Chapter 285: Heavenly Dao

The Great Shang Immortal Dynasty was one of the Four Great Immortal Dynasties. It had inherited the legacy of Human Emperor Shang Tang.

The Immortal Martial Sect was one of the three great martial sects, carrying the inheritance of Emperor Pan Wu.

The Heavenly Dao Sect, one of the Ten Great Immortal Dao Sects, descended from the legacy of the Dao Venerable Hong Meng.

The Three-Qing Temple was also one of the Ten Great Immortal Dao Sects. In ancient times, Tai Qing, Xuan Qing, and Xu Qing had all attained the Immortal Dao simultaneously, enjoying boundless glory. Through generations of inheritance, their power had only continued to grow. At present, they represented the dominant Immortal Dao force on the North Sea Star.[1]

Yaoguang examined the descriptions of these factions one by one.

The Great Shang Immortal Dynasty was exactly as Li Hanqiu had described. It wasn't a suitable choice.

Originally, the Great Shang had been ruled jointly by aristocratic families and imperial authority. Now, however, the emperor had aggressively centralized power, attempting to emulate Shang Tang and usher in an unprecedented golden age of the Immortal Dao. Yet his abilities fell short. He had been stubborn, jealous of talent, and intolerant of others. As a result, the dynasty had grown unstable, declining day by day. Several commanderies and provinces had already risen in rebellion under the instigation of ambitious forces. It was not a place conducive to cultivation.

The Immortal Martial Sect was not bad, but it followed a path that fused immortal cultivation with martial practice. Its disciples constantly fought among themselves. To survive, people were forced to convert to the path of battle immortals, causing battle immortals to run rampant. While it appeared powerful on the surface, it sacrificed long-term potential for short-term strength. Just like oil poured onto a blazing fire, it would not last.

The Three-Qing Temple, though powerful, was dominated by the three major lineages of Tai Qing, Xuan Qing, and Xu Qing. These three factions held overwhelming control, exploiting outsiders and treating them as expendable pawns. Internally, the three lineages were also locked in constant struggle, each seeking to seize full control of the temple.

As for the Heavenly Dao Sect, it could only be considered the best among flawed choices.

Within the sect, the Dao, immortal, battle, and heavenly lineages were locked in constant internal conflict. Elders killing disciples occurred even more frequently than in the Immortal Martial Sect or the Three-Qing Temple.

Yaoguang frowned as he read. Every single one of these factions has serious problems. Especially the decisions made by those at the ruling tier, which are no different from a makeshift, incompetent regime.

However, in a world where immense power could be concentrated in a single individual, gathering enough resources to grow stronger was all that truly mattered. Why waste so much effort worrying about anything else?

As long as one was powerful enough, there would always be people willing to act according to one’s will, even if those actions defied all logic.

After a long while, his gaze finally settled on the Heavenly Dao Sect.

After spending half a day fully understanding the sect’s situation, Yaoguang sought out Li Hanqiu.

***

"The Heavenly Dao Sect? I thought you would choose the Three-Qing Temple. After all, they are powerful." Li Hanqiu was somewhat surprised.

"The Three-Qing Temple is exclusionary toward anyone who isn't from one of the main lineages. What we need most right now is to borrow influence. If we join them, unless we can enter the Tai Qing, Xuan Qing, or Xu Qing lineages, the banner we raise won’t carry much weight." Yaoguang paused briefly before continuing, "Besides, compared to the other sects, the Heavenly Dao Sect has one major advantage, the Grand Dao Golden Book left behind by Dao Venerable Hong Meng."

The Grand Dao Golden Book.

Over the years, while gathering information on the Heavenly Dao Sect, Li Hanqiu had naturally become well aware of this legendary treasure.

It was a supreme Dao Artifact forged by Dao Venerable Hong Meng at immense cost. Each generation of Dao Lords had left behind their own understanding of the Dao within it. After countless years of accumulation, its power had grown beyond imagination.

Moreover, the sect had always strictly upheld the rules written within the Grand Dao Golden Book. These rules formed the bottom line of the Heavenly Dao Sect.

