The fastest route to Guishen was naturally through the primal qi passage on Tianfeng. Considering Wang Sheng's speed and the fixed sixteen days it would take to go through the passage, he could depart from Fengmo and reach Guishen in as little as twenty days.

It was hard not to find it suspicious for such an incident to happen just as the ancient battlefield's galaxy had calmed down.

Xiaomiao commented that the perpetrators' motive was bound to be deep under this massacre. However, if this was a scheme to lure the tiger out of the mountain or bait the fish to bite, then the enemy's true target was likely the Xinghai Sect, Wang Sheng himself, or even Earth's cultivation world.

Hence, she strongly advised Wang Sheng to stay put for now and send others to investigate. It was best to assign this to Earthlings who were quick-witted, trustworthy, and whom outsiders hadn't identified yet, like Shi Qianzhang and Liu Yunzhi.

Wang Sheng considered the idea for a moment. He then headed to Earth City, the name they had given to their courtyard, to discuss it with the others. In the end, he accepted his sister's suggestion.

He had the option of taking a detour through the primal qi passage at Jinhua, traveling to the closest celestial body to Guishen, and then crossing space to reach Guishen. However, it would keep him away from the eleven qi planets for far too long.

The last time he went on a long journey, the Celestial Wind Sect took advantage of his absence and attacked the Xinghai Sect.

Since the Xinghai Sect and Earth's cultivators had only just stabilized their position in the eleven qi planets, Wang Sheng could not leave for long. His presence and heavenly fate were required to keep the situation here from getting out of control.

Huai Jing smiled. "I'll go. I took part in the destruction of the Celestial Wind Sect, but I am a monk. I can disguise myself easily. Guishen probably also has temples of the Buddhist sects. If I go, I will have another way to gather information."

"I'll come with you," Zhang Zikuang volunteered. "Cultivating here for so long has made me stronger, but I'm starting to forget how to fight. I have some experience with intelligence work, and I am fairly good at disguises."

"Sending too many people will make things harder," Wang Sheng commented.

He then glanced at Shi Qianzhang and Liu Yunzhi with a trace of hesitation. Since they were going to investigate the destruction of a Xinghai Sect branch, Shi Qianzhang did not dare act recklessly. He kept a straight face and waited for Wang Sheng's decision.

Holding a longsword, Liu Yunzhi insisted, "Fei Yu, let the four of us go. We cannot keep cultivating under your protection forever. It's about time we started pulling our own weight around here. Considering the Xinghai Sect is our most important ally right now, there's no way we can just ignore this matter. When we get there, we promise not to act rashly. We will focus mainly on our investigation."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Then it is settled. You four will depart today," Wang Sheng said. "The enemy may already be prepared. Given how quickly the Xinghai Sect expanded, it is possible that spies have already infiltrated the sect. I'll divert their attention by publicly moving toward Jinhua and pretending to depart through its primal qi passage. Once you arrive safely at Guishen, I will return."

They had made a foolproof and well-thought-out plan. After finalizing it, everyone split up to prepare.

Wang Sheng returned to the Xinghai Sect and informed many elders that he would take a detour through the primal qi passage at Jinhua to reach Guishen. He then waited for Long Liekong and Hu Chang to return and join him.

When the old man and the burly brute arrived half a day later, he openly flew to Jinhua with them and entered its primal qi passage. With Lin Yun in seclusion on Fengmo, he was not overly concerned about going away for a short while.

Their plan proved effective.

The primal qi passage at Jinhua was relatively short, taking only twelve to thirteen days to reach the other side.

When the trio emerged, they flew away from the planet, making it look as though he was continuing his journey. They covered a short distance before Wang Sheng summoned a Cloud-Piercing Shuttle, within which they waited near the primal qi passage.

Hu Chang and Long Liekong had not seen Wang Sheng for twenty to thirty years. Long Liekong remained somewhat reserved, while Hu Chang was far more open, drinking with Wang Sheng from a wine jar.

To Hu Chang, the Xinghai Sect was simply another force under Wang Sheng. Losing a thousand of its people did not affect him on a personal level.

Six to seven days later, Wang Sheng finally received a message from Huai Jing.

Xi Lian and the others had brought many long-distance communication talismans from the Small Immortal Realm. Now, they put them to good use.

Huai Jing intoned a Buddha's name, then gave him a detailed report of their initial findings.

—We weren't worried for nothing. Sixteen Heavenly Immortals are hiding around the primal qi passage on Guishen. When we came out, we were subjected to strict inspection.

Before exiting the passage, Huai Jing had changed into a white kasaya[1]. He also altered his presence to a calm and refined one, ensuring no one would recognize him.

Zhang Zikuang, Shi Qianzhang, and Liu Yunzhi acted as if they did not know him. Since they were all at the Ascended Immortal Realm, which was pretty average in the endless space, they appeared no different from ordinary unaffiliated practitioners. They easily passed the inspection.

Afterward, they went to Guishen and split into two groups to investigate the destruction of the Xinghai Sect branch.

The four had to take extra precautions while investigating. They didn't dare ask anyone about the incident directly, and they made sure not to raise even the slightest suspicion. Hence, it took them two days of effort to finally piece together some useful information. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

—The Xinghai Sect branch here is still enveloped in a grand array, yet corpses are scattered all over inside. The array probably trapped them, preventing them from sending out calls for help.

