World's No. 1 Swordsman-Chapter 579: Returning to the Thirteen Qi Planets

The question was also difficult for Lishang to answer.

The North-River Sword Sect was one of the top ten major sects of the Eastern Sky Region and possessed foundations of unfathomable depth. No one could say how many true experts were hidden within the sect. Though that didn't necessarily mean that it had a Grand Dao Golden Immortal, it certainly had Golden Immortals and Taiyi Golden Immortals.

The sect had to have made many enemies since it had been around for an extremely long time. However, Wang Sheng and Lishang, who were just small cultivators compared to it, naturally had no idea who those enemies were and where they were lying in wait.

Wang Sheng murmured, "Countless planets and cultivators are in the Eastern Sky Region. Only forces that shouldn't be reckoned with can hope to stand as one of its ten strongest sects."

He inevitably became concerned for the future of Earth's cultivators.

In truth, they also had backers, like his sect's forefather and the other Heavenly Court members who had survived the great war of their era. They simply had no idea how to find those powerful beings. Moreover, seeking those individuals' protection could just as easily draw the attention of even more powerful forces that opposed the Heavenly Court.

The alliance that had taken out the Heavenly Court and shattered the order of the Three Realms would never wish to see the Heavenly Court restored or allow old accounts to be settled. It would certainly crush Earth's cultivation world while it was still in its infancy.

Taking that into consideration, the best course of action for Earth's cultivators was still to rely on themselves. They had to grow quietly and steadily while increasing their faction's overall power. That was their only shot at establishing a foothold in the Eastern Sky Region.

In truth, Wang Sheng had never truly thought about restoring the Heavenly Court one day. His sense of belonging to it wasn't even as strong as the sibling bond he felt toward Yaoyun.

The problem he had always wanted to resolve was far simpler: one day, Earth's primal qi would no longer be enough to sustain a large number of high-realm cultivators. To prevent those cultivators from disrupting the existing order, he wanted to pull them out of Earth itself.

As Earth's foundations, the sects that had been established on it would keep training new disciples. However, once these disciples reached the Nascent Soul Realm or so, they would be sent out of the Realm of Exiled Immortals to cultivate among the thirteen qi planets.

Such a plan naturally wasn't without its many problems, which had to be resolved one at a time. For instance, the more people ventured out of Earth, the easier it would be for its secrets to be exposed.

"Haaa..."

Wang Sheng rubbed his forehead. He felt as though he had been pushing things a little too hastily.

With her eyes still on the stars, Lishang asked softly, "What is it?"

"Just thinking about the future."

"And it's troubling you?"

"I wouldn't say that. I just feel like I'm worrying about too many things." Wang Sheng grabbed a jar of celestial wine and drank it like soda. It couldn't make him drunk anyway. "Perhaps everyone has responsibilities they have to face and problems they have to resolve."

Lishang smiled faintly. "Cultivation should still be carefree and unrestrained. Do not add too many shackles to yourself."

Wang Sheng tipped his head back and downed a mouthful of celestial wine. He then smiled back. "I'll only truly be at ease once I no longer have things to worry about. When that day comes, I will definitely take my senior sister with me and travel across the four great sky regions to see the wonders and beauty of the endless starry space."

Lishang once again looked past the window. She murmured, "That would certainly be nice."

Such a day actually wasn't difficult to have. He had always felt that he only walked ahead of Earth's other cultivators now due to chance and fate. Once the first generation of its modern cultivators reached immortality, he could completely step back and stop tending to so many matters at once.

He wondered how his master was doing now and how his junior siblings' cultivation had progressed. Moreover, he reminded himself that he still had to return to his parents and fulfill his duties as their son.

Though he had been away for five to six hundred years, only five or six years had actually passed on Earth. After some calculations, he concluded that he should have just enough time to steadily bring Earth's cultivators into the wider cosmos.

His cultivation had surged greatly, and he had powerful backing now. Hence, the level of safety when traveling through space had risen sharply.

The Eastern Sky Region map that the Old Man of Xinghai had created used qi planets as its reference points. However, the overwhelming majority of celestial bodies in the vast expanse of space were waste stars—planets devoid of primal qi and living beings.

If one were to become lost in space and unable to discern the positions of the stars, they could end up wandering for hundreds or even thousands of years without finding a celestial body.

Fortunately, the planets of the Eastern Sky Region were connected through primal qi passages, which Wang Sheng had already gone through several times.

"Vice Sect Master, does the Xinghai Sect have anyone who has conducted deep studies on primal qi passages?"

Lishang softly replied, "A Primal Qi Passage Master? The former sect master seems to have been one. Speaking of, I've heard some ancient secrets about them."

"Oh? Do tell."

"Roughly a million years ago, some force hunted and slaughtered the Primal Qi Passage Masters across the heavens. They were wiped out as soon as they were found."

Wang Sheng was clearly taken aback. A million years ago? The Heavenly Court still ruled the Three Realms around that era. It should have been near the height of its power.

"Why did they do that?"

"Apparently, it was because they kept discovering new passages and uncovering far too many qi stars. The number of cultivators within the endless space surged dramatically, which dissatisfied that great power enough to hunt the Primal Qi Passage Masters down."

"Don't tell me that great power is actually..."

Lishang looked at Wang Sheng with a hint of amusement. "Correct. It was the Heavenly Court."

Wang Sheng had already revealed quite a bit to Lishang about his connections to the Heavenly Court. Her deliberate mention of this now was not without intent.

Wang Sheng sighed. "I never imagined the Heavenly Court to be that domineering."

Lishang whispered, "I don't know the full details eithe since I only learned about it through the records in the jade slips that the former sect master had left behind. The name "Heavenly Court" has already become a taboo among many sects. Now, it's rarely mentioned in all of the Three Realms and the four great sky regions. Most who reside in the endless space deliberately avoid speaking of it. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"Elder Pi, your connection to the Heavenly Court seems rather deep. Moving forward, you should be extra cautious. Don't let others learn of your true origins."

"Mm. I will be more careful." Wang Sheng smiled bitterly. "Ever since I left my homeland, I haven't heard anything about the Heavenly Court. I was starting to think that cultivators had already forