Back then, when he faced a Taiyi Golden Immortal, Wang Sheng had to exhaust every trick he had. Only by borrowing the power through the Divine-Possession Art could he hope to kill one head-on.

But today was different.

Outside Fengdu City, Wang Sheng stood quietly amid the drifting dust, one hand resting on the silver-white Lianqiao longsword.

At his feet lay six severed remains belonging to three enemies. One of them had reverted to its true form, a flood dragon dozens of zhang long. The other two were human cultivators.

Wang Sheng sheathed his longsword. He could feel countless gazes gathering around him. His heart stirred slightly as he raised his voice and declared. "Spread the word: anyone who tries to assassinate me, Xu Xian, will never escape the sword in my hand."

After laughing coldly, he turned and walked back toward Fengdu City while reciting a poem aloud.

"One kill in ten steps—don't ask for my name. Ten thousand years to forge this blade, to slaughter gods and the myriad just the same."

This hint should be obvious enough, right?

Back then, he had clearly told Xu Zhongliang and the others about the Myriad-Slaying Sword Intent. There was no way they would miss such a direct clue.

He could not afford to shout that he knew the Pure Yang Sword Art in public. If someone overheard him, it would not take long before they connected him to Chun Yangzi.

Wang Sheng grumbled inwardly while maintaining an icy expression on the surface. He then returned to his new residence with Ling Sheng, who had not even gotten the chance to make a move.

Not long after, officials from the Nether Realm arrived once again to offer their regards. They warned him that Fengdu City had recently become crowded with all sorts of ghosts and cultivators, advising "Senior Xu Xian" to remain cautious.

Apparently, when Wang Sheng mentioned wanting to join the Nether Realm, they truly believed him.

Fortunately, things did not disappoint him this time.

Two days later, Wang Sheng wandered through the streets with Ling Sheng, casually taking in the crowded and gloomy atmosphere of Fengdu City. After some time, someone spoke to him through telepathy.

They revealed neither gender nor age, and it was impossible to trace. Still, the question was quite simple.

"Daoist Friend, if you know Daoist Master Qing Long, please nod lightly."

Qing Long had once been the sect master of the Shu Sword Sect. Only after leaving Earth had he passed the position down to another.

That single question immediately revealed the shrewdness of the person asking it. Anyone who understood would instantly catch what they meant, while outsiders would learn nothing at all.

Wang Sheng calmly nodded once. Beside him, Ling Sheng tilted her head in confusion.

He got another telepathic message.

"If you know Daoist Master Fei Lianzi, please nod three times."

Is this... some kind of login security check?

Wang Sheng did not know whether to laugh or cry. Still, he nodded three times.

The first time could perhaps be dismissed as a coincidence, but this should eliminate any doubt.

"If you know Wang Xiaomiao, please jump happily once."

Jump...

Wang Sheng was momentarily speechless. He was the successor of Nuwa, the Great Dao of Creation's wielder, and possibly the man destined to save the universe. Yet here he was, being asked to perform a cheerful little jump.

With a cold snort, he leaped forward with both feet together. He even bounced a few more times afterward.

Mm?

Quite a few nearby immortals turned to him, but he just calmly continued walking as if nothing had happened. Another telepathic message soon followed, giving him directions to a certain location.

It resembled a tea house, but only because beautiful female ghost cultivators wandered throughout the establishment. Some danced in the main hall, while others disappeared into private sealed rooms to engage in activities better left undescribed.

This was an entertainment venue similar to those found within the Qiluo Celestial Realm. Apparently, humans were not the only ones with desires. Immortals and ghost cultivators were no exception.

Upon Wang Sheng's arrival, a female cultivator dressed in red quickly guided him to a secluded private room. Ling Sheng followed quietly at his side. Since quite a few people had brought female attendants along, nobody found it strange.

Once inside the room, they waited for a while. Several beautiful women then entered and sat around the round table in front of Wang Sheng. Layers of restrictions immediately sealed the entire area.

Thinking about it carefully, he realized a place like this was truly perfect for activating numerous barriers without drawing suspicion.

After all, everyone understood the meaning of privacy.

Wang Sheng looked at the three "women" cautiously. The three exchanged glances, then awkwardly smiled at one another before removing their disguises.

Xu Zhongliang, Chun Yangzi, and Wang Shan revealed themselves.

Wang Sheng was rendered speechless.

After a moment, he sighed. "You've all suffered greatly."

He then asked his own set of "security questions." Xu Zhongliang answered each one smoothly, allowing the four to simultaneously relax. At last, they had successfully found each other.

Wang Sheng said softly, "To be safe, it's better if you change back into your earlier appearances. We should avoid accidents."

The three nodded and restored their female disguises.

Chun Yangzi chuckled lightly. "Fei Yu, can you kill a Grand Dao Golden Immortal now?"

"I honestly don't know since I've never fought one before. Forefather, Seniors, I cultivated behind the scenes while you all wandered for ten thousand years. I owe you all an apology!"

Wang Shan replied flatly, "It's okay."

Xu Zhongliang smiled. "It's for the liberation of all life across the universe, after all—that's what Xiaomiao said jokingly. Fei Yu, let's talk about the task at hand first before catching up. I'll tell you everything we currently know in as much detail as possible, then you can decide what to do next."

Wang Sheng nodded. "Alright."

Xu Zhongliang immediately explained everything point by point. At times, Wang Sheng frowned, while at other moments, his expression eased slightly.

