Chapter 528: The Celestial Wind's Young Sect Master Arrives!

Celestial gates had endless matters to deal with.

Wang Sheng had been cultivating for only two or three days when Linyuan brought the enigmatic Xuni to drink and talk. Another two or three days later, he finally entered a state of comprehension. However, a bell echoed through the mountain, signaling an emergency summons for all cultivators to gather at the main palace.

When Wang Sheng stepped out of his residence, he saw streaks of light tearing across the sky. The entire sect had clearly been alerted.

Without hesitation, he used his Rainbow-Light Flying Technique and merged into the rushing beams overhead.

By the time he reached the main palace, which he had visited once before, the place was already crowded, with more than a thousand celestial soldiers standing in formation in front of it. Several hundred cultivators in Daoist robes waited inside and around the palace. Every off-heritage sect member, disciple, elder, and Protector had answered the summons.

Inside the palace were a few dozen more immortals—the very core of the Xinghai Sect. Among them were the vice sect master, the sect master's senior disciples, and the elders of the same generation.

Wang Sheng had just landed when a female disciple gestured for him to go to the designated area for Protectors.

Among the dozens of immortals present, many were like him: Protectors who had joined recently. More than ten others had served the Xinghai Sect for many years and were considered "old members."

The goat-bearded Daoist master beside him smiled. "Greetings. I am Weiyangzi. How should I address you, Daoist Friend?"

Wang Sheng smiled lightly in response. "My surname is Pi, and my Daoist name is Kachew."

"A pleasure to meet you, Daoist Kachew."

"You are too polite. Let us watch each other's backs from now on," Wang Sheng replied, then got straight to the point. "Anyway, why have we been summoned?"

The nearby Protectors, clearly just as baffled, leaned closer.

Weiyangzi sighed faintly and shook his head. "

Haaa...

I have been in seclusion ever since I entered the Xinghai Sect. I really have no idea."

An elder in front of them turned around, giving Wang Sheng a calm and pleasant look. "It has something to do with the heir of the Celestial Wind Sect. A few days ago, a letter from their sect master mentioned that his son would visit soon. We didn't expect it to be

this

soon, though. His sudden arrival forced us to summon all Protectors."

Wang Sheng frowned slightly. His mind raced, forming a sly idea.

As a sword cultivator who preferred to focus solely on bold techniques and ignore everything unrelated to the sword, he understood his own priorities. He absolutely could not allow the Celestial Wind Sect or the Fengli Sect to take over the Xinghai Sect.

The young sect master had come for only one of two reasons. He either wished to express goodwill and forge ties, or he wished to flex his sect's strength and dominate the Xinghai Sect. It was still impossible to say which one, though.

When will the experts of Earth's cultivation world finally be strong enough to make it out of the Realm of Exiled Immortals? Here I am, a sword cultivator, forced to come up with these plots and schemes. What a complete waste of my expertise.

He fixed his attention on Linyuan, who was within the palace, and sent a voice transmission.

"Why did we summon the entire sect just for some other sect's heir? Does this not demean our own status? Regardless of their size, we're not subservient to the Celestial Wind Sect. The visitor isn't even their sect master. Such fanfare to welcome him will only inflate his ego, put us on the defensive, and make our disciples believe that we intend to side with the Celestial Wind Sect."

Afterward, he watched Linyuan closely.

In truth, he was also probing. If the Xinghai Sect still showed no reaction, then one or more of its core members likely already intended to side with the Celestial Wind Sect.

There was no need to make this a grand issue. Considering the great influence of the Celestial Wind Sect held great influence, it was only natural for the Xinghai Sect to treat their heir's visit with importance. Still, Linyuan considered Wang Sheng's reminder carefully.

Soon, he drew a sharp breath.

Wang Sheng was right.

Linyuan immediately approached the sect master and vice sect master, speaking to them in private. The dozens of senior figures in the hall then turned solemn and exchanged voice transmissions.

Not long after, Linyuan hurried out of the palace. The disciples split apart to clear a path.

Wang Sheng calmly stepped back along with the others. To his surprise, Linyuan strode forward and grabbed him by the arm.

"Protector Pi, I have a request. Please, come, let us speak inside."

Watching Wang Sheng get pulled straight into the palace, many Protectors and disciples of similar standing glanced at each other in confusion. They couldn't even begin to fathom what special ability the Primordial Immortal possessed.

Inside the palace, Wang Sheng was taken straight before the sect master and vice sect master.

Yao Xingzi was in a gray Daoist robe. He had wrinkles all over his face, yet his eyes occasionally flashed with sharp spirit. Beside him stood the half-serpent vice sect master. She still donned a veil and a simple dress, and her gaze had an unusual glimmer.

Behind the two were more than ten elders with high cultivation, forming a pillar of the Xinghai Sect's foundational strength. All were mid-stage to late-stage True Immortals.

Wang Sheng clasped his hands. "Greetings, Sect Master, Vice Sect Master, and elders."

"Protector Pi, there is no need for formality." Yao Xingzi paused, then sent a voice transmission. "The young sect master of the Celestial Wind Sect is already right outside the protective array. Please be upfront with me: how should we respond?"

After pondering briefly, Wang Sheng transmitted his ideas to Yao Xingzi without restraint. For a moment, Yao Xingzi looked deep in thought. He then nodded slowly.

