Time Limit

Chairman. Immortal King Nizhuan felt a fleeting stirring of ambition. Yet when he recalled Yaoguang taking on five adversaries single-handedly and nearly capturing all five Ancient Immortal Alliance Immortal Kings, including Immortal King Tianming—such formidable might... It eclipsed his own by a vast margin. For him to compete with an Immortal King so powerful for the position of Chairman of Creation Group simply was not realistic. Rather than pursue that, he was better off seizing the moment and securing some immediate benefits first. At once, Immortal King Nizhuan spoke straightforwardly. "We are willing to support you as Chairman of Creation Group. However... now that you have achieved the rank of Immortal King, Immortal King Yuxiao, and Immortal King Tianyu has also fallen by your hand, when do you intend to head to the Gate of Fate and Gate of Karma to attempt to breach them?" "Soon," Yaoguang said. "You must at least give us a definite timeframe," Immortal King Alpha pressed as well. The fate of Immortal King Xuanqing and the others had made both Immortal Kings realize that cooperating with the "Immortal King Yuxiao" before them was hardly a wise move. Yet the situation had become one of riding a tiger with no way to dismount; even if they wished to abandon the endeavor halfway, they were powerless to do so. Above all, the lingering unwillingness in their hearts held sway. Having come this far, even though they knew full well that dealing with Immortal King Yuxiao was like asking a tiger for its hide, they refused to let the opportunity slip away easily. "A definite timeframe." Yaoguang glanced at the two. "The Gate of Fate and the Gate of Karma are jointly guarded by the Nine Great Groups. It is not as though one can simply approach them at will..." "I can handle negotiating that matter. Besides, once you sit in the seat of Chairman of Creation Group, who would dare stop you from approaching the Gate of Fate and Gate of Karma?" Immortal King Nizhuan said. Seeing this, Yaoguang understood he could no longer remain vague. Considering that his Grand Dao of Karma was only a single step away from perfection, while the Grand Dao of Fate... Studying the Gate of Many Marvels should yield results on that front as well. So many Immortal Kings had fallen in this great battle; the "energy" they provided was more than enough for him to elevate both Grand Daos to perfection. Therefore... Knowing where he stood, he did not drag his feet. "Within ten years. Is that enough time?" "Ten years?" Before the meeting of the Nine Great Groups? Immortal King Alpha and Immortal King Nizhuan sensed Yaoguang's sincerity, and both breathed a slight sigh of relief. Immortal King Alpha nodded. "Good. Ten years it is." "I will go negotiate with the other groups right away. For the rest, we shall await good news from the Chairman," Immortal King Nizhuan added. Yaoguang inclined his head slightly. Without further ado, the three set off once more, heading toward Creation Group. ... Many factions and conglomerates were well aware that while the Lord of Yuanxi descended to the lower realm and reduced His surveillance over the Immortal Realm, disturbances of varying scales were bound to erupt across the realm. During this period, no fewer than a hundred battles between True Immortals and Immortal Venerables had broken out. Everyone had taken advantage of this window to settle grudges and avenge grievances. Yet compared to the life-and-death clash between more than a dozen Immortal Kings from the four factions—Creation Group, Tianyuan Group, Shenluo Group, and the Ancient Immortal Alliance—all other conflicts amounted to child's play. In this battle especially, four Immortal Kings from Tianyuan Group and Shenluo Group had perished, leaving only Wumu able to preserve his authority to stage a comeback. As for Creation Group, its losses were even heavier: a staggering six Immortal Kings had fallen, including Xuanqing, a figure who held level-nineteen authority and the rank of Chairman. When word spread, the entire Immortal Realm was thrown into an uproar. From the Nine Great Groups at the top down to ordinary companies and solo immortal spirits, all were stunned by the sheer brutality of the battle. Everyone did everything possible to dig up the inside story, desperate to learn the truth behind why the four factions had fought to such an extreme. Yet before anyone could uncover anything concrete, the Ancient Immortal Alliance took the initiative to release detailed information. Immortal King Tianyu had plotted against Yaoguang, who had just regained the status of a Void Immortal King... Namely, Immortal King Yuxiao. Meanwhile, Yaoguang, disguised as Immortal King Yuxiao, had likewise allied with others in Creation Group to plot against Immortal King Tianyu. The reason he had plotted against Immortal King Tianyu was that in the lower realm's Dao Oblivion Land, he had obtained the legacies of the Time Dao Ancestor and the Void Dao Ancestor; as an Immortal King, so long as he refined Tianyu's share of the void, he stood a chance of manifesting the might of the Void Dao Ancestor. And in reality, that was precisely what occurred. After refining Immortal King Tianyu, Immortal King Yaoguang's mastery and comprehension of the Grand Dao of the Void reached a nearly unfathomable level. Even when five Immortal Kings of the Ancient Immortal Alliance joined forces, they were nearly captured and suppressed single-handedly by him. Such power... Could already be hailed as paramount among the Immortal Kings of the Ancient Immortal Realm. When moving against Yaoguang, Immortal King Tianyu had also feared being schemed against by Creation Group, so he brought along Immortal King Longxiang, Immortal King Wumu, and Immortal King Diyi. The reason Creation Group, Shenluo Group, and Tianyuan Group had suffered such catastrophic losses was largely due to mutual slaughter among themselves. Of course, hoping to bolster the morale of rogue cultivators, the Ancient Immortal Alliance naturally inflated their own contributions, directly claiming credit for the deaths of those Immortal Kings. Even so, once this revelation spread, every immortal spirit in the Immortal Realm found it astounding, and the discussion forums of the Virtual Immortal Realm instantly erupted in activity. Almost everyone was discussing what kind