At last, Wang Sheng experienced the true speed of a Grand Dao Golden Immortal.

It was far beyond what a Heavenly Immortal could achieve in flight, and even traveling through a primal qi passage could not compare. Of course, this was not only due to Hostess Su's divine ability. The carriage and the koi itself were likely treasures that enhanced their speed.

In less than half a day, they had already left the ancient battlefield's galaxy.

In three days, they would reach a planet known as Jingling. There stood a mountain called Mount Guishen, which the Black Emperor's forces now occupied. Another branch of the Heavenly Yuanshen Sect had been established there.

Just how powerful are the Black Emperor's forces? In only ten years, the Heavenly Yuanshen Sect has built a branch on every celestial body named 'Guishen' across the Eastern Sky Region.

I don't know if their sect's name has any deeper meaning, but the sheer scale of its force is unsettling. And according to Hostess Su, this is only a tiny fraction of the Black Emperor's power.

On the soft couch, Wang Sheng sighed quietly. "He really does come across as the main villain."

No one in the carriage paid him any attention. Hostess Su and Yaoyun played a game of Chinese chess, while Lishang stood nearby, watching with her hands behind her back. Because Yaoyun kept losing at Go against Hostess Su, she brought out a game that her opponent had never played before.

Hostess Su was impressively skilled; she had already gotten a sharp grasp of the game. On the other hand, when the Heavenly Court was still around, Yaoyun had studied under masters and picked up refined techniques from many seasoned immortals.

The match intensified as the two faced off, with neither side giving ground.

Lishang was simply watching for amusement. Since she wasn't a native of Earth, she was not particularly skilled at the game.

"Check!"

"You are still too impatient, Your Highness. Here, I'll move my elephant. What can you do now?"

The Chinese chess they played was the version from Earth marked with "Chu River and Han Border" in the middle of the board.

Wang Sheng glanced at Ling Sheng, who was cultivating inside his Qiankun Ring, but decided not to call her out. The balance of yin and yang within the carriage was already off.

Shouldn't we come up with some kind of battle plan, though? Soon, Lishang and I will be facing many experts under the Black Emperor, and Hostess Su has made it clear that she'll only act if necessary.

"Um..."

Lishang turned and raised a finger to her lips, signaling him to be quiet.

Wang Sheng quieted down. He cultivated in silence instead.

They had a long campaign of harassment ahead of them. Unfortunately, he was uncertain how effective it would be. He had to simultaneously draw the attention of the Black Emperor's forces without provoking them into a full pursuit, repeatedly attack the forces on Guishen until they had been eliminated, and avoid suspicion.

To that end, Wang Sheng studied a star map and planned numerous ambush routes. He was not afraid of this kind of fighting, but he was worried that they would run into a large group of enemy experts that they could not handle.

Since Hostess Su had left the Qiluo Celestial Realm, the flow of intelligence had slowed. There was no perfect solution. Without trustworthy Grand Dao Golden Immortals at her side, she had to ensure Wang Sheng's escape herself.

Chun Yangzi could not personally escort him, either. Once the Heaven-Scouring Grand Array was activated, not only would the Black Emperor and the Heavenly Court's enemies in the Immortal Saint Realm pursue him, but countless female immortals across the five great sky regions and the Immortal Saint Realm could end up joining the chase as well.

Such a group might even be as strong as the Black Emperor's forces, if not stronger.

Ahem. Just kidding.

Still, having someone to rely on eased his mind. At least he no longer felt alone.

Three days later, two people slipped quietly into the endless sandstorm of Jingling and made their way to Mount Guishen.

Large forces were currently locked in a standoff around the mountain. Several Golden Immortals radiated pressure from the summit, while tens of thousands of local cultivators gathered on the outskirts.

Jingling was a nation[1] of immortal cultivators. In truth, it was simply a sect that had grown large enough to take on a different name; its structure remained much the same.

The cultivators of Jingling were filled with anger and resentment toward the Heavenly Yuanshen Sect, which had descended from the sky. Before so many powerful combatants, though, all they could do was gather their forces and prepare to fight to the death.

Today, however, something felt off. The sandstorm had been raging nonstop for half a day, and an eerie silence had settled over Mount Guishen.

Deep underground, Ling Sheng floated with her arms outstretched, green vine phantasms swirling around her. Wang Sheng and Lishang stood guard nearby, watching for any approaching enemies.

Moments later, the ground trembled. A blood-curdling scream rang out through the storm, and the scent of blood spread quickly.

On Mount Guishen, chaos erupted within the Heavenly Yuanshen Sect. Several Golden Immortals fought with their lives on the line. Dozens of Heavenly Immortals, hundreds of True Immortals, and thousands of conscripted celestial soldiers all turned on one another, their eyes bloodshot as they swung their weapons at those beside them.

The cultivators of Jingling outside were stunned, unable to understand what was happening. Their general immediately ordered a retreat.

That one command spared them from being caught in the aftermath of the Golden Immortals' battle.

Two hours later, Mount Guishen collapsed, leaving behind ruins and a blood-soaked ground.

Wang Sheng swiftly finished off three Golden Immortals and took their storage artifacts. Afterward, he scattered Pure Yang True Flame across the area and left with Ling Sheng and Lishang. When they returned to the koi-drawn carriage, Hostess Su used her ability and carried them away.

They had wiped out a branch of the Heavenly Yuanshen Sect in less than half a day. Still, instead of stopping to rest, they turned toward another distant celestial body bearing the name Guishen.

The cultivators of Jingling had been completely baffled. After cautiously investigating the ruins and confirming that the Heavenly Yuanshen Sect had destroyed itself through internal conflict, they were overjoyed.

