Chapter 550: Crisis at Xinghai

The Celestial Wind Sect's two celestial tower ships hovered above the clouds near the mountain gate, and Wang Sheng could sense two Heavenly Immortal auras inside the main palace. Since the defensive array of the Xinghai Sect was still active, and everything seemed calm, he deduced that the two sides had not started fighting yet.

Is there a flaw in my calculation, or have they simply realized the connection between me and my alias? No, perhaps they're here for a completely different reason.

Wang Sheng had no way of knowing.

Leaving now was his safest choice, but he didn't want to break his promise to Yao Xingzi or abandon the position that he had built in the sect. Hence, he chose to sneak back and wait for the right moment to act.

He reached a quiet spot in the rear mountains and poured power into a jade talisman that the sect master had given him, making the barrier open slightly. Upon slipping inside, he moved like a shadow through the forest and then stayed perfectly still in a bush under a tree.

He spread out his immortal perception after a short while. Now that the barrier was no longer blocking it, the situation in the palace became perfectly clear to him. However, it only made him feel even more strongly that he had accidentally exposed himself.

Another Heavenly Immortal accompanied the two from the North-River Sword Sect. Li Tianyao also came with them, along with the several dozen True Immortals inside and outside the palace. They had clearly come with bad intentions.

For now, he had to return to the sect master's small tower and switch with his decoy. Fortunately, all of the Xinghai Sect's members who were not in seclusion were completely focused on the palace. He quickly headed to the main peak, crossing the ridges and valleys throughout the rear mountains.

Halfway to his destination, the two Heavenly Immortals of the North-River Sword Sect suddenly rushed out of the front palace and wordlessly charged straight toward the main peak.

Wang Sheng was speechless.

Yao Xingzi followed closely behind. He swept his sleeve before the two could reach the peak, making celestial clouds surge forth and blocking them. "Seniors, the foundation of my sect lies ahead. Outsiders may not go there casually."

"Sect Master Yao Xingzi, all Tianyao earnestly requests to spar with that young man in the Dao of the Sword. Why do you obstruct us at every turn?"

"Is he not on the mountain, after all?"

Yao Xingzi replied, "Elder Pi is currently in seclusion and may well be in a moment of enlightenment. Severing his fated opportunity just for a sparring match would be improper."

"We've already caused quite a huge commotion here. What kind of enlightenment could be so important that he can't come out of seclusion even now?"

The three Heavenly Immortals' auras clashed in midair. Streams of light also shot out from the great palace, stopping behind them one after another. The Celestial Wind Sect's forces and the Xinghai Sect's immortals faced each other with blades drawn and tension taut, as if a great battle were about to start.

However, the Celestial Wind Sect's group had three Heavenly Immortals, making them far stronger than the Xinghai Sect. If a fight truly broke out, the Xinghai Sect would likely lose.

By now, Wang Sheng had already removed his mask, put away his armor and greatsword, and switched to a Daoist robe. He had also returned to his original appearance and aura, though he still kept the latter concealed.

He had no idea exactly what had happened, but from the exchange between the sect master and the two from the North-River Sword Sect, he could tell that their standoff was related to him.

Just as he was about to step out, Linyuan sent him a voice transmission.

—Don't go over there, Kachew. How are you here already? The sect master had me waiting at the section of the defensive array that you had exited from.

Wang Sheng frowned deeply and was about to reply when Linyuan sent another voice transmission.

—You shouldn't return to the main peak now. Those two Heavenly Immortals from the North-River Sword Sect have long since locked their immortal perception onto the main peak. Not even the slightest movement can escape them. Come over here first. There's still a way to resolve this.

After a brief moment of thought, Wang Sheng quietly withdrew and headed to a mountain peak hidden in another corner.

***

A short while earlier, in the main palace of the Xinghai Sect.

The Celestial Wind Sect group that had come to Fengmo today had only grown to such a size by coincidence.

