Xu Zhongliang calmly stated, "That Nine-Essence Dao-Condensing Pill is of extraordinary grade. Take a closer look. Fei Yu's foundation is quite steady; there is no sign of instability."

High in the sky, several people nodded in agreement. They were all standing guard for Wang Sheng, their eyes fixed on him below. No one even blinked once.

Wu Tianshou let out a low hum. "Brother Zhuge's pill-refining skills are truly impressive. If the Heavenly Court were still around, and we could obtain the nine-cycle-grade qi pill that Daode Tianzun had left behind, we would have had far more reliable pills."

Xu Zhongliang smiled. "Where would we even find a nine-cycle-grade qi pill now? Having these pills is already good enough."

Wang Shan commented softly, "The Second Master might have some. That War Buddha should have had some in reserve in the past as well."

With a more serious tone, Xu Zhongliang asked, "Speaking of the Buddhists, have we made contact with them yet?"

Wang Shan replied, "We haven't gotten a clear response."

"I suppose they are still watching from the sidelines. However, over in the Western Sky Region, one faction is already showing signs of rising. Since we are supporting Fei Yu now, we may end up clashing with that force in the future. You should all keep that in mind."

"Let us see this plan through first," Wu Tianshou said. "No matter how much we plan ahead, we can only move forward step by step."

Xu Zhongliang just chuckled softly in response.

Below them, the phenomena around the pillar of light grew denser. Wang Sheng's breakthrough had clearly reached a critical moment.

What they did not know was that for an instant, Wang Sheng had fallen into a daze. His consciousness had sunk into his own Heavenly Ziwei Sword Intent and connected with the Great Dao of the Stars, where he now held a long conversation with Ziwei's final remnant soul.

This breakthrough lasted a full three months.

The phenomena around the pillar of light intensified and weakened in endless cycles. Behind Wang Sheng, several great sword intents merged, forming a balanced state led by the Heavenly Ziwei Sword Intent, the Pure Yang Sword Intent, and the Myriad-Slaying Sword Intent.

Just as he had come to understand, there was no need to force all his sword intents into complete unity. That held no real meaning.

His Dao of the Sword lay beyond them. Not only had it been around for a long time, but it was now growing stronger as well. All sword intents fell under its command.

On the ninety-second day, the pillar of light finally faded.

Wang Sheng sat cross-legged in the air with his eyes closed, staying completely still for a long while. Now that his consciousness had returned to him, a tear slipped quietly from the corner of his eye.

Strands of Dao Rhythm drifted outward as he stood up. Around him, golden lotuses with nine petals bloomed one after another. Within each lotus, an oval galaxy seemed to revolve.

His ascension to the Golden Immortal Realm had relied on the Dao of the Stars, but the immortal power within him retained its Pure Yang attribute. Though the breakthrough had not brought him any extraordinary gains, the increase in strength was undeniable.

At his chest, a small wooden sword poked its head out as if to catch some air, then slipped back inside and returned to its post within his dantian.

Several people descended from the sky.

Xu Zhongliang did not say much. He raised a hand and pressed it against Wang Sheng's shoulder, examining his Dao.

Soon, his brow furrowed. He muttered, "What is going on? Your cultivation realm has advanced, and the Dao of the Stars itself is on par with the Golden Immortal Realm. There is no issue with your Daoist realm, but..."

Wu Tianshou asked with concern, "What is it?"

Xu Zhongliang lowered his voice. "Where is the transcendence phenomenon that every Golden Immortal experiences?"

Wang Sheng smiled wryly. He had yet to shake off the strange bitterness lingering in his heart. "This is probably the drawback of breaking through with pills. It is fine. I already have Golden Immortal Realm strength. Let us finish the plan first; cultivation can wait."

"This is not a small matter." Wu Tianshou frowned. "Let me check."

The armored man placed his large hand on Wang Sheng's shoulder as well, only to reach the same conclusion as Xu Zhongliang.

Wang Sheng's Daoist and cultivation realms had both reached the Golden Immortal Realm. He was, without question, a true Golden Immortal.

However, the Dao Body of beings who had reached that realm usually produced various phenomena. They usually exuded a faint fragrance, and within their Dao Body, one could find a white flower quietly blooming—the Flower of Transcendence that symbolized eternal life.

Though Wang Sheng had reached the realm, he had not transcended. Everyone couldn't help but be puzzled and deeply worried about his condition.

Wang Shan said, "This is likely related to Empress Nuwa."

"Could the sacred spirit be different from us?"

"That should not be the case. The Great Dao set these rules, and Fei Yu is still a living being."

Several mighty figures, along with the many Heavenly Court immortals and deities who had gathered nearby, pondered the cause. One after another, old immortals and graceful immortal maidens pressed their hands against Wang Sheng's shoulder to examine him. Since he knew they meant well, he endured it and let them... take advantage of him.

He was a married man, after all.

While the others were still deep in thought, Wang Sheng glanced at Wang Shan. "Is Fengmo stable?"

Wang Shan whispered, "Mmm, it's peaceful over there right now, but to avoid exposing the location, the people I send there only take a look at the ancient battlefield from a distance and then leave from the side. They can only roughly sense that no battles have broken out and that there is no sign of bloodshed. However, there's no way to be certain about the exact situation."

