Chapter 643: I Will Protect You For As Long As My Sword Remains!

The small realm was said to be the former residence of an emperor, yet there were no immortal palaces in sight. Instead, lush greenery stretched everywhere, and dense vitality filled the air.

Before entering the valley at the center, Wang Sheng spread out his immortal perception across the surroundings. The overflowing vitality of this place left him in constant amazement.

In several corners, there were many medicinal gardens, tended to by disciples of the Qiling Immortal Sect. The gardens were still full of medicinal herbs, though those who once guarded this place had already been recalled to the sect.

At last, near the divine tree that looked no different from an ordinary large tree, Wang Sheng found an abandoned thatched hut. Half of it had collapsed, revealing the simple furnishings inside.

Was this the residence of one of the Four Heavenly Ministers? Or was it where Zhuge Lin once lived?

Wang Sheng and Mu Wanxuan had no way of knowing. Wensheng, who led the way, did not give them a tour either.

Mu Wanxuan's gaze had been completely drawn to the towering tree. Nervous, she held Wang Sheng's hand, her eyes suddenly wavering with hesitation.

"My master did not tell me how to activate the restriction here," Zhenren Wensheng said as he walked briskly ahead. "He just told me to bring you here. Once Fairy Hua Qing stands before the tree, she will know what to do."

Mu Wanxuan suddenly stopped walking, the hesitation in her eyes deepening.

Wang Sheng lightly pinched her soft hand and smiled. "Don't worry. Just go. We came all this way for this divine tree, didn't we?"

"

Mm.

"

Mu Wanxuan gave him such a complicated look that even Wang Sheng could not quite understand it.

"It's fine," she answered softly. Afterward, she lowered her head slightly as if gathering courage and then whispered to herself, "Become stronger!"

Wensheng, who was waiting ahead, could not help but smile. He turned to the pair of martial siblings, suddenly finding them rather interesting.

One was only at the True Immortal Realm, and according to Cha Yue's report, his Daoist realm was even lower than his cultivation level. Nevertheless, he was determined to guard this place and had spoken boldly about not letting anyone disturb his senior sister's cultivation.

The other had not even become an immortal yet, but she seemed to be a reincarnated Heavenly Court deity and was closely connected to the sealed divine tree here. She was also his junior, a disciple of Qinghua, and someone his master highly valued.

Their sudden arrival had already broken the long tranquility of the Qiling Immortal Sect.

What would follow could not be described simply as disruption. In Wensheng's estimation, it would be earthshaking.

"Fei Yu, this is for you," he said gently, handing Wang Sheng a jade pendant.

It felt unusually heavy in his hand. Carved upon it was a celestial fox. Behind the fox stood a giant tree and a grand palace, as if illustrating Zhuge Lin's mission.

Instead of urging them, the old Daoist simply waited. Wang Sheng and Mu Wanxuan bowed to thank him.

Then Mu Wanxuan drew a light breath and fixed her gaze on the tree ahead. For some reason, a solemn feeling lingered in her heart as she stepped forward.

What's wrong?

Yaoyun telepathically told Wang Sheng,

"Hua Qing never wanted to have ties with her previous life. You know that. Beyond her reluctance, though, she wants to share your burden as soon as possible. Your senior sister refuses to just stay behind you and enjoy the fruits of your labor. She wants to stand and fight alongside you, just like my mother once did."

Mu Wanxuan reached the trunk of the tree.

Meanwhile, Wang Sheng could only watch with mixed emotions. He did not know what to do or what to say. In the end, only one sentence came to mind.

"Senior Sister."

Mu Wanxuan, who had already raised her left hand, turned her head slightly. "

Mm?

"

The trunk before her had begun to react. Threads of green light flowed within the bark, forming one ring after another. Soon, the entire tree began to fade.

Wang Sheng wanted to say something memorable, but when he met her clear eyes, he simply said, "Call for me if anything happens, and don't push yourself too hard. I'll be outside, guarding you."

Mu Wanxuan smiled and nodded. She slowly reached forward with her raised left hand and touched the faintly blurred trunk.

Right after, the trunk shone, and an invisible force pushed Wang Sheng and Wensheng backward. Fortunately, it was gentle and caused no harm, merely moving them away.

Ahead, the partially translucent tree began to expand. Mu Wanxuan seemingly clung to the trunk with her left hand as the divine tree swelled and carried her into the sky.

Wang Sheng stared at the scene. Naturally, he was worried. He had considered whether the Qiling Immortal Sect had other intentions, but they were the ones asking for help and had little initiative. All he could do was accept the risk.

He noticed that as the tree brought Mu Wanxuan into the clouds, she gradually began to merge into the trunk.

He and Wensheng had been pushed more than twenty

li

away. Once the force disappeared, both halted at once. Wang Sheng immediately tried to rush back, but an invisible barrier stopped him.

Wensheng sighed softly. "So this is the restriction that one of the Four Heavenly Ministers had left in the past. It truly is beyond us."

Wang Sheng frowned as he stared at the scene ahead.

Nine rings began to rise and fall. The divine tree hidden within the valley seemed to be recovering its original form.

Boundless vitality surged. The primal qi was so dense that even breathing felt heavy.

The ground suddenly trembled. Mountains vanished out of thin air, and the small realm shook as if heaven and earth were being remade. New mountains and lakes formed nonstop, as though they were partitions being pulled away to reveal what had always been hidden.

Looking carefully, those newly formed mountains resembled the roots of a colossal tree breaking through the ground.

Within only a few breaths, the tree's canopy expanded until it occupied half the sky. It was already larger than the moon laurel that Wang Sheng had seen in the Small Immortal Realm.

