After his conversation with Chun Yangzi, Wang Sheng felt as though there was not a single person around him he could truly trust.

Lishang and Yaoyun were thankfully still by his side, offering him a small measure of comfort. Otherwise, he truly feared that if he stayed in this kind of environment for too long, he would become the very kind of person he disliked.

Taking advantage of the brief lull between harassment attacks, Wang Sheng carefully sorted through everything he knew about Haotian. The admiration he once had for the ruler had now turned into a trace of fear, and the best way to overcome it... was to face it!

Immortal Emperor Haotian, the ender of the Ancient Era, ruler of the Three Realms, strongest being beneath the Great Dao, conqueror of countless galaxies, and measuring tool for the strength of saints—ahem. That last one could be ignored.

His life had been undeniably brilliant. From humble beginnings in the Immortal Saint Realm, he built a powerful faction with his own hands, waged war across heaven and earth, and divided the Three Realms. No matter how one looked at it, he was a heroic figure.

And yet, in Wang Sheng's previous life, he had become the Immortal Emperor's greatest stain.

There was no helping it. Under the influence of the Great Dao, heavenly fate and destiny had become barriers that no being could bypass—not even ancient great powers or Primordial Beings.

Wang Sheng tried to view things from an outsider's perspective. The Immortal Emperor had schemed against the sacred spirit, seized its immense heavenly fate, defied heaven, rewrote destiny, and spent millions of years forging another era of glory that lasted millions more. Throughout the entire Ancient Era of immortal cultivation, he held a central place.

It was the very image of "the chosen one."

Placing himself back into that story, Wang Sheng was clearly the victim in his past life. Now, step by step, he had reached a point where there was a real chance he could once again fall victim to Haotian's plans.

That thought alone made Haotian truly frightening.

If Feng Jiu really is the Immortal Emperor, then she knows everything about Earth and me. Those chuunibyou words she once told me have gone from absurd to unsettling.

Wang Sheng sighed deeply. He was not particularly brave, and he didn't have grand ambitions.

If that mighty emperor could simply allow him and Earth's cultivation world to develop in peace, he would gladly ensure they never even tried to leave their small corner of the galaxy.

He sighed wearily once more and sat cross-legged in the dim wooden room, quietly thinking.

Outside the hut, flashes of immortal light flickered constantly.

A few days earlier, Qinghua had sent over one of his former subordinates, a medicine god who practiced the Great Dao of Wood.

The medicine god had brought with him a large stockpile of powerful celestial pills, which he had accumulated over many years. The immortals of the Heavenly Court had since begun a wave of rapid advancement.

Right now, Wang Sheng had more than ten precious alchemical pills on him. Half were for healing and saving lives, while the other half were meant to increase cultivation.

Great Divine Guardian Wang, Star Deity Wenqu, and the other immortals of the Heavenly Court have all honestly treated me quite well ever since my verbal confrontation with the Great Divine Guardian.

Wang Sheng opened his eyes and sighed for the third time. "Haaaa..."

"What is it?" Yaoyun asked from the side.

The array outside the wooden hut was deactivated, and light from the sun streamed through the gaps, brightening up the room.

Wang Sheng smiled. "I was just thinking about the battles ahead. I do not know what surprises await us, so..."

Yaoyun, who had been standing guard by the door, gracefully walked over to the bed where he sat in meditation and then sat down beside him.

She assured, "There is no need to worry. All of this will be over soon."

Wang Sheng looked at her. "You're right."

Still, a faint sense of helplessness stirred in his heart. He could now choose not to maintain a mental connection with Yaoyun, especially when he was thinking about matters concerning the Immortal Emperor. However, it made him feel as though a thin barrier had formed between him and his sword spirit.

It did not affect their strength in battle, but it left a subtle discomfort in his heart.

If Feng Jiu truly is the Immortal Emperor, and she really makes a move against me in the future, then Yaoyun will be placed in the most difficult position. She'll be caught between her father and me.

"Um, Yaoyun."

"Mm?"

