Chapter 599: Lan Huilin’s Change of Heart

Swallowing a portion of Lishang's inherited primordial power had greatly improved Wang Sheng's sensory abilities. It also enhanced his immortal perception, increasing its range and clarity beyond Yaoyun's previous limit.

However, Yaoyun had absorbed Dawnlight, causing her to undergo certain unclear and inexplicable changes. Her sensory ability ended up surpassing Wang Sheng's and ordinary Heavenly Immortals' by a wide margin.

It even seemed somewhat stronger than it had been before she became a spiritual entity.

Wang Sheng rushed toward the ancient battlefield. After flying for a long while using Soaring Red Feathers, his immortal perception finally detected the two Heavenly Immortals' traces.

They were likely elders of the Fengli Sect. One was an elderly woman with graying hair, the other a young woman with short hair cut neatly to her ears. Considering she was already at the Heavenly Immortal Realm, she could have already been around for an extremely long time, despite her youthful appearance.

The two had arrived far too quickly.

The incident involving Qiu Ying and her group had happened only half a day earlier. Even Heavenly Immortals moving at full speed shouldn't have been able to reach this area so quickly from the Fengli Sect's qi planets, unless they had already been nearby.

Wang Sheng could not help but curse, "

They killed and injured their disciples just to use them as bait and force sympathy? The Fengli Sect is truly vicious.

"

Yaoyun telepathically reminded, "

You have to decide now whether to act or not.

"

Act?

Although he could merge with Yaoyun to temporarily reach the Heavenly Immortal Realm, he ultimately only gained "false" power.

The two women's auras were not particularly strong; they were merely at the early stage of the Heavenly Immortal Realm. Even without Yaoyun's help, Wang Sheng could still defeat one. However, there were two of them, and their realm alone commanded a certain degree of caution.

He hesitated. Before he knew it, he had already started to move.

Wang Sheng took out the Dragon Sword and put it on his back. Afterward, he awakened its spirit and let it coil around him. He also gripped Spiritless, which in turn sent streams of gentle spiritual power flowing into his Dao Body's immortal power. Their powers were such a perfect match that his realm rapidly rose.

Fortunately, the two Heavenly Immortals just kept going on their way. None of his preparations seemed to have caught their attention.

Let's give this a try,

Wang Sheng thought.

If the Fengli Sect's scheme truly was to use the self‑wounding stratagem and force the Xinghai Sect into allying with it against the Celestial Wind Sect, then how badly would the Fengli Sect's vicious women trample on the Xinghai Sect's honest members later on?

He absolutely couldn't just stand by and do nothing!

Hence, at that moment, he chose to risk launching a sneak attack on the two Heavenly Immortals.

He did not intend to kill them. On the contrary, he only planned to "invite" the two to the Xinghai Sect as guests. They were powerful enough to be extremely important to the Fengli Sect, after all. If he were to eliminate them, he'd effectively be assisting the Celestial Wind Sect.

After calculating their flying speed, Wang Sheng concealed himself. He suppressed his killing intent as much as he could while his aura climbed to the highest it had ever reached in his entire life. Meanwhile, astral power slowly gathered upon Spiritless. Though the sword wasn't especially sharp, it seemed powerful enough to split heaven and earth and sever the Great Dao.

The two women could never have anticipated that someone on the thirteen qi planets would dare ambush two Heavenly Immortals halfway along their journey.

***

Lan Huilin could still clearly remember her master sitting on a meditation cushion in a somewhat dim, quiet room.

"

Lan Huilin, this matter is of great importance to the Fengli Sect. Our ability to eliminate the Celestial Wind Sect depends on whether we can convert Lishang, Yao Xingzi, and Pi Kachew over to our side.

"

The moment she heard Wang Sheng's alias, her heart tightened.

Pi...

"

Can't we just form an alliance with the Xinghai Sect, Master? Why do we have to resort to such schemes...

"

"We're doing this precisely to make an ally out of them. Without a sufficient pretext, the Xinghai Sect would be unwilling to comply. Right now, nothing is more important to them than strengthening themselves. If they just keep wishing for us to fight the Celestial Wind Sect to the death, how would they ever take the initiative to fight our common enemy head-on?