of repercussions this clash would have on the Nine Great Groups. The directors and Immortal Kings of the Nine Great Groups, however, immediately focused their attention on Yaoguang's inheritance from the Time Dao Ancestor and Void Dao Ancestor. They... Knew full well what key implications Yaoguang possessing such an inheritance held. All at once, directors from various conglomerates reached out to Yaoguang, seeking cooperation with him. Meanwhile, the directors of Tianyuan Group and Shenluo Group reported the matter to the Lord of Yuanxi, demanding severe punishment for Yaoguang and Creation Group for harming their fellow immortal spirits. To this, the Lord of Yuanxi responded that He would convene a meeting ten years later—once the situation regarding His erosion of the lower realm's starry universe had stabilized slightly—to deliberate on the matter collectively. Upon receiving the response from the Lord of Yuanxi, the Nine Great Groups settled down, even as chatter continued unabated across the Virtual Immortal Realm. Ten years was exceedingly brief, whether for an Immortal King or an ordinary immortal spirit. Had not every immortal spirit capable of reaching the rank of Immortal King lived for hundreds of thousands of years, if not millions? Those with greater longevity measured their existence in units of hundreds of millions of years. Under such circumstances, a decade was, to them, virtually equivalent to holding a meeting "tomorrow" to address the issue. It could be considered an exceptionally swift response. ... The clamor of the outside world caused no disruption to Yaoguang. After returning to Creation Group, he immediately had Immortal King Alpha calm the morale of the subordinates, while directing Immortal King Nizhuan to liaise regarding access to the Gate of Fate and Gate of Karma. He himself proceeded to Chairman Xuanqing's cultivation cave abode. As chairman, Xuanqing's cave abode far surpassed those of the other directors in its environment, secrecy, and defensive tier. Here, even if he were to fiercely clash with an Immortal King, so long as the opponent did not unleash an attack at the supreme immortal art level, the outside world might not sense a thing. Yaoguang stationed Taiqing, Dikong, and the others outside the cultivation cave abode to guard against any interruptions. Then, having activated all the formations, he brought out the supreme treasure imbued with the authority of fate: the Gate of Many Marvels. "In the Daos of Time and the Void, I have already condensed the 'Dao Lord' Dao fruit, ensuring one hundred percent control over their powers. My progress in the Dao of Karma has reached 99.99%, lacking only that final step. Of the four Supreme Grand Daos, the only one I have never touched is the Grand Dao of Fate." He fixed his gaze upon the Gate of Many Marvels, quietly sensing the power of fate circulating upon the supreme treasure, and attempted to capture it to condense the branch for [Dao Integration: Fate]. Yet after continuing for a good while, he made not the slightest headway. "It doesn't work?" Yaoguang pondered slightly. His gaze fell upon the Glazed Treasure Tree, bringing to mind a suspicion he had harbored for some time. "Fate stands at the head of the Three Thousand Grand Daos. Only by existing a tier above the other Daos can it successfully command all three thousand. The Void and Time, while nominally part of the four Supreme Grand Daos alongside Fate, clearly cannot bear or manifest the existence of the power of fate." Yaoguang deliberated for a moment. The Grand Dao of the Void and the Grand Dao of Time would not do. He wondered if his "Chaos" essence would work. It was worth a try. "In the past, I wouldn't have dared venture lightly into the chaotic void. But now, for one, the Lord of Yuanxi has descended to erode the cosmic starry sky, weakening His control over the Immortal Realm. On the other hand..." Yaoguang directed a strand of his mind to sense the Lord of Heavenly Dao, whose core resided within his "Chaos" essence. As he continuously parsed the two level-nineteen immortal spirits, Tianyu and Xuanqing, the Lord of Heavenly Dao's emulation of the Lord of Yuanxi had advanced another level. Although it had not yet reached the point of replicating the computing power of level-twenty authority, among level-nineteen authorities, it was unequivocally at the pinnacle. Using the Lord of Heavenly Dao as cover... He could depart the Immortal Realm right under the Lord of Yuanxi's nose, delve deep into the chaotic void, and then draw forth his own "Chaos" essence from the chaotic void to forcefully fashion a branch for [Dao Integration: Fate] upon the Glazed Treasure Tree. "Time is tight. I had best complete all preparations and launch an assault on the Gate of Fate and Gate of Karma before the Lord of Yuanxi convenes the assembly." With this thought, the "Dao Lord" power within Yaoguang's body erupted without a sound. At the same time, he pointed a finger into empty air, drawing out the power of the Lord of Heavenly Dao. The energy fluctuations generated by his near-Void Dao Ancestor-level "Dao Lord" power were entirely neutralized and concealed by the power of the Lord of Heavenly Dao, ensuring not a ripple of energy leaked from the Chairman's cultivation cave abode. *Whoosh!* Yaoguang's form shuttled through the Ancient Immortal Realm. Soon, the power belonging to the Three Thousand Grand Daos of the Ancient Immortal Realm grew weaker and weaker in the surroundings. It was just like a living creature leaving a planet: flying further out, oxygen dwindled, and gravity lessened. After continuing this transit for some distance more, he suddenly felt light throughout his body, an indescribable sense of freedom and exhilaration welling up inside. *The Three Thousand Grand Daos of the Ancient Immortal Realm suppressed the "Chaos" essence within me, which was why I always felt a sense of oppression while staying in the Ancient Immortal Realm... Fortunately, I am virtually an Immortal King born and bred in the Ancient Immortal Realm and possess an immense tolerance for the Three Thousand Grand Daos. Otherwise, I might have been smothered to death.* Thoughts drifted through Yaoguang's mind. Seeing that he had passed outside the Ancient Immortal Realm, he cleared his distractions and brought out the Gate of Many Marvels once more.