Destruction

Demon Venerable Black Moon reversed the formation, trapping Yaoguang together with Yue Wuying, the sect master of the Shadow Moon Sect, and the others, hoping only that they could delay Yaoguang for even a brief moment. Unfortunately... Yaoguang had studied the Shadow Moon Sect's formations for decades and had long since seen through their every variation. The instant Demon Venerable Black Moon reversed the formation, Yaoguang used Void Blink and appeared outside of it. Blinking once more immediately after, he cut Demon Venerable Black Moon off, bringing down yet another Great Annihilation Art. Without the formation's interference, the Great Annihilation Art proved even more devastating. Most of Demon Venerable Black Moon's demonic body was wiped away, and even his harmony with the Grand Dao of Darkness seemed on the verge of unraveling. "A tree that towers above the forest will be destroyed by the wind! Why must you insist on exterminating us completely?!" Demon Venerable Black Moon roared, activating a life-saving treasure. In an instant, he appeared millions of li away, his aura thoroughly erased so that not a single trace leaked out. Yet before he could hide, Yaoguang's Void Blink followed right behind him. Illuminated by the light of the true spirit, the demon venerable, having just masked his aura in hopes of hiding, was met with another Great Annihilation Art. That terrifying power—freezing and collapsing a pocket of space before shattering and annihilating it—instantly dragged Demon Venerable Black Moon back out, even though he had concealed his aura to the absolute limit. Mobilizing the Grand Dao of Darkness with all his might, he split his demonic body clean in two. One part drew Yaoguang's attention, while the other utilized the elusive, untrackable nature of the Grand Dao of Darkness to slip away from the collapsing space. Yet... It was useless. The formidable survival capabilities of the Grand Dao of Darkness were rendered utterly incapable of displaying their eerie, elusive mystery before Yaoguang's Dao art, which destroyed space itself. No matter how Demon Venerable Black Moon fled... Yaoguang could even afford to give him a four-breath head start, only to catch right back up in the next second with a single Void Blink. Fight? He couldn't win! Hide? He couldn't conceal himself! Flee? He couldn't escape! As he watched Yaoguang reappear before him once more via Void Blink, the demon venerable finally let out a desperate howl. "Yaoguang!" *Buzz! Buzz!* The void around him was once again shattered and pulverized by the Great Annihilation Art. And this time... The demon venerable failed to produce any further life-saving treasures to cheat death. This caught Yaoguang somewhat off guard as he cast the light of his true spirit to illuminate every change in the surroundings, slightly surprised by how it ended. Only after sweeping the light of his true spirit in all directions once more and isolating a trace of a remnant soul from the shattered void... Could he finally be certain: Demon Venerable Black Moon was truly dead. To be safe, he checked the [Demon Hunting] branch in his mental world. Sure enough, a dense surge of energy had been added to it. *As expected of a Dao Lord who has lived for tens of thousands of years; he possessed far too many trump cards,* Yaoguang mused with a touch of emotion. *Black Moon was clearly no match for me in strength, yet relying on those trump cards, he managed to hold out all this time.* He cast a glance toward the battlefield where Dao Lord Penglai was facing Demon Venerable Xiantian and the others. *If Penglai hadn't held them off for me, those demon venerables would have reinforced him long ago given how much time has passed.* Leaving the rest of the Shadow Moon Sect trapped beneath the inverted barrier for now, Yaoguang pushed Void Blink to its limit. Rippling through the Grand Dao of the Void, his figure soon materialized on the battlefield where Dao Lord Penglai and Demon Venerable Xiantian's group were clashing. By this time, having sensed the disappearance of Demon Venerable Black Moon's aura, Demon Venerable Xiantian, Demon Venerable Huangquan, and Demon Venerable Jiuyou had already ceased their attacks and prepared to withdraw. When Yaoguang appeared, Demon Venerable Xiantian shot him a deep look, his eyes brimming with wary apprehension. Without uttering a word, the three demon venerables swiftly