"This scheme forces the Xinghai Sect to act whether they wish to or not. We can then simply use a small, additional maneuver to make them fight the Celestial Wind Sect themselves. Once both factions have suffered heavy losses, our sect can destroy them with a single blow. We will have no enemies left on the thirteen qi stars from that point on.

"We're sacrificing a life or two today in exchange for saving thousands of our members tomorrow. What's so unacceptable about that? I entrust this matter only to you because I do not wish for anything to happen to you. Here is a life-saving spirit pill. Take it before the ambush, and it will protect you from death."

Spirit pill...

Her master's words continued to echo in her heart. With a complicated expression, she slowly opened her eyes and looked at the small brocade box inside her storage artifact.

Lying on the bed, she turned inward under a thin quilt. Her aura rose and fell, which was only natural. After all, she had just recovered from the brink of death after suffering severe injuries.

She didn't take the spirit pill before the ambush. Instead, she had intended to die on behalf of her senior sister, whom her master had planned to sacrifice.

Saving even just one person would've been enough.

But she couldn't make it in time. The ambush had come far too suddenly, and she had been struck away far too quickly. In the end, she was left with no other choice but to follow the plan and drag the Xinghai Sect into the matter.

A tear slid down from the corner of her eye as she murmured, "Jiang He..."

The three nearby Xinghai Sect elders silently guarding her exchanged sympathetic glances.

Suffering such a calamity had somewhat clouded Lan Huilin's mind.

After some time, the three elders heard footsteps coming from outside the pavilion. They simultaneously raised their heads and saw Wang Sheng approaching them. Without delay, they stood up from their meditation cushions and clasped their hands in greeting.

One of them, a female elder, noticed red stains on his robe. "Why is there blood on your Daoist robe, Elder Pi?"

Wang Sheng smiled. "When I went out earlier, I came across two fiends fighting. I just had to break it up."

The three elders couldn't help but be utterly confused.

"May I have a moment alone with Fairy Lan Huilin?" Wang Sheng asked. "We're old acquaintances. I wish to offer her a few words of comfort."

"Of course, Elder Pi. We'll wait outside the palace."

Wang Sheng cupped his hands in salute. "Thank you, fellow elders."

The three elders returned the gesture and left the pavilion together.

Wang Sheng walked to the bed in the corner. He then casually pulled over a round chair from the side, sat down, and slowly breathed out.

Lan Huilin lay in silence with her eyes gently closed. Her eyelashes trembled faintly, yet she didn't know how to face him.

Wang Sheng snapped his fingers. Spiritless released a wisp of immortal light, shrouding the entire palace.

After that, Wang Sheng rested his elbow on the chair's armrest, interlaced his fingers, and studied her. She was one of the Fengli Sect's Thirteen Fairies, a beauty by any measure.

He first revisited old matters. "I should thank you. After leaving the blood mine, you kept my secret instead of reporting it to your master."

Lan Huilin's thin shoulders trembled slightly. Wang Sheng thought she would continue pretending to sleep, but she instead replied softly, "I swore an oath. I would never go back on it."

Wang Sheng asked, "Do you think your master is a good person?"

Lan Huilin whispered, "Of course. Master is kind at heart. She raised us and taught us the Dao. No matter how outsiders judge her, in her disciples' hearts, she has always been a... good person."

Wang Sheng's tone grew deeper and firmer. "Is that so? Why did she send you to the blood mine to die, then? You suffered for a hundred years in the blood mine. You should've come to some realizations by now."

"Master was simply punishing me for a mistake I made," Lan Huilin said as she turned over, coughing weakly twice. She gave him a pleading look that seemed to be begging him not to continue.

Meeting her gaze, Wang Sheng fell silent for a moment. He then slowly questioned, "What about this time?"

Lan Huilin shuddered, then immediately shook her head. "What do you mean by that?"

"The Fengli Sect killed one of its own disciples, gravely injured you, and then sent you to our sect to ask for help, all so you can drag us into your mess. Is this farce the same as last time? Did you and Jiang He make a mistake, and your master is just punishing you accordingly while also clearing out twenty-six traitors?"

Wang Sheng's gaze suddenly turned sharp, and a bitter smile tugged at his lips.

"Have you ever thought about what you and your fellow disciples are worth in your master's eyes?"

Struggling to keep her expression neutral, Lan Huilin gripped the bedding tightly. "I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"I used to hear people say you can never wake someone who is pretending to sleep. I always thought it was nonsense, but as it turns out, it actually makes quite a bit of sense."

