Chapter 409: Justice

"Oh." Yaoguang's expression did not change in the slightest. "So you're not shielding Jing Yuntian anymore? Haven't I been really corrupted by the Fiendish Dao, after all? A chief supreme elder as exalted as you is willing to talk things over with a man of the Fiendish Dao like me?"

He pressed down with his hand, and the second Void Sword slashed down as he prepared to release the third.

Zhen Xuanyuan brought out everything he had and just barely blocked the second sword. Fortunately for him, Gu Li rushed over in time and forced Yaoguang's third Void Sword to switch targets.

But taking one sword for Zhen Xuanyuan was all Gu Li could manage. He, who cultivated the Great Dao of light, threw out every method at his disposal and still failed to stop the Void Sword; its power cut straight into his grotto-heaven.

If not for the fact that every Void-Shattering cultivator carried at least a few life-saving measures, that sword would have been enough to tear his grotto-heaven apart.

To the Heavenly Dao Sect's many Void-Piercing and Void-Refining cultivators watching from afar, the sight was horrifying, almost beyond comprehension.

"One strike?! Supreme Elder Gu Li was nearly killed with a single strike? H-He's a veteran Void-Shattering cultivator!"

"How is Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang this powerful? Didn't he only just advance to the Void-Shattering Realm? He has this kind of strength right after advancing?"

"Supreme Elder Jing Yuntian's death was not unfair... Even Supreme Zhen Xuanyuan is being crushed by Yaoguang, so what chance did he have? Yaoguang's strength must already rival the powerhouses on the Dao Lord Candidate Rankings..."

Watching Yaoguang display his power without the slightest restraint, every Void-Piercing and Void-Refining cultivator present arrived at the same thought in the same moment.

The Heavenly Dao Sect's power structure is really about to change.

Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang has not only built the southern domain into a thriving enterprise that generates hundreds of millions in revenue every year, but he also possesses astonishing strength. What does Zong Wenxian have left to fight him with?

Watching a battle that had not yet ended but the outcome of which could already be guessed, many Void-Piercing and Void-Refining cultivators quietly came to a certain decision.

"Yaoguang!" Zhen Xuanyuan watched Gu Li pull back and flee in panic, then glanced at the new Void Swords Yaoguang was already condensing with the aid of his time Dao Technique, and a wave of bitterness washed through him.

Yaoguang was too strong! This was combat power at the level of the Dao Lord Candidate Rankings; there were no doubts about that!

Aside from Perfected Lord Jinghong, no one in the Heavenly Dao Sect would be his match. If this went on, he would follow in Jing Yuntian's footsteps. He would die.

Once the terrifying consequences sank in, he stopped clinging to the dignity of a chief supreme elder, and a pleading note crept into his voice. "Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang, I never meant to shield Jing Yuntian. It was only that, as the chief supreme elder of the sect, I couldn't bear to see a Void-Shattering cultivator lost just like that. I struck in haste out of sheer anxiety... I didn't grasp the situation, and that's what caused this misunderstanding—"

Before he could finish, the next Void Sword came slashing down. Looking at that attack, and at the Void Sword Yaoguang was already preparing to condense behind it, Zhen Xuanyuan, with nothing left to save his life, finally broke.

"Stop!" he roared. "Yaoguang, what is it you actually want?! Will nothing short of slaughtering us all satisfy you?!"

"What do I want?" Yaoguang said. "I only want justice."

With a rumble, the Void Sword he had unleashed smashed through the Great Void Disintegration Technique that Zhen Xuanyuan hurriedly threw out.

That Great Void Disintegration, hastily released as it was, never stood a chance of stopping the Void Sword's edge.

After crushing the technique, the strike carried on, just as strong as before, and cut into Zhen Xuanyuan's grotto-heaven, ripping a massive gash through it, its edge so fierce it slashed all the way to the front of his life-bound Dao Seed.

"Yaoguang!" Watching yet another round of Void Swords take shape, Zhen Xuanyuan's shock and fury reached their limit. With life and death on the line, a golden book abruptly unfurled behind him. "Venerable! Please aid me!"

As the Void Sword slashed down once more, the Golden Book Venerable's figure suddenly materialized.

Taking little part in the Heavenly Dao Sect's day-to-day matters, he seemed to have no idea what was happening, though he did at least remember Zhen Xuanyuan, the chief supreme elder.

Seeing a Void Sword on the verge of tearing through the man's grotto-heaven and Dao Seed, the mighty artifact spirit swept out a hand, and a surging force rolled forth, so majestic that it appeared to carry the ultimate truths of the Great Dao within.

Faced with those truths, even the Void Sword seemed to be "persuaded," dissipating into the void of its own accord.

Having narrowly escaped death, Zhen Xuanyuan was left heaving as he tried to catch his breath.

"So, is someone going to tell me what happened?" the Golden Book Venerable said, looking not particularly bright. Fortunately, what he lacked in wits he made up for in capability. "Never mind. I'll find out myself."

He linked into every array system and information network across the entire Heavenly Dao Sect, gathering the specific details of what had happened from countless third-party perspectives. It did not take long for him to piece together the truth, and his gaze came to rest on Yaoguang.

"Venerable," Yaoguang greeted him.

The Golden Book Venerable looked at Yaoguang, looking a little surprised. Across the long arc of his existence, he had seen more than one or two Dao Lords come and go, to say nothing of cultivators at the Void-Shattering, Void-Refining, and Void-Piercing Realms.

Without consulting the records, he probably could not have recognized many of the Heavenly Dao Sect's own Void-Piercing elders.

But he had met Yaoguang not long ago, and having just gathered the details of this conflict, he remembered him. And precisely because he remembered, he was surprised the man could have grown to such heights in such a short time.

