Chapter 622: A Chance for Daoist Master Qinglin's Revival

Wang Sheng truly wanted to swing his sword down and end the dragon fiend before him.

But he thought of the fox immortal who always laughed so openly each day. He thought of the gloomy, oppressive Devil-Sealing Well—of the seductive "female fiend" who flaunted a big sister persona despite the deep emptiness in her heart.

Wang Sheng had always felt that he owed Xi Lian, and he believed that he once had the chance to save Qinglin. Hence, for quite some time now, he had been trying to avoid imagining how Xi Lian would react if he told her that Qinglin had died right before his eyes.

Things had now taken an unexpected turn. On the brink of death, Long Aotian struggled so desperately that he accidentally revealed the secret behind the creation of war slaves.

Wang Sheng could no longer bring himself to kill his opponent, but not out of hesitation or compassion. He knew all too well that if their positions were reversed, Long Aotian would have crushed him mercilessly. Still, all he cared about right now was whether Qinglin could still live.

He turned to Yaoyun, but before he could ask her a question, she telepathically said in a soft tone, "

Memorize this incantation. It's quite long, but you must not miss a single word.

"

A complex formation and an extremely lengthy incantation appeared in Wang Sheng's mind.

Long Aotian silently transformed into a human and collapsed, not daring to move at all. When he fled earlier, he already knew that escaping this little thief's sword was impossible. Now that he saw a chance to survive, he naturally didn't make any unnecessary movements.

After listening for a while, Wang Sheng could not help but ask, "

What is this incantation for?

"

"

It's for the Fiend-Controlling Incantation, a spell that subdues immortal birds and beasts,

"

Yaoyun replied.

"

A Grand Dao Golden Immortal created it in the Primal Era. Though chanting it is cumbersome, it ensures that a subdued mount will never betray the caster. It is considered a secret among many experts.

"

When the Heavenly Court unified the Three Realms, there were still ferocious great fiends in the world. Most of them were exterminated, but quite a few fine ones were selected as mounts.

"

Some experts even deliberately obtained mounts for their disciples using this mysterious spell since it was designed to work specifically on fiends. I have seen many True Immortal Realm or Heavenly Immortal Realm gatekeepers riding Golden Immortal Realm mounts to deliver messages.

"

Wang Sheng was at a loss for words.

Pfft. That definitely sounds like something the Heavenly Court would do.

Wang Sheng looked calmly at the short, chubby old man before him. "

Would you rather live, or should I kill you now?

"

Long Aotian smiled bitterly. "

Of course I want to live. I am willing to become your mount...

"

Yaoyun coldly replied, "

How dare you,

a mere dragon fiend, dare dream of becoming my sword master's mount? We are merely subduing you.

"

Long Aotian smiled bitterly again, this time at the fairy who had come out of the sword before him. He felt helpless and looked utterly miserable. After struggling for so long, he was still deemed unworthy to even serve as a mount.

He watched as the fairy, who was in an elegant dress, raised her hand and drew an intricate formation disk out of thin air.

Wang Sheng began chanting the incantation, causing streams of Pure Yang Immortal Power to flow into it. Thanks to the perfect unity of Yaoyun's spiritual power with Wang Sheng's immortal power, the disk quickly began to solidify.

The incantation was certainly extremely long. Fortunately, Yaoyun guided him closely, allowing him to calmly recite it and avoid making any mistakes.

Throughout the entire process, Wang Sheng didn't relax in the slightest; he remained ready to strike with the Dragon Sword at any moment. If Long Aotian made even the most subtle suspicious move, he would be met with a thunderous blow from the greatsword.

Soon, Yaoyun shouted, "

Present your Primordial Spirit!

"

Long Aotian clearly hesitated. Instead of rushing him, Wang Sheng lowered the Dragon Sword slightly.

Finally, the fiend chuckled bitterly. He stiffened as a tiny dragon soul flew out from his forehead.

Yaoyun extended a finger toward it, as if checking whether it truly was the dragon fiend's Primordial Spirit. After a short while, she nodded gently.

Wang Sheng finished the final segment of the incantation.

Long Aotian's dragon soul was somewhat misshapen. One could still make out its original form, which seemed to resemble a loach-like fiend beast.

The elder clearly had an extraordinary past. Cultivating from such a weak physique to achieving his form now and stepping onto the path of dragon transformation was, in itself, an arduous feat.

As Wang Sheng extended his right hand and pointed, the formation disk that he and Yaoyun had constructed together shone radiantly. A vortex appeared within it and forcibly dragged the soul in.

The two then backed up two paces. A chain condensed in the disk and extended outward, fastening itself around Wang Sheng's left wrist. Right after, a draconic roar rang out from within the disk.

Long Aotian's Primordial Spirit seemed to be under immense pressure. Wang Sheng felt his Immortal power draining as the formation grew brighter and brighter, as though another sun had appeared in the area.

Moments later, the blazing light faded, and the disk vanished. Long Aotian sat blankly in midair, his eyes dull and unfocused.

Wang Sheng took out and simultaneously swallowed six pills to restore his immortal power, recovering nearly half of it. Beside him, Yaoyun looked somewhat pale.

She had not expected that merely subduing a Heavenly Immortal Realm dragon fiend would nearly exhaust both Wang Sheng's immortal power and her spiritual power. This alone showed how profound Long Aotian's cultivation truly was.

Unfortunately for him, he had met his doom. A small wooden sword now taught him a harsh lesson.

With just a thought from Wang Sheng, the short, chubby old man before him immediately transformed back into his dragon form.

