1345-1355

Chapter 1345: Different Techniques

Given the growth speed of his disciples, it wouldn't be long before he once again saw the system appear again, as it should show up again when Bai Ning or Mui broke through to the Domain Lord Realm, as he would then have four disciples at the Domain Lord Realm. 

Thinking about this, Xuan Hao could not help looking forward to what he might get when he had four disciples reach the Domain Lord Realm, as even though the system had begun to appear less and less with his increase in strength, it was still extremely useful when it came to helping increase his strength. Especially so when it came to deepening his understanding of different professions, as it was the main reason why he even began the process of learning different professions like alchemy in the first place. 

For one, he still had the source crystal and the time stone around that he had gotten from the system the last time around… And although both of these things were a bit powerful for him to use at his current realm, it wouldn't be long before he had a chance to use them. Mainly the source crystal, as he wanted to use it to increase the realm of his Dao of Space from the Large Success Realm to the Perfection Realm when he reached the bottleneck at the Peak of the Large Success Realm of the Dao of Space in the future. 

Of course, before that, he would have to continue strengthening his soul enough so that he wouldn't end up dying the moment he used the source crystal. 

The only way he had to do that at the moment was to either increase his cultivation realm and give up on trying to reach the Peak of the Dao Domain Lord Realm or to continue deepening his understanding of more Daos, as doing so did bring certain benefits and helped further strengthen his soul. 

Among all the Daos he had comprehended so far, some had a better effect on the soul compared to others and the one with the best effect in terms of strengthening his soul was the Dao of Illusions followed by the Dao of Alchemy, Dao of Formations and Dao of Blacksmithing respectively. 

Before taking the source crystal, he planned to try and see if he could break through to the Perfection Realm in the Dao of Illusions and have all three profession related Daos reach the Large Success Realm. 

Although difficult, it would be something he had to do at some point, as he still needed to comprehend three different Daos to the Perfection Realm and six to the large Success Realm if he wanted to reach the Peak of the Dao Domain Lord Realm. 

Something he was still far off from accomplishing at the moment, as only his Dao of Illusions, Dao of Space and Dao of the Sword had reached the Large Success Realm so far… And when he promoted those three to the Perfection Realm in the future, he would need another six Daos to reach the Large Success Realm to take their place… 

"Haaa… Truly difficult to accomplish, I wonder just how long it will take for me to reach the Peak of the Dao Domain Lord Realm…" Shaking his head as he muttered this to himself while thinking about how far away he still was from reaching the Peak of the Dao Domain Lord Realm, Xuan Hao could not help glancing over his status. 

Name: Xuan Hao 

Dao Domain: Dao of Ice (Small Success), Dao of the Sword (Large Success), Dao of Corruption (Small Success), Dao of Fire (Small Success), Dao of Space (Large Success), Dao of Illusions (Large Success Realm), Dao of Blacksmithing (Small Success), Dao of Light (Small Success Realm), Dao of Formations (Small Success Realm), Dao of Alchemy (Small Success) Dao Lotus: 14 layers, (Possible layers 16) Sword Intent: Sword Soul Realm Talent: ???? Bloodline: Three Immortals Bloodline (Half-Awakened) Physique: Stellar Dao Body (99% Awakened) 

Realm: Late Stage Dao Domain Lord (Comparable to the Middle Stage of the Dao Seed Realm) Professions: Alchemist (Grandmaster), Formation Master (Grandmaster), Blacksmithing (Pseudo Saint) Sect: Star Shattering Sect Status: Grand Elder of the Star Shattering Sect Disciples: Qing Yi, Chu Yang, Bai Ning, Mui, Chun Hua Pet: Lazy Winged Lion (First Tribulation of the Soul Ascension Realm), Rabbit Demon Beast (Fifth Tribulation of the Soul Ascension Realm) Cultivation Mantra: The Untold Swords Mantra Looking through his status that hadn't changed that much outside of the slight increase in strength following his Dao of Space breaking through to the Large Success Realm, Xuan Hao was about to turn his attention towards the different Daos he had comprehended to figure which ones among them to focus on comprehending up to the Large Success Realm in the future outside of the three he had already chosen, when he suddenly noticed something new below his status- 

[Techniques] 

A new section called techniques that could be expanded… And so, feeling curious, Xuan Hao decided to try and expand this new section that had appeared in his status. 

[Personal Techniques]: Descend of the Ice God's Sword (High Earth Rank) 

[Movement Techniques]: Illusory Light Steps (Mid Heaven Rank), Drifting Cloud Steps (Incomplete, Peak Heaven Rank) 

[Sword Techniques]: Rain Sword (Peak Mortal Rank), Heaven Splitting Sword Art (Incomplete, Mid Heaven Rank), Void Sword Art (Incomplete, Low Heaven Rank), Untold Sword Mantra (Incomplete, Unknown) 

Looking through the new section that had appeared, Xuan Hao realized that it noted down the different techniques he had learnt so far along with the ones he had created. Although, looking through the list of techniques only numbering a handful, it seemed like there was some kind of requirement, as far from all of the techniques he had learnt so far had made it into the technique section. 

Even then, Xuan Hao was more than happy seeing the new section that had appeared, as it allowed him to gain some insight into the level of past techniques he had learnt. For one, his self-created technique had reached the level of High Earth Rank, a Dao Seed Realm technique, while the Drifting Cloud Steps that he didn't have too much knowledge about turned out to be far more amazing than he had first expected. 

However, even more amazing than the Drifting Cloud Steps was the untold sword mantra that still managed to elude him to this day. Even the system didn't know what rank this technique was. Although he had a feeling that this was due to the fact that he just hadn't learnt about the techniques above the Heaven Rank outside a brief mention that they were beyond the scope of the Profound Immortal Realm. 

Outside of that, there was also the heaven splitting sword art that he had partly neglected as he focused his full attention on comprehending the Dao of Space and how to use it in combat, it turned out to be a terrifying technique at the Mid heaven Rank. Not to mention, it was still incomplete, meaning that it might be far more terrifying than just a simple Mid Heaven Rank sword art. 

Then there was the first volume of the Void Sword Arts. 

During the time he had spent comprehending the Dao of Space in attempt to breakthrough to the Large Success Realm in the Dao of Space, he had also started learning the Void Sword Arts. Although he did manage to have some success in it, it was not a lot given he mostly focused on the aspects related to the Dao of Space in the technique. 

"But… I wonder why no other techniques are noted down? The long-distance teleportation technique that I recently managed to learn should definitely suffice in terms of quality when compared to a technique like the Rain Sword…" Muttering this to himself as he shook his head while looking over the few techniques that had been listed, Xuan Hao could only give up trying to figure out how the system worked as he shifted his attention towards comprehending the Dao of Illusions instead of the Dao of Space. 

At this moment, the only thing on his mind outside of his disciples was the matter related to Xuan Gui. 

Although he had no idea when she would need his help in getting into the Blue Sea Empire, he had already managed to learn the long-distance teleportation technique in a relatively short span of time since reaching the Large Success Realm in the Dao of Space and was now fully capable and confident in helping her enter the Blue Sea Empire and escaping without any trouble. 

With his current mastery over the Dao of Space, even someone in the Celestial Immortal Realm would find it close to impossible to catch him. Especially considering that he had managed to learn the long-distance teleportation technique. 

The only real weakness he had was his sect, that couldn't escape like him, though, if the Blue Sea Empire did start causing problems, he at least had some confidence in being able to retaliate against them to some extent. Even if he couldn't target locations guarded by their Celestial Immortal Realm Ancestors…

Chapter 1346: Buying Information

As Xuan Hao once again focused his attention on comprehending the Dao of Illusions, back in the Mountain Demon City, Chu Yang walked through a small narrow alleyway located at the edge of the city before turning to enter a small storage room where a few people in the Core Formation Realm could be seen casually chatting with each other. Not at all looking like they had been affected by the recent hunt for scouts by the wandering cultivators in the Nascent Soul Realm even though their cultivation realm would have made them prime targets. 

"Hm? Is there anything we can help with?" 

Just at that moment, one of the Core Formation Realm cultivators seemed to have noticed Chu Yang entering the small storage room as he turned around and asked casually. Not at all showing any sign of respect or fear even though Chu Yang was currently showing a strength comparable to someone in the Nascent Soul Realm. 

"I heard that it's possible to buy information on not only the Demon Mountain City but also the neutral territory on the other side of the mountain range, so I came here in hope of buying information." Not showing any change in expression even though the behavior of this Core Formation Realm cultivator could be considered rather rude, Chu Yang stated his purpose. 

"Oh? You want to buy information? Buy you should know that-" 

Thump-! 

Hearing what Chu Yang said, the Core Formation Realm cultivator was just about to say something when he suddenly got interrupted by Chu Yang, who placed a large bag filled to the brim with spirit stones in front of him. 

"This… Follow me, I will lead you inside and have a representative help you out!" 