Wang Sheng smiled. "We have known each other for so many years now. Calling each other by name all the time feels a bit distant. How about we give each other nicknames?"

Yaoyun laughed softly. "Alright. Then I will call you a playboy radish."

"I have always been devoted to Senior Sister, you know that." Wang Sheng smirked. "Being faithful to her is my way of honoring the monogamy of our home planet. Do not go around tarnishing my reputation!"

"Bah, you are getting more and more slick with your words."

Yaoyun snorted. A relaxed smile lingered at the corner of her lips as she tilted her head and looked at him.

Her cloudlike hair fell softly, and her eyes shimmered gently. "What do you want to call me, then?"

"Mm... Little Swordie?"

"Get lost!"

"Hahaha, a fairy should not be using that kind of language."

Yaoyun clenched her teeth, looking as if she truly wanted to rush over and bite him.

Wang Sheng grinned, his eyes narrowing. He unleashed his Golden Immortal Realm aura, leaving Yaoyun no choice but to roll her eyes at him.

After the laughter faded, Wang Sheng said, "Then I will call you Little Yun from now on."

"Then I will call you Little Flying Fish."

Wang Sheng thought for a moment. "Why are they all 'little' names?"

"If we go by age, I am far older than you," Yaoyun said as she leaned back slightly, gently swinging her jade-like feet. "You are only a thousand years old, yet you dare act old around me."

Wang Sheng leaned against the wooden wall of the hut. "Then I will just call you Yun."

"That is too intimate."

Wang Sheng asked seriously, "How is that intimate? You are the sword spirit of the sword in my hand. I have always treated you like a brother!"

Yaoyun replied calmly, "Mm, and I treat you like a sister."

Wang Sheng was rendered speechless.

The two sat in silence for a while before Yaoyun finally commented, "If you are feeling pressure, you can talk to me. I'll do whatever it takes to help you ease it."

Her gaze shifted away, and she blushed faintly before quickly fading.

Wang Sheng smiled. "What could possibly pressure me?"

"You have been smiling more and more over the past hundred years. You were always optimistic before, but you did not smile this often. I cannot sense what you hide deep in your heart anymore, but I can still feel it: you are afraid of failing. Because if you do, Earth will soon be dragged down with you."

Wang Sheng closed his eyes and breathed out. "Since when did you start doing counseling?"

"I am your sword. I can sense your Dao. All of this is written within it," Yaoyun said, her tone growing softer. "You have become more and more decisive in your actions. Deep down, you keep telling yourself that you cannot afford even the slightest hesitation.

"I know that when you chose the Myriad-Slaying Sword Intent from the Great Dao sword case, it was not because of some grand plan or lofty goal. You are not that kind of person. You chose that path because Earth does not need a ruler. It needs someone who can carve a path outward with blood and steel. From that day on, you have been pushing yourself harder and harder. Isn't that right?"

Wang Sheng remained silent, his expression dimming slightly.

Yaoyun added, "You do not have to carry all of this. You have already done so much for Earth."

Wang Sheng murmured, "It is nowhere near enough."

Yaoyun frowned at him. She said firmly, "That is the fate of others. Why must you carry it all alone?"

"Because I am the one walking ahead." Wang Sheng's gaze turned sharp. "Since I am ahead of them, I have to use my sword to carve out a path!"

"Hua Qing is now under Emperor Qinghua's protection. You could put everyone you care about under his protection as well."

Yaoyun slowly stood up. Immortal light swirled around her as she turned into Spiritless, then changed back into human form.

She looked at Wang Sheng and firmly added, "Stop deceiving yourself, Sword Master. While gripping this sword, your hands have trembled over six thousand three hundred times. Each time, you struck down someone who had no personal grudge with you, only standing on the opposite side. Why do you keep forcing yourself to do this?

"Have you forgotten what your master once said? The world will not stop turning just because someone is gone. You believe you are indispensable to Earth's cultivation world, but others, even Earth itself, may not see it that way—"

"That's enough!"

