Chapter 348: Wariness

Zong Wenxian immediately started spreading his psychic thought.

Thanks to his authority as sect master, his powerful psychic thought basically ignored any obstruction from the defensive array formations spread throughout the sect, directly seeing the figure piloting the warship toward the Nine Cauldrons Peak.

After witnessing it personally, there was no longer any room for hope in his heart. Yaoguang had truly broken through.

"The Void-Refining Realm!" Zong Wenxian muttered those words.

Yet, he still seemed unable to accept it.

"How is this possible?!" Lang Ya, who stood at the side, was just as incredulous. "Has he really reached the Void-Refining Realm?!"

He understood very well what Yaoguang advancing to the Void-Refining Realm in such a short time meant.

It meant that his master's plans to give him the southern domain, which had been basically reserved for him, had suddenly run into an unexpected variable. If things went badly, it might be forcibly taken away by Yaoguang.

"Too fast. Really too fast." As Xiang Zhenlong spoke, his eyes were filled with wariness. "Yaoguang grows far too quickly. It has only been a little over ten years since he advanced to the Void-Piercing Realm! In just over ten years, he has reached the Void-Refining Realm! Such efficiency is unprecedented across the entire North Sea Star. Even Tai Qingzi of the Three-Qing Temple, who was hailed as a prodigy of his era, took thirty-six years to go from the Void-Piercing Realm to the Void-Refining Realm!"

Yuan Miaoyi did not speak, but he nodded in deep agreement.

Yaoguang had only advanced to the Void-Piercing Realm a little over ten years ago, yet in the blink of an eye, he had reached the Void-Refining Realm. This was far too frightening.

If he was allowed to continue growing like this, wouldn't he reach the Void-Shattering Realm in less than a century?

And after settling down for a thousand years at most, wouldn't he even have hope of attempting Dao Integration?

Who would dare oppose such a prodigy? Who would dare become his enemy?

"No matter how high someone’s talent is, it is impossible for anyone to cultivate from the Void-Piercing Realm to the Void-Refining Realm in ten years," Lang Ya, who had calmed down again, suddenly said. "Tai Qingzi of the Three-Qing Temple had received the Three-Qing Temple’s full support and cultivation. He was given four Dao Artifacts that aided his cultivation! He could freely read all kinds of Dao Technique insights and cultivation experiences, and more than one Void-Shattering supreme elder personally guided him step by step! Even so, he still took thirty-six years to raise his cultivation to the Void-Refining Realm. To cultivate from the Void-Piercing Realm to the Void-Refining Realm in ten years?!"

This young sect master, a personal disciple of the sect master, spoke with absolute certainty, " That's unless a Dao Lord personally guided him, demonstrating the Great Dao to him step by step and allowing him to constantly roam within the ocean of the Great Dao, comprehending it to his heart’s content! That's the only way he would be able to understand all the profundities of the Great Dao of void this quickly!"

"A Dao Lord personally guiding him?" These words made everyone present pause at the same time.

A Dao Lord! Compared to Void-Piercing Realm, Void-Refining Realm, and Void-Shattering Realm cultivators, Dao Lords were far too transcendent.

If a Dao Lord was willing to accept disciples, even Void-Shattering cultivators would think of every possible way to attach themselves to the Dao Lord, just to seek a Dao Lord's guidance and gain a sliver of opportunity to attain the Dao.

However, the Dao Lords of the entire North Sea Star were either in the deepest part of the North Sea Star, waiting for the Gate of the Immortal Realm to open, or were traveling through the starry cosmos, hoping to find opportunities and fortuitous encounters in other worlds and thereby take their cultivation one step further. That way, when the Dao Contest began after the Gate of the Immortal Realm opened, they could ensure that they would enter the gate and ascend to immortality.

Given the circumstances, let alone ordinary cultivators, even most Void-Shattering experts could not come into contact with Dao Lords.

In the entire Heavenly Dao Sect, there were at most two or three people qualified to contact the Dao Lord behind them. From this alone, one could see just how exalted Dao Lords were.

