Interests

To the upper echelons of the Nine Great Conglomerates, all the native Dao Lords, True Immortals, and Immortal Venerables who joined them were merely vessels. Their sole purpose was to hold Dao shares. When a trade needed to be made, they would simply be handed over to the counterparty to be slain and refined at will. Such vessels required no careful nurturing, helped handle matters large and small, and fawned over their superiors constantly, providing emotional validation. Best of all... These vessels would cultivate diligently to increase their own value—namely, their Dao shares—effectively turning themselves into even tastier, more valuable vessels. It was precisely for this reason that the Nine Great Conglomerates tolerated the existence of native cultivators who were not immortal spirits. This was true of Dao Lord Taiqing and Dao Lord Yuanyi, and equally true of Dao Lord Juntian, who had survived by a hair's breadth to join Tianyuan Group. Yaoguang understood this well, but he also knew that telling these Dao Lords the truth would be utterly pointless. And so, he had summoned them to his side. If a day truly came in the future when they were reduced to mere vessels facing refinement, he could at least do it with his own hands, sparing them some agony. "Since Juntian has already contacted you, I will bring him over when the time is ripe," Yaoguang said. "He holds no real status in Tianyuan Group right now, so as long as he is careful, Tianyuan Group won't keep a close eye on him." "It is our honor to serve together under Your Highness," Dao Lord Taiqing replied with clasped hands. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, "May I boldly ask if Your Highness could search for the others, to see if they can be found?" "If the opportunity arises in the future, I will summon them. But for now, we must wait until I have achieved the rank of Immortal King," Yaoguang said. "Of course, of course! Everything concerning Your Highness takes the highest priority," Dao Lord Taiqing hurriedly replied. Yaoguang glanced at him and said, "Very well. Your next task is to compile information on all the ascenders from Beihai Star across past eras, and if possible, track down their locations. Go on." "Understood." The two acknowledged the command and bowed out. Watching them depart, Yaoguang could not help but sigh. Before he had become a Dao Lord, this Dao Lord Taiqing had been the champion of the righteous path, a leading figure among the Ten Immortal Sects whose prestige was unmatched. Even when Yaoguang became a Dao Lord and revealed power comparable to a Dao Sovereign, while Dao Lord Taiqing showed him great respect, he still maintained ample dignity and independence. Yet now... After only a few centuries in Creation Group, his sharp edges had been thoroughly smoothed away by Creation Group—or rather, by life in the Immortal Realm. In Yaoguang's presence, every word and action of his was fraught with caution. Not only was Yaoguang sighing, but Dao Lord Taiqing and Dao Lord Yuanyi fell silent for a long time after leaving, still reeling from the aura of majesty that radiated from Yaoguang during their meeting. It was not until they returned to their quarters and began packing their belongings that Dao Lord Yuanyi could not help but speak: "The contrast... it's just too vast. Back in the lower realm, although Dao Sovereign Yaoguang had already displayed his extraordinary talents, at the end of the day, everyone was a Dao Lord. The gap in status was large, but there was never such a rigid hierarchy of superior and inferior. Yet now..." "After everything we've experienced over this past millennium, after watching the divine sense imprints of our fellow Daoists fade away one by one, and seeing tens of billions of Void Shattering cultivators desperately trying every conceivable way to enter Creation Group... it's time we faced reality," Dao Lord Taiqing said. "In the lower realm, as fellow Dao Integration cultivators, we were barely qualified to sit as equals with Dao Sovereign Yaoguang and share a laugh. But in the Immortal Realm... with His Highness Yaoguang's status, even one of his assistants is an unreachable figure in our eyes!" "I just... have a hard time accepting it," Dao Lord Yuanyi said bitterly. "Which of us who reached the Dao Lord realm wasn't a generational prodigy? Yet after ascending to the Immortal Realm, we end up in a situation like this... Before seeing His Highness Yaoguang's accomplishments, that feeling wasn't so acute. But after seeing him... He is a director of Creation Group, a future Immortal King, while we are merely the most ordinary foot soldiers in Creation Group!" "You'd better accept it and adjust your mindset. In the lower realm, calling His Highness by his name was nothing. But in the Immortal Realm... for a figure of His Highness's caliber, if not for the fact that we ascended from the same world, you wouldn't even have the right to catch a glimpse of his immortal countenance in your entire lifetime." Dao Lord Taiqing felt bitter inside as well, but he still offered this cautious, brutally realistic reminder. Dao Lord Yuanyi opened his mouth to say something, but not a single word came out. Seeing this, Dao Lord Taiqing could only continue, "At least we are still alive, and we are still Dao Lords—Dao Lords who have joined Creation Group. That alone is far better than most others." He paused. "And having been fortunate enough to receive His Highness Yaoguang's patronage, if news of this gets out, countless Creation Group employees of our rank will be driven mad with envy and jealousy." "I understand." Dao Lord Yuanyi finally settled his thoughts and accepted the reality. Their ivory-tower existence in the lower starry skies was over. In the end... they had to look forward. *** Yaoguang's information was officially published. Immortal King Yuxiao's return to Creation Group naturally drew the attention of the upper echelons of the other eight conglomerates. The eight conglomerates were both collaborators and competitors, so they naturally paid close attention to each other's personnel shifts, especially board-level reshuffles. Many were surprised that Immortal King Yuxiao had vanished for a mere three thousand years before returning to Creation Group. Some peer-level directors even inquired into whether Immortal King Yuxiao had discovered something, for how else could