Immortal Art

"Another invincible Dao Lord!" Yaoguang remarked. Furthermore, he sensed the fluctuations of no fewer than three semi-immortal artifacts on this Dao Lord. It was precisely the presence of these semi-immortal artifacts that created a slight gap between Dao Lord Jiugong and this Dao Lord Jinguang. Setting those semi-immortal artifacts aside, their actual cultivation was roughly six of one and half a dozen of the other, both belonging to roughly the same tier as Dao Lord Penglai. "Fellow Daoist Yaoguang." Within the battleship, a figure materialized. "I am Youxu." Youxu. Vice Sect Master of the Xingri Sect. An illustrious pinnacle Dao Lord. In the entire Xingri Sect, there were four pinnacle Dao Lords on the surface: Youxu, Qianjie, Wanjie, and Dao Lord Changqing, who guarded the Gate of the Immortal Realm year-round and would never leave unless the Xingri Sect faced catastrophic destruction. However, Dao Lord Youxu's inherent strength seemed slightly inferior to Qianjie and Wanjie, who fought on the front lines encircling the Star Slayer Alliance; he was likely on par with Beihai Star's Dao Lord Taiqing, Demon Venerable Xiantian, and the like. Yet he was clearly carrying a treasure at the level of a semi-immortal artifact, allowing him to close the gap despite his slightly inferior cultivation and reach a level not in the slightest inferior to pinnacle Dao Lords like Qianjie, Wanjie, or even Huijin. "So it is Sect Master Youxu," Yaoguang greeted with clasped hands. "Many thanks for your assistance, Fellow Daoist Yaoguang. Leave the rest to us. Once the battle is over, we shall have a proper conversation, and our Xingri Sect will express our gratitude to you in every way possible," Dao Lord Youxu said. Yaoguang felt a tinge of disappointment at the Time Dao Lord's absence. Still, considering how dearly the Xingri Sect valued their inheritances of Time and Reincarnation, they likely wouldn't easily let the Dao Lords of those two Daos go out into combat, lest a severed inheritance force the entire sect to expend vast manpower and resources to cultivate another. If he truly wished to confront that Time Dao Lord... He would probably have to wait until he entered the Xingri Sect's headquarters. "Then I shall look forward to seeing your sect display its might," Yaoguang replied with a smile, preparing to yield the battlefield. Yet at that moment, this Dao Lord walked directly up to the Xuanguang Boat, pressed down an illusory hand, and said, "Hand the Xuanguang Boat over to us. This battleship is the Star Slayer Alliance's headquarters; who knows what hidden traps they may have left inside. Handing it to us will make it easier to neutralize those threats, lest innocent people be harmed." Hearing this, Yaoguang could not help but be slightly taken aback. He was the one who had subdued this semi-immortal artifact battleship. Although the Xingri Sect had helped pin down its original master, Dao Lord Jiugong... For the Xingri Sect to be so eager to swallow this battleship whole was quite an unsightly display of greed. Or perhaps... As the overlords of this star domain, had they grown so accustomed to extortion and robbery, so used to subservience from everyone else, that they assumed no one would ever resist them? "That is inappropriate," Yaoguang stated bluntly. "Oh? What is inappropriate about it?" Dao Lord Youxu smiled faintly. Yaoguang turned his gaze toward Sect Master Dao Lord Jinguang instead. "Does Dao Lord Jinguang feel it is appropriate for me to hand this flying boat over to Dao Lord Youxu?" Dao Lord? Those two words made Dao Lord Jinguang's brows furrow. The Xingri Sect had no Supreme Elders; the sect master was simply the strongest Dao Lord of each generation. And when he took over as sect master, he hadn't waited for the previous strongest sect master to ascend to the Immortal Realm; he had defeated his predecessor and claimed the seat through sheer strength. Ever since he ascended to the position of Xingri Sect Master... No one had dared address him as "Dao Lord." Even if they didn't call him "Dao Sovereign," they should at least address him by his title of "Sect Master." However, he did not show these thoughts on his face. Yaoguang before him was likely a traveler from another star domain who didn't understand what the Sect Master of the Xingri Sect represented. There was no need to make a fuss over it. "You did indeed expend considerable effort to secure this Xuanguang Boat. When the time comes, I shall calculate your contribution and advance your priority in the queue for ascension. However, that you were able to bring out this Xuanguang Boat was also thanks to Qianjie, Wanjie, and the others keeping Jiugong occupied. Otherwise, with your methods alone, you might not have brought this vessel before me. You cannot deny this." Dao Lord Jinguang waved his hand dismissively. "Enough. Hand this item over to Youxu, and then let us finish off these stray tails together. Of course, if you are weary, you may watch from the sidelines. After all, they are merely six grasshoppers struggling in their death throes." Yaoguang could feel an unspeakable arrogance emanating from this Xingri Sect Master. Yet upon second thought, it made sense. Ever since Dao Sovereign Huanyin founded the Xingri Sect, the sect had been the undisputed hegemon of this starry sky. Over the epochs, countless rebel forces and challengers had emerged, but not one had managed to truly shake their dominant standing. For millions of years, wave after wave of Dao Lords had ascended from the Xingri Sect, totaling well over several thousand. In the shifting tides of the outside world, innumerable factions had risen and fallen, and countless Dao Lords had lived and died, yet the Xingri Sect had stood unbroken. It endured as the unshakeable ruler of this region. Under such circumstances, what was so surprising about a member of the Xingri Sect being arrogant? Dao Lord Jinguang in particular possessed three semi-immortal artifacts and nearly peerless strength, combining every possible advantage into one person. Naturally, he looked down on all other cultivators. Even if those cultivators were Dao Lords just like him. "Heh, alright