Seeing the large amount of spirit stones far above what a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator could take out, the Core Formation Realm cultivator instantly understood that the person in front of him was not to be taken lightly, as he adapted a far more polite tone before signaling Chu Yang to follow him as he opened a hidden door that was located at the other end of the small storage room. 

"…" 

Not saying anything in response, Chu Yang just glanced around the place for a brief moment before nodding his head and following after the Core Formation Realm cultivator through the hidden door into a much larger room where he could sense a few people at the Peak of the Nascent Soul Realm and even someone in the Domain Lord Realm hidden somewhere in the room. 

However, given that these people seemed to ignore him, Chu Yang didn't care about them as he continued following behind the Core Formation Realm cultivator before arriving in a new room where there was nothing more than a small table and a few chairs that the Core Formation Realm cultivator signaled for him to sit at before turning around to leave the next second. 

In the end, Chu Yang was left alone inside the room sitting by himself as he stared blankly in the direction where he had sensed the Domain Lord Realm cultivator earlier. 

Slowly, recalling how he had ended up inside this small room after having asked around the city until finally finding out that there was a special organization specializing in selling information inside the city that not even the city lord dared to mess with. 

Although it did take some time to find the place where he could buy this information given the fact that it wasn't prominently located at the center of the city like the Explorer Union and the City Lord Mansion. 

Even then, it didn't take too long to find… And given that he had managed to acquire quite a substantial amount of wealth during his journey to the Demon Mountain City fighting all kinds of Domain Lord Realm cultivators along the way, Chu Yang wasn't worried that he would be unable to buy the information he wanted. 

Creak~! 

"Hehe, sorry for making the esteemed guest wait, my name is Wang Ling, I'm the person in charge of handling most trades in the branch. So, what kind of information does the esteemed guest want to buy?" 

Straight to the point without wasting any time, the middle-aged man who appeared from another door on the other side of the small room, introduced himself before asking what he wanted to know. 

"I want to know about the safe passage through the mountain range." Feeling things were rather simple with someone so straight forward, Chu Yang decided not to waste any time either as he directly asked for the safe passage through the mountain range. 

"The safe passage through the mountain range… Hm… Quite a difficult one as the city lord mansion monopolizes information on that path and the path itself constantly changes every few years…" 

"Changes every few years…" Frowning as he heard what the middle-aged man Wang Ling said, Chu Yang felt like he finally understood why information about the safe passage through the mountain range had not leaked over the years. 

After all, if the passage was constantly shifting, it wouldn't matter that much if information of the path ended up leaking to the outside world, though it did make him curious about how the city lord mansion managed to find out about the new passage through the mountain range after it changed. Especially so given brute force would not be an option given the fact that powerful demon beasts in the Soul Ascension Realm resided inside the mountain range. Making it dangerous to traverse even for someone in the Soul Ascension Realm. 

"Hehe, I said it was difficult, not impossible. If you can pay, I will be more than happy to give you information on the current safe passage through the mountain range." Smiling as he said this, the middle-aged man slowly sat down in front of Chu Yang with a bright smile on his face. 

"So… How much would it cost for me to buy this information?" 

Knowing that he was most likely going to lose most of his spirit stones after seeing the smile on the face of the middle-aged man in front of him, Chu Yang could only let out a sigh internally as he prepared himself for what was about to come. 

No matter the price listed by the information broker in front of him, he had to get his hand on the safe passage through the mountain range if he wanted to continue his journey into the neutral territory between the two major empires. 

"Don't worry, the people of the Shadow Lotus Sect have always been fair to their customers, we won't charge you an unreasonable price for the information. Only what the information is worth… And when it comes to precious information like the safe passage through the dangerous mountain range, it will of course be similarly expensive!" Chuckling to himself with a slight smile as he said this, Wang Ling took out a pen and paper before writing something down on the paper and handing it over to Chu Yang. 

"Hm? This is-" 

[Shadow Lotus Sect, Information Payment] 

[Subject: Secret Safe Passage] 

[Information Level: Soul Ascension Realm] 

[Price: 5 Top Grade Spirit Stones or 500 High Grade Spirit Stones.] 

Looking over the paper, Chu Yang had no idea how to react as he just stared at the price located at the bottom of the paper with a speechless expression on his face. 

500 high grade spirit stones were an astronomical sum even to someone at the Domain Lord Realm, as for the alternative payment of top grade spirit stones… Chu Yang didn't even consider it, as he didn't have that many top grade spirit stones on him. Even the 500 high grade spirit stones were close to everything he had on him at the moment after having gone through several Domain Lord Realm cultivators on his journey so far. 

"So? Do you want to buy the information, or would you like to look at some different information?" Seemingly not noticing the shocked expression on Chu Yang's face, Wang Ling just casually smiled as he asked this with a kind expression on his face. Not at all looking like he was about to rob Chu Yang of all his spirit stones. 

"I will buy it…" 

Thump! 

Knowing that he had no other way to get his hands on this information, Chu Yang could only reluctantly take out the spirit stones before handing them over to Wang Ling, who in turn smiled even more brightly than before as he took the spirit stones and stored them away inside his own interspatial ring. 

"Great! The information you want is on this jade slip and should be accurate for at least the next two months. If you don't have any more information you want to buy, I will be taking my leave." 

Whoosh-! 

Almost the second after handing over the jade slip with the information on the safe passage, did Wang Ling stand up before disappearing from the room like he had never been there before. Leaving Chu Yang to pick up the jade slip before checking the information stored inside and similarly turning to leave the same way he had come after ensuring that the information shouldn't have been faked.

Chapter 1347: Struggles of a Small Power

Finding himself leaving the Demon Mountain City only a short time after getting his hands on the information, Chu Yang didn't waste any time as he ventured inside the mountain range following the path recorded inside the jade slip. 

Although he didn't think the people from the Shadow Lotus Sect would be wrong in the fact that their information should still last for another few months before it became useless, he also understood that crossing the mountain range was far from a simple matter even with the help of the jade slip to guide him through a relatively safe passage. 

Even with that, it would still take him at least a month to cross the mountain range safely. Meaning he did have to leave immediately if he wanted to have some time to spare while crossing the mountain range before the information, he had just used most of his spirit stones on became invalid. 

The only real worry he had with leaving the Demon Mountain City at this moment was that he would end up running into the people from the city lord mansion who had also entered the mountain range in search of the ancient ruins that had been found by the explorer union. 

Hopefully, wherever that ruin was located, it would be somewhere far away from the safe passage through the mountain range, as he really didn't want to get involved with the powerful people from the Demon Mountain City if it could be helped. Especially considering that he had managed to establish a somewhat unfriendly relationship after dodging the recruitment by the city lord… 

As Chu Yang slowly began his journey through the mountain range and Xuan Hao being busy doing his own thing back in the sect, there wasn't much outside the ordinary taking place inside the Star Shattering Sect, as the demonic cultivators weren't much of a challenge and had essentially just turned into great practice tools for the sect's elders and disciples. 

So, with that, things inside the Star Shattering Sect continued developing normally, as the number of disciples inside the main sect slowly began growing… And together with the strength of the disciples increasing, so did the strength of these disciples. 

One major change that did take place but wasn't that noticeable was the fact that the strength of Outer Sect Elders that had normally been at least at the Peak of the Core Formation Realm had ended up being changed to the Nascent Soul Realm. Meaning that the weakest elder in the Star Shattering Sect had now at least reached the Nascent Soul Realm and any disciple who wanted to become an elder in the future would at least have to reach the Nascent Soul Realm. 

Even the assistant elders who would normally be able to scoot by with their far weaker strength compared to even the Outer Sect Elders had been changed to at least be in the Nascent Soul Realm in the future. 

Though… Because of their importance in the sect's daily running, those among them still in the Core Formation Realm had been allowed to keep their position even though their strength was below the new minimum requirement. 

At least in the future, there would be no elders below the Nascent Soul Realm even among the sect's assistant elders. 

In turn, because of this, there had also been some changes to the cultivation realm of other levels of the sect. For one, the strength of Inner Sect Disciples had been increased and now needed one to at least reach the Core Formation Realm. Meaning those in the Qi Condensation Realm and the Foundation Establishment Realm would always be Outer Sect Disciples. 

At the same time, the strength of normal Sect Elders had been Increased to the Later Stages of the Nascent Soul Realm, while the rank of Core Elders had been changed to the Domain Lord Realm. 

The Status of Grand Elder on the other hand wasn't changed much and was now just reserved for the peak of the Sect's power that didn't include the Sect Master. Meaning that the only Grand Elders at the moment still remained Xuan Hao and Shu Yao, who had just broken through to the Fourth Stage of the Domain Lord Realm not long ago. 

Outside of all these changes that had taken place without being that noticeable to the disciples and elders of the sect due to how much they had all grown over the past few years, there hadn't really been any changes in the Star Shattering Sect. 

