Chapter 614: Troops at Fengli

An ordinary cultivator would cultivate for several thousand or even tens of thousands of years. If they came across a fated opportunity; their cultivation technique proved effective; and they had solid comprehension, insight, and overall foundations, they'd be able to reach the Heavenly Immortal Realm—albeit barely. They could then enjoy a long life and even make a name for themselves on most of the planets in the endless space.

Meanwhile, in the hands of some powerful beings, even a paper figure formed through a Daoist art could become a Heavenly Immortal.

Wang Sheng wasn't sure whether the Fengli Sect's sect master had any obvious flaws since he hadn't met her up close. Judging from the Fengli Sect's strength and dominance, though, she likely differed little from an ordinary living person.

Whoever it was that managed to create a Heavenly Immortal out of paper, they had to be far more powerful than Wang Sheng and the others could imagine. This was nothing compared to Nuwa shaping humans from clay with the Great Dao of Creation, but it was still astonishing by any measure.

"That's absurd." Fei Lianzi sighed quietly. "What should we do now? Do we make contact with the Fengli Sect?"

Gao Shixing replied, "We shouldn't expose ourselves. If they were aware of the Small Immortal Realm, they would have entered long ago to search for treasures."

"That's right." Fan Tuantuan bit her lip. "The one behind all this is using paper figurines to develop a celestial sect, which probably means they need an army of cultivators. If the Small Immortal Realm had already been exposed, they would have taken action long ago. Looking at it now, we are truly facing danger on all sides."

From the side, Mu Wanxuan said, "Emperor."

Wang Sheng explained, "Senior Sister is saying that Emperor Ziwei created certain contingencies that allowed the Realm of Exiled Immortals to stay hidden from those powerful enemies."

Zhang Zikuang finally got a grasp on the core of the problem.

"That one strand of hair is imbued with Heavenly Immortal Realm enchanted power. If the expert who created the Fengli Sect had scattered tens of thousands—perhaps even more—of those paper figures throughout the endless space, wouldn't that mean that they had already created thousands upon thousands of Fengli Sects?"

Some frowned, while others fell into deep thought. Wang Sheng had already considered the possibility earlier. He had gone into seclusion earlier precisely to ponder on this problem.

A gray organization that spanned the endless space's four sky regions seemed to be gradually taking shape before their eyes.

Fei Lianzi raised his head and drank a mouthful of scalding tea. "Are the Heavenly Court's surviving members behind this? Is this part of their plan to revive their old empire?"

"It's possible," Wang Sheng said. "Right now, though, everything is still a mystery. I can't see through this situation at all. Not only did the strand of hair that I saw seem full of vitality, but only those with enough enchanted power to rival the Queen Mother could create such a powerful living paper figure. This is just my most optimistic speculation, but I now strongly suspect that the Queen Mother did not truly perish."

Yaoyun's expression filled with anguish as she gently bit her lip. "But my mother would never do what the Fengli Sect is doing right now. I truly fear that those fiendish devils have violated my mother's immortal body."

"

Amitabha.

" Huai Jing sighed. "If the Fengli Sect's sect master is merely a dummy formed through Daoist arts, then it possesses no true will of its own. It would only act according to the instructions of its creator. That makes it hard to tell if it's an enemy or an ally."

"Either way, we have to keep our distance for now," Fan Tuantuan reminded. "This could certainly all be a part of a plot to revive the Heavenly Court. Still, the one scheming behind all this is attempting to continuously expand their influence throughout the endless space by creating numerous avatars and incarnations using a divine ability.

"Such an ambitious and powerful being would see the Small Immortal Realm's resources as a treasure they would be determined to obtain. Wealth plays a crucial role in any force's development. Under these circumstances, how should Earth's cultivators position themselves? An ally could just easily become an enemy."

Yaoyun appeared hesitant to speak.

Zhang Zikuang added, "Though we are inheritors of the Heavenly Court's Daoist heritage, we should be considered part of Emperor Ziwei's lineage."

