Chapter 388: Achievements

"The Dao Contest..." Yaoguang murmured the words to himself.

During his time as deputy sect master of the Heavenly Dao Sect, he had come across plenty of classified information, and the most important piece of it all was the matter of the Dao Contest.

Unfortunately, he had never taken a master back when he was a young sect master, and he had risen to the Void-Refining Realm far too quickly, with his cultivation progressing in ten years that a Void-Piercing Realm cultivator might not manage in a thousand. No one had ever had the chance to brief him on this crucial information.

The Dao Contest!

The secret to becoming immortal on the North Sea Star was the Gate of the Immortal Realm hidden deep within the star's core. The gate drew on the power of the stellar core and opened roughly once every ten thousand years.

Of course, if all the Dao Lords worked together and poured energy into it, the Gate of the Immortal Realm could be opened ahead of schedule.

But that would never happen. Injecting energy meant a Dao Lord would be left weakened, and the moment the gate opened, it only provided three thousand slots.

Three thousand Great Dao, one slot for each.

For the truly obscure Great Dao, there might be only a single Dao Lord who had cultivated that path when the gate opened, and that Dao Lord could stroll through the Gate of the Immortal Realm without the slightest trouble.

But if a Great Dao had a large number of cultivators, the Dao Lords of that Great Dao would inevitably fight tooth and nail for the single slot.

This was the most terrifying tribulation any Dao Lord faced on the way to entering the Gate of the Immortal Realm and ascending: the Dao Contest!

And because the Great Dao of void was the foundation of all Great Dao, acclaimed as one of the Four Supreme Great Dao, as well as the first Great Dao every cultivator encountered and the most accessible of them all, its cultivators and Dao Lords were the most numerous.

The Dao contest of the Great Dao void was therefore the fiercest of all. Nearly every ascender who entered the Gate of the Immortal Realm through that Great Dao had to climb over the corpses of Dao Lord after Dao Lord to reach the Immortal Realm.

In many eras, the ascender of the Great Dao of void was effectively the strongest being of the age, with a reputation beyond measure.

Yaoguang did not fear a Dao Contest against the other Dao Lords of the void Great Dao, but if there was an easier way to become an immortal, why not take it?

As he pondered, Yaoguang looked at this second Dao Seed, then turned his gaze to the Torrent of Time, an exceedingly rare time-type Dao Technique.

Dao Lords of the path of time are extremely rare. At the very least, within my current horizons, I've never heard of a single one. Of course, that's partly because the Dao Lords haven't returned yet. In the decades leading up to a Dao contest, they come crawling out of every corner, ones crossing over from the depths of the starry sky, ones from the great local sects... But no matter how fierce things get by then, as one of the supreme Great Dao, a Dao Lord of the Great Dao of time should still be a rarity.

With that thought, Yaoguang stopped hesitating.

Granted, the Torrent of Time was a support-type Dao Technique just like the Void Flicker, and what he actually lacked was an offensive Dao Technique that could kill a target in one strike. But the Torrent of Time was simply in a class of its own.

Besides, he had already witnessed the power of double casting, and even quadruple casting, in his battles against the Eight Desolations Fiend Lord and the Dark Fiend Lord. Dao Technique after Dao Technique had come crashing down in rapid succession, letting him, a mere Void-Refining Realm cultivator, batter two Void-Shattering fiendish cultivators until they could barely fight back.

Raising the Torrent of Time would go a long way toward treating his chronic fear of insufficient firepower.

So Yaoguang inscribed the Torrent of Time into the Dao Seed and planted it in his grotto-heaven.

Dao Seeds and grotto-heavens had always complemented each other. The void Dao Seed he had planted earlier had strengthened his grotto-heaven, and now, with the Great Dao of time Dao Seed planted, the grotto-heaven's durability and stability climbed to a whole new level.

More importantly...

Yaoguang stirred his power, and an intangible ripple spread from the Torrent of Time's Dao Seed. Washed by that formless ripple, he could clearly feel time inside the grotto-heaven warping, flowing at what seemed to be double the speed of the outside world.

