Chapter 487: The Scramble

"Refining top-tier Dao Artifacts!" Taiwei Dao Lord’s eyes lit up at Yaoguang’s words.

The other Dao Lords were equally tempted. However, when they remembered that Yaoguang was a void Dao Lord, they could not help but feel a little disappointed.

A top-tier Dao Artifact that didn't match a Dao Lord’s cultivation wouldn't boost their strength by much.

The only way to get a substantial boost would be to obtain a top-tier void Dao Artifact and exchange it with another Dao Lord.

Seeing the Dao Lords' expressions, Yaoguang immediately guessed what they were thinking.

After thinking for a moment, he smiled. "Aside from void Dao Artifacts, I am also proficient in several other Great Dao, such as the Great Dao of streaming light, the Great Dao of stars, the Great Dao of origin, and the Great Dao of destruction. Recently, I’ve also been studying the Great Dao of truth and the Great Dao of soul."

The moment he said this, the somewhat disappointed Dao Lords immediately seemed to cheer up.

Indeed! A Dao Lord would basically never practice only one Dao Technique or comprehend only one Great Dao.

Void-Shattering cultivators on the Dao Lord Candidate Rankings generally mastered several Dao Techniques, with the more talented mastering more than a dozen.

Perfected Lord Tian Xiao, for example, had mastered fourteen Dao Techniques spanning four Great Dao.

If even the Void-Shattering cultivators were like this, then Dao Lords who had achieved Dao Integration had even less reason to be any different.

To avoid being restrained by another person’s Great Dao or Dao Techniques, it was perfectly normal to study three or four Great Dao and comprehend more than a dozen Dao Techniques.

Yaoguang had mastered a rather large number of Great Dao... Seven, to be exact. And he wasn't the first Dao Lord to study seven Great Dao.

One can improve by learning from others.

With every Dao Lord having a nearly identical share of power available to them, the gap between renowned Dao Lords and ordinary Dao Lords depended entirely on these advantages.

No matter how surprised and delighted the Dao Lords were, they couldn't help but feel even more shock when they looked at Yaoguang’s face and remembered how "young" he was. The younger generation truly surpasses the older.

As the Taiqing Dao Lord had said, one should never view truly peerless geniuses with ordinary eyes.

The Pill Cauldron Dao Lord let out a long breath. "I finally understand why Daoist Yaoguang has received the Penglai Dao Lord’s wholehearted support. I’m afraid the Penglai Dao Lord saw your talent long ago and invested heavily in you, didn’t she?"

Yaoguang pondered for a moment. Considering that he had indeed received plenty of help from the Penglai Dao Lord before becoming a Dao Lord, he nodded slightly. "I was able to achieve Dao Integration so quickly thanks to the Penglai Dao Lord’s assistance."

"If I had discovered such a peerless genius, I would have done the same and given him my full support." The Sovereign Radiance Dao Lord couldn't help but sigh emotionally.

The Central Heaven Dao Lord, however, looked slightly embarrassed. Such a peerless genius had practically been delivered to the Heavenly Dao Sect’s doorstep, yet he, the sect's Dao Lord, knew nothing about it.

Instead, the Penglai Dao Lord had reaped the greatest benefits.

Although Yaoguang held the position of sect master of the Heavenly Dao Sect, anyone could see that, compared with this Dao Lord, Yaoguang was clearly much closer to the Penglai Dao Lord than he was to the Central Heaven Dao Lord.

The Taiwei Dao Lord was also somewhat envious. At the same time, after hearing the Sovereign Radiance Dao Lord’s words, he felt somewhat better about Yaoguang’s astonishing achievements.

With a top-tier Dao Lord like Penglai supporting him wholeheartedly, achieving such accomplishments in a little over two hundred years...

Although it was still hard to accept, it no longer stirred up the jealousy or resentment he shouldn't have felt.

"Daoist Yaoguang, may I ask how long it would take you to refine a top-tier Dao Artifact of the Great Dao of streaming light?" the Taiqing Dao Lord suddenly asked.

