The Modern Martial Immortal

"Slaying a Void-Piercing fiendish cultivator and refining the Yin Lunar Sect's Peak Master Evil Eye to death?!"

Hearing Wang Que's words, Qin Zhengfa almost thought he had misheard. He stared blankly at this Void-Piercing cultivator to whom he was distantly related by marriage and repeated his question. "He refined a Void-Refining fiendish cultivator to death?! Are you being serious?"

"It is the truth, without the slightest falsehood." Wang Que replied with a solemn face.

"How is that possible... Hasn't Yaoguang only recently advanced to the Void-Refining Realm? However remarkable his cultivation is, it's been less than a decade. In ten years, taking one or two Dao Techniques aside from his life-bound Dao Technique to the proficient stage would be the very limit. Against a long-renowned Void-Refining fiendish cultivator like Evil Eye, the most he should manage would be to hold even with him. Defeating such a fiendish cultivator would already be hard to believe, so how could he possibly have killed him?!" Qin Zhengfa spoke again, full of doubt.

By right, such distrust should have made Wang Que, who meant well, uncomfortable, yet he showed nothing of it. After all, had he not reacted the same way when he first received the news? Even after confirming multiple times that the news was true beyond doubt, it had still taken him a long while to fully accept it.

And so, faced with Qin Zhengfa's doubt, he was very patient. "I know it feels hard to believe, but the news has already spread throughout the entire Southern Capital. His refinement of Evil Eye went on for three days, witnessed firsthand by tens of thousands of cultivators. You just need to ask around to learn the whole of it clearly. I could not possibly deceive you over something already known to all."

"This... this..." For a moment, Qin Zhengfa was at a loss.

A Void-Refining cultivator who had advanced less than ten years ago was already strong enough to refine even a long-renowned Void-Refining fiendish cultivator of the Yin Lunar Sect? And the crucial point was that Yaoguang had cultivated for less than a hundred years overall.

Since when had Void-Refining cultivators, who stood only a step below the peak of the North Sea Star, become so worthless? Panic struck his heart. He felt as though Yaoguang were the new wave of a river surging to swallow the old wave, and his thoughts could not settle for a long while.

"Evil Eye... He was not stronger than ninety percent of the Void-Refining cultivators on the North Sea Star, but he was at least stronger than sixty or seventy percent. Yet Yaoguang not only defeated him, but even refined him to death. That kind of strength already places him among the most powerful Void-Refining cultivators," Wang Que said.

At this point, Wang Que shifted his tone once more. "I would guess that unless a Void-Shattering cultivator takes action personally, almost no one at the Void-Refining Realm can kill him. And so long as no one can kill him, considering his rate of growth, reaching the Void-Shattering Realm is likely only a matter of time. When that day comes..."

A chill ran through Qin Zhengfa's heart. As if a basin of cold water had been poured over him, he quickly calmed down.

The Void-Shattering Realm! That was an existence that truly stood at the peak of the North Sea Star.

It had to be understood that the Dao Lords were either deep within the planet's core, observing the Gate of the Immortal Realm and awaiting its opening, or else venturing deep into the starry cosmos, partly to see whether they might find other Gates of the Immortal Realm with less competition, and partly to chase lucky opportunities, strengthening themselves to face the Dao Contest when the Gate of the Immortal Realm opened.

Apart from the few decades when the Gate of the Immortal Realm drew near to opening, the figure of a Dao Lord was almost never seen on the North Sea Star. Under such circumstances, the Void-Shattering cultivators were the true rulers and the strongest existences on the North Sea Star in the open.

A Void-Shattering cultivator, and one backed by the Heavenly Dao Sect at that, was by no means an existence that a sect elder like him could lightly offend.

Reading the shifts in Qin Zhengfa's mood, Wang Que seemed to guess his thoughts, and went on, "Half a year ago, when they first started publicizing the Dao Artifact auction, Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang publicly declared that no one, whatever grievances they bore, was to fight within the Southern Capital. He gave fair warning beforehand, and since we have come as guests, we should follow the host's rules."

He turned his gaze to Qin Zhengfa and asked with a smile, "Perfected Lord, what do you say?"