Meng Zuofan, the elder assigned to visit the Xinghai Sect, had only brought several True Immortals and generous gifts to convince Yao Xingzi to use his divination to locate the sword immortal. However, while making their way to Fengmo on their celestial tower ship, they encountered Li Tianyao's group, which was searching for the nameless sword immortal on the ancient battlefield.

Li Tianyao found it novel that Yao Xingzi possessed divination arts. Growing bored of wandering the ancient battlefield, he decided to join Meng Zuofan with his group and two martial uncles. Once Yao Xingzi used divination and found the nameless sword immortal, they could simply depart and seize him anyway.

Hence, they arrived at the Xinghai Sect with such an imposing force.

Meng Zuofan explained his purpose and offered many promises. Meanwhile, Yao Xingzi showed signs of being tempted.

However, in the end, he sighed and remarked, "If my late master were still alive, divining a person's location would be a small matter. I myself am not skilled enough in it. I can divine fortune and misfortune, but finding a person is beyond me."

Meng Zuofan frowned. He knew Yao Xingzi could just be deliberately deflecting, but he had come to ask for help. Now that the man had already claimed that he could not do it, pressing the matter further wouldn't be appropriate.

At that moment, Li Tianyao stepped forward. "Now that the main agenda has been settled, I would like to speak of a minor matter. Sect Master Yao Xingzi, I have heard that Daoist Friend Pi Kachew has successfully reached the True Immortal Realm. Is this true?"

"It is," Yao Xingzi replied with a nod. As though he already knew what Li Tianyao was about to say, he added, "After breaking through to the True Immortal Realm, Elder Pi gained further enlightenment. He told me he wished to refine his own Dao of the Sword, then entered seclusion again."

Li Tianyao raised an eyebrow and took two slow steps forward. "May I ask him to show himself and offer his opinion, then? Please don't misunderstand, Sect Master. I only wish to spar with him a little because I have recently gained some insights into the Dao of the Sword."

A Xinghai Sect elder smiled. "If you're only looking for a spar, then I'll be your opponent. Elder Pi is in seclusion. To disturb his cultivation over a mere sparring match would be somewhat inappropriate."

Li Tianyao's gaze flickered slightly. Calmly, he replied, "Am I not even worthy of such a small courtesy?"

The Xinghai Sect elders could only look at their sect master.

Lishang was currently also in seclusion, seeking to break through to the Heavenly Immortal Realm. If she were present, she could have somewhat suppressed Li Tianyao's arrogance.

Yao Xingzi said, "We have to respect Elder Pi Kachew's wishes, but we'll at least try to grant your request. Where is Elder Linyuan?"

Linyuan flashed forward from a corner and offered a Daoist salute. "I await your command, Sect Master."

"Go and check on Elder Pi. See whether he is in deep meditation. If he isn't, call him over. If he is, just let him be."

"Yes, Sect Master," Linyuan replied. He immediately turned and walked toward the palace doors.

Lifting his teacup as if to drink, Yao Xingzi blocked his lips with it and secretly transmitted a few words to him.

Soon, the elder flew toward the main peak, then flew back again.

"Elder Pi is currently in deep meditation. I called out to him three times, but he did not respond. Should I go and see whether Lishang can leave seclusion and spar with the young master for a bit?"

Before Li Tianyao could speak, Yao Xingzi had already waved his hand, signaling Linyuan to go.

Something was amiss.

Taking in the Xinghai Sect elders' expression, Li Tianyao demanded, "Sect Master Yao Xingzi, the one I seek is Elder Pi Kachew. I have already fought against Vice Sect Master Lishang's sword art. I don't need to spar with her again.

"Daoist friends, have you heard that a sword cultivator has been tormenting our sect for the past three years? He has ambushed and killed many of our members using ruthless means, and he has never left a trail."

The Xinghai Sect's immortals all nodded slowly.