Activating the Dao Seed's power doubles the flow of time. If I activate the Dao Seed and let the Torrent of Time act on my grotto-heaven, it can also double the grotto-heaven's lifespan... which means doubling my own!

The lifespans of the Void-Piercing, Void-Refining, and Void-Shattering Realms were all ten thousand years. Doubled, that was twenty thousand. If word of such a wondrous ability ever got out, it would be enough to drive any Void-Refining or Void-Shattering cultivator mad with desire.

Yaoguang thought to himself. Most of the Void-Piercing cultivators I've met are between one and three thousand years old, with a few older ones at five or six thousand. But Void-Refining cultivators, apart from a small minority, are almost all past six thousand, and there isn't a single Void-Shattering cultivator under six thousand.

The one from the Void-Shattering Realm to the Dao Lord Realm is the hardest breakthrough and transformation on the entire path of cultivation. How could three or four thousand remaining years possibly be enough? That's why ninety-nine percent of Void-Shattering cultivators die before reaching Dao integration. They simply run out of time.

If Void-Shattering cultivators had the same lifespan as Dao Lords, 129,600 years, their odds of advancing to the Dao Lord Realm would rise more than tenfold.

Gathering his thoughts, Yaoguang turned his attention back to the two Void-Refining fiendish cultivators drawn into his grotto-heaven.

With another Dao Seed in place, the grotto-heaven's stability had climbed yet again, and with the Torrent of Time doubling the flow of time inside it, Yaoguang simply turned to the two Void-Refining cultivators subjugated beneath his Heaven-Sealing Stele as well, sweeping all four remaining Void-Refining fiendish cultivators into the grotto-heaven.

Ten days later, Yaoguang concluded his cultivation.

Seeing this, Qi Sha, Wu Changfeng, Li Hanqiu, Wan Liugui, and the others came forward at once. They exchanged a glance and offered fist-and-palm salutes. "Congratulations, Deputy Sect Master, on crushing a mighty foe! With your supreme divine abilities, you killed two Void-Shattering and five Void-Refining fiendish cultivators. From this day on, your name will shake the world. Everyone under heaven will sing of Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang's prestige!"

Yaoguang smiled at them. "No need for all that. You were all instrumental in repelling the enemy, and merit deserves reward."

He extended a hand, and a full eight orbs of flowing light shimmered above his palm, each one cycling with Dao resonance. He had gained a total of nine Dao Artifacts from this great battle: six from the two Void-Shattering cultivators and three from the five Void-Refining ones.

"I'm keeping the Dao Artifact armor for myself. As for the rest, each of you may choose one that suits you," Yaoguang said. "Of course, if you're not in a hurry, I can also forge one tailored to you."

Among them, Wu Changfeng froze slightly, seemingly caught off guard.

Yaoguang guessed what he was thinking. "Your earlier warning and today's battle are proof enough that you truly act in our interest, or rather, in the southern domain's interest. Naturally, I won't shortchange you."

Wu Changfeng met Yaoguang's gaze and nodded firmly. "Thank you for your trust, Deputy Sect Master. But as a member of the southern domain, when the southern domain comes under fiendish invasion, it's only right that I fight for it—"

Before he could finish, Li Hanqiu cut in with a smile. "If you know it's the deputy sect master's trust, then accept it. If you feel unworthy, just pour more effort into the southern domain's development from here on."

Wan Liugui nodded along. "Carrying a Dao Artifact doesn't just boost your strength. It lets you comprehend your own life-bound Dao Technique a thousand times faster. And the stronger you are, the better you can repay the deputy sect master and the southern domain, no?"

Wu Changfeng looked at the two of them, then at Yaoguang, and finally nodded. He stepped forward and accepted the cloak-type Dao Artifact that had belonged to the Dark Fiend Lord.

The artifact was badly damaged, and Yaoguang said, "Give it some time. I'll repair it for you."

"Thank you, Deputy Sect Master." Wu Changfeng gave a slight bow.

Next, Ling Ruogu came forward and took a precious mirror Dao Artifact that had once belonged to the Eight Desolations Fiend Lord.

