Congratulations

"Let us see how fierce this Dao Contention turns out to be." Yaoguang replied, "Compared to other paths, there are far too many Dao Lords along the path of the Void, and with them come just as many variables." Dao Lord Penglai nodded. In the vicinity of Beihai Star's gate, only forty-nine powers of the Grand Dao circulated. For most Grand Daos, there were merely three to five Dao Lords cultivating them. Take Dao Lord Penglai's Grand Dao of Origin: she knew of only two rivals, perhaps with one or two more hidden, but... With her current strength, even if all of them rushed her at once, she could still step into the Gate of the Immortal Realm with ease. This was precisely why she had been so eager to make arrangements for the Penglai Immortal Sect's future. Her chances of entering the Gate of the Immortal Realm and ascending were simply too high. But the path of the Void was different. In every Dao Contention, one or two hundred Dao Lords vied for spots. Even if the path of the Void did not account for half of them, there were still sixty or seventy. With such an immense base, let alone pinnacle Dao Lords, even invincible Dao Lords capable of fighting ten at once dared not claim they could step into the Gate of the Immortal Realm with absolute certainty. Moreover... "In the coming period, it would do you well to interact more and forge closer ties with the Void Dao Lords associated with the Ten Immortal Sects, the Three Immortal Martial Sects, and the Four Great Celestial Dynasties, lest the world fears your overbearing prowess and gangs up on you," Dao Lord Penglai cautioned. "Gang up on me?" Yaoguang's mind stirred. "Are you saying the Dao Lords of the Void might join forces to clear me from the field ahead of time?" "Such an occurrence is rare among other categories of Dao Lords. After all, every fellow cultivator of the same Dao is a competitor; they must guard against having others use them as cat's-paws, making alliances difficult. But on Grand Daos with many practitioners, like the Grand Dao of Flowing Light and the Grand Dao of the Void, it has happened more than once," said Dao Lord Penglai. "I understand." Yaoguang nodded slightly. Regarding this issue, he saw things even more clearly than Dao Lord Penglai. This was also why he hesitated over whether or not to ascend to the Immortal Realm. Dao Lords of the same Dao inherently stood in opposition. Perhaps the secret regarding "shares" was known only to a handful of immortals, Immortal Venerables, and Immortal Kings, with most ordinary immortals remaining in the dark, to say nothing of Dao Lords. Yet... Because these "shares" existed, a Dao Lord was born with a desire-like "malice" compelling them to kill fellow Dao Lords and seize their shares. Furthermore, by normal reasoning, the larger one's "share," the stronger the malice fellow Dao Lords would harbor toward them. It was much like high-ranking figures or beautiful things: because those below lacked and could not obtain them, a baseless malice would arise, wishing for the exalted to fall and the beautiful to be destroyed. Therefore... Essential vigilance remained indispensable. *The reason a multitude of Dao Lords only gather on Beihai Star when the Gate of the Immortal Realm is about to open is largely because other Dao Lords could pose a danger to oneself... Of course, to put it more elegantly—kings do not meet kings.* With this thought, Yaoguang looked up slightly. "This battle sparked by my Dao Integration has finally come to an end. It was all thanks to your full assistance throughout that I was able to make my breakthrough smoothly. Would you care to join me at my peak for a seat?" "Perhaps another time. You have just completed Dao Integration, so you surely have many matters of all sizes to handle. Besides, Dao Lord Juntian and the other Dao Lords of your Heavenly Dao Sect are also waiting. It will not be too late for me to visit once you have settled these trivial affairs." Dao Lord Penglai paused for a moment before continuing, "In addition, now that you have attained Dao Lord, it seems you should ponder your future plans. A top-tier major sect can hold two Dao Lords, but..." She paused again. "It depends on whether you choose to enter the Gate of the Immortal Realm and ascend. If you are in no hurry to ascend, there is no need to rush into this consideration." Yaoguang understood her meaning. After pondering briefly, he said, "Though I am the sect master of the Heavenly Dao Sect, my origins lie with the Nine Cauldrons Sect. Had I failed to achieve Dao Integration, that would be one thing, but now that I have succeeded, it is only natural to separate the Nine Cauldrons Sect out..." At this point, he smiled faintly. "When the time comes, I shall conquer the Shadow Moon Sect. Back then, the Moon Demon Empire under the Shadow Moon Sect nearly brought ruin upon the Cangwu Great World. Now, by conquering the Shadow Moon Sect and allowing the Nine Cauldrons Sect to thrive and expand upon their lands, history will have come full circle." "You intend to move against Demon Venerable Black Moon?" Dao Lord Penglai was not surprised to hear this. After all, more than half of the Shadow Moon Sect had already been conquered by the Southern Domain. The only reason they had not been completely wiped out was because Demon Venerable Black Moon had returned. Now that Yaoguang had achieved Dao Integration—and possessed the combat strength of a pinnacle Dao Lord right from the start—it was hardly surprising that he planned to thoroughly expel the Shadow Moon Sect, or even slay Demon Venerable Black Moon. "If you need help, don't hesitate to ask," Dao Lord Penglai said. "Very well." Yaoguang smiled. "Whenever you decide to strike at the Nine Demon Immortal Lineages, please don't be courteous with me either." "Will do. Much obliged." Dao Lord Penglai had indeed harbored the intention to give the Nine Demon Immortal Lineages a severe beating before ascending to the Immortal Realm. If she could slay another demon saint or two and plunge the Nine Demon Immortal Lineages