Half a day after the killing array was activated, the black dome slowly faded, and a surge of blood mist shot skyward from within. Wang Sheng and his team had won the fiercest fighting, which had taken place in midair.

To save some time, he led a few others to sweep through the battlefield below. He wielded his Pure Yang True Flame, while Lin Yun unleashed her Samadhi True Fire. They moved through the ruins, setting everything on fire. The blaze wiped everything clean, reducing corpses to ashes and erasing all traces of the battle. Even the empty city itself was burned to the ground.

By the end of the battle, the sky above had been turned into a brutal killing ground, while the land below had become a furnace for cremation.

After erasing all traces of the Heavenly Yuanshen Sect's army, Wang Sheng's team finally left. Not even a small piece of news made it back through the primal qi passage, as though the army had simply disappeared.

Only when the group returned to the ancient battlefield aboard the Shadowless Shuttle did Lishang and Long Liekong fully come back to their senses.

Lishang asked softly, "That's it? It's over?"

Wang Sheng and Hu Chang nodded. "Mm."

In the corner, Ling Sheng sat with eyes closed and focused on dispelling the negative emotions inside her, which she had accumulated by absorbing too much death aura.

Lin Yun frowned slightly. She transmitted to Wang Sheng, "My lord, I understand that war across the lands requires killing, but does this not go too far against the natural order?"

Wang Sheng shrugged. "Why should we consider harmony when eliminating enemies? If it means suffering fewer casualties, I would not hesitate in the slightest to strike first or assassinate our enemies in the dark.

Lin Yun whispered, "But my lord, you will lead many immortals in the future. You should carry yourself with proper dignity. Such methods may be unavoidable right now since we're only just starting, but going forward, you have to be more mindful. Win hearts with virtue, gather people with benevolence. That is the path you ought to follow."

Wang Sheng sighed helplessly in his mind and telepathically complained to Yaoyun, "Your aunt still thinks like the old Heavenly Court. We're no longer in that era; we can't rely on winning people over with virtue right now."

"Mm," Yaoyun replied. "I will speak with her later."

Long Liekong whispered from the side, "Master, I'll head back and patrol Tianfeng's perimeter. We have to be in the area to receive our scouts' messages."

Wang Sheng warmly answered, "Alright. Please do."

Long Liekong left once more.

Hu Chang scratched his head and smiled in embarrassment. "Uh, Big Brother, should I go with Old Long?"

"Not right now. He'll be able to hide better if he's alone," Wang Sheng replied.

They did not return to Fengmo. Instead, they stayed in the part of the ancient battlefield that was closest to Tianfeng, cultivating and recovering while waiting for the Heavenly Yuanshen Sect to respond.

This loss was an undoubtedly severe loss for the Heavenly Yuanshen Sect.

Wang Sheng's group had acted swiftly and left behind almost no traces. Tens of thousands of celestial soldiers and hundreds of experts had simply vanished without explanation.

If this strange outcome could make the enemy wary enough to stop sending reinforcements, they'd have gotten the best possible result. On the other hand, it could instead draw greater attention, prompting the enemy to gather stronger forces or send powerful beings to investigate.

All Wang Sheng and the others could do was wait.

***

Half a month later, two people emerged from the primal qi passage and appeared above the burned city. They did not linger long, only circling once before heading back through the passage to Guishen. It was clear they had discovered that the tens of thousands of cultivators who had been sent earlier had been wiped out here.

According to reports from spies on Guishen, the Heavenly Yuanshen Sect had once again gathered forces near the other end of the primal qi passage. This time, however, they only had a few thousand troops, along with a dozen or so Heavenly Immortals. They seemed to be planning to hold their ground, not launch another attack.

"They do not have enough manpower either."

Wang Sheng relaxed slightly upon hearing the news. Their earlier ambush, which had eliminated the golden-armored Golden Immortal and his army, had clearly been effective. Even so, it only treated the symptoms, not the root of the problem. The crisis had eased for now, but the threat remained.

Wang Sheng returned to Fengmo with Lin Yun and Lishang to discuss a plan that could give them the initiative. Hu Chang and Long Liekong stayed near Tianfeng to keep watch, while Ling Sheng was sent back into the great Buddha statue to continue cultivating.

The first clash with the Heavenly Yuanshen Sect had come to a swift end.

***

Base of Earth's cultivators, Fengmo.

Inside an unremarkable residence, the key figures stationed outside had gathered.

Two months had passed since the first wave from the Heavenly Yuanshen Sect had been crushed. According to the spies on Guishen, the sect had set up a teleportation array and seemed to have brought in another batch of experts, which included several Golden Immortals, dozens of Heavenly Immortals, and over a hundred True Immortals.

After arriving through the array, they remained below the primal qi passage, ready to strike at any moment.

Zhang Zikuang grumbled, "Who knows how many troops the Black Emperor has at his command? If he keeps sending them like this, how are we supposed to hold out?"

Fan Tuantuan muttered, "Even if we cannot hold out, what choice do we have? Are we supposed to just surrender and wait to die?"

Yuan Pu Zhenren looked deeply troubled. "Is there any way to hold them back through other means? It would be best if we could somehow completely close the primal qi passage."

Xiaomiao softly countered, "That would only make them more suspicious. Right now, the only way to solve this is to let them come over and investigate, then deceive them with a careful ruse. Only then can we secure some peace."

"That makes sense," agreed Lishang. "But how do we do that?"

Xiaomiao pressed her lips together before whispering, "We will probably have to sacrifice some people."

