Chapter 633: A Devious Scheme

Humming an old folk song from Earth, Wang Sheng felt his entire Dao Heart drifting lightly.

Although nothing truly indescribable happened, he could clearly feel that they had grown closer.

Glancing at Mu Wanxuan, who was cultivating beside him while holding the cyan lamp from their forefather, Wang Sheng felt that as long as he could remain by his senior sister's side in this lifetime, eternal life would never be lonely, and the passing years would never feel dull.

Still, though traveling with his senior sister was a delight, Wang Sheng did not forget that strength ruled the endless space. Hence, he dared not be careless in the slightest. He spread his immortal perception outward, observing their surroundings as they flew.

The Celestial Wind Sect and Fengli Sect's great cities on Jinhua had somewhat spiraled into chaos. Since the two sects had left only a small number of celestial soldiers behind to guard the area, some unaffiliated practitioners stirred up trouble in the two cities, plundering resources or pursuing other ulterior motives. Consequently, the region beneath the primal qi passage now carried a faint scent of blood.

However, none of this concerned Wang Sheng and his senior sister. They were only passing through.

Dressed in matching silver-gray cloaks, Wang Sheng led his senior sister swiftly into the primal qi passage. He raised a round sphere of primal qi and allowed it to drift along the current within the somewhat dreamlike passage.

Mu Wanxuan found the place novel. When Wang Sheng explained that this location was probably not part of the usual three-dimensional space but rather a higher-dimensional route, she expressed mild surprise.

Soon afterward, she held the cyan lamp again and leaned beside Wang Sheng, entering meditation and cultivation.

Both the cyan lamp and her junior brother seemingly helped her better comprehend the Great Dao. Even though the purpose of the journey was to search for the divine tree and push her cultivation forward, she still refused to stop cultivating.

Wang Sheng smiled faintly, closed his eyes, and contemplated quietly. He then played with the sword intent in his mind while focusing on protecting his senior sister.

With the Celestial Wind Sect too preoccupied to pay attention and the Fengli Sect unconcerned, Wang Sheng quietly departed the thirteen qi planets with his senior sister. They would be gone for at least several years.

Qinglin's revival had certainly relieved Wang Sheng of considerable pressure. As long as the ancient sword cultivator was near the thirteen qi planets, the Xinghai Sect would be able to respond against even a surprise attack from the Celestial Wind Sect.

The only uncertain factor now was the North-River Sword Sect. However, Wang Sheng was confident that it would no longer dare to interfere in the affairs of the thirteen qi planets. Its perspective far surpassed that of the Celestial Wind Sect, and it had other paths available beyond the thirteen qi planets. Moreover, it most likely noticed the presence of the Fengli Sect's powerful backer when they took matters into their own hands during the battle.

Perhaps at this very moment, the North-River Sword Sect had already sent representatives to the Fengli Sect to offer apologies, promising to expel Li Tianyao from the sect and cease further involvement with the Celestial Wind Sect.

The longer a celestial sect survived in the endless space, the more clearly it understood the terror of those supreme beings.

Immortality merely granted an entry ticket to the world of the true experts. Individuals like Chun Yangzi could already turn the clouds with a wave of their hands, command the rivers of stars, and tread upon the sun and moon, yet even they could only be considered a rising star.

To attain true freedom, one had to reach the Daoist realms of Emperor Ziwei, who ruled countless stars; and Ancestor Minghe, who created the Great Dao sword case and left behind the Myriad-Slaying Sword Intent.

Wang Sheng looked within him with a thread of consciousness, observing the blood-colored sword intent suppressed under the small wooden sword. He contemplated its utterly cold yet incomparably pure Dao of Slaughter and Dao of the Sword, then sensed the mysterious Dao Rhythms that his other sword intents emitted.

What is cultivation ultimately for? Is it simply to become stronger, obtain an endless lifespan, and then pursue limitless power? To chase authority and become a being who determines who lives and dies among the countless creatures in the endless space?

None of those seemed to be his true wish; he felt no real desire for such things.

Wang Sheng had always considered it correct to protect Earth and free it from the Realm of Exiled Immortals, yet they were not connected to the deepest pursuit within his heart.

Cultivating immortality, cultivating the Dao, longing for longevity... Am I striving to climb the Dao of the Sword just to see the view from the summit and behold the full picture of the Dao?

Within the primal qi passage, the vast river of infinite primal qi flowed steadily and uninterrupted. As Wang Sheng and his senior sister rose and sank within it, he gradually fell into deep contemplation that was unrelated to the comprehension of the Dao, yet was closely connected to the state of his Dao Heart. It was a threshold that every cultivator would eventually face.

Slowly, Wang Sheng seemingly fell into a certain confusion, yet at the same time, he appeared to enter a subtly profound state of mind. Thoughts rose and fell along with the bobbing of the primal qi sphere.

This was not a bottleneck. He was simply allowing himself to make a choice and determine the path he would follow in the future.

If one did not know what they truly wanted, how could they be acknowledged by the Great Dao in the future, and how could they dare speak of transcendence?

***

Mountain gate of the Celestial Wind Sect.

The sect's atmosphere remained extremely oppressive.

𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The elders repeatedly declared that even if the Fengli Sect and the Xinghai Sect joined forces to attack, they still could not threaten the sect's grand defensive array. Nevertheless, anxiety continued to spread. Increasing numbers of cultivators were quietly considering their own escape routes.