Wang Sheng's low shout cut her off, and Yaoyun fell silent.

"I am doing all this willingly!"

"If you keep forcing yourself like this, is it really worth it?"

"It is," Wang Sheng said as he slowly closed his eyes. "Sorry. I should not have taken it out on you."

Yaoyun bit her lip, tears welling up at the corner of her eyes. She took a couple of steps forward, stood by the bed, and looked at the sword cultivator, whose face was lined with exhaustion.

She was about to speak, but Wang Sheng raised a hand to stop her.

In a low tone, he said, "Since I was young, I was taught about country, family, and responsibility. You might not understand, but I think if anyone else from Earth's cultivation world stood where I am now, they would make the same choice.

"I am not sacrificing myself for some grand cause. On the contrary, I am still fighting for my own fate. That's why I want to grow stronger; I want to hold my own destiny in my hands. But really, Yun, I am not forcing myself. I never thought about becoming some kind of hero. I just want to do what I should.

"I love the sword. When I was young, I admired the people dressed in white moving freely through the skies. By chance, I met my master, and he passed down the one-person sword formation to me. Besides the time I spent with Senior Sister, the days I was happiest were actually the ones I spent in the Seventy-Two Swords. That was when I realized... that the sword is fascinating."

Yaoyun's gaze turned complicated.

Wang Sheng opened his left hand. Threads of starlight gathered and formed a faint, translucent blue planet.

He looked at the small world, which seemed so ordinary within the vast expanse of the endless space. Almost as if speaking to himself, he murmured, "After leaving the Seventy-Two Swords, I also left that pure environment. With the sword in my hand, I began to see my responsibilities.

"The resurgence of primal qi came too suddenly. The Hua Republic was caught unprepared, giving it no time to fully respond. Corrupt cultivators appeared everywhere, and even beyond our borders, everything spiraled into chaos. That was when I felt that the sword in my hand should be used to cut down those corrupt cultivators and protect a land of clarity. So I did.

"Later, when the Small Immortal Realm opened, everything pushed me forward. I ascended earlier than most. Standing at the gate of the Small Immortal Realm, I looked outward. Do you know what I saw, Yun? It was not just a brilliant and colorful world of immortals. What I saw was chaos and fear—a world akin to a dark forest where danger lurked everywhere.

"That was when I understood that if I did nothing, what lies outside would eventually swallow Earth. The Heavenly Court is like a fishing line wrapped around my home planet.

"I am not really some sacred spirit." Wang Sheng smiled bitterly. "I mean, I am not the kind of sacred spirit who carries grand ideals and wants to embrace the entire universe. That is a role others placed on me. In truth, I am just an ordinary man from the Hua Republic. You have seen who I was before I regressed. I was just a normal person, learning incomplete Daoist arts online, dabbling in cultivation, and drifting through life.

"In this life, I tried harder and eventually met my master, which made me feel truly excited. Without him, I would still just be an ordinary cultivator from Earth. Still, I have already come this far. There are no 'what ifs' anymore."

Wang Sheng breathed slowly. The starlight in his hand scattered, and he extended his right hand toward Yaoyun.

Yaoyun slowly closed her eyes, a tear slipping down each of her cheeks. Immortal light blossomed around her as she transformed into Spiritless and flew into Wang Sheng's hand.

He grasped the hilt. Softly, he said, "I do not need honor, and I do not need the gratitude of Earth's other cultivators. Ahead of me are too many unknown enemies, too many powerful opponents. All I need is Senior Sister's support and your trust, Yun.

"Behind me lies Earth's cultivation world. I cannot retreat. My family is there, the people I care about are there, and my fellow countrymen are there. Even if the path ahead leads into an abyss, I will step into it and fight my way back out. Because this sword of mine... comes from that blue planet. Trust me, Yaoyun."

Spiritless trembled softly. Threads of immortal light drifted out and wrapped around Wang Sheng's wrist.

The barrier within his heart slowly opened, allowing her to enter his inner thoughts.

"Just as I will trust you... daughter of the Immortal Emperor."