Interception

To a Dao Lord, Beihai Star was remarkably small. Whenever any two Dao Lords clashed, the ripples they stirred in the Great Dao could be sensed by every other Dao Lord across the entire planet. More often than not, large-scale clashes between Dao Lords were avoided on Beihai Star entirely, for a single misstep risked shattering the world to pieces. This was true even though Beihai Star, bathed and scoured by the rules of the Gate of the Immortal Realm, was countless times sturdier than any ordinary star. By the same token, whenever a Dao Lord knew where their peers were headed, finding the right direction was all it took to easily lie in wait along their inevitable path. After all, to beings of their caliber, such a "path" could span hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of li wide. This was precisely how Dao Lord Penglai set her blockade. Especially when she released her aura, fully demonstrating the sheer might of a pinnacle Dao Lord, Demon Venerable Xiantian, Demon Venerable Huangquan, and Demon Venerable Jiuyou—who had originally been converging from three different directions—instinctively drew together. Though Yaoguang's ferocious might blazed as fiercely as the sun hanging in the sky, Dao Lord Penglai was considered an even greater threat in the eyes of many. The Tianhai Sword Pavilion, possessing a rank-fifteen mountain-protecting formation and presided over by a Dao Lord, had nearly been breached head-on by her. Had peacemakers not arrived just in time to talk her down, the Tianhai Sword Pavilion would already be history. Furthermore, not long ago, she had directly or indirectly slain two Dao Integration figures: Yuanxu and Yulin. Who wouldn't fear a pinnacle Dao Lord capable of wiping out an entire sect on her own? Who would dare have the courage to face her alone? Before long, the three demon venerables of the Six Demon Sects arrived side by side. "The road ahead is closed. Halt," Dao Lord Penglai said calmly. The demon venerables exchanged glances. Then Demon Venerable Xiantian, who was tacitly recognized as the foremost expert of the demonic path, stepped forward and said in a low voice, "Dao Lord Penglai, do you truly wish to make enemies of the nine Dao Integration experts across our six sects? Even if you are a pinnacle Dao Lord, facing all nine of us at once would put you at risk of perishing on the spot. You had best think this through carefully. Is it truly worth driving all of us to stand against you for Yaoguang's sake?" "Are you gentlemen truly unaware of what Demon Venerable Black Moon did when Dao Friend Yaoguang was breaking through to Dao Integration?" Dao Lord Penglai explained without the slightest hurry. "Now that Dao Friend Yaoguang seeks retribution, it is entirely justified by every law of heaven and earth. Therefore, if you intervene, it is not I who seek to make enemies of you, but you who insist on fighting us to the end." She harbored little dread toward the nine demon venerables of the Six Demon Sects. The most important reason was that the Six Demon Sects were far from united. If the various alliances and factions across Beihai Star were ranked strictly by selfishness, the Six Demon Sects would take second place only if no one dared claim first. Given the flimsy nature of their alliance, if Yaoguang were willing to join hands with her and gradually pick off the nine demon venerables one by one, the other demon venerables would most likely stand by with folded arms, provided there was even a halfway plausible excuse. They might even blame the targeted demon lord for having the gall to provoke Yaoguang or Penglai in the first place. Even if some demon venerables realized that the two of them intended to dismantle the Six Demon Sects entirely, uniting the survivors would still prove exceedingly difficult. If anything, after two or three demon venerables fell, the remaining ones would likely disband on their own. Fight to the death? The demonic path was fundamentally selfish; none among them would ever consider the greater good, understand reason, or willingly sacrifice themselves for others. This time, that Demon Venerable Black Moon had actually managed to summon Demon Venerable Xiantian, Demon Venerable Huangquan, and Demon Venerable Jiuyou had come as quite a surprise to Dao Lord Penglai. She had originally thought having one or two demon venerables come to his aid would be impressive enough. "Dao Lord Penglai," Demon Venerable Xiantian said in a deep