activated their Dao artifacts and tore through the void, departing the scene. "See that? Even a renowned Dao Integration expert like Demon Venerable Xiantian is wary of you now." Dao Lord Penglai sheathed the Human Sovereign Sword and came to Yaoguang's side. Yaoguang understood her meaning. After a moment of thought, he asked, "Should we pursue them...?" "The Heavenly Demon Sect's mountain-protecting formation is also rank fifteen. Without studying it thoroughly, do you think you can stand against Demon Venerable Xiantian when he is bolstered by a rank-fifteen formation?" Dao Lord Penglai continued, "Furthermore, Demon Venerable Xiantian is acclaimed as the foremost expert among the Six Demon Sects, possessing far greater influence than Demon Venerable Black Moon. If he calls upon the others, two or three more demon venerables will surely answer, and by then we would have to contend with five or six of them at once." She then added, "Besides, Dao Lord Liujie of the Void Path and other Dao Lords might not sit idly by either. At the very least... God Venerable Radiance would never let such an opportunity pass. After all, Juntian already announced that you are retaliating for the ambush during your Dao Integration. Since Black Moon was among your targets, Radiance naturally is as well. Given the chance, that god venerable would never pass up an opportunity to kick you while you're down." Yaoguang nodded, watching the three demon venerables depart with a touch of regret. "Speaking of which, do you still intend to deal with God Venerable Radiance?" "Yes." "Compared to the Six Demon Sects, the Ten God Races are far harder to deal with. The main difference lies in their unity. Now that God Venerable Radiance is on guard, he will surely negotiate terms with the other god venerables to ensure that if he is attacked, they will come to his aid immediately." Dao Lord Penglai paused before continuing, "That is also the reason the concept of the 'Ten God Races' exists. If a Dao Integration cultivator within their alliance were attacked and the others stood by, what meaning would their alliance have left?" Yaoguang understood this logic. If he were attacked without cause by other Dao Integration cultivators, the Dao Lords of the Ten Immortal Sects would have to step forward to intervene, even if they were reluctant. At most, they might slack off during the battle. However, their attitude and stance had to be clear. "I will wait for an opportunity. If there really is no opening, I will bide my time," Yaoguang said. Dao Lord Penglai let out a quiet sigh of relief upon hearing this. She had been worried that he would insist on charging off to kill God Venerable Radiance right now. Facing the ten god venerables... Especially on their home turf, where every single one of them could unleash combat strength on par with a renowned Dao Integration expert, even she felt immense pressure. "In two to three hundred years, the Dao dispute cycle will officially begin, and Dao Lords from across the cosmos will return to Beihai Star. Some of them were enemies to begin with. After venturing abroad for thousands of years, once they feel their strength has grown, they will settle old grudges and take their revenge. That is when Beihai Star will truly plunge into chaos," Dao Lord Penglai consoled him. "Although it won't be like when the Gate of the Immortal Realm opens, with wave after wave fighting to the death for a spot, clashes between Dao Lords will still become frequent. If you truly wish to take revenge, it won't be too late to strike then." "Am I really someone who lacks a sense of proportion?" Yaoguang looked at her with amusement. "Newborn calves don't fear tigers," Dao Lord Penglai said, tossing her long hair. "Back when I had just become a Dao Lord, I subdued the Tianhai Sword Pavilion, then defeated Demon Saint Yulin, charging into the depths of the Nine Demon Immortal Lineages three separate times in an effort to rid myself of him once and for all." Hearing this, Yaoguang found himself at a loss for words. If one looked only at their battles of vengeance after achieving Dao Integration... His slaying of Black Moon was undeniably the equivalent of Dao Lord Penglai suppressing the Tianhai Sword Pavilion. Going into the God race to kill Radiance... Would probably be just like Dao Lord Penglai hunting Demon Saint Yulin, wouldn't it? Dao Lord Penglai herself had ventured into the depths