Hostility

"Dao Integration." Yaoguang quietly sensed that force which formed one of the three thousand most fundamental yet core powers constructing the entire universe—the Void. When he fully immersed himself in this power, he felt as if he had become the "Void" itself, the embodiment of the void, the foundation that bore all things. The deeper he immersed himself, the stronger this feeling became, and the vaster the "scope" it represented grew. Once he thoroughly and completely became a part of the void, he would become the cosmic void itself. Of course, with the divine sense and willpower of a mortal living being, if one wished to completely merge into the void and expand their "Awareness" to a cosmic scale, the only end awaiting them would be to be swallowed whole by the void. That feeling... It was like placing an individual, who was originally vast and magnificent, onto an exceedingly colossal scale. Like a star, or a black hole. To humanity, such entities were so vast and immense as to be like deities, yet as one continuously pulled back the field of vision, even a blazing, shining star would quickly shrink into insignificance. Expand the perspective to the galaxy level, and the star turned into a mere pinpoint of light; expand to the galaxy group level, and the star was already nowhere to be seen; expand to the supercluster level, and one could spend an entire lifetime without ever finding where it was. Such was he upon Dao Integration. Perhaps he was not as insignificant as a star, perhaps even more magnificent than a galaxy. Yet once the scale was expanded to the cosmic level, he remained an entity that might not be found even if one searched with all their might. How could power, thoughts, and a soul at such a level ever truly sway the operation of the Grand Dao of the Void? To forcibly merge into it would ultimately only mean drifting with the current, washed along until one completely lost all sense of self, turning into nothing more than a part of the Grand Dao of the Void. "The path after Dao Integration is to make oneself stronger step by step, mastering more of the Grand Dao of the Void... until... thoroughly becoming the master of this Grand Dao and attaining the realm of Void Dao Ancestor!" Yaoguang pondered internally. This was the path he had seen long ago when his cultivation realm advanced. Originally, he had held onto a glimmer of hope, wondering if his understanding had been flawed because he had not yet achieved Dao Integration. Yet now, having truly integrated with the Dao, he had no choice but to admit... The path was precisely so. "To grow strong on this path does not rely on cultivation. Realm is one thing, but the share of the Grand Dao one controls is another entirely." Yaoguang reached out his hand, feeling the power of the void flowing across his fingertips. At this step, every cultivator held the exact same share of the Grand Dao. A Dao Lord held one ten-thousandth. Cultivation? Relying on cultivation was useless. Cultivation at most could only enhance a Dao Lord's realm, increasing their control over the power of the void so that when a share became vacant in the future, they would be better equipped to seize it. The true upper limit of void power could only be raised by slaying other Void Dao Lords and claiming their shares as one's own—only then could one achieve a leap in cultivation. In other words, once stepping onto the path of Dao Integration, cultivators integrated with the same Dao were destined to become mortal enemies. "Especially... because they belong to the same Grand Dao, Dao Lords can actually sense one another... and this resonance not only reveals each other's location, but even... engenders a natural hostility!" Yaoguang felt a slight prickle on his scalp. A Void Dao Lord could only raise their share limit and increase their strength by killing another Void Dao Lord. Because of this, Dao Lords of the same type were influenced by the Grand Dao to develop a natural enmity. And Dao Lords of the same type could sense each other... What was this?! This was practically raising gu! Now, the only thing he could not understand was why, up until now, three thousand Dao Ancestors had not been born. Following this logic of how the Grand Dao operated, the Immortal Realm should have long since produced king gu—namely, Dao Ancestors. Once a Dao Ancestor emerged, there should be no more Dao Lords on that Dao. Yet the reality was nothing of the sort. "Through the Gate of the Immortal Realm on Beihai Star alone, forty-nine Grand Daos have been passed down, including the immensely popular Grand Dao of the Void... not to mention other Gates of the Immortal Realm... The Dao arts and paths I can currently access exceed one thousand eight hundred. By this logic, at least eighteen hundred Grand Daos have yet to give birth to a Dao Ancestor... That defies common sense." Yaoguang was utterly mystified. Only after quite a while did he suppress the thought. Such secrets regarding Dao Ancestors might only be accessible once he traveled to the Immortal Realm, or perhaps after pushing his realm progression to one percent or even ten percent. For now... He had to focus honestly on what lay before him. "Though the road ahead after Dao Integration is destined to be fraught with hardship, I have finally stepped onto a whole new level," he murmured to himself. To a certain degree, he could already be considered standing at the pinnacle of the lower realm's cosmos. Even though Dao Lords had a lifespan cap of one hundred twenty-nine thousand six hundred years... Having become a Dao Lord, he could rest easy for at least the next one hundred twenty thousand years. Especially since... "The Human Immortal path is viable." He clearly sensed that after Dao Integration, he could completely transform his essence, qi, and spirit into the three Dao artifacts: the Wuji Sword, the Bahuang Mirror, and the Endless Tower. Using the Endless Tower as body, the Wuji Sword as qi, and turning the Bahuang Mirror into spirit. With the three as pillars, he could draw upon the power of the Grand Dao of the Void and pour it into the three Dao artifacts to boost his own strength. Even