"The mortal world is far more prosperous now compared to over a thousand years ago."

Amid the blaring music, Chun Yangzi sat in the main seat while Wang Sheng stood beside him with a faint smile.

Zhao Dezhu, who stood off to the side, looked quite astonished. He had no idea where this handsome, composed Daoist master with a strong masculine presence had come from.

Chun Yangzi had planned to leave right away, but now he narrowed his eyes with a smile and quickly blended into the atmosphere.

Wang Sheng could not help but remind him, "Forefather, you..."

"Oh, right, I came to ask about that note you left." Chun Yangzi frowned. "What do those two words mean?"

Wang Sheng's lips twitched slightly. So this is what you were really after... It really would have been safer to ask Daoist Master Qinglin to deliver the message directly.

He briefly explained through telepathy.

Looking as though he understood now, Chun Yangzi smiled. "That is a good idea. I will search later. It should not be difficult."

Wang Sheng paused as he thought about asking when his forefather would return.

Instead, Chun Yangzi said, "Do you have clothes from this era of the mortal world? Prepare a few sets for me. Based on your foremother Zhi Bing's figure, prepare some women's clothing as well."

Wang Sheng felt a wave of relief. He had been worried that Chun Yangzi would say there was no hurry.

Foremother put in a great deal of effort to keep Forefather steady. If this bit of cultural shock on Earth causes him to revert to his old ways, that will be troublesome.

Fortunately, Chun Yangzi had only asked for clothing.

Since Chun Yangzi was now considered a guardian of Earth, the Special Investigation Unit quickly fulfilled his request as soon as Wang Sheng informed them of it.

Still, for an organization that was always serious, suddenly being assigned shopping duties caused some complaints among the more idealistic young members.

To keep Chun Yangzi from getting too absorbed in the place, Wang Sheng took the initiative to offer, "Forefather, it is too noisy here. Let us find somewhere quieter to talk."

"Let's go." Chun Yangzi stood up with his hands behind his back. He glanced at Wang Sheng and frowned. "Why is it that I can see you, but I could not sense you before?"

Wang Sheng hesitated for a moment. "Forefather, please set up a soundproofing barrier."

Chun Yangzi pointed with his finger, and a trace of immortal light wrapped around them. In the next instant, they appeared several kilometers away on a quiet riverbank.

"Did something go wrong?"

"My Primordial Spirit isn't inside me," Wang Sheng said with a smile. He then briefly explained his condition.

Chun Yangzi nodded in realization. "The Dao of Creation is certainly profound. No wonder you felt like an empty shell to me. Your true self is not present."

Wang Sheng sighed softly. "Forefather, is it safe to speak here?"

"Of course. What is it?"

"The Immortal Emperor could be an external devil. When I entered the planet's core, I saw the sacred spirit's memories of a previous life. This has been troubling me recently, but I could not find the chance to report this to you before. If he did not unify the Three Realms for power or cultivation, then what was his true goal?"

Stunned, Chun Yangzi stood still with a deep frown. After a while, he finally replied, "This problem is quite serious... Fei Yu!"

Chun Yangzi placed a hand on Wang Sheng's shoulder. Wang Sheng straightened at once. "Yes, Forefather."

"I will leave the task of saving the Three Realms to you. I have decided to withdraw and take Little Bingbing away from this web of karma."

Wang Sheng's jaw dropped, completely at a loss.

Chun Yangzi chuckled. "I am joking. Tsk. I truly did not expect such a revelation, but this gives us more initiative and opens up more possibilities."

Wang Sheng blinked. "Oh? Forefather, how does this give us more initiative?"

"Explain everything in detail."

Wang Sheng then reported everything he had seen. He had not told even his master or his sister about this. The only one he could discuss this with was Chun Yangzi.

Soon, his forefather fell into thought and paced back and forth.

"This is definitely a good thing."

Wang Sheng could only give in to Chun Yangzi's optimism. "Forefather, this means the other party is unfathomably powerful. He may already be beyond our understanding. When he killed me as the sacred spirit in my previous life, he revealed dozens of Great Dao that were completely different from those of our world. Not only that..."

Chun Yangzi smiled. "The Immortal Emperor's strength has already reached the peak of this world. Because the Sea of Dao Laws is sealed, he cannot merge with it and thus cannot become a sage like the Three Pure Ones. Fei Yu, your perspective is too shallow."

Wang Sheng frowned slightly. "Forefather, what should we do?"

"Find a way to expose his identity as a devil to the entire world," Chun Yangzi said, narrowing his eyes. "At that point, the experts of the Three Realms will rise together to attack him."

Wang Sheng was rendered speechless.

He had thought Chun Yangzi had come up with some grand strategy. He had already considered this before, and the conclusion was simple. Before he could even spread the news, Haotian would probably be able to take him out.

From the Ancient Era until now, the overall course of the world had always been under Haotian's control. They were completely on the passive side.

Wang Sheng asked seriously, "Forefather, how can we reveal his identity to the world? Setting everything else aside, even convincing others that the Immortal Emperor is still alive is already extremely difficult."

Chun Yangzi nodded slowly, signaling for him to continue.

Wang Sheng then slowly laid out his analysis.