… 

"To think someone from the Ice Cave Abode would come to our town to recruit disciple, I really hope we can get chosen!" 

"Indeed… If we get chosen, we can embark on the immortal path and live for hundreds if not thousands of years in the future!" 

"Brothers, I pray that all of us have an affinity and can embark on this path together!" 

At the same time that everything was smoothly developing for the Star Shattering Sect without any problems along the way, inside a small town located at the edge of the Star Shattering Sect's territory that had managed to avoid any of the dangers related to demonic cultivators because of the Star Shattering Sect's almost airtight defense along their borders, a group of youths were excitedly chatting with each other as they walked towards the center of the town. 

At this moment, the Ice Cave Abode, a small force that existed under the Star Shattering Sect's sphere of influence had arrived at the small town and had asked the town lord to gather all the young people for examination. 

Although everyone and even the town lord himself was overjoyed and excited about this, even sending out his own children to join the examination in hopes that they could join the Ice Cave Abode, it wasn't the same for the two envoys from the Ice Cave Abode who were currently looking at the increasingly large number of young people gathered in front of them filled with excitement. 

"Haaa… So many young people, but among them, there are only a dozen or so that has stepped into the Qi Condensation Realm and only two that has reached the Third Stage of the Qi Condensation Realm, with not a single one at the Fourth Stage of the Qi Condensation Realm…" 

"Indeed, the talent in this town is far below expectations. Only those two at the Third Stage of the Qi Condensation Realm have some potential." 

Shaking their heads as they both expressed their disappointment to each other while looking out over the young people who had gathered together in front of them, the two envoys from the Ice Cave Abode could not help wondering if they had done something wrong as they remembered the other towns they had visited so far during their annual recruitment of disciples. 

So far, out of a total of twenty-three different small towns and villages, they had only ended up finding a little over a dozen young people suitable for joining the Ice Cave Abode, something that was extremely bad considering that they would normally have recruited at least fifty new disciples under normal circumstances. 

However, they both understood why this was, as not too long ago, a new branch of the Star Shattering Sect had popped up in the vicinity of their Ice Cave Abode. 

Although the branch sect of the Star Shattering Sect didn't suppress them or take away the resources that they were in control of, it did end up attracting all the talented young people in the surroundings. Essentially leaving behind nothing for them, as anyone with just a little talent would always choose to join a massive force like the Star Shattering Sect over a small power like the Ice Cave Abode. 

Even if it was just a branch sect of the Star Shattering Sect, it was well known that even a branch sect would at least have someone at the Later Stages of the Nascent Soul Realm presiding over it, some even having powerful cultivators at the Domain Lord Realm. 

Not just that but joining a branch sect of the Star Shattering Sec also gave one the chance to join the main sect in the future, something that no talented young person wouldn't want to do. Especially since they could also join the main sect as elders in future if they failed to do so during their time as disciples. 

To be honest, even the two envoys of the Ice Cave Abode at the Foundation Establishment felt tempted when they thought about joining a massive power like the Star Shattering Sect, but there was nothing they could do to do so, as they were already far above the age to become a disciple and far too weak to try and become an elder of the Star Shattering Sect. 

Not just them, but even the leader of the Ice Cave Abode at the Peak of the Core Formation Realm was too weak to be an elder of the Star Shattering Sect…

Chapter 1348: A Peaceful Journey

As the two Foundation Establishment envoys from the Ice Cave Abode were lost in their own thoughts while the young people from the town gathered together in the square at the center of the city for a simple test, the small group of young people who had been chatting about joining the Ice Cave Abode arrived at the square just when one of the envoys stepped forward and announced that some simple tests would be conducted to test the aptitude of the young people and determine whether or not they were fit for cultivation. 

At least in that regard, the group of young people who had ended up arriving last was a step above the rest, as all three of them had already reached the First Stage of the Qi Condensation Realm, being among the few in the town that had managed to successfully step onto the path of cultivation. 

Although the First Stage of the Qi Condensation Realm might not be that strong in the grand scheme of things, it was still considered strong inside the small town where the strongest person had only reached the Seventh Stage of the Qi Condensation Realm and was still far away from the Foundation Establishment Realm. 

"Hm? A few more potential disciples." Seeing these three show up and how the three of them had all reached the Qi Condensation Realm, one of the envoys who had been sitting a bit in the back as his companion began examining and testing the young people of the town could not help slightly nodding his head upon spotting the three. 

Not just because they had already managed to reach the Qi Condensation Realm, but because they were also among the youngest of the people present. Looking like they were between the ages of 10 and 12. Making their low cultivation compared to the rest look far more desirable for the envoys of the Ice Cave Abode when compared to the rest who were mostly between 16 to 18 years old. 

Even the ones that had managed to reach the Third Stage of the Qi Condensation Realm didn't attract as much attention as these three young people, as the young people should be more than capable of surpassing them at their age in the future after entering the Ice Cave Abode. 

More importantly than that, they were clearly too talented and should have been missed by the Star Shattering Sect in the past when they had swept through the place to fill up the nearby branch sect that had been established not long ago. 

For this reason, the envoy who had been mostly sitting back without doing much so far, stepped forward. "I will go and examine those three, if nothing is wrong, I will immediately return with them while you take care of the situation here." 

"I understand, make sure you head straight for the Ice Cave abode and don't get distracted along the way." Hearing what his companion said, the second envoy, still busy, nodded his head in agreement while also warning him to not get distracted on his way back to the Ice Cave Abode. 

The reason for this was rather simple, as they had already heard tales about how some other nearby powers with similar strength to the Ice Cave Abode had lost their newly recruited disciples to the Star Shattering Sect on their way back. 

In the words of those powers, the Star Shattering Sect had not considered these young disciples part of them, as they had not yet been integrated, thus, they decided to offer these young talented disciples a chance to join a branch of the Star Shattering Sect, something that these young people almost never refused considering the dominant reputation of the Star Shattering Sect as the sole ruler of the territory they lived in. 

There was nothing they could do against this, as the Star Shattering Sect was far too strong for them to fight back against, and the Star Shattering Sect did always leave the final choice up to these recently recruited disciples and didn't interfere in case they ended up refusing the olive branch that had been extended towards them by the Star Shattering Sect. 

On the other hand, there were a few times where the elders offering this request had even lent a hand and helped them get back safely after being refused. 

It was also because of these small things and the seemingly uncaring attitude of the Star Shattering Sect towards the coming and goings of small powers like them, that they all realized that in the eyes of the Star Shattering Sect, it didn't really mean much to recruit these young people and was just something that was done in a passing. 

With that in mind, it had become the norm for these different powers to rush any young talented people they found back to their sect or family as fast as possible before they ended up being found by the people from the Star Shattering Sect who were active in the area due to its relatively close proximity to the border where demonic cultivators were still trying to enter through. 

Because of this, after confirming that there was nothing wrong with the three young talented people from the small town and hearing that they were willing to join the Ice Cave Abode, one of the two Foundation Establishment envoy grabbed the three of them and rushed out of the small town without even giving them a chance to say goodbye to their parents. 

All of that could wait until after they had joined the Ice Cave Abode officially. For now, the most important thing in the eyes of the envoy was to get back to the Ice Cave Abode as fast as possible. Resulting in him running with all of his strength while carrying three rather confused-looking children along with him, a rather comical sight for any of the mortals who happened to catch a glimpse as he sped by them. 

"Hm? What is that…?" 

However, after travelling like this for a little over an hour and as he was getting closer to the location of the Ice Cave Abode, the envoy suddenly noticed something appearing in the distance. 

Looking closer, he realized that it was two cultivators locked in battle with each other, both being stronger than him, but not to the point where it was impossible for him to follow the battle between the two. Meaning that they should be somewhere around the Peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm or Earlier Stages of the Core Formation Realm. 

"Wooow! Is that a battle between cultivators!?" 

"So awesome…!" 

"When will I get that strong?" 

Noticing the cultivators fighting as they got closer to the two who happened to block the path that the envoy had intended on taking to the Ice Cave Abode, the three children who were being carried couldn't help opening their eyes filled with amazement as they commented on the battle. Filled with admiration towards the two powerful cultivators who were fighting at a speed that they couldn't perceive properly with their current strength at the First Stage of the Qi Condensation Realm. 

Of course, even though they couldn't clearly see the two cultivators fighting, they could still see the damage caused by their battle, as small craters were left in the ground and trees were directly uprooted wherever the two passed. 

This was the first time these children had ever seen something like this before and it steeled their resolve towards cultivating and becoming that strong themselves! 

Seeing the reaction of the three, the envoy could not help smiling to himself as he saw their resolve to grow stronger after witnessing the battle between two powerful cultivators. Feeling that these three indeed did have great potential and should be able to reach the Foundation Establishment Realm in the future. Possible even the Later Stage of the Foundation Establishment Relam. 

Bang! Bang! Bang! 

