An aircraft descended slowly from the sky. Several figures stepped out and drifted down toward the lakeside villa.

Wang Sheng had already calmed himself, yet the moment he saw his senior sister step out first, his emotions surged uncontrollably.

Right behind her came Qinghua, then Lin Feiyao, whom he had not seen in a long time. He had once shared a fair bit of camaraderie with her.

The last one to exit the aircraft was the modern cultivator Zhao Dezhu. Whether he showed up or not made little difference—ahem.

Wang Sheng stepped forward and bowed first. "Your Imperial Majesty!"

A faint trace of warmth appeared on Qinghua's increasingly stern face. Even so, he still looked rather intimidating.

Qinghua seemed to understand the thoughts of the younger generation. He glanced at the lake. "The scenery here is quite pleasant. Feiyao and I will wait here for a while. You two catch up first."

Wang Sheng felt a little embarrassed. He returned the gesture and invited them inside to rest.

After leaving the three guests on the first floor, he headed toward the lake with his senior sister.

This reunion felt different from before.

To Wang Sheng, it seemed they had only been apart for a short while. To Mu Wanxuan, it had been more than six hundred years since she last saw her junior brother.

Now, simply walking hand in hand along the lakeshore was enough to bring them a sense of peace.

Wang Sheng himself could not explain it. For some reason, he had no idea what to say today. He only wanted to stay quietly by her side.

With her by his side, his worries faded, and his troubles started to seem distant. Even the pressure weighing on him disappeared, as though the Immortal Emperor no longer mattered.

Beneath an unnamed tree by the lake, Wang Sheng placed one hand against the trunk and met her gaze.

With that simple move, Mu Wanxuan's cheeks warmed. Though they were already Daoist partners, she was still shy at heart.

She said softly, "Array."

"What are you worried about?" Wang Sheng snapped his fingers and set up a barrier that blocked all probing. Mu Wanxuan still felt uneasy and added another layer herself.

Only then did they allow themselves a bit of closeness.

After a brief moment together, they continued strolling hand in hand. As usual, Wang Sheng did most of the talking, while Mu Wanxuan listened with a gentle, attentive smile.

"Senior Sister, have you fully gathered your true spirit now?"

"Mm."

"Then your speech..."

"I'm accustomed," Mu Wanxuan replied, explaining that she was already used to being limited to two words. She then sighed softly as she brushed her slender hand across Wang Sheng's cheek. With a hint of guilt in her eyes, she whispered, "It's difficult."

Wang Sheng nodded with a smile. "Then don't worry about it anymore. Your true spirit is complete now. This is just how we speak, and no one has the right to criticize it. Besides, I've always thought it's... rather unique, and very cute."

Mu Wanxuan gave him a mischievous look, then laughed lightly. She began humming a tune she had just heard on the aircraft.

***

They did not stay out for long. After half an hour alone, they returned to the villa.

After all, Qinghua was still waiting. As the strongest support on their side and his senior sister's master, Wang Sheng did not dare neglect him.

Mu Wanxuan took Lin Feiyao upstairs to change into modern clothing, leaving the first-floor living room to Wang Sheng, Qinghua, and... a certain someone who probably should not have been here, yet somehow was, and did not even know if he should be here in the first place.

Qinghua smiled. "Fei Yu, seeing that you are safe puts my mind at ease. I endured those vile enemies for hundreds of years before I could conceal my tracks and come here to see you. Chun Yangzi mentioned that you have something important to discuss with me."

Wang Sheng did not hesitate. Since there was an outsider present, he used voice transmission to briefly explain to Qinghua that the Immortal Emperor could be an external devil.

Qinghua's brow immediately furrowed. A trace of Dao Rhythm rippled around him, turning half of the sofa he was sitting on and the tea table in front of him to dust in an instant.

Fortunately, he quickly suppressed the surge in his emotions. He stood, moved to another seat, and sat down again. A cold light flickered in his eyes.

Zhao Dezhu, who was sitting in the corner, had no idea what had happened, yet his heart trembled all the same.

"Fei Yu, when the time comes to face him, you must allow me to act first."

"Your Imperial Majesty, please calm down—"

"Calm down?! Hmph!" Light flickered within Qinghua's eyes. "I once followed him with unwavering loyalty, yet he cast me aside, leading to the deaths of so many of my friends and comrades. That alone is an irreconcilable grudge! And now I learn that all of this may have been his scheme from the very beginning! Bastard!"

Wang Sheng hurriedly said, "Your Imperial Majesty, please, this planet cannot withstand even just one of your strikes!"

Qinghua closed his eyes and forcibly steadied his emotions once more. After a short while, he finally regained composure.

"Fei Yu, there is no need for you to worry too much. Once I leave, I will contact the immortals of the Heavenly Court and spread the news."

"That would not be wise, Your Imperial Majesty. It could alert the enemy, which could cause unforeseen outcomes. They could easily twist the situation to their advantage. Right now, the enemy remains hidden, and so should we. The ones in the open are the forces of the Immortal Saint Realm.

"With three sides scheming against each other, this kind of contest requires careful thought. I am not skilled in this area, so I hope you can test Star Deity Wenqu. If possible, we should bring him into our camp as our strategist."

