NOVEL WEB Chapter 461 Return
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Vast starry skies, beyond the measure of years.
At this moment, a luxurious warship, resembling a fortress in the sky, was traversing the void continuously.
It possessed not only astonishing traversing capabilities, but each time it crossed a void node, it could also cover distances of thousands or even tens of thousands of light-years.
Atop this warship sat five figures, engaging in lively and jovial conversations.
The Daoist charm emanating from them would enlighten any Hollow Void sect member who saw it.
Such charm served as proof of their identities, without exception, they were all Dao Lord level individuals who had succeeded in Integrating Dao.
In the middle layer of the warship, there were numerous Shattered Void and the occasional Void Refinement Realm cultivator gathered together, also engaging in leisurely conversations, recounting the various experiences from their recent outings.
"The universe is vast, and indeed anything strange can happen."
"On this trip, we encountered a peculiar civilization that transformed their entire beings into Artifact Spirits and termed it 'Quantum Ascension' to achieve the convergence of information. They are quite formidable, and we couldn't subdue them. It ultimately required our master's intervention to forge the entire civilization into an Artifact Spirit, a particularly useful one for computation and optimization."
"We've encountered such life forms before, but they are not particularly noteworthy. I, however, discovered a civilization that mobilizes many massive Chaos Voids in the universe to form a Chaos Void Great Wall. The scale is truly spectacular. At the time, our master even thought it was a massive source of gravity and wanted to see whether there was any stellar matter within."
"Speaking of the Chaos Void Great Wall, it reminds me of a Star Spirit. Oh, they call themselves plasma life forms. This plasma life is overflowing with talent, directly manifesting as a super Blue Giant Star form, more than ten thousand times larger than any Deep Blue Golden Core, truly an exceptional talent. If such a life form could embark on the path of the Star Spirit System, it would swiftly complete the accumulation of Hollow Void and Refining Void! However, beings not of our kind surely have different designs. In the end, I was fortunate to obtain a top-tier Star Core, of such high quality that it wouldn't be inferior in crafting top-tier Dao Artifacts."
"Top-tier Dao Artifact material? That's a gain worth several billions! Ying Feng, you really are lucky."
Over a dozen individuals, each deemed a Direct Disciple of a Dao Lord, with some even ranked on the list of Dao Lord candidates, gathered together and interacted amicably.
At the mention of top-tier Dao Artifact materials, the previously mentioned True Monarch Ying Feng suddenly turned his gaze towards a woman dressed in a fiery red robe, exuding a seductive and captivating aura: "Ni Chang, your Heavenly Dao Sect has made quite a name for itself on Northern Sea Star recently, especially the new Sect Leader Alkaid who even managed to recruit an Artifact Sage, one qualified to attempt crafting top-tier Dao Artifacts. Such skill is truly the pinnacle of craftsmanship."
True Monarch Ni Chang, hearing what True Monarch Ying Feng said, did not find it strange.
Dao Lords with their closest and most valued disciples may come to the universe to travel, but this doesn't mean they were unaware of the news from Northern Sea Star.
Northern Sea Star was their true foundation.
They paid great attention to the news from there.
Naturally, Alkaid, whose fame has been spreading like wildfire on Northern Sea Star lately, has become well-known to all.
"Whether that Artifact Sage can successfully craft a top-tier Dao Artifact is still an unknown. Evaluating it now is premature."
True Monarch Ni Chang said with a smile.
"Aside from that Artifact Sage, Sect Leader Alkaid himself is quite extraordinary. It only took him a few decades to rise from the list of Dao Lord candidates to the second place... "
While speaking, True Monarch Ying Feng couldn't help but turn his eyes to a male who looked refined and scholarly: "Martial Saint True Monarch, would you care to comment?"
"Me?"
The refined and scholarly True Monarch Martial Saint said with a smile, "What comment should I make? Yesterday's yellow flowers, after all. According to the ranking succession, I have already fallen to fourth place on the list of Dao Lord candidates. If you want a comment... perhaps you should ask Tian Xiao. He's the one who would have the most say over True Monarch Alkaid right now."
With that redirection of focus, everyone's gaze couldn't help but shift to a white-haired man who was perusing a Star Chart.
Seeing the attention, the man put down the Star Chart with some resignation: "Martial Saint is too modest."
He said with a smile, "The list of Dao Lord candidates is based on individual martial prowess. Martial Saint has been away from Northern Sea Star for years, and despite braving countless dangers and undergoing numerous trials, his feats haven't been reported back to Northern Sea Star, so naturally, the list hasn't been updated with his current strength. But when it comes to his abilities... there's probably not much to compare."
After finishing, he quickly turned to True Monarch Ni Chang, "Sorry, I didn't mean any disrespect to True Monarch Alkaid. I was just expressing a personal opinion about the list of Dao Lord candidates..."
"Tian Xiao, you don't need to explain. I understand," said True Monarch Ni Chang. "When I left Northern Sea Star, Elder Shock in my eyes seemed to be an unbeatable invincible entity. But now that I think about it... it seems that's all there was to it. If I were to face him again, saying I could defeat him might sound arrogant, but maintaining a draw is not a difficult matter. And, on the list of Dao Lord candidates, am I not also relatively unknown?"
