So they're completely disregarding the Nether Realm? Or have they already reached some understanding with the Nether Realm beforehand?

Inside the courtyard, Wang Sheng sat calmly and leisurely while dozens of people surrounded him and Ling Sheng from every direction, even above and below. They sealed the area completely shut.

On the surface, they looked like mere cannon fodder. Not one seemed especially capable. However, setting aside whether stronger experts were hidden in the shadows and lying in ambush, this elite force alone already made Wang Sheng rather envious.

It was not the kind of "killing blade" that could be created overnight.

Perhaps Wang Sheng and Ling Sheng's calm composure shocked them. After smashing through the walls and arrays, the intruders suddenly stopped and stared at Wang Sheng. If not for the fact that he was still calmly lifting his teacup to drink, the entire scene would have looked frozen in place.

At that instant, countless lines of sight throughout Fengdu City gathered toward his location, including many experts and major figures. Wang Sheng knew that every response from this point onward had to be handled carefully. Moreover, he could use this opportunity to send a message to his allies that he had already arrived.

Right then, the people surrounding him charged at Wang Sheng and Ling Sheng like ghosts, the sharp blades they gripped exuding dazzling spiritual glow.

No one used treasured artifacts or divine abilities. Every movement was clean and decisive, showing not even the slightest hesitation. The moment they attacked, they unleashed techniques designed purely to kill.

A streak of blood red flashed through Ling Sheng's eyes, but Wang Sheng stopped her through voice transmission.

The next instant, silver light exploded. Around Wang Sheng, layer after layer of phantasmal figures suddenly appeared, spreading outward in every direction. It looked as though he had summoned countless clones of himself, but in truth, he had merely drawn and swung his sword too quickly, leaving behind numerous afterimages.

Moreover, the moment the silver flowing longsword left its sheath, another layer of afterimages surrounded Wang Sheng!

The afterimages spread outward while maintaining various sword forms such as thrusts, horizontal slashes, and upward flicks, as though the sword techniques that had been carved into the stone walls had suddenly come alive.

Nevertheless, beneath the sword radiance, the enemy seemingly hurled themselves willingly into the attacks. Soft tears rang out endlessly as Primordial Spirits were repeatedly pierced apart. Moreover, dozens of surging immortal power fluctuations abruptly reversed direction and exploded from within.

Time once again appeared to stop.

Wang Sheng seemed to have remained completely still throughout the commotion. He was still seated in place, drinking tea, as the longsword beside him stood upright against the ground, still within its sheath.

The gray figures who had charged forward all stopped half a zhang ahead, strangely frozen.

Wang Sheng lifted his teacup, took a small sip, and then gently set it down again. As the soft clink from the cup touching the table echoed lightly, the afterimages around the black figures, each frozen in different sword forms, vanished simultaneously.

There was no blood. No corpses.

Only traces of chaotic Dao Rhythm and lingering immortal power fluctuations remained behind, proving that dozens of assassins had indeed attacked Wang Sheng and his servant moments earlier.

Wang Sheng muttered, "I just bought this courtyard."

He shook his head slightly and glanced toward a street alley outside the courtyard, waiting quietly for the situation to develop further.

Throughout Fengdu City, those observing him using immortal perception and divine perception were now filled with deep wariness.

Only a small number of people sensed the pure and refined Dao Rhythm of Wang Sheng's Dao of Slaughter. They were also the only ones who recognized just how terrifying the sword in his hand truly was.

A natural spiritual treasure!

The Dao of Slaughter!

Wang Sheng was immediately labeled a true expert capable of fighting even powerful beings head-on.

The Great Dao itself held no distinction between high and low, but cultivators' divine abilities differed vastly.

The Dao of Slaughter was never meant for ordinary combat. It existed solely for slaughter and ending lives.

Wang Sheng simply kept waiting in silence. Soon, another group rushed over from the inner city of Fengdu City.

The police had arrived to collect the bodies—ahem. More accurately, experts of the Nether Realm had arrived with several hundred ghost wardens to handle the aftermath.

The enemy being able to launch such an attack clearly meant they had already communicated with the Nether Realm. The Nether Realm had no choice but to give them face and temporarily withdraw the ghost wardens patrolling this area.

What the Nether Realm never expected, however, was that even the Black Emperor's people could make such a severe misjudgment. They had sent dozens of elite assassins, only for all of them to be annihilated instantly.

Now, the Nether Realm had no choice but to step forward, condemn the attackers, and offer Wang Sheng compensation and apologies.

The same old routine.

Wang Sheng did not say much. After all, he knew that today's matter was far from over. Stronger experts still lurked.

After exchanging several polite words with the two Nether Realm experts, Wang Sheng casually asked, "The Nether Realm's King of Hell recruitment has attracted guests from every corner. However, I personally hold little interest in the position itself. Does your realm happen to have any other positions in need of people?"

This was one of the methods to infiltrate the Nether Realm's ranks that Wang Sheng had considered earlier.

The two Nether Realm experts exchanged glances and chuckled softly.

One of them said, "Your question truly is unusual, Daoist Friend. With your abilities, obtaining a seat among the Kings of Hell is hardly impossible. Why would you instead—"

Wang Sheng smiled faintly. "The Kings of Hell sit endlessly within the Yanluo Palace, judging ghosts and sentencing souls day and night. Honestly, that sounds terribly dull. I have always admired Great Virtuous Houtu. Ever since the beginning of my cultivation journey, I have heard stories of her deeds. If I could join the Nether Realm and take part in defending it, that would suit me perfectly."