The room fell silent at once.

Wang Sheng tapped his fingers lightly against the table. "We have to find a way to take the initiative. I do have an idea."

Xiaomiao blinked, then muttered under her breath, "You really should not bring it up. No one is going to agree. I definitely won't, at least."

"You already know what I am thinking?"

Xiaomiao shrugged. "You just want to blow yourself up to draw their attention and pull their focus away from here. That plan is honestly terrible."

Wang Sheng looked a little embarrassed. "I think it might be worth the risk."

"Amitabha," Huai Jing intoned. "I do believe gaining some initiative is better than just constantly taking hits and not retaliating. Why don't we get more combatants? Considering our situation, if we do not call on the old immortals and gods of the Heavenly Court, we are just waiting for the Black Emperor to wipe us out.

"It would be most ironic if the Black Emperor's forces end up killing the greatest threat to his future without the Black Emperor even realizing it."

That drew a round of quiet laughter.

Xiaomiao coughed lightly. "Bringing in more people right now will only increase the risk of exposure. I am not questioning the character of the Heavenly Court's immortals, but the bigger our group, the higher the chance that something goes wrong or that we get exposed."

Qing Long smiled. "I think we might as well return to Earth and lie low for a few years. By the time we come back out, a few hundred years will have passed, and this matter will have likely already faded away."

Wang Sheng shook his head. "They'll likely discover the entrance to the Realm of Exiled Immortals while we're gone. And what about the Xinghai Sect? We can't just abandon our allies, just as the Fengli Sect had done."

Everyone nodded and fell into thought.

In the end, their discussion led nowhere. A few workable ideas were raised, but none could truly resolve the crisis that Earth's cultivators and the Xinghai Sect were facing.

During this period, more news arrived from the ancient battlefield.

In the northern part of the Eastern Sky Region, traces of the "sacred spirit" had been appearing more frequently. The forces that the Black Emperor had sent there were under constant attack; tens of thousands of immortals had already been killed or wounded.

Such losses meant little to the Black Emperor's faction, though. On the contrary, it only drew many powerful beings from the Immortal Saint Realm. One after another, they arrived in the northern part of the Eastern Sky Region. Rumors spread that great beings were already clashing in secret and hundreds of celestial bodies had quietly vanished.

Fortunately, the unrest in the north eased much of the pressure on Wang Sheng's side, giving them some breathing room to consider their next move.

Finding it impossible to focus on cultivation, he spent the next half year combing through the ancient battlefield for suitable ambush points and drafting battle plans that could prove useful later. He increasingly felt that he should take matters into his own hands, but every step he could take came with too many concerns.

Still, he was no longer alone. He finally had some backing behind him.

Just as his patience was starting to thin, a powerful ally quietly arrived on Fengmo and met with him: Hostess Su.

From Lin Yun's discreet observation, Hostess Su was probably at the Grand Dao Golden Immortal Realm. However, she was not among the most formidable beings at that realm, and the pressure she exuded was not particularly strong.

Though she didn't plan to help Wang Sheng fight, she did come bearing some pointers in this situation, along with several crucial pieces of information.

First, because the Black Emperor had suddenly started searching for the heavenly prophecy's sacred spirit in the Eastern Sky Region, Qinghua, the ruler of death, had already set out in secret for the Immortal Saint Realm. Within three to five years, he would likely clash with the Black Emperor.

Second, Wang Shan, the Great Divine Guardian, led the force stirring trouble in the north. It was composed of former Heavenly Court immortals.

That second piece of news surprised Wang Sheng. Still, after thinking it through, he finally felt as though a door had opened before him.

As it turns out, talking things through really can have an effect, huh[1]? My "chat" with Divine Guardian Wang somehow brought him to our side. He has even taken the initiative to help relieve some of the pressure. This all makes sense, though. After all, he was one of the few who knew the truth about the sacred spirit.

When the Black Emperor made his move, Wang Shan was the first to grasp what was happening and figure out where Wang Sheng was. That was why he chose to stir trouble in the north.

Wang Sheng then received the third and most alarming piece of information.

A hint of helplessness showed in the eyes of Hostess Su, who was in a flowing blue fishtail gown. Softly, she revealed, "Because one of the people from the Primal Era leaked the heavenly prophecy, the factions in the Immortal Saint Realm that once fought the Heavenly Court and countless great beings are starting to feel uneasy.

"Now, we have been forced into a passive position at every turn. More than sixty Grand Dao Golden Immortals in the Immortal Saint Realm have already responded. They have joined forces to prepare a ritual that would activate the Heaven-Scouring Grand Array. They intend to use it to search for the sacred spirit in the Three Realms."

Wang Sheng blinked, then raised a hand to his forehead.

Hostess Su whispered, "They speak of welcoming back the sacred spirit and restoring order to the Three Realms. In truth, their ambitions run deep. They would rather crush the sacred spirit immediately, or control it and turn it into a puppet."

She paused, then looked at Wang Sheng with a faintly teasing expression.

"That's why your forefather ordered me to come at once and take you away from here for the time being."

Wang Sheng nodded calmly. "When will they begin the search?"

"I do not know. But even at the earliest, it will take three to five months. An array of that scale cannot be set up so quickly."

"That is good. Let me make some arrangements first."

Wang Sheng fell into deep thought.

The Heavenly Yuanshen Sect's forces closest to the ancient battlefield have to be eliminated as soon as possible.

1. Talk no jutsu™. ☜