Terms

The board meeting was convened with remarkable efficiency. By this point, Yaoguang had already seen through what was happening. Xuanqing, in his role as chairman, had overestimated his own capabilities. He had believed he could single-handedly groom Yaoguang into an Immortal King of both Time and the Void. Yet the others were hardly fools. His aggressive accumulation of shares in the Grand Dao of the Void and the Grand Dao of Time had quickly tipped people off. Competitors had begun spontaneously sniping his purchases and driving up prices. Prominent figures such as Immortal King Tianyu, who were especially loath to see a new Void Immortal King emerge, were even more willing to resort to underhanded, off-the-board tactics to sabotage the effort. This had completely derailed Immortal King Xuanqing's plans. Had Xuanqing been willing to bankrupt himself and fight to the bitter end, he might well have managed to gather the remaining shares at several or even more than a dozen times the original cost. But doing so would have inflicted far too severe a blow on him. Under the circumstances, he had no choice but to bring the other directors into the game. He needed them to shoulder the risk. At the same time, he used an external threat like Immortal King Tianyu to put pressure on Yaoguang. This pressure could not be too heavy. Too much would easily provoke Immortal King Yuxiao's defiance. Even with an agreement in hand, complete noncooperation from Yaoguang would result in mutual destruction. If he turned around and handed all the legacies over to the Lord of Yuanxi, Xuanqing's losses would far outweigh any gains. Yet he could not leave him without any pressure either. Walking that fine line was a severe test of his capability as chairman. Taking in the entire situation, Yaoguang cooperatively feigned a trace of resentment before acting as if circumstances forced his hand, reluctantly stepping into the trap. He gave the impression of someone thoroughly reined in by Chairman Xuanqing. Consequently, when Yaoguang actually arrived at the board meeting, the other directors displayed an eager, restless posture. They seemed keen to follow Chairman Xuanqing's lead and extract even more benefits from Yaoguang. However... Chairman Xuanqing had no desire to see the entire venture ruined. Taking the initiative to open the meeting, he said, "Director Yuxiao's dual cultivation of the Dao of Time and the Dao of the Void was an oversight on my part for not informing you all sooner. Nevertheless, everyone must keep firmly in mind that our Creation Group is a unified whole. Every director must hold the interests of Creation Group as their highest priority. Whoever dares betray the group's interests will face joint retribution from all of us!" With a solemn face, he added, "Before we discuss how to assist Director Yuxiao in attaining the rank of Immortal King, this point must be written into our agreement and reported to the Lord of Yuanxi." These words cooled the tempers of some of the directors. Although a few felt aggrieved by Xuanqing's high-handed tactic of monopolizing the initiative, they could hardly pick a fight before securing any advantages for themselves. "Then let it be as the chairman says," Director Nizhuan was the first to speak. As soon as he spoke, the other directors chimed in one after another. "This matter indeed shouldn't be blown out of proportion. Escalating it further will only make us a laughingstock to the other conglomerates." "Immortal King Tianyu is watching like a tiger stalking its prey outside. Assisting Yuxiao in reclaiming his seat as an Immortal King is certainly no simple task. After all, of the shares dispersed upon Yuxiao's fall, Tianyu secured over a hundred from the very start and later acquired around two hundred more through various means. He will never willingly spit out the shares he has swallowed." "Creation Group is a unified whole. It is only natural that we and Director Yuxiao support one another." One director after another put on a warm smile, stepping forward without hesitation as the staunchest champions of Creation Group's interests. Every word and gesture seemed tailored entirely for Immortal King Yuxiao's future. *The rumor that Xuanqing and Yuxiao were at odds was false, but the ceaseless infighting within the Nine Great Conglomerates is very real,* Yaoguang noted as he watched the scene, confirming his earlier suspicion. This meant that as long as his approach was sound, he had no need to worry that slipping up while researching the Gate of Fate and Gate of Karma would prompt the entire Creation Group to turn on him at once. "Very well. Creation Group does not rank at the very top among the Nine Great Conglomerates; only by uniting as one can we secure our true interests. Since none of you have further objections, then—" Chairman Xuanqing took over the discussion. Throughout the entire process, he had not once asked for the opinion of Yaoguang, the person at the heart of the matter. Or perhaps he assumed that since Yaoguang had just agreed to yield profits to the board, he would not risk turning back on his word and offending every director, including the chairman himself. Before Xuanqing could finish, however, Yaoguang suddenly spoke up. "Seeing all of you united in purpose and standing shoulder-to-shoulder reminds me of my time in the lower realm. Down there, I met a seventeenth-tier immortal spirit from Xiyu Group—one who was being carefully cultivated by their leadership." He sighed with genuine feeling. "Back then, we fought side by side and grew rapidly. Though it was merely a short millennium, it made me relive the days when I first stepped into the cultivation realm long ago—that youthful, spirited vigor. That feeling... is truly unforgettable. At the time, I even entertained the thought of becoming Dao companions with her and following her to take up a post in Xiyu Group." The moment these words left his mouth, the triumphant air on Chairman Xuanqing's face vanished instantly. The gazes of the other directors converged on Yaoguang at the same time. "However, I am a member of Creation Group after all. There are still many subordinates here who are fiercely loyal to me, as well as..." Meeting the directors' gazes, Yaoguang said with a smile, "all of you united, amicable Daoists. And so, I suppressed that youthful impulse that hadn't stirred in countless years and returned