Trifles

Inside the Great Dao Pagoda, the various internal laws surged and churned without end, grinding all fourteen Demon Saints into nothingness. Every Demon Saint's physique had been tempered through a thousand trials. Ground and shattered, their remains condensed into well over a hundred thousand Divine Essence Elixirs. If an ordinary demon king used these Divine Essence Elixirs, they would serve as life-saving trump cards capable of turning the tide in a mortal clash and slaying their opponent. If refined and absorbed, they offered numerous benefits for a cultivator's comprehension of innate talents. The path of a Demon Saint was, in truth, somewhat similar to that of a Human Immortal, turning their own body into a vessel for intrinsic divine abilities and origin immortal arts. Naturally, Divine Essence Elixirs crafted from the corpses of Demon Saints yielded immediate results for practitioners contemplating divine abilities and Dao arts. Yaoguang clenched his hand through empty air. The space surrounding the hundred-plus thousand Divine Essence Elixirs began to contract, and before long, a visible crystal took shape in his palm. In reality, the void possessed neither form nor substance. Yet, as a Dao Lord of the Grand Dao of the Void, he could treat space as a tangible object to manipulate at will. For beings whose cultivation fell short, however, the subtleties of space remained entirely beyond reach. Yaoguang naturally had to manifest it through a special method, which was why he held this crystal in his hand. "The void has become within reach." Yaoguang looked at the crystal in his hand. Then, he quietly sensed his surroundings. "Moreover, my perception of the outside world is vastly different from that of an ordinary person." He looked down at his arm. "Mortals can clearly feel their limbs and body, exercising full control over them. Cultivators, however, can use divine sense to extend that range to hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of li, thereby manipulating energy within that area. To some degree, upon reaching this stage, a cultivator has effectively transformed into a giant thousands or tens of thousands of li tall. But divine sense is merely a framework. It is only after forming a core, creating a furnace within the body, and passing through the Skyfire and Constant Light realms to forge a Golden Core that the framework is truly fleshed out. At that point, there is little difference between a cultivator and a star." If one insisted on finding a difference, there certainly was one. Stars formed naturally. Unable to restrain their own violent energies, they underwent continuous nuclear fusion, constantly emitting light and heat. A Golden Core cultivator, on the other hand, could exert precise control over the energy intensity within their body, avoiding unnecessary internal consumption and thereby prolonging the stable operation of their Golden Core. "As a Golden Core expands continuously, it will one day collapse into a black hole. The energy of a black hole is even more violent and destructive. Yet, through extraordinary talent, human cultivators devised a method to evolve a Grotto-Heaven using the power of their Dharma Idol. This allows the violent, ferocious energy of a black hole to transform from tangible to intangible, serving as a medium to touch the Dao of the void and ultimately evolve into a Grotto-Heaven world." Yaoguang reached out and tapped the air, sending ripples spreading outward from his fingertips. These ripples were distortions in the void wrought by his own power. It followed the exact same principle as a black hole bending spacetime. The difference was that the energy emitted by cosmic black holes was wild and uncontrolled, whereas he—or any cultivator at the Void Cavern realm—could freely harness this violent power through their Grotto-Heaven and make it their own. In reality, upon reaching this level, the true mass of Void Cavern cultivators had already exceeded blue giants spanning hundreds of millions of li; they were genuinely equivalent to black holes. Once they unleashed the full power of their Grotto-Heaven, they too could swallow and tear apart all surrounding stars and matter like a black hole. As for reaching even higher, touching the true realm of Dao Integration atop the foundation of the Grand Dao of the Void, that power became vastly more boundless. It genuinely entered the cosmic scale. Just like now: if Yaoguang were to immerse his entire mind into the Grand Dao of the Void, his perception would ripple through the Grand Dao, extending several light-years, dozens of light-years, or even hundreds or thousands of light-years away. If that state of immersion went deep enough, an entire galaxy would be enveloped in his perception. Of course, very few Dao Lords would ever do this. A Dao Lord completely immersed in such a state would have their vigilance toward external dangers severely dulled. If an ambush struck at that moment, they would have no time to react. Therefore, rarely did any Dao Lord choose to genuinely immerse themselves in the Dao they had integrated with, coexisting as one with the Dao. Yet this at least proved that a Dao Lord possessed the capability to span an entire galaxy with their perception. Whereas for mortals—and even ordinary people—their reach was limited strictly to what their eyes could see. "Experiencing this closely now, it truly is wondrous." Yaoguang lightly sensed Beihai Star and the surrounding starry expanse. With a trace of wonder in his eyes, he retracted his gaze. Next, rather than returning to the Nine Cauldrons Sect with a Void Blink, he rose upon a flying sword, maintaining a speed comparable to an Incandescent White Golden Core cultivator, and flew at an unhurried pace toward the sect. Yaoguang had wiped out all the Dao Integration experts of the Nine Demon Immortal Lineages, the Five Fiend Dao Factions, and the Ten God Races in succession, striking awe and terror into every Dao Lord on Beihai Star. Without needing to investigate closely, he could guess that most of the visiting Dao Lords from elsewhere had already fled. Those who remained had become more docile and obedient than ever. They feared that this Dao Sovereign might be unable to check his bloodlust and launch a war of extermination against all Dao Lords who did not belong to Beihai Star. Throughout history, it was not unheard of for someone who attained the realm of Dao Sovereign to purge the surrounding Dao Lords. In fact... The rise of every Dao Sovereign was almost always paved with mountains of corpses. The only difference lay in whether they slaughtered many or slaughtered all. This