The Modern Martial Immortal

"Auctioning a Dao Artifact?! And a void-type Dao Artifact at that, the most versatile kind?!"

At the Heavenly Dao Sect, Sect Master Zong Wenxian was among the first to receive the news coming out of the southern domain, and for a moment, his eyes were filled with disbelief.

His gaze fell at once on Yuan Miaoyi, who had delivered the message. "If I recall correctly, he recently sold a flying vessel-type Dao Artifact. How much time has passed since then? How is he already selling another? Where is he getting so many Dao Artifacts to sell?!"

"We are investigating," Yuan Miaoyi replied immediately.

Zong Wenxian did not press further, and instead mused aloud, "Selling one Dao Artifact could still be explained as an urgent need for cultivation resources, compelling him to part with it against his will. But it has barely been a decade or so, and now he is selling a second..."

"I have a piece of intelligence here suggesting that after Yaoguang sold the flying vessel Dao Artifact, he purchased large quantities of materials used for refining Dao Artifacts. At this point, quite a few people are beginning to suspect that there is an artifact paragon standing behind Yaoguang..." Xiang Zhenlong, leader of the heavenly lineage, who was also present, ventured the observation.

"An artifact paragon? Rather than believing there is an artifact paragon behind him, I am more inclined to think these Dao Artifacts are connected to the Penglai Dao Lord. After all, someone from the Penglai Immortal Sect did visit the southern domain not long ago—" Yuan Miaoyi said.

"If the Penglai Dao Lord were involved, he would not do it this way," Zong Wenxian said, waving a hand to cut Yuan Miaoyi off.

Originally, he had been using the ambiguous nature of Yaoguang's relationship with the Penglai Immortal Sect as justification to oppress him, knowing that while Yaoguang might be someone the Penglai Dao Lord had his eye on, the Dao Lord would not necessarily provide him with substantial support.

But this was different. The level of support this implied was something even the so-called disciples of the Penglai Dao Lord could not match.

If the world were to form the impression that the Penglai Dao Lord really stood behind Yaoguang and was continuously providing him with Dao Artifacts to help him grow, there would be many opportunists rushing to Yaoguang's side to curry favor, all hoping to use him as a thread to reach the Penglai Dao Lord herself.

Among those people, it would not just be Void-Refining cultivators who would feel tempted. Even Void-Shattering cultivators might find their hearts swayed by such an opportunity.

And even those who could not get close to the Dao Lord or receive her guidance would consider it a tremendous boon if they could obtain one or two Dao Artifacts from Yaoguang.

"If Yaoguang is neither supported by the Penglai Dao Lord nor backed by an artifact paragon, then there is only one explanation left..."

Yuan Miaoyi's eyes gleamed. "He obtained a great opportunity from some powerful figure, and from that opportunity came a number of Dao Artifacts. The path from the Void-Refining Realm to the Void-Shattering Realm requires the grotto-heaven and the Dao Seed to grow in tandem, each reinforcing the other, until both reach the mastery stage, at which point one can shatter the void and glimpse the three thousand Great Dao carried within the Great Dao of void.

"Developing the Dao Seed depends on comprehension, but strengthening the grotto-heaven requires a great deal of resources. He must need those resources to bridge that process and prepare for a rapid push toward the Void-Shattering Realm."

Zong Wenxian glanced at Yuan Miaoyi with a faint look of approval.

Whether the information was true or false was beside the point. As long as the story circulated, someone would naturally investigate.

And if, at this critical moment, the Heavenly Dao Sect were to be tied up by other important affairs and found itself unable to pay attention to Yaoguang's situation in the southern domain, it would leave those parties without any concerns holding them back. There would be many people willing to take the opportunity to act.

At that point, it would be difficult to directly seize Yaoguang while he remained within the Southern Capital, but sabotaging the Dao Artifact auction, or even allowing the Dao Artifact to be stolen away and stripping him of all face, would not be a problem.

If things went smoothly, he, as sect master, could even march his forces openly into the southern domain under the pretext of defending it and upholding the sect's dignity, crush Yaoguang thoroughly, and render him a figurehead without real power.

At that point, the southern domain would once again fall under Zong Wenxian's control.

"I agree. Our deputy sect master has quite a knack for opportunities," Zong Wenxian said with a smile.

Yuan Miaoyi, ever adept at reading the sect master's mind, probed carefully, "Then this auction..."

"Anyone who wishes to attend may do so," Zong Wenxian said pleasantly. "Our deputy sect master is holding such a grand event to promote the southern domain. Naturally, the Heavenly Dao Sect should show its support. Otherwise, if any riffraff were to take the opportunity to stir up trouble and cause some mishap at the event, it would embarrass Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang and tarnish the dignity of our sect."

Hearing this, Yuan Miaoyi's suspicions crystallized at once. "Indeed. However... from the battlefield beyond the heavens, the battle lineage has sent over some intelligence reports they have obtained. A divine race fleet reportedly plundered a high-tier world and is now returning with a full hold. The value of the resources they seized is estimated to be more than one hundred thousand Void Dao Pills. That fleet has one or two Void-Refining cultivators stationed within it, and the forces at the battlefield fear they cannot bring it down on their own, so they are hoping for our assistance..."

"Resources worth one hundred thousand Void Dao Pills?! That would be more than enough to purchase a Dao Artifact outright! And once the materials are refined and reprocessed, their value would likely double!" Zong Wenxian seemed genuinely interested.

"What is more, the divine race has never been on good terms with our Ten Great Immortal Dao Sects. Raiding a divine race fleet to strengthen our human race is itself a deed of lasting merit," Yuan Miaoyi agreed immediately.

"Then shall we gather our forces and move to reinforce our people and intercept this divine race fleet?" Xiang Zhenlong caught on a moment later.