The Dao Technique he cultivated, the Void-Restricting Divine Light, was a void-type Dao Technique. Though it had not yet reached the point where he could plant a Dao Seed, it matched this space-restricting mirror perfectly.

With the artifact's help, his comprehension of the technique would surely come much more easily. In a few decades, he might well plant his Dao Seed and attempt to reach the Void-Refining Realm.

Apart from those two, no one else chose a Dao Artifact. On one hand, they were in no hurry; on the other, the Yin Lunar Sect fiendish cultivators' Dao Artifacts clearly did not suit the Heavenly Dao Sect's Void-Piercing cultivators.

"It doesn't matter. Within a hundred years at most, I'll forge Dao Artifacts matched to each of your Dao Techniques, one by one. With a Dao Artifact in hand, never mind the Void-Refining Realm, even the Void-Shattering Realm might not be out of reach." Yaoguang smiled and put the artifacts away.

Only then did Wu Changfeng, Ling Ruogu, Chi Yu, and the others belatedly process what he had said. All three felt a jolt in their hearts.

Chi Yu, a Void-Piercing cultivator not far from planting his own Dao Seed, could not help widening his eyes. "Deputy Sect master, you just said... Dao Artifacts matched to our Dao Techniques, and you'd forge them one by one? Could it be..."

Wu Changfeng and Ling Ruogu were likewise staring at Yaoguang, their faces full of disbelief.

As for Qi Sha, he seemed to have been holding it in for far too long and could not resist answering first. He took a deep breath. "I still find it hard to believe myself, but it's true! That mysterious artifact paragon you've all been speculating about is Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang! Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang doesn't just possess unmatched, supreme talent on the path of cultivation. His attainments in artifact refinement are just as world-shaking!"

With that, the newly advanced Void-Refining cultivator turned to Yaoguang, his eyes blazing with fervor. "To be taken in by you, my lord, is the greatest fortune of my life!"

It was the first time he had addressed Yaoguang as "my lord" in front of everyone.

"You haven't disappointed me either." Yaoguang smiled. "Less than ten years after receiving the Annihilation Sword, you've already broken through to the Void-Refining Realm."

In that moment, the last doubts of Wu Changfeng, Ling Ruogu, and Chi Yu evaporated.

"No wonder... No wonder Hall Master Qi Sha's Dao Artifact matched his life-bound Dao Technique so perfectly. It was forged by Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang himself!"

"Invincible strength at the Void-Refining Realm! The skill of an artifact paragon capable of forging Dao Artifacts! And on top of all that, Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang has been cultivating for less than a hundred years... Oh heavens..."

"The makings of a Dao Lord! These are unquestionably the makings of a Dao Lord! And we have the honor of serving a future Dao Lord?!"

The three could hardly contain their excitement. Even Li Hanqiu and Wan Liugui, who knew Yaoguang quite well, were moved as they tallied his achievements. It was like watching an unprecedented miracle being born before their very eyes.

"Alright, enough with the praise. Keep these matters to ourselves. Until I reach the Void-Shattering Realm, not a word about me being the artifact paragon leaves this circle," Yaoguang instructed.

"Understood." Everyone answered solemnly. They too understood what kind of sensation the news would cause if it ever got out that Yaoguang was the artifact paragon.

"Good. Next, I'll refine the Heavenly Dragon-Slaying Array a bit further. After that, it'll be time to go meet those supreme elders outside the Southern Capital." Yaoguang smiled.

Raising the Immortal Dao branch to 100% had only consumed the Daemon Hunter experience from slaying the Eight Desolations and Dark Fiend Lords and the other Void-Shattering fiendish cultivators.

The experience from the remaining Void-Refining cultivators, along with that of the Dao Artifacts "traded" off them, which had been converted into a considerable amount of Merchant experience, had all been spent to let him push the Array Caster branch straight to level 15.

And since the Heavenly Dragon-Slaying Array was an array laid down by a Dao Lord, its foundation was excellent. With further refinement, even if he could not raise it to a level 15 array, level 14 would be no great difficulty.