Chapter 303: Harvest

Silence fell over the city like winter frost.

When the people saw Xi Hai, the last Azure Golden Core cultivator of the Xi family stationed in Haizhou's capital, getting struck down in mid-air and transforming into a mass of azure light that illuminated the entire city, every family and every faction in Haizhou fell deathly silent.

The Xi family! One of the three great families of Haizhou's capital. The unquestioned overlord of Haizhou.

In ordinary times, even a common Xi family disciple walking outside would be surrounded by countless admirers, treated like a star among stars, respectfully addressed as Young Master Xi.

If one of them traveled to a local commandery city, the number of people calling out "Young Master Xi" would be endless.

Whether local great families, powerful magnates, or wealthy heirs of prestigious families, all would rack their brains trying to get close to him.

Even merely becoming a familiar face, earning a casual mention from that Young Master Xi at some public gathering, could bring endless benefits to them and the family behind them.

As for famed beauties, gifted maidens celebrated throughout the region, or courtesans for whom countless cultivators threw away fortunes, they were free for him to pick from on a whim.

And yet such a hegemonic force, one whose direct descendants could visit a commandery city and even make the city lord personally accompany them, had just been destroyed.

Buildings, courtyards, and palaces stretching for dozens of kilometers had all been leveled to the ground.

Thousands upon thousands of Xi family elites had been wiped out where they stood. Two Void-Piercing Realm battle immortals, along with two Azure Golden Core cultivators who had the potential to reach the Void-Piercing Realm, had likewise been reduced to ashes.

Such a sight terrified everyone, freezing them completely. No one dared make even the slightest reckless move.

Yaoguang reappeared over what had nearly become a wasteland of ruins where the Xi family once stood.

He glanced at the surrounding cultivators. Especially those who, moments earlier, had shown signs of moving when Xi Hong called for aid.

Wherever his gaze passed, cultivators lowered their heads in fear, not daring to meet his eyes.

Some fled at once, terrified that their earlier hesitation might have been noticed and would bring catastrophe upon them.

Only after confirming that no one dared utter a single word did Yaoguang move toward an underground chamber that had remained stubbornly standing even after the entire family grounds had been flattened.

With a flick of his finger, the already shattered array guarding it was opened.

Stepping through the void, he entered.

What was inside that array?

Every great family cultivator who had stayed behind knew perfectly well. And yet no one dared approach.

In fact, the heads of the other two great families, the Wu family and the Zhao family, directly ordered their families, "Let’s go."

From the city lord's residence, only a deputy city lord had appeared.

He had already asked the city lord whether they should activate the city's protective grand array and trap this fierce intruder here.

But considering the damage the array had just suffered from Xi Guang’s Primordial Void collapse, even if they forcibly activated it, it would take time. And by then, Yaoguang would already have escaped.

Worse, they would only offend a future true disciple of a top sect, one with limitless potential.

Reading the city lord’s final reply, the deputy city lord could only sigh. "This is a grievance between a disciple of the Heavenly Dao Sect and the Xi family. The Xi family offended someone first and invited retaliation. It has nothing to do with Haizhou's capital. We should not interfere, lest conflict arise between the Great Shang and the Heavenly Dao Sect."

The heads of the Wu and Zhao families both nodded in agreement. As they left with the deputy city lord, all three unconsciously glanced once more toward the ruined Xi family grounds.

"Two Void-Piercing Realm battle immortals and two Azure Golden Core cultivators!" The head of the Wu family could not help but sigh.

"The Xi family had four Azure Golden Core cultivators in total, two in the imperial capital and two in the state capital. Their talents flourished like the midday sun, unlike those of our Wu family. Aside from our ancestor, even though we have six Void-Piercing Realm battle immortals, we only have two Azure Golden Core cultivators..."

"Every Azure Golden Core cultivator is a heaven-favored prodigy. Xi Hai, who controlled the Demon Hunting Hall, was notoriously greedy. Not only did the city lord's residence know, but even Guardian Envoy Bai Ya was fully aware of it. But because Xi Hai had formed an Azure Golden Core and had hope of reaching Void-Piercing Realm, both the city lord's residence and the guardian envoy turned a blind eye to everything he did."