"We should," Zong Wenxian said with a slight nod.

Having made his decision, Sect Master Zong Wenxian immediately informed the Supreme Elder Council, then dispatched all the battle hall forces stationed at the Heavenly Dao Sect, having each send out nearly their full strength and personally leading them to the battlefield beyond the heavens.

The supreme elders who received the news wore somewhat peculiar expressions.

"Sect Master Zong... Has he already begun moving? Isn't it a bit too hasty? How Yaoguang came by these Dao Artifacts is still unknown. If he really does have an artifact paragon behind him, would this not risk offending that paragon?"

"Zong Wenxian probably doesn't care about that at all. If Yaoguang really does have an artifact paragon backing him, he'll probably advance to the Void-Shattering Realm with that paragon's help, and it will probably happen in a thousand years at most, perhaps even only a few hundred. Once he becomes a Void-Shattering cultivator backed by an artifact paragon, at what speed would the southern domain develop?

"After two or three more Dao Artifact auctions, Zong Wenxian would have no choice but to step down from his position. So, from where he stands, he would very much prefer for Yaoguang to have no artifact paragon behind him at all. He would even be happy to see any paragon behind Yaoguang become so enraged that he abandons both Yaoguang and the Heavenly Dao Sect and leaves."

"An artifact paragon behind Yaoguang may be harmful to Zong Wenxian, but not necessarily to us. An artifact paragon's greatest value lies not in selling Dao Artifacts, but in crafting them to suit the individual. Every one of us has disciples with the potential to reach the Void-Refining Realm, or even the Void-Shattering Realm. A Dao Artifact crafted specifically for them, with a high degree of compatibility, would be virtually equivalent to opening the road to the Void-Shattering Realm for them. For that reason, I plan to attend this auction in person."

"We understand the reasoning, but if you step in now, you may well be drawn into the conflict between the sect master and this deputy sect master. Sect Master Zong is not someone to be trifled with..."

"That..."

"I think it is wiser to wait and see, to observe the true extent of the power behind Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang before making a decision."

"Very well then. Let us observe whether Yaoguang demonstrates sufficient capability in handling the crisis surrounding this auction, and whether he is truly worthy of our firm support. That said, even if we do not go to the southern domain ourselves, having those below us attend as bidders to compete for this Dao Artifact shouldn't be an issue."

The supreme elders deliberated among themselves.

Every cultivator who had risen to the rank of supreme elder was a sharp-minded individual. They were well aware of what Zong Wenxian had been up to and had already begun taking precautions.

To put it plainly, the abilities Yaoguang had demonstrated were capable of threatening Zong Wenxian's position in the future, and that had led Zong Wenxian to begin oppressing him through various means. None of this was particularly strange.

Years ago, Deputy Sect Master Song Youque had followed a similar path, using the vast network of connections he had accumulated through his travels to develop the southern domain into a thriving place.

During that time, Zong Wenxian had used the southern domain's prosperity as justification to steadily increase the tribute quota it was required to submit, pushing it to its breaking point until it committed the act of killing an envoy.

What followed became common knowledge. Zong Wenxian had led a group of supreme elders, peak masters, and elders into the southern domain and stripped it clean. Every participant had profited handsomely.

And now, Yaoguang was heading toward the same fate that had befallen Song Youque.

There was one key difference, however. While Song Youque's foundation had rested entirely within the southern domain, Yaoguang's true backing lay with that mysterious artifact paragon. The paragon had not made an appearance, nor had he joined the Heavenly Dao Sect, which made it considerably more difficult for Zong Wenxian to target him. It was precisely this factor that had led certain supreme elders to look favorably upon Yaoguang, to the point where, even at such an early stage of Zong Wenxian's plans to suppress Yaoguang, some were already considering intervening to protect him.

More accurately, they were considering protecting Yaoguang as a way to forge ties with the artifact paragon behind him.

Even so, Zong Wenxian's authority ran too deep, and he had gained a lot of prestige over the years. Before these supreme elders could step in, they had to weigh the consequences of earning his enmity, and so they settled on watching a while longer before deciding how to act.

Exploit the weak. Play it safe before the strong. Such was the way of survival for every cultivator on the North Sea Star.

The supreme elders within the Heavenly Dao Sect remained noncommittal on account of Zong Wenxian's stance. But peak masters and Void-Piercing elders with powerful backers of their own accepted the invitations one after another, indicating that they would attend the auction.

It was not only the Heavenly Dao Sect. Nearby factions such as the Taiyi Immortal Sect, the Immortal Martial Sect, and the Great Shang Immortal Dynasty also had individuals set out upon hearing the news. Even more distant powers, including the Three-Qing Temple, the Golden Crow Sect, the Fiend God Cult, and the True Dragon Dynasty, sent people making the long journey to the southern domain.

Closer to home, the Yin Lunar Sect and the Fiend Shadow Sect began to stir up trouble of their own. In the states bordering the Yin Lunar Sect, fiendish cultivators ran rampant, and the situation visibly deteriorated.

It was clear they intended to take advantage of the southern domain being preoccupied with hosting the auction to reclaim the states they had lost. At the very least, they meant to carve off a piece of flesh.

In particular, when the Yin Lunar Sect learned that the Heavenly Dao Sect's sect master had led his forces to the battlefield beyond the heavens at this critical juncture, they sensed an opening.

Along the border, it was no longer only Void-Piercing cultivators causing chaos. Void-Refining cultivators began appearing from time to time as well, relentlessly eroding the surrounding states and leaving the powers in those regions hard-pressed and crying out to the Southern Capital for aid.

It was amid this mounting turbulence that time passed quickly.

The Dao Artifact auction was almost upon them.

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