A simple feint...

Lishang felt a bit of sadness as she escorted the gentle immortal, whom Hostess Su had sent to find Wang Sheng.

Wang Sheng hiding so thoroughly without informing even her made her feel that he did not trust her. A faint sense of disappointment tainted her heart.

However, when she saw Wang Sheng, he simply asked, "You've come out of seclusion as well?"

The question made her disappointment quietly fade. Calmly, she replied, "As one of the vice sect masters, I cannot just cultivate in peace as the sect deals with something this serious."

Lishang gestured toward the cloaked immortal beside her.

"She is the one looking for you."

The woman removed her cloak and gave Wang Sheng a graceful bow. "Young Master, we meet again."

Wang Sheng raised an eyebrow, but he quickly recognized her. She was the female immortal who had scrubbed his back in the Qiluo Celestial Realm.

"May I ask how I should address you, Fairy?"

A touch of shy warmth showed in her expression. "You may call me Rou'er, Young Master."

From the side, Lishang said, "You two talk. I will keep watch from afar."

She turned, flew away from the planetary fragment, and covered the area with her immortal perception.

Wang Sheng grew serious. "Hostess Su sent you here. Did something urgent happen?"

Smiling, Rou'er replied gently, "Nothing major."

She then took out a jade pendant and handed it to Wang Sheng.

"This is a letter from my master. I do not know what it says. She also asked me to pass along a question: What method did you give to Senior Zhi Bing? Your forefather has been staying at her place for decades, unwilling to leave. He even calls her 'Bing'er' day after day. If you are willing to share, my master will personally come to hear your guidance."

Wang Sheng didn't know what to say.

Decades? So Senior Zhi Bing has truly figured things out.

Wang Sheng smiled. "Hostess Su is welcome to visit at any time. Regarding your question, I did help Senior Zhi Bing with a bit of scheming. I only hoped that our forefather could settle down and enjoy life instead of letting down those who care for him."

Rou'er blinked lightly. "Does that mean you agree, Young Master?"

"Of course."

"That is wonderful. I will take my leave now so I can report back at once! My master will likely arrive in three to five years."

Rou'er bowed gracefully once more. She then turned into a streak of light and flew toward Jinhua.

Based on her speed and the pressure she revealed while flying, Wang Sheng realized just how powerful she truly was.

Golden Immortal...?

Wang Sheng was speechless. When she had served him before, he had sensed that she was at least a True Immortal or Heavenly Immortal. He had not expected her to be far stronger than he was.

Despite having spent decades in seclusion, he was still only at the early stage of the Heavenly Immortal Realm. He had encountered no bottleneck and had steadily advanced through minor realms, yet he was still at least one hundred to two hundred years away from the middle stage.

Lishang returned from the side. "She already left? I thought she would stay and catch up with you for a few days."

Wang Sheng detected something in her tone.

Wang Sheng lifted the jade pendant slightly. "An acquaintance with a powerful divine ability sent her to deliver a message. They were also the ones who warned the Xinghai Sect about the Fengli Sect before."

As he spoke, Wang Sheng infused immortal power into the jade pendant. Lines of small text appeared before him. As he read it carefully, his expression gradually turned more serious.

It was crucial intel from Hostess Su, directly related to the destruction of the Xinghai Sect's Guishen branch and the Heavenly Yuanshen Sect's appearance on the same planet.

Fei Yu,

In the past ten years, rumors have spread throughout the Immortal Saint Realm, originating from a glimpse of heavenly prophecies that a powerful being from the Primal Era has obtained. The prophecy states:

'Changes will occur in heaven and earth, with calamity beginning in the Eastern Sky Region.

'Forces will be cut down on Guishen. Celestial bodies across the vast starry skies will be overturned.

'If the Emperor does not fall, the sacred spirit will reappear.

'The Three Realms will return to order, and all beings will find peace.'

Guishen and the celestial bodies both point toward you. The phrase about the Emperor not falling probably refers to Emperor Qinghua, who is also connected to you.

The Black Emperor, one of the Five Emperors of the former Heavenly Court and now a dominant figure in the Immortal Saint Realm, has already sent a large force to the Eastern Sky Region. They are occupying and investigating any celestial body, region, or hidden domain bearing the name Guishen.

The Black Emperor is ambitious and ruthless. In the past, he worked with foreign experts to breach the Heavenly Gate and slaughter immortals and gods. Now, he aims to eliminate any potential threat at its root.

Be cautious and avoid direct conflict with his forces. He is immensely powerful, and the entire Immortal Saint Realm fears him. May you remain safe, and may the Immortal Dao flourish.

Yours truly,

Hostess Su

Wang Sheng and Lishang fell silent.

Hostess Su probably wants to come here not just to ask about how to settle my forefather's wandering heart. She also intends to protect me, likely at his instruction.

Not only was she his close companion, but she could even be considered one of his subordinates. I can't believe he didn't spare even his own people... Ahem. It seems he's looking out for me again.

Wang Sheng read the letter again, only to find that the small lines of text were already beginning to fade.

He and Lishang spoke at almost the same time.

"Who is the Black Emperor?"

"The Heavenly Yuanshen Sect is probably under the Black Emperor."

Wang Sheng let out a short, helpless laugh. He glanced at Spiritless, which was cultivating while soaking in the Spiritual Dawnlight in his Qiankun Ring. Afterward, he answered Lishang based on what he knew.

