In a newly built yet already bustling city near the mountain gate of the Xinghai Sect on Fengmo.

At the top floor of a tall building, hidden under layers of arrays, more than a dozen key figures from Earth's cultivation world gathered to discuss the latest news.

"My brother... killed a Taiyi Golden Immortal?"

"Amitabha, that makes no sense. Even with cheats, he shouldn't be able to level up that fast. Did someone pass their cultivation to Fei Yu?"

The main seat remained empty.

Beside it sat Xiaomiao, who was in a light-green dress with a lined, embroidered coat. She had delicate features, a graceful figure, and, after years of growth, the presence of a proper fairy. Her once short hair had grown into a long cascade that reached her waist. She sat quietly, lost in thought.

To her right were Qing Long, Yuan Pu Zhenren, and six other sect masters and elders from Earth's Daoist sects.

To her left sat Huai Jing, Linyuan, and three key members of the Warfare Unit, including Zhang Zikuang.

Shi Qianzhang and Liu Yunzhi acted as advisors. They sat in on the meeting, occasionally pouring tea and handling small tasks.

By now, more than ten thousand cultivators from Earth had gathered in this city, and most of them were fully immersed in cultivation, trying to catch up.

Xiaomiao's progress, however, was relatively slow. Even with the special help Wang Sheng had left her and the large supply of qi pills, she had only just reached the late stage of the Ascended Immortal Realm. She was still far from becoming a Primordial Immortal.

She simply did not have enough time to go into seclusion and cultivate in peace.

The others were different. Aside from Huai Jing, there were already three True Immortals present, while the rest had all reached the late stage of the Primordial Immortal Realm.

Gao Shixing and Fei Lianzi, who had the highest cultivation realm among Earth's cultivators aside from Wang Sheng, were not here. Having set out early and been diligent in their comprehension of the Great Dao, they had advanced far along the path of True Immortals by now.

Xiaomiao held a closed folding fan in her hand, gently swaying it as she sorted through her thoughts. Soon, she concluded, "This news is most likely true. After several powerful experts rescued my brother, news about him kept popping up all over the place. Most of it was just 'smoke bombs' to confuse people.

"But this piece of news is different. Unlike the ones before, it did not come only from the Heavenly Court. There are reports that the same information is spreading within the Immortal Saint Realm. The information Aunt Lin Yun sent earlier also confirms this."

Qing Long stroked his beard as he softly remarked, "The problem is, Fei Yu has disappeared again. We still cannot contact him. Moreover, since we're still too weak, we cannot involve ourselves in matters of this scale yet.

"I'm sure Fei Yu does not want to drag us into it either. As you may have noticed, the Heavenly Court deliberately avoided the Eastern Sky Region when they attacked the many factions of the Immortal Saint Realm."

Someone added, "But that divine statue seems closely connected to Fei Yu. We cannot just let things drag on like this."

"It should not be long before my brother returns." Xiaomiao flicked her wrist, and with a soft snap, the folding fan opened. She lightly fanned herself. "If my guess is correct, the Heavenly Court's experts are trying to protect him. That's why they're stirring things up on purpose."

The others all looked confused.

Xiaomiao smiled. "It is actually quite simple. As outsiders, we can see the situation more clearly. First, we have confirmed that the Heavenly Court places great importance on my brother. Whether it is because of Emperor Qinghua, Emperor Ziwei, or even their intention to make him the Immortal Emperor's son-in-law, none of that needs repeating.

"If they value him so much, why would they let him expose himself so soon? In just three hundred years, he has gone from being a Heavenly Immortal to killing a Taiyi Golden Immortal. That leads to only two outcomes. First, it causes panic among the major forces and experts who once destroyed the Heavenly Court. Second, it gives the Heavenly Court a strong boost in morale."

She paused for a moment.

Seeing that several Daoist masters had started to understand, she added, "We should be receiving more news soon that would shift the Immortal Saint Realm's attention away from him. My brother and the Heavenly Court can move from the open into the shadows, gaining more time to grow. If it were me, that is exactly how I would proceed with this."

The group nodded as they thought it over. Her reasoning made sense.

Huai Jing softly asked, "So we just keep waiting?"

"Yes, we have no choice but to wait." Xiaomiao then smiled at him. "Or perhaps, Buddhist Master, you could go join my brother? You have recovered quite a bit of your cultivation realm by now, have you not?"

Huai Jing thought for a moment, then intoned Buddha's name. "It is better for me, a mere humble monk, to remain here and guard Earth's cultivators. I find Divine Guardian Wang somewhat disagreeable, but with him by Fei Yu's side, they won't have any shortage in manpower."

Out of concern, Linyuan asked, "Should we try contacting Senior Hostess Su?"

Xiaomiao shook her head. "We know too little about that senior. We do not even know where to begin looking. If we expose ourselves carelessly, it will only cause trouble."

"It would be nice if Senior Chun Yangzi could come by again."

"That is very unlikely."

Zhang Zikuang suddenly smiled and sighed gently. "Haven't you all noticed? By now, whether it is the Xinghai Sect or the great experts we have encountered, we have only come into contact with them through Fei Yu."

"Well, my brother set out earlier than the rest of us." Xiaomiao smiled again. But then something crossed her mind. Her brows knit slightly as she muttered in mild complaint, "And on top of that, he has that overwhelming luck and that strange, inexplicable identity."