Fortunately, as long as their enemies did not launch an attack, the Celestial Wind Sect would not collapse immediately. The deep foundation of the sect also played a crucial role now.

Within a palace in the rear mountain, several True Immortals with graying hair hurried out of the great palace, leaving behind only a few Heavenly Immortal Realm elders and their sect master, who was bedridden.

The sect master was deathly pale. Fortunately, his breathing had finally steadied, and he was recovering from his injuries, albeit slowly. He had managed to survive his severe wounds, preventing his sect from falling into chaos due to the lack of a leader.

The elders all remained silent. They remained in their seats, their expressions dark and heavy.

Long Aotian had betrayed the Celestial Wind Sect and stolen the sect's treasures. He had since vanished without a trace, leaving not even a single dragon scale behind.

To make matters worse, Wang Beifeng had sent a letter the day before, stating that they could no longer maintain ties with the Celestial Wind Sect. They also demanded that the Celestial Wind Sect decide whether to let Li Tianyao cut off all ties with them to continue cultivating at the North-River Sword Sect, or have him leave the sword sect altogether.

A senior had defected, one of their treasuries had been emptied, and they had lost their greatest support.

For now, the disciples within the Celestial Wind Sect were still unaware of the first two pieces of devastating news. The elders had done everything they could to hide the information, preventing the consecutive blows from tearing the sect apart.

Near the palace, the teleportation array suddenly flared dazzlingly. Space itself split open, and a streak of brilliant light shot out, landing before the palace.

Li Tianyao had arrived, his face ashen. Holding an immortal sword in his hand, he paused briefly before the palace and then stepped inside.

Several elders raised their hands at once, sealing the great palace with layer upon layer of arrays.

Li Tianyao walked straight to the bedside, lowered his head, and knelt. He declared loudly and clearly, "Father, I have decided to leave the North-River Sword Sect and return to the Celestial Wind Sect to face these trials together with you and my martial uncles!"

At last, the elders smiled faintly.

The sect master, who sat on the bed, sighed deeply. "I told you to decide for yourself. Since you have chosen this path, do not regret it in the future."

Li Tianyao smiled bitterly. "This is where I belong, Father. How could I ever regret it? We have not yet lost to the Fengli Sect and the Xinghai Sect, but even if we do, so what? At worst, we would have to leave this land and rise again another day."

The sect master smiled faintly and waved his hand. "Take a seat. What did the North-River Sword Sect say?"

"They are completely terrified," Li Tianyao replied, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. "They believe the mighty figure behind the Fengli Sect is the same one who had given them a warning. My master—wait no... He has already expelled me from his lineage...

"I wanted to persuade him to conceal this matter and bring out the experts of his lineage to wipe out the Fengli Sect and the Xinghai Sect in one hit, but before I could even speak to him, he had already reported everything to the peak master. I didn't get the chance to argue. To protect Wang Beifeng from punishment, the peak master suppressed the matter for now."

"You have done all that you could." An elderly woman sighed. "A great sect like the North-River Sword Sect survives precisely because it's overly cautious. That's how it endured long enough to become one of the ten great sects of the Eastern Sky Region."

The sect master said, "We misjudged the Fengli Sect's strength. That much is on us. As for the North-River Sword Sect's betrayal, we can only keep it in mind and have them repay this debt in the future."

"Considering how things stand now, what can we possibly do?" an elder asked.

"Father." Li Tianyao stood once more, sword light flickering within his eyes. He steadily and resolutely said, "On my way back, I already devised a plan to deal with the situation."

"Oh? Go on."

"While cultivating at the North-River Sword Sect, I gathered information from many sources and learned that they have numerous sworn enemies throughout the Eastern Sky Region. I memorized their identities.

"We only have to do two things. First, we reconcile with the Fengli Sect and swear solemn oaths that we will not launch any attacks against them. We can even cede part of our territory on the thirteen qi stars to them, forcing them to spread their forces thinner."

"Second, we secretly contact the North-River Sword Sect's enemies and reveal everything. We'll also try to persuade a few experts to attack the Fengli Sect and then frame the North-River Sword Sect, making the Fengli Sect believe that it's revenge for Wang Beifeng's grievous injury."

"Should the mighty figure behind the Fengli Sect seek accountability, the North-River Sword Sect will bear the blame. If they do not wish to waste effort on such a minor matter, then we will have effortlessly eliminated a great enemy. We can then prepare generous gifts and apologize to the experts we invited."

Li Tianyao paused and studied his father's and the elders' expressions. Seeing their shock and disbelief, he straightened his back even more.

He cupped his hands and continued, "This plan still has many flaws, but if you give your approval, I am sixty percent confident of its success. The grudges between the great celestial sects run far deeper than we realize. Once certain rivals of the North-River Sword Sect catch wind of this, some of them are bound to make a move."

"Young Master, you..."

"This plan may indeed work."

The elders slowly nodded. A trace of relief surfaced in the sect master's eyes, yet he soon commented, "But my son, you were still once Wang Beifeng's disciple."

A flash of hatred crossed Li Tianyao's eyes. Firmly, he replied, "They betrayed us first. Why speak of personal bonds? Father, I will ensure that our sect will stand tall in the Eastern Sky Region and become a great sect equal to the North-River Sword Sect!

"When that day comes, I will force the North-River Sword Sect to pay tribute year after year, and I will personally crush every one of those who cast me out of their mountain gate."