Wang Sheng nodded. "As long as there is no fighting, that is good."

He sighed softly, his gaze becoming a little complicated.

Xu Zhongliang, who had been pondering Wang Sheng's strange case of becoming a Golden Immortal without immortality, suddenly asked while stroking his chin, "Fei Yu, when you broke through, did you see anything?"

"I saw Emperor Ziwei."

The surroundings fell silent at once. Every gaze turned toward Wang Sheng.

Wang Sheng wiped his face with both hands and smiled bitterly. "I was useless. I could not persuade his remnant soul to take the path of rebirth. He faded away right before me, and I could not even do anything..."

Xu Zhongliang walked over and placed a hand on Wang Sheng's shoulder. Wang Sheng had expected a scolding from him, but what he received instead was a soft laugh and a gentle reassurance.

"His Imperial Majesty was already exhausted. Why would you still want him to come out and serve you?"

"That's actually quite similar to what he told me."

The immortals around them all looked sorrowful, and sighs rose one after another.

Xu Zhongliang asked seriously, "What exactly did he tell you? This does not only concern you; it is tied to the lives of everyone here."

Wang Sheng thought for a moment. He then said, "We had quite a long conversation. We spoke for several days and nights, but there is one matter that he specifically instructed me to keep to myself and never tell others. I can recount everything else verbatim."

The immortals gathered around him again. They temporarily set aside Wang Sheng's ascension issue and focused on listening to his account of his conversation with Ziwei.

To the immortals of the Heavenly Court, Ziwei was more than just one of the Four Heavenly Ministers. After the fall of the Immortal Emperor, he had been regarded as the successor. He led the immortals in a counterattack against the Immortal Saint Realm, and in the end, he held back countless enemies alone so the others could escape.

The tragedy surrounding him, along with his final stand for the Heavenly Court, had earned him a reputation that now surpassed even that of the Immortal Emperor. After all, the sudden destruction of the Heavenly Court and the descent of the Five Heavenly Declines were burdens that fell on Haotian.

Unfortunately, despite being the hero that he was, even he could not turn the tide. He ultimately died without even a resting place.

Wang Sheng spoke for half a day. When he described how Ziwei smiled faintly, rose to his feet, said "I am leaving," and then walked into the vast sea of stars, the immortals could no longer hide their grief.

Even Wu Tianshou and Wang Shan, who rarely showed emotion, stood in silence.

Xu Zhongliang smiled. "It is better this way—that he has gone. No more ties, no more burdens. Fei Yu, do not blame yourself too much. His Imperial Majesty is stubborn. Once he made up his mind, no one could change it. Even if His Immortal Majesty came back to life to save him, he would likely refuse."

At the side, Wang Shan sent Wang Sheng a brief voice transmission.

Wang Sheng nodded. "Mm."

He adjusted the hem of his Daoist robe and slowly rose into the air.

Looking at the gathering of immortals, he declared, "I have broken through to the Golden Immortal Realm, which means I am now strong enough to protect myself, albeit barely. The traitors of the Immortal Saint Realm still seek our destruction."

"They are searching the endless space in full force, trying to root us out one by one and eliminate us to ease their fears. But today, I intend to strike back and show them that even if the Heavenly Court has fallen, its immortals are not to be bullied at will!

"Everyone!" Wang Sheng clasped his hands in salute. "I ask for your support."

All the immortals and gods of the Heavenly Court, regardless of whether they doubted Wang Sheng, now acknowledged the fact that he, as the ancient sacred spirit, would be the one to lead the revival of the Heavenly Court.

They all returned the salute. Xu Zhongliang, Wang Shan, and the other mighty figures did the same.

Wu Tianshou shouted, "We shall follow you and slay the enemy, Lord Fei Yu!"

The immortals echoed in unison, "We shall follow you and slay the enemy, Lord Fei Yu!"

Deep down in his heart, Wang Sheng quietly sighed. Only a few knew the details of the God-Slaying Plan. To ensure the "golden cicada plan" would succeed and to make these hundreds of years of effort worth it, he would have to deceive them as well.

Xu Zhongliang said, "Let us move somewhere more suitable to discuss the next steps."

The immortals all agreed. They rose into the air in a grand procession toward a distant, active volcanic crater. There stood a great palace built from black mystic stone. It served as the temporary command center for the Heavenly Court's counterattack.

Right now, Wang Sheng had no idea that two groups were already searching for him frantically. One was the force under Hostess Su. The other was Earth's group.

The former sought him out to bring Lishang to his side. With the treasures from Nuwa's race, Wang Sheng would grow even stronger. Unfortunately, Hostess Su had no way to directly contact Wang Shan, who had spent the past three hundred years constantly switching hideouts. Moreover, those Wang Shan had sent out always acted with extreme caution, leaving immediately after completing their tasks.

Earth's cultivation world had a much simpler reason why they couldn't track him down: they were too weak, and they could not leave the Eastern Sky Region. Wang Sheng had also intentionally instructed Wang Shan to sever any clear connection between him and the ancient battlefield.

The purpose of Earth's cultivators was actually more important. That was why they had to be grateful for the Time-Cycle Grand Array that Haotian had set up. Because of it, only three years had passed on Earth since Nuwa's statue was unearthed. It had not caused many incidents of biological mutation. On the contrary, several biological research institutes had even been built nearby.