After the clash of mighty figures in the Northern Sky Region, the battle between the forces of the Heavenly Court and those opposing it grew increasingly intense.

The Heavenly Court's momentum surged. Like bamboo shoots after rain, many Immortal Dao factions emerged, all claiming ties to the Heavenly Court. Of course, among them were those who sought to use others as weapons or take advantage of the chaos.

With the overwhelming strength of Qinghua and Erlang as deterrents, the various factions of the Immortal Saint Realm, led by the Black Emperor, swiftly pulled back.

They once brimmed with confidence in opposing the Heavenly Court, thinking they were merely stomping out lingering embers. Contrary to their expectations, the flames had spread into a raging blaze.

If there were short-sighted individuals within the Heavenly Court's ranks, they might believe this was the perfect moment to rally and reestablish their faction.

However, Xu Zhongliang and the others knew better.

The opposing forces had yet to reveal their full strength. Even now, they had only deployed a portion of their core forces.

Once the old forces of the Heavenly Court gathered to a scale comparable to when Ziwei had led his counteroffensive, the pressure would force countless experts and factions who once destroyed the Heavenly Court to come together again out of fear of retribution.

A mob might be disorganized, but in great numbers, it would still be difficult to stop.

The God-Slaying Plan had to continue.

After three years of silence, Wang Sheng, Erlang, and Qinghua appeared once more and launched another offensive.

This time, Qinghua publicly declared that he would only target traitors of the Heavenly Court, naming the Black Emperor and others like him as enemies marked for death.

Wang Sheng, the Radiant Grand Marshal, led nearly a hundred thousand celestial soldiers, over one thousand six hundred Immortal officials of the Heavenly Court, and the new experts Wang Shan had brought in. Together, they launched yet another "small-scale" assault.

The Second Master led troops in surprise attacks on other celestial bodies, while Wang Sheng coordinated from his side, drawing in a large number of enemy experts.

The results of this surprise attack, however, were far from ideal.

During their retreat, extremely strong opponents once again countered them. Fortunately, Wang Shan had prepared the Heaven-Earth Displacement Array in advance, allowing them to withdraw safely.

In these repeated battles, Wang Shan proved extremely crucial. He was practically the vehicle behind every successful escape.

Soon after the fifth operation, the sixth followed.

Another three years passed.

After days and nights of deep thought, Xu Zhongliang finally exclaimed, "The time has come!"

Instead of feeling tense, Wang Sheng felt a sense of relief, as if a long-awaited trial had finally arrived.

Confidence, fear, doubt—no matter what he felt, he had no choice but to face it.

After about half a year of rest, Wang Sheng received Xu Zhongliang's notice. In three days, he was to make all preparations and set out for his grand battle.

Three days felt unbearably long to him.

Before departing, he carefully wiped down his set of God Slayers. He strapped on the Dragon Sword and the Great Dao sword case, gripped Spiritless, and stepped out of the crude wooden building where he had been hiding.

Outside, countless burning gazes fell upon him. Some were veterans who had fought alongside him in several battles, while others were newcomers who had only just arrived. However, they all shared a common identity: they were immortals of the Heavenly Court.

The flood dragon chariot descended from the sky. The two flood dragons roared deeply as banners fluttered above.

Afterward, Wang Sheng raised his left arm, and Spiritless tremored sharply.

"Move out!"

Roughly three hours later, the celestial soldiers completed their assembly. The fabric of space split open into a massive gateway, and streams of immortal light surged into it, rushing toward the battlefield beyond the skies.

***

Outside the Western Sky Region's Great Dao Gate—a massive rift that served as an entrance to the Immortal Saint Realm.

Two Heaven-Earth gates opened simultaneously, separated by hundreds of thousands of li. Several figures radiating immense pressure appeared first on either side of the portals.

On the left, the cries of immortal beasts echoed as countless celestial soldiers riding them poured out. Erlang's banner fluttered endlessly in space.

Five hundred thousand elite troops moved with flawless efficiency. As soon as they exited the gate, they took their positions and assumed battle formations.

On the right, Wang Sheng's flood dragon chariot looked somewhat plain by comparison, yet the presence of the Immortals surrounding him was no weaker.

Like a vast tide, the two armies merged for the first time and charged toward the Great Dao Gate, heavily guarded by the Heavenly Court's enemies. Their earlier attacks had already made it clear that they were prepared to fight their way back into the Immortal Saint Realm.

The enemy forces had split into four groups, each guarding one of the four cardinal gates.

Given the situation, it was only natural that Wang Sheng and his forces would strike the Western Great Dao Gate.

It was expected, reasonable, and raised no suspicion.

Almost instantly, a deep rumble echoed from within the rift, like the trembling of the Great Dao itself turning into the beat of war drums. Streams of light shot out to intercept them, creating an endless tide of celestial soldiers.

It was impossible to count how many flashes of immortal light filled the battlefield with just a glance.

The auras of powerful beings collided across the field. Both sides seemed to share an unspoken understanding as they observed each other in silence, comparing their strength.

This battle was destined to fail. To avoid exhausting what little primal qi the Heavenly Court still possessed, the coming clash would focus mainly on duels between top experts. Naturally, the true highlight would be Wang Sheng's entrance.

Both sides had already formed their ranks. Seeking to seize the initiative, Erlang stepped forward first. Clad in silver armor, he coldly declared, "Who dares challenge me?"

Their opponents fell silent.

Xu Zhongliang quietly crushed a jade talisman in his hand.

On the opposing side, a Grand Dao Golden Immortal stepped forward. "Second Master, your immortal arts are formidable. We have already witnessed them for ourselves. However, when two armies face each other, one man alone cannot decide the outcome."

"Exactly," another Grand Dao Golden Immortal echoed. Others quickly followed in agreement.