Wang Sheng looked at the bloodstains on his Daoist robe's hem. "The Fengli Sect has elders named Zi Mo and Zhao Fenfang, correct?"

Lan Huilin asked, "Are they already here?"

"You could say that," Wang Sheng replied. "I brought them here."

A trace of shock appeared in Lan Huilin's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure and smiled bleakly. "Don't fool around with me."

Instead of responding, Wang Sheng casually took out a fly-whisk stained with blood from his sleeve and tossed it onto the bed. Swiftly forming hand signs, he used the Rewinding Light Art on it right in front of Lan Huilin. A wisp of gray energy spread out, and faint images appeared on the whisk.

The scene showed an old woman clutching the fly-whisk and a young girl clearly hurrying through the endless space.

To their surprise, a streak of sword radiance erupted ahead and shone brilliantly, making it seem as though it was imbued with an unparalleled Great Dao. It enveloped the two in sword phantasms in no time at all!

The two Heavenly Immortals swiftly tried to counterattack!

The old woman raised the fly-whisk, transforming its silver threads into a giant net. However, a mere twist of the sword radiance instantly tore it apart!

A man following the sword radiance flickered lightly, seemingly split into seven clones, and surrounded the two. He simultaneously unleashed exquisite sword techniques from seven directions. The pair hastily defended themselves, but after only a few exchanges, they were still forced apart.

A sword pinned the old woman by the throat. Immortal light burst from the blade, sealing her Primordial Spirit.

The young girl used the opening to turn and flee, but she only managed to run for half a mile before two flying swords caught her. Carrying the old woman, their assailant calmly gave chase from behind.

By the time the image faded gently, Lan Huilin's eyes had gone blank.

Wang Sheng said calmly, "I decided not to bring those two elders straight to this place so you can at least have some leeway. Although you didn't confess, they have already spilled everything. Their ambush on their own disciples was nothing more than an attempt to brew a tragedy that would implicate the Xinghai Sect.

"After that, the Fengli Sect would come knocking to demand justice and force the Xinghai Sect to send troops against the Celestial Wind Sect. They needed someone to fulfill the crucial role of dragging us into this first, though. That someone was you, wasn't it?"

Lan Huilin's gaze filled with despair. She closed her lifeless eyes and smiled bitterly as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"The two elders also said something quite interesting," Wang Sheng continued. "They said that your sect master's disciples and the Thirteen Fairies are born and exist solely to win over experts for the Fengli Sect. Such disciples can be trained in batches in less than a thousand years."

"That can't be..."

"The Fengli Sect's chief disciple three thousand years ago does not seem to have been named Qiu Ying."

Lan Huilin bit her lower lip, causing a trace of crimson to seep out.

"Do you still not understand, even after witnessing Jiang He's death?" Wang Sheng asked. "Do you need me to help you recall just how close to dying you were?"

Lan Huilin's voice trembled as she replied, "No, I am different. Master treats me differently from Qiu Ying and the others."

As if to prove her claim, she took out the brocade box from her storage artifact.

"Master even gave me a life-saving pill because she wanted me to survive! I just didn't know how to face Jiang He. I wanted to accompany her, but you saved me again!"

"Then I truly apologize for saving you without permission," Wang Sheng said.

He opened his left hand, and the brocade box instantly fell into his palm. He took out the alchemical pill.

Yaoyun telepathically told him something. Wang Sheng frowned slightly, then handed the alchemical pill back to Lan Huilin. "You should give up on your master. Here, take it."

Lan Huilin looked puzzled but instinctively followed Wang Sheng's instructions. She tilted her head back and swallowed the pill.

Soon, primal qi immediately began to fill her body. Moreover, she seemingly started rapidly recovering even from her grievous injuries.

Lan Huilin rose from the bed and stared straight at Wang Sheng. Her thin garments slipped slightly, yet she paid it no mind.

Wang Sheng waited quietly. The atmosphere grew tense.

Half an hour later, Lan Huilin's face turned deathly pale. She clutched her chest, spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, and collapsed backward. Like lightning, Wang Sheng raised his hand to tap the side of her neck.

He muttered under his breath, "This blockhead just wasted another one of my alchemical pills."

With a flick of his sleeve, he laid Lan Huilin flat on the bed.