"Mo Shan!?"
"You all..."
Seeing Mo Shan of the Taiyi Immortal Sect leave without any hesitation with Jiang Heavenly Venerable, both Hou Feng and Xi Liu of the Hollow Void Realm were somewhat bewildered.
Then, they couldn’t contain their anger.
"Bastards!"
Hou Feng, with the backing of the Heavenly Dao Sect, couldn’t help but curse out loud.
They had been fighting tooth and nail for Jiang Heavenly Venerable, and not only might they have caused some dissatisfaction among certain people in the Penglai Immortal Sect, but they had also offended Alkaid, the Hollow Void Cultivator with boundless prospects of the Heavenly Dao Sect. And now, they just dusted off their hands and left!
All the hustle for nothing, not a single benefit gained, and instead a whole lot of trouble stirred up.
What kind of karma is this?
"Mo Shan! Jiang Heavenly Venerable!"
Hou Feng clenched his teeth as he muttered these two names.
He hated both of them to death.
If not for the fact that Mo Shan, a Hollow Void protector, was still by Jiang Heavenly Venerable’s side, and his resolute departure, he would have made his move against Jiang Heavenly Venerable to force him to pay heavily as compensation for his losses.
Who cares about being a direct disciple of the Shattered Void!?
Could the Supreme Elders of the Taiyi Immortal Sect really govern over their Elders of the Heavenly Dao Sect?
"A bunch of pig teammates!"
Xi Liu cursed inwardly, his expression sullen.
But he had no choice, the Xi Family had incurred enmity with Alkaid, which was completely brought upon themselves by Xi Hai. They couldn’t blame Jiang Heavenly Venerable.
With things having come to this point...
He had to hurry back to the Imperial Capital of Dashang. He figured that even if Alkaid were as domineering as ever, he would definitely not dare to run wild in the Imperial Capital, nor harm him, a second-grade official.
With this thought, feeling frustrated, and no longer willing to stay with these so-called top sects’ good-for-nothing Elders, he left without a word and soared into the sky, soon disappearing from the scene.
"When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter."
Nothing could be truer than this.
Seeing Xi Liu leave silently as well, Hou Feng couldn’t help but curse again, "A bunch of useless trash! Incapable of achieving anything great!"
Tong Ming, on the other hand, had no time to curse as he said worriedly, "We should think about how to deal with this Junior Sect Leader next."
As he said this, he began to reassess his recent actions against Alkaid...
Hm!?
Although he indeed had been pursuing Alkaid, everything he did seemed legitimate and lawful, not particularly targeted, was it?
If the True Disciple of the Heavenly Vein had died, as an Elder of the Heavenly Vein, it was right for him to investigate to the end. Throughout the process, he hadn’t taken any excessive actions, and after the fact, he just needed to find the Junior Sect Leader, explain the situation, and present a generous gift, hopefully to turn enmity into friendship.
Moreover...
This Junior Sect Leader had not gone through the True Disciple phase. He went from being an Inner Sect Disciple to a Junior Sect Leader overnight, and had no real power base around him. If he could use the opportunity to apologize, to express his sincerity as the first Hollow Void Elder to approach him, perhaps in the future, as he grew in influence, he could become a strong ally within the Heavenly Dao Sect.
And if he achieved Void Refinement in the future and advanced to Vice Sect Leader, that would be another solid backing.
"Ah, what a mess this is."
Thinking this, Tong Ming instructed Hou Feng, "Luckily, the situation hasn’t turned completely unmanageable. Let’s return to the Sect as soon as possible and figure out how to resolve this conflict with the Junior Sect Leader."
After speaking, he too rode his Escaping Light and disappeared into the sky.
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"How can I expect to achieve anything in the company of such indecisive and faint-hearted people?"
As Hou Feng spoke, his communication Jade Talisman vibrated once more.
He took the Jade Talisman, glanced at the message within, and in just a moment, his eyes were wide with rage.
"Yuan Miaoyi, you... are you using me as a pawn to test Alkaid!?"
Being a pawn wouldn’t be so bad.
The key issue was that, regardless of the outcome of testing Alkaid, he wouldn’t end up well.
If Alkaid had a trump card, his fate as the one testing the waters wouldn’t be good.
Even if Alkaid had no trump card, his deep ties to the Penglai Immortal Sect could provoke a response from their experts, leaving him with no good outcome either.
"Great! Just great!" Hou Feng sneered, "Yuan Miaoyi, what do you think I am? A pawn for you to manipulate at will? You’re just a Refining Void, do you really think you can command me to willingly embrace death? I struggled through life and death to reach this point, and now as a Hollow Void, you think you can command me?"
As a Hollow Void, wasn’t he entitled to high treatment wherever he went?
If this place didn’t appreciate him, there surely was another that would.
At most, he would have to give up the years of development he had with the Heavenly Dao Sect, including the influence of the Hou Family lineage.
However...
As long as he, a Hollow Void, remained alive, he could develop a power base like the Hou Family’s in no time.
Hollow Void is said to live for tens of thousands of years.
He had time.
Having ideas in mind, Hou Feng didn’t immediately show his intentions.
Instead, he replied to Yuan Miaoyi with a willingness to atone for his actions.
His eyes sparkled with light.
Alkaid must possess a Dao Artifact!
And he harbored an enormous secret.
Perhaps it was the legacy of the Penglai Dao Lord?
For those two reasons alone, what did it matter if he had to abandon the Hou Family or give up his foundation in the Heavenly Dao Sect?
Forget one Hou Family, even ten Hou Families combined aren’t comparable to a single Dao Artifact!
"What about being a Junior Sect Leader? Just wait and see—at that time, we’ll find out whose methods are superior,"
He made up his mind.
