Chapter 616: Battle Begins, Azure Dragon Roars

A battle of immortals...

The moment Wang Sheng thought of it, faint ripples stirred in his heart. Nearly a hundred thousand immortals would fight here, shaping the future of the thirteen qi planets.

Wang Sheng had every reason to win. Despite having a clear path of retreat behind him, he refused to take a single step back.

Seated cross-legged before the teleportation array, he listened as several elders reported on the conditions beyond the gateway. Communication talismans, which were usually rare and precious, were consumed freely and without the slightest hesitation. After all, they were vital instruments in this fight.

The Xinghai Sect had weathered countless storms throughout the innumerable years since the Old Man of Xinghai had founded it. It had witnessed Golden Immortals come and go, thrived in the golden age when the Old Man of Xinghai still lived, and seen the Taiyi Golden Immortals' occasional public appearances. Moreover, it had endured the lowest of lows when it fled to the thirteen qi planets and struggled to even narrowly survive.

The older generation of its cultivators gradually passed away. Now, only Yao Xingzi remained to bear the sect's burdens. However, with Lishang's successful breakthrough and Wang Sheng's powerful rise, the Xinghai Sect's fortunes were finally beginning to turn.

As Huai Jing had said, the Xinghai Sect had borrowed Wang Sheng's heavenly fate, reversing its decline and regaining a chance at revival.

Yet heavenly fate would always be a double-edged sword, even for Wang Sheng and the Xinghai Sect. Countless trials inevitably followed it, and only by enduring could one truly seize their own fated opportunity. A fated opportunity that could not be grasped was nothing more than an empty mirage.

Wang Sheng gazed at the horizon, watching the cultivators of the Fengli Sect busily preparing for battle. Sensing the ever-thickening tension that permeated the area, he sighed faintly.

Neither side had a Golden Immortal, and fewer than a hundred thousand cultivators would be fighting. Nevertheless, the pressure was already so immense that even his Dao Heart stirred restlessly.

The Heavenly Court's conquest of the Immortal Saint Realm, its collapse, and Emperor Ziwei's counterattack... I wonder what those wars looked like.

Spiritless trembled faintly, and Yaoyun softly said, "

Once slaughter begins, blood will flood the skies, rites and order collapse, and remnant spirits will litter the fields. Great battles are never a good thing. Often, they simply cannot be avoided, leaving only the path of confrontation.

"

Wang Sheng nodded lightly, quietly comprehending the Myriad-Slaying Sword Intent, which he had only recently grasped. He wondered whether this battle would grant him the chance to unleash it.

Deep down, he felt a trace of anticipation. After all, the Myriad-Slaying Sword Intent possessed many extraordinary qualities.

Yaoyun reminded him with concern, "

Do not allow the sword intent to influence your Dao Heart. Ancestor Minghe was neither wholly righteous nor wholly wicked. He accomplished many great deeds, yet treated living beings as nothing. Such Innate Beings are difficult to judge, but it'll be wise to always be cautious."

Wang Sheng smiled. "

Don't worry. I know my limits. No matter what form the sword intent takes, it will never depart from the Great Dao itself. Even though the Myriad-Slaying Sword Intent is powerful, I plan to use it sparingly. It's also still incomplete. With my Astral Sword Intent protecting my Primordial Spirit, and my wooden sword keeping it suppressed, it won't be able to disturb my Dao Heart.

"

"

Speaking of that wooden sword...

" Yaoyun paused, as though recalling something. She then lightly added, "

Even I cannot fathom how you managed to get it. In Chaos, heavenly fate holds no meaning, yet that green lotus still sought you out on its own.

"

"Perhaps it's because I'm..."

Wang Sheng hesitated.

Yaoyun was surprised.

"You already know?"

"

Know what?

" Wang Sheng blinked. "

I meant to say perhaps it's because of my character and temperament...

"

Yaoyun snorted, yet she seemed relieved. "

Hmph.