Under such circumstances, was it possible for a mere Void-Piercing Realm cultivator to receive personal guidance from a Dao Lord?

"In theory, obtaining guidance from a Dao Lord is almost impossible. But what if that Dao Lord has no one usable under her and is urgently trying to nurture someone useful?" Lang Ya said in a deep voice.

Once the words reached this point, Yuan Miaoyi and Xiang Zhenlong immediately knew which Dao Lord he was referring to.

The two lineage leaders could not help but start to think over the matter.

Suddenly, two more streaks of evasion light descended.

Yue Kuhai, the leader of the Dao lineage, and Zhou Xingdou, the leader of the battle lineage, had also arrived.

Seeing the grave expressions of the people gathered together, the two quickly guessed what had happened.

"It seems like the sect master and the two lineage leaders also know," Zhou Xingdou said.

"Our sect has produced a peerless genius. Advancing from the Void-Piercing Realm to the Void-Refining Realm in ten years... Such an achievement may not be unprecedented or never to be repeated, but looking at the current North Sea Star, I’m afraid no one can compare to him. Such a peerless figure has appeared in our sect, and we should properly nurture him. Sect Master, fellow lineage leaders, should we not come up with a plan as soon as possible?" Yue Kuhai followed up as well.

Zong Wenxian glanced at him and pondered. "For such a peerless figure to appear in our sect is indeed our sect’s fortune. If his heart truly belongs entirely to our Heavenly Dao Sect, then we naturally should spare no effort in assisting his growth. But..."

He glanced at Lang Ya. "This disciple of mine just raised an interesting guess. It is impossible for anyone to comprehend the Great Dao of void to such an extent in such a short period of time unless... a Dao Lord personally guided him. What do you all think?"

Yue Kuhai and Zhou Xingdou exchanged a glance after hearing this. They vaguely understood what Sect Master Zong was trying to imply.

"Actually, I also find some things strange." Lang Ya also spoke up. "After Young Sect Master Yaoguang reached the Void-Piercing Realm, the first thing he did was sell a Dao Artifact... Putting aside what it means for a Void-Piercing cultivator to take out a Dao Artifact, even if he really had a Dao Artifact, he should not have sold it. Everyone knows how important Dao Artifacts are to our cultivation. Yet after selling the Dao Artifact, Young Sect Master Yaoguang converted everything he obtained from the sale into materials for refining Dao Artifacts..."

At this point, he smiled. "It was as if this young sect master of ours could refine Dao Artifacts himself and needed many Dao Artifact materials to practice with."

Yuan Miaoyi glanced at Sect Master Zong Wenxian.

He also agreed and said, "Now that you mention it, I also find it somewhat puzzling. After selling the Dao Artifact, Young Sect Master Yaoguang did not immediately enter seclusion in the sect to refine Void Dao Pills and increase his foundation in the Great Dao of void. Instead, it was as if he did not need to cultivate at all. He went straight to the Dark-Blue Sea where the Penglai Immortal Sect is located and helped them kill demons. And as soon as he entered the Dark-Blue Sea, he killed three demon kings and exchanged them for more than one billion contribution points. After that, he entered seclusion again and again..."

He then glanced at Zhou Xingdou, Yue Kuhai, and the others. "After three to five years of seclusion, he came out and directly reached the Void-Refining Realm. This speed..."

He gave a slightly self-mocking laugh. "Compared to how we painstakingly studied the Great Dao of void during the Void-Piercing Realm, diligently practiced our life-bound Dao Techniques, and reshaped our grotto-heavens over and over, Young Sect Master Yaoguang’s advancement is so fast that it makes us feel as though our thousand years of bitter cultivation were all wasted."

These words were harsh, but the lineage leaders understood what he meant.

Still, to cultivate from the Void-Piercing Realm to the Void-Refining Realm in ten years?! Was that something a human could do?! Without personal guidance from a Dao Lord, how could someone possibly achieve such a feat?

Only after a long while did Yue Kuhai, who deeply understood how difficult cultivation was, let out a breath. "That one from the Penglai Immortal Sect has gone too far. Does she think she can bully our sect because our ancestor is traveling beyond the domain and our sect has no one?"

