Mighty

"A pinnacle Dao Lord!" Upon hearing Dao Lord Qingya speak this title, Dao Lord Danding, Dao Lord Taiwei, Dao Lord Juntian, and Dao Lord Dihui all showed expressions of yearning. "Pinnacle Dao Lord" was a term that circulated solely within the circles of Dao Lords. The disparity between one Dao Lord and another was generally not vast. Sometimes, due to counters between their respective Great Daos, it was difficult to clearly gauge who was stronger. Yet... every Dao Lord had a fairly good idea of how others measured up. Over time, the concept of a "pinnacle Dao Lord" had emerged. Beneath pinnacle Dao Lords, there was also a distinction between renowned Dao Lords and ordinary Dao Lords. Among them, ordinary Dao Lords represented the general masses of the Dao Lord realm; Juntian, Taiwei, and the others before them all belonged to this tier. As for renowned Dao Lords, either their prowess was formidable enough to clearly surpass their peers—earning the acknowledged deference of more than ten Dao Lords—or they had forged their reputation through solid battle achievements by personally slaying a Dao Lord, laying the foundation of their prestigious renown in the blood of a Dao Lord. Dao Lord Taiqing of the Sanqing Sacred Hall, the Destruction God Venerable of the Destruction God race, and the Innate Demon Venerable of the Heavenly Demon Sect were representative figures among them. Further up... was the pinnacle Dao Lord. They were powerful enough to inspire dread in other Dao Lords, or they had slain at least two or more Dao Lords. Prior to Yaoguang, on Beihai Star, only Dao Lord Penglai had ever attained this recognition. Naturally, some Dao Lords who had long established their names and had not returned to Beihai Star might also possess such strength, but their numbers likely did not exceed the fingers of one hand. And now... besides Dao Lord Penglai, there was clearly one more: Yaoguang. Even if... he was merely a newly ascended Dao Lord. Even if he had only just barely met the threshold of a pinnacle Dao Lord. Yet whoever bore this title would possess an influence on Beihai Star completely different from that of any other Dao Lord. "A pinnacle Dao Lord..." Dao Lord Taiwei murmured those words before exhaling a long, slow breath. He had completely abandoned any ideas. Now, he truly harbored not the slightest thought of competition. To engage in Dao Contention against a pinnacle Dao Lord—especially one who had cultivated for merely two-odd centuries—was practically courting death, as if one had lived too long. Lest one forget, there were still seven or eight centuries left until the Gate of the Immortal Realm opened. After another seven or eight hundred years, ghost only knew what heights he might reach. He was untouchable. Absolutely untouchable. Toward such a figure, one could only think of every possible way to curry favor and build good relations. "I wonder where Dao Lord Yaoguang has gone now." "Void Dao Lords come and go without a trace; we can hardly sense his presence either. However, judging by appearances, nine times out of ten, he went to assist Dao Lord Penglai in hunting down Demon Saint Yulin." "To first execute Kunpeng and then eliminate Yulin—doing so will drastically suppress the demon race's arrogance. Having Dao Lord Yaoguang is truly a blessing for our human race." The Dao Lords conversed among themselves. With the falls of Dao Lord Wujin and Demon Saint Kunpeng, the Dao Lords' attitudes toward him had subtly shifted. "We clearly cannot keep up with Dao Lord Yaoguang. Moreover, even if we caught up, with the might of two pinnacle Dao Lords like Dao Lord Yaoguang and Dao Lord Penglai, eradicating a mere Demon Saint Yulin will be effortless. Our going would be of no help. Rather than that, we might as well return for now and await Fellow Daoist Yaoguang's triumphant return," Dao Lord Dihui suggested with a smile. Dao Lord Juntian and the other Dao Lords nodded in agreement. Immediately, the Dao Lords traversed the void one by one, heading back. Yet as they departed, several Dao Lords could not help but glance back at the scene, where the void had been disrupted and shattered, giving rise to all manner of terrifying celestial phenomena... One could almost still perceive the tragic spectacle of a Demon Saint falling here moments ago. *After today... the name Yaoguang will spread completely throughout Beihai Star, and even throughout the starry sky, truly becoming known to each and every soul,* Dao Lord Taiwei murmured inwardly. With a shift of his body, he vanished entirely from this expanse of void. ... Elsewhere, relying on Void Flicker, Yaoguang returned to the other battlefield at an unimaginable speed. On this battlefield, Demon Saint Yulin had actually managed to escape from the encirclement of Dao Lord Penglai's Great Dao of Origin by relying on a life-saving treasure. Although he had not completely shaken off Dao Lord Penglai, when this Demon Saint had initially appeared before her, he seemed to have anticipated being battered into scurrying like a rat, having prepared several life-saving treasures in advance. Relying on these items, at the current rate, he might truly have managed to escape with his life from Dao Lord Penglai. Unfortunately... This time, what he faced was not just Dao Lord Penglai, but also Yaoguang. Appearing abruptly on the scene, Yaoguang took a single glance and grasped the situation before him. With an empty wave of his hand, he brought forth the high-grade Dao artifact, the Heaven-Sealing Stele. To a Dao Lord, a high-grade Dao artifact was practically of marginal use, providing no boost whatsoever to their overall strength. However, utilizing a high-grade Dao artifact could nonetheless alter the elemental properties and nature of their power. Just like now: using the Heaven-Sealing Stele, Yaoguang directly sealed off the void where Demon Saint Yulin was located. Fleeing desperately for his life, Demon Saint Yulin felt his body abruptly stall, and the sea of Origin swept up by Dao Lord Penglai surged in rapidly. "Yaoguang?!" Seeing the figure barring his path, Demon Saint Yulin let out a low, shocked and furious roar. "Get out of my way!" He abruptly manifested his Heavenly Demon True Form and tore down toward the void where Yaoguang stood. *Buzz!