Overall, the situation was more optimistic than Wang Sheng had expected.

The first matter concerned the territory already confirmed to be under Feng Jiu's influence. It included vast star domains in the Western Sky Region, several newly risen factions in the northwestern region of the Immortal Saint Realm, and several long-established powers in the Immortal Saint Realm that were highly suspected to be secretly under Feng Jiu's control.

The other side had already seized nearly a fifth of the Immortal Saint Realm's territory, and that estimate was still considered conservative. Feng Jiu already had the momentum to swallow the Three Realms whole.

The second matter was that Xu Zhongliang and the others had already confirmed through various methods that Feng Jiu was the one pressuring Houtu.

On the eve of the Nether Realm's King of Hell selection announcement, dozens of experts launched an assault on Fengdu City's inner district, forcibly opening a path leading to the Six-Path Wheel of Reincarnation. Three people had also apparently entered the Six-Path Wheel of Reincarnation itself.

Although they were eventually repelled, the pressure that the Nether Realm had endured was immense.

Xu Zhongliang also revealed that the rumor claiming Qinghua would soon arrive at Fengdu City had been deliberately spread to misinform. Moreover, the Nether Realm's response to it had its own deeper implications.

Xu Zhongliang's report lasted half a shichen.

Afterward, Chun Yangzi added, "I'll cover our side's combat strength. Roughly speaking, the ratio is one to ten."

Wang Sheng brightened. "Forefather, has the situation become that optimistic already? We're already that strong compared to Feng Jui's forces?"

Chun Yangzi shrugged. "Only under the assumption that we fully utilize all of our available strength, while everything Feng Jiu currently shows us is already their full hand. If we compare actual strength, it's probably closer to one against twenty."

Wang Sheng pondered for a moment. He then replied, "Alright then."

Though they had only just reunited, they couldn't even find the time to properly catch up before moving straight into exchanging intelligence and discussing their next steps.

One difficult problem after another lay before them. Wang Sheng also shared his own idea, which was to infiltrate the Nether Realm's offices and personally investigate its situation.

Chun Yangzi immediately opposed the idea. "You're effectively our main commander now. I don't recommend taking such a risk."

Xu Zhongliang countered, "If you don't enter the tiger's den, how can you catch the tiger cub? So far, we've only been passive at every turn. If we refuse to take risks, we'll only be able to watch this deadlock; we won't have any way to break it."

Wang Shan suggested, "How about we all go instead?"

Wang Sheng thought for a moment, then smiled. "Actually, it's more appropriate for me to go alone. There's no need to worry, Forefather. I do have some ability to protect myself now, and I want to find a way to speak directly with Empress Houtu if possible. You may not know this, but Empress Houtu once had some ties with Goddess Nuwa. If we approach things from that angle, perhaps we'll find a turning point."

Chun Yangzi asked, "What if she has already sided with Feng Jiu?"

"That's fine as well. I have my own way to escape."

Chun Yangzi stopped objecting; he simply nodded in agreement.

The group quickly settled on their plans moving forward, deciding to move on three fronts simultaneously.

Wang Sheng would infiltrate the Nether Realm offices himself and attempt to secretly make contact with Houtu before Fengdu City's assembly began, while Xu Zhongliang and the others would continue preparing for the assembly. They would either prevent the event from proceeding smoothly, or they would find a way to secure the King of Hell position.

They also prepared a third contingency plan.

If nothing could be accomplished within the Nether Realm, they would launch a surprise attack in the Immortal Saint Realm itself while every major power focused its attention on the Nether Realm. They would target the Black Emperor and the other forces serving as Feng Jiu's claws and fangs, attempting to eliminate the enemy's effective strength while minimizing their own losses.

That would at least reduce some of the pressure they would face in the future.

After settling this series of plans, Chun Yangzi and Xu Zhongliang finally relaxed somewhat and curiously studied Wang Sheng's Great Dao of Creation.

Although Wang Shan didn't say anything, he also quietly listened to their discussion the entire time. His aged eyes occasionally examined the illusions appearing within Wang Sheng's palm.

Creation was not simply about creating or altering things. It was the power to turn decay into wonder and transform impossibility into possibility.

Wang Sheng's understanding of the Great Dao of Creation was still not particularly deep. He had only reached the stage of grasping and being able to use it. If he were given another hundred thousand years, he could truly become one of the top great powers.

But time no longer allowed such luxury. He now had to throw himself directly into the great tide ahead.

"This feeling really is quite strange." Xu Zhongliang smiled. "Before this, even though we knew you were in seclusion back at your hometown, none of us truly felt reassured.

"Your sister possesses extraordinary talent and a meticulous mind. She's always been highly capable and far smarter than you. Even so, now that you've appeared in person, people naturally feel at ease."

Chun Yangzi asked, "Why does Ling Sheng seem somewhat different now?"

Wang Sheng smiled. "I used the Great Dao of Creation to alter Ling Sheng's fate."

He then casually told them about the three times he had been frightened by heavenly might, leaving even the three old immortals staring at each other in shock.

Chun Yangzi warned with concern, "Once you've provoked heavenly might three times, your next offense will bring heavenly punishment."

"Very few people alive today can even draw heavenly punishment. Fei Yu, you have to act cautiously from now on. Don't casually alter someone's fate against heaven again."

Still smiling, Wang Sheng nodded. "Mm."

He then grew curious.

"Forefather, Seniors, what exactly is going on with the Three Pure Ones?"