Chapter 704: Marching on the Celestial Wind Sect

Wang Sheng turned the matter over in his mind before concluding, "That was probably one of Yaoyun's elder sisters.

He felt somewhat speechless.

If Yaoyun had been here, he wouldn't have had to grit his teeth and "entertain" the guest alone. Still, the fact that the woman had not outright attacked him already made her far easier to deal with than Wang Shan.

Wang Sheng mentally gave Feng Jiu several labels: Chuunibyou, conquest game enthusiast, well-connected in the Heavenly Court, and a major problem waiting to happen. Even so, he did not take her too seriously. She likely knew about the sacred spirit and had therefore regarded him more highly than warranted.

He had no intention of walking a path that others had arranged for him. Be it his own Dao or the road ahead, he would follow his own will. At worst, he could fake his death one day and live freely with his senior sister beyond the Three Realms.

"Yaoyun's sister?" Lishang frowned slightly. "She is probably an enemy, then, not a friend. Another wave of trouble awaits us."

Wang Sheng smiled. "Don't worry, I'll handle this myself. It has little to do with the Xinghai Sect."

Lishang made no effort to hide her faint displeasure, but he pretended not to notice it.

They relocated their hiding place once again and continued their guerrilla battle against the Celestial Wind Sect across the ancient battlefield.

After failing to find them for so long, the Celestial Wind Sect shifted its focus from recklessly expanding to strengthening its solar system's defenses. The Fengli Sect's departure had left a power vacuum among the eleven qi planets. Now, numerous small celestial sects had sprung up. Most were tiny, founded by just one or two True Immortals who established a mountain gate and called it a sect.

Feng Jiu's arrival felt like an unimportant interlude, stirring little more than a brief ripple among the cultivators of the Xinghai Sect.

Over the next half year, Wang Sheng devoted himself fully to cultivation. The Xinghai Sect also dispatched elders to gather intelligence on the Celestial Wind Sect and quietly reconnect with the former Protectors and celestial soldiers who had been dismissed earlier.

Around the ancient battlefield, tension was building like a storm about to break.

While contemplating the Great Dao of Pure Yang and the Heavenly Ziwei Sword, Wang Sheng one day heard a call in his mind. His spirits surged as he sprang to his feet.

Yaoyun had returned with good news.

He immediately summoned his two "great generals," Hu Chang and Long Liekong, and instructed them to guard the Xinghai Sect cultivators while he hurried back to the great Buddha statue.

By the time he arrived, Lin Yun was already waiting inside. Huai Jing was introducing Zhang Zikuang and the others to her. Wang Sheng slipped into the great Buddha statue through the opening at its toe.

Huai Jing's eyes lit up at once as he pointed at him. "Look, the main man is here!"

The female immortal standing beside Yaoyun turned immediately. Her gaze locked onto Wang Sheng, sweeping over him again and again as she studied him from head to toe.

Wang Sheng examined her in return. She was beautiful, her features touched by a mature charm that gave her an air of calm reliability. From the palace dress of a Jade Pool maid—her usual clothing—she had also changed to a loose dress that concealed her figure. Moreover, she had no makeup on. She clearly understood that she was recruited to serve as a temporary pillar of strength for this rising faction.

Wang Sheng smiled warmly and stepped forward with a cupped-fist salute. "Thank you for coming to assist us, Senior."

Lin Yun's expression turned complicated. On the way here, Yaoyun had explained again and again that she had willingly become Wang Sheng's sword spirit, that he treated her as a confidant and valued her second only to his beloved Daoist partner. Even so, Lin Yun could not remove the thorn in her heart.

She had originally intended to give Wang Sheng a show of dominance to test him and uphold the thirteenth princess's dignity. However, the moment she saw him, a flood of emotions welled up inside her, making her forget everything she had planned.

As she watched him approach from afar, she felt as though she were seeing the gentle Ziwei once more. Even though their appearances, temperaments, and cultivation levels were different, she could see traces of him in Wang Sheng.

Lin Yun stepped forward. To everyone's surprise, she bowed first and lowered her head in respect. "Greetings, Immortal Fei Yu. I am Lin Yun, a palace maid of the Jade Pool. From this day on, please command me as you wish. I will dedicate my entire being to serving you and Her Highness with absolute loyalty."

"You honor me too much, Senior."

Wang Sheng had not expected a Golden Immortal to be so approachable, let alone so humble. Unsure how to respond, he cast a pleading glance at Yaoyun.

Yaoyun breathed a small sigh of relief. She flew forward, took Lin Yun by the arm, and whispered a few words into her ear.

Lin Yun's expression softened into a warm smile, turning the atmosphere more relaxed and harmonious. Earth's cultivators, who had worried that a Golden Immortal would be difficult to control, finally felt a weight lift from their hearts... except for one person.

Utterly baffled, Huai Jing stared at Lin Yun, then at Wang Sheng. He raised a hand and touched his own cheek.

The venerable arhat fell into deep thought and soon began to question himself.

Is the difference really that big? Or does Fei Yu have some kind of indescribable presence? That makes no sense. When I reincarnated, I carefully shaped this face myself. Are delicate young monks not popular anymore?

***

With Lin Yun's arrival at the eleven qi planets, Earth's cultivators and the Xinghai Sect were now ready to sound the horn of retaliation against the Celestial Wind Sect.

Wang Sheng told Yaoyun about Feng Jiu. Yaoyun was puzzled as well, but she agreed with his guess that the woman was likely one of her sisters. The fall of the Heavenly Court had struck the Immortal Emperor's family the hardest. One of the princesses could have changed drastically as a result.

For now, Wang Sheng and Yaoyun kept the matter to themselves. What Feng Jiu had spoken of would only matter tens or hundreds of thousands of years in the future. There was no benefit in dwelling on it now.

