A pillar of starlight shot upward, illuminating half of the dark sky.

Beneath it, the gorge had been blasted open. Wang Sheng sat cross-legged in midair. His long hair streamed wildly, and his Daoist robe billowed nonstop.

Bells, drums, chanting, celestial music, and rushing wind echoed across heaven and earth.

People appeared around the pillar of light. First came celestial maidens drifting through the air, then golden-armored generals locked in battle.

Clouds formed out of nothing and gathered around the pillar. They slowly pressed down toward Wang Sheng, who was unaware of the phenomena unfolding around him.

The instant he swallowed the nine-cycle-grade Nine-Essence Dao-Condensing Pill, his Primordial Spirit, true spirit, and consciousness fell into a vast sea of stars.

"You have come," someone calmly called from ahead.

Wang Sheng followed it and saw a familiar figure standing beside the endless starry expanse.

"Your Imperial Majesty?"

Ziwei turned, revealing a resolute expression and a faint smile. Wang Sheng had seen him one hundred eight times through scattered Dao traces, sometimes from afar, sometimes up close.

A thought crossed Wang Sheng's mind, and he quickly corrected himself. "I have come, Master."

"Come here. Time stands still in this place. We can speak at length."

Ziwei laughed softly. With a slight gesture, he made points of starlight gather, forming two seats and a low table.

Wang Sheng drew closer to him with a single thought. The feeling in his heart also became clearer. The Ziwei before him was not a Dao trace, an imprint of the Great Dao, or a complete manifestation formed from scattered traces.

He felt like the real deal—like a solitary soul.

Wang Sheng performed an ancient formal salute, then took his seat. He had intended to begin with words of gratitude, but after they had sat down, Ziwei spoke first. With a faint sigh, he addressed him in an old tone.

"I must apologize. I passed my Dao to you, yet you have had to cultivate within the shadow I left behind. I have also placed too many constraints on you."

Wang Sheng was a little taken aback. However, he quickly smiled helplessly. "What you have given me is already considered a supreme Daoist art. I am deeply grateful."

Ziwei smiled. "There is no need to call me master. I would rather not poach a disciple from Chun Yangzi."

He drew over two cups and took out a jade flask. As he poured the wine slowly, the firm lines of his face softened and showed a trace of weariness.

He seemed to age before Wang Sheng's eyes, yet when Wang Sheng looked closely, nothing had truly changed.

"Your Imperial Majesty, the burdens you carried... were they not too many?"

Ziwei smiled bitterly. "Well, someone had to carry them. Just as the Great Dao lays down all matters, all principles, and all laws, there must always be living beings to carry them out."

Wang Sheng fell into thought. That single sentence carried deep meaning.

"What do you plan to do next?" Ziwei asked. "Since you can see this wisp of my remnant, it means you are most likely about to reach the Golden Immortal Realm. Judging by the starry domain shaped by your sword intent, you have already entered the threshold of my Dao.

"From here on, it is a matter of steady comprehension. I do not wish to force anything upon you. You probably already know a thing or two about the Heavenly Court..."

Momentarily stunned, Wang Sheng looked at Ziwei, who had been speaking so freely.

Does he not know about my situation? Is he really just a remnant soul left within the Great Dao of the Stars, appearing at the moment his successor reached this stage?

A trace of helplessness rose in Wang Sheng's heart. Ziwei sensed the shift in his mood and simply looked at him, waiting for him to speak.

What if I were to say plainly that I am the sacred spirit, that I have already gained the support of half the Heavenly Court, and that we could rise again at any time? What would he think of that?

The remnant soul before him would not last long. Once he fully accepted the Great Dao of the Stars, it would likely be pushed out entirely.

His mind raced, but he held himself back. Instead, he smiled. "Since I have learned your Dao, I will follow your guidance."

Ziwei said softly, "If I were to decide, I would tell you to find a quiet place and cultivate in peace. There are several secluded realms in the Northern Sky Region. You can seek them out."

Wang Sheng studied his profile. He had communicated with fragments of his Dao traces before, but this felt different.

A thought suddenly struck him. "Your Imperial Majesty, could your remnant soul endure a little longer? By chance, I obtained an Absolute-Heaven Pill. It might allow you to recover further..."

"Let it be," Ziwei said. A faint starlight flickered in his eyes. "I sought death with all my heart back then. Now, I have no desire to linger. Do you know what the most painful thing in this world is?"

Wang Sheng thought for a moment. "For me, it would be watching those close to me suffer, unable to save them."

"Correct. That is also what torments me most." Ziwei looked ahead along the path of stars. His gaze wavered slightly. "When His Immortal Majesty fell, I was far in the north, waging war against foreign gods. When the Heavenly Court was breached, I was still in the Northern Sky Region, surrounded by countless enemies.

"By the time I returned, old friends were gone, and the Heavenly Court had fallen. After millions of years, I lost those I held dear—friends, family, fellow Dao seekers, followers—in a single night."

"Your Imperial Majesty..."

"Only later did I understand. When the Heavenly Court fell, I should have fallen with it." Ziwei lowered his head and looked at his palm. "In the end, I could not even keep my sword."

Wang Sheng softly replied, "Your Imperial Majesty, although I have only just reached the Golden Immortal Realm with the help of a pill, if you trust me, then please tell me what wishes of yours remain unfulfilled, and which enemies you need destroyed!"