into internal strife, those demons would have no leisure to trouble the Penglai Immortal Sect in the Deep Blue Sea for a long time. After conversing for a bit, Dao Lord Penglai took her leave. As for Yaoguang... With several Void Flickers, he soon reappeared above the Heavenly Dao Sect. At this moment, the battleship carrying Dao Lord Juntian, Dao Lord Taiwei, and the others was still waiting there. One by one, they gazed toward the direction where Yaoguang and Dao Lord Penglai had gone. Every battle between Dao Lords could be described as earth-shattering; within the small confines of Beihai Star, all Dao Lords could sense the dispersing fluctuations of energy. They could naturally discern the locations of Yaoguang and Dao Lord Penglai. Likewise, they understood what the sudden disappearance of Demon Saint Yulin's aura signified. ... "Yet another Dao Integration existence has fallen." Dao Lord Danding sighed with emotion. Although the one who fell this time was merely a demon saint of the demon race—which was a good thing for the human race— It was still an existence at the same level as them. "Demon Saint Yulin... Adding this Dao Integration being, the clash of Dao Lords sparked by Dao Lord Yaoguang's Dao Integration has reached an astonishing total of four fallen Dao Lords," Dao Lord Qingya remarked. "It is far more than just four," Dao Lord Taiwei couldn't help but add. "If you include Dao Lord Yuanxu, who was slain by Dao Lord Penglai back then... within this century, as many as five Dao Lords have fallen directly or indirectly due to Yaoguang and Dao Lord Penglai." At this, an indescribable shock stirred within his heart. Five Dao Lords! A full five Dao Lords! Fallen just like that! Since when had Dao Lords—exalted figures standing at the pinnacle of the universe—become so cheap? At this moment, he felt immensely fortunate that he had chosen neutrality during Yaoguang's Dao Integration, instead of joining Wujin, Jimie, and Kunpeng in besieging this peerless genius. Otherwise... Chances were that following Wujin, Jimie, Kunpeng, and Yuanxu who had fallen decades earlier—the four Void Dao Integration experts—he, Taiwei... might well have followed in their footsteps, becoming the fifth Void Dao Lord to perish at the hands of Yaoguang and Penglai. "He has truly set a record." Dao Lord Dihui could not help but glance toward Yaoguang's direction. "Even setting aside the gimmick of becoming a Dao Lord at two hundred years of age, based solely on the bones accumulated beneath his feet as he trod his path, this Dao Lord is already destined to be etched into the annals of Beihai Star." The other Dao Lords nodded in profound agreement. In the present world, quite a few Dao Lords encountered mortal tribulations when attempting Dao Integration. Yet was there any Dao Lord like Yaoguang, whose path of Dao Integration forced four—or strictly speaking, five—Dao Lords to serve as funerary sacrifices, paving the road of his Dao Integration? Never before seen in history; nothing could surpass this. Amidst their sighs and exclamations, upon sensing Dao Lord Penglai's aura receding and seeing Yaoguang suddenly appear, the Dao Lords stepped forward in unison, smiling broadly as they cupped their hands in salute. "Congratulations to Dao Lord Yaoguang on your smooth Dao Integration! From this day forth, you ascend to the pinnacle of the universe and enjoy a lifespan of one hundred twenty-nine thousand six hundred years!" "Attaining Dao Integration at merely two hundred years of age, Dao Lord Yaoguang can be hailed as the foremost in Beihai's history! Congratulations!" "Congratulations, Dao Lord Yaoguang!" Every Dao Lord's tone was filled with warmth and friendliness. Seeing this, Yaoguang smiled and greeted each of them in return. Dao Lord Juntian stepped forward even further. "Dao Lord Yaoguang, allow me to introduce you..." With that, he brought Yaoguang directly into the circle of Dao Lords, chatting and laughing harmoniously. ... Below the battleship. Whether Zhen Xuanyuan or Gu Li, all of them were still in a daze, their heads spinning. It felt as if the entire world had become surreal. They had merely come out to welcome Dao Lord Juntian, yet in the blink of an eye—in less than an hour—Yaoguang had become a Dao Lord? Anyone with slightly weaker mental fortitude would surely think they were dreaming. If the two Void Shattering Realm Supreme Elders felt this way, the other True Monarchs were in no better shape. Each of them was a personal disciple of a Dao Lord, a prominent figure whose name graced the Dao Lord Candidate List. Yet even so, a Dao Lord remained a grand existence far beyond their reach. It was just as True Monarchs like Yingfeng and Jingmo thought and recognized... What did making it onto the Dao Lord Candidate List even amount to? In past lists, let alone those ranked further down, even among the top three or the number one, fewer than one or two out of ten could ever successfully achieve Dao Integration. In other words, formidable as True Monarch Tianxiao was, his chances of smoothly becoming a Dao Integration Dao Lord in the future were only ten to twenty percent. And even if one eventually became a Dao Lord, so what? Could they possibly compare to Yaoguang?! Could they match Yaoguang, who had fought and slaughtered veteran Dao Lords head-on right after his breakthrough, forging his prestigious renown in the blood of Dao Lords?! At this moment, whether True Monarch Tianxiao or True Monarch Wusheng, every single one of them felt the chasm-like divide separating them from Yaoguang. As for True Monarch Yingfeng and True Monarch Jingmo, who had previously talked big about challenging Yaoguang and replacing him as the second rank on the Dao Lord Candidate List, they were now as quiet as cicadas in winter, daring not utter a single word. The two of them had even lost the courage to look directly at Yaoguang, thoroughly crushed. Once one achieved Dao Integration and became a Dao Lord, from that point on... Heaven and earth were parted. They no longer belonged to the same plane of existence.