Shi Qianzhang, standing to the side, commented, "Just as I said, Brother Sheng is Niubi! None of you believed me. That is what it means to recognize a hero early!"

"Stop flattering yourself," Liu Yunzhi replied calmly. "If you have the time, think about improving your cultivation and studying some new talisman arrays instead."

Shi Qianzhang narrowed his eyes and leaned back with a grin. "Heh, look at that. My merit points are double a certain someone's."

"Hmph!" Liu Yunzhi flicked his sleeve and turned away from him.

Everyone smiled at the exchange. Among the rules that Earth's cultivators out in the endless space had set, the system of merit points was one of the most important. It served as the key measure for exchanging cultivation resources.

Xiaomiao had proposed and refined this system. It had since been extended to some unaffiliated practitioners who had joined their forces, yielding results that proved it was quite effective.

Aside from resources, higher merit points also granted them higher levels of access and cultivation benefits... except for matchmaking.

Simpler missions that offered merit points were also released from time to time. Just recently, a mission that doubled contribution rewards had been issued. It was related to the massive object hidden within the arrays at a corner of the city.

After a bit more discussion, Xiaomiao dismissed the meeting, and everyone left one after another.

"Haaaa..." She rose to her feet and walked to a window. Her gaze fell on an empty corner of the city.

Through layers of arrays, one could vaguely make out a massive warship stretching several thousand zhang, with figures flying around it as they worked.

"Brother, when are you coming back? It has been so long, and I can't even catch a break. These people really do not treat your sister like a person. No one is even pursuing me."

Wang Sheng naturally could not hear her quiet complaints.

***

Three months later, two more celestial bodies belonging to forces opposing the Heavenly Court were attacked.

This time, Qinghua did not take part in the direct assault.

Wang Sheng led a group of Heavenly Court immortals and gods, while the Second Master led an elite army of spirits. They launched simultaneous attacks on two celestial bodies in the Eastern Sky Region, both close to the Immortal Saint Realm.

Though many of the factions in the Immortal Saint Realm were already on guard, Qinghua had appeared beforehand, drawing away many of their experts.

Wang Sheng fought just as fiercely as before. Clad in golden armor and wielding a longsword, he charged at the front with unstoppable momentum. With numerous experts protecting him, he quickly broke through the enemy's defenses.

The outcome of the battle was even greater than the ones before.

Having already faced a Taiyi Golden Immortal once, he no longer felt the same tension. His movements were steadier and more controlled.

Unfortunately, the battle once again ended halfway through. Just as he was about to get more out of the fight, the statue ran out of power.

Wang Sheng withdrew from the battlefield, leaving the rest to the others. He returned to the flood dragon chariot and stood guard beside his banner.

Due to the number of enemy experts present, Zhongliang had to get involved as well. Only a few hundred celestial soldiers and two Golden Immortals were left to watch over Wang Sheng. Fortunately, the enemy failed to seize the opportunity, even though it was already right in their faces. Even when he fell asleep, not one of their enemies launched a surprise attack on him.

It was likely due to his heavenly fate; it let him sleep more soundly.

After the battle, they gathered the treasures from the local treasury, dealt with the countless corpses, and returned in triumph once more.

Xu Zhongliang played another trick. He deliberately left behind a jade pendant to provoke the Immortal Saint Realm. Inscribed on it was the next celestial body they intended to attack.

Whether the enemy would believe it, dismiss it as a diversion, or actually station large forces there was no longer his concern.

He had not specified it in the jade pendant, but the Second Master and Qinghua would be joining hands to launch a surprise attack on the planet he had mentioned. The more experts the Immortal Saint Realm sent to their next target, the larger the losses their enemies would suffer.

The Second Master, also known as True Lord Erlang, was a powerful being who rose during the height of the Heavenly Court and became a pillar in its later era. He had some blood ties to Haotian, but he followed his own principles and kept a measured distance from the Heavenly Court.

Stories of him were widely spread on Earth.

Very few people knew that after his battle with a certain monkey[1], he just kept growing stronger. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

The last two battles made it clear that he had reached a terrifying cultivation realm.

To him, cutting down a Grand Dao Golden Immortal was as effortless as slaying a Golden Immortal in the past. He could even be strong enough now to rival the mighty figures of the Primal Era.

One of the Heavenly Court's three new main combatants was an ancient sacred spirit who had risen rapidly, going from the Heavenly Immortal Realm to killing a Taiyi Golden Immortal in just three hundred years.

Another was Erlang, the very symbol of the Heavenly Court's strength and appearance. Though he was once neither close nor distant from it, he now clearly stood behind it.

The last one was Qinghua, the Heavenly Minister who controlled the Great Dao of Death and had become increasingly difficult to deal with.

Under their command were the immortals and gods who had once escaped the Heavenly Court's destruction.

The old faction was showing signs of resurgence.

All the factions in the Immortal Saint Realm fell into unease. Just as it had over a hundred thousand years ago, that unease made them set aside their disputes over territory and begin contacting one another to prepare for a second large-scale counterattack from the Heavenly Court.

This time, the fire seemed to be burning even more fiercely than before.

1. This is a Sun Wukong reference. ☜