voice, "Black Moon indeed transgressed while Dao Lord Yaoguang was ascending to Dao Integration. Our Six Demon Sects are willing to compel him to offer reparations. However, for you and Yaoguang to besiege him and attempt to drive him to his death is crossing the line. Please step aside and let us stop Dao Lord Yaoguang. We can take our time discussing how reparations will be made and how this matter can be settled." "It hasn't been long since Yaoguang became a Dao Lord—perhaps a month or two at most. Yet throughout that time, I didn't see a shred of sincerity from your Demon Venerable Black Moon regarding compensation. What? He remained indifferent before, but now that trouble has come knocking on his door, he suddenly understands the need to sit down and negotiate? He suddenly realizes he must pay reparations?" Dao Lord Penglai replied with an amused smile. Demon Venerable Xiantian felt a twinge of awkwardness inside, but not a flicker of it showed on his face. "That is only because Dao Lord Yaoguang had just ascended to Dao Integration and needed time to consolidate his cultivation. If Black Moon had come knocking to apologize at such a juncture, it would have shown terribly poor judgment and might have only provoked Dao Lord Yaoguang's displeasure, ruining any chance of goodwill..." "Enough, save your breath," Dao Lord Penglai said, waving her hand dismissively. "Life and death are determined by fate. Whether Black Moon lives or dies, we shall leave the chance to him. If he can withstand Yaoguang for half a shichen, I will persuade Yaoguang to let him go. But if he cannot even hold out for half a shichen, then he deserves to meet his end in this calamity." "Half a shichen." Demon Venerable Xiantian narrowed his eyes slightly. Dao Lord Penglai's mention of half a shichen did not mean she was simply giving Yaoguang that time—it meant she believed she could hold back the three of them single-handedly for half a shichen. Such confidence bordered on complete contempt for him. As the foremost expert among the Six Demon Sects, he had been renowned for countless years and had even slain Dao Lords before. In his own estimation, even if he fell short of Penglai, the gap could not possibly be vast. Furthermore, intercepting someone was fundamentally different from deciding a victor; a powerful expert seeking to block another faced a vastly steeper challenge. With three of them present, for Penglai to still claim she could hold them off for half a shichen was arrogant in the extreme. "Dao Lord Penglai, does this mean there is truly nothing to discuss?" Demon Venerable Xiantian said coldly. Understanding the meaning behind his words, Dao Lord Penglai extended a hand. "Why don't the three of you give it a try? See if you can break past me within half a shichen!" Demon Venerable Xiantian exchanged glances with Demon Venerable Huangquan and Demon Venerable Jiuyou. An instant later, Xiantian charged straight toward Penglai, sweeping his sleeve to unleash a wave of corrosive black mist that coalesced into a black dragon and lunged violently at her. Meanwhile, Huangquan and Jiuyou split left and right, accelerating to their utmost limits as if intending to flank around her and rush straight to Black Moon's aid. Yet Dao Lord Penglai merely waved her hand. Drawing upon the Great Dao of Origin, she conjured a boundless sea of origin that crashed down and slammed the corrosive black dragon out of the sky. Simultaneously, she raised her right hand and made a slicing motion toward Demon Venerable Huangquan. The surging origin power condensed into a crushing sword momentum that seemed to harbor tens of thousands of primal caverns within, hurtling down with a deafening roar and forcing the demon venerable into a frantic defense. Immediately following that, her figure flashed. Empowered by the Worlds Apart Diagram, she intercepted Demon Venerable Jiuyou with effortless ease. The power of origin manifested like an advancing city wall, shoving forward to slam directly into the demon venerable who had thought himself about to break through, blasting him backward. The clashes between the Grand Dao of Darkness, Grand Dao of Death, and Grand Dao of Gui Water against the Great Dao of Origin continuously shook the fabric of the Dao, once again drawing the gazes of all the Dao Lords across Beihai Star. In truth, while Demon Venerable Xiantian, Demon Venerable Huangquan, and Demon Venerable Jiuyou had been hurrying over, several Dao Integration