Dao Lord

"Is this... the Grand Dao rhythm?! This sign means a new Dao Lord has been born!" "The Grand Dao rhythm carries the aura of a cultivator, spreading through the power of the Grand Dao across the surrounding starry sky, and that aura will be picked up by every cultivator walking the same Grand Dao... letting all the world sense the majesty of this newly born Dao Lord?! He succeeded?! That little fellow named Yaoguang... Fellow Daoist Yaoguang... he succeeded?!" "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! How much time has passed?! Less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea?! Can the time to drink a cup of tea even be called time?! Instantaneous Dao Integration?! That is absolutely impossible!" All at once, countless divine senses echoed back and forth across the entire starry sky, both within and outside Beihai Star. The emotions carried in every Dao Lord's divine sense were filled with sheer disbelief. Let alone Dao Integration powerhouses like Demon Saint Yulin, God Venerable Radiance, Demon Venerable Black Moon, Dao Lord Jimie, and Demon Saint Kunpeng—who had been waiting gleefully for Yaoguang to fail his Dao Integration—even Dao Integration figures belonging to the Ten Immortal Sects, such as Dao Lord Dihui, Dao Lord Juntian, Dao Lord Qingya, and Dao Lord Danding, looked thoroughly bewildered. It was utterly absurd. Throughout history, from ancient times to the present day, no one had ever accomplished Dao Integration in such a short span of time. Even the fastest recorded breakthrough to Dao Integration in Beihai Star's history had taken over a month. The time it takes to drink a cup of tea?! This practically shattered everything the Dao Lords knew to be true. "So... he really achieved instantaneous Dao Integration?" Dao Lord Penglai's bright eyes were likewise filled with astonishment. Although Yaoguang had asserted with utmost confidence that he had a ninety percent chance of ascending to Dao Integration, Dao Lord Penglai had never put much stock in that claim. Many cultivators... harbored an inexplicable confidence before achieving Dao Integration. They believed that with their solid foundation in the Void Shattering realm, it would simply defy the heavens if they failed to attain Dao Integration. Yet how could they realize that every single cultivator capable of reaching Dao Integration had been a dazzling, extraordinarily talented paragon in the Void Shattering realm? Even for such Dao Integration experts—who had already experienced Dao Integration once and tasted its profound wonders—if their cultivation fell and they were made to attempt Dao Integration anew, having a thirty or forty percent chance would be their absolute limit. Under such circumstances, Dao Lord Penglai's faith in whether Yaoguang could take this step had carried a heavy element of gambling. Not gambling on a thirty or forty percent probability, but gambling... that geniuses like herself and Yaoguang could not be judged by conventional wisdom. Yet as it turned out... Her gamble had paid off! This genius—even more exceptional, brilliant, and powerful than herself—had displayed capability far surpassing anyone's imagination. Not only had he smoothly integrated with the Dao, but he had compressed the previous historical record of one month down to the time of a single cup of tea... Such an achievement... was destined to be etched into the annals of Beihai Star. "He truly is... a genius beyond all conventional reason!" Dao Lord Penglai gazed in Yaoguang's direction. With her discernment, she could naturally perceive the wondrous state Yaoguang was currently in. The Grand Dao rhythm emanating from him was completely identical to that of a genuine Dao Integration expert. He truly had... succeeded. "Incredible," Dao Lord Penglai murmured softly under her breath. ... Even as Dao Lord after Dao Lord felt profound disbelief and their worldviews were turned upside down... stream after stream of divine sense drifted out from within Beihai Star. These were the Dao Lords stationed within Beihai Star. Unwilling to embroil themselves in the conflict between Juntian's faction and