After weighing the gains and losses, Qin Zhengfa drew a deep breath. "What you say is fair."

He glanced at the fourteenth prince beside him. He now felt an inexplicable disgust toward this Azure Golden Core cultivator whom he had previously doted upon, finding him rather like himself.

The man enjoyed the treatment of a prince, yet after all this time he still could not break through to the Void-Piercing Realm. He truly lacked ability.

He had plainly been in the wrong first, breaking the rules Yaoguang had set down, and yet he came weeping and complaining before him. Not only did he lack any ability, but he was even stirring up trouble. A petty Azure Golden Core cultivator, facing a Void-Piercing cultivator like Qi Sha, had actually dared to demand the man be imprisoned for a hundred years. Such a request was insolent and overbearing.

He waved a hand. "Since you have already been put on the Southern Capital's blacklist and become an unwelcome guest, then off you go."

Hearing this, the fourteenth prince beside him suddenly widened his eyes. "Fourth Granduncle... are you driving me off?"

Qin Zhengfa did not answer, but glanced at Wang Que. "You are right. A guest should follow the host's rules. Since we have come to the Southern Capital, of course we must give Deputy Sect Master Yaoguang face and abide by the rules he has set."

At the same time, he waved his hand.

At once, a Void-Piercing battle immortal stepped forward to the fourteenth prince's side. "Your Highness, if you please."

"Fourth Granduncle, I am a prince of the True Dragon Dynasty, yet I am turned away at the Southern Capital's gates. This is them slapping the face of the True Dragon Dynasty..." the fourteenth prince said resentfully.

"You don't even have an ounce of perceptiveness." Qin Zhengfa could not help frowning as he heard those words. "In the Four Great Immortal Dynasties, usually only those who have reached the Void-Piercing Realm are qualified to be invested as princes or princesses. For you, a mere Azure Golden Core cultivator, to enjoy a prince's treatment and call yourself a prince is against the rules to begin with. When I return, I will propose to His Majesty that your status as a prince be revoked."

At these words, the fourteenth prince's mind went blank, and he was struck dumb on the spot in an instant.

"Take him away." Qin Zhengfa swept his sleeve. "He's nothing more than an embarrassing wretch."

The Void-Piercing battle immortal stood on ceremony no longer, seizing the fourteenth prince and heading straight out of the warship.

The fourteenth prince seemed to understand something, at last. His fourth granduncle was afraid.

The True Dragon Dynasty did not dare to offend this deputy sect master of the Heavenly Dao Sect! His fourth granduncle did not feel good about it either, and yet he had failed to see it in time, becoming the outlet through which his fourth granduncle vented his pent-up frustration.

At once the fourteenth prince hurriedly began to plead. "No! No! No! Fourth Granduncle, I know my mistake, I will never dare again..."

But Qin Zhengfa paid him no further heed, simply starting up the warship and continuing to move toward the Southern Capital.

At the edge of the array, the Heavenly Ruin Battle Hall's Void-Piercing battle immortal, seeing the fourteenth prince escorted out, tactfully stepped aside and said, "Welcome, honored guests of the True Dragon Dynasty, to the Southern Capital. I hope you all have a fine shopping experience."

By now, Qin Zhengfa had grown subdued. He turned toward the Heavenly Ruin Battle Hall's Void-Piercing battle immortal, whom he had originally rather looked down upon, and, as if having just learned his manners, gave the man a friendly nod. The warship entered the Southern Capital without trouble.

***

Scenes much like the one involving Qin Zhengfa were playing out all over the Southern Capital. Those well-informed Void-Refining cultivators, upon receiving the news, confirmed it several times over and in the end had no choice but to admit that it was true.

They then sent word at once to their own juniors, no longer permitting anyone to act arrogantly or break the rules within the Southern Capital, or they would bear the consequences themselves.

This was all the more so a few days later, when Yaoguang suddenly announced that the Dao Artifacts to be auctioned would include, besides a Void Sword, a lightning halberd. After that, no one doubted the news that he had killed and refined a Void-Refining fiendish cultivator.