Qinghua nodded slowly. "Star Deity Wenqu and True Lord Erlang are both rare talents."

Wang Sheng hesitated. "True Lord Erlang seems to share blood ties with the Immortal Emperor."

Qinghua replied, "There are matters you do not know, but I witnessed them in the past. Not long after the Heavenly Court was established, a powerful, ancient being who disliked the Immortal Emperor secretly schemed against him.

"As a result, during one of the Immortal Emperor's reincarnation cultivation journeys, the sister he had brought along from the Heavenly Palace developed mortal feelings. That was how True Lord Erlang came to be.

"The Immortal Emperor then used the laws of heaven as justification. He first suppressed Erlang's mother beneath a great mountain in the Immortal Saint Realm. Erlang split the mountain apart, but after she was freed, she still perished. That's why True Lord Erlang harbors deep hatred toward the Immortal Emperor. However, he has grand ambitions and has chosen to endure rather than start a war."

Wang Sheng nodded slowly and fell into thought.

"I will handle this matter properly." Qinghua paused, then added, "Time is pressing. One day here equals a hundred days outside. What we lack most now is time.

"I will leave the array first. Once I have taken care of this, I will return to bring Little Qing and the others away."

Wang Sheng shook his head. "Your Imperial Majesty, it would be better if you stayed here for a while. Moving back and forth like this increases the risk of exposure."

"Fine." Qinghua agreed and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the lake and mountains. "Fei Yu, how long will it take for you to fully absorb that Great Dao of Creation?"

Wang Sheng sensed it within himself. "At least a hundred years."

"Oh?" Qinghua raised a brow. "As expected of Empress Nuwa. To let you absorb an entire Great Dao in a hundred years is remarkable. I am far behind. It will take Little Qing ten thousand years to fully master the Great Dao of Life."

Wang Sheng smiled. "There is no real comparison. A sacred spirit is itself an embodiment of the Great Dao of Creation, so it naturally aligns with it."

"Indeed." Qinghua nodded with a faint smile. He looked at Wang Sheng with a hint of approval. "You are finally shaping up."

"Circumstances leave me no choice." Wang Sheng exhaled softly. "To battle against the heavens is endless joy. To contend with immortals is the same."

"Um..." Zhao Dezhu raised his hand timidly from the corner and whispered, "Senior Fei Yu, if there is nothing else, may I take my leave for now?"

"Thank you for guiding the way, Daoist Friend." Wang Sheng cupped his hands in thanks, and Zhao Dezhu quickly returned the gesture.

His luck had clearly turned, and he felt quite excited inside, though he did not dare show it. After bowing to Qinghua, he left the villa, stepped onto his flying sword, and headed into the distance.

He had arrived on the Special Investigation Unit's aircraft, but now he could only fly back on his own.

Qinghua asked, "Fei Yu, when did you find that person?"

Wang Sheng answered casually, "Just after I came out of the planet's core. I ran into him at a detention center by chance."

Qinghua nodded. He then resumed silently looking out at the lakeside view.

Wang Sheng scratched his head as he looked at the half-destroyed sofa and tea table, unsure how to fix them. Guess we'll have to buy another set... Mm? Something's off.

He frowned.

"Your Imperial Majesty, when you asked when I found that person, who exactly were you referring to?"

"Mm?" Qinghua turned to him with a smile. "Have you not seen through the identity of that mortal?"

With a confused expression, he asked, "What identity? Could you elaborate, Your Imperial Majesty?"

"He is probably the reincarnation of an ancient being," Qinghua replied steadily. "I only realized it because I now govern the Great Dao of Death, which is closely tied to reincarnation. When I first met him, I noticed nothing unusual. But after being in close contact, I was able to see through him.

"There are complex restrictions on his soul that are forcing him to reincarnate nonstop. The effect is somewhat similar to the Six-Path Wheel of Reincarnation, but I cannot tell who set it up. Moreover, there are Dao traces left within his soul. He was likely someone who attained the Dao in ancient times..."

Before he could finish, two loud thuds rang out. Wang Sheng had already burst through the door and rushed out in pursuit.

Upstairs, two female immortals drifted down after changing their clothes. Mu Wanxuan had changed into her old outfit, a pair of jeans and a cartoon shirt. Lin Feiyao chose a simple long dress.

"Junior Brother?"

Mu Wanxuan blinked. Qinghua tilted his chin toward the door. "He ran out after him."

The two were puzzled.

***

Meanwhile, on Fengmo.

Xiaomiao stared at the scrolling reports on the screen before her, her expression turning cold.

Trouble has arrived. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

People had begun provoking the outer forces of the Xinghai Sect. Several unidentified Heavenly Immortals had also appeared.

Moreover, some had started searching for something within the ancient battlefield. There had even been several instances of unfamiliar immortal power appearing in the airspace near the Great Buddha Statue.

Fortunately, Zhi Bing was stationed inside the Great Buddha statue and had concealed it perfectly. The opposing side should not be able to find anything.

Senior Chun Yangzi had only just left. He has likely gone to capture a star, but he should be able to return at any time to provide support.

Xiaomiao picked up a jade talisman and spoke into it.

"Activate our third emergency protocol."