* The instant he tore toward Yaoguang, Yaoguang abruptly jabbed a finger at the void ahead. Formed from an immense condensation of void power, the Great Void Collapse Art took shape and slammed down against the pouncing Demon Saint Yulin. *Bang!* Though Demon Saint Yulin had already manifested his Heavenly Demon True Form as he charged forward, he was still blasted by this Great Void Collapse Art until flesh and blood went flying, his entire heavenly demon body nearly torn to shreds by the force. Right at that moment, Dao Lord Penglai's Great Dao of Origin swept in hot on its heels, its Origin power relentlessly scouring his body. Under the scouring of this power, the Demon Saint's formidable heavenly demon body melted away continuously like snow under a blazing sun. Even as he shifted forms repeatedly in an attempt to break out, he remained entangled by the Origin power, unable to break free. Ahead, having unleashed the Great Void Collapse, Yaoguang did not hesitate to condense a Void Sword. It was a colossal Void Sword countless times larger than before—just like the massive blade Dao Lord Wujin had once wielded against Yaoguang—which he then slashed down. "Not good!" Demon Saint Yulin struggled frantically. Yet Dao Lord Penglai, sensing Yaoguang's downward slash, heightened the intensity of her Origin power's scouring, causing the Demon Saint to be caught as if in a raging torrent, entirely unable to control his movements, until he could only watch helplessly as the gigantic Void Sword cleaved down. "No!" Demon Saint Yulin howled toward the heavens. In the next second, the gigantic Void Sword violently split the Demon Saint's Heavenly Demon True Form. The void energy contained within tore apart the true form while transforming into black-hole points of mass, continually absorbing and devouring until all remnants of the heavenly demon body were pulverized. Within mere moments, like an overfilled primal cavern bursting open, the released energy formed a shockwave capable of sweeping tens of thousands, or even over a hundred thousand li in all directions. However, whether to Yaoguang or Dao Lord Penglai, this shockwave of energy could not inflict any substantive impact. Yaoguang reached out, took hold of that "primal cavern" that had devoured Demon Saint Yulin, and sealed it with void power. Soon, that stretch of void was severed and solidified, ultimately condensing into a black pearl brimming with pulses of starlight. "Dao Lord," Yaoguang called out and tossed this "black pearl" to Dao Lord Penglai. Dao Lord Penglai instinctively caught the "pearl," though she looked slightly surprised. "Why give this to me? You were the one who killed Demon Saint Yulin." "Be that as it may, had you not bound this Demon Saint at the crucial moment, I might not have slain him so easily. If he held any further unknown life-saving treasures, he might have truly escaped." Yaoguang smiled and said, "Besides... earlier, in order to help me execute Dao Lord Wujin, you used up your own life-saving trump cards. Consider this little trinket a gift for you, as a small token of compensation." Hearing this, Dao Lord Penglai stood on no ceremony. "Then I shall accept it." Smiling as she inspected the "black pearl," she added, "Demon Saint Yulin possessed not a shred of the poise and grace befitting a Dao Integration cultivator. Ever since I breached his ancestral land, he has adamantly refused to face me head-on. Wherever I went, he was sure to avoid that area. Clearly, cornering him would have meant his certain demise, yet the opportunity never presented itself. Meanwhile, he continually had the demon emperors and demon sovereigns under his command stir up chaos in the Deep Blue Sea, slaughtering countless disciples of the Penglai Immortal Sect. Slaying him today allows me to give those disciples an account." Yaoguang nodded. It was precisely because he understood this that he had given Demon Saint Yulin—refined into Demon Saint essence—to Dao Lord Penglai, so she could honor the spirits of those Penglai Immortal Sect disciples who had died at the hands of the demon race over the years. "Speaking of which, what about Demon Saint Kunpeng?" Dao Lord Penglai looked at Yaoguang, a hint of pleasant surprise in her eyes. "Could it be... he has already fallen by your hand?" Yaoguang nodded. "If I am not mistaken, your comprehension of the Great Dao of Origin is also far higher than that of ordinary Origin Dao Lords, is it not? Possessing such an advantage, you should understand how great an advantage I hold when confronting a Void Dao Lord whose realm is inferior to mine." "I knew it!" Hearing Yaoguang's words, Dao Lord Penglai's eyes shone brilliantly. "It is just as I surmised. Your understanding of the Grand Dao of the Void has already exceeded that of conventional Dao Lords. That was why you could complete the Dao Integration process so swiftly when you broke through, and why you could display such dominant superiority over other Dao Lords the moment you became one." "Only with the Grand Dao of the Void," Yaoguang smiled faintly. "Against Dao Lords of other paths, it would not be so." "The Dao Contention is fundamentally a confrontation against Dao Lords of the same path. With this advantage, Dao Lords of the void path can hardly stop you from rising above the rest." Looking at Yaoguang with a bright smile, she said, "If all goes smoothly, when the Gate of the Immortal Realm opens this time, the two of us might very well obtain the opportunity to ascend together and enter the Immortal Realm." "Ascension... to the Immortal Realm..." Yaoguang gave a slight nod as he listened. Yet whether he would journey to the Immortal Realm when the Gate of the Immortal Realm opened this time, or remain in the lower starry sky for a ten-thousand-year cycle to purge all the Void Dao Lords across the lower realm before ascending... He was still deliberating.