Jimie's side, yet harboring no desire to disrupt Yaoguang's breakthrough and become his mortal tribulation, these Dao Lords had all remained inside Beihai Star, watching the spectacle from the sidelines. Yet now, how long had it been since Yaoguang began? To achieve Dao Integration in such a fleeting moment and stir the rhythm of the Grand Dao of the Void through body-Dao fusion—such a staggering turn of events instantly rattled these bystander Dao Lords out of their complacency. "What happened?" "The Grand Dao rhythm?! I sensed the rhythm of the Grand Dao of the Void! Has a Void Shattering cultivator of the Void Dao achieved Dao Integration?!" "Could it be... That's impossible, isn't it?! Juntian, what on earth is going on?!" Dao Lord Yuanjian, Dao Lord Biluo, Dao Lord Taiqing, and even Dao Lord Yuanyi—who had spent all this time lying idle in the Tianhai Sword Pavilion—sent forth their divine senses, seeking out Dao Lords with whom they had ties to inquire about the situation. For a time, divine senses darted about in a frenzy. Divine power so formidable it could clearly suppress any Void Shattering expert saturated the entirety of Beihai Star, high and low. Dao Lord Juntian, Dao Lord Dihui, and the others did not answer. What was going on? They wanted to know too! Could Yaoguang... truly have smoothly attained Dao Integration in less than the time of a single cup of tea? Completing the metamorphosis from a Void Shattering True Monarch into a Dao Integration Dao Lord?! Unprecedented! Inconceivable! The several Dao Lords were at a loss for words, having no idea how to explain what had just transpired to the inquiring neutral Dao Lords. But with divine senses flying chaotically and the rhythm produced by the Grand Dao of the Void growing increasingly potent with every passing moment, even the nearby Void Shattering cultivators began to sense it. In an instant, a commotion rippled through the gathered True Monarchs. "What's happening?!" "If I remember correctly... th-this seems to be the legendary Grand Dao rhythm! Rumor has it that this special phenomenon is triggered only when a Dao Lord finishes Dao Integration and merges completely into the Grand Dao! Like ripples expanding when a drop of water strikes the surface... If the ancient records are correct... someone has successfully integrated with the Dao?!" "Dao Integration?! Succeeded?!" True Monarch Yingfeng, True Monarch Nichang, True Monarch Jingmo, along with True Monarch Wusheng and True Monarch Tianxiao—who usually kept their composure—could no longer sit still. Their gazes instinctively turned toward the origin of the Grand Dao rhythm. Over there... "Yaoguang?!" "A Grand Dao rhythm that appears only upon successful Dao Integration..." "H-How long has it been?! How long has it been since he began his attempt on the Dao Integration realm?! Absurd! Madness! This is utterly absurd! Utterly mad!" In an instant, these Void Shattering True Monarchs—each capable of serving as a Supreme Elder in a top sect on par with the Ten Immortal Sects—plunged into an utter frenzy of shock and agitation. In particular, True Monarch Yingfeng and True Monarch Jingmo, who had previously boasted about challenging Yaoguang, stared wide-eyed in the direction of Yaoguang's breakthrough, their expressions full of terror and... twisted contortion! Aboard the warship above, Dao Lords Juntian, Dihui, Qingya, and Danding finally recovered from the mind-bending scene before them, their eyes turning immediately toward Dao Lord Taiwei. Toward this Void Dao Lord standing right beside them. Whether Yaoguang had succeeded in his Dao Integration... this Dao Lord had the greatest authority to judge. "Dao Lord Taiwei!" Dao Lord Juntian looked over, a trace of anticipation gleaming in his eyes. If Yaoguang truly managed to attain Dao Integration, it would undoubtedly bring the greatest benefit to their Heavenly Dao Sect. As a Dao Lord of the Void, Yaoguang had no direct conflict with Juntian, who walked the Dao of Truth. And being the sect master of the Heavenly Dao Sect made Yaoguang a natural ally. Furthermore, Yaoguang seemed to share close ties with