Chapter 548: All Forces Mobilize, Sword Energy Cuts Deep

In the endless space, streaks of light surged toward Jinhua. Waves of True Immortal and Heavenly Immortal aura raged above several great cities, deeply unsettling many unaffiliated practitioners.

Just half a day earlier, the nameless sword immortal had appeared once more. Clad in powerful armor and wielding a greatsword, he used a profound sword technique imbued with astral power to sweep through the Celestial Wind Sect's base. It didn't take long for him to destroy it.

The outpost was reduced to ruins. More than one hundred twenty celestial soldiers were either killed or wounded. Four of the nine True Immortals stationed there were slain, and four more were gravely injured. Even their leader, who was at the peak of the True Immortal Realm, was beaten until his physical body was destroyed. Only his soul managed to escape.

The outpost possessed a teleportation array. Even if escape proved impossible, they could have called for help. However, the sword immortal had attacked them with overwhelming speed. In barely a moment, several high-level experts fell, and the soldiers suffered massive losses.

Afterward, the outpost's treasury was completely emptied, and the precious teleportation array was destroyed. The attacker only left behind a line of large characters on a stele.

Blame the sect, not the man. Quit the Celestial Wind Sect while you can.

It was, unexpectedly, written in a rhyme.

A lone wandering sword cultivator had directly threatened the Celestial Wind Sect, a powerful faction that controlled the resources of three entire qi planets. His actions might not have been a very effective threat, but they were certainly a powerful form of extreme mockery.

Wang Sheng didn't go far. After leaving Jinhua, he hid within the Shadowless Shuttle and observed the Celestial Wind Sect's reaction.

Half a day later, an enormous azure dragon flew in from the depths of space. Wang Sheng smirked. His immortal perception saw clearly that the dragon was missing a section of his claw.

Did he have to learn a special technique for the disabled?

The aura of the old dragon seemed much weaker than when he had swallowed Wang Sheng years ago. He likely still hadn't fully healed from the severe injuries that the Star Deity had inflicted.

Remaining still, Wang Sheng continued to observe. Soon, seven streams of Heavenly Immortal auras gathered on Jinhua.

Three, including the azure dragon's, were from the Celestial Wind Sect. Wang Sheng realized that the other two belonged to the Heavenly Immortals whom the North-River Sword Sect had sent to help.

Two also appeared within the Fengli Sect's great city. They were likely experts dispatched to this location. The other auras emerged in the cities to the south and north of the primal qi passage. They belonged to two of Jinhua's local experts.

Feeling that he'd be crossing paths with the seven in the future, Wang Sheng quietly committed all of the auras to memory. Afterward, he drifted silently through space, slowly piloting the Shadowless Shuttle to his next target: the ancient battlefield.

He intended to investigate the restricted lands of the Celestial Wind Sect.

Destroying the sect's city on Jinhua was merely his first move. Now that he had finally come out of hiding, he would make sure they ended up bruised and battered, even if he could not destroy their foundation.

***

Above the ruins of the Celestial Wind's base on Jinhua.

Two elderly Heavenly Immortals in light-blue robes searched the area. They ignored the many people standing around them.

"These sword intent and astral power are amazing. Moreover, he used a technique that revolves around the Heavenly Dao of the Sword! To be able to move such astonishing astral power is incredible!"

"After more than ninety years of waiting, he has finally shown himself again! We didn't go on this trip in vain, after all."

The two elders of the North-River Sword Sect were full of emotion. They could hardly wait to find the nameless sword immortal. They wanted to bring him back to their sect and obtain his sword techniques. How exactly they would get them depended on whether he was willing to cooperate, though.

The North-River Sword Sect had a clear ranking for the Dao of the Sword. The Heavenly Sword stood at the top, the Earth Sword came next, and the Human Sword was seen as the least valuable.

The Human Dao of the Sword was the most common and had many refined techniques. Yet in the two elders' eyes, Pi Kachew of the Xinghai Sect wasn't even worth a strand of the nameless sword immortal's hair.