The two Nether Realm experts exchanged uneasy looks. "Daoist Friend, surely you're joking?"

Wang Sheng's smile disappeared. He replied seriously, "I am not."

A tall, thin elder smiled bitterly. "To be honest, we don't really know how to respond. An expert like you is naturally someone the Nether Realm would gladly welcome. However, this is a critical time for us. Even if you truly mean it, it will have to wait until the situation settles."

"Indeed. If you sincerely wish to join us, we would welcome you with the highest courtesy. I believe the Kings of Hell and generals would all be delighted as well."

"In that case, why don't we leave a way to contact each other?"

Wang Sheng smiled and took out two communication jade talismans. He handed one over. "If you ever need assistance, simply crush this jade talisman. I'll immediately know where it was broken and hurry over to help."

"Well..."

The two Nether Realm experts still looked dazed.

What exactly is going on here?

This was the first time they had encountered someone insisting on offering benefits to the Nether Realm.

Anyone with eyes could see how difficult the Nether Realm's current position was. External factions pressured them from every direction, and internal problems kept popping up. They had even voluntarily opened a King of Hell seat to outsiders, allowing others access to the Six-Path Wheel of Reincarnation, just to reduce the pressure on their realm.

This was far from the Nether Realm's golden age. Yet somehow, someone still wanted to join them willingly.

At that moment, they truly wanted to ask Wang Sheng one thing.

What exactly are you after?

"Daoist Friend, may we know your name?"

"I am Xu Xian."

"Daoist Xu, forgive our earlier discourtesy."

"It's fine."

Wang Sheng exchanged a few more pleasantries with them. Afterward, with the help of the Nether Realm officials, he moved to another courtyard. The Nether Realm also increased the number of ghost warden patrols nearby.

Naturally, all of this was just for show. They simply wanted to maintain the Nether Realm's authority in Fengdu City.

Wang Sheng did not think much of it. Since he was already here, he might as well stay put for the time being. He remained in the new residence for several days without going out. After all, the signal had already been sent.

The Dao of Slaughter, sword cultivator, Xu Xian. Surely my companions—ahem, my friends, would figure something out from that.

Wang Sheng's guess ended up being right.

The slaughter he carried out in Fengdu City's fourth ring had intimidated the lurking troublemakers while also spreading his reputation. It gave Xu Zhongliang and the others quite a few clues.

What Wang Sheng overlooked, however, was that the reinforcements from Earth were still trapped on the road, desperately searching for a way into the Nether Realm. Moreover, Chun Yangzi and the others completely failed to pick up on the clue behind the name "Xu Xian."

Several experts gathered and discussed the sudden appearance of the sword cultivator who had mastered the Dao of Slaughter.

Perhaps Wang Sheng had hidden himself too deeply. Even Xu Zhongliang and the others genuinely could not be certain.

"The Dao of Slaughter? Since when did Fei Yu have the Dao of Slaughter? His strongest Dao should be the Great Dao of Creation, followed by the Great Dao of the Stars."

Chun Yangzi stroked his chin while recalling Wang Sheng's earlier sword strike.

It looked nothing like his Pure Yang sword technique; there was not even the slightest resemblance. It belonged to a completely different Daoist art, one seemingly created solely for slaughter. One could not just casually comprehend such techniques.

Wu Tianshou muttered, "Even Fei Yu's Great Dao of the Stars probably isn't as profound as that man's Dao of Slaughter. Did any of you actually see clearly when he attacked just now? I honestly couldn't."

"The possibility that this person is Fei Yu is still rather high," Xu Zhongliang said thoughtfully. "Not only because of the Dao and divine abilities he displayed during the fight. Did you notice what he did afterward?"

"It seemed like he exchanged pleasantries with the Nether Realm officials."

Xu Zhongliang nodded. "Exactly. Xu Xian is obviously a fake name. The cold efficiency he displayed while killing people completely contradicted the deliberate friendliness he showed toward the Nether Realm experts. I've sensed that same contradiction from Fei Yu several times before."

"That alone probably isn't enough to confirm anything," Chun Yangzi said. "Why don't I secretly test him myself?"

Xu Zhongliang smiled. "There's no need for that at the moment. We should simply wait and observe. The people who attacked him are unlikely to let this matter go so easily. Let's first see what they do next. The more he makes a move, the easier it'll be for us to identify him."

Wang Shan, who had remained silent until now, suddenly commented, "Before any of us show ourselves, he might expose flaws that would allow Feng Jiu's faction to discover him."

"That shouldn't happen so easily."

***

Wang Sheng waited in his new home for seven days.

"How has nobody come to find me yet?"

It's literally Xu Xian. Is that hint really not obvious enough? First, the story itself originated from Earth. Second, it reflects how I myself had once been little more than a pretty boy who only reached my current position thanks to the support of all my seniors.

Wang Sheng scratched his head helplessly, feeling as though he and Xu Zhongliang's group were completely failing to understand each other.

If that's the case...

Grinding his teeth, Wang Sheng brought Ling Sheng out of the courtyard. This time, he deliberately headed toward the outskirts of Fengdu City.

I'll just have to show them even more!

He could also use this as an opportunity to eliminate the Taiyi Golden Immortals who had been hiding in the shadows, watching him this entire time. He'd essentially be trimming a few branches off the Black Emperor's faction while he was at it.