to Creation Group." Xuanqing and the other directors understood Yaoguang's implication in an instant. This director was dissatisfied, and he was hinting that he could withdraw from Creation Group to seek cooperation elsewhere. Such a partnership could be with Xiyu Group, or any other conglomerate. Chairman Xuanqing cleared his throat hastily and spoke up. "Director Yuxiao's choice was entirely correct, of course. The group will spare no effort in helping you achieve success. My unreserved funding of your growth after we signed the agreement should serve as clear proof of that." He was subtly reminding Yaoguang of the contract between them. Yaoguang smiled faintly. "Naturally, I trust the chairman. It is simply that my current situation is precarious. Immortal King Tianyu is eyeing me greedily from the outside. If any accident were to befall me... and my clearance were reset to zero, there might not even be any basis left to implement that agreement." He continued smoothly, "Fortunately, with the information I possess, even if I perish and am reset to zero, bringing myself back up to tier eighteen won't take much effort. After all... the points required from tier thirteen to tier eighteen can't possibly exceed what it takes to climb from tier nineteen to the peak of tier nineteen, can they?" Xuanqing's expression changed abruptly. The other directors also realized what he meant and hurried to smooth things over. "Come now, it won't come to that, it won't come to that!" "Director Yuxiao has worked hard to recover his tier-eighteen clearance. If an accident were to befall him within Creation Group, wouldn't that be a slap in the face to all of us? We will never allow such a thing to happen." "Quite right! As a member of Creation Group's board of directors, Director Yuxiao's interests are the interests of Creation Group. They will be protected by all of us without reservation." The directors—especially those who had been on better terms with Immortal King Yuxiao—hastened to chime in with words of reassurance. "Naturally, I trust everyone," Yaoguang said, then continued, "Chairman Xuanqing has likely already discussed this matter with all of you, along with the cooperation required for this grand plan, hasn't he? I support any decision made by the chairman without reservation and endorse it one hundred percent. I merely wish to add a few modest thoughts of my own." "Please, Director Yuxiao, do speak," Immortal King Huitian said immediately. The other directors nodded in agreement. At this moment, hardly anyone was consulting Chairman Xuanqing's opinion. And Xuanqing himself did not dare speak out carelessly. He knew his actions amounted to forcing Yaoguang to yield his own interests to satisfy the other seven directors. Yuxiao was undoubtedly fuming inside. If Xuanqing pushed any harder and Yaoguang chose to let Immortal King Tianyu kill him, resetting his clearance to zero, then while Yuxiao would lose the clearance points of a tier-eighteen immortal spirit, Xuanqing's investments over the past thousand years would also go up in smoke. Moreover, compared to the profits he was forcing Yaoguang to surrender... The clearance points from tier thirteen to tier eighteen were practically negligible. Just as Yaoguang had said, the points needed to go from tier thirteen to tier eighteen were not even a tenth of what was required to progress from tier nineteen to the peak of tier nineteen. "Then I shall take the liberty of sharing my views," Yaoguang said calmly, meeting everyone's gaze. "First, regarding the concessions I make... after I advance my clearance to tier nineteen, any remaining gains can be transferred to the chairman until his clearance reaches the peak of tier nineteen. Next... it will be the other directors' turn. When the time comes, you may agree upon an order. Once each of you has advanced to tier-nineteen clearance, it will be my turn to push for the peak of tier nineteen, and... so on by analogy." "By analogy?" Xuanqing frowned. "Yes, by analogy. Once everyone reaches the peak of tier nineteen, we will pool our efforts to help the chairman push for tier-twenty clearance. What do you all think?" Yaoguang asked. "Can what we are setting out to do accumulate such a colossal amount of points?" "Eight peak tier-nineteens and one tier-twenty clearance holder?! How... how is that possible?!" "Could it be that we can deliver the final, fatal blow to the Ancient Immortal Realm?!" The directors in the hall were thoroughly shaken. Hearing their reactions, Yaoguang cast a somewhat surprised glance at Xuanqing. Chairman Xuanqing's expression remained steady as he said, "I have not yet had the chance to inform the other directors of your acquisition of the Time Dao Ancestor and Void Dao Ancestor's legacies, nor the secret that these legacies may breach the Gate of Fate and Gate of Karma." *Ruthless! Truly ruthless!* Yaoguang had assumed that while outsiders might not know of his dual cultivation as an Immortal King of Time and the Void, those within Creation Group would have deduced it. Yet looking at them now... Xuanqing had actually managed to keep these directors completely in the dark. A mere share of the profits from dual-cultivating as a Time Immortal King and Void Immortal King had been enough to draw these directors into the fold?! This was simply too sinister. Then again, it was only natural. Without such ruthlessness and cunning, Xuanqing could never have secured the chairman's seat in Creation Group. "Then I will leave it to the chairman to explain to the board," Yaoguang said calmly. "My demands are simple, consisting of only two points. First, in addition to the original requirement to provide Dao shares for attaining Immortal King in both Time and the Void, and assisting in guarding me when I head to the Gate of Fate and Gate of Karma after becoming a Spacetime Immortal King, a deadline must be set: within one thousand years of signing today's agreement!" "One thousand years?!" Xuanqing pondered. Gathering a thousand shares of both Time Immortal King and Void Immortal King in a millennium... With the combined foundations of all the directors, it should be feasible. "Second," Yaoguang continued, "after I become a Void Immortal King, Immortal King Tianyu will inevitably pose a mortal threat to my growth. I want all of you to assist me in slaying Immortal King Tianyu to pave my path as a Void Immortal King!"