Time to move around before we end up getting dragged into the battle… 

As the sound of the two cultivators became clearer and they got closer, the envoy decided to start going around them to avoid being dragged into the battle. Not something difficult given that he and the children weren't targets for these two cultivators. 

Not to mention, there was no reason for them to involve them in their fight. 

After all, even though he was only at the earlier stages of the Foundation Establishment Realm, he should still be able to put a certain level of pressure on one of the two people fighting if he ended up being targeted by one of them. 

"Quick! Get back!" 

"Huh?" 

However, as he thought about how unlikely it was for him to get involved in the battle, one of the two quickly called out to him, causing the envoy to look properly at this cultivator- 

That robe… Star Shattering Sect Disciple!? Oh no! This is not a normal battle between cultivators, but a battle with a demonic cultivator! 

"Hehe, I was about to lose, but some new blood was freshly delivered? Don't mind if I do…!" 

Unfortunately, it was too late for him to retreat, as the second cultivator, who turned out to be a demonic cultivator, suddenly turned to rush towards him filled with killing intent.

Chapter 1349: A Shocking Turn of Events

"Hmph! Don't think you can just ignore me!" 

Following the demonic cultivator charging towards the envoy of the Ice Cave Abode and the three young potential disciples he was carrying along with him, the disciple from the Star Shattering Sect, who had been fighting with the demonic cultivator, instantly strung into action. Charging forward to block the path of the demonic cultivator just before he could reach the envoy and three young children. 

Bang! 

Along with the two once again colliding with each other, a small shockwave was created. Forcing the already terrified envoy from the Ice Cave Abode to retreat and try to look for another way around the two battling almost directly in front of him at this point in time. 

Even more so considering that the small shockwave just now had allowed him to perceive the strength of the two people fighting. Allowing him to understand that the one from the Star Shattering Sect should be around the First or Second Stage of the Core Formation Realm, while the strength of the demonic cultivator was somewhere slightly above that. 

In a sense, the disciple from the Star Shattering Sect was fighting above his realm and was currently winning against the demonic cultivator. 

The only problem with this was that the disciple from the Star Shattering Sect couldn't completely overpower the demonic cultivator. Giving the demonic cultivator a chance to slowly get closer and closer to him and the three children he was carrying even though he had been using his full strength to retreat. 

Seeing this as well and knowing that he himself would be in for a rather troublesome situation if the demonic cultivator managed to catch and devour the envoy from the Ice Cave Abode and the few children he was carrying along with him, the disciple from the Star Shattering Sect didn't hold back as he used everything at his disposal to try and keep the demonic cultivator in one place and stop him from getting closer to them. 

Unfortunately, even though he had the upper hand in fighting the demonic cultivator head on, he wasn't a match for the demonic cultivator when it came to speed. Only barely keeping up with the demonic cultivator through the help of a special artifact that allowed him to temporarily boost his speed just enough to catch up with the demonic cultivator every few seconds. 

"Hehe, as I said, this fresh blood and cultivation is mine!" 

Because of this, it didn't take long before the demonic cultivator was standing in front of the envoy from the Ice Cave Abode. Grinning happily as he finally managed to catch up with him and the disciple from the Star Shattering Sect still a few seconds behind him- 

BOOOOM-! 

However, just as he was about to move to devour the envoy of the Ice Cave Abode before the disciple of the Star Shattering Sect could reach him, a terrifying explosion could be heard somewhere higher up in the sky before a towering demonic figure more than a dozen meters tall came plummeting towards the ground a few thousand meters away- 

RUUUMBLE~! 

As the massive demonic figure crashed into the ground under the horrified gaze of both the demonic cultivator and the envoy from the Ice Cave Abode, a terrifying earthquake soon hit both of them, causing them to lose their footing and fall to the ground. 

Momentarily giving the disciple of the Star Shattering Sect, the opportunity to close the distance and once again engage in battle with the shocked demonic cultivator, while the envoy from the Ice Cave Abode remained frozen on the spot while staring towards the towering demonic cultivator that now laid motionless on the ground a few thousand meters away from them. 

Is that perhaps a demonic cultivator at the Third Demonic Transformation Realm? Able to fully turn into a demonic being and having the strength comparable to someone in the Domain Lord Realm…? 

Feeling a shiver run down his spine as he realized just how powerful the demonic being in the distance was, the envoy of the Ice Cave Abode could barely gather enough courage to move out of the way of the battle between the demonic cultivator and the disciple of the Star Shattering Sect, as he kept his gaze focused on the massive demonic figure- 

Rumble~! 

And just at that moment, the massive demonic cultivator that had crashed into the ground and remained motionless so far, started rising from the ground, causing both the disciple from the Star Shattering Sect and the demonic cultivator he was fighting to stop, as they similarly turned their attention towards the terrifying demonic cultivator in the distance. 

At this moment, be it the demonic cultivator, the envoy of the Ice Cave Abode, the three children or the disciple from the Star Shattering Sect. All of them understood that they would be dead the moment the demonic cultivator noticed them. 

The only one who did decide to do something was the disciple from the Star Shattering Sect, who had taken out a communication talisman to inform his seniors about the situation, but it could be some time before someone strong enough to deal with a demonic cultivator at the Third Demonic Transformation Realm could show up. 

For now, their only hope was that the one behind the demonic cultivator being knocked into the ground was still around and in a better state than the demonic cultivator. 

At least, everyone except the demonic cultivator standing next to them hoped this, as he would die either way. 

His only hope for now was to use the opportunity to try and sneak away while everyone was distracted- 

Whoosh-! 

So that was exactly what he did, as he soon sped off into the distance when the disciple from the Star Shattering Sect had his full attention focused on the terrifying demonic cultivator slowly standing back up- 

Swish-! 

Ptsh! 

However, before he took more than a few steps, a small red colored light suddenly descended from above and directly cut him in half without giving him any chance to react or fight back. 

At this moment, two figures descended from the sky. Hovering above the demonic cultivator that had just gotten back up, both carrying a terrifying presence no less than that of the demonic cultivator. Making it clear that these two people were both in the Domain Lord Realm. 

"Elder Hu, Elder Lan!" Recognizing the two figures who had just descended, the disciple from the Star Shattering Sect called out in an overjoyed voice. 

"Hm? Would you look at that, I didn't expect for there to be a disciple and a few others around when I knocked this fellow over here. Haha, at least there are two of us around. Brother, can you help those people get out of here safely before they get caught up in the battle?" 

Having already noticed the disciple from his sect earlier and also the envoy from the Ice Cave Abode and the three children he was still carrying with him, one of the two people, who turned out to be none other than Wan Hu, one of the original elders of the Star Shattering Sect who had managed to reach the Domain Lord Realm, called out to his brother to help them get to safety. 

"Fine, just make sure to not finish things before I come back!" Nodding his head, Wang Lan, who had similarly managed to break through to the Domain Lord Realm made sure to remind his brother to not kill off the demonic cultivator too fast, as he really wanted to take the opportunity to refine his combat techniques. 

In a sense, it was for this reason that they had found a relatively remote area to knock this demonic cultivator towards. Creating a place where they would be able to refine their combat techniques in real combat against a demonic cultivator. 

Although doing so was dangerous considering that the strength of the demonic cultivator was no weaker than theirs, it was far more beneficial than training inside the Combat Hall and would help them more easily pick up flaws in their combat techniques. 

Whoosh-! 

Not a second later, the group of five soon found themselves being lifted into the air before being carried off into the distance by Wang Lan. 

"Wha-!?" 

"W-we are flying?!" 

"Wooow! Flying!" 

And while the envoy from the Ice Cave Abode was keeping quiet out of fear of accidentally offending this senior from the Star Shattering Sect, the three children didn't have any of this fear, as they all just clamored excitedly over the fact that they were flying. 

Luckily, as the envoy of the Ice Cave Abode glanced towards the Wang Lan, he discovered that he didn't seem to care about this. Allowing him to breathe a sigh of relief before he took the opportunity to look back in the direction where the towering demonic cultivator and the elder from the Star Shattering Sect were confronting each other. 

Hoping to witness the fight, even for a short time, as he understood that he was unlikely to get the chance to do so again in the future.

Chapter 1350: Joining the Star Shattering Sect...?

BOOOOM-! 

However, as he tried to look back and see the battle between the terrifying demonic cultivator and the elder from the Star Shattering Sect, all he saw was a blinding light followed by a terrifying shockwave that devastated the surroundings. Turning the formerly lush and verdant terrain into a wasteland where no animal or monster that had formerly inhabited the area were left alive. 

Only at this point did the envoy from the Ice Cave Abode realize how terrifying someone in the Domain Lord Realm was, as their battle essentially shaped the surrounding landscape. Destroying or killing anything and anyone caught up in the battle. 

In a sense, be it a normal mortal or a powerful Nascent Soul Realm cultivator. Faced with the terrifying power of a Domain Lord Realm cultivator, they were no different and would both die when faced with that kind of terrifying power. 

