State of Mind

With a Void Flicker, Yaoguang vanished from the mountain path. The entire process did not stir a single ripple. Such an exquisite manipulation of spatial power was far beyond what Zhan Lian and the others could comprehend in its full wonder. And yet... To wield the power of the void meant at the very least that the man before them had reached the Void Piercing realm. Void Piercing! Even in the Nine Cauldrons Sect, the undisputed number-one sect of Beihai Star, such a figure would be considered among the very top. In any clan, they would be an ancestor-level powerhouse. For many factions and clans, whether they had any real standing on Beihai Star fundamentally came down to whether they possessed a living Void Piercing ancestor. So long as an ancestor of the Void Piercing realm met no fatal catastrophe and did not fall midway, they could safeguard the prosperity of a faction or clan for nearly ten thousand years. If during that time another one or two Void Piercing experts could be nurtured, the clan's foundation would undergo a complete metamorphosis, and they could truly proclaim themselves an ancient great family to the outside world. At that realization, Zhan Lian, the guide he had hired, and the two young women could not help but widen their eyes, their faces stamped with sheer horror. "V-Void Piercing...!?" "That man just now... that senior was a Void Piercing ancestor!?" "Heavens above... we were fortunate enough to walk alongside a Void Piercing ancestor!?" All of them hailed from Void Piercing clans. Yet a Void Piercing clan typically had a legacy of several thousand years at the minimum. Even with the notoriously low fertility and reproductive drive among cultivators, after several millennia, the number of descendants would still count in the millions, or even tens of millions. Many younger generations of Void Piercing clans never had the chance to lay eyes on their own clan ancestor in their entire lives. Even favored juniors like themselves had only ever caught distant glimpses of their ancestor at a handful of grand assemblies. An outstanding clan prodigy like Zhan Lian, who had formed a Golden Core, only had the opportunity to kowtow before the ancestor during major festive rites. As for those who could actually speak with the ancestor... Without exception, they were the direct-line eldest grandsons groomed as future clan heads. Yet just now... A Void Piercing ancestor of such exalted status had actually strolled alongside them the entire way, chatting and laughing? For a long while, Zhan Lian and his companions could not recover their senses. Then, the two young women seemed to remember their earlier insolence... Though their words had not contained explicit disrespect, with the discernment and experience of a Void Piercing ancestor, he could see right through their petty scheming at a single glance. His abrupt departure was proof enough of his displeasure. The displeasure of a Void Piercing cultivator... "We're done for..." Their faces turned deathly pale. Right at that moment, the guide, who had kept a very low profile all along, suddenly cried out in sheer shock, "Zixiao Peak!? Zixiao Peak!? That senior... resides on Zixiao Peak!?" Beside her, the dazed Zhan Lian had not immediately registered her cry about Zixiao Peak. When he finally realized what she was screaming about, his eyes snapped wide in terror. "Zixiao Peak!? The supreme Zixiao Peak of the Nine Cauldrons Sect!? The mountain reserved permanently for Supreme Elder Daoist Venerable Yaoguang!?" Zixiao Peak! It had always been a sacred holy land in the hearts of everyone in the Nine Cauldrons Sect. Aside from the sect master and a tiny handful of Void Shattering figures, no one was qualified to set foot upon it. And from beginning to end, that peak had only ever had one master—the legend of the Nine Cauldrons Sect... No! A legend of all of Beihai Star, and even of the vast starry cosmic expanse—Daoist Venerable Yaoguang! Just now, that senior had referred to it as "my Zixiao Peak," and he had introduced himself by name—Yaoguang! A deduction that felt almost like a waking dream exploded in Zhan Lian's mind. *Could that Daoist Brother Yaoguang be... the true master of Zixiao Peak, the permanent Supreme Elder of the Nine Cauldrons Sect, the living legend of Beihai Star, the most powerful Daoist Venerable in all of history, the invincible existence whose might subdued the modern era across the river of stars... Daoist Venerable Yaoguang himself!?* An ancient legend whose deeds he had heard about for thousands of years had suddenly stood before him in the flesh!? Myth and legend, stepping into reality? And he had actually spoken with him!? At the thought, Zhan Lian felt as though he were walking on air. His legs shook; he could barely keep his balance at all. *** Yaoguang did not know how great a shock a single casual remark of his had dealt that lad Zhan Lian. Even if he had known... He would have simply said that in this life, one had to indulge in a bit of mischievous humor once in a while. However, that was only before outsiders. Around his own people, he was still quite upright. Just as at this moment, after a flicker, he arrived at a pavilion atop the summit of Zixiao Peak. Having stepped onto Zixiao Peak, he did not startle anyone needlessly. Sweeping his divine sense across the mountain, he located Tang Fenghua, who was stationed on Zixiao Peak to oversee the mountain's daily upkeep, and simply spoke: "Fenghua." At that moment, Tang Fenghua was in a side courtyard resembling a head steward's residence, organizing and reading through ancient records. With thousands of years of accumulation, he too had attained the Void Shattering realm. After all, between Void Piercing, Void Refining, and Void Shattering, there were no life-and-death bottlenecks; so long as one had adequate talent and sufficient resources, someone who reached the Void Piercing realm would inevitably be able to achieve Void Shattering. And as the number-one sect on Beihai Star, the Nine Cauldrons Sect certainly did not lack resources. With Void Shattering cultivation, the status of a Nine Cauldrons Sect veteran, and the history of having loyally served by Yaoguang's side, his current life was extraordinarily leisurely. When he heard Yaoguang's divine transmission, the Void Shattering cultivator froze for a second. Then his eyes widened in sheer disbelief, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably. "Su... Supreme Elder!?" His