Chapter 676: The Real and Fake "Array Spirit"

A black robe, a withered-wood mask, and an immortal sword...

The moment Wang Sheng saw the figure in the cloud mirror, he immediately looked within him and inspected his own Primordial Spirit. He checked carefully for any flaw or imperfection, wondering if some heart devil had slipped out without him noticing.

Someone's impersonating me? Is this some kind of joke?

He stared at his impostor in the mirror as his mind raced. His eyebrows slowly knit.

Who is he? What is his goal?

Wang Sheng could already tell just how complicated this matter was. Whoever was scheming and whatever they were plotting, they had chosen that disguise to drag him into it.

The scene in the cloud mirror seemingly froze for a few seconds. More than a dozen figures then shot into the sky and attacked the guardian spirit.

Meanwhile, Wensheng raised his left hand toward the sky. Spreading his fingers, he made a massive palm descend from above, sealing off every possible escape route.

Through the cloud mirror, Wang Sheng saw the furious expression of those attacking the guardian spirit. Many likely had friends or kin who had entered the divine tree array before, only for him to kill them in the middle ring. Thanks to the impostor, he finally gained a clear sense of how deep the hatred toward him ran among these immortal factions.

In the sky, the impostor turned and slashed up, cleaving apart the descending palm phantasm. A fiery bird phantasm then flared into existence around him as he shot toward the horizon at an astonishing speed.

He even imitates my Soaring Red Feathers so well that it's nearly indistinguishable from the real thing!

Even Wensheng, a Taiyi Golden Immortal, had no time to attack again. Those who had taken to the skies completely missed.

In admiration, Wang Sheng murmured, "So strong."

His vigilance only deepened, though. Considering the impostor destroyed a palm strike from a Taiyi Golden Immortal in one swing, he had to be at least a Golden Immortal.

Why would such a powerful expert choose to appear in this form? Why openly impersonate the guardian spirit in front of so many people?

Several Golden Immortals who truly loathed the spirit gave chase at full speed. Brilliant streams of light flared as seven or eight Golden Immortals pursued him and vanished into the distance.

Shouts and curses erupted outside the grand defensive array. Qiling became unusually lively.

Wensheng said something to the factions that had gathered. The two sides, which had been locked in confrontation, retreated at the same time. The immortals of the Qiling Immortal Sect withdrew into the array, leaving only Wensheng and more than a dozen Golden Immortals outside.

Soon after, dozens of figures from the other celestial sects flew out as well. The Qiling Immortal Sect dispatched four Golden Immortals to join them in pursuing the spirit.

Inside the small pavilion, Wang Sheng stared at the cloud mirror in silence.

"That person was..."

Cha Yue frowned faintly and turned to look at him. She searched his expression, as if hoping to uncover some hidden answer.

Feeling a trace of confusion, Wang Sheng slightly shook his head. He truly did not understand why someone would use his identity to stir up trouble.

Laced with doubt, Yaoyun telepathically commented, "

It's probably part of some scheme.

"

Cha Yue asked softly, "Immortal Master, the one who saved us in the divine tree array that day..."

Still watching what was happening at the mountain gate, Wang Sheng casually replied, "It was me."

Appearing to be lost in thought, Cha Yue's gaze inadvertently settled on him for a moment. When he looked back, she quickly averted her eyes.

"I have yet to thank you for saving us," she said gently.

"I happened upon you. I could not just stand by." He pointed at the mirror. "Can you focus on their expressions?"

"Of course."

With a light motion of her slender fingers, the scene in the cloud mirror slowly shifted. One by one, Wang Sheng carefully observed the immortals lingering outside the mountain gate for a long while. Unfortunately, he found nothing of value.

Nearly half a day later, streaks of light returned from the horizon. The experts who had given chase came back empty-handed. The spirit had disappeared into outer space.

Because of the spirit's sudden appearance, the celestial sects that had come to demand justice withdrew for the time being. In a way, the incident eased some of the pressure on the Qiling Immortal Sect.

Another half day passed before Wensheng arrived at the small pavilion with an elderly woman. They had clearly come because of the guardian spirit.

Wasting no time, the sect master asked, "Fei Yu, did you recognize that person?"

Wang Sheng shook his head and admitted, "I do not. His cultivation far surpasses mine. I even thought you arranged for him to appear."

Wensheng's eyebrows knit tightly, his expression mirroring Wang Sheng's. "That's strange. Who could he be, and why would he appear as the guardian spirit?"

Cha Yue bowed to the group. She intended to withdraw, but the elderly woman asked her to stay and discuss the matter with them.

Before long, Yaoyun emerged from the Qiankun Ring and softly remarked, "Could this be the celestial sects' scheme? They could have made the guardian spirit appear so they could shift the blame onto the Qiling Immortal Sect, thereby forcing the sect to bow to them?"

𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

The elderly woman shook her head. "I've thought of that as well, but judging from the reactions of those celestial sects, that doesn't seem to be the case. Moreover, one of the two sword radiances he unleashed was aimed at us. It felt as though he only wanted to draw attention."

Wensheng frowned. "His aura appeared on Qiling for the first time today. Considering I failed to detect him, he can't be just some ordinary cultivator. Moreover, he deliberately disguised himself as you, Fei Yu. Could he be trying to lure you out?"

Wang Sheng shrugged. "I would rather hide than come forward. There's no way I'd fall for something so obvious."