The Zhao family's head sighed as well. "But walk by the river often enough, and sooner or later your shoes will get wet. No matter how careful you are, once disaster strikes, what follows is utter destruction."

The Wu family's head agreed with him. After a moment, he added, "The deaths of two Void-Piercing Realm battle immortals are one thing. But two Azure Golden Core cultivators died as well... Xi Liu, the Xi family's ancestor, is likely going mad by now. This matter is probably far from over."

"That Heavenly Dao Sect disciple... Yaoguang, was it? As long as he keeps a low profile and avoids wandering recklessly, once he becomes a true disciple, the terrifying strength and potential he displayed in this battle will guarantee that a Void-Refining Realm peak master takes him in as a disciple. There is even a considerable chance that a Void-Shattering Realm supreme elder will personally accept him under their wing."

The head of the Zhao family sighed. "No matter how mad Xi Liu becomes, would he dare strike against a true disciple of the Heavenly Dao Sect who is at minimum a direct disciple of a Void-Refining Realm master?"

"That depends on what choice the Xi family's ancestor makes. After all, the Xi family lost two Azure Golden Core cultivators," the Wu family's head said. "The breakthrough to the Azure Golden Core Realm is unimaginably difficult. Either one of those two had more than a fifty percent chance of producing another Void-Piercing Realm expert for the Xi family in the future."

To advance from a Blazing White Golden Core to an Azure Golden Core required breaking the limit of the Golden Core's mass.

The danger of that process wasn't any less than that of collapsing a Golden Core into a Primordial Void.

Even in the mighty Heavenly Dao Sect, they could not even fill all eighty-eight seats reserved for Azure Golden Core true disciples.

That alone showed how precious Azure Golden Core cultivators were.

If one truly counted, the number of Void-Piercing Realm experts and Void-Piercing Realm battle immortals in the Heavenly Dao Sect combined actually exceeded the number of Azure Golden Core cultivators.

More than half of the Void-Piercing Realm experts in the present age had, in truth, broken through directly from the Blazing White Golden Core Realm.

***

Yaoguang did not know just how great a shock his actions had caused in Haizhou's capital.

But destroying the Xi family made him feel as if he had finally shattered his restraints.

Only at this moment did he feel that he had genuinely integrated into the North Sea Star. Integrated into this great age of conflict, where sects rose and fell, and families flourished only to be replaced.

Mercy has never been the way to survive on the North Sea Star. Only through slaughter can a cultivator truly establish himself and live securely here. Yaoguang silently reflected.

Of course, once one stepped onto the path of slaughter, they had to be prepared at any moment to be killed by someone stronger.

But to want absolute security while also living freely and boldly, where in the world could such a utopia exist?

Back when he had enjoyed the comfort brought by rules, he naturally had to accept the price of being bound by them.

The North Sea Star was different. On the North Sea Star, there were no rules. Or rather, too many people were able to trample over the rules as they pleased.

In such an environment, if you still chose to follow those rules, the only outcome was to be devoured until nothing remained.

"The Xi family ruled Haizhou for so many years. Although much of their wealth had to be sent to the imperial capital for that Void-Piercing Realm ancestor there, along with the other two more promising Azure Golden Core cultivators, the assets they kept behind should still be substantial... Their yearly income was at least over a million Pure Yang Grand Pills."

Yaoguang conducted a thorough search of the intact treasury.

In less than ten minutes, he had gathered everything. And the final harvest left him extremely satisfied.

"Just from what was stored here, along with what I collected from those cultivators, I obtained 1,050,000 Pure Yang Grand Pills. On top of that, there are valuable items like Void Flowing Crystals, Space-Fixing Stones, Life-Changing Pills, and other treasures. Altogether, those are worth another million Pure Yang Grand Pills or more!"