Wang Sheng could not help but give them a faint, bitter smile. "Do we really have to be so specific and distinguish factions within factions?"

"Of course. This is extremely important," Zhang Zikuang said. "You know how things are back home. We have abandoned that feudal mindset long ago, but we have to maintain the independence of Earth's cultivators. We can't allow some Golden Immortal or Taiyi Golden Immortal from the Heavenly Court to casually absorb us."

"

Amitabha.

Instructor Zhang is absolutely right," Huai Jing said. "We seek nothing else but to secure a foothold in the endless space. An immortal emperor's grand ambitions are no longer something we can realize, and the era has already changed. Once we're strong enough, the most we can do is settle some old scores.

"Fei Yu, to avoid allies turning into enemies in the future, you still have to get the fruit of immortality as soon as possible, step into the Taiyi Golden Immortal Realm, and gain the ability to contend with those ancient monsters."

Wang Sheng was at a loss for words.

How has the discussion circled back to me again? Reaching the Heavenly Immortal Realm is already difficult enough, what more the Taiyi Golden Immortal Realm?

He smiled. "Let's handle this one step at a time. Perhaps in a few thousand years, just as I begin pursuing the path of true immortality, the thirteen qi planets will become a new home for Earth's cultivators. With the unique nature of our Daoist heritage, we might even establish an 'immortal science' civilization that's completely distinct from the traditional immortal cultivation civilization.

"Silver warships will fill the skies, planet-destroying cannons will use massive qi-gathering formations to concentrate spiritual power. One synchronized volley from the fleet can wipe out the North-River Sword Sect! Just thinking about it feels exhilarating."

The others smiled faintly, their gazes filled with "affectionate concern."

Lishang, who had only said two sentences throughout the entire conversation, listened the entire time. The more she listened, the less she understood, as though she had fallen into clouds and mist.

Lishang finally could not hold back and asked, "Can you explain a bit more to me, the newcomer, about what you are discussing?"

Everyone fell silent.

Wang Sheng replied, "This is a long story. I will explain it to you in detail later. For now, we have to come to a decision. Do we treat this matter as if we never discovered it, or do we proceed to the next step and make contact with the Fengli Sect?"

Zhang Zikuang frowned. "Should we send a telegram home and ask?"

Huai Jing smiled. "As the saying goes, 'A general on the battlefield does not need to obey every command[1].' Instead of complicating things, let's just vote on this. I will preside. Raise your hand if you want to make contact with the Fengli Sect."

They looked at one another. In the end, only Wang Sheng raised his hand.

Wang Sheng looked at Yaoyun. "Don't worry. We will eventually have to investigate the truth behind this issue."

Yaoyun merely nodded lightly.

Huai Jing laughed. "Then it's decided. Let's shelve this matter until we're strong enough to deal with it! The Fengli Sect's two planets are right there, anyway. They can't just suddenly grow legs and run off, can they?"

He put it crudely, but he had a point.

Thinking carefully, there truly was not much they could do right now. Though they had discovered the true form of the Fengli Sect's sect master, what could they actually accomplish?

A strand of the Queen Mother's hair, the horrifying paper-cutting divine ability that turned paper into living beings... everything seemed to hint at a vast and intricate scheme. However, Earth's cultivators was still only at the edge of its "vortex." They still had room to step back half a pace or move sideways and avoid being drawn in.

Wang Sheng's discovery could certainly be called profoundly significant. After all, it granted them considerable initiative and more choices. They could make quite a lot of preparations before their eventual contact with the great power behind the Fengli Sect, preventing them from becoming completely passive.

On the way back to the Xinghai Sect, Wang Sheng gave Lishang a simple introduction to the background of Earth's cultivators.

As if telling a story, he told Lishang through voice transmission about the Heavenly Court's collapse, how Ziwei led the Heavenly Court's immortals in a breakout, and the origins of the ancient battlefield. He didn't casually reveal that the Realm of Exiled Immortals had a specific entrance or exit, though. He only described his homeland as a very peaceful celestial body.

