at that—are not worth concerning ourselves over," Yaoguang said calmly. "What is done is done; we should look forward." He glanced at Li Qingshan. "I believe that through the joint efforts of you all and Yaoxue, the Nine Cauldrons Sect will only continue to thrive." Li Qingshan nodded heavily. At that moment, Chi Yu arrived with a group of juniors to pay respects to Yaoguang. Yaoguang conversed with him for a while. For this head of the Chi family, who had thrown in his lot with Yaoguang long ago and followed him to carve out a foothold in the Southern Domain, Yaoguang naturally would not simply dismiss him with a nod as he might with other Void Piercing cultivators. Watching Yaoguang from the side, Li Qingshan remarked with heartfelt emotion, "How fortunate our Nine Cauldrons Sect is to have produced a peerless prodigy like Sect Master Yaoguang." Li Hanqiu chuckled as well. "What I rejoice in most now is that when Yunxiao City was attacked all those years ago, I struck without hesitation to destroy the Wuji Star Palace's sky-patrolling warship, preserving the Zixiao Institute and Yunxiao City!" With that, he nodded firmly. "It was worth it." Recalling the scene from that day, Li Qingshan chuckled along. "Yes, entirely worth it." ... After meeting with representatives of the various factions across the Southern Domain, Yaoguang shared a meal in the Domain Lord's Manor with Su Yaoyu, Su Yaoxue, Su Yaoshuang, Su Yaoqin, and the others. It was a private family dinner with no outside guests. During this dinner... Yaoguang treated Su Yaoyu, Su Yaoshuang, and Su Yaoqin—none of whom had yet reached the Void Piercing realm—with equal warmth, giving them no special favors. In fact, because Su Yaoshuang and Su Yaoqin possessed mediocre talent and had not been chosen as seeds for the new batch of core cultivation, the resources they received could not compare to those of core members. At most, Su Yaoyu, holding a high position, shared a portion of her regular stipend and supplies with them, allowing both to cultivate up to the Incandescent White Golden Core realm. Yet... Su Yaoxue glanced at her eldest sister, Su Yaoyu, whose face beamed with smiles and contentment at the sight before her, and then at the Dao Enlightenment Spirit Fruits, Boundless Water, Blood Crystal Grass, and other rare delicacies served at this family banquet... Even if both Incandescent White Golden Core cultivators were sold a hundred times over, the Pure Yang Great Pills obtained would not equal a tenth of what this single meal's ingredients were worth. ... This time, Yaoguang stayed in Nandu for several months. He even specifically had Su Yaoyu set aside her various responsibilities so he could find time to guide her cultivation. His realm was so elevated that even genuine Dao Lords could hardly compare to him; at most, the resonance with the Great Dao he elicited during his explanations was not as pronounced as that of a true Dao Lord. Yet in terms of teaching effectiveness... he was likely scarcely inferior to a real Dao Lord. As time passed, the date of Dao Lord Juntian and the others' return to Beihai Star drew nearer, forcing Yaoguang to conclude his Southern Domain stay and return to the Heavenly Dao Sect. By the time he returned, Zhen Xuanyuan had already arranged everything concerning the welcoming ceremony. He did not need to trouble himself with any of the trivial details. Wasting no time, Yaoguang boarded the ceremonial warship and waved a hand. "The Dao Lord will arrive in extraterrestrial space in one hour. The other factions have already set out ahead of us. Without further delay, let us depart to welcome the Dao Lord back." Zhen Xuanyuan nodded. "As the Sect Master commands." At once, the ceremonial warship ascended into the air, swiftly passing beyond the Heavenly Dao Sect's grand protective array and leaving the sect's outer skies. It entered Beihai Star's atmosphere, soon to reach outer space and arrive at the designated rendezvous point to meet Dao Lord Juntian and his entourage heading toward Beihai Star. Just at that moment... The void suddenly froze solid. Hundreds of thousands of li of space turned into a block of amber, plucked straight out of normal space. Beside the amber, an aloof figure holding a pagoda materialized. Dao Lord Wujin had arrived.