MTLNOVEL Chapter 388: 374
Alkaid arrived in Southern Capital without initiating the Capital Dragon Slaying Formation to block and conceal; under the watchful eyes of many, he refined Lord Chi Sha for three days and three nights.
Not long ago, many had heard about the great strength of their own Domain Master, who had refined and killed a Shattered Void Demon Cultivator from the Yin Moon Sect.
But...
Though heard a thousand times, it never compares to witnessing it once.
During those three days and nights as he refined Lord Chi Sha, the order in Southern Capital was smoother than ever; not only were there no sect-forbidden vendettas or killings, but even minor squabbles or petty thefts ceased.
Within the city, managers and civilians, businessmen and customers, all became harmonious and friendly.
Doors were not shut at night, lost items on the road were not picked up.
Fathers were kind, sons were filial, brothers were friendly, and younger brothers respected.
Southern Capital seemed to transform directly into a pure land on earth, filled with a sense of security in every corner, deeply moving countless beings yearning for peace.
...
"Lord... Sect Leader, truly a divine being."
Qi Sha, maintaining the order of Southern Capital, looked towards the direction of the Territory Lord's Mansion, his eyes filled with amazement.
Li Hanqiu looked somewhat worried, "First, there were several Hollow Void Demon Cultivators and one Refining Void Demon Cultivator, and now another Refining Void Demon Cultivator, especially since this one is the direct disciple of a Shattered Void Demon Cultivator. This is nothing less than having deeply offended that Shattered Void Demon Cultivator. Coming up next... the Yin Moon Sect probably won't let this go easily."
"True Monarch Li need not worry. With the Capital Dragon Slaying Formation, even if a Shattered Void Demon Cultivator comes personally, the Sect Leader also has the capacity to ensure they can come but not return," Chi Yu said with a smile.
He had considerable confidence in Alkaid and the Capital Dragon Slaying Formation, this Thirteen Level Formation, "Moreover, our Southern Region is not a standalone force; behind us is the Heavenly Dao Sect."
"Having the Heavenly Dao Sect is true...but Alkaid and the Sect Leader of the Heavenly Dao Sect seem...," Li Hanqiu did not finish his sentence.
But Chi Yu already understood his meaning, "Sect Leader indeed secretly suppresses some exceptional Vice Sect Leaders, but such suppression must be reasoned and justified, it can't be brought overtly; otherwise, the internal affairs of the Heavenly Dao Sect would have long been in chaos. Moreover, since the Yin Moon Sect has even sent a Shattered Void, that's pretty much declaring war directly against us. The Heavenly Dao Sect will not let this lie, even if the Sect Leader has plans to use others to eliminate someone, he must still send a Supreme Elder to assist right away."
Qi Sha also chimed in, "If Zong Wenxian, acting as a Sect Leader, sees a Vice Sect Leader who governs a region under attack from a Shattered Void Demon Cultivator and ignores it, not only would his position as Sect Leader be jeopardized, but, worse, if the Dao Lord becomes furious, he might even make him pay with his life to regulate the sect rules. Zong Wenxian, failing in his competition for Sect Leader, would merely lose the position of Sect Leader but would still remain among the Supreme Elders. But if he ignores the sect rules and angers the Dao Lord, that indeed means losing his life; which is heavier or lighter, I think Sect Leader Zong himself can clearly distinguish."
Chi Yu by his side nodded in agreement.
Shattered Void!
Standing at the summit of the world!
Yet in the eyes of a Dao Lord, it might not carry much weight.
Violating the sect rules equates to defying the Dao Lord; how could such a Dao Lord let it slide lightly?
After all, for a Dao Lord, raising someone from Golden Core to Shattered Void Realm wouldn't take much time.
Acting Sect Master Shi Lin of Penglai Immortal Sect is the best example.
Listening to this, Li Hanqiu slightly relaxed.
...
Inside the Territory Lord's Mansion.
By this time, Alkaid had already completed the refinement of this Refining Void cultivator.
His original Yin Fiend Heavenly Demon Origin was akin to a top-quality natural treasure, significantly elevating his Refining Void cultivation by one level.
Of course, completely clearing the erosion caused by the Yin Fiend Energy in his Dongtian would take some time, but for Alkaid, this was nothing significant.
"Demon Cultivator Origin, Demon Race True Body, Human Race Dongtian, Divine Race Divine Nation... Among these, the easiest to refine is the Demon Cultivator Origin," Alkaid reflected on his elevated cultivation.
The capacity of his Dongtian to contain matter and energy had improved by no less than 50% compared to before.
If estimated in terms of combat power, that's an improvement from 20 million to 30 million.
Of course, this refers strictly to the augmentation provided by the Dongtian.
In reality, the strength of the Dongtian only represents the base figure; Dao Techniques, Dao Artifacts, experience can all act as amplifiers.
A 30 million combat power, enhanced by Dao Techniques, Dao Artifacts, and enriched by ample combat experience and mastery of realms, might well double when amplified.
In other words, his combat power had completely stepped into the realm of Shattered Void.
Even surpassing those who had just advanced to Shattered Void.
Of course, this calculation is under the assumption of the Supreme Human Emperor and Time Torrent.
"Truly, getting stronger bit by bit, every single day," Alkaid thought to himself, quite mesmerized by this sensation.
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Suddenly, he seemed to remember something and quickly immersed his mind in the ancient tree of his spiritual world.
The [Demon Hunter] branch had accumulated quite some energy.
And through the trade of the Dao Artifact Hei Tian Cover, the [Businessman] branch also had a considerable amount of energy.
Channeling these energies to the [Immortal Path: Shattering Void] branch could probably increase his realm to around 59%.
However, this time, he did not use these energies immediately.