She added with a laugh, "As for Alkaid being second on the list of Dao Lord candidates, it's just for show; you don't have to take it seriously."
"This Sect Leader Alkaid's ranking should still hold some value," said Martial Saint True Monarch, speaking once again. "His ascent to the second place on the list of Dao Lord candidates in just a few decades is entirely due to his own formidable combat strength, which he fought for tooth and nail. I've seen his profile, and in just a few decades, he has successively slain the Yin Moon Sect Demon Lord and sixteen Sovereigns of the Light Divine Race. Truly, he is a reincarnation of a killing star, with overwhelming ferocity."
"Speaking of that, I'm somewhat curious myself. I hope to have a match with this True Monarch Alkaid when we return to Northern Sea Star, to see if he truly possesses the strength befitting his ranking on the list of Dao Lord candidates," said True Monarch Ying Feng, unable to contain himself.
He himself was ranked fourteenth on the list of Dao Lord candidates.
Although he did not make the top ten...
He has been practicing diligently for three thousand years following his master's guidance.
True Monarch Ying Feng thought to himself that after three thousand years of arduous cultivation...
His capabilities might not be much less than those of Martial Saint True Monarch.
And that's considering the current Martial Saint True Monarch.
If compared to when he first made it to third place on the list...
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He would easily win the battle.
After making some achievements in cultivation, he planned to make a name for himself on Northern Sea Star, to be renowned across the Northern Sea and gather confidence and fortune for the great era of competition for Integrate Dao.
This Alkaid, who had climbed to the second position of the Dao Lord candidate rankings in just a few decades, was clearly the perfect stepping stone to help him achieve fame.
"The Dao Lord candidate rankings are a joke until a thousand years before the next cycle of Dao competition begins. Which of the powerful cultivators, the true geniuses with hopes of becoming a Dao Lord, doesn't follow their Dao Lord masters to explore the Universe? Without the tigers in the mountains, the monkeys rule as kings... However, with our return, this list will surely begin to carry weight."
Another True Monarch spoke up.
He was True Monarch Jingmo.
A direct disciple of the Pill Cauldron Dao Lord from the Hundred Grass Sect within the Ten Great Immortal Paths.
He too had his name on the Dao Lord candidate rankings before leaving Northern Sea Star, but ranked lower, at thirty-first.
By speaking up, he, like True Monarch Ying Feng, had similar intentions—aiming to establish his own prestige on Northern Sea Star.
Not just him, several others in the crowd who were on the Dao Lord candidate rankings, or who felt their cultivation had greatly increased since leaving Northern Sea Star, joined in agreement.
"I also wish to witness the methods of such young talents."
"The second spot on the Dao Lord candidate rankings... not just anyone is qualified to sit there."
"Indeed, Alkaid's combat records may be quite impressive, but were any of his defeated foes noteworthy? The only significant one, Ying Huo, was the type that becomes worthless once they leave the Earthly Divine Kingdom. I could achieve the same feat."
These True Monarchs evaluated casually, as if no one else mattered.
Yet none of them spoke of challenging Tian Xiao or Martial Saint, the two Great True Monarchs.
People picked the low-hanging fruit.
Tian Xiao and Martial Saint had been famous for many years, and until the others understood their abilities and trump cards, they were not ready to rashly issue challenges.
"To pursue Integrate Dao, one needs a burst of effort and an invincible determination and belief. If one could ascend to the rankings of Dao Lord candidates, especially the top ten, or even the top three, it no doubts proves oneself as the most excellent True Monarch under heaven. This was the original intent of establishing the Dao Lord candidate rankings..." Martial Saint True Monarch pondered.
He then shook his head silently.
The truly confident and exceptional had already transcended the level of the Dao Lord candidate rankings and cultivated a truly invincible presence.
Like True Monarch Tian Xiao, who drew attention to himself, it was not because he thought himself stronger, but in his view...
The so-called Dao Lord candidate rankings had become meaningless to him.
He was the true invincible True Monarch!
Shattered Void invincible!
He needed no explanation to anyone, nor proof from anyone else.
"Since many of you wish to exchange pointers with Alkaid, I do have some news," said True Monarch Ni Chang, who seemed somewhat eager to see the excitement.
"When we get to Northern Sea Star, Alkaid will personally come to welcome my master's return. At that time... you might as well seize the opportunity."
"Oh? Is there such a good thing?"
"That's great, fighting in the Extraterritorial Starry Sky allows us to be more unrestrained."
"Haha, I'll be the first to go up, and no one else is allowed to compete with me."
The True Monarchs in the field were immediately excited and echoed the sentiment.
True Monarch Ni Chang listened to everyone's words and glanced out of the window.
That Alkaid...
Had too high a reputation in Heavenly Dao Sect and acted too recklessly, even daring to kill Brother Bu Zhou...
Although Brother Bu Zhou hadn't been very likable in his conduct in recent years, he was after all her senior brother.
When she first joined the sect, she had also received much care from Brother Bu Zhou.
Based on his status as a direct disciple of a Dao Lord, if he were to be killed, it should be her master who would personally take action to clean up the sect.
Alkaid?
What gave him the right to act in place of others?
On what grounds was he qualified?
It was time these people properly put him in his place, to let him understand that there are always stronger people out there, to prevent him from continuing to act recklessly within the Heavenly Dao Sect.