experts had already sensed the disturbance. Coupled with the fierce battle erupting in the direction of the Shadow Moon Sect between Yaoguang and Demon Venerable Black Moon, countless experts had already turned their full attention toward the conflict. Now, seeing Dao Lord Penglai intercepting three demon venerables of the Six Demon Sects, the watching Dao Lords were gripped by a collective chill. Such frequent battles between Dao Lords gave them the illusion that the Dao Contention had already begun in earnest. Fortunately, Dao Lord Juntian made an appearance in the nick of time, promptly informing every Dao Lord on Beihai Star of the background of the conflict. Upon learning that Yaoguang was merely seeking revenge against Demon Venerable Black Moon for ambushing him during his Dao Integration, the various Dao Lords felt that while Yaoguang was perhaps overly aggressive and sharp-edged, he nonetheless had a justifiable cause, and so none of them spoke out. On the other hand, when God Venerable Radiance received the news, his expression darkened instantly, and he immediately sought out the other nine god venerables of the God race to deliberate on a countermeasure. *** The developments in the outside world did not affect Yaoguang in the slightest. At this moment, he unleashed one Great Annihilation Art after another in an unbroken barrage. The path of the Heavenly Immortal required fusing several, or even over a dozen, Dao arts into one to directly shape origin before the breakthrough could be achieved. Such an origin Dao art contained within it the variations of several or dozens of underlying arts. When combined and stacked together, the difference was like loose sand compared to a disciplined battle formation, unleashing an effect where the whole vastly exceeded the sum of its parts. Though the path of the Human Immortal differed from that of the Heavenly Immortal, the fundamental nature of an origin Dao art was the same—it encompassed every variation of its respective Great Dao. While the Great Annihilation Art was not an origin Dao art like the Great Void Art, the power it packed was still comparable to a fusion of two or three Dao arts. It possessed not only the power to collapse and shatter the void, but also the prior capability to solidify and compress space. Whenever a strike descended, the space centered on Demon Venerable Black Moon would first freeze solid before collapsing inward and shrinking, only to violently rupture and disintegrate into absolute nothingness in the next instant. Everything within was thoroughly crushed to dust, and even the power of other Daos struggled to manifest due to the loss of any medium to bear them, resulting in a weakening effect on all non-void Daos. Beneath this quasi-immortal-level art, Demon Venerable Black Moon could only struggle desperately to resist, barely clinging to life by expending one miraculous life-saving treasure after another. In the span of mere dozens of breaths, the demon venerable found himself in mortal peril repeatedly. As his life-saving treasures ran dry, he was pushed to the brink of utter ruin. "Stop! Dao Friend Yaoguang, why must we fight to the bitter end?" Faced with imminent death, Demon Venerable Black Moon had no choice but to bow his head and beg for mercy. "If it is the Shadow Moon Sect's territory you desire, I will hand it over! Furthermore, during my travels abroad, I discovered a secret realm abundant in Taiyi True Gold. I have collected some on my person that can serve as proof. So long as Dao Friend is willing to show me mercy, I will not only depart Beihai Star and never set foot in this starry expanse again, but I will also place all of these treasures entirely at your disposal..." "Once I kill you, those things will be mine anyway." Yaoguang remained completely unmoved, blasting another Great Annihilation Art straight toward him. Seeing that Yaoguang's resolve to kill him was absolute, and sensing from the fluctuations of battle that Xiantian and the others rushing to his aid had been halted by Penglai, Black Moon gritted his teeth. He reversed the formation, turning the area into a desolate seal, while transforming himself into a streak of demonic flame. Sweeping past the array, he fled the Shadow Moon Sect and bolted straight toward the direction where Demon Venerable Xiantian and the others were gathered. As for the rest of the Shadow Moon Sect trapped inside the formation alongside Yaoguang, he could no longer afford to care.