Chapter 1204: Senior Wanji Canghai Tianjun Ascends to Void Refinement, the Metal Lifeform Commanding the Endless Star Sea Fleet

Jiao Jiao Mingyu, Zhong Senior Qian Shi Gao Jie's Nine Spirit Realm.

The civil war among the Jiudaxian Sect drew to a close; eight great powers and their Void Refinement Dao soldiers occupied half the starry sky, their might oppressive and profound, chaotic qi permeating the air.

The other half of the starry sky, however, was crammed with hundreds of millions of warships and star-fortresses, radiating an utterly terrifying aura.

Across tens of thousands of li of starry sky, shattered rules and shattered space lay everywhere; many places had fallen into chaos, unable to recover for a long, long time.

Both sides, as if by unspoken accord, ceased the war, choosing not to perish together in mutual destruction.

On the great land of Zhong Senior Qian Shi Gao Jie, the landing forces of both sides pushed into the interior of the Nine Spirit Realm and began laying down their respective boundary-locking arrays; there were no more agreements, no more covenants — the Xian Gao Jie forcefully occupied nearly half of Zhong Senior Qian Shi Gao Jie, demarcating it as their own territory and beginning to lay down offensive and defensive formations.

The Badaxian Sect was naturally extremely dissatisfied, but they lacked the strength to stop it.

The war between the two sides shifted from direct hot warfare to a war of standoff.

Undoubtedly, the great powers of the Badaxian Sect must now be in quiet cultivation at their seventh-tier spirit veins, beginning to accumulate the foundation to break through to Dao Merging, ready for their ultimate leap at any moment.

And the Xian Gao Jie, too, had begun its corresponding plan.

"Senior Wanji, you may break through now."

Yuan suggested: "Under the protection of our military formation, your breakthrough will not be obstructed; additionally, your Void Refinement opportunity can now be claimed."

Void Refinement opportunity.

This was something that had fallen into the Xian Gao Jie's hands when the Jiudaxian Sect formed their alliance; it was impossible to wait until everything was settled before having the Badaxian Sect hand it over. The Xian Gao Jie possessed a total of nine Void Refinement opportunities.

"Hahaha!"

"Good, right now!"

Senior Wanji Canghai Tianjun had a computer-like skull and mechanical arms and limbs; hearing this, he laughed uproariously: "Laozi is going to break through to Void Refinement right now — let's see whether those eight old things dare to block me!"

He leaped up, landing on the seventh-tier spirit vein belonging to the Xian Gao Jie within the Nine Spirit Realm; without the slightest hesitation, he immediately triggered the Void Refinement Lei Gao Jie.

He had waited far too long at this realm, reaching the limit of limits; there was absolutely no need to wait any longer.

Boom—

Across a hundred-thousand-plus li of sky, dark clouds rolled in, blotting out the sun and sky; the might of the Lei Gao Jie pressed down from all sides, its omens spreading throughout the four directions of the star river, drawing the gaze of countless living beings.

"This…"

"Senior Wanji!"

"It's that old thing Senior Wanji ascending to Void Refinement…"

This scene swiftly drew the attention of the Badaxian Sect's cultivators; countless Soul Transformation cultivators of the Badaxian Sect revealed expressions of utter jealousy and envy, nearly losing their reason, going mad.

Within the Nine Spirit Domain,

another Void Refinement cultivator beyond a Dao Child was about to be born!

This scene appearing again and again caused even the Dao hearts of the Badaxian Sect's Soul Transformation cultivators to begin wavering; countless Soul Transformation cultivators fell into fantasies, yet did not dare truly raise the matter with their sect's great powers.

cultivators all sank into fantasies, yet did not dare truly raise it with their sect's great powers.

"Senior Wanji…"

Naturally, the great powers of the Badaxian Sect would not ignore this scene; killing intent surfaced.

A junior was about to become a cultivator of the same realm as themselves, and the threat would increase dramatically — this made the sense of crisis in their hearts grow ever thicker.

However, after hesitating for a long time, they still did not go to obstruct him.

Because, this was a heavenly tribulation!

Within a heavenly tribulation, anyone who interferes with a cultivator's heavenly tribulation will draw the attention of the heavens, triggering their own Lei Gao Jie — and it will be a Lei Gao Jie one realm higher.

If a Void Refinement cultivator interfered with another's heavenly tribulation, the resonance of qi would very likely trigger a Dao Merging Thunder Tribulation!

This was not a good thing.

A Lei Gao Jie not triggered by oneself was entirely a calamity, with no benefit whatsoever; it would be equivalent to withstanding the Lei Gao Jie with a Void Refinement body, immediately plunging one into a life-and-death crisis — nine deaths out of ten, or even ten deaths without life.

Apart from Zou Zou Xiyuan, no one had the possibility of surviving under a Dao Merging heavenly tribulation.

Moreover, even if one survived such an externally-induced Lei Gao Jie, it brought no benefit whatsoever to one's own cultivation.

Therefore, in the Cultivation World, unless one harbored the intention of perishing together, very few cultivators interfered with another's already-triggered Lei Gao Jie; those seeking revenge would generally choose a cultivator who was gravely wounded after surviving their Lei Gao Jie, rather than during the Lei Gao Jie itself.