If they could obtain his entire sword art, the North-River Sword Sect could become a top-tier power and even explore the ultimate limits of the sword. His astral power, along with his ability to crush multiple enemies alone, further stirred their hearts. They felt that a great reward was nearly within their reach.

Nearby, Long Aotian was angrily shouting at several men and women in battle armor.

"Where is he? What?! He's gone?! You can't even do the simple task of finding him?!"

If Wang Sheng were present, he would have noticed a clear difference in the dragon's personality. Perhaps the Star Deity's attacks had mentally scarred him, or perhaps his status in the sect had dropped, filling his heart with anger.

In short, the elder seemed to be going through... menopause.

"You fight over rewards every day, but when it's time to actually work, you all prove yourselves absolutely worthless!"

A female immortal finally reasoned, "We tried everything, Elder Long. We even captured two nearby unaffiliated practitioners and searched their souls and bodies. The sword immortal truly came and went without a trace."

Several other True Immortals also spoke up.

"We're right under the primal qi passage. If he rushed into it, we would have no way to find him."

"Not even several precious celestial insects could find his trail. We also cast spells to track the items and treasures he had taken, but we came up empty-handed. It appears as though he simply came for revenge, made quick work of the base, and left. He probably made detailed plans to hide his tracks."

Long Aotian swept his sleeve and asked in a deep tone, "Where did his aura disappear?"

A middle-aged scholar answered softly, "Nine hundred miles to the west, outside the Fengli Sect's city."

Long Aotian's gaze sharpened. Beside him, the two Heavenly Immortals of the North-River Sword Sect shot straight into the sky. They flickered a few times as they rushed westward.

"You two! Wait!"

Long Aotian's expression immediately changed. The Celestial Wind Sect hadn't completely recovered yet; it wouldn't be ideal to fight the Fengli Sect now.

He sighed and hurriedly followed them, using his powerful cultivation realm to keep up with them.

The three reached the Fengli Sect's territory almost instantly. Simultaneously, two female Heavenly Immortals in plain robes rose into the air and prepared for battle.

One of them, an old woman, lightly tapped her cane. Below them, a massive defensive array began to glow. In a tired tone, she asked, "Elder Long. Why have you intruded into our territory?"

Long Aotian bowed slightly. "Greetings, Elder Ge."

He then looked at the two elders of the North-River Sword Sect.

One of them asked, "Does the Fengli Sect have any connection to the nameless sword immortal?"

"And who might you be?" The old woman's eyes flashed. A powerful pressure spread outward, making it known that she was as strong as Long Aotian.

Instead of taking offense, the two smiled lightly and introduced themselves.

"Xiao Ende, North-River Sword Sect."

"Wei Fu, North-River Sword Sect."

The old woman's expression immediately grew more serious. She forced a polite smile. "So you're the famous North-River Sword Sect experts. Pardon my manners."

Xiao Ende asked, "May I ask if the nameless sword immortal has any connection to the Fengli Sect? He holds little value to sects that did not inherit the Dao of the sword, but he's very important to our sect. If he currently lives in your sect, we ask that you let us speak with him."

Wei Fu plainly added, "If you willingly hand him over to us, we'll pay you with valuable treasures."

Long Aotian's expression turned complicated. When these two Heavenly Immortals had arrived with Tianyao, they had acted as if the Celestial Wind Sect no longer had to fear any threats since they were here. Now, they weren't even trying to hide their true plans anymore. They openly set conditions for the Fengli Sect and stated that they came for the secret sword art of the nameless sword immortal.

The old woman thought for a moment. "There seems to be a misunderstanding. Our sect has no ties to that man."

The female immortal beside her added, "He met one of my martial nieces when they were trapped in the blood mine, but they didn't stay in contact."

Xiao Ende and Wei Fu looked disappointed. The two glanced at each other.

"If you can capture him and deliver him to us, our offer is still on the table."

"We will not trouble you further. Farewell."

The two clasped their hands, bowed, then flew into the sky.

