World's No. 1 Swordsman-Chapter 677: The Great Divine Guardian!

"Fei Yu, Zhenren has agreed. He will let you—huh?"

Cha Yue stared at the empty, quiet room before her, her eyebrows drawing together slightly. She released her immortal perception to search the valley and its surroundings, yet she found no trace of him. The array she had set around the pavilion showed no sign of having been opened.

She walked slowly to the game controller on the floor and pondered for a moment. Afterward, she formed a series of signs, and a pale wave of qi rippled with her at the center. The Daoist art was meant to trace events by reversing their light, but even after some time, no image appeared within the room.

Wang Sheng's aura just kept fading until it was nearly impossible to sense.

Cha Yue murmured, "What is going on?"

A faint unease rose in her heart as she turned and hurried out of the pavilion.

Moments later, several streaks of light descended into the valley. Wensheng and a few of his junior martial siblings rushed into the room where Wang Sheng had been.

He vanished into thin air?

There were no traces or lingering auras. Even Wensheng's light-tracing technique couldn't get a response.

An elderly man paced before the portrait of the Three Pure Ones. He then looked up and called out, "Senior Brother, space here has been split open!"

The others immediately gathered to examine it. An old woman soon drew in a sharp breath as deep wariness appeared in the eyes of the sect's pillars.

"Senior Brother, what should we do? A powerful being probably took Fei Yu."

Wensheng smiled bitterly. "What can we do? Fortunately, he was only taken and not struck down. Still, we can no longer interfere in this. Have the sect continue refining alchemical pills. All we can do now is hope that the one who took Fei Yu was related to Master."

The elders nodded slowly. Cha Yue seemed lost in thought, her gaze distant.

***

Is this not the desolate planet I once hid in?

Wang Sheng looked at the churning lake of lava under his feet, the bitterness in his smile deepening. When the black-robed man glanced back at him, Wang Sheng could only follow him in the air at a measured distance.

Who exactly is he?

Considering he ignored the grand defensive array of the Qiling Immortal Sect and could tear space open at will, he had to be at least a Grand Dao Golden Immortal or one of the most powerful Taiyi Golden Immortals. He was clearly also Wang Sheng's impostor, who had been stirring up trouble on Qiling.

Huai Jing's disappearance was directly connected to this man as well.

The controller thrown at his feet had certainly belonged to the monk. After all, it was the one that he treasured. There was no deeper story behind that fact. Traveling back and forth to Earth was inconvenient, and such controllers were expendable items.

Yaoyun floated silently within the Qiankun Ring. Though Wang Sheng could sense she was heavily tense, he could not hear her voice.

Before a being like this, it was better not to use any tricks and schemes. Since the impostor had not outright killed him, he likely had another purpose for him. That meant there was still a chance for him to survive and to save Huai Jing.

After walking for some time across the desolate planet, which was thick with the smell of sulfur, the lava lake below suddenly vanished. In its place stretched a dark, rocky plain.

The man in black descended to the ground. Ahead lay a stretch of unusual gray mist. Strands of primal qi surged in every direction, as though drawn from nowhere.

A vast, grand array stood before them.

Wang Sheng followed him into the array, revealing two rows of eighteen enormous stone pillars. A figure was bound to each pillar. Judging by their auras, they were all Golden Immortals.

However, their auras were faint, as though they could die at any moment. Each had a fatal wound, yet they seemed to have been deliberately spared.

Footsteps seemed to fall in rhythm with Wang Sheng's heartbeat.

The man in black continued forward. After nearly half a day of walking within the array, they reached a pitch-black stone mountain. Only then did he stop.

Wang Sheng, who had followed in silence all this time, finally found a chance to speak.

With a steady gaze and a calm tone, he remarked, "I don't know what I've done that could have offended you, Senior, but I'm here now. All I ask is that you spare my friend's life."

The man in black slowly removed his withered-wood mask and casually tossed it to Wang Sheng. He then turned around.

Who is he?

A sense of unfamiliarity rose in Wang Sheng's heart. He was certain he had never seen the gaunt old man before or ever felt such an aura.

The man calmly ordered, "Put the mask on."

Wang Sheng lowered his head and examined the mask. Its style matched the one he had once carved himself, but it was far heavier and made of some unknown material. Complex rune patterns were engraved on it, their purpose unclear.

He smiled faintly and bitterly. Without hesitation, he then wore the mask before he had to be urged or threatened. It covered the upper half of his face.

The man in black nodded slightly. He rested his left hand on his back and extended his right hand toward Wang Sheng, fingers spread. In the next instant, Wang Sheng rose half a meter into the air. The air around him seemingly solidified into invisible walls, trapping him completely and preventing him from moving.

The man's right hand trembled lightly, and immortal light flared from Wang Sheng. From his shoulders, legs, chest, and abdomen, six sword cores flew out and hovered within the man's palm.

Wang Sheng felt as though the sword cores, which were like his own flesh and blood, had been severed from him.

The man pointed at the Qiankun Ring on Wang Sheng's hand, making Spiritless, the Dragon Sword, and his immortal armor fly out in succession. Spiritless then transformed into Yaoyun, who frowned at the old man before her.

At that moment, the connection between Wang Sheng and his sword spirit was cut off. The man in black put away Wang Sheng's flying swords, the Dragon Sword, and the immortal armor.