If he could obtain the Dao Artifact and inheritances from Alkaid, he might very well take another step forward and achieve Refining Void.
When that time comes...
He would slowly settle scores with Yuan Miaoyi, Zong Wenxian, and the others.
...
Penglai Immortal Sect.
It wasn’t long before that Penglai Dao Lord received the news from the Heavenly Dao Sect.
"Hollow Void now."
She glanced at it and smiled faintly, "Not bad."
As a Dao Lord, she was qualified to describe "Hollow Void" with merely the word "not bad."
After saying this, she continued to focus her attention on the perception of the star core of the Northern Sea Star.
"Gate of the Immortal Realm."
She whispered to herself.
Yes, the Gate of the Immortal Realm.
The biggest temptation of the Northern Sea Star—the secret of Ascension to Immortality—lay hidden deep within its star core, a Gate of the Immortal Realm.
A gate that once opened, could select three thousand Dao Lords, who had verified the Three Thousand Great Daos, to enter and ascend to immortality.
Due to the existence of the Gate of the Immortal Realm, the structure of the Northern Sea Star had changed, becoming sturdy and vast.
Due to the existence of the Gate of the Immortal Realm, the diffuse aura of the Immortal Realm was refined by some mighty figures into Pure Yang Great Pills and Void Dao Elixirs, cultivating one top-tier powerhouse after another.
Also because of the existence of the Gate of the Immortal Realm, countless Dao Lords from all over the stars arrived in succession at the Northern Sea Star, establishing sects and schools, making the cultivation world of the Northern Sea Star incredibly prosperous.
The significance of these Dao Lords founding Immortal Sects was to find people to observe the movements of the Gate of the Immortal Realm.
Only waiting for the Gate of the Immortal Realm to reveal itself and open, would they, who had been traveling afar trying every means to enhance their strength, rush from all over the world to compete for the seemingly three thousand but actually just a few dozen spots at the Gate of the Immortal Realm.
"A cycle every ten thousand years; calculating the time, less than a millennium remains until it opens."
A millennium.
For mortals, it’s equivalent to the turnover of several dozens of their generations.
It’s equivalent to the long life of a Golden Core Cultivator.
Even for those in the Hollow Void Realm, it’s one-tenth of their life span.
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But to Dao Lords who live for 129,600 years, it barely counts for anything.
In a millennium, she would undoubtedly go to the Gate of the Immortal Realm deep in the star core, defeat all her "Dao struggle" opponents, enter into it, and secure the opportunity to ascend to immortality.
She was confident enough to emerge totally outstanding in the Dao struggle.
After all, there aren’t many who cultivate the Origin Dao.
But after her departure, the Penglai Immortal Sect she leaves behind...
Would likely face a dire situation.
"Taiyi from the Three Pure Hall, Tianqin the Holy Maiden of the Demon God Sect, Qin Xianhuang the sixth Princess of the True Dragon Dynasty, and now Alkaid, the Junior Sect Leader of the Heavenly Dao Sect... In a millennium, we’ll see which among you can truly stand out, cultivate to Shattered Void, and protect as well as inherit the Dao lineage I leave behind for the Penglai Immortal Sect," she said.
...
Heavenly Dao Sect, Nine Cauldrons Peak.
Alkaid, upon activating the twelve-level Formation, settled directly on a cultivation platform that stretched dozens of miles across.
Once the main peak’s Formation was activated, barring any important issues, no one dared to carelessly ascend the main peak and disturb his cultivation.
And he too had sufficient free time to sort through his gains.
Among many gains, aside from various changes after achieving Hollow Void, what he most looked forward to was the newly grown branch.
And this branch...
"Finally..."
Alkaid let out a long breath.
He had been waiting so long, and finally his Alchemy branch had grown in.
Although now he could outright buy Elixirs by selling Dao Artifacts, not to mention the difference in cost, there was one extra procedure involved.
Furthermore, while Pure Yang Great Pills were easy to purchase, acquiring Void Dao Elixirs was no longer an easy task.
To concoct Void Dao Elixirs, not only did an Alchemist need sufficient alchemical skills but also a Dao Artifact-level Pill Furnace.
In this scenario, each Void Dao Elixir produced was of immense value.
Top-tier Sects could attract numerous Hollow Void powerhouses to join them through the Void Dao Elixirs that were hardly circulated outside.
"The most important thing in the cultivation from Hollow Void to Refining Void is to increase the understanding of the Void Force, to fortify one’s Cave Heaven to be as solid as gold, to easily unleash the full power of the Cave Heaven, and the Void Dao Elixir is precisely the excellent medicine for enhancing Void understanding!"
Countless profound mysteries about Hollow Void flowed through Alkaid’s mind.
In just a moment, he realized something.
The stage from Hollow Void to Refining Void doesn’t require a high demand for "energy," mainly focusing on the comprehension of "Void Force."
And regarding the understanding of Void Force...
"My understanding has long reached the stage of Refining Void, even the middle stage... In other words, I don’t need to spend time on Void Force at all from now on. As long as I choose the proper Dao Technique, reshape the Cave Heaven according to future development, and mold it to accommodate the ’Dao seed,’ I should seamlessly enter the Refining Void Realm?"
Alkaid’s mind became clear.
To reshape the Cave Heaven wouldn’t take much time at all. If he kept it simple, three years at the quickest, ten at the slowest, he would surely step into the Void Refinement Realm and commence the cultivation of the Void Refinement stage.
"Therefore, I still prefer this kind of cultivation focused on realm comprehension. With this single step, I’ve saved hundreds of millions, even billions of Pure Yang Great Pills."