Not just that, but the envoy of the Ice Cave Abode also realized that there were still realms beyond the Domain Lord Realm and the Star Shattering Sect seemed to have cultivators who had surpassed the Domain Lord Realm and stepped into a realm far beyond anything he could imagine with his current limited strength. 

In his eyes, a Domain Lord Realm cultivator was already capable of shaping the landscape around them, someone above the Domain Lord Realm was no different than an all-powerful god! 

The Star Shattering Sect… Indeed, if I had the opportunity to join such a powerful sect, I would definitely also take the chance… 

Thinking this to himself as he recalled the complaints of his seniors when they talked about how they had lost disciples to the Star Shattering Sect, the envoy of the Ice Cave Abode felt that their complaints were unfound, as it was understandable for anyone to want to join such a powerful sect. 

Even he, who had already joined the Ice Cave Abode, would join the Star Shattering Sect at the drop of a hat if he got the chance without the slightest bit of regret. 

At least… From the information spread around by the Star Shattering Sect, it seems like they consider all the different powers inside their territory to be unofficial subordinate powers. Allowing them to exist and grow as long as they don't interfere with the sect itself. 

Only when a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator emerges do they get a visit from the Star Shattering Sect and gets the opportunity to become an official subordinate power to the Star Shattering Sect, though… I did hear that they are also allowed to continue staying neutral without anything happening. The Cui Family not to far away from the Ice Cave Abode is one such neutral power… 

As his thoughts continued wandering regarding the Star Shattering Sect, the envoy from the Ice Cave Abode could not help feeling more and more amazed by the Star Shattering Sect the more he thought about it and realized just how magnanimous they were towards the different powers that existed inside their territory. 

Not only did they provide protection from outside powers like they were doing at the moment with the demonic cultivators, but they also allowed the different powers inside their territory to develop on their own without much interference. Even allowing them to remain independent after they became powerful if they wanted to. 

Of course, he didn't know about the entire situation when it came to the different goings of those powerful forces with Nascent Soul Realm cultivators in them, but at least he understood that their ability to develop wasn't hindered by the Star Shattering Sect like most of them were in the past when they had been under different kingdoms or other large powers who didn't want to see them grow stronger and threaten their position. 

An example of this being the Cui Family, that had managed to grow a lot since the rise of the Star Shattering Sect. Growing from a force with only a single Nascent Soul Realm ancestor, into a local hegemon with more than three Nascent Soul Realm cultivators presiding over it. 

Now that I think about it, the Star Shattering Sect did allow any of the powers existing inside their territory to send a representative to their main city, Falling Star City, located below their main sect… And the Ice Cave Abode hasn't sent any representative as of yet due to the distance of the place and the fact that it isn't viewed as a requirement for powers who don't have someone in the Nascent Soul Realm cultivator. 

If that's the case… Can't I volunteer to go on behalf of the Ice Cave Abode…? 

As his thoughts continued turning, the envoy of the Ice Cave Abode had already forgotten his original task of taking the three children now freely being carried by the domain of Wang Lan. Instead beginning to think of ways to potentially get closer to the Star Shattering Sect with the ultimate goal of joining it. 

After he saw the power displayed by Wang Hu in his battle with the terrifying demonic cultivator, he wanted to hug this thick thigh as quickly as possible before it was too late… And his opportunity might come if he ventured to the Falling Star City, the Star Shattering Sect's main link with the outside world and also the city that had turned into the main trading hub of the Star Shattering Sect's now massive territory… 

Whoosh~! 

Unaware of the chaotic thoughts of the envoy from the Ice Cave Abode who was thinking about how to best hug his thigh, Wang Lan came to a stop and placed all of them on the ground. Waking the envoy up from his momentary stupor. 

"This should be far enough away for you five to avoid any effects from the battle, but I do recommend for you to continue moving away, as you never know how things might turn out." 

"Thank you for the help, Elder Lan." 

"""Thank you, senior.""" 

Following the disciple of the Star Shattering Sect who was the first to thank the elder, the envoy followed along in thanking him together with the three young potential disciples. Not daring to show the slightest bit of disrespect, as he almost fell forward from bowing so deeply. 

"Haha, no need, it was no trouble at all- Ah! Disciple, it will be a bit difficult for you to get back to the border in the near future with us blocking the path. So, you should head to the newly established branch sect not too far away from here until the battle concludes. It will also be a good opportunity for you to try and teach what you learnt to the young disciples there." 

"Thank you for the guidance elder, this disciple understands!" 

"Great, then I will get going or I might not even get a chance to join in on the fun, haha!" 

As the Wang Lan left a few words for them and the disciple of his sect, he soon ascended back into the sky before rapidly flying back in the direction he had come from. Moving at a speed several times faster than when he had been carrying them. 

"Well then, this is it for our short time together, young ones, I hope your cultivation will proceed smoothly in the future and for the senior of these young ones, I hope you can guide them well. If you ever get the chance, I encourage you to take them with you to the branch sect in this area. 

Although you are a bit old, you are still in the Foundation Establishment Realm and should still be within the range for becoming a disciple. Even if not the main sect, a recently established branch sect like the one in this area might lack manpower and consider accepting you as disciple. Well then, I will be taking my leave." 

"This…! T-Thank you for your guidance, I will make sure to remember it!" Hearing what the disciple from the Star Shattering Sect said, the envoy of the Ice Cave Abode froze for a second before turning in the direction that the disciple left before loudly thanking him while bowing his head until his figure was no longer visible. 

"S-Senior? What are we going to do now?" 

As he got up and stopped bowing, one of the young potential disciples could not help stepping forward in a somewhat uneasy manner as he asked this. Obviously, he and the rest of them wanted to join the Star Shattering Sect after what they had just witnessed but were scared to say so out loud. Not wanting to offend. 

"Of course, we are going to the branch sect of the Star Shattering Sect! No need to think about joining the small Ice Cave Abode!" 

However, the envoy had already become fully set on joining the Star Shattering Sect at this point in time, so he didn't waste a second as he answered the hesitating child. Earning the cheers from all three of the children, as he wasted no time in setting off in the direction of the Star Shattering Sect's branch sect. 

Now that he had the opportunity to potentially join the Star Shattering Sect, he didn't plan to waste it. 

As for what to do about the Ice Cave Abode… They would likely consider him dead after news about the battle between the terrifying demonic cultivator and elders of the Star Shattering Sect spread and the fact that he had been going that way when the battle had broken off. 

If he didn't go back to the Ice Cave Abode, they wouldn't have any clue that he had defected and decided to join the Star Shattering Sect. 

As for the disciple who had essentially napped this Foundation Establishment cultivator… He didn't know any better and just thought that the Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator was a wandering cultivator travelling with his few disciples, thus deciding to extent this lone cultivator an olive branch to all four after seeing that the three younger ones were rather talented.

Chapter 1351: Plans For New Alchemy Hall

As the disciple, who had ended up accidentally convincing the envoy from the Ice Cave Abode to betray his sect and instead join the Star Shattering Sect, arrived at the newly established branch sect not too far away from where the battle between the two Wang brothers and the demonic cultivator were fighting, he first contacted one of the elders in charge of the branch about the situation before also making sure to inform him about the wandering cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Realm and his disciples who would soon be showing up to join the sect. 

Given his current status as an Inner Sect Disciple of the main sect with potential to reach the Domain Lord Realm in the future, the elders at the branch sect easily accepted his request without making things difficult. 

After all, another Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator joining the branch didn't really matter with the current size of the Star Shattering Sect. Even if the resources allocated to this Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator after he joined the sect as a disciple ended up being wasted, it wouldn't really matter. 

At least, because the branch sect was still laying down the groundwork for establishing the sect in the area, having a local familiar with the surrounding powers around might prove useful, as he could lend a hand when it came to understanding the current situation of the place. 

In the end, there were no problems at all, as the inner sect disciple wasted no time after he chatted with the elder. Heading directly towards the central part of the branch sect where he quickly got in contact with some of his friends back at the border. 

Given that he couldn't return for a few days because of the battle taking place, he intended to inform them so they wouldn't end up worrying about him, as he had kind of disappeared all of sudden when they had been fighting demonic cultivators together because he had spotted a demonic cultivator managing to sneak past them and chased after the demonic cultivator before it could start causing any chaos inside the sect's territory. 

Even if the demonic cultivator was only in the Higher Demon Realm, comparable to someone in the Core Formation Realm, he understood full well just how much damage a demonic cultivator could cause if they had the opportunity to grow by devouring the different smaller powers inside the sect's territory. 

Although it wasn't often something that happened, the demonic cultivators that had managed to enter the sect's territory and had an opportunity to grow for even a few days, had ended up causing enormous damage to the parts of the sect's territory they had passed through. Only the Star Shattering Sect's branches and some powerful forces in those areas surviving as the demonic cultivators deliberately avoided them. 