Over this period, he had considered many possibilities and the obstacles they would face. Now, he explained them one by one, and Chun Yangzi listened while nodding repeatedly.

Two hours later, Chun Yangzi said with emotion, "Fei Yu, I am truly gratified to see how much you have grown. Since you have already thought things through in such detail, I do not have much to advise you. Later, Zhi Bing and I will continue working on breaking the Time-Cycle Grand Array. That will also serve as guarding this place."

Wang Sheng gave him a Daoist salute. "On behalf of the living beings here, I thank you for your grace, Forefather."

"I am simply doing what has to be done. Back then, Emperor Ziwei entrusted this place to me as well. Fei Yu, the strategies you have in mind are not bad in my opinion, but the chances of success are not very high. Even if you find the Human King's soul, you may still be unable to break the seal set by the Immortal Emperor.

"I also do not quite understand what you mean by letting the culture here spread into the endless space. It is a rather novel idea, though. You may give it a try. I have a few suggestions as well. See if they can broaden your thinking."

"I am ready to listen to your guidance, Forefather."

"First is related to those you have never dealt with—the great experts who were already cultivating in the Immortal Saint Realm before the Three Realms were established. Some of them once stayed in the Heavenly Court, then later cut off all ties. You may try to win over that group.

"Second, the Nether Realm is crucial. The Six-Path Wheel of Reincarnation is a Great Dao artifact. You should prepare in advance. After you finish receiving the Great Dao of Creation, you can focus on this for a time.

"Third, do not reveal that the Immortal Emperor is a devil for now. Your influence is still far too insufficient. It would only alert him. When we can stand on equal footing with his forces, this can be used as our final card."

Chun Yangzi paused, having noticed the vehicles stopping in the distance and a mortal woman hurrying over.

He stroked his chin and raised an eyebrow toward Mou Yue, who was running over. "Fei Yu, look over there."

Wang Sheng, who had been thinking about matters of Earth's survival, turned his head. "What is it, Forefather?"

"Help me prepare some clothes similar to that as well."

Wang Sheng tilted his head and looked at Mou Yue, who was in her business suit. He could not help but press a hand to his forehead.

Our side's expert... The opponent's expert... It seems better to wait until I finish receiving the Great Dao of Creation before thinking about how to face the Immortal Emperor.

Mou Yue had come to deliver female clothing to Chun Yangzi.

More precisely, she brought various outfits that would be given to Zhi Bing, from long skirts and short skirts to trousers and long robes, along with all kinds of undergarments.

After receiving the storage ring, Chun Yangzi held onto it with clear satisfaction and spoke repeatedly with admiration.

Wang Sheng smiled. "Forefather, if you need any clothing in the future, you can just tell Xiaomiao and have her arrange it for you."

"The mortal world of this era is becoming more and more interesting. Hahahaha!"

Chun Yangzi then casually opened a spatial gate. With one step, he vanished into the depths of the starry sky.

After getting his little secret off his chest, Wang Sheng felt much better. The pressure eased by more than half.

As for whether Chun Yanzi would feel any pressure, that was not something Wang Sheng could control.

The matter of capturing a star had been entrusted to Chun Yangzi.

The plans to spread Earth's culture into the immortal world and to search for the Human King had all been handed over to the Hua Republic.

All of a sudden, Wang Sheng once again found himself with nothing to do.

He had originally planned to ask Qinglin to deliver the message to Qing Yanzi, but just as Qinglin was about to leave, Wang Sheng stopped him. After all, he had thought of encryption methods, which meant Qinglin no longer had to make the trip.

Besides, leaving him alone at home with Xi Lian would not look good.

It truly seemed like he would have nothing else to do for the days ahead.

Wang Sheng also knew that the endless space was still in turmoil and that war had resumed in the Immortal Saint Realm.

The Immortal Emperor was most likely causing trouble behind the scenes.

What Wang Sheng needed most now was time. If he had tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years to grow steadily and plan carefully, he might be able to face the Immortal Emperor.

Unfortunately, he did not have that kind of time. The Immortal Emperor could come to kill him at any moment.

Wang Sheng did not believe a single word Feng Jiu had said back then.

Right now, he had gained a small measure of initiative. He just had to expand it bit by bit.

"I have to do things the Immortal Emperor would never expect."

Standing on the riverbank with his hands behind his back, Wang Sheng slowly fell into thought again.

A light rain began to fall as he radiated a faint immortal light, soft and gentle.

***

Meanwhile, in a palace on a desolate planet in the Western Sky Region.

A large silhouette sat on a high seat, his face shadowed. Two great banners stood behind him.

He had a dense aura and a formidable Dao Rhythm. If a great being from the Primal Era were present, they might recognize him.

He had rampaged through the Immortal Saint Realm since the late Primal Era and had already gained a fearsome reputation in the Ancient Era, yet he had not shown himself for a very long time.

The man had kept his eyes closed the entire time. Now, he slowly opened them and spoke in a slightly hoarse voice to the empty space beside him.

"Have those sent to test the Xinghai Sect returned?"

Whoosh!

A pale-green flame suddenly flared. The empty great hall instantly filled with hundreds of people who were kneeling on the ground, as if they had never moved. It was as though they had just shifted over from another plane of existence.

His words continued to echo through the great hall.