"Our sect is different from other sects. With the Great Dao Golden Book present, there are some things where, even if we clearly know there is a problem, we still have no choice but to abide by the rules." Xiang Zhenlong also sighed. "That is also why that one from the Penglai Immortal Sect dares to act so unscrupulously on our side. She is certain that apart from swallowing this indignity, we have no other choice."

"Heh... she underestimates the Heavenly Dao Sect’s resolve too much," Yuan Miaoyi said. "What she relies on is nothing more than the rules of the Great Dao Golden Book. But as long as we act according to the rules, I refuse to believe that the one from the Penglai Immortal Sect, after offending the Heavenly Sea Sword Pavilion and going to war with Jade Scale Demon Paragon, would still dare interfere in the affairs of our sect!"

"Oh? Do you mean...?" Zong Wenxian’s gaze fell on him.

"According to the rules of the Great Dao Golden Book, if a young sect master reaches the Void-Refining Realm within a thousand years, he must serve as a deputy sect master. And a deputy sect master must oversee a domain. We cannot change these rules recorded in the Great Dao Golden Book. But..." Yuan Miaoyi paused slightly. "I remember that the eastern domain has been somewhat unstable recently. How many times has Deputy Sect Master Shen asked us for aid? Although his purpose is to reduce the sect tribute paid once every ten years, we might as well beat him at his own game. If he is incapable of maintaining the eastern domain’s situation, then let someone capable go there. Yaoguang is a fine choice. As for Deputy Sect Master Shen, let him go to the southern domain..."

"Wait," Zhou Xingdou said. "Everything before us is based on speculation. What if Yaoguang really relied on his own ability to reach the Void-Refining Realm within ten years? Wouldn’t we risk offending a peerless figure for no reason? If things go badly, we might suffer the same tragedy that befell the Heavenly Sea Sword Pavilion!"

"So if a man already guilty of countless crimes holds a bloodstained blade while standing beside a corpse, with no one else nearby, you would think he is not the murderer and acquit him simply because you did not personally witness him killing someone?" Yuan Miaoyi snorted lightly.

"I simply think that we should not reach a conclusion so easily," Zhou Xingdou said, frowning.

He understood that Yuan Miaoyi was effectively Zong Wenxian’s mouthpiece. His words were basically equivalent to the sect master’s intentions.

And the main reason behind the sect master’s decision was that he did not want to hand over the southern domain.

Transferring Deputy Sect Master Shen from the eastern domain to the southern domain had two purposes. Firstly, the deputy sect master might not agree. When the time came, this matter could be delayed for a while, and if things went further, it might even divert trouble eastward and cause Yaoguang to clash with Deputy Sect Master Shen.

Secondly, the sect master had managed the southern domain for a long time. Even if Deputy Sect Master Shen obediently went there, it would still take decades before he could fully control the situation in the southern domain. During this time, the sect master would put even more effort into nurturing Lang Ya. As long as Lang Ya could also advance to the Void-Refining Realm, there would be four territories and five deputy sect masters. Whoever was qualified to oversee a domain would naturally have to start competing.

At that time, the sect master could even openly interfere in the affairs of the four domains under the pretext that Deputy Sect Master Lang Ya was competing with the other deputy sect masters.

Zhou Xingdou was well aware of the interests and political maneuvering involved.

"In that case, Lineage Leader Yuan Miaoyi should go and have a talk with Young Sect Master Yaoguang. If Young Sect Master Yaoguang really has no other thoughts and still intends to remain in the sect for seclusion, then the Heavenly Dao Sect will naturally give him the treatment that a deputy sect master deserves. But if he cannot hold back and immediately wants to claim his own territory and make changes..." Zong Wenxian did not continue.

But everyone guessed what he meant.

Yuan Miaoyi, Xiang Zhenlong, and Yue Kuhai all nodded. This involved their own interests.

Especially since they had basically accepted that Yaoguang had reached the Void-Refining Realm in ten years by relying on the Penglai Dao Lord. They naturally stood firmly on the sect master’s side.