"Now that I think about it, I hope the battle went well. After all, they should have had a rather rough time against those demonic cultivators with me suddenly disappearing…" Muttering this to himself as he remembered the state of his friends when he had left to chase after the demonic cultivator, the disciple couldn't help awkwardly smiling to himself for a brief moment before contacting them. Hoping that they had managed to resolve the situation on their own without any problems or need for their elders to interfere to lend a hand. 

… 

"Yes, I managed to break through a few days ago while I was studying a new potion." 

"Woow~~ Amazing! Only a single step away from the Domain Lord Realm now! If not for the fact that you were so focused on your weird potions all the time, you might have already broken through at this point in time." 

"…" 

Hearing the somewhat teasing voice of Wan Qiu as she said this, Peng Yun decided to remain silent as he looked towards the third person present. 

"Ah! Let's get going immediately so we can build up the new alchemy hall as fast as possible… And if we do end up moving it away from the Seventh Star Peak to the Ninth Star Peak, we will have to do some surveys of the area around the Ninth Star Peak and figure out where to place the new alchemy hall, Peng Yun, as you suggested this, can you go check out the Ninth Star Peak for potential locations to start building around?" 

Understanding what that gaze meant, the third elder immediately answered the call, as he naturally asked if Peng Yun would leave to check out the Ninth Star Peak without it sounding odd. 

"Yes, I will get going." 

And in response, Peng Yun immediately agreed before setting off in the direction of the Ninth Star Peak- 

"Oh, I will go with you, there is only need for one person when it comes to talking with Elder Song, while checking out the future location of the alchemy hall would be better done with more people to ensure the location is right." 

However, before Peng Yun could leave, Wan Qiu quickly called out before following after him. Leaving the third elder behind on his own a few seconds later as the two of them both disappeared in the direction of the Ninth Star Peak. 

"Well… I did try to help…" Muttering this to himself as he gazed off in the direction of the Ninth Star Peak, the elder shook his head before heading in the direction of Elder Song's courtyard to inform him about the situation of the alchemy hall and the planned expansion. Hoping things could get started as fast as possible. 

After all, it would take a long time to build up a new alchemy hall, as countless formations and other things needed to be created inside the new place, both for defense and protection of certain areas, but also for helping in alchemy and training of new alchemy disciples.

Chapter 1352: Expansions and Paperwork caused by Expansion

As the elders of the alchemy hall got busy with their preparation for changing the location of the alchemy pavilion, while at the same time also making it bigger so it could fit the increasingly large number of disciples joining the alchemy hall, the sect's formation masters had run into a similar problem, as they had also been looking towards somewhere to expand to and establish themselves either on the Seventh Star Peak or somewhere else within the Shattered Star Peaks. 

Of course, because of the difference in size between the Alchemy Hall and the Formation Hall that the formation masters of the sect used and the fact that there were far less disciples interested in the art of formations compared to those interested in alchemy, the expansion ideas of these elders weren't at the level of taking over an entire peak for themselves like the elders of the alchemy hall were planning to do. 

Not to mention, there was little chance they would be able to accomplish something like this, as they didn't have the backing of Pei Yang to help convince Elder Song that it would be beneficial to dedicate an entire mountain peak to them. 

After all, even though only the Ninth Star Peak and Seventh Star Peak were being used by the sect at the moment, it didn't mean that Elder Song and the rest of the sect had no plans for the remaining mountain peaks. Only that the sect was still too small to begin investing in expanding into these areas of the Shattered Star Peaks when there was no need to do so. 

Out of all the different profession halls of the Star Shattering Sect, the only one that didn't have any problems with the increasing number of disciples was the blacksmithing hall, whose Sea of a Thousand Furnaces already covered a good portion of the Seventh Star Peak. 

Even if the number of disciples continued to grow at its current rate, the blacksmithing hall would easily be able to continue on like normal without needing to expand. Making the elders from the rest of the profession halls of the sect feel regretful that they didn't decide on constructing such a massive location for their profession when the sect had just been moved to the Seventh Star Peak. 

But then again… There was no way any other sect could take up the same space as the blacksmithing hall on the Seventh Star Peak, as it would have made it difficult to fit in the disciple abodes if that was the case. 

Also… It was only for now that the blacksmithing hall could continue running normally without having to think about expanding. In the future, when the number of disciples grew larger and the sect needed more abodes for disciples, the blacksmithing hall might end up being forced to move from the Seventh Star Peak to make space, as the Seventh Star Peak was the best location inside the Shattered Star Peaks to cultivate due to the presence of the qi spring lake in the middle of the mountain peak… 

As the different elders related to the different profession halls began to make their way to Elder Song one by one, it didn't take long for Elder Song to realize the seriousness of the situation, as he understood that the expansion of these few different profession halls was going to be critical for the future growth of the sect. 

Every single one of them provided something invaluable to the sect and aided in its rapid growth, the alchemy hall providing pills and elixirs to assist the cultivation of the sect disciples, while also providing safety when outside the sect, the blacksmithing hall providing artifacts, while the formation hall helped in construction of certain artifacts and was the main part of the sect responsible for the establishment of new branch sects. 

After all, for a branch sect to be successfully established, it had to have a guardian formation that could help defend it in case it was attacked… And at the moment, most of the Star Shattering Sect's branch sects were equipped with powerful guardian formations capable of fending off most people in the Nascent Soul Realm, with a few of the more important branch sects having formations capable of resisting Domain Lord Realm cultivators for a period of time. 

Though it didn't seem that impressive, it was still a testament to the increased strength of the Star Shattering Sect's foundation, as formation masters were originally hard to come by and the Star Shattering Sect had spent a large number of resources nurturing the current formation master of the sect to their current level. 

"The alchemy hall wants to expand and so does the Formation Hall… Haaa… I guess it won't be long before the rest come running over to ask about expanding. Although, compared to the rest, the alchemy hall's suggestion of moving to the Ninth Star Peak is a little out of the ordinary, but can be accomplished given that only the peak of the mountain is being used at the moment." Muttering this to himself with a somewhat exhausted expression on his face, Elder Song glanced down at the large stack of papers that had slowly begun to pile up in front of him. 

Even though the majority of the work regarding the expansion of the different profession halls wasn't something he would have to do, a lot of paperwork ultimately still had to go through him first for approval. 

"I finally reached the Nascent Soul Realm when I thought I never would in the past, but all I was met with was more paperwork… Is this perhaps a fate that I won't be able to escape no matter how strong I grow? No… I have to properly nurture a successor to take care of this for me in the future, the management elders and those few disciples I have been nurturing so far with this goal in mind is far from enough! I have to expand the internal management departments of the sect! Recruit more internal elders for management! 

But… Before that, I should be able to take the opportunity while the alchemy sect is moving to merge them together with the spiritual herb caretakers. Not only will this lessen the overall work I will have to go through when the alchemy hall expands, but it will also allow the two sides to get closer." 

Shaking his head as he talked to himself while looking down at the paperwork in front of him, Elder Song soon showed a determined expression before he went to work. Diving headfirst into the large stack of paper.

Chapter 1353: Changing Structure

Following Elder Song getting to work on the situation related to the formation hall and alchemy hall, it didn't take long before the two were granted approval to begin expanding their headquarters, with the formation hall expanding on the Seventh Star Peak, while the alchemy hall began relocating to the Ninth Star Peak. 

At the same time, the elders and disciples who were in charge of taking care of the spiritual herbs on the Ninth Star Peak were also granted a place to stay, as a small pavilion was established for them on top of the Ninth Star Peak. Giving them a more official position in the sect outside of just being a job that would be assigned to anyone willing through the grand mission pavilion, something that the few elders and disciples in love with taking care of spiritual herbs appreciated a lot, as I would also mean that they would be getting more support from the sect in the future. 

Not only did this make them feel more appreciated, but it also gave them an opportunity to try and experiment with different growing methods for spiritual herbs and allowed them to deepen their understanding of spiritual herbs. 

Although they weren't alchemist, the few who had decided to permanently settle down and take care of the spiritual herbs on the Ninth Star Peak, had knowledge on the spiritual herbs growing on the Ninth Star Peak far exceeding that of any alchemist in the sect. 

Along with the extra resources they got their hands on following the official establishment of a pavilion specially for them, it wouldn't take long before the quality of the spiritual herbs growing on the Ninth Star Peak increased, together with new and more difficult to grow spiritual herbs beginning to appear as these spiritual herb caretakers became more proficient in taking care of higher quality spiritual herbs. 

In the end, as the alchemy hall moved to the Ninth Star Peak and began to establish themselves there, the spiritual herb caretakers were merged together with them and became somewhat similar to a branch of the larger alchemy hall. Allowing disciples and elders another path outside of just alchemy. 

Not just that but given the fact that a spiritual herb caretaker would be especially close to spiritual herbs for extended periods of time and take care of them, it also nurtured an affinity towards the Daos related to nature. Making it easier for those spiritual herb caretakers to comprehend Daos like the Dao of Life, Dao of Nature, Dao of Plants. 