Make sure to prepare yourself thoroughly. When the fighting truly begins, protect yourself amid the chaos, and never grow complacent.

"Though you wield many sword intents and can slay Heavenly Immortals, you still shouldn't look down upon the countless living beings. You never know who might have a rare treasure or possess some fearsome divine ability that can kill you before you even realize it.

"

Wang Sheng was rendered speechless. He could clearly feel the sword spirit's concern.

Over the next ten days, he led the Xinghai Sect's immortals in guarding the area around the teleportation array. Each day, the Fengli Sect sent beautiful female disciples bearing wine, celestial pills, and Spirit Stones.

When several of the Celestial Wind Sect's celestial tower ships finally appeared tens of thousands of

li

away from the Fengli Sect's planets, waves of Heavenly Immortal pressure surged across space. The atmosphere within the Fengli Sect's mountain gate instantly grew heavy.

Wang Sheng counted carefully, confirming that there were twelve Heavenly Immortals.

At that moment, he heard a murmured discussion among the nearby Xinghai Sect immortals.

"Is the Celestial Wind Sect truly going all out?"

"Can the Fengli Sect hold? If not, we should make preparations early."

"I never expected the North-River Sword Sect to value the Celestial Wind Sect so highly. The thirteen qi planets might never find peace at this rate."

"If they want war, then we'll give them war. What is there to fear?"

In a deep tone, Wang Sheng instructed, "Everyone, let's stop whispering among ourselves. Focus on morale and resolve. The Fengli Sect has made extensive preparations. For the Celestial Wind Sect to try to claim victory in a single battle is nothing but a fool's dream."

The Xinghai Sect's immortals immediately fell silent.

One of the elders asked, "Elder Pi, if the Celestial Wind Sect sends experts to provoke us first later, how should we respond?"

Wang Sheng was caught off guard. "Provoke? Why would they bother with provocations when we're about to head into a full-blown battle?"

The elder smiled bitterly. "Elder Pi, don't you know that by tradition, two celestial sects first send experts to step up and issue a challenge before they engage in battle? The opposing side will answer by sending their own member, and the two combatants will engage in a duel until one is defeated. Only after both factions have issued three challenges each does the all-out battle begin."

"There's a rule like that?" Wang Sheng didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "That is far too tedious."

It reminded him of the battle patterns from ancient warfare involving cold weapons, the kind often seen in... the

Romance of the Three Kingdoms

.

Generals issued challenges while the two armies watched. The side that emerged victorious surged with morale, sweeping forward with unstoppable momentum. Meanwhile, the morale of the defeated side would collapse, and its combat strength would wither away.

Since Wang Sheng had never seen it happen before, he couldn't say for certain if such a thing could truly happen among cultivators.

Wang Sheng said, "If they truly send experts to challenge us, I will decide how to act based on the situation. However, our sect is only here as reinforcements for this battle. The main force is still the Fengli Sect; we do not have to steal the spotlight from them."

Most of the Xinghai Sect's immortals smiled faintly in reply. Wang Sheng had become their pillar of support, and his presence gave them a deep sense of security.

The twelve Heavenly Immortals from the Celestial Wind Sect arrived tens of thousands of

li

away, accompanied by a large group of True Immortals. They kept a steady distance from the celestial body where the Fengli Sect's main forces were stationed, slowly circling the sun.

They were likely waiting for their main army's arrival. They merely came here first to pressure the Fengli Sect and see if they could scare off some cultivators or force a surrender.

Six days later, streaks of light flew in from the ancient battlefield's direction and formed ranks before the celestial tower ships. The tens of thousands of celestial soldiers' auras merged into a terrifying presence that eclipsed even that of the twelve Heavenly Immortals.

In response, bells rang repeatedly throughout the Fengli Sect. Waves of celestial soldiers assembled rapidly, while True Immortals flew out ahead of the array one by one to set up intricate battle formations.

Wang Sheng frowned. "Why not rely on the grand array for defense and exhaust their immortal power?"