of the Nine Demon Immortal Lineages three times to kill Demon Saint Yulin. As for his intrusion into the Ten God Races to kill God Venerable Radiance... He hadn't even begun his first attempt yet. "Before I have sufficient certainty, I won't act rashly," Yaoguang conceded tactfully, accepting Dao Lord Penglai's counsel. "So once you are certain, you'll make your move?" Dao Lord Penglai looked at him. "Let me guess—once you've forged a semi-immortal artifact? After all, you have the Lingyun Mysterious Crystal, so you already meet the conditions to upgrade one of your pinnacle Dao artifacts into a semi-immortal artifact." Yaoguang was struck speechless once again. That... Was precisely what he had been thinking. He would upgrade one or two semi-immortal artifacts—ideally the Wuji Sword—and assassinate God Venerable Radiance with thunderous momentum, then rely on Void Blink to escape before the other god venerables could react. A drama of striking down a foe from across ten thousand li, swift as a meteor striking the moon. "Ahem... Fellow Daoist Penglai is truly perceptive." "I knew it." Dao Lord Penglai sighed helplessly. Only after a good while did she say, "Remember to call on me when the time comes. But I won't go into the depths of the God race with you; at most, I'll tie them down from the periphery." "Haha, then my thanks in advance, Fellow Daoist," Yaoguang replied with a laugh. Deeply infiltrating the God race territory was naturally an assassination mission, so bringing Dao Lord Penglai along would have been inconvenient. Her staying on the fringes of the God race territory was actually the best choice, as she could both distract the other god venerables and intercept pursuers for him. *Wait...* Yaoguang suddenly realized something. His eyes couldn't help but drift to Dao Lord Penglai. Why did this Dao Lord seem... A little eager about his plan to infiltrate the God race and assassinate God Venerable Radiance? Recalling her earlier comfort, counsel, and warnings, Yaoguang decided not to dwell on it and simply added, "Whenever you plan to venture into the depths of the Nine Demon Immortal Lineages to purge the demons, be sure to call on me as well. Two people working together will be far more efficient than acting alone." "All right," Dao Lord Penglai said, waving her hand. "I'll be taking my leave." "Until next time." Yaoguang cupped his hands in farewell. Dao Lord Penglai departed immediately, heading back to the Penglai Immortal Sect. Yaoguang also executed several Void Blinks to return to the Shadow Moon Sect. At this time, because Demon Venerable Black Moon had reversed the mountain-protecting formation, the entire Shadow Moon Sect was like an inverted cauldron. Everyone inside was trapped, unable to escape in the slightest. Yaoguang wasted no time and directly transmitted a message to True Monarch Xujin and the others. Meanwhile, he set about breaking the formation himself. By the time Yaoguang breached this rank-fifteen formation—one that lacked a Dao Lord presiding over it and with which he was thoroughly familiar—over a hundred battleships led by True Monarch Xujin and assisted by Qi Sha and the others had already appeared on the horizon. Yaoguang greeted them briefly, then flickered in a flash, appearing right beside the Shadow Moon Sect's sect master, Yue Wuying. Terrified and trembling, Yue Wuying bowed his head the moment he laid eyes on Yaoguang. "Yue Wuying of the Shadow Moon Sect is willing to lead everyone to merge into the Heavenly Dao Sect and join the Southern Domain—" Before he could finish, Yaoguang shattered his demonic body with a controlled blast of the Great Annihilation Art. Reaching out with a hand of illusory energy, he seized all of the Shadow Moon Sect master's high-grade Dao artifacts and storage treasures. Those Void Shattering cultivators who once seemed formidable to him now had no room to resist before him, now that he had successfully achieved Dao Integration. Having slain Sect Master Yue Wuying and the other Void Shattering and Void Refining cultivators in one sweep, Yaoguang headed toward the sect's treasury. As for the remaining cultivators... True Monarch Xujin, Qi Sha, and the others would handle them. After this battle, the Shadow Moon Sect would be completely erased from Beihai Star. It had become the first top sect to be destroyed in this upcoming cycle of Dao dispute, even before the cycle had officially begun.