—The Xinghai Sect's mineral veins have already been divided between two immortal forces. However, from what we've gathered so far, they don't seem to be the ones behind the massacre.

—I heard from the abbot here that over the past five years, many unfamiliar auras have appeared on Guishen. Most of them belong to True Immortals, but quite a few belong to Heavenly Immortals. They've even felt pressure coming from Golden Immortals.

The more Wang Sheng listened, the more he realized how much sense his younger sister's earlier analysis made.

The enemy really did set a trap on Guishen. Where did they even come from? They seem to be well aware of my connection to the Xinghai Sect, considering they arranged all this based on that. I might not even be their target. It could be Lishang or someone else in the Xinghai Sect. Still, it's slightly more likely than they're after me.

After his conversation with Huai Jing, Wang Sheng immediately sent a message back to the Earthlings on Fengmo, warning them to stay alert. Powerful enemies could already be watching them from all sides.

In a deep tone, Hu Chang asked, Don't we have Golden Immortals too? Why don't we just bring them over and fight it out? If that fails, we can deploy our trump card: Ling Sheng."

"If only I were a Grand Dao Golden Immortal, I wouldn't have had to care about these schemes." Wang Sheng snorted, then stood and stretched his limbs. "Plenty of people want to eliminate me, but not many know I am the vice sect master of Xinghai Sect. This is most likely related to the Celestial Wind Sect's surviving members, or perhaps the Fengli Sect."

"Master, should I head to Guishen and investigate?" Long Liekong asked.

"No need to rush," Wang Sheng replied. "Since we already know they've set a trap, we'll just stand by and observe for now. We have to seek justice for the Xinghai Sect's murdered cultivators, but that doesn't mean we'll just go throwing more lives away recklessly."

"Old Long, use your divine ability to conceal Hu Chang and me. Afterward, put on a disguise and return to Fengmo. I'll keep working in the shadows and see what I can uncover."

"As you command."

Long Liekong transformed into an azure dragon and swallowed Wang Sheng and Hu Chang. He then changed into a middle-aged man, headed back to the primal qi passage, and returned to Jinhua.

With the dragon fiend's help, Wang Sheng made his way back to the great Buddha statue undetected, allowing him to visit Qinglin and Xi Lian.

These days, Xi Lian no longer clung to Qinglin all the time. When Wang Sheng arrived, she was meditating under the Spirit-Stabilizing Tea Tree with Ling Sheng. The two fiends had clearly become friends.

Qinglin sat alone in a corner, looking somewhat solitary.

***

Over a month had passed since Wang Sheng passed through the primal qi passage back to Jinhua. While waiting at the great Buddha statue, he received another message from Huai Jing.

It was just simple news: a celestial sect known as the Heavenly Yuanshen Sect had appeared on Guishen. Not long after its establishment, it swept through dozens of celestial sects and seized a third of the planet's mineral veins.

After careful investigation by Zhang Zikuang, Shi Qianzhang, and Liu Yunzhi, their group quickly reached a conclusion, which Huai Jing presented in a heavy tone.

—The Heavenly Yuanshen Sect is the same force that was behind the massacre at the Xinghai Sect's Guishen branch. Their territory on Guishen is right under the primal qi passage. They have essentially taken control of it.

Wang Sheng asked, "Are they gathering resources because they think I'm taking too long to arrive?"

Huai Jing was caught between laughter and concern.

—That is... a possibility.

His tone then turned serious.

—Fei Yu, only a primal qi passage separates them from Tianfeng. Not only do we not know where they came from, but they also have a favorable position right now, and they have many powerful experts. Now that they have established their forces and are recruiting celestial soldiers, Yunzhi and the others wish to infiltrate and continue the investigation.

"No, that's too risky. Whether we investigate or not, they are already our enemy. You should withdraw at once. I will handle what comes next."

—About that... Amitabha. They knew you would refuse, so they already went yesterday."

Wang Sheng was rendered speechless.

—Do not worry. We have not been exposed. One cannot catch the tiger without entering its den. If we do not figure out their background, we will remain at a disadvantage.

Wang Sheng pressed a hand to his forehead and glanced at Ling Sheng, who was meditating nearby. She immediately stood, ready to act.

Wang Sheng called out, "Old Long?"

Long Liekong stepped forward. "At your service, Master."

This guy is seriously tireless.

Wang Sheng had no choice. Since Hu Chang tended to act rashly, the heavier responsibilities had to fall on Long Liekong. Still, he found the Heavenly Court's methods of controlling fiends... truly excessive.

"Go and hide near the primal qi passage on Tianfeng. If a large number of experts emerge, inform the Xinghai Sect and me immediately."

"Yes, Master." Long Liekong lowered his head and departed swiftly.

Wang Sheng paced back and forth. For some reason, he remembered Feng Jiu.

Is that troublesome chuunibyou behind this?

Amid his irritation, his immortal perception caught a faint fluctuation from the corner of his Qiankun Ring. He took out another jade communication talisman. From it, he heard Lishang's voice.

—Someone has come to the sect looking for you. She claims to be a young maid who once scrubbed your back.

Wang Sheng's expression darkened. "Bring her to the ancient battlefield. I will find a place to meet her."

Lishang paused.

—Weren't you supposed to be at the other end of Jinhua's primal qi passage?

"Well... I'll explain when we meet. That was only a feint."

1. The traditional robes worn by ordained Buddhist monks and nuns, symbolizing renunciation, simplicity, and humility. ☜