without any share of the Grand Dao, the three pinnacle Dao artifacts possessed might comparable to natal Dao artifacts; in direct combat, they far surpassed Ghost Immortals and Earth Immortals outside their headquarters, and were not inferior even compared to the Spirit Immortal path. "Without having to suffer the emotional numbness and cognitive erosion brought by the Spirit Immortal path's progressive 'Dao assimilation,' yet possessing combat strength comparable to a Spirit Immortal... at most requiring an investment of three immortal artifacts as cost... the Human Immortal path is indeed the most suitable path for me at present." ... While Yaoguang was quietly contemplating the changes Dao Integration brought to the Human Immortal path, in the distance, Demon Saint Kunpeng and Dao Lord Jimie—both Dao Lords of the Void—could no longer sit still. Yaoguang attaining the Dao was, at most, an addition of another Dao Lord to the Ten Immortal Sects in the eyes of others, but to these Void Dao Lords, it meant an additional rival in the Dao Contention. Especially since... This competitor in the Dao Contention had natural allies like Dao Lord Penglai and Dao Lord Juntian, and behind him stood a figure capable of forging pinnacle Dao artifacts. Beyond that... A two-hundred-year-old Dao Lord?! What kind of monstrous freak was this?! He had background, he had talent, he had equipment... If he truly joined the Dao Contention in the future... He would definitely become an immense threat to Void Dao Lords like them. How could the two Void Dao Lords simply turn a blind eye? Sensing the distinct aura of a "Dao Lord" already radiating from Yaoguang, Dao Lord Jimie's expression was fraught with jealousy and resentment. "How could such a thing happen?!" His resentment gradually twisted into something hideous and terrifying. "I refuse to believe this junior Yaoguang could truly complete Dao Integration so quickly! In all the history of Beihai Star, the fastest Dao Lord still took a month to break through. The time it takes to drink a cup of tea?! How is that any different from instantaneous Dao Integration? What does he take Dao Integration for? How could it ever be this easy?! Fake! This is absolutely fake!" Hearing Dao Lord Jimie's words, Demon Saint Kunpeng—who was equally filled with jealousy and killing intent toward Yaoguang becoming a Void Dao Lord—quickly caught on. "I don't believe he successfully integrated with the Dao either! Perhaps he carries some treasure that feigned the appearance of Dao Integration! We must test him!" His eyes turned cold. "With so many Dao Lords present, especially the two of us who came specifically for Yaoguang, if we don't even dare test him, how will the world view us? Besides, this concerns our Void Dao. If we don't strike first, who will stick their neck out for us? Black Moon? Yulin? Radiance? They aren't Dao Lords of the Void!" "What's your plan?" "We are Void Dao Lords; the universe is vast, and we can come and go as we please! Even Penglai—how could she possibly stop us?!" Hearing Dao Lord Jimie ask, Demon Saint Kunpeng urged at once, "This brat Yaoguang must possess an enormous secret; otherwise, how could he pull off such an impossible feat? I can hold back Penglai for a moment alongside Yulin, while Radiance and Black Moon can stall Dihui and Juntian. You strike Yaoguang with everything you have and strangle him thoroughly in the cradle!" "Deal with Yaoguang..." A hint of hesitation flickered in Dao Lord Jimie's eyes. Yet that hesitation lasted only an instant before being overwhelmed by resentment and jealousy. "Fine! But the brat Yaoguang's corpse and everything on him must be mine!" "Agreed!" Demon Saint Kunpeng readily accepted. As for the likes of Dao Lord Taiwei and Dao Lord Danding, neither gave them much cause for concern. Dao Lord Taiwei went without saying. As a Void Dao Lord, that he didn't move against Yaoguang was already doing the Heavenly Dao Sect a huge favor. And Dao Lord Danding would not enter the fray lightly before the situation became clear. Dao Lord Qingya did warrant some caution, as he might truly strike at God Venerable Radiance. However... The disparity in strength among Dao Lords was not vast; even in a fight to the death, it was difficult to determine the victor in a short time. Even if outnumbered two to one, God Venerable Radiance would surely hold out for a while. In short, watching Yaoguang become a Dao Lord so swiftly, the two Void Dao Lords refused to believe it no matter what, and... They were dead set on testing him with a strike. If Yaoguang was merely bluffing, or had paid an exorbitant price to attain the Dao Lord realm, they would seize the moment of his breakthrough to snuff him out in one blow. If he had truly stepped into the Dao Lord realm and they could do nothing to him in the short term... Worst case, they would simply retreat at once. A Void Dao Lord's greatest confidence was the freedom to advance or retreat at will. Dao Lord Penglai had already expended her trump card for the Dao Contention; they did not believe she still held any supreme treasure capable of executing Void Dao Lords like them in a single strike. The divine senses of the Dao Integration realm Demon Venerables, God Venerables, Demon Saints, and Dao Lords swiftly intersected, reaching a consensus in an instant. With so many Dao Integration powerhouses gathered here, fiercely confronting each other, simply walking away without making a move would make people think they were afraid. Besides, Yaoguang had achieved Dao Integration in merely the time it takes to drink a cup of tea! Anyone would know he harbored an astounding secret. Who wouldn't want to uncover it? Thus, upon reaching a consensus, Demon Saint Kunpeng was practically the first to traverse the void, unleashing the Kunpeng Sky-Devouring Technique to devour downward toward Dao Lord Penglai. The moment his strike drew Dao Lord Penglai's attention, Dao Lord Jimie struck immediately after, aiming directly at Yaoguang, who appeared to have only just completed his breakthrough. A clash of Dao Lords abruptly erupted just when everyone in the Ten Immortal Sects thought the dust had settled.