Afterward, he gave Yaoyun a deep Daoist salute, which bewildered Wang Sheng even further, and solemnly greeted, "I, Wang Shan[1] of the Yushu Fire Palace, pay you my respects, Your Highness."

Yaoyun's eyebrows knit slightly, while Wang Sheng felt completely lost. He had no idea why this senior was staging such a scene.

"Shan, there is no need for such courtesy," Yaoyun replied. "No wonder your aura felt somewhat familiar when you appeared. What are you planning? Why have you brought my sword master here as leverage, and where is Buddhist Master Huai Jing?"

"The Dragon-Subduing Arhat is currently resting elsewhere," Wang Shan said as he lowered his hands and slowly straightened. He gave Yaoyun a stiff smile. "I'm truly fortunate to see you again, Your Highness."

"Then why have you not released my sword master?"

Wang Shan calmly replied, "Your Highness, I'm afraid I'll be offending you today. Your sword master has to first pass my test. Otherwise, I cannot allow him to leave this place."

Yaoyun's tone remained soft, yet it sounded sharper. "What do you mean? Are you trying to imitate those vulgar and bored people who like to conduct trials?"

"This is not a trial," Wang Shan replied, lowering his eyelids slightly. "A trial tempers younger disciples. Today, I intend to kill him."

Wang Sheng's lips twitched. Though bound in midair, he did not interrupt; he simply listened.

Yaoyun frowned. "Has he done something to displease you?"

Wang Shan sighed lightly. "Not at all. On the contrary, I am quite satisfied with him. I have been here since Emperor Qinghua's grand array was activated. With a certain treasure protecting me, I was able to move freely within it and observe in secret.

"He is alert and intelligent, values loyalty and righteousness, and knows when to adapt. At the early stage of the Heavenly Immortal Realm, he dared to intercept and kill numerous peak-stage Heavenly Immortals. If our positions were reversed, I would not have done any better.

"His heavenly fate has also already taken shape because of you, Your Highness. Moreover, he has gained Emperor Qinghua's favor and is now on the path to becoming the future leader of the Heavenly Court."

Yaoyun demanded, "Why do you still want to harm him, then?"

"Precisely because of those reasons. He may one day become another Emperor Ziwei. I have to eliminate him early before that happens."

Flames nearly sparked in Yaoyun's eyes. "Have you already betrayed the Heavenly Court?! You were personally appointed by my father as the Great Divine Guardian, the head of the Five Hundred Divine Guardians, yet you—"

Wang Shan smiled bitterly and sighed softly. "Even if I am reduced to dust and condemned for eternity, I would never stray from the Heavenly Court. Your Highness, do you know how many righteous gods of the Heavenly Court perished when it fell?"

Yaoyun just frowned in silence.

"And do you know how many immortals and gods of the Heavenly Court died when Emperor Ziwei launched a counterattack against the Immortal Saint Realm?"

Wang Shan shook his head slightly. "Roughly sixty percent of the Heavenly Court's righteous gods perished when it fell. In the later campaign, we lost equivalent to thirty percent of our initial deaths.

"Nearly half of the Heavenly Court's surviving members died in Emperor Ziwei's revolt. Seventy percent of those who managed to stay alive were also grievously wounded. Some, like Star Deity Xinyue, were tortured beyond recognition."

"Shan..."

"The old members of the Heavenly Court cannot endure another uprising," Wang Shan said as he slowly closed his eyes. "There has not been a single day when I did not long for our faction's restoration, nor a day when I did not wish to see it return to its former glory.

"But Your Highness, an uprising will demand the blood of countless old immortals and gods. It will require endless years of war. The Immortal Saint Realm is extremely sensitive to the name of the Heavenly Court. If this child gathers the old immortals and gods once more, history will repeat itself. What makes you think he can accomplish what even Emperor Ziwei could not?"

Yaoyun clenched her fists tightly. "If we do not even try—"

"Yaoyun," Wang Sheng interjected. He gave her a faint, wry smile. "Senior Wang Shan has his own point of view, and I see nothing wrong with that. However, I am not willing to die so easily."

"I have gone through all these lengths to give you a chance. Your Highness, forgive me."

Wang Shan opened his eyes, which glinted sharply for a moment. He then extended his left hand. Yaoyun instantly reverted to Spiritless. A talisman suppressed her and sealed her away, disappearing between Wang Sheng and Wang Shan.

The restraints around Wang Sheng vanished, and he dropped to the ground.

Wang Shan explained, "That mask will remain attached to you for ten years, after which it will lose its effect. If you are still alive by that time, then it is fated. I won't just stop obstructing you; I will fully assist Her Highness in supporting you. I have already taken the treasures you rely upon. I will place them throughout this grand array. You may search for them yourself during these ten years.

"Soon, many celestial sects that bear deep hatred toward you will come here. They are the very ones gathered on Qiling. If you speak a single word of refusal now, I will cripple your Dao foundation and sever your Great Dao. You will then live out only the lifespan of a Heavenly Immortal."

"I accept!" Wang Sheng's eyes burned with restrained anger. He clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking. "Do not harm Yaoyun or Huai Jing."

"Of course, I won't."

Wang Shan slowly closed his eyes. Gray mist swirled around him, and he gradually disappeared.

"If you perish and your Dao collapses, you may resent me as you wish."

1. Changed from Wang Shan for accuracy. "Ling guan" translates to "Great Divine Guardian," which is his title. ☜