he have rejoined the board with Chairman Xuanqing's backing in such a short time? This news reached Tianyuan Group and Xiyu Group as well. Leaving Tianyuan Group aside—where Immortal King Tianyu regarded him as a tremendous threat on the path of the Void, and having been suppressed internally by Creation Group this time, would inevitably hatch new schemes— As for Xiyu Group... Dao Lord Penglai—or rather, True Immortal Youling—looked at the news of this "Immortal King Yuxiao" in mild astonishment. She knew that since Yaoguang had chosen to return to Creation Group, he had to have had some confidence in reclaiming his status, but she never imagined he would achieve it so quickly. "As expected of an Immortal King with Level 18 clearance," she murmured in heartfelt praise. Considering that Xiyu Group might engage in a series of collaborations with Creation Group, she drafted a message and sent it over to congratulate Yaoguang. "An Immortal King, a member of the board," Youling murmured. "I wonder if His Highness will still acknowledge the favor from the lower realm that lasted a mere thousand years. A thousand years accounts for a third of my life, but for their vastly prolonged lifespans of tens of millions of years... it is far too brief." Once the message was sent, a faint wistfulness lingered between her brows. After a moment, she shook her head. She was no sentimental young girl, and she swiftly adjusted her state of mind. Composing her thoughts, she refocused her energy on cultivation. In a thousand years, she had already become a True Immortal. Yet reaching the realm of Immortal Venerable would still require thousands of years. *** Ten years after Yaoguang's appointment to the board was finalized, Immortal King Xuanqing arrived at his cultivation abode once again, bringing along a True Immortal of the Grand Dao of Time. This True Immortal possessed over thirty-two shares of the Grand Dao of Time. After leading this True Immortal to Yaoguang's abode like a sheep on a tether, Immortal King Xuanqing admitted with some frustration, "Outsiders have already guessed that you might possess properties of both the Dao of Time and the Grand Dao of the Void. This has caused quite a stir in select circles. You need to be careful from now on; it would be best if you don't step outside Creation Immortal City." "Oh? Would Immortal King Tianyu dare to openly move against me?" Yaoguang asked with curiosity. He was, after all, a director of Creation Group now. If Immortal King Tianyu did such a thing, not only would Creation Group refuse to let the matter rest, but even Lord of Yuanxi would hold him accountable. "Immortal King Tianyu won't strike directly, but don't forget... besides the Nine Great Conglomerates and various minor conglomerates, there is another massive faction in the Immortal Realm," Immortal King Xuanqing reminded him. "The native cultivators." Yaoguang knew what he meant. Immortal King Xuanqing nodded. "Although they won't necessarily link your dual cultivation of Time and the Void to the legacies of the Spacetime Dao Ancestor and the Void Dao Ancestor, the native cultivators absolutely do not want to see the rise of a Time Immortal King. There will inevitably be major moves next." At this point, the Level 19 clearance holder paused. "A full-scale assault on our Creation Immortal City is well within the realm of possibility. Meanwhile, the other eight conglomerates will definitely sit on their hands until we pay a sufficient price—such as agreeing to share intelligence regarding the Grand Dao of Time—before stepping in." "Attack Creation Immortal City?" Yaoguang was taken aback. "It's not as though it hasn't happened before. When the native cultivators unite, they are a cut above any single one of our Nine Great Conglomerates," Immortal King Xuanqing said, adding, "They will also exploit the friction among the Nine Great Conglomerates to snatch food from the tiger's mouth." Yaoguang frowned. After a good while, he said, "Then that brings up a rather crucial question: Who leaked this news? Only the other directors know of my attainments in the Grand Dao of Time, don't they?" Immortal King Xuanqing said, "We can all guess roughly who it was—either Alpha or Nizhuan. But so what if we know? Without evidence, we can't discipline him." "Will the other directors just stand by and watch this happen?" "They're waiting for us to concede profits. After all, that agreement was signed by only the two of us, shutting out the other directors," Immortal King Xuanqing said. Yaoguang glanced at the chairman of Creation Group. If the other directors could be brought into the fold, his cultivation speed would undoubtedly increase by leaps and bounds, but... Xuanqing might not be willing. With so many people taking a slice of the pie, the ultimate gains might no longer be enough to push Xuanqing's clearance to Level 20. In bringing this up now, he wanted to share the risk with more people without having to surrender his own interests. "You want me to part with some of my own interests to bring the other directors on board and quell this matter?" Yaoguang felt a bit amused. The directors of the Nine Great Conglomerates were truly something: fighting among conglomerates, yet still finding the zest to vie for power and influence from within, every one of them seeking a piece of him. "The choice is yours. Even without the other directors, I can still stack resources to push you to the Immortal King level; it would just take more time," Immortal King Xuanqing said, glancing at Yaoguang. "It's only been a thousand years, after all." "You're hardly giving me a choice," Yaoguang said, shaking his head. "The longer this drags on, the more variables arise, and the more likely I am to end up in danger." Then, pausing for a beat, he added, "However, I agree." "Hm?" Immortal King Xuanqing was slightly startled. Yaoguang had agreed so quickly that the many persuasive arguments and explanations of pros and cons he had prepared were never even deployed. "As long as I can gather the Dao shares I need as quickly as possible, I can lower my demands. Once my clearance reaches Level 19, the subsequent priority will be yours. But as for how that priority is arranged—whether you reach Level 20 first, or everyone else reaches Level 19 first—that's for you all to discuss among yourselves." Yaoguang waved a hand. "Go summon the other directors."