"Although I've not yet touched the domain of a true Dao Lord, many scriptures, including my own judgments, have made it clear that Hollow Void, Refining Void, Shattered Void, are in actuality similar to the phase of Foundation Establishment, with the ultimate goal being to fully allow cultivators to Integrate Dao, having the real foundation to strive towards becoming an Immortal," Alkaid pondered.
To the myriad living beings, the moment of Integrate Dao is equivalent to Ascending to Immortality.
Each Dao Lord possesses boundless might.
Roaming the vast universe at will.
While Hollow Voids can perform Void Travels, the efficiency of Dao Lords in traversing the Void is only faster.
It wouldn't take much time to travel from Northern Sea Star to Cangwu Realm.
For them, days and nights, stars, are akin to mounds and sand sculptures that could easily be crushed and erased.
This kind of existence, within the universe's starry skies, belongs to the most mysterious and greatest of miracles.
In many scientific civilizations, it could exceed their imagination, overturning their cognition of the universe.
Even for Hollow Void, Refining Void, and Shattered Void, stepping through the Gate of the Immortal Realm is equivalent to truly Ascending to Immortality.
Therefore, the cultivation at the Shattered Void stage was no longer about enhancing battle prowess, but about the understanding of "Dao."
An understanding of the Three Thousand Great Daos.
This kind of understanding was not particularly urgent for him at the moment.
After all, he was only at Refining Void, far from reaching the realm where he must understand the Great Dao and strive for the integration of Dao.
The immediate priority was to resolve the situation he was facing.
And to resolve the crisis he faced...
On one hand, swiftly master the Limitless Sword.
At the very least, ensure the You Long Sword, Two Realms Ruler, and Heaven-Sealing Stele undergo their transformations.
On the other hand, it was to accelerate the enhancement of his cultivation.
If he could refine ten or eight Shattered Void Demon Cultivators, he would not need any resources, and his Cave Heaven would immediately become strong enough to drive Great Success Level Dao Techniques, shatter the void, touch upon the Three Thousand Great Daos, and step into the Shattered Void Realm.
Unfortunately, both methods required time.
The second method was even riskier.
If he actually went to the Yin Moon Sect and killed ten to eight Refining Void Demon Cultivators, even if the Yin Moon Sect was reluctant, they would still have to wage all-out war with the Heavenly Dao Sect.
At that time, as the instigator of this war, he would likely face several Shattered Void assassinations simultaneously.
The entire Southern Region would also be turned into barren land as a result.
"Since neither method is feasible in the short term, I can only rely on external forces to create a true safe zone," he said.
Alkaid looked up, his gaze seemingly penetrating the void, envisioning the Capital Dragon Slaying Formation merging with the Southern Capital.
"The Formation is a good formation, theoretically with this Formation in place, my current strength is more than enough to ensure absolute safety, but unfortunately... this Formation is like a sieve…"
His eyes flickered, "Unless, I could fix some of the flaws in this Formation... no, not fix them, just modify them!"
Change the Formation.
Setting up a Thirteen Level Formation would, at a minimum, require the expertise of a Thirteen Level Array Master.
A Thirteen Level Array Master needs "experience" equivalent to the growth of ancient tree limbs, not much different from advancing from Refining Void to Shattered Void.
But...
Just making some changes to this existing Formation, especially since he already mastered this Formation...
"A Twelve Level Array Master is enough," Alkaid declared.
It would also save the vigor of Southern Capital from the inevitable great battle in the future and prevent this city from being destroyed by war...
The next moment, he focused his mind on the [Formation] branch that had been unutilized for a long time.
Immediately, this branch, clearly inferior to [Artifact Refining] and [Immortal Path: Shattering Void], began to grow wildly.
Tenth Level, Eleventh Level, Twelve Level...
However, what surprised Alkaid was that experience equivalent to only elevating [Immortal Path: Shattering Void] from 14% to 15% had actually advanced his Array Master level to Thirteen Level.
Moreover, there was still some experience left over.
This result was quite unexpected to him.
"Thirteen to fifteen, isn't that the benchmark for Dao Lords? Or is it... that the Sixteen to Eighteen Levels truly represent the domain of Dao Lords?" he pondered.
He glanced at the remaining experience and directly tested it.
Immediately...
The remaining experience pushed his Thirteen Level Formation level forward by another 11%!
Alkaid quickly calculated and concluded,
"Probably killing three Refining Void entities, or seizing six Dao Artifacts, and manufacturing and selling about ten Dao Artifacts, could boost my Formation level to Fourteen Level."
Fourteen Level.
A Fourteen Level Formation has its benefits even for Dao Lords.
Although it couldn't reach the level of Fifteen, where a Dao Lord presiding over it could trap and kill another Dao Lord, a Dao Lord backed by a Fourteen Level Formation could reverse the situation when facing a Dao Lord who was originally superior to him.
"So, did I miscalculate? Are the Sixteen to Eighteen Levels the actual benchmarks for Dao Lords? Or is it because the integration of Martial Path, Qi Path, and Divine Path to form the Immortal Path increased the experience significantly, thereby causing my misjudgment?" Alkaid was somewhat astonished.
Regardless of the reason, this transformation was indeed a pleasant surprise.
The sudden advancement of his Formation rank to Thirteen Level not only allowed him to significantly change the Capital Dragon Slaying Formation, but in some aspects, even strengthened and perfected it.
After all, the person who set up the Formation was a Dao Lord, not a Thirteen Level Array Master.
He relied on his exceptional Cultivation Realm, understanding of the Great Dao, and forcibly made a Formation possess the power of a Thirteen Level capability using the method of "proving the Dao with strength."
If now he, being a Thirteen Level Array Master, further perfected it...
Transforming into a Fourteen Level Formation naturally wasn't possible.
But enhancing its overall performance a bit was absolutely achievable.