"The Fengli Sect likely intends to meet them head-on and take out some of their experts," an elder explained. "The array won't last long if they let the enemy bombard it freely.

"Hence, it's better to charge out first and engage them in battle for a while. If the situation turns dire, they can immediately retreat into the array to recover, allowing them to fully exploit the array and use the terrain advantage to steadily wear down the enemy army."

Wang Sheng felt a hint of embarrassment. He had assumed that battles between immortals in the deep reaches of space involved no tactics at all. He imagined everyone simply swinging their swords and fighting without a plan.

At that moment, an old woman hurried over with more than ten female disciples. "Is Vice Sect Master Lishang ready to depart?"

"No need to rush," Wang Sheng replied. "The vice sect master is stationed at the other grand array. Once those Heavenly Immortals head into battle, she will come here immediately."

"That's good to hear." The old woman sighed. "Elder Pi, would you be willing to observe the battle from outside the array? The enemy approaches with fierce momentum. If you can strike and repel one or two Heavenly Immortals, it will surely boost our morale. Of course, we will reward you generously."

Wang Sheng nodded. "I was already planning to head out."

Shortly after, Wang Sheng ordered eight True Immortal Realm elders and several dozen immortal soldiers to stand guard. He then led six elders, dozens of Protectors, and the rest of the celestial soldiers out to reinforce the Fengli Sect.

The old woman handed Wang Sheng a green jade pendant, which allowed one to temporarily open a gap in the grand array. However, it could only be used once. If a fierce battle broke out later and the Fengli Sect could not look after the safety of the Xinghai Sect's immortals, Wang Sheng could use it to bring his people back.

That was all the preparation they had to make.

The Xinghai Sect's immortals followed Wang Sheng. Though they were only a few hundred, Wang Sheng's presence drew everyone's attention.

The grand defensive array closed temporarily, and streaks of light flew out from the Fengli Sect's peaks. Tens of thousands of cultivators formed ranks high in the sky.

Despite the saying, "ten thousand fill the fields," tens of thousands of figures standing in midair only looked like a dark cloud from a distance. The sight could hardly be called magnificent.

Moments later, the grand defensive array opened again, and the Fengli Sect's countless immortals all looked tens of thousands of

li

into the distance.

A draconic roar exploded through space, profusely shaking the entire celestial body. Right after, a colossal, ten-thousand-zhang-long azure dragon appeared on the horizon and radiated overwhelming pressure.

Long Aotian had appeared.

Wang Sheng snorted coldly. A cyan flash erupted from the Dragon Sword on his back, and a cyan dragon phantasm appeared.

The cyan dragon roared furiously at the azure dragon in the distance. Though it was only several dozen zhang long, the Dragon-Slaying Sword Intent sustained it. Hence, it managed to slice through the crushing pressure that the azure dragon had unleashed.

The azure dragon flicked his tail and surged forward with overwhelming momentum. He transformed into a short, stout old man midway through his flight.

Ten streaks of light immediately shot up to chase after Long Aotian, simultaneously stopping outside the planet. Except for the one in charge of guarding their rear, all of the Celestial Wind Sect's Heavenly Immortals charged straight toward the Fengli Sect's battle formation.

Before they could even draw near, Long Aotian snorted coldly. "So the Xinghai Sect has resolved to interfere in the affairs between the Celestial Wind Sect and the Fengli Sect? From what I see, you all seem to have forgotten your place in this endless space."

Wang Sheng gave a noncommittal smile, grasped the hilt of Spiritless, and fixed his gaze on the old man.

Tan Lang and Long Aotian...

The teleportation array inside the Fengli Sect flashed. Clad in golden battle armor, Lishang appeared in her half-serpent form.

The Fengli Sect's immortals visibly relaxed. The grand defensive array opened a gap, and Lishang transformed into a streak of golden light that shot to Wang Sheng's side.

More of the Xinghai Sect's experts then emerged from the teleportation array and flew out at high speed.