was precisely why everyone knew a Dao Sovereign possessed the power to take on a hundred foes single-handedly and dominate an era. These were lessons bought with blood. When even Dao Lords trembled in fear, there was no need to speak of the Void Shattering, Void Refining, and Void Piercing experts beneath them. Under such conditions, Yaoguang flew on his sword all the way without encountering a single life-or-death battle. This was a stark contrast to his experience when he had first arrived on Beihai Star and traveled far alone for the first time. "A golden age of peace," Yaoguang murmured with heartfelt emotion. Still, he knew this "peace" would be short-lived. At most, it would last a century or two. For Golden Core cultivators, the century or two when the Gate of the Immortal Realm opened was the most perilous period, during which everyone had to tighten their belts. But once that time passed... With many sects losing the backing of their Dao Lords due to ascension or death, territories would inevitably be carved up anew. That would be the hour to seize land and resources. When a whale fell, ten thousand things flourished. How much more so for the territories and resources left behind by dozens of Dao Lords? In this process, whoever claimed the lion's share would soar into the skies, cultivating into the Void Piercing, Void Refining, or even Void Shattering realm. They would become hegemonic figures for the next ten thousand years, serving as elders, peak masters, and supreme elders in top factions, laying the foundation to charge toward Dao Integration in the future. As for the losers in that strife... Naturally, they would perish, turning to dust and vanishing into history. Flying on his sword, Yaoguang could see many small sects quietly developing under the guidance of Golden Core cultivators. He could see Void Piercing clans growing rapidly with the help of their forebears. He could also see factions subordinate to top sects gathering strength, preparing to claim their slice of the cake once the Dao Contention drew to a close. All manner of human lives unfolded before his eyes. Before long, the Nine Cauldrons Sect came into view. Nearly three hundred years had passed since the Nine Cauldrons Sect took over the territory of the Shadow Moon Sect. Over these three centuries, the Nine Cauldrons Sect had taken root in the former lands of the Shadow Moon Sect, growing into a towering new tree. Though it could not yet match veteran powerhouses like the Heavenly Dao Sect or the Taiyi Immortal Sect due to being newly established, it clearly stood a cut above the Penglai Immortal Sect. After all, Dao Lord Penglai of the Penglai Immortal Sect paid little heed to her sect's development—or rather, with her pride as a level-17 immortal spirit from the Hunyuan Realm, she was unwilling to expend much energy on the Penglai Immortal Sect. Had it not been for her youth, when she struggled to bear the sorrow of parting and death and could not bear to cast aside Shi Lin and the others she met along her journey, she would never have founded the Penglai Immortal Sect in the first place. Yaoguang was different. For the development of the Nine Cauldrons Sect, Yaoguang had spared no effort. Leaving aside figures like True Monarch Xujin, several Void Shattering cultivators of the Nine Cauldrons Sect lineage led by Su Yaoxue had practically been raised through his sole efforts. Coupled with the ever-expanding trade in Dao artifact flying swords and Jiuzhou Battleships... The entire Nine Cauldrons Sect was thriving. Even though the Southern Domain had indirectly been returned to the Heavenly Dao Sect, the annual revenue of the Nine Cauldrons Sect still matched that of the Heavenly Dao Sect. When Yaoguang arrived, the operations of the Nine Cauldrons Sect were proceeding in an orderly fashion under the assistance of Li Qingshan, an experienced deputy sect master. Cultivators bustled in and out, radiating prosperity and vigor. Moreover, vast numbers of rare spiritual flowers and grasses had been planted, and various exotic spirit beasts had been tamed and raised. The dark, eerie atmosphere of the former Shadow Moon Sect had vanished completely, replaced by curling immortal mist. It was the majestic image of a great immortal sect. "Not bad." Yaoguang nodded slightly. He briefly sensed the field of vision of Shaohua, who was busy setting up arrays and reforming the Fuyao Realm. It was a massive undertaking. At present, the Fuyao Realm still looked like a purgatory. However, once the transformation was complete, the scenery of the Fuyao Realm would undoubtedly be even grander and more breathtaking than the current Nine Cauldrons Sect. With a flicker of his body, he appeared inside the palace where Su Yaoyu was organizing the accounts of the Nine Cauldrons Sect. His arrival naturally caught Su Yaoyu's notice. When she saw Yaoguang's face, pleasant surprise instantly filled her expression. "Yaoguang, you're back?" "I'm back." Yaoguang nodded and said, "I took a stroll around the Nine Cauldrons Sect just now. It has developed remarkably well. Although the newer generation still lacks some polish, in terms of grand atmosphere, it is already on par with any of the Ten Immortal Sects." "Yaoxue and the others have put a great deal of heart into the sect's growth," Su Yaoyu said hurriedly. "Your contributions are equally significant," Yaoguang smiled. "Only by properly managing the allocation of resources and the supply of elixirs can the sect maintain a fair and just environment for rewards and penalties." "Lin Xia taught me well," Su Yaoyu replied with a smile. Yaoguang did not press the matter further upon hearing this. No matter how decisively Lin Xia handled affairs, she had only a few more years of experience than Su Yaoyu. Over the years, Su Yaoyu had learned and grown on the job, and through repeated practical experience, her capabilities had already far outstripped Lin Xia's. Yet he knew this was simply Su Yaoyu's nature. Humble, gentle, and without desire to compete. Once a person's disposition solidified, it was difficult to change unless they suffered a monumental upheaval in life. "The Gate of the Immortal Realm will open soon. I'll be staying at the Nine Cauldrons Sect for the coming period. I won't interfere in sect affairs, but if any of you have questions about your cultivation, feel free to ask me," Yaoguang said. During this stretch of a hundred and fifty years—which might very well be his last—he intended to spend more time with Su Yaoyu and the others. If misfortune truly struck when the time came, this life of his would still have had a proper beginning and end.