The branches and leaves of the divine tree were extraordinarily lush. Each leaf was immense, and tree houses had been built upon them. From afar, it looked like a village.

Unfortunately, it had no signs of life now. Only the ancient tree houses remained.

Mu Wanxuan was no longer visible, yet Wang Sheng could clearly feel her presence inside the colossal trunk. Something within the tree was drawing her deeper, guiding her toward the place where vitality gathered thickest and primal qi surged most strongly.

The nine rings slowed their rise and fall. The divine tree's growth also eased, no longer swelling at an overwhelming pace.

Wang Sheng steadied himself. What his immortal perception brought back did not feel like simple information. In his mind, it formed the image of an ancient and mysterious world, a realm steeped in endless, profound Dao resonance.

Only then did he understand the source of the force that had pushed them away. The edge of the trunk stood right before him, close enough to reach out and touch.

It felt like standing before a wall without height or boundary. Every line in the bark had a quiet sense of the Great Dao. Streams of vitality flowed through those patterns and drifted into his breath, refreshing him from the inside out.

This was the true dwelling of Emperor Qinghua.

The divine tree covered most of the small world. Primal qi had condensed into liquid, flowing through the air like streams with a soft, multicolored shimmer. Mountains, rivers, and lakes were arranged with deliberate order, as though they formed part of a vast array that maintained the flow of primal qi.

Wang Sheng even sensed fluctuations similar to a primal qi passage. Deep underground, tunnels seemed to be endlessly exchanging qi with this place.

Even Wensheng was overwhelmed.

Treasure light flickered across the ground, and precious materials lay scattered everywhere. Spiritual herbs sealed within restrictions stood in clusters. Each one was a rare treasure, aged hundreds of thousands of years.

The herbs that had once remained hidden under the restrictions now shone like scattered stars. Some medicinal herbs had even taken human shape and stood quietly, gazing toward the divine tree.

"My young friend, I'm going to collect some materials first!" Wensheng dove toward the ground, clearly planning to dig up several spiritual herbs, but the moment he moved, the nine rings circling the trunk unleashed intense green light.

The first wave swept over Wang Sheng. It instantly enveloped him, but the jade pendant in his hand released a faint glow and allowed him to pass through without resistance.

Wensheng did not have any protection. Wrapped in green light, he was sent flying to the distant horizon.

At that moment, a thought surfaced in Wang Sheng's mind, quiet yet unmistakable.

Those who have attained immortality may not enter.

In the distance, the usually composed Wensheng beat his chest in frustration, but the expanding radiance had already blocked his sight and immortal perception.

The second wave spread outward. The mustard seed realm faded from view as the green light formed a vast, star-like sphere, hovering silently in space. It was the outer wall of the array.

The third and fourth rings expanded almost together. Two additional layers of light appeared within the sphere, dividing the space into outer, middle, and inner regions.

At that moment, Wang Sheng felt like an observer, standing beneath the great tree and quietly watching the scenes unfolding around him.

The first four rings had formed a powerful grand array. The trial grounds were essentially finished.

Every precious material and spiritual herb on the ground had its own restriction to guard it, many of which were killing arrays or trapping arrays. Anyone tempted by these treasures would find it difficult to escape without sufficient strength or resources.

The fifth ring flared. Unlike the ones before it, it formed the gates.

From where he stood, Wang Sheng could see four gates appear along the outermost array, aligned with the four cardinal directions. On the second layer, twenty-eight vortices emerged, revolving in accordance with the pattern of the twenty-eight constellations. The third layer had only two great gates, one yin and one yang. Before each gate waited nine layers of killing arrays.

Qinghua's mastery of arrays exceeded anything Wang Sheng could ever imagine.

The sixth ring then burst forth. Across the small world, grass and trees seemed to awaken. From trunks and branches stepped out wood spirits clad in armor, each exuding a Heavenly Immortal Realm aura.

It resembled the divine ability that created soldiers from beans, except the emperor had used living trees.

The seventh ring spread outward. Countless drifting black clouds appeared within the layered restrictions. They felt like mobile killing arrays, though their true purpose remained unclear.

Is the emperor trying to pass down a Daoist heritage, or does he want to bury a host of Heavenly Immortals in this place?

Wang Sheng frowned, his fingers tightening around the jade pendant.

Instead of following the others, the eighth ring rose into the canopy. A magnificent immortal palace appeared at the center of the crown, set into the trunk itself. A radiant multi-colored path extended from it.

Wang Sheng could faintly sense that Mu Wanxuan was inside that palace.

His role was simple. Guard the area.

The disturbance here was enormous, yet space was boundless. As long as no one noticed, keeping watch would not be too difficult.

He then remembered that Zhuge Lin had predicted that the entire Eastern Sky Region would be stirred. As the thought formed, the ninth ring erupted.

Green light surged beyond every layer of the array. The Great Dao itself trembled, as if a hidden mechanism had been set into motion.

The Great Dao of Life?

Using that Dao as a path, the dense green radiance vanished and reappeared across the Eastern Sky Region. Wherever living beings existed, they could all see that streak of green light pass across the sky.

"Alright."

Wang Sheng shook his head and breathed out quietly.

Qinghua had to have been quite prideful. Even selecting a successor required a display that shook an entire region.

He drew Spiritless, wrapped the jade pendant in celestial rope, hung it around his neck, and hid it under his clothes. After walking ten paces forward, he slung the Dragon Sword over his back and closed his eyes, conserving his strength.

High above, Mu Wanxuan sat at the center of the immortal palace, wrapped in primal qi so dense it flowed like water. A cyan lamp hovered beside her as she meditated in stillness. On her forehead, a green leaf mark glimmered softly.

I will protect you for as long as my sword remains!