"Then the Heavenly Dao Sect it is. I will take you there at once," Li Hanqiu said.

"No." Yaoguang shook his head. "The Immortal Martial Sect and the Great Shang Immortal Dynasty have already begun probing us. The sect needs you overseeing it. I plan to go alone."

"That would require crossing the Chaotic Sea..."

"Perfect. I can make a trip through the Chaotic Sea. On the one hand, I can accumulate funds for the Heavenly Dao Sect’s inner-sect disciple assessment. On the other hand, I can see if we can find a new location for our sect," Yaoguang said. "The Yunchuan Mountains are too barren. There are practically no resources."

Li Hanqiu nodded in agreement.

It was no wonder the Great Shang Immortal Dynasty and the Immortal Martial Sect paid little attention to the Yunchuan Mountains. The land was indeed impoverished.

Those who lived there struggled to survive. Any cultivator with even a bit of ability would never remain there for long.

"To avoid wasting time, I will set off immediately."

"There’s no need to rush too much. The Heavenly Dao Sect recruits disciples once every five years. Quite frequently, actually. For them, it’s a highly profitable business," Li Hanqiu said.

Li Hanqiu was stating a fact. Most Immortal Dao factions only recruited disciples once every ten, twenty, or even thirty years.

Only a few sects, like the Heavenly Dao Sect, held recruitment every five years.

The reason was simple. The fee to participate in the outer sect assessment was over a thousand Pure Yang Grand Pills, while the inner sect assessment required ten thousand.

It was an extremely lucrative business. Naturally, the Heavenly Dao Sect was more than happy to hold it often.

"The last recruitment was four years ago. If I miss this one, I’ll have to wait another five years. Five years isn’t short for me," Yaoguang said with a smile.

Seeing his resolve, Li Hanqiu did not insist further. He simply helped prepare various items Yaoguang might need for a long journey.

***

That afternoon, Yaoguang went to meet Su Yaoyu.

When she saw him, Su Yaoyu was clearly delighted.

After speaking with her briefly, Yaoguang took out two jade talismans. "One of these is for you. It contains cultivation experience from the Unity Realm up to the Core Formation Realm. The North Sea Star is rich in resources. Even someone with ordinary talent can be pushed into becoming a high-tier cultivator. Take it. At the very least, reach the Core Formation Realm first. Once you do, you’ll gain a lifespan of a thousand years. As for the Heavenly Fire Realm... Wait until I return before attempting that breakthrough."

"Mhmm." Su Yaoyu nodded.

She understood very well that the only person they could rely on now was this younger brother.

"The other jade talisman is for Su Yaoxue, Lin Xia, and Leng Jun. It contains my insights on cultivating the Eternal Light Realm, the Crimson Golden Core Realm, and the Radiant Sun Golden Core Realm. As long as they can truly comprehend it, their chances of breaking through will increase by at least thirty percent, and up to fifty."

"This one..." Su Yaoyu hesitated slightly. "Shouldn't you give it to Little Xue yourself?"

Yaoguang understood what she meant. Over the years, his interaction with Su Yaoxue, Su Yaoshuang, and Su Yaoqin had been minimal. They were practically strangers.

"You can give it to them first. As for the rest, we’ll talk after we’ve truly established ourselves on the North Sea Star."

Su Yaoyu nodded, not wanting to interfere with his plans, and accepted the jade talismans. "I’ll make sure Little Shuang and Little Qin focus on their cultivation and reach the Core Formation Realm as soon as possible."

"Okay," Yaoguang replied casually.

Noticing a trace of disappointment in her expression, he paused briefly before adding, "As the eldest sister, you need to take care of this family."

That single, simple sentence seemed to define Su Yaoyu’s place within the family. Light immediately brightened in her eyes, and she nodded joyfully. "Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of Little Shuang and Little Qin."

Yaoguang looked at her and smiled, nodding in return.

After quickly settling these minor matters, he departed the Nine Heavens Sect early the next morning under the escort of Li Qingshan, Li Hanqiu, and the others.

Traveling with him was Xu Nianhua, who had already reached the Crimson Golden Core Realm. He would remain by Yaoguang’s side and handle trivial matters for him.