then." Yaoguang had originally planned to follow Dao Lord Jinguang back to the Xingri Sect before making a move on their Time Dao Lord. A form of... Dao Contention? But now... "I hope to hand this item over to Sect Master Jinguang personally," Yaoguang said with a smile. "You are thoughtful." Dao Lord Jinguang was not surprised and casually extended his hand. It was completely natural for an outsider Dao Lord to want to show deference before him, presenting a treasure to leave a stronger impression. As sect master, he did not mind showing a touch of benevolence to subordinates to win their hearts. "A Dao Sovereign, huh?" Yaoguang stepped in front of the Xingri Sect Master, looked at him, and sighed with heartfelt emotion. Dao Lord Jinguang smiled faintly. So what if he was an outsider Dao Lord? Look at that—didn't he catch on quickly? Yet immediately afterward, another divine sense resonated: "Since when could any random stray try to leech off the name of a Dao Sovereign, let alone dare style themselves one to the outside world? If Dao Sovereign Huanyin knew of this up in the Immortal Realm, he'd probably be furious enough to descend to the mortal realm and slap you worthless descendants to death." At those words, Dao Lord Jinguang's expression instantly changed. "Yaoguang, you—" Rumble! The void trembled! An unprecedentedly powerful Grand Dao of the Void descended and condensed with thunderous momentum, leveraged by semi-immortal artifacts... or perhaps a power exceeding even semi-immortal artifacts. That terrifying tremor and roar sent violent shockwaves through the hearts of Vice Sect Master Youxu, another Void Dao Lord in their ranks, and the several Void Dao Lords who had charged after Dao Lord Zhuanhe. In their daze, they seemed to behold a colossal behemoth, like a primordial fiendgod or a prehistoric beast, driving the waves of the void forward and rolling in a violent tsunami of annihilation. So immense was its momentum that it crushed the breath out of every Void Dao Lord nearby; even their thoughts felt sluggish and frozen. "Insolence!" Just as Dao Lord Jinguang's furious divine sense erupted, a Great Void Art instantaneously took form and slammed ruthlessly into Dao Lord Jinguang's body. Great Void Art! An attack at the level of an immortal art! One that could truly be used to battle and slay immortals! Yet an attack potent enough to contract and shatter the void was abruptly stopped in its tracks just as it was about to tear Dao Lord Jinguang apart, blocked by a precious mirror that surged from his person. Ten thousand zhang of flowing light erupted from the mirror, relentlessly washing over the crushing assault formed by the Great Void Art's shaking of the Grand Dao of the Void, forcefully scouring away the full might of this immortal art. Though less than a tenth of the mirror's radiance remained by the end, it had directly shielded Dao Lord Jinguang from Yaoguang's immortal art attack. "Hmm!?" Yaoguang was slightly surprised. This Xingri Sect Master actually possessed such a treasure. He could even block an attack at the level of an immortal art? In contrast to Yaoguang's surprise, Dao Lord Jinguang was consumed by thunderous fury. "You court death!" In the next instant, he thrust a hand toward Yaoguang. The ring-shaped semi-immortal artifact in his grasp shimmered with brilliant light, effortlessly setting the Grand Dao of Flowing Light to boil and instantly transforming into blinding light intense enough to vaporize and melt everything. This counterattack was so swift and fierce that ordinary Dao Lords would have been utterly incapable of resisting it; without other life-saving treasures, they would have perished on the spot, as good as slapped to death by the Xingri Sect Master with a single palm. Unfortunately... Yaoguang didn't even spare it a glance. The illusory silhouette of a pagoda manifested above his head, directly withstanding the impact and dissolution of that terrifying flowing light. Meanwhile, he channeled the Grand Dao of the Void once more, and a second Great Void Art crashed down immediately after. Where the Dao art struck, the void vanished, and all foundational Daos supported by the void were wiped away entirely. What should have been wiped away as well was Dao Lord Jinguang himself. And at this moment, this Dao Lord finally realized the peril. A counterattack at the level of an immortal art was the pinnacle killing move for any Dao Lord. Even as the Sect Master of the Xingri Sect, he could never withstand being bombarded by such attacks in succession. Without delay, a scroll painting unfolded behind him. The power of the Grand Dao of Flowing Light surged out as if from nothingness, which he channeled and poured toward the Great Void Art. This was... yet another semi-immortal artifact. As this semi-immortal artifact was unleashed, some extraordinary object inside seemed to burn, pushing the might of this flowing light to the absolute peak. Vaguely, Yaoguang caught a whiff of the "Immortal Venerable" tier. He immediately thought of the Great Destruction God Talisman that Destruction God Venerable had produced back on Beihai Star. This kind of power... Should it be called a Great Flowing Light God Talisman? With the emergence of this trump card, the clash on the battlefield immediately escalated into a death match at the level of immortal arts. The head-on collision between the Grand Dao of Flowing Light and the Grand Dao of the Void generated visible tidal waves in the void across this star space, crashing outward in concentric rings in every direction and obliterating all matter within their wake. Dao Lord Youxu, who had originally intended to come to Dao Lord Jinguang's aid, along with the other Dao Lords, felt this exploding torrent of terror, and their expressions all turned pale with horror. "Retreat!" Twelve Dao Lords! Even Dao Lord Zhuanhe and his companions, who had barely just arrived, pulled back at maximum speed without exception, fleeing far from the battlefield. A clash of immortal arts was simply not something Dao Lords like them could meddle in. Watching from afar, Dao Lord Zhuanhe lost his voice in sheer horror: "Th-this is a battle of Dao Sovereigns!"