Upon hearing this, the Azure Crow Dao Lord and the Pill Cauldron Dao Lord, who had similar plans, secretly sighed.

The Pill Cauldron Dao Lord cultivated the Great Dao of soul as a secondary path, while the Azure Crow Dao Lord cultivated the Great Dao of void as a secondary path. Although a top-tier Dao Artifact didn't amplify a secondary path as much as it would a primary path, it could still increase their combat strength by ten percent.

It might seem like only a ten-percent increase, but during the Dao contest, that additional strength could determine whether they could successfully pass through the Gate of the Immortal Realm.

"If I have immortal artifact materials, I can refine a top-tier Dao Artifact in roughly a hundred years. If I use top-tier Dao Artifact materials, however, it will take a thousand years," Yaoguang replied.

Yaoguang was not surprised by the Taiqing Dao Lord’s question. He had included the Great Dao of streaming light among the Great Dao he cultivated specifically to cater to the Taiqing Dao Lord.

One had to understand that the Three-Qing Temple, as the foremost of the Ten Great Immortal Dao Sects, had remained one of the strongest hegemonic forces on the North Sea Star for nearly a million years.

Their resources and wealth far exceeded what other top-tier factions could imagine.

For forces like the Heavenly Dao Sect and the Taiyi Immortal Sect, they had to scrape together every resource just to gather one or two portions of immortal artifact materials. But the Three-Qing Temple... Even three or four portions would not be too much for them

The remaining materials needed to upgrade several of his top-tier Dao Artifacts would likely have to come from the Three-Qing Temple. But there were priorities to consider.

Fearing that the Taiwei Dao Lord, a void Dao Lord, would also ask him to refine a top-tier Dao Artifact, Yaoguang added, "However, I still have two top-tier Dao Artifacts being refined. It will probably take several hundred years to finish them, so I don’t plan to refine any new top-tier Dao Artifacts for the next few hundred years."

"Several hundred years?!" The expressions of several Dao Lords changed slightly.

"That’s right." As he spoke, Yaoguang glanced at the Sovereign Radiance Dao Lord. "Long before I achieved Dao Integration, the Taiyi Immortal Sect made a substantial investment in my artifact refinement. I promised the Taiyuan Perfected Lord that once I had the ability, I would refine a top-tier Dao Artifact for the Taiyi Immortal Sect. I assume that artifact will eventually go to the Sovereign Radiance Dao Lord?"

The Sovereign Radiance Dao Lord was overjoyed at once. He never expected the investment he made back then, which he had considered nothing more than a gamble, to yield such quick returns.

"Thank you, Daoist Yaoguang." The Sovereign Radiance Dao Lord gave a fist-and-palm salute.

"Mhmm. Once I return from the Yin Lunar Sect, please come find me. I’ll learn more about your specific circumstances and then refine a top-tier Dao Artifact based on the Dao Techniques you practice," Yaoguang said.

The Sovereign Radiance Dao Lord nodded repeatedly.

A tailor-made top-tier Dao Artifact! One that would be delivered to him just as the Dao contest approached. This was undoubtedly the greatest surprise he had received since returning to the North Sea Star.

Yaoguang turned back to the Central Heaven Dao Lord. "After I refine the Dao Artifact for Sovereign Radiance Dao Lord, I’ll devote some time to studying the Great Dao of truth. Once I finish crafting a top-tier Dao Artifact for you as well, I’ll start accepting commissions from others."

His words naturally delighted the Central Heaven Dao Lord.

"Good! Good! Good!" The Dao Lord repeated the word three times. "Daoist Yaoguang, if you have any needs regarding the Great Dao of truth, just ask me. I will tell you everything I know without holding anything back."

After a pause, he hurriedly added, "Also, if you don’t mind, I can handle some of the trivial matters outside of cultivation for you, so they won’t disturb you while you comprehend the Great Dao."

"Then I’ll have to thank you, Daoist." Yaoguang smiled and nodded slightly. "In that case, whether it takes two to three hundred years or four to five hundred years, I should be able to finish refining the two Dao Lords’ respective top-tier Dao Artifacts."

