Inside a cave carved into a sheer cliff, deep within a gorge filled with molten lava and black flames,

"Three hundred years... really isn't enough."

This was their twelfth hiding place.

Wang Sheng sat cross-legged within a qi-gathering formation, looking at the brocade box in his hand.

It had been two hundred ninety-six years since he had started moving from place to place with Wang Shan and the others.

These years had not been difficult, though. On the contrary, this was the period he felt most content with, the one he had the least regrets about, and the one that brought him the most peace and happiness because of one reason: his senior sister had always been by his side.

Now, the God-Slaying Plan had reached its final stage. It was no longer safe for her to remain with him. Hence, just yesterday, Qinghua had taken her away.

She still had to continue repairing her true spirit and absorb the Great Dao of Life. They were Daoist partners, fellow disciples, and as close as family. Still, the fact that she had set aside something so important to stay with him during this time already meant a great deal to him.

Now came the most crucial step.

After three hundred years of planning and calculation, the forces of the Heavenly Court's enemies had gathered once more within the Immortal Saint Realm. They stood ready to extinguish any spark of the Heavenly Court's return. The former members of the Heavenly Court, whether expected or unexpected, had also already started showing themselves.

They waited across every corner of the endless space for the banner of the Heavenly Court to rise again—for Qinghua and the sacred spirit, known as the hope of the Heavenly Court, to call out.

When that moment came, they would answer, charge into the Immortal Saint Realm, carve their way through bloodshed, and restore the glory of the Heavenly Court.

At least, that was the ideal outcome.

Judging from the balance of power, the former forces of the Heavenly Court stood no chance.

Wang Sheng opened the brocade box. Inside lay a golden pill. He could feel the flawless, complete aura it carried, but hesitation still stirred in his heart.

After his senior sister left with Qinghua yesterday, he had another discussion with the powerful beings around him.

Following Xu Zhongliang's advice, Wang Sheng did not have to rely on a pill to break through. He could proceed steadily as before. Even if it weakened the overall effect of the plan, it would spare him the risk of an unstable foundation in his Great Dao.

But considering the many years of effort and the many Heavenly Court immortals who had responded on their own accord, he could not afford to fail now. His only chance to reach the Golden Immortal Realm at the moment lay in this single nine-cycle[1] pill.

He chose to trust Xin Yue's lifework.

Hum!

A sharp sword hum rang out from within him. Wang Sheng's fingers twitched, and he turned to Spiritless, which was embedded in the rock nearby.

Immortal light flickered around it as Yaoyun manifested and softly asked, "Why not delay the plan by another hundred years?"

"Let's follow Star Deity Wenqu's plan," Wang Sheng replied. "The timing is just right. I can't just drag them down."

"You are not dragging anyone down. It will never be realistic to assume anyone can reach the Golden Immortal Realm in three hundred years. You have not fully comprehended your Heavenly Ziwei Sword Intent, either. Give it another hundred years, and you might break through naturally."

Wang Sheng shook his head and smiled. "After spending so many years with Senior Sister, I have come to understand that there is no perfect choice in this world. You cannot have everything you want."

"Stop talking nonsense!" snapped Yaoyun. She glared at him. "Hua Qing has just left, and you are already acting like this. You are becoming more like your grandmaster by the day."

"I am only joking," Wang Sheng said. He looked at the Nine-Essence Dao-Condensing Pill before him. After a brief moment of thought, his gaze grew firm. "I have made my decision."

Yaoyun seemed about to speak, but held back. She huffed softly, stepped aside, folded her arms, and watched him.

"I will guard you."

Wang Sheng just smiled faintly in response. He then started making final preparations before taking the precious pill.

He had already handed over the Absolute-Heaven Pill that Xin Yuehu had given him to his senior sister. Qinghua was currently active near the Western Sky Region, and many former members of the Heavenly Court had gone to seek his help.

Mu Wanxuan could use the Absolute-Heaven Pill should she be in a situation that required it.

Wang Sheng had done this deliberately. It was a small gesture to let her know that he would be completely safe in the upcoming situations, ensuring she would not worry.

According to Xu Zhongliang's plan, nothing would happen to him. Mighty figures would remain by his side at all times.

He picked up the pill and slowly brought it toward his mouth. Immortal light flickered around him, and his various sword intents responded at once.

The first to appear was a brilliant sword formed of starlight behind him. Compared to three hundred years ago, his Heavenly Ziwei Sword Intent had undergone a complete transformation.

A month and a half after Xu Zhongliang had given him the set of God Slayers, he had summoned Wang Sheng out of the palace once more and handed him what he had long been waiting for.

The Dao traces that Ziwei had left behind.

What the Star Deity gave him was not some intangible imprint of the Great Dao, but a jade flute. It had been Ziwei's favorite possession. Aside from his Dao of the Sword, it was imbued with the majority of his imprints.

In the battle where Ziwei fell, he had actually embedded his Dao and inheritance within the treasured sword that had followed him through countless battles, but his dozens of powerful enemies also shattered that peak natural spiritual treasure. Hence, the inheritance of his star-related Great Dao was broken into fragments and scattered across the endless space.