Outside of the two profession halls starting their expansion and the change for spiritual herb caretakers of the sect, Elder Song also took action to address the problem related to the lack of management elders to help handle the internal affairs of the sect. 

First of all, the term of assistant elder, internal management elder or management elder that was used to describe essentially the same thing, an elder in charge of the internal management of the sect, was removed and replaced with the simple deacon title. 

Secondly, the strength requirement to become a deacon was removed, with the only requirement being that one would have to at least have been an elder in the past or someone who had been in the sect for at least 200 years. 

The requirement of 200 years wasn't really that high considering that the lifespan of those in the Foundation Establishment Realm was around 200 years, with those in the Core Formation Realm reaching 300 to 400 years. 

This way, it would give the people who exhausted their potential an opportunity to have a place in the sect, while making sure that it was only those who had been with the sect for an extended period of time and had been properly integrated who could take on the role of deacon. 

Given the requirement for joining the Star Shattering Sect in the first place, Elder Song didn't doubt that most of the disciple should have the ability to reach the Core Formation Realm and thus have a chance to become deacons of the sect in the future if they couldn't reach the Nascent Soul Realm. 

Of course, this was only for now. In the future when the sect became stronger, the requirements to become a deacon of the sect would get higher and more difficult, but at least for now, the current arrangements were suitable and should provide a large number of new deacons to help alleviate the workload off the few dozen elders currently keeping the entire Star Shattering Sect running. 

At the same time, Elder Song also began considering what to do about the elder positions of the sect, as even though there hadn't been any real problems so far, the distinctions between the different elders also needed to be made clear. 

The normal sect elder and outer sect elder positions were fine and there wasn't really a need to change much about them or limit the number of people who could archive these ranks, as it was something that most of the sect disciples were currently aiming for. 

The problem came with the Core Elder position and the Grand Elder position. 

At the moment, there wasn't a clear distinction between the two positions, as the requirements for the two ranks were essentially the same. Reach the Domain Lord Realm. The only clear distinction between the two being the fact that the Grand Elder Position could somewhat be considered a legacy position that had been given to two of the most senior people in the sect, thus not really causing any real problems for now, as both Xuan Hao and Shu Yao were well respected by the elders of the sect and none of them really had any problem with them being in this legacy position that existed above them and was on the same level as the sect master in some respects. 

But… For the future, there needed to be some changes to this position, as Elder Song had personally seen how other sect's or powers viewed the position of a grand elder as being someone from the older generation who still lend a hand in the management on the sect. Generally viewed as stronger if not the same level as the sect master. 

Although this was the case for Xuan Hao who was far stronger than the sect master according to what he understood, Shu Yao wasn't and could be considered quite a bit weaker compared to Feng Chen, who had recently undergone a period of rapid growth. Especially considering that Feng Chen was a sword cultivator and could generally be considered stronger than his peers in combat. 

"Should I remove Shu Yao down to Core Elder or make a new position?" Muttering this to himself as he frowned while mulling over this problem, Elder Song could ultimately not decide on what to do, as he got up from his seat and began heading towards the sect master's pavilion. 

Intending to find Feng Chen and ask him for help. Hoping that his old friend would be able to have a better idea of how to handle this situation than he himself did. 

After all, this would have to go through him anyways, as changing the Grand Elder and Core Elder positions of the sect was of utmost importance as it related to the distribution of power among the top experts of the sect, something that could affect the current core elders who were still not fully used to their new positions and still acted in the same way as when they had been normal elders… 

"Why not put a limit on the number of Core Elders and Grand Elders and have them be determined by strength? This way we can keep the Core Elder and Grand Elder position as the pinnacle of the sect's power, while also giving those elders something to strive towards. Holding a competition for the positions every few years or something along that line. 

As for those who want to retire and not continue meddling in the internal affairs of the sect and just focus on cultivation, we can establish an ancestor position like most other powers do and allow to retreat and focus solely on their cultivation or whatever they want to do. 

Of course, the requirements for the ancestor position shouldn't be low and should be kept far above that of normal elders of the sect… And given that most of the sect elders are still young in terms of their strength, I think we should establish something for them to strive towards. Let's set the requirements for the ancestor position to the Dao Seed Realm. 

At the same time, the number of Core Elders should be a hundred, with Grand Elders being ten. This way, it won't interfere with any of the newly promoted core elders, while also giving those yet to reach the Domain Lord Relam time to try and catch up to secure a core elder position. In the future, the requirements to become a core elder and grand elder will grow naturally together with the strength of the sect." 

"This…" 

Listening to Feng Chen's suggestion on how to deal with the situation, Elder Song froze for a second with a speechless expression on his face before it was overtaken by one filled with joy. 

Feng Chen… He seemed to have become far more skilled at managing the sect!

Chapter 1354: Something to Strive Towards and a New Duo

After finishing his conversation with Feng Chen about the future structure of the sect's core elder, grand elder and ancestor position, Elder Song didn't waste any time as he directly began to take action to implement the new elder structure of the sect. 

Considering that the current Star Shattering Sect only had around 23 people with the core elder position at this moment in time, there wasn't really any change among the current elders who had already been promoted to core elders during the recent rapid period of growth that the sect had experienced following the introduction of the Dao Enlightenment Monument, but those who had yet to reach the Domain Lord Realm among the normal sect elders all began striving towards reaching the Domain Lord Realm and becoming a core elder. 

In turn, this caused the elders of the sect to take on even more missions and help with the growth of the sect, while at the same time also causing those who had already managed to become core elders to strive towards becoming grand elders. 

Of course, instead of just directly promoting eight of them up to the position of grand elder to fill in the remaining positions for grand elders, Elder Song had made sure to give them a year to prepare before assigning the remaining grand elders. Intending to allow them to fight for the position when the time came so only the strongest among them would be able to ascend to the rank of grand elder. 

At the same time, this did also give some of the normal sect elders who were just about to reach the Domain Lord Relam a chance to try and vie for the rank of grand elder if they successfully managed to reach the Domain Lord Realm and stabilize their cultivation base in this period of time. 

After all, everything considered, most of the Star Shattering Sect's elders were still only around the First Stage of the Domain Lord Realm at this point in time. Meaning that there would be some grand elders in the First Stage Domain Lord Realm during the first time that the rank of grand elder was being assigned. 

Of course, with the way that things had been set up, this would only be for the first time, as the grand elders would only continue to grow stronger as the sect also got stronger over time. Especially considering that there would definitely be a lot of core elders who wanted to try their hand on ascending to the grand elder position the next time a fight for the position would come. Almost certainly targeting those weaker grand elders who might have been able to reach the position the first time around due to there not being that many core elders around during their time. 

Thinking about this, Elder Song could not help smiling to himself as he was already looking forward to it. 

For the elders of the sect to have something to work towards like this was good and the constant threat of possible being surpassed by the newer elders would make both the core elders and grand elders strive for improving themselves and not dare slack off like they had done in the past. 

In case they grew exhausted of this lifestyle in their older years and just wanted to relax and do something different, the deacon position for weaker elders and the ancestor position for the stronger ones were already put in place. 

Although, the ancestor position was certainly far more tempting to these elders compared to the deacon position, as an ancestor was of a far higher status and would still be able to enjoy a lot of resources from the sect. 

The only real requirement for an ancestor was to teach the younger elders and disciples every now and then and of course also lend a hand when the sect needed a more powerful cultivator to act. 

But these requirements weren't that different from other sects, kingdoms, clans or powers with a similar structure and the ancestor would almost always enjoy the freedom to do whatever they wanted as long as it didn't interfere with the overall interests of the power they belonged to. 

For this reason alone, the ancestor position became the long-term goal of countless elders after learning about it, while the immediate goal became to either reach the core elder position or the grand elder position. 

No matter the position of the elder, everyone in the sect had something to strive towards, something that the Star Shattering Sect had been lacking for some time. 

The only thing that seemed to be lacking for the Star Shattering Sect at the moment when came to the elders, was resources. 

Even though the Star Shattering Sect had managed to secure an ample number of resources for those below the Domain Lord Realm, when it came for those in the Domain Lord Realm, the Star Shattering Sect was severely lacking in resources or things for their elders, as the alchemy hall and blacksmithing hall had not yet managed to fully catch up to the growth of the sect's elders. 

The number of Master Realm Blacksmiths was still fine at the moment, as Bai Ning was inside the sect to fill the gap, while there was also the support of Yi Min in the Iron Sky Kingdom… And with their support and teaching of blacksmiths it still looked like more people would soon join them in reaching the Master Realm. Allowing the blacksmithing hall of the sect to at least look like it should be able to keep up with the growth of the sect if things continued like this with the help of Yi Min. 

The main problem was the alchemy hall, that essentially only had Qing Yi in the Master Realm working to make elixirs and potions for the sect's Domain Lord Realm cultivators. 