Long Aotian was so angry that his beard shook. He gave a quick, half-hearted bow to the two women, turned around, and flew back toward the ruins of the Celestial Wind Sect. He didn't even extend a single polite word to them.

The female immortals looked at each other and then slowly went back down into their defensive array.

The younger of the two transmitted, "Why don't we give them that letter, Martial Aunt? The person they're looking for has been in our city before, and the Celestial Wind Sect will eventually find out about it. Instead of hiding it, we could give that letter to the elders of the North-River Sword Sect and earn a favor."

"A favor?" The old woman laughed coldly, looked at the woman beside her, and sighed. "You've spent so much time in meditation that you've lost your common sense!

That sect sees us as nothing more than a small group in some distant place. They can destroy us in one hit.

"They may seem polite, but in their hearts, they look down on us. If we give them even a small clue, they will force us to hand over Caiwei. They will then use her as bait to lure the nameless sword immortal."

The young female immortal wasn't convinced. "We'll just be giving up a disciple the sect master doesn't like anyway. Wouldn't getting in a powerful sect's good graces make it easier to deal with the Celestial Wind Sect?"

"They already treat the Celestial Wind Sect like it's their servant. Can your single favor compare to an endless supply of Immortal Stones? Li Tianyao's master is a famous expert. People say he is only a step away from becoming a Golden Immortal. Even if he comes here alone, he'd still be able to obliterate all the experts of the thirteen qi stars with ease.

"Though we stand on equal grounds with the Celestial Wind Sect, the North-River Sword Sect is in an entirely different league. Among the major sects that rank in the top ten of a domain, how many do you think will listen to reason? If they want to wipe us out, they don't need a good reason." The old woman sighed slowly. "Give out the order. Do everything in our power to find the nameless sword immortal."

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

The young female was confused. "Didn't we decide not to help them, Martial Aunt?"

"There are things you do not yet understand," the old woman replied calmly. "The Celestial Wind Sect believes that just because they have the North-River Sword Sect backing them, they can conquer these thirteen qi stars and control this ancient battlefield. What they don't realize is that we also have people supporting our sect.

"Find that young man. Tell Caiwei to do whatever it takes to bring him to our side. He doesn't have to serve us, but we need him to attack the Celestial Wind Sect and force them to make a mistake."

The female immortal was shocked. Reaching a realization, her many doubts were finally answered.

They certainly had people backing them up.

***

Two months later.

In the ancient battlefield, Wang Sheng stood near the territory of the Celestial Wind Sect, where several stone signs floated in the air. On them were carved "Celestial Wind Restricted Land."

After several days of checking, he learned that this place was used to breed celestial insects. Three True Immortals and several dozen soldiers guarded it. They also had two small groups of soldiers who were responsible for gathering rare plants and lone travelers. They then sent them here to feed certain valuable insects.

The insects were kept inside buildings that appeared to be large mushroom houses, making the area look exactly like a large farm.

Wang Sheng had already decided to destroy the place completely and even planned his escape route.

Currently, he was hidden inside a floating piece of mountain right above the breeding ground, working hard to create a tribulation cloud. Since the area didn't have much energy for the cloud to use, it took him half a day just to prepare it. He kept it inside the mountain to ensure nobody would see it.

Once he felt that the cloud was strong enough to start a storm, he finally stopped, swallowed an alchemical pill, and gripped his greatsword. He then leaped onto the mountain fragment and kicked it down with all his strength. Unleashing his full power, he then dove straight toward the three True Immortals who were drinking and chatting below.

The trio quickly rose to meet him and hurriedly sent out distress signals. Though they had been talking about the recent attack on their base, they never expected an enemy to appear out of nowhere.

The mountain fragment crashed onto the ground where the insects were being raised, causing the entire area to shake violently and sink. The mountain fragment then exploded, allowing lightning clouds to spill out and quickly cover the entire place. However, before the lightning even struck, sword energy was already tearing through everything.

Wang Sheng used his greatsword like a god of war descending from the sky. The three True Immortals immediately thought of running, but his deadly sword energy had already enveloped the sky and blocked all escape paths.