Li Tianyao narrowed his eyes and smiled. "He has troubled us so greatly that we've already marked him as our mortal enemy. If he's somehow related to the Xinghai Sect, then..."

"What are you trying to imply, Young Master Li?" Yao Xingzi questioned. "My sect has no past enmity or any recent grievances against the Celestial Wind Sect. Why would we resort to such pettiness? Moreover, that nameless sword cultivator is extremely powerful. How could we possibly have any connection with him?"

"In that case, please ask Daoist Friend Pi Kachew to come forth and meet me!"

Yao Xingzi frowned.

Li Tianyao then added, "I have just received word from the sect that the nameless sword immortal attacked our base on Jinhua again and then charged into the primal qi passage.

"If Daoist Friend Pi Kachew comes here now and spars with me in the Dao of the Sword, it will be sufficient proof that this matter has nothing to do with your sect. We'll make sure not to target you in the slightest. I will also personally apologize. However, if he's not really here right now, then I ask you to inform us where he has gone off to, what he's doing, and whether he's the person we seek, Sect Master Yao Xingzi!"

The two North-River Sword Sect immortals behind him flashed out of the front palace and sped toward the rear mountain's main peak.

"Both of you, stop right now!" Yao Xingzi shouted sharply and immediately went out to intercept them.

Immortals on both sides moved at once. They confronted each other above the sea of clouds near the rear mountain, leading to the scene that Wang Sheng had witnessed.

As Yao Xingzi's aura clashed with the two Heavenly Immortals, Meng Zuofan transmitted, "Tianyao, how do you know that Pi Kachew is connected to that nameless sword cultivator?"

Li Tianyao's lips curved into a faint smile. "I don't. They don't even follow the same Dao of the Sword. However, I couldn't help but find Yao Xingzi's reaction earlier somewhat strange. I was merely testing them. Who knows, perhaps we truly stumbled upon something today."

Meng Zuofan also smiled slightly. Standing behind Li Tianyao, he released his Heavenly Immortal pressure toward the immortals guarding the rear mountain.

The Xinghai Sect's members rushed out from different peaks, already prepared to fight and support the main peak at any moment. Despite their numerical advantage, though, a battle would still lead to heavy casualties.

Yao Xingzi sighed. "If you're really willing to go this far, then follow me. I will take you to Elder Pi's place of seclusion."

The Xinghai Sect's immortals all glared at Li Tianyao. Such conduct was already a grave insult to them.

Li Tianyao cupped his hands. "I apologize for our offensive behavior."

Yao Xingzi turned and flew toward the main peak, leading the vast group straight to his small tower. He then called out, "Are you still not coming out to meet us?"

A wooden door to the side was pulled open. Qiyue, the female immortal supposedly cultivating with Wang Sheng, hurried out, lowered her head, and saluted Yao Xingzi.

Her large eyes were filled with alarm, yet she appeared quite calm. "Master, what is going on?"

"This has nothing to do with you. Young Master Li wishes to spar with Elder Pi. Where is he?"

Qiyue quickly replied, "Elder Pi has been cultivating in the quiet room beside mine all this time. He is currently in deep meditation."

"In deep meditation?"

A True Immortal from the Celestial Wind Sect sneered.

The sleeve of Xiao Ende, one of the North-River Sword Sect's Heavenly Immortals, suddenly billowed as he fired a strand of sword energy toward Wang Sheng's aura.

The attack was so fast that Yao Xingzi didn't even have time to stop it. It cleaved the small tower open right in the middle, causing the array around it to flicker once and then dim down.

Streams of immortal perception and spiritual perception surged inside. The expressions of over a hundred immortals nearby all darkened at once.

No one was inside. There was only a wooden puppet, which the sword energy had split apart.

Yao Xingzi frowned slightly, his aged face filled with confusion. "

Mm?

"

Li Tianyao stepped forward. "Sect Master Yao Xingzi! What's the meaning of this?!"