Luckily, before Elder Song had the time to try and address this situation, three of the older alchemist elders who had been stuck at the Peak of the Artisan Realm managed to breakthrough to the master Realm under the guidance of Pei Yang. Solving the problem for him before he had the time to try and do anything about it. 

Everything ended up working out on its own and without him having to do anything for once. Making Elder Song feel a bit helpless for once, as he had no idea what to say when the sect actually managed to work its problems without his help. 

However, he still felt happy about this development, as he decided to take a rare day off to focus on looking after his little granddaughter, Song Jia, who had managed to develop well over the past few years. 

Not just had his granddaughter grown up in terms of her height over the past few years, but her strength had also increased from the earlier stages of the Core Formation Realm to the Peak of the Core Formation Realm. Placing her as one of the strongest disciples of the sect. 

Although, her circumstances were rather unique compared to most of the other disciples at this realm, as she still didn't have a teacher, but instead bounced around between the different elders who were good friends with Elder Song. Learning from them in the process. 

Of course, among these people, the location she frequented the most was Xuan Hao's place, as she was already good friends with all of his disciples and had managed to grow rather close to them over the years. 

One worrying thing in Xuan Hao's eyes as he observed his disciples playing or hanging out with her every now and then was that she seemed to have an especially strong friendship with Mui and had ended up being dragged into the weird things she was up to every now and then. 

Even if Mui had mostly stopped stealing things from different elders and disciples of the sect to make her strange contraptions at this point in time, it didn't mean that she had stopped making them… And while some of them were extremely useful to the sect and the development of the sect. Most of them ended up causing a rather chaotic situation wherever they appeared. 

Worse… After the friendship between Mui and Song Jia blossomed, he noticed that Song Jia special ability to find spiritual herbs also extended to different things like rare spiritual wood or metal. Essentially allowing her to find several precious metals and other things together with Mui, who then used them to create all kinds of strange creations. 

Soon enough, much to Elder Song's dismay, the two soon ended up becoming an infamous duo among the disciples and elders of the sect, who at one point or another would end up encountering some strange thing that had been created by the two young girls. 

Unfortunately, Elder Song didn't have the heart to separate his little granddaughter from her best friend, as they weren't really causing any serious problems for the sect and were in some sense benefiting it in the long term with the few useful creations that ended up appearing every now and then among the things created by Mui.

Chapter 1355: Returning to the Second Star Peak

As Elder Song was busy with the implementation of the deacon position and changes to the existing core elder and grand elder position, Xuan Hao slowly opened his eyes with a frown on his face as he clearly sensed the changes in the Dao of Illusions that he had been trying to comprehend to the Perfection Realm. 

Although it hadn't been that long since he broke through to the Large Success Realm in the Dao of Space and he had only recently begun to comprehend the Dao of Illusions. Trying to further his comprehension of the dao and strive towards the Perfection Realm, he had come to realize that it was far harder than he had expected to progress in the Dao of Illusions. 

Even with his far higher comprehension compared to other people, he almost felt stuck without making any significant progress after spending months trying to comprehend it, something he wasn't used to and also something that made him stop what he was doing. Understanding that he would have to do something if he wanted to speed up his comprehension of the Dao of Illusions. 

The only problem was that the only location he knew where he could do something like that was located in the Blue Sea Empire. After all, even though the Dao Enlightenment Monument was useful in helping those in the Domain Lord Realm and below in comprehending the Dao, it wasn't really useful when it came to comprehending the Dao of Illusions at its current level. 

So, instead of continuing without making any progress in comprehending the Dao of Illusions, Xuan Hao had decided to stop what he was doing and was now thinking about whether or not to first try and comprehend some of the other Daos he planned on comprehending to the Large Success Realm before trying to comprehend one of his Daos to the Perfection Realm. 

Even though this would make his soul a bit stronger and make it easier for him to comprehend something like the Dao of Illusions to the realm of Perfection easier, it would ultimately still take a long time without any outside assistance. 

"Outside assistance… Something that can help me comprehend the Dao faster- Ah! The Second Star Peak!" 

As he was thinking about what to do and how he could increase his comprehension speed of the different Daos he had managed to comprehend so far, Xuan Hao suddenly remembered the Second Star Peak that was covered in divine rocks filled with ice blue divine energy. 

Even if it was somewhat dangerous, he still clearly remembered how absorbing that divine energy through the flame imprint had allowed him to comprehend the Dao of Ice… And even if he still had no real understanding about the flame imprint and the different phoenix feathers, he had found that were promptly absorbed by the flame imprint, he felt a bit more confident that he should be able to endure absorbing the blue divine energy now that his strength had increased. 

At least, for now, it was the only thing Xuan Hao could think of that would be able to help increase his comprehension speed without needing him to leave the sect and go to somewhere far away like the Blue Sea Empire. 

In any case, he would be heading to the Blue Sea Empire when he took Xuan Gui there in the future to cause chaos. 

When that time came, he could always set aside some time to check out on the secret realm that allowed him to comprehend the Dao of Illusions to the Large Success Realm and also see if those illusory beasts were still around. 

Given his current strength and his comprehension of the Dao of Space, he didn't really feel that fearful of getting caught by the Celestial Immortals of the Blue Sea Empire nor being trapped inside the secret realm again. Especially considering that he had managed to learn the long-distance teleportation over the past few months and would be more than capable of escaping from the illusory beast's secret realm even if he was trapped inside it again. 

Of course, that was on the premise that the place hadn't been destroyed already by the Blue Sea Empire, who would have responded to escape of the illusory beasts. 

Thinking this to himself, Xuan Hao shook his head before standing up and stretching his limbs for the first time in a little over a week of having remained in the same position trying to comprehend the Dao of Illusions without much success. 

"Guess I will go and pay a visit to the Second Star Peak and- Hm?" 

About to leave and head towards the Second Star Peak to try and see if he could use the divine stones filled with blue divine energy there to comprehend the Dao of Ice, Xuan Hao suddenly came to a stop as he noticed that someone had contacted him a few days earlier. 

Unfortunately, he had been far too focused on his comprehension of the Dao of Illusions to notice it and only now saw it. 

"Elder Song? Hm? Changes to the Grand Elder and Core Elder position? Ancestor position- Ah! Don't tell… He wants me to take on the ancestor position!? I'm not that old!" 

Reading through the message that Elder Song had sent him, Xuan Hao was at first nodding his head in approval when he read through the changes to the Grand Elder and Core Elder positions, as he could see just how useful and good for the sect these changes were. 

However, when he reached the part about the new ancestor position and saw the Dao Seed Realm requirement, he instantly thought Elder Song was trying to hint at him to take on the ancestor position. After all, in the eyes of Elder Song and the rest of the sect's elders, his current realm was the Dao Seed Realm, similar to Pei Yang. 

Only after he read a bit more into why the requirement was the Dao Seed Realm did he realize that this wasn't directly targeted at him. 

Although his age was close to 50 at this point in time and he could personally feel himself growing older, he didn't feel old enough to be called an ancestor. Especially considering his appearance hadn't changed and he still looked to be in his late twenties to early thirties. 

"Ancestor… Maybe in another fifty- no hundred years, I might consider it…" Shaking his head as he muttered this to himself, Xuan Hao put away his communication talisman as he made his way out of his room towards the Second Star Peak. 

Although there was put a limit of 10 on the Grand Elder position, it wouldn't really affect him, as there wasn't really anyone in the sect who would be able to threaten his position as a core elder. 

The only reason why he thought that he might have to take on the ancestor position at some point in the future was because he understood that the elders in the sect wouldn't be happy if he continued to use his overwhelming strength to keep one of these limited positions indefinitely, as that would essentially make it like there was only 9 Grand Elder positions instead of 10. 

Of course, he also thought about another solution to the problem, which was to use his influence and strength in the Star Shattering Sect to have Elder Song and Feng Chen make a special position for him that didn't end up with him being referred to an ancestor that was generally reserved for those ancient fossils of major powers who had been around for tens of thousands of years. 

In the end, Xuan Hao didn't really care too much about it, as it was only a title in the sect so to speak. No matter what title he had, it wouldn't really change his status in the sect, as he would still be the strongest existence in the sect. 

So, as he already managed to throw the recent changes to the sect's new hierarchal structure to the back of his mind, Xuan Hao arrived back at the Second Star Peak for the first time in years. Having not returned to investigate the divine stones filled with blue divine energy since the last time he had been scared off by the terrifying power contained inside the divine energy. 

Even though his strength had increased several times since then, the power inside the divine stones was still far beyond anything he had encountered so far and even now, he was still uncertain whether or not it was a correct choice for him to try and absorb more of the strange blue divine energy to further his understanding of the Dao of ice. 

No matter how useful it would be for his comprehension of the Dao of Ice, it still didn't change the fact that it was something dangerous that came with certain risk. Even more so after his understanding of the terrifying power of gods and how strong they were had deepened, as even the weakest god should stand above the Profound Immortal Realm.