The dramatic turn of events had all happened in a single day.

Jingling's cultivators had not even begun to celebrate when several dark figures descended upon the celestial body and effortlessly destroyed its most prosperous city. Not one of its citizens survived.

After leveling the city, they returned to the ruins of Mount Guishen and knelt in unison before a woman with alluring phoenix eyes and red lips.

"General Lin, we have gotten some information using soul-searching techniques. The forces here suddenly went mad and turned on one another."

General Lin lazily repeated, "Turned on one another?"

The woman slowly turned around and exhaled thin wisps of smoke, which she had puffed from the jade smoking pipe in her hand.

General Lin had a striking figure, her curves bold and impossible to hide under the black cloak draped over her. She could even easily be described as breathtakingly charming. However, at that moment, a faint killing intent enveloped her.

Her subordinates had just destroyed a city and taken countless lives, including several Golden Immortals. Nevertheless, they were now drenched in cold sweat.

"You have been played right under your noses. How can you still shamelessly claim this was internal strife? 'Forces will be cut down at Guishen...' Could that line be referring to this place? If so, we shouldn't underestimate the one behind all this." She sighed. "I will have to use one of my precious treasures again."

She took a gentle puff from her pipe, then turned and slowly exhaled a stream of white smoke. Her every movement was soft and enticing. The people kneeling behind her did not dare raise their heads even for a glance.

Before long, strands of white smoke seeped out from different parts of Mount Guishen's ruins.

Within the smoke, three phantasms emerged from underground. They moved through the mist, finishing off wounded Golden Immortals and collecting storage artifacts. Afterward, they calmly departed.

"So something really is going on."

The woman smiled faintly. "Send word to all stationed forces. Tell them a ruthless enemy is attacking us with a Ghost Heart Vine. All teleportation arrays are to remain ready at any time.

"If anyone feels their killing intent surge out of control, they are to retreat immediately using the teleportation array. Heavenly Immortals and Golden Immortals should prioritize escape. As for True Immortals and Primordial Immortals, if they die, they die."

"Yes, General!" her subordinates responded in unison.

***

Two days later, Wang Sheng and Lishang launched another attack on the Heavenly Yuanshen Sect's branch located at a place called Guishen Lake.

However, they ran into a small problem: several Golden Immortals and dozens of Heavenly Immortals were already guarding the teleportation array. The moment Ling Sheng made her move, they activated the array and fled without hesitation.

Showing not even the slightest concern for the True Immortals they had left behind, they escaped successfully.

Wang Sheng couldn't help but feel as though they barely gained anything from their ambush. Even so, he remained thorough. He destroyed the Heavenly Yuanshen Sect's branch and destroyed the teleportation array before withdrawing at once.

Thanks to Hostess Su, they remained swift and untraceable.

Not long after Wang Sheng left, the same dark figures that had come to Mount Guishen arrived at the lake. They were a step too late, though. Unable to track the koi-drawn carriage, they vented their anger on the local cultivators.

Inside the carriage, Wang Sheng and the others discussed their next steps.

Hostess Su smiled. "The enemy has clearly taken precautions against our tactics and may have already sent a group after us. We will have to be more discreet from now on."

"Ling Sheng's presence has likely been exposed," Yaoyun added. "Otherwise, their experts would not all be guarding the teleportation arrays and fleeing the moment anything happens."

Lishang said seriously, "If every branch of the Heavenly Yuanshen Sect behaves like this, destroying the teleportation arrays will be difficult. We may have to move to more distant regions."

Still smiling faintly, Hostess Su countered, "It wouldn't make a difference. Three key figures are leading the forces that have been sent into the Eastern Sky Region. They likely issued these orders, which means every location has received them."

Wang Sheng frowned slightly. "Which three?"

"Three of the Eight Cloud Generals are rumored to have come to the Eastern Sky Region," Hostess Su said, her smile fading. "The Eight Cloud Generals are all Grand Dao Golden Immortals who serve the Black Emperor.

"They aren't as strong as the Grand Dao Golden Immortals of the older generation, but they are ruthless and well known for their killings in the Immortal Saint Realm. Each one is extremely difficult to deal with. Do not be fooled by how vast the Eastern Sky Region is. The Heavenly Yuanshen Sect's scattered branches are likely all under the command of these three."

Wang Sheng fell into thought. "If we eliminate those three, would it deal a serious blow to the Black Emperor?"

Hostess Su smiled. "It would not cripple him, but it would certainly make him suffer for tens of thousands of years. The question is how to eliminate them. To be clear, my expertise lies in pleasing your forefather, not in fighting. Do not expect me to clash head-on with the Black Emperor's lackeys."

Wang Sheng sat cross-legged, deep in thought. With his finger, he drew randomly along the hem of his Daoist robe.

After a moment, he looked up. "We should first wipe out the enemy branch on Guishen. We can deal with those three afterward. We have to remove all immediate threats while the Heaven-Scouring Grand Array is still under construction.

"Once the array is active, it might fully expose my location and identity, which would make it more likely for those three to come after us themselves. That would allow us to plan against them more effectively."

Lishang and Yaoyun nodded. Hostess Su, however, pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed softly.

"Dangerous people are hunting you down, yet you're still so confident. If I did not know you were only at the Heavenly Immortal Realm, I would have probably thought you were some great master of divine abilities."

Wang Sheng smiled faintly. "That's because I'm sure we'll find a way out of this."

He then lowered his head and resumed planning. Compared to his previous battles, he faced these powerful enemies with far greater composure.

1. Jingling is both the name of the planet and the nation. ☜