Chapter 401: Return

In the Taiyi Immortal Sect, the Supreme Jade Emperor looked at the man who had brought him the news, the Taiyuan Perfected Lord, with a trace of shock in his eyes. "He has reached the Void-Shattering realm?"

"Yes," the Taiyuan Perfected Lord said, producing an invitation. "Compared to how quietly he made his Void-Piercing and Void-Refining Realm breakthroughs pass, he clearly intends to make this Void-Shattering Realm advancement ceremony a grand affair, to announce his existence to the Heavenly Dao Sect, to the Ten Great Immortal Dao Sects, and all of the North Sea Star."

The Supreme Jade Emperor accepted the invitation. This one was addressed to him.

The Ten Great Immortal Dao Sects shared a common ideology. Disciples typically addressed one another as senior and junior brothers, and among the upper ranks, competition over interests was constant. At times it came to open blows, even to severe injuries and deaths, yet on the surface a certain unity was maintained.

The invitation Yaoguang sent naturally extended to everyone in the Taiyi Immortal Sect. Of course, just as an ordinary host would invite the whole family, knowing not everyone would come. How many actually showed up depended on the influence of the one extending the invite.

"The Void-Shattering Realm," the Supreme Jade Emperor said emotionally, "I thought we had at least another hundred years..."

"The stage from the Void-Refining Realm to the Void-Shattering Realm is about piling up resources. I, too, assumed the process would take him considerable time. Over the North Sea Star's history, crossing that step within a thousand years already puts one ahead of ninety percent of cultivators. And Yaoguang... took only thirty." The Taiyuan Perfected Lord sighed. "After reaching the Void-Piercing Realm, ten years to enter the Void-Refining Realm, thirty to enter the Void-Shattering Realm... It really is unbelievable. Even the Penglai Dao Lord back then was a step slower than him."

"Tell me..." The Supreme Jade Emperor looked at his own sect master. "Could the Penglai Dao Lord really be backing him?"

"I used to scoff whenever anyone raised that theory. Even a Dao Lord's direct disciple wouldn't receive such treatment. What Dao Lord would personally shepherd a cultivator below the Dao Lord Realm every step of the way, to this degree? But now..." The Taiyuan Perfected Lord shook his head. "I can no longer say for certain."

No longer certain. And by this point, certainty wasn't the issue anymore.

"Will you go?" the Taiyuan Perfected Lord asked, raising his head.

The Supreme Jade Emperor pondered for a long moment before he finally said, "I should go. I need to meet him face to face, and clear up certain misunderstandings."

He glanced at the Taiyuan Perfected Lord. "Otherwise, once Yaoguang becomes the sect master of the Heavenly Dao Sect, our next meeting will be somewhat troublesome."

"Trouble isn't the point. The Heavenly Dao Sect is the Heavenly Dao Sect, and the Taiyi Immortal Sect is the Taiyi Immortal Sect. What worries me is that this Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang might, in the future, go even a step further."

"A step further?! That... He's a cultivator of the Great Dao of Void. He'd face a human tribulation on top of the risk of Dao transformation, making the process twice as perilous. Surely it's very difficult, isn't it?"

"Who knows? Hide far enough away, advance fast enough, and the human tribulation can be dodged," the Taiyuan Perfected Lord said with a sigh. "Otherwise, why would the number of Dao Lords on the path of the void still be slowly growing?"

The Supreme Jade Emperor fell silent, thinking.

Only after a long while did he say, "Once, when we spoke of Yaoguang, the question was when he would reach the Void-Shattering Realm. Now it's already Dao Integration, and neither of us doubts anymore that he can walk all the way to that realm's threshold."

The Taiyuan Perfected Lord gave a bitter smile and nodded.

Yaoguang truly kept raising their estimates of him, one step at a time.

"So, what do you plan to send as a congratulatory gift?" the Taiyuan Perfected Lord asked.

"A gift..." The Supreme Jade Emperor pondered without answering.

At this point, the Taiyuan Perfected Lord spoke again, "A year ago, a demon king came hunting in the south. It chose to invade precisely when the guardian was away, and the battle hall members stationed at the border, tasked with defending it, fled without a fight before ever meeting the demon king. Two great cities of the border state were devoured, and a hundred thousand cultivators were lost."

He paused. "Heavenly Venerable Jiang was one of the Void-Piercing battle immortals guarding that border. According to the sect's rules, one who flees without fighting and loses a city can, in serious cases, be expelled from the sect outright."

The Supreme Jade Emperor immediately grasped his sect master's meaning.

He was faintly taken aback. "That... Isn't that a bit too much? It would be hard to give an answer to the Cangwu lineage."

"He's just a mere Void-Piercing battle immortal. Do you think he still carries any importance for the Cangwu lineage?" the Taiyuan Perfected Lord said.

He looked at the Supreme Jade Emperor. "Think it over carefully... If it's inconvenient for you to act in person, I can do it in your stead."

The Supreme Jade Emperor thought of Yaoguang's current achievements. The Void-Shattering Realm! At his current pace of growth, even if he never achieved Dao integration, he would surely soon reach the very peak of the Void-Shattering Realm. A figure like that...

"There's nothing to think over." The Supreme Jade Emperor looked at him. "In that case, I'll ask you, Sect Master, to act on my behalf and present this gift."

"Very well." The Taiyuan Perfected Lord nodded slightly. "Only then can the two of you truly lay down every grievance and turn hostility into friendship."

The Supreme Jade Emperor gave a bitter laugh and said no more.

***

Just like the Taiyuan Perfected Lord, the people of the Cangwu lineage had also received an invitation.

The gathered Void-Piercing battle immortals turned their eyes to the most prestigious among them, Xie Xiong, Greene, and Li An, waiting for a final decision.