In other words, destroying the Xi family had earned him over two million Pure Yang Grand Pills.

Even true Void-Piercing Realm experts would be tempted by that much wealth.

Of course, only tempted. No genuine Void-Piercing Realm powerhouse would make a mortal enemy of another Void-Piercing Realm cultivator for a mere two million Pure Yang Grand Pills.

For them to risk their lives, the profits involved would likely need to be measured in the hundreds of millions.

"These resources will allow me to upgrade my equipment once again. If all goes well, I might even be able to forge another Dao Artifact. At worst, I’m confident I can upgrade the Wandering Dragon Sword to the level of a quasi-Dao Artifact. As for the remaining 1,050,000 Pure Yang Grand Pills..." A trace of anticipation appeared in Yaoguang’s eyes.

1,050,000 Pure Yang Grand Pills were more than enough for him to push his Golden Core to its critical mass and transform it into the supergiant Azure Golden Core state.

"No time to waste. I’ll head into the Chaotic Sea immediately, find an island, and enter seclusion." Yaoguang made up his mind.

In three years, the Heavenly Dao Sect would hold its true disciple assessment.

With the achievements he had made in Haizhou, becoming a true disciple was already all but guaranteed.

But this time, he had revealed far too many supreme divine abilities and top-tier spirit treasures, which would give birth to many hidden threats.

Therefore, the next time he appeared, he'd have to be stronger. The stronger he was, the better.

With that thought, Yaoguang did not linger in the Xi family's ruins. His body transformed into a streak of golden sword light that shot into the heavens, vanishing from Haizhou's capital in moments.

Seeing Yaoguang depart on his sword, countless people in Haizhou released long breaths of relief, as though a mountain had been lifted from their chests.

***

Yaoguang flew on his sword for some distance, and in order to leave Haizhou as quickly as possible, he later switched to the Longxiang Flying Vessel.

With its speed, in only three days, he had already entered the depths of the Chaotic Sea.

He selected a barren island barely half a kilometer across, one so desolate that it lacked even the simplest ecosystem or any notable terrain. There, he excavated a cave dwelling over a thousand meters underground. Then, releasing a trace of Blazing White Golden Core power, he baked and refined the interior walls until they hardened into a ceramic-like structure, creating a temporary shelter.

After making a few simple arrangements to the cave dwelling, he spent another two weeks setting up a concealment array.

Only after finishing all of that did he finally take out the Pure Yang Grand Pills one by one.

"Finally... I can be extravagant again." Looking at the 1,050,000 Pure Yang Grand Pills before him, Yaoguang smiled.

He wondered whether the 460,000 Pure Yang Grand Pills from the Black Dragon Pirates’ bounty were included among them.

Even though Xi Hai had been the Demon Hunting Hall's master, he probably had not yet had time to fully transfer those 460,000 pills into his possession.

But even if he had, it would have been wasted.

The Xi family, and indeed many native cultivators of the North Sea Star, had a habit of detonating their Golden Cores before death, destroying all possessions they had on them.

The whole point was to leave absolutely nothing behind, if only to disgust their enemy one last time.

With that thought, Yaoguang poured out a handful of Pure Yang Grand Pills, activated the Heaven-Devouring Kunpeng Technique, and began refining the pure yang qi within them.

***

While Yaoguang ventured deep into the Chaotic Sea and entered seclusion, news of what had happened in Haizhou gradually spread.

A family with a Void-Piercing Realm expert having its ancestral grounds destroyed was not considered a major event on the North Sea Star, where clans were exterminated with disturbing frequency. But in the Great Shang, and among the forces surrounding the Great Shang, it was still no small matter.

Especially since this battle had claimed two Void-Piercing Realm battle immortals and two Azure Golden Core cultivators with the potential to reach the Void-Piercing Realm.

As a result, the name of Yaoguang quickly spread far and wide, becoming known to every interested force.

The Heavenly Dao Sect knew of him. The Nine Heavens Sect knew of him. And neighboring forces, such as the Taiyi Immortal Sect, came to know his name as well.