Two to three hundred years! Four to five hundred years!

The Azure Crow Dao Lord, the Pill Cauldron Dao Lord, the Taiwei Dao Lord, and the Taiqing Dao Lord could no longer sit still.

Two to three hundred years would be acceptable. But if it really took four or five hundred years... The Dao contest would already have begun by then.

With the remaining time, how many more top-tier Dao Artifacts could Yaoguang possibly refine?! Three would be the absolute limit.

Since he also had his own affairs to attend to, he would have time for at most two more top-tier Dao Artifacts.

The Taiqing Dao Lord immediately spoke up, "I already have all the necessary artifact refinement materials prepared, and the primary material can even be used to refine an immortal artifact. It shouldn't be too hard. If Sect Master Yaoguang can refine this Dao Artifact for me, I am willing to give you one piece of Sharp Gold Star Crystal in return."

Sharp Gold Star Crystal? Yaoguang’s heart stirred.

This substance was naturally refined from the destruction of celestial bodies born in extreme cosmic environments. It was an immortal-artifact-level refinement material and the best material for upgrading the Limitless Sword.

If he could obtain this treasure, he couldn't guarantee the Limitless Sword would become an immortal artifact, but upgrading it to a semi-immortal artifact would be virtually certain.

"Alright. Once I’ve refined the top-tier Dao Artifacts for the Sovereign Radiance Dao Lord and the Central Heaven Dao Lord, I’ll refine the Dao Artifact you require." Yaoguang agreed.

With one more slot taken, the Azure Crow Dao Lord, the Pill Cauldron Dao Lord, and the Taiwei Dao Lord could no longer sit still.

Each additional top-tier Dao Artifact meant another chance to win the Dao contest. And the Dao contest determined whether they could ascend to the Immortal Realm. To achieve that goal, no price was too high.

The Azure Crow Dao Lord hurriedly said, "Daoist, I also have a portion of materials prepared. They are materials for the Great Dao of void, which you are most proficient in. If you can refine this top-tier Dao Artifact of void for me, I will also give you a Golden Cicada in return."

The Golden Cicada was a supreme treasure for refining life-saving items. It was practically equivalent to giving a cultivator an extra life. In terms of value, it was on par with the Sharp Gold Star Crystal.

For cultivators who loved taking risks and venturing into dangerous places, its value was even greater than that of an immortal-artifact-level refinement material.

The Pill Cauldron Dao Lord immediately added, "I also have a batch of materials for a top-tier soul Dao Artifact, with quite a bit left over. If you are willing to refine a soul Dao Artifact for me, you can keep all the remaining materials. In addition, I am willing to give you three bottles of Void-Nurturing Great Dao Pills."

Void-Nurturing Great Dao Pills were the immortal pills and divine pills every Void-Piercing and Void-Refining cultivator dreamed of.

As long as one’s talent wasn't too poor, a single bottle could nurture a Void-Shattering expert. Three bottles were practically equivalent to three Void-Shattering experts.

Back then, the Penglai Dao Lord had been able to raise Shi Lin's cultivation from the Golden Core Realm to the Void-Shattering Realm within a hundred years. This was because, after plundering the Heavenly Sea Sword Pavilion's treasury, she had obtained a bottle of Void-Nurturing Great Dao Pills.

Seeing the two Dao Lords make their offers, the Taiwei Dao Lord could no longer sit still either.

"I also have a batch of materials for a Dao Artifact of Void, and I would like to ask Daoist Yaoguang for your assistance. Furthermore, I can promise you that if you intend to participate in this Dao contest, I will willingly withdraw. I absolutely will not make things difficult for you!"

At this point, the Dao Lord hesitated. Considering that every void Dao Lord was essentially the natural opponent of every other void Dao Lord...

If he really wanted to persuade Yaoguang, a void Dao Lord, to refine a void Dao Artifact for him, he would have to pay a substantial price.

He made up his mind. "Furthermore, if you agree to refine this top-tier Dao Artifact for me, once it is completed, I am willing to give you twenty grains of Temporal Gold Sand."