"I now know the karma of this matter. The sect's internal grievances were never written into the Great Dao Golden Book, so I will not interfere too much. But you are all members of the Heavenly Dao Sect, its higher-ups no less, and coming to blows over your personal tempers was disgraceful. There will be no more warfare among you over this affair," the Golden Book Venerable said calmly.

Yaoguang knew that with the Venerable stepping in, the fighting was over. At the very least, killing Zhen Xuanyuan and the others was off the table.

For the Central Heaven Dao Lord and Golden Book Venerable alike, the single greatest demand they placed on the Heavenly Dao Sect's Void-Piercing, Void-Refining, and Void-Shattering cultivators was stability.

If anyone kept causing chaos every few days and disturbing their quiet cultivation, they would not mind swapping in an entirely new set of people to run the sect.

Besides, Yaoguang knew perfectly well that the talk of collusion with fiendish cultivators was just mud everyone had been slinging; even from the standpoint of Supreme Elder Chi Yun and the others, the offense did not warrant death.

His aim from the start had been to beat this chief supreme elder into submission and awe every Void-Shattering cultivator in the sect, smoothing the way for the development plans he meant to carry out next.

If he really killed every supreme elder, the Heavenly Dao Sect would have no one left to run it, and territory this vast would inevitably breed no end of trouble.

So he took the way down that had been offered. "As you wish, Venerable."

Zhen Xuanyuan had wanted to ask the Golden Book Venerable to arbitrate, but the Venerable had already stated he would not interfere too much in the sect's operations.

On top of that, the strength Yaoguang had just displayed had given him a taste of real dread. If he kept making an enemy of the man, the consequences would be unthinkable.

So while the Golden Book Venerable was still present, he hurried to say, "We never intended to fight Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang. We simply acted with too much haste, which provoked Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang's counterattack. Surely, once everything is talked through, all will be well."

He finished with a glance at Yaoguang. "After all, we have no direct conflict of interest with Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang."

Yaoguang gave Zhen Xuanyuan a look, somewhat surprised. Conceding this quickly?

A moment later, though, he understood the man's decision. Zhen Xuanyuan's interests had never aligned with Zong Wenxian's; there was no chance he would charge to the frontline on Zong Wenxian's behalf and be the first to take Yaoguang on.

Most importantly, this battle had well and truly beaten him into submission. The lesson of nearly dying had taught him exactly what making an enemy of Yaoguang would cost.

Those words of his amounted to nothing less than a roundabout plea for peace.

"Let's hope so," Yaoguang said mildly. Then he turned to the Golden Book Venerable. "Since the Venerable is here, the timing is perfect. As I recall, the Golden Book records in detail that once any deputy sect master advances to the Void-Shattering Realm, if the territory under their stewardship shows better prospects than the central domain under the sect master, it proves they possess greater ability than the sect master and can lead the Heavenly Dao Sect to greater glory. They are therefore qualified to replace the sect master and take charge of the Heavenly Dao Sect."

He produced a dossier. "This is the state of the southern domain's development over the past ten years. I believe the southern domain's prospects now surpass those of the central domain under the sect master's direct governance. And given that I have advanced to the Void-Shattering Realm... I believe I am qualified to take the position from Zong Wenxian and become the Heavenly Dao Sect's next sect master."

"Oh? You want to take the helm of the Heavenly Dao Sect?" Golden Book Venerable accepted Yaoguang's dossier with open curiosity.

Off to the side, Gu Li, along with the lineage leaders and the Void-Refining cultivators belonging to Zong Wenxian's side, immediately grew anxious. None of them had expected Yaoguang to claim the leadership of the Heavenly Dao Sect at a moment like this.

"That's right. I firmly believe that under my leadership, the Heavenly Dao Sect is bound to develop better than ever. To say the least, the sect's gross output of six billion Pure Yang Grand Pills every ten years would nearly double; reaching at least ten billion will be no trouble at all," Yaoguang said. "And as it happens, every neighboring power has already been invited to my Void-Shattering Realm advancement ceremony. If I take over as sect master now, we can hold both celebrations together and save ourselves a great deal of effort."

The Golden Book Venerable finished reading the dossier and gave a small nod. "If your data is accurate, the southern domain's development has indeed surpassed the central domain's. You have done better than Zong Wenxian has as sect master."

He then asked, "You've reached the Void-Shattering Realm? And with strength already at this level?"

"I came upon some fortuitous opportunities," Yaoguang said, offering no further explanation.

But when the Golden Book Venerable extended his perception, he sensed something. He did not pry, and merely nodded. "Fine opportunities indeed. Then again, opportunity is itself a part of one's strength."

An artifact spirit was, in the end, different from a cultivator. Cultivators, Dao Lords included, could grow greedy over a top-tier Dao Artifact.

But artifact spirits didn't care about such things. Or rather, their way of thinking simply differed from that of a human.

More often than not, they felt that good things ought to be brought out and shared, allowing everyone to improve together, rather than hoarded for oneself. So even though he sensed a top-tier Dao Artifact on Yaoguang, Golden Book Venerable didn't feel any greed toward it.

"Since you have advanced to the Void-Shattering Realm, and both your strength and your ability are of the highest caliber, the Heavenly Dao Sect should indeed pass into your hands." The Golden Book Venerable then swept a glance at Zhen Xuanyuan. "As I recall, you are the chief supreme elder of the Supreme Elder Council. Convene the council and announce it: Zong Wenxian is to step down and enter the Supreme Elder Council. The principle governing the Heavenly Dao Sect's leadership has always been that the capable rise and the mediocre make way."