***

Among those coming from the Heavenly Dao Sect, four Void-Refining cultivators had gathered together. Of these four, one was Yue Kuhai, the lineage leader of the Dao lineage. The other three were Qian Ren, the peak master of one of the Heavenly Dao Sect's thirteen peaks, and Lu Wanshi and Li Baijie, who stood behind the Lu and Li families.

Of the four, Yue Kuhai had actually come for the Dao Artifact, but Qian Ren, Lu Wanshi, and Li Baijie clearly all had other aims.

Now, however, none of their original goals mattered. Though all four were honored as Void-Refining cultivators, the recent news, which they had confirmed several times over, had shaken them until their fighting spirit was completely gone.

"The lightning halberd is precisely the Dao Artifact that Evil Eye possessed. If even his Dao Artifact has fallen into Yaoguang's possession, the death of that Void-Refining fiendish cultivator is certain."

"I still can't believe it. How could he possibly kill a long-renowned Void-Refining cultivator like Evil Eye? In years past I once crossed hands with this fiendish cultivator, and I know full well how hard he is to deal with!"

"In this world there are, after all, certain geniuses utterly beyond our understanding, like the Penglai Dao Lord. Who could have imagined that in a mere thousand years she would grow from a true disciple who had defected from the Heavenly Sea Sword Pavilion into one of the strongest Dao Lords of the age, even forcing the Heavenly Sea Sword Pavilion to shut its gates and refuse battle? This Yaoguang may well be an existence of that same level."

"Are you trying to say that he might become a Dao Lord?! Impossible! Utterly impossible!"

"Then surely it's not too much to nurture him as a potential Dao Lord? After all, the Central Heaven Dao Lord cultivates the Great Dao of truth, which does not conflict with Yaoguang's Great Dao of the void. This would not trigger a Dao Contest between the two, and he could become a powerful aid."

The four kept conversing. When the topic touched on Yaoguang's hope of integrating with the Dao, everyone fell silent.

After a good while, Peak Master Qian Ren spoke. "I believe the Yin Lunar Sect won't let the matter rest after losing a Void-Refining fiendish cultivator, all the more so now that the sect master has led people off to the starry sky battlefield beyond the North Sea Star and clearly will not be able to lend Yaoguang timely support."

"True enough, but if Yaoguang holds his ground within the Heavenly Dragon-Slaying Array and does not come out, then even if the Yin Lunar Sect sends a supreme elder, they could not harm him in the slightest, could they? And once a supreme elder arrives at the southern domain, then no matter how much Zong Wenxian wants to oppose Yaoguang, the sect will have to send a supreme elder of equal rank to respond. Otherwise, the moment Yaoguang reports it to the Dao Lord through the Great Dao Golden Book, everyone would face severe punishment," Yue Kuhai said.

The Heavenly Dragon-Slaying Array was a level 13 fearsome grand array that, presided over by a Void-Refining cultivator, stood a chance of trapping and killing a Void-Shattering cultivator. It was second only to the level 14 sect-guarding grand array.

For Yaoguang to use it defensively and trap a Void-Shattering cultivator of the Yin Lunar Sect might be somewhat difficult, but holding out for a stretch of time until reinforcements arrived from the Heavenly Dao Sect would be no problem.

"Enough. Let's wait and see once this auction is over," Lu Wanshi said. "For the next few days, we should tell our families not to go out lightly."

"Not going out still is not safe enough," Li Baijie said. "Better to send those good-for-nothing members out of the Southern Capital, lest they run wild and hand someone the chance to punish them severely, or even use it as a pretext to seize away the resources in our hands."

Lu Wanshi nodded.

Qian Ren opened his mouth as if to say something, but at the thought of Yaoguang's strength, he pressed all his thoughts and notions back down.

Without a Dao Artifact, his own strength was likely even inferior to Evil Eye's.

Never mind. Better to let the sect master make the final decision. As for stirring up trouble at this auction, whoever wants to can go right ahead. He thought.

***

The Southern Capital, which was restless before, quickly quieted down after the death of one of the Yin Lunar Sect's Void-Refining fiendish cultivators. It seemed like everyone had learned what it meant to follow the host's rules.

In this atmosphere where all abided by the rules, the final few days slipped quietly by, and the day of the Dao Artifact auction formally arrived.

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