"Fellow Daoists, how far are you from Dao Merging?"

The great power of Brother Brother Xuanwu's Heavenly Palace asked with a smile.

"A thousand years will suffice."

The great power of Shadow Demon Abyss answered.

"This junior sister is far inferior to Senior Sister Ying — I need one thousand three hundred years."

The great power of Qingmuxian Sect answered.

"This poor Daoist is even worse than all of you — two thousand years."

The great power of Wuxingtian Sect laughed bitterly.

"Two thousand five hundred years."

"Three thousand years…"

"…"

One great power after another sighed, seemingly helpless.

Then, the air abruptly fell silent.

The eight of them stared at each other for a while.

"Puchi—!"

"Fellow senior brothers and senior sisters, how dishonest you all are!"

The great power of Qingmuxian Sect covered her mouth and laughed lightly.

It was unclear what she was laughing at; only that she was very happy, beginning to display the characteristics of a living being — liveliness, laughter — as if returned to her girlhood, no longer cold and aloof like a deity gazing down upon the mortal world, no longer seeming like a being of this world.

"Hahaha…"

The powerful cultivators of the Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong around him laughed heartily.

"Why hide it!"

"In another three hundred and fifty-seven years, I shall trigger the Lei Gao Jie of merging with the Dao!"

The powerful cultivator of the Brother Brother Xuanwu Palace smiled wildly, his spirit soaring to the clouds as he declared, "Fellow Daoists, if I am fortunate enough to take the lead by a single step, I ask for your protection."

"This is only natural."

"Brother Brother Xuanwu is indeed deeply rooted in the Dao..."

The powerful cultivators around him congratulated him with joy.

However, some perceptive powerful cultivators noticed the atmosphere around them beginning to change; many feelings of wariness and worry began to surface in everyone's hearts.

The Dongji Demon Sect has wolfish ambitions; this is a fact.

Is the Brother Brother Xuanwu Palace any better?

Many powerful cultivators began to recall the past, especially the period from three thousand to six thousand years ago, which was the Brother Brother Xuanwu Palace's golden age, when it launched simultaneous offensives in multiple strategic directions to the east, south, west, and north, swallowing forty-two Minor Thousand Worlds and treading the path of hegemony once taken by the Great Sun Sword Pavilion.

Many great beings began recalling the past, especially the period from three thousand to six thousand years ago — that was the heyday of the Brother Xuanwu Heavenly Palace, when it launched simultaneous offensives toward multiple strategic directions — east, south, west, and north — swallowing up forty-two Minor Thousand Worlds whole, treading the very path once walked by the Great Sun Sword Pavilion in its days of dominance.

What difference is there between being destroyed by the Great Sun Sword Pavilion, destroyed by the Dongji Demon Sect, or destroyed by the Brother Brother Xuanwu Palace?

What impact would the birth of a cultivator merging with the Dao have on the situation of the realm?

Many powerful cultivators wore smiles of congratulations on their faces, yet waves of worry rose in their hearts.

Many great beings wore smiles of congratulations on their faces, while a wave of unease welled up in their hearts.

"It seems we still cannot trust one another."

The powerful cultivator of the Brother Brother Xuanwu Palace also sensed the subtle changes occurring around him, but did not care, smiling as he said, "This is merely customary; once all of you fellow Daoists ascend as well, the situation will return to its original state, and nothing will change."

The great beings of the Brother Xuanwu Heavenly Palace also sensed the subtle shifts quietly taking place around them, but paid them no mind, laughing as they said: "This is merely the usual course of things. Once all of you fellow Daoists have likewise ascended, the situation will return to what it was before — there will be no change whatsoever."

The powerful cultivators around him nodded.

Several years later, the Lei Gao Jie in the starry sky slowly dissipated.

A massive machine giant, heavy and brilliantly radiant, transmitting data and information at the speed of light, stood tall in the starry sky, its body covered with countless fiber-optic data cables.

That enormous head, that robust machine physique, those two steel arms like a galactic asteroid belt, capable of crushing stars with brute force.

A terrifying pressure, an unfathomable power of the Light Dao rules, spread through the starry sky.

The Master Canghai Canghai Tianjun, the "Divine Light Ten Thousand Brightness Sutra"!

For the Canghai Tianjun of the immortal sects, the "Divine Light Ten Thousand Brightness Sutra" did not grant them immense power or destructive magic power; these were not important. What mattered most was the speed of information and data transmission, and the efficiency of controlling fleets to gather the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, the sun, the moon, and the stars.

For the Canghai Tianjun of the Immortal Gates, the *Divine Light Myriad Radiance Sutra* did not grant them any especially formidable power or devastating magic power — these things were not what mattered most. What mattered most was the speed of information and data transmission, and the efficiency with which one could command fleets to gather the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, the sun and moon, and the stars.

Just like controlling endless starship fleets, endless star cities, and immortal metal machine life!

As if controlling an endless starship fleet, endless star cities, and metal machine life that is immortal and indestructible!