At the height of the Heavenly Court, experts were as numerous as clouds. The strongest was naturally Haotian. Just below him were the Four Heavenly Ministers, who governed the four great sky regions and acted as powerful regional rulers. Under them were the Five Directional Emperors, also known as the Five Colored Emperors.

They were the White Emperor, the Black Emperor, the Yellow Emperor, the Azure Emperor, and the Red Emperor.

They were the central generals of the Heavenly Court, possessing overwhelming strength that kept the Four Heavenly Ministers in check and ensured they would not have absolute authority. Many legends about the Five Colored Emperors were still part of the myths that had been passed down from the Heavenly Court to present-day Earth.

When the Heavenly Court was nearing its end, the Black Emperor betrayed it and opened the Heavenly Gate, eliminating its last chance to fight back. That turned him into one of the most hated people among its surviving immortals and gods.

That betrayal turned him into a core figure among the forces opposing the Heavenly Court, though. Now, in the Immortal Saint realm, he had claimed a vast territory and built a powerful foundation of his own. Moreover, he had survived countless assassination attempts, remaining unshaken to this day. There were even rumors that he was close to becoming as strong as the Immortal Emperor.

Wang Sheng had once heard Qinghua mention that the Black Emperor was one of the people he wanted to kill the most.

"What a troublesome revelation." He sighed. "Just one heavenly prophecy has created this much trouble for us. Fortunately, Earth's cultivation world has not developed much yet and is hard to expose. Otherwise, this would have been impossible to contain."

Lishang frowned. "How should we handle this?"

"Well, the 'forces will be cut down on Guishen' part clearly refers to Guishen. If the Black Emperor really sent people there, I wouldn't be surprised if he even sent Grand Dao Golden Immortals. Still, this is not only difficult to handle. It just requires a different approach. We still have to avenge the Xinghai Sect members who were killed on that planet."

Lishang muttered, "One has to endure small losses to achieve greater goals. It may not suit my position as vice sect master to say this, but if the enemy is far stronger than us, we have no choice but to delay settling the score."

Wang Sheng frowned and nodded. Still, he felt he should do something for those who had died.

Moreover, the Heavenly Yuanshen Sect was right at their doorstep. It could cross over at any time through the primal qi passage on Tianfeng. Trying to peacefully develop while under such pressure was almost impossible.

"Give me a few days to think. Lishang, return to the Xinghai Sect and take charge. For now, I will call Huai Jing and the others back. Yunzhi and Qianzhang have already taken the risk of infiltrating the Heavenly Yuanshen Sect as celestial soldiers."

"Mm. If you come across anything difficult, remember to consult me."

Wang Sheng smiled. "Do not worry. Even if you wanted to take it easy, I would not let someone as strong as you just sit around."

Lishang laughed lightly. She then flew back to Fengmo.

Meanwhile, Wang Sheng sat down and thought of a way to deal with the situation. If the Black Emperor's forces were the ones behind the destruction of the Xinghai Sect's Guishen branch, then they had likely already set their sights on the Xinghai Sect itself.

Xinghai and celestial bodies both had the character for "star"[1].

The sacred spirit reappears...

"Those seniors have unfathomable divine abilities. Still, I can't believe they'd reveal such a prophecy at a time like this. It's almost like they have no intention of letting me pursue immortality in peace."

I absolutely can not expose myself here. If I do, powerful beings from the Immortal Saint Realm will swarm in and reduce not only the eleven qi planets but the entire ancient battlefield to dust. Earth will be exposed as well, and its solar system will lose a few planets as collateral damage.

"Does 'the Emperor does not fall' refer to Emperor Qinghua? That is the obvious answer, but it's in the same sentence as the sacred spirit. Could it be... No, that's impossible."

Wang Sheng was speechless. He instinctively sealed off his Dao Heart. Fortunately, Yaoyun was still in deep cultivation and had not sensed the thought that he had just come up with.

He slapped his cheeks lightly, breathed out, and lowered his head.

The best solution I can come up with right now is to divert the Black Emperor's attention. However, considering I'm only at the Heavenly Immortal Realm, such a feat will be extremely difficult. I will need help from one or two powerful beings.

My other option is to make the Black Emperor's forces believe that the Guishen connected to Tianfeng is not the Guishen referred to in the revelation.

What should I do?

After thinking for a moment, Wang Sheng returned to the great Buddha statue and sent Hu Chang out with a letter addressed to Xiaomiao. It was best for Xiaomiao and the other strategic minds of Earth's cultivation world to discuss this matter.

He was not a master strategist. The brain power he'd spend thinking about this would be better used on advancing his Dao of the Sword.

Wang Sheng then contacted Huai Jing again and told his group to find a chance to return.

***

Two months later, Huai Jing and the others headed back to Tianfeng. They then concealed themselves and went to Jinhua, where they stayed temporarily.

Their safe return eased Wang Sheng's concerns.

Another half a month passed, and another disturbance spread through the Sea of Dao Laws in the Eastern Sky Region. In the northwest part of the region, on a planet called Qianyun, a great battle took place in a location known as Guishen Valley. The clash tore Qianyun apart and buried thousands of unknown experts in the valley.

A few years later, rumors about the sacred spirit began spreading from nearby celestial bodies. They rapidly reached every corner of the region through teleportation arrays and other means.

The moment Wang Sheng heard the news, he realized that the former immortals and gods of the Heavenly Court had stepped in and were now covering for him.

1. 星海(Xinghai) and 星辰(celestial body) both have the word "星"(star) ☜