The Fengli Sect had betrayed the Xinghai Sect, and Feng Jiu had declared that she was their enemy. Remembering those facts was enough.

The first step to their counteroffensive was gathering intelligence. Despite their long efforts, the Xinghai Sect had been unable to uncover much useful information due to limitations tied to their status.

Huai Jing, Shi Qianzhang, and Liu Yunzhi volunteered to take on the first major task of determining the Celestial Wind Sect's situation and gathering as much intelligence as possible before Wang Sheng acted.

Though weary from travel, Huai Jing set out again. He departed from the great Buddha statue with the two and rushed toward the two celestial bodies closest to the Celestial Wind Sect's solar system.

Soon after, Wang Sheng and the others rendezvoused with the Xinghai Sect and Lishang's group.

At Qinglin's firm insistence, Ling Sheng also accompanied Wang Sheng. Meanwhile, the Spirit Stabilizing Tea Tree volunteered to assist Qinglin in guarding the gate to the Realm of Exiled Immortals.

Wang Sheng now had a formidable force under his command: Lin Yun, a late-stage Golden Immortal; Long Liekong, a late-stage Heavenly Immortal; Hu Chang, a physical cultivator; Lishang, Empress Nuwa's descendant; and Huai Jing, who could deploy a golden body.

Along with him, they already had an extremely powerful lineup. To top it all off, they also had Ling Sheng, a terrifying and unconventional weapon, along with Yao Xingzi and Qinglin, who would be guarding their rear.

After gathering intelligence, they would crush the Celestial Wind Sect, avenge past wrongs, and take the first step in bolstering Earth's forces.

However, Wang Sheng sought out Yao Xingzi first. After a brief discussion, he granted him full authority over the matter. Later, when the elders of the Xinghai Sect assembled for deliberation, the sect master deliberately seated Wang Sheng beside him. Throughout the meeting, he spoke only once, telling the others to follow Elder Pi's orders.

In truth, Wang Sheng had been refining the battle plan for over a year. Hence, when he laid it all out, every step was already foolproof and carefully thought out. The elders could find no real fault with it.

The strategy consisted of two main phases. The first was to eliminate the strongest experts currently within the Celestial Wind Sect.

Wang Sheng would personally provoke the enemy, draw out all the Heavenly Immortals hidden within their ranks, and then strike with full force. He was confident that he could kill one or two of them before the enemy could properly react.

𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Afterward, Lin Yun would engage their most troublesome opponent and aim to end them swiftly. Lishang, Hu Chang, Long Liekong, and Huai Jing, who were all Heavenly Immortals, would reinforce Wang Sheng and quickly eliminate the weaker Heavenly Immortals.

The goal was to end everything in a single decisive engagement and leave no hidden dangers behind.

Once the enemy's top fighters were dealt with, they would seal the mountain gate and move to the second phase: dismantling the Celestial Wind Sect entirely.

Since it had been around for over a hundred thousand years, it undoubtedly had many diehard loyalists. They would kill and eradicate people as deemed necessary. Even if Tianfeng ran red with blood, not a single future threat could be allowed to remain.

Wang Sheng himself bore the greatest pressure and risk in this plan. Still, he simply smiled and dismissed any attempts to share part of his burden.

He laughed lightly. "Trust me and the sword in my hand."

Yaoyun snorted softly from the side but offered no rebuttal. Undermining him would not be appropriate at a time like this.

Linyuan pondered for a moment, then raised a crucial question. "What about us old bones, Kachew? Are we just going to stand by and watch?"

Wang Sheng replied seriously, "The Xinghai Sect should avoid further losses when possible. We cannot focus on this battle alone; we also have to think about what comes after. Once this is done and over with, the disciples who stayed with the sect should be considered exceptionally valuable talents. With Senior Lin Yun holding the line, it wouldn't matter how many True Immortals they send."

Lin Yun nodded slightly and released a trace of Golden Immortal pressure. The room immediately fell silent.

Lishang countered, "Many of the disciples have been holding in their frustrations. It might be better to give them a chance to vent."

Wang Sheng smiled faintly. "The Celestial Wind Sect's influence currently spans eleven qi stars. Those branch strongholds can serve as training grounds."

"That works. When do we depart?"

"We wait for Huai Jing and the others to return." Wang Sheng gazed at the group, which had been preparing for the main assault. "Please rest and conserve your energy. We cannot afford even the slightest mistake in the coming battle."

"Don't worry, Big Brother!"

"Master, please allow me to bear more of the burden."

Wang Sheng just answered them all with a smile and a shake of his head, as if the pressure on him were not particularly heavy.

After ten more days of waiting, Huai Jing finally returned with Shi Qianzhang and Liu Yunzhi. The three delivered impressive results. Not only had they determined the approximate number of enemy experts, but they had also uncovered the force controlling the Celestial Wind Sect behind the scenes.

Wang Sheng did not hesitate. Upon learning that there were no Golden Immortals currently stationed there, he immediately issued the order for a full assault.

"Oh, right." Lishang looked at him with concern. "Have you gotten your Evil King True Eye under control? Will it flare up again during the battle?"

Wang Sheng opened his mouth, his expression suddenly blanking out.

Everyone nearby turned and stared at him.

He immediately thought of Huai Jing, Shi Qianzhang, and Liu Yunzhi. They would definitely know where the joke had come from.

He tilted his head up and looked at the sky. "I-it's fine now."

"

Pfft! Hahaha!

Brother Sheng, you're actually—"

Wang Sheng shot him a sharp look. "

Mm?

"

Shi Qianzhang shivered. Hurriedly, he corrected, "You're actually so handsome!"

"It's time." Wang Sheng snapped his fingers. "Let's wipe out the Celestial Wind Sect!"