As the inheritor of this Dao, Wang Sheng would only have to reach the Taiyi Golden Immortal Realm to gather all these Dao traces and restore the brilliance of the Great Dao of the Stars.

However, his situation was different now. He had to rely on these Dao traces to deepen his understanding and raise his cultivation realm.

This jade flute became the key.

Wang Sheng would hold it whenever he trained in the sword. Using his Heavenly Ziwei Sword Intent as a guide, he easily drew out Ziwei's Dao traces. After trying three times, he obtained his first Dao trace and immediately entered seclusion to study it for half a month.

It took him more than one hundred sixty years to collect the Dao traces of the Great Dao of the Stars. Moreover, mastering it was different from just gathering its traces.

He had only obtained the key, found the correct path to climb, and walked through the entrance. To truly grasp the Great Dao, he still had to cultivate steadily and gradually deepen his understanding.

The effect of these Dao traces was clear. Wang Sheng's understanding of the Dao advanced continuously, at times even surpassing his actual cultivation by a wide margin.

Looking back on these three hundred years, which were busy, fulfilling, and quietly joyful, he realized he had only done a few things. He stayed by his senior sister's side, studied the Heavenly Ziwei Sword Intent and Ziwei's Dao traces, studied the technique to nurture sword souls, trained in the sword, and cultivated.

Now, his cultivation realm was at the peak of the Heavenly Immortal Realm, while his Daoist realm was close to the late stage of the same realm.

With the help of Ziwei's Dao traces, why had his strength surpassed his cultivation realm?

First, he had to thank his senior sister for her full cooperation, as well as the balanced dual cultivation technique they practiced together.

Second, there were the herb spirits he had obtained in the grand tree's array. Encouraged by Xu Zhongliang and assisted by several alchemy experts whom the Second Master had sent, all of those herb spirits, except for the Spirit-Stabilizing Tea Tree and Ling Sheng, had been refined into pure primal qi. Wang Sheng had since absorbed them.

They were quite delicious.

Finally, there was the full support of Wang Shan, Xu Zhongliang, Wu Tianshou, and Jingwu. Whenever Wang Sheng wanted sparring partners, there was never a shortage of strong people willing to beat him in battle.

Even so, he still fell just short.

His breakthroughs had come too quickly. Starting three years ago, it had become difficult for him to deepen his understanding of the Heavenly Ziwei Sword Intent.

He had also reached a bottleneck in comprehending the Great Dao of Pure Yang.

His cultivation was stuck at the late stage of the Heavenly Immortal Realm. His immortal power was dense, pure, and stable, yet it refused to advance.

This kind of situation was normal. With a few hundred or a thousand years of steady cultivation, it would resolve itself.

However, Wang Sheng did not have that time.

The Nine-Essence Dao-Condensing Pill was now in front of his lips. Tiny petals drifted from it, and faint celestial music began to echo around him.

All of his sword intents manifested behind him.

His Pure Yang Sword Intent, now much stronger, appeared with the unchanged Dual-Polarity Sword Intent and Heavenly Tribulation Sword Intent. The Dragon Slayer Sword Intent, which the Myriad-Slaying Sword Intent had sharpened further, now had an even heavier killing aura. The Myriad-Slaying Sword Intent itself had also grown stronger as he absorbed new fragments of it and his cultivation deepened.

The Heavenly Ziwei Sword Intent stood above the rest. Its brilliant starlight illuminated the other sword intents, dominating the scene.

As Wang Sheng once put it, he had once been well-rounded in every aspect, but now, he had become someone defined by a single strength.

Sword phantasms shimmered one after another. Different sword intents intertwined, distinct yet perfectly unified.

They all seemed to be waiting, as if anticipating something.

The Nine-Essence Dao-Condensing Pill entered his mouth and instantly dissolved into a cool, flowing essence that spread through him.

In that instant, every pore on Wang Sheng's body opened, and a refreshing sensation swept through him. He could not help but softly moan a few times.

Yaoyun asked with concern, "How is it?"

Wang Sheng answered sincerely, "Delicious."

Yaoyun almost struck him. Just as Wang Sheng was about to pretend to beg for mercy, his expression changed. He frowned and immediately closed his eyes. A profound Dao Rhythm surged from his body.

The sword intents behind him stretched and lengthened, turning into fine threads that hovered in the air. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

The Great Dao became like a set of strings. It was as if an unseen hand had plucked them.

Hum—

A visible wave of force burst and spread from within Wang Sheng.

Thirteen streaks of light shot out from within him, which turned into Flying Haze and the set of God Slayers.

Along with Yaoyun, the wave formed from the Dao Rhythm pushed them all away, forcing them out of the qi-gathering formation.

Thunder boomed several times, and the entire gorge was suddenly filled with surging wind and clouds. Thunder echoed throughout the area as the people cultivating in seclusion rose into the air, watching Wang Sheng from all directions.

Their original positions had formed a protective perimeter around him.

Strange phenomena appeared in the sky. Vast amounts of primal qi surged toward Wang Sheng's location, and the Great Dao itself trembled.

Several people appeared outside the young celestial body and sealed off the entire area.

1. nine-cycle means nine cycle of refinement ☜