"Emperor Ziwei took a large number of our cultivators with him when he led the great army back to the Immortal Realm. To protect the Daoist heritage of the Heavenly Court's immortals, they also sealed our planet's primal qi of heaven and earth, turning it into something like a waste star. Just recently, that seal was finally broken, allowing our people to cultivate again."

Wang Sheng exchanged a warm glance with his senior sister.

He then sighed. "Since our celestial body was full of vitality, the prolonged lack of primal qi led to the creation of a truly astonishing number of mortals.

"When the primal qi resurged, a new order had already formed there. People lived and worked in peace, and they learned how to harness the power of nature in a completely dissimilar way from the Immortal Dao. It's actually quite different from the endless space's immortal civilization, especially in terms of ideas and perspectives."

Lishang softly remarked, "Oh? No wonder I noticed that your fellow townsmen have shallow cultivation yet extremely solid foundations. Once the thirteen qi stars stabilize, I would like to visit your hometown as well and see whether it truly is as peaceful as you say."

Mu Wanxuan raised her small hand. "I'll lead!"

Wang Sheng smiled. "Senior Sister says she wants to take you sightseeing. That place is very charming. Once my mission here is complete, it wouldn't be so bad to return and live there with Senior Sister."

Lishang asked gently, "Your mission is to bring your hometown's cultivators out here and give them a place to settle in the endless space, right?"

"You could say that," Wang Sheng said. He gazed at the horizon, where the sun was setting. The sunset of Fengmo had its own unique beauty.

In truth, he hadn't thought of what to do beyond this. Once he fulfilled the promise that he had made during the Pure Yang Sword Faction's founding ceremony, he would finally have no burden left.

Will my path ahead truly settle into peace so easily? Heavenly Ziwei Sword Art, Heavenly Tribulation Sword Intent, Myriad-Slaying Sword Intent, Pure Yang Immortal Mantra...

"But also not necessarily," Wang Sheng said. "When the tree wishes for stillness, nothing is more frightening than the wind refusing to stop."

Two sword chimes suddenly rang out from within him, and a trace of sharpness appeared in his eyes. The road lay beneath his feet. He would simply walk it.

***

Upon reaching the Xinghai Sect, Wang Sheng and Lishang jointly announced that they would enter secluded cultivation. Any matters requiring their presence were to be directed to Linyuan.

With Wang Sheng's simple explanations, Lishang finally sorted out Wang Sheng and his friends' backgrounds. She also came to understand how the ancient battlefield was formed, as well as the glorious deeds of the Heavenly Court's immortals in those years.

Instead of swearing an oath, she merely promised him that even if Linyuan asked, she would not reveal a single word of the matter. Still, she knew that being brought to meet Huai Jing and the others, and discussing such secrets openly before her, was a sign of absolute trust. No matter what, she would never betray that trust.

The two could enter seclusion at any time since growing stronger was the greatest contribution they could make to the Xinghai Sect. Meanwhile, the sect's other elders, protectors, disciples, and celestial soldiers all became busy, as if the Celestial Wind Sect would come knocking at their gates the very next day.

The celestial soldiers began patrolling Fengmo's perimeter, while the elders secretly headed toward the ancient battlefield to keep watch.

Yao Xingzi didn't just sit around either. He personally participated in the teleportation arrays' construction, leading a group of disciples and fighting on the labor front lines.

In just nine days, two teleportation arrays were simultaneously completed and perfectly linked. Each side then stationed a small force within the other's sect to guard the arrays.

Less than half a month after the arrays were finished, the Xinghai Sect received an extremely urgent plea for help from the Fengli Sect.

The Celestial Wind Sect's army pressed in. A total of twelve Heavenly Immortals led three hundred True Immortals and tens of thousands of celestial soldiers toward the Fengli Sect's twin planets at a terrifying speed!

1. a Chinese idiom that means a general on the battlefield should make decisions by themselves instead of following every order given by their emperor ☜