There were two reasons Yaoguang had only brought Xu Nianhua. First, everyone else’s cultivation was too low, and bringing them along would only slow him down. Second, Xu Nianhua’s talent was genuinely impressive. At only around fifty years old, he had already condensed a Crimson Golden Core, qualifying him for the outer sect disciple assessment.

Bringing him to the Heavenly Dao Sect would also allow him to experience firsthand the cultivation environment and competitive pressure that ordinary cultivators faced within a top-tier great sect.

***

Sword light streaked across the sky.

Yaoguang and Xu Nianhua maintained the speed of Crimson Golden Core cultivators as they flew high overhead.

In just a single day, they had already crossed the Yunchuan Mountains and entered the Chaotic Sea.

Several hours after venturing deeper into the Chaotic Sea, a massive bank of rain clouds spanning thousands of kilometers appeared at the edge of the horizon.

"Avoid it," Yaoguang said.

Though the storm clouds did not look especially terrifying, caution was essential in the Chaotic Sea.

The region directly faced the stellar core, causing the stellar core’s gravitational influence over this area to be far stronger than elsewhere. As a result, all manner of extreme environmental phenomena constantly formed here.

Hurricanes, thunderstorms, freezing rain, and other natural disasters were exceedingly common.

The hurricanes of the North Sea Star did not merely stir ordinary wind. What they churned up was spiritual power. This spiritual power followed the operation of the North Sea Star’s stellar force field and could even trigger Dao resonance, making it equivalent to the residual energy waves released by a Dao Lord.

Although it could not be deliberately condensed and directed at targets like a cultivator’s power, it remained deadly to ordinary cultivators.

As the saying goes, within a bowl of water, the Buddha saw forty-eight thousand living things.

To beings at the level of Dao Lords, low-tier cultivators who had not even reached the Void-Piercing Realm were no different from those countless tiny creatures in a bowl of water. A single breath, a casual disturbance in airflow, could become a hurricane capable of destroying a large island and wiping out all the cultivators living there.

The two avoided the storm clouds, missing an island along the route where travelers could rest, meditate, and recover.

Fortunately, they were not low-tier cultivators. Missing one resting point simply meant enduring a little longer and flying on toward the next waypoint.

Even on the North Sea Star, the Crimson Golden Core Realm counted as a respectable accomplishment. Outside of colossal forces on the level of the Ten Great Immortal Dao Sects, cultivators of that realm could serve as sect elders.

After another full day of flight, Xu Nianhua seemed to sense something and suddenly called out, "Perfected Master."

At the same time, he looked downward.

Below them, a large ship sailing across the sea had veered off course while avoiding a storm and wandered into the sights of a band of pirates. It was currently under attack from six smaller vessels.

Both sides had numerous Heavenly Fire Realm and Eternal Light Realm cultivators, while the three leaders had all reached the Crimson Golden Core Realm.

Sword lights tore through the air as they battled around the warship, fighting fiercely across dozens of kilometers of open sky.

"Ignore it," Yaoguang said.

On the North Sea Star, minding one’s own business was the way every cultivator survived.

But at that moment, a female Eternal Light Realm cultivator suddenly shouted at the top of her lungs, "Third Uncle! Our reinforcements are here! Our cargo can be saved!"

As she spoke, she shot upward into the sky. "Fifth Brother, Sixth Brother, you’ve finally arrived! The Black Shark Pirates are dead for sure!"

At the same time, a strand of psychic thought entered the senses of Yaoguang and Xu Nianhua. "We are true disciples of Coiling Dragon Island. Perfected Masters, please help us. If you help us, we are willing to offer a thousand Pure Yang Grand Pills in thanks! Otherwise, if all of us die here, and it just so happens that the two of you passed by, Coiling Dragon Island will absolutely investigate this matter to the end!"

1. Fun fact: Three-Qing Temple is actually based on the Three Purities, the supreme deities of Daoism. Tai Qing, or the Supreme Purity, is actually one of the deities, but Xuan Qing and Xu Qing are made-up characters. ☜