figure flickered, and he instantly appeared atop the mountain summit. Upon seeing the figure standing in the pavilion, this Void Shattering elder—who had lived for over eight thousand years and was approaching the end of his lifespan—felt his lips quiver. In the end, without any unnecessary words, he raised his hands and bowed deeply from the waist to the very end. "Greetings, Supreme Elder." Yaoguang turned around and smiled. "No need for such formality." Looking at Yaoguang, who seemed almost entirely unchanged from when he had ascended seven thousand years ago, Tang Fenghua felt his eyes grow moist. The scene before him was just like back then on the Nine Cauldrons Peak of the Heavenly Dao Sect, when they had looked up to the Supreme Elder as an awe-inspiring Void Piercing figure. And it was from that very moment onward that the Supreme Elder had embarked upon his legendary path. In just a few centuries, he had advanced successively to Void Piercing and broken through to Void Shattering, then ascended to Dao Lord with unstoppable momentum to stand at the pinnacle of Beihai. Riding on the Supreme Elder's coattails, the Nine Cauldrons Sect had transformed from an outside faction struggling to gain a firm footing in the Yunchuan Mountains into the masters of the Heavenly Dao Sect, helping to govern the Southern Domain until they rapidly rose to prominence there. And now... They had even taken over the territory of the Shadow Moon Sect, and after thousands of years of development, had leaped to become the head of the Ten Immortal Sects in one fell swoop. "It has been a while since I last returned to the Nine Cauldrons Sect. You all have developed it quite well," Yaoguang remarked with a smile. No peak in the Nine Cauldrons Sect was permitted to rise higher than Zixiao Peak. Standing at the summit, he could take in nearly the entire core area of the Nine Cauldrons Sect at a single glance. Of course, if he were to activate his divine consciousness, all of Beihai Star would fall under his perception, let alone the borders of the Nine Cauldrons Sect. "To receive such praise from the Supreme Elder, all of us in the Nine Cauldrons Sect can die with no regrets," Tang Fenghua replied with the utmost respect. "There is no need to be so courteous," Yaoguang said, waving his hand. "Go call the old folks of the Nine Cauldrons Sect over. Let us have a reunion, and I also have a matter to discuss with them." "Yes!" Tang Fenghua answered in haste. Yaoguang, meanwhile, took a leisurely stroll around Zixiao Peak, looking around. This peak was constructed entirely in the architectural style of Zixiao Peak from the Cangwu Realm, while incorporating many elements from Nine Cauldrons Peak of the Heavenly Dao Sect and Tianqi Valley. As he walked across the mountain, he could see many familiar sights and settings, and memories of his past days in the Cangwu Realm and on Beihai Star surfaced in his mind from time to time. "So, without realizing it, I've already grown old," Yaoguang murmured with a sigh. Old. Yet calculating carefully, he had cultivated for over eight thousand years up to this day, nearly reaching the natural lifespan limit of the Void Piercing, Void Refining, and Void Shattering realms. Even Golden Core cultivators would have passed through eight or nine generations in that span. As for mortal commoners... Eight thousand years surpassed the entire recorded history of many ancient civilizations. He truly deserved the word "old." While Yaoguang was lost in a flood of memories... Within the Nine Cauldrons Sect, prominent figures received messages from Tang Fenghua almost at the same time. *** Sect Master Su Yaoxue was currently receiving envoys who had arrived from beyond the stars, sent by the Shenyu Immortal Dynasty. This Shenyu Immortal Dynasty held tremendous power across the starry sky, and it was said to possess more than a few Dao Lords among its ranks. Yet they treated the Nine Cauldrons Sect with exceptional politeness. Not only had they signed a series of agreements beneficial to the sect's development and yielded numerous concessions, but they had also hinted between the lines that if the Nine Cauldrons Sect merely asked, they would gladly help them unify Beihai Star and make the entire world the sect's private domain. However, the moment Su Yaoxue received Tang Fenghua's transmission, she rose abruptly to her feet, leaving the Shenyu Immortal Dynasty's envoys behind as she dashed directly toward Zixiao Peak. Not only Su Yaoxue—Li Qingshan had been inspecting a fully automated warship production line imported from outside the star system. Upon receiving Tang Fenghua's message, he instantly halted his inspection and rushed toward Zixiao Peak. In addition, figures like Su Yaoyu, Li Hanqiu, Wan Liugui, Qi Sha, and Wu Changfeng all dropped the pressing matters in their hands and converged on Zixiao Peak. Such a massive stir naturally left the disciples of the Nine Cauldrons Sect and the surrounding factions thoroughly baffled. Only Zhan Lian, who had returned to the Zhan clan at the very first moment and relayed the news to the clan ancestor through private channels, vaguely guessed what was happening. *** The figures of the Nine Cauldrons Sect assembled with incredible speed. In less than half an hour, more than a hundred people had arrived. Every single one of them was a veteran of the Nine Cauldrons Sect. Naturally, over the course of several thousand years, many outstanding youngsters had emerged within the sect, and not a few had reached the Void Shattering realm in under a thousand years. Yet without Yaoguang's express permission, none of them were qualified to ascend Zixiao Peak. And as for those so-called brilliant youths in ordinary eyes... Yaoguang did not care much about them. From the heights he currently occupied, never mind those who achieved Void Shattering in under a thousand years, even a prodigy who reached Void Shattering in a few centuries would barely catch his eye. Geniuses? Could any of them possibly be more of a genius than he was? Seeing these unfamiliar yet familiar figures again after thousands of years, Yaoguang was filled with profound emotion. Even though these people were so weak that a casual wave of his hand could reduce them all to dust, nonetheless... They represented the most crucial chapters of his life. Much like the homeland in the heart of a wandering traveler. No matter how old or backward it might be, it would forever hold an irreplaceable significance in his heart.