Xu Zhongliang had planted the first speaker. Those who spoke after him had no direct connection to him. Nevertheless, he had almost perfectly deduced what they would say and even how they would threaten them.

A hunched, old woman from the Immortal Saint Realm stepped forward, leaning on a peachwood staff. While breathing unevenly, she said in a strained tone, "You still dare return to the Immortal Saint Realm? You are like eggs striking stones. Only the few who are as strong as you, True Lord Elrang, and the Great Divine Guardian will be able to escape from this place.

"The Heavenly Court defied the Great Dao, and the Immortal Emperor offended the Three Pure Ones. It deserved to be destroyed. We simply followed the will of heaven and brought it down. We spared you several times out of mercy, knowing how hard it is to cultivate.

Now, you disturb the peace of the Immortal Saint Realm again. Hah, it seems you have failed to appreciate our kindness. You are walking straight to your deaths!"

Wu Tianshou roughly exclaimed, "Enough nonsense! If you have a problem with us, come out and fight! Why hide in the back and keep talking?"

On the chariot, Wang Sheng leaned back in his seat. With a faint smile, he watched and listened quietly while feeling powerful strands of immortal perception locking onto him. The enemy was constantly probing and assessing him.

The verbal clash between the two sides quickly intensified.

Reinforcements from the other three gates of the Immortal Saint Realm had already begun to arrive. At that moment, a piece of news spread rapidly through the ranks of the enemy forces.

"Emperor Qinghua is laying siege on the Black Emperor's Black-Dragon City! He has declared that he would kill the Black Emperor today!"

Qinghua had not gone alone. More than a dozen experts who had previously been in hiding now accompanied him, including a mighty figure from the Primal Era whom he had personally invited.

Wang Sheng neither knew of nor could see that part of the plan, though.

Most of the enemy experts present swiftly realized that the Heavenly Court's true goal was to use the sacred spirit and Erlang to draw their attention and cover for Qinghua.

The battle on Qinghua's side was extremely intense. Almost half of the Immortal Saint Realm could feel the tremors spreading through the Sea of Dao Laws.

Meanwhile, the Immortals of the Heavenly Court here showed no urgency to launch a direct assault.

"It's pretty easy to tell that once they've charged into the Immortal Saint Realm, they will cut off their own retreat. They are only putting on a show here," one of their powerful enemies telepathically told his allies.

This opinion was quickly accepted and spread throughout the ranks.

The exchange of insults grew fiercer, and both sides continued to restrain themselves. Nevertheless, neither made a move.

At that moment, another faction from the Immortal Saint Realm proposed a ruthless plan. They intended to use this opportunity to eliminate the sacred spirit—the most important member of their enemies.

The experts immediately discussed the plan through telepathy.

Beside Wang Sheng, Xu Zhongliang stood calmly, waiting with a faint smile and amusement in his eyes. He appeared to be doing nothing, but only because he had already made all preparations beforehand. Now, he simply watched, as if admiring his own work.

Those skilled in strategy often took pleasure in reading the human heart. As an important strategist under Ziwei, he was no exception.

After a short while, a middle-aged man in a purple-gold robe embroidered with serpents and an eight-cornered hat stepped forward.

He flew some distance toward the Heavenly Court army and cupped his hands. "It seems you have come today merely to ease some pressure on Emperor Qinghua. While we would like to reinforce the Black Emperor, we have to remain here to guard against your advance into the Immortal Saint Realm. If you have no intention to fight, then return today and let this end here."

Erlang's gaze swept over him. The man faltered briefly, let out an embarrassed chuckle, and added, "Please do not take offense, True Lord. I have always admired you. You have never truly been tied to the Heavenly Court, so why follow them in this matter? Instead, let us settle this in another way. We each swear upon the Great Dao and select cultivators at the Grand Dao, Taiyi, and Golden Immortal Realm for a duel each. Whoever wins out of three will be the victor of this entire battle.

"If you win, we will open the entrance behind us and allow you to enter the Immortal Saint Realm. If you lose, you must withdraw and swear not to set foot in the Immortal Saint Realm for a hundred thousand years. What do you say?"

Erlang replied calmly, "You think we're scared? We'll accept your—"

At Wang Sheng's side, Xu Zhongliang quickly interjected, "Second Master, you must not fall into their trap. The Grand Marshal should be the one to decide on this matter!"

This was part of the act. They wanted to present a convincing image of discord between the two major factions within the Heavenly Court.

It also made full use of Erlang's reputation.

He was a war god who answered commands but not summons—a peerless being whose name resounded across the lands. Back in the day, he had held not even the Immortal Emperor in high regard.

Now, he would show even less regard for the Immortal Emperor's successor, the sacred spirit.

Erlang calmly asked, "What, am I not even allowed to accept such a challenge?"

Xu Zhongliang was about to speak again when Wang Shan stepped forward to stop him, giving him a meaningful look.

The enemy experts swiftly understood the situation.

No wonder the two sides had carried out separate attacks before. It seems they are only loosely cooperating. True Lord Erlang wouldn't simply submit to a newly risen sacred spirit!

Wang Sheng slowly rose to his feet. He looked ahead at the Great Dao Gate, which resembled a vast abyss, and clearly declared, "This matter is settled. True Lord Erlang, will you represent us as our Grand Dao Golden Immortal? I will represent the Taiyi Golden Immortal Realm. We should be enough for today."

Erlang chuckled softly. "I do not see why not."

He gripped his three-pointed, double-edged saber, reached down to pat the head of the celestial hound beside him, and stepped forward with Wang Sheng, one on each side.

"Anyone dare..."

"...To challenge us?"

Only the two stood before the enemy army, yet their presence felt boundless, as if they were already locked in a silent contest of power.