Cha Yue commented from the side, "Maybe a Heavenly Court expert arranged this to hide your real identity, Immortal Master?"

"That's certainly possible." Wensheng sighed quietly and clasped his hands behind his back. "No matter what his intentions are, you should stay hidden for now, Fei Yu. Do not go out. Remain here and cultivate in seclusion for a while. Once we've refined enough alchemical pills, I will use the teleportation array in the mountain gate to send you away. Whatever plan he has in mind, we will respond by remaining unchanged."

Wang Sheng smiled wryly. "I apologize for troubling you, Sect Master Wensheng."

Wensheng waved a hand. "Don't worry about it."

He then gave Cha Yue a few more instructions before leaving hurriedly with the elderly woman.

Wang Sheng, Yaoyun, and Cha Yue discussed the matter a bit longer, yet they still reached no clear conclusion.

***

Over the next few days, news of the guardian spirit's appearance spread across Qiling. The mysterious man in black had vanished without a trace. Many so-called experts attempted to use divination and other methods to track him, but they failed to gain anything.

Even so, Wang Sheng had a faint sense that an invisible hand had already opened over the skies above Qiling. This matter was far from over.

Sure enough, half a month later, the impostor appeared once more before Qiling's primal qi passage. With a single strike, he severely wounded two Golden Immortals and then disappeared again.

The disturbance spread like ripples from a stone cast into water. The celestial sects lingering on the planet immediately dispatched numerous experts to join forces and search the solar system.

The Qiling Immortal Sect also made its position clear by sending a large number of members and disciples to participate in the search.

Before the situation could settle, another commotion engulfed Qiling. Only two days after the impostor's second appearance, he ambushed another Golden Immortal on the planet.

The man struck repeatedly for an entire month. Each time, he came and went without a trace, leaving the many experts of Qiling running in circles.

No one knew his objective, but celestial sects rushed back to Qiling to hunt him anyway. Batch after batch of powerful figures appeared in the solar system. Most of them had friends or relatives whom the guardian spirit had killed. After all, they couldn't just turn a blind eye to such news.

Though they had only just left this region of space, they swiftly returned in anger.

The impostor continued to show himself, as if determined to remind everyone of his presence. Each time he acted, he gravely injured an opponent or two. No matter how many experts pursued him, he always escaped with ease. It was as though he was deliberately provoking the celestial sects and powerful figures. His conduct defied all logic.

The situation on Qiling had already begun to get out of hand. More than a hundred Golden Immortals and over a dozen Taiyi Golden Immortals had gathered. Two Grand Dao Golden Immortals had even joined them.

Yet no matter how many experts assembled, the guardian spirit remained elusive. He came without warning and vanished without a trace, enraging many immortals enough for them to vomit blood and fill the skies with curses.

Qiling had only just freed itself from the turmoil surrounding Qinghua's resurrection. Because of this impostor, it once again drew the attention of the Eastern Sky Region's immortals.

Now that several major celestial sects had arrived, the Qiling Immortal Sect completely lost its voice in the matter. It could only seal its mountain gate and repeatedly declare that it had no connection whatsoever with the culprit. For a great sect devoted to refining pills, their position right now was truly not an easy one.

***

Inside Cha Yue's small pavilion, Wang Sheng had gone an entire month without being able to sit down and cultivate in peace. He just felt too restless.

"Is he aiming to gather all the factions who bear hatred toward the guardian spirit onto Qiling, and then expose your identity in public?" Yaoyun speculated.

"There is a high chance this is the work of a Grand Dao Golden Immortal," Wang Sheng said as he rubbed his brow. "It might also have nothing to do with us."

"Whatever his plan is," Cha Yue reminded them gently, "Qiling's situation is probably close to his vision. From that perspective, he surely harbors ill intent toward you, Fei Yu. Perhaps you should use the teleportation array and leave now. Once the alchemical pills are fully refined, I will deliver them to the thirteen qi planets for you."

Wang Sheng shook his head. Softly, he replied, "If I leave like this..."

Yaoyun urged, "Departing is still the wiser choice. It would also lessen the pressure on Wensheng and the others."

"Very well." Wang Sheng breathed out slowly. "We will leave at once."

Cha Yue rose from the meditation cushion. "I will inform the sect master and bring over the alchemical pills that have already been refined."

"Thank you."

Cha Yue nodded gently. "

Mm

."

She then hurried out.

Wang Sheng walked to the window and looked at the beautiful valley. For no clear reason, a faint agitation stirred in his heart.

With tension in her tone, Yaoyun called right beside him, "Wang Sheng..."

A trace of alarm flowed into his heart, yet he also felt a hint of confusion.

What is it?

Having once been a princess of the Heavenly Court, his sword spirit rarely showed such discomposure.

When he turned around, he froze.

A dark figure in black robes and a withered-wood mask stood silently before the portrait of the Three Pure Ones. From behind the mask, a pair of deep eyes stared at him steadily.

The figure raised a hand and tossed something at Wang Sheng's feet.

Calmly, he commanded, "Come with me."

The man drew his sword and lightly slashed to the side. Space itself split open, revealing a crack within which a gray vortex slowly turned.

Wang Sheng lowered his gaze to what lay by his feet, causing his pupils to contract sharply. Coming to a realization, he clenched his fists and unhesitatingly stepped forward.

Right now, he could only follow. No matter what lay ahead, be it blades and flames or some deadly trial, refusal was not an option.

After all, on the ground was a game controller, worn smooth from long use.

Huai Jing!