Not long after, the vice sect master rode a cloud to the gate on a cloud, bringing along three elders and six disciples. Meanwhile, Yao Xingzi stepped out of the great palace and announced that he had summoned the entire sect today to declare an important matter.

Fairy Xingyu, the sect master's adopted daughter, wished to seek a Daoist partner. Three years from now, the sect would hold an intra-sect competition. Anyone who wished to pursue this fated union should start preparing.

The announcement shocked many disciples. A veiled immortal in the palace trembled slightly, but all she could do was silently lower her head.

Wang Sheng frowned a little at the situation, but he remained silent as well.

Sect masters were truly ruthless. They used the lifelong marriage of an adopted daughter as a pretext to divert the attention of the disciples.

After the announcement, Yao Xingzi transmitted, "What's next, Protector Pi?"

Wang Sheng immediately transmitted back, "Repeat after me, Sect Master."

A few seconds later, Yao Xingzi calmly declared, "That will be all. You may now resume cultivating. The Celestial Wind Sect will send a distinguished guest to visit us shortly, but the vice sect master will handle it.

"Fengmo has fallen into great turmoil ever since the Celestial Wind Sect and the Fengli Sect started competing for dominance over it. Right now, we stand between them. This is peril, yet it is also a fated opportunity.

"I have only one wish in this lifetime: to see the Xinghai Sect flourish once more as it did under the guidance of our forefathers. I hope to see it stand tall again amid all the thirteen qi planets of the ancient battlefield and create an environment where you can all cultivate, seek immortality, and pursue freedom with peace of mind.

"In the past, I may have neglected many of you because I was too focused on my cultivation. I ask for your forgiveness."

Yao Xingzi offered a formal Daoist salute. The several hundred cultivators before the palace hurried to return the gesture. Inside the palace, the elders and disciples all looked surprised.

Why is the sect master behaving so differently?

In a corner of the palace, Wang Sheng secretly wiped cold sweat.

After saluting his people, Yao Xingzi simply stood still and waited quietly.

Wang Sheng exhaled helplessly. He transmitted, "Sect Master, dismiss everyone quickly."

Yao Xingzi did as instructed. The hundreds of sect members and Protectors excused themselves, with most transforming into streaks of light and vanishing.

Only the True Immortals and late-stage Primordial Immortals remained. They entered the great palace, where several disciples had already laid out rows of futons to the left and right. The elders, Protectors, and disciples of the Xinghai Sect sat on the right side according to rank and cultivation.

Linyuan originally intended to have Wang Sheng sit in the front row, but Wang Sheng signaled against it multiple times and slipped back into the row of Protectors. His effortless "manipulation" had repeatedly shrunk the scale of the Xinghai Sect's reception for the Celestial Wind Sect's young sect master.

After settling down, he found himself seated beside Weiyangzi, the goat-bearded Primordial Immortal.

With a puzzled look, Weiyangzi asked, "Protector Pi, who exactly are you?"

"

Hmm?

Why do you ask?"

"You seem close with the sect master and many of the elders."

Wang Sheng calmly explained, "I happened to meet Elder Linyuan before, and we found our views aligned."

He closed his eyes, signaling that he did not wish to explain further.

Weiyangzi took the hint. He glanced at Wang Sheng a few more times, then, like the others, closed his eyes.

Soon, three bell chimes echoed. Light flared across the protective array at the mountain gate, and a long line of people drifted slowly and solemnly through the now-open entrance.

Linyuan rose. "Our honored guests have arrived. Let us go out and greet them."

The dozens within the palace stood and walked outside, forming a silent line as they gazed down toward the gate.

They had not expected the young sect master of the Celestial Wind Sect to make such an extravagant entrance.

Fifty celestial soldiers entered first in pairs, each one a mid-stage or late-stage Primordial Immortal. Their cyan armor resonated faintly with each other, suggesting a linked set used for combat arrays.

Complete arrays could be separated into dozens, hundreds, or even thousands and imbued into armor pieces or treasures, creating combat-array armor. Each piece served as both protective gear and a foundation of the array. When commanded, they could assemble into countless arrays for offense or defense.

The Heavenly Court once wielded a famous combat array known as the Net of Heaven and Earth. A hundred thousand celestial soldiers were needed to create it using interconnected combat armor. According to rumors, it could even trap Taiyi Golden Immortals.

Two elders guided the soldiers who entered the Xinghai Sect. They stopped a third up the steps of the palace.

Through the opening in the protective array, they saw a massive celestial tower ship floating beyond the gate. Figures continued to descend from it.

Fifty soldiers marched in, while more than a hundred others guarded the ship. After them came eighteen breathtaking fairies in gorgeous robes. They flew in and landed at the center of the hundreds of steps before the palace, standing in two neat rows.

The Celestial Wind Sect's heir was certainly showing off.

Wang Sheng thought this was already excessive until two Heavenly Immortals approached from beyond the gate, rendering him speechless.

Six beautiful fairies in white dresses arrived first, though. Each one was a Primordial Immortal with a sheathed treasured sword in her arms. Wang Sheng raised an eyebrow. From the six swords, he sensed six distinct sword rhythms.

The six fairies existed for one purpose: to serve as sword attendants. At their young sect master's command, they would present the swords with both hands.

A moment later, Wang Sheng saw the white-robed immortal heir glide forward. Two Heavenly Immortals follow behind him.

"I, Li Tianyao of the North-River Sword Sect, am here to pay respects."