Every inch of the dragon fiend's flesh and blood was laid bare in Wang Sheng's perception. He could see Long Aotian's hidden reversed scale; heart meridian; and dragon soul, which had now turned pale golden.

Ancient talismanic inscriptions covered the dragon soul from head to toe. Their complexity far exceeded Wang Sheng's expectations; he couldn't even begin to understand or comprehend them.

Simply observing Long Aotian for a while allowed Wang Sheng to gain many insights.

With nothing more than a single thought and the casting of a spell, he could completely destroy the dragon fiend's corporeal and ethereal soul. Wang Sheng had already memorized its incantation, which Yaoyun had fully transferred to him moments earlier.

Long Aotian slowly stood up. Dragging his battered body, he trembled as he knelt before Wang Sheng. "

Greetings, Master.

"

No trace of ferocity or resentment was left in his eyes; they were now dull and lifeless, filled with nothing but calm emptiness.

Wang Sheng simply stood quietly, hesitation flickering faintly in his gaze.

Yaoyun naturally knew why he hesitated. "

You don't have to worry too much. Right now, that fiend can no longer harbor even the slightest disrespect toward you, nor can it even think of defying you. This is precisely the unsettling aspect of this immortal art. On the other hand, it only works on fiends.

"

Wang Sheng nodded, took out a bottle of alchemical pills, and tossed it over. "

Return to the Celestial Wind Sect immediately. Use the safest method possible and bring that banner to me intact.

"

Long Aotian replied firmly, "

Yes, Master. I will return as fast as I can.

"

He kowtowed once to Wang Sheng and swallowed the alchemical pills in one gulp. Right after, he turned and sped toward the ancient battlefield. He was quite slow due to his severe injuries, yet he flew without hesitation. Wang Sheng could not help but worry that the elder would collapse and die halfway through the journey.

Watching Long Aotian turn into a streak of light, he felt a faint sense of disbelief. Though still reasonable, defeating the fiend had been somewhat simpler than he had expected. He had merely seized the opportunity to hit his opponent with everything he had.

Long Aotian had failed to anticipate Wang Sheng's small wooden sword, which made the sword cultivator immune to his strongest divine ability. That oversight allowed Wang Sheng to pierce through Long Aotian's brain marrow in one blow, critically wounding him.

If they were to have a rematch, it could well turn into a prolonged battle.

Yet now, after draining nearly all of his own immortal power and expending more than half of Yaoyun's spiritual power, he had subdued a late-stage Heavenly Immortal Realm dragon fiend and turned him into a servant and mount. The irony of it was hard to ignore.

The standing of the fiend race within the endless space was evident enough, and the "creativity" of the Heavenly Court's great members was truly frightening.

Wang Sheng slung the Dragon Sword onto his back. "

Let's not use it again unless we have no other choice.

"

Yaoyun gave a soft affirmation. She then transformed into Spiritless and returned to the Qiankun Ring. "

I drained quite a bit of my spiritual power. I need some time to recover.

"

"

Mm.

"

Wang Sheng turned and flew back to the Fengli Sect's planet. Only then did the fatigue spread from his Primordial Spirit and flow through his limbs and bones. Having unleashed both the unity of man and sword and the Myriad-Slaying Sword Intent, he felt twice as exhausted as he should've been.

If he weren't concerned about Lishang and the immortals of the Xinghai Sect, Wang Sheng would truly have liked to sit down and meditate for a while. Even half an hour would have sufficed.

Out of curiosity, Wang Sheng asked, "

Once Long Aotian obtains the banner, how will he find us?

"

Yaoyun helplessly replied, "

Call out to him mentally, and he will naturally know where you are. The incantation has a section that allows the fiend soul bound to you to resonate with your Primordial Spirit, isn't there?

"

"

Sword cultivators are not very familiar with this kind of thing.

"

"

Mm,

" Yaoyun responded tiredly, then fell silent.

Wang Sheng found it somewhat novel. He had always focused on the Dao of the Sword, which pursued extreme lethality. Hence, his attainments in formations and spells were certainly shallow.

He didn't even expect that a spell that a Grand Dao Golden Immortal had created could have such wondrous effects.

Does it really only work on fiends?

The difference between fiends and humans was mostly in bodily structure. In essence, they were still the same kind of living beings. The human form that Goddess Nuwa had created was simply closer to the innate Dao Body than the naturally evolved bodies of the fiend race. The fiend race's concept of transformation originated from it, reshaping themselves into a human form more aligned with the Great Dao.

Heavenly Court...

If the endless space were viewed as a civilization of the Immortal Dao, the era of the Heavenly Court had to have been the pinnacle of that civilization.

Haotian surveyed the world with unrivaled authority. He had an abundance of Grand Dao and Taiyi Golden Immortals, countless celestial soldiers and divine generals, and peerless unaffiliated immortals.

Unfortunately, Haotian brought it all down himself.

Wang Sheng murmured, "

Big Sister, I hope everything goes smoothly this time.

"

Using his Astral Sword Intent, he drew in the power of the stars from the endless space, allowing him to fly even faster.

***

On the other side, Long Aotian flew toward the ancient battlefield for a while before gradually slowing down.

The master instructed me to use the most secure method.

As he moved farther and farther from Wang Sheng, the vacant look in his eyes gradually filled with a growing brilliance.

If I return to Celestial Wind right now, it will surely arouse the sect master's suspicion.

Long Aotian rubbed the back of his head. The corner of his lips curved into a simple and honest smile.

Master's sword is truly sharp. It would be better for me to hide here first. Once he has returned to the battlefield, the Celestial Wind Sect will surely retreat in fear. When they do, I can slip in with them, retrieve the banner, and report back.

He seemed like an entirely different person.