"Do we go?" Li An looked in turn to Xie Xiong and Greene, who had higher seniority.

Xie Xiong and Greene exchanged a glance and nodded at the same time. "We go."

"We must, sooner or later, meet this supreme prodigy of the Great Cangwu World," Greene added.

Xie Xiong nodded as well.

On any ordinary day, if they sought an audience with Yaoguang, they would likely never see him at all; Yaoguang would already be courteous enough if he were to have the Great Cangwu World old-timers like Wan Liugui and Li Hanqiu receive them.

This Void-Shattering Realm advancement ceremony was perhaps their one rare chance to meet Yaoguang face to face.

Once they met and said what needed to be said, they would ask him for no favors afterward. But at the very least, they could not let Yaoguang hold a grudge against them. Otherwise, the complete extinction of their lineage would only be a matter of time.

At this point, Li An seemed to remember something, and his gaze shifted to Jin Rui, the one who handled intelligence for the Cangwu lineage. "Elders Laoshan and Holton, where are they now?"

Jin Rui's expression darkened. "The two elders fought campaign after campaign for the Cangwu lineage. They could no longer keep the Primordial Void within their bodies stable, and passed away four years ago."

Li An, Greene, and Xie Xiong exchanged a look and sighed inwardly.

Those two Void-Piercing battle immortals were the Cangwu battle immortals who had nearly moved against Yaoguang at the Biyou Immortal Market all those years ago.

Granted, since Yaoguang had already been sent to the Heavenly Dao Sect by the Penglai Dao Lord at the time, they never actually encountered him. But the thing had happened, and no one could pretend otherwise.

So when Yaoguang reached the Void-Refining Realm and became deputy sect master of the Heavenly Dao Sect, the two battle immortals had tactfully volunteered to go to the battlefields beyond the domain.

That was until four years ago, when they passed away.

The particulars behind it all... Every one of them understood perfectly well.

"Prepare a generous gift," Greene said, then added, "Take what we originally intended to... Take that flying vessel and send it over as a gift."

"That vessel may not even catch Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang's eye these days. The man sells Dao Artifact flying vessels for a living. Compared to that vessel, I'd say the star chart we prepared is more suitable," Li An said.

"Send both." Xie Xiong waved a hand. "Star chart or flying vessel, neither means anything to Sect Master Yaoguang now. What matters is our sincerity... one gift representing the very best the Cangwu lineage can offer."

Hearing Xie Xiong's words, Greene and Li An said nothing more.

"Let's just hope it goes smoothly this time."

***

Within the Taiyi Immortal Sect, those who received the news buzzed with discussion.

Even in the Heavenly Dao Sect, the Void-Piercing and Void-Refining elders were likewise stunned to learn of Yaoguang's advancement. The four lineage leaders who ran the sect's daily affairs, and the supreme elders guarding the sect such as Zhen Xuanyuan, Chi Yun, and Jing Yuntian, wore especially complicated expressions.

Some even quietly regretted their actions. Had they known Yaoguang would reach the Void-Shattering Realm this quickly, they wouldn't have rushed to attempt raising the taxes. At the very least, they would have waited for the sect master's return, letting him shoulder the blame.

But it was too late for regret.

Yaoguang had chosen to hold his Void-Shattering Realm advancement ceremony in the Heavenly Dao Sect, rather than in the Southern Capital. It was clear that he was not coming in peace.

Given the circumstances, the four lineage leaders quickly sent messages to the sect master, Zong Wenxian, who was still held up by the divine race.

***

Time slipped by, and another six months passed.

By the time most factions had confirmed they would attend Yaoguang's ceremony, Yaoguang had also finished re-refining the Limitless Sword.

Feeling the Limitless Sword settling within his body, together with the Dao Techniques he had pushed to the perfection stage over these years—the Void Flicker and Void Sword, along with the Great Annihilation Sword Qi and True Spirit Light—Yaoguang's expression was calm.

He walked straight out of the Hundred-Refinement Peak and began gathering his people.

Within days, the powerhouses of the southern domain had all assembled. Some were Void-Piercing cultivators from various states who had recently pledged themselves, but the core was still Yaoguang's own contingent.

He had Wan Liugui remain in the Southern Capital, and picked out the core members of the Nine Cauldrons Sect—Li Hanqiu, Li Qingshan, and Lou Yuyu—intending to bring them along to broaden their horizons in a top-tier great sect.

He also called on Ling Ruogu and Chi Yu. Their two families had been flourishing in the southern domain as of late, a far cry from their days as near nobodies in the Heavenly Dao Sect. It was time they went back and tasted the thrill of returning home in glory.

Beyond these, Yaoguang's gaze swept over Wu Changfeng and Qi Sha. "Wu Changfeng, hold the southern domain for me. Qi Sha, get things in order and bring the Heavenly Ruin Hall. We've been out here long enough. It's time to go back."

"With your prestige, Deputy Sect Master, no petty schemer in the southern domain would dare act up. Let me accompany you to the sect instead, run errands, and handle everything else you might need." Wu Changfeng volunteered, knowing Yaoguang was bound to make some move on this trip to the Heavenly Dao Sect.

"No need. Just watch the southern domain for me," Yaoguang said. "The petty schemers won't dare stir, but the Yin Lunar Sect is still out there, and no one knows whether they'll suddenly mount a full invasion in the name of avenging the Eight Desolations Fiend Lord and the Dark Fiend Lord. With you watching, I can rest easy."

Seeing that, Wu Changfeng could hardly insist.

Yaoguang then waved a hand.

The southern domain's manpower, along with the material resources to be committed to the ceremony, was rapidly assembled.

Three days later, a fleet that included one Dao Artifact warship and thirty Jiuzhou warships rose into the sky above the Southern Capital, heading for the Heavenly Dao Sect.