"I no longer have any wishes. My enemies are far too many." Ziwei looked at Wang Sheng, his smile growing gentler. "You do not have to carry all this burden."

"I, your disciple, already carry quite a lot. Taking on a few more will not make a difference. I came from Earth, which means behind me is a planet with countless lives upon it. From the very beginning of my cultivation, I have been following in your footsteps, step by step, trying to draw closer.

"There was a time when all I wanted was to become someone like you. To stand tall without shame, to act with a clear conscience, and to wield a sword that sweeps away all opposition."

Ziwei laughed quietly.

Wang Sheng's tone shifted, and he lowered his voice. "I still hope you can live, Your Imperial Majesty. You may not know this yet, but Emperor Qinghua, one of the Four Heavenly Ministers like yourself, has already transitioned from life into death and now commands the Great Dao of Death.

"Now, he is fighting countless mighty figures alone in the Immortal Saint Realm. He can also resolve the Five Heavenly Declines and has already saved many former immortals of the Heavenly Court. Star Deity Wenqu, your subordinate, is by my side now as well. He even gave me this jade flute. Aren't they all your closest companions?"

Ziwei smiled. "Emperor Qinghua has truly mastered the Great Dao of Death?"

"Yes. In your current state, he can surely save you," Wang Sheng said quickly. "As long as you can endure within this Great Dao for a little while longer, I can have someone bring him here. The Absolute-Heaven Pill is also with his disciple, who is my Daoist partner. Your Imperial Majesty, as long as you are willing, this can be done!"

"You remind me of His Immortal Majesty." Ziwei laughed softly. "Back in the day, beneath a willow tree, he held me back when I was about to leave. He spoke without pause until he convinced me to become his subordinate and follow him into battle in the Immortal Saint Realm.

"And now you want to do the same? Hahaha... Forget it. I can already see through these methods. If I return, it will only be another path of endless toil."

Wang Sheng frowned.

"You seem to be more than just a simple inheritor of my Great Dao," Ziwei said, studying him.

Wang Sheng met his gaze, his expression steady. "Then I will speak plainly. I am the sacred spirit of the Ancient Era. The mighty figures of the Immortal Saint Realm used the Heaven-Scouring Grand Array to locate me, and now they are hunting me down.

"There are also several Heavenly Court experts gathered around me. Star Deity Wenqu has been planning for hundreds of years. Once I reach the Golden Immortal Realm, we will make our move."

"Oh? What kind of move?"

Seeing the interest in the emperor's eyes, Wang Sheng seized the moment and briefly explained the God-Slaying Plan.

After a short while, the emperor fell into thought and carefully considered it. "There are still risks."

"That is why I hope you will step in to help."

Ziwei smiled. "I do wish to help you, and I do hold some resentment toward His Immortal Majesty. However, a subject does not serve two masters. You and His Immortal Majesty also have unresolved conflicts. This does not sit well with me. I just didn't expect my Great Dao to fall into the hands of the sacred spirit."

"Your Imperial Majesty, I am not asking you to—"

"There is no need to persuade me further." Ziwei gave Wang Sheng a complicated look. "Are you truly the sacred spirit?"

Wang Sheng nodded. "Yes. I did not believe it at first, but the Heaven-Scouring Grand Array revealed me. I have no choice but to accept it."

"Do the immortals know that the Heavenly Court once plotted against you? That they used the Time-Cycle Grand Array to trap your path to survival?"

The sword cultivator froze.

The Time-Cycle Grand Array? This is the first time I have heard of it.

"Your Imperial Majesty, I know some of what happened in the past, but... the grand array around Earth's cultivation world, did His Immortal Majesty set it?"

"So you did not know." Ziwei smiled faintly. "That is fine. You are now the one the Heavenly Court's immortals follow. These words may harm His Immortal Majesty's reputation, but you should know the truth.

"He was skilled in schemes and possessed a deep origin, but he was a great disappointment. As far back as the Primal Era, he was likely already a powerful primordial being. In the Ancient Era, he plotted against the sacred spirit, trapping it on that blue planet and setting up the Time-Cycle Grand Array around it. If I were not familiar with his Dao and aura, I would not have recognized his handiwork."

Ziwei paused for a moment.

He then continued, "At times, I even feel that he never truly died. He must have reached a profound level in the Great Dao of Time to construct an array based on it. Such ability would allow him to stand against the Three Pure Ones, or at the very least preserve his life before them.

"Still, he kept that move hidden, even when everything was at stake. From what I have gathered, he likely seized the destiny and fortune of the sacred spirit, then reincarnated to cultivate anew.

"Someone like him would never be unaware that the immortal arts on the six celestial tablets could not be practiced. I even suspect that the current chaos in the Immortal Saint Realm, along with the unrest across the endless space, is all part of the plan that he had made long ago."

Wang Sheng's eyes widened. "Is that really possible?"

Ziwei shook his head, though his gaze remained deep. "It is only a suspicion. Still, I sometimes wonder what he truly wanted. Why was ruling the Three Realms not enough? If what I sensed back then was real, then you have to be very careful."

Wang Sheng frowned and fell into thought.

Ziwei chuckled softly, as if these matters no longer concerned him. He then quietly gazed into the sea of stars.

"The stars... are truly beautiful."