Penglai, hailed as the foremost Dao Lord of the East Sea... Come the next Dao Contention, they might well be able to forge a formidable alliance among themselves. Wouldn't that be far better than fighting alone? Thus, even though his own appraisal of the Grand Dao rhythm made him eight or nine parts certain that Yaoguang had succeeded, he still lost his composure enough to seek confirmation from Dao Lord Taiwei. "He is a Void Dao Lord," Dao Lord Taiwei said quietly. Dao Lords of the same path shared an innate resonance. The moment the Grand Dao rhythm surged forth, that resonance had already manifested. By now, it had grown stronger and stronger. Evidently, Yaoguang had already weathered the most perilous crisis of Dao assimilation. If he had not yet emerged from seclusion... it was likely only because he was acclimating to the myriad transformations between Void Shattering and Dao Integration. "Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Juntian. Before the Dao Contention has even arrived, another Dao Lord has been added to the Heavenly Dao Sect!" Dao Lord Taiwei cupped her hands with a smile toward Dao Lord Juntian. "He... truly did it?!" Dao Lord Juntian was overjoyed. "Good! Good! Good! Truly wonderful!" A Dao Lord-level ally, gained practically out of thin air! Although Yaoguang had not been with the Heavenly Dao Sect for long, and seemed... not to possess an unbreakable bond with it, the goodwill between them was undeniable. With Yaoguang becoming a Dao Lord, the implicit benefits he could bring Juntian would surely be immense. Beside them, hearing Dao Lord Taiwei's confirmation, Dao Lord Dihui also smiled and offered his congratulations: "Fellow Daoist Juntian, Sect Master Yaoguang's smooth Dao Integration is a momentous occasion that must be celebrated grandly. When the time comes, I shall certainly visit the Heavenly Dao Sect to claim a cup of congratulatory wine." "Hahaha, congratulations to both of us! The joint defense pact signed between Sect Master Yaoguang and your Taiyi Immortal Sect's Sect Master Taiyuan should naturally extend to the Dao Lord level as well. Our two sects must grow even closer in the days to come," Dao Lord Juntian replied with a beaming smile. Listening to their exchange, Dao Lord Qingya and Dao Lord Danding looked on with envy. Meanwhile, in the distance, the expressions of Demon Saint Yulin, Demon Saint Kunpeng, Dao Lord Jimie, Demon Venerable Black Moon, and God Venerable Radiance turned thoroughly gloomy. The fluctuations of their divine senses grew so heavy that they seemed capable of freezing the void itself. As for the True Monarchs aboard the warship where Dao Lord Juntian and the others stood—especially Zhen Xuanyuan and Gu Li—they were utterly dumbfounded. "He... he succeeded in Dao Integration?!" The thoughts of the Heavenly Dao Sect's Chief Supreme Elder turned sluggish. "Sect Master Yaoguang... has become a Dao Lord?" "It... it seems so... Dao Lord Taiwei confirmed it personally, and... I too have read in ancient records that when the Grand Dao rhythm manifests, echoing across the cosmos and proclaiming it to the heavens, that is the unmistakable sign of a Dao Lord's birth..." Gu Li's thoughts were just as disjointed. While the two Supreme Elders of the Heavenly Dao Sect were thoroughly shaken, Void Shattering figures from the Dao Lord Candidate Board like Nichang, Wusheng, Tianxiao, and Yingfeng—along with personal disciples regarded as future Dao Lord seeds—fell into a deathly silence. Wusheng and Tianxiao in particular looked toward the direction of Yaoguang's secluded breakthrough, their expressions overflowing with complexity. A Dao Lord! A Dao Lord! This was a Dao Lord! And he just became one like that?! A Dao Lord in the span of a single cup of tea?! This... What in the world was this? Since when was a breakthrough to Dao Lord so effortless?! Yet no matter how much they struggled, how indignant, envious, or jealous they felt... the reality was laid bare before their eyes. In the end, the two proud prodigies in the top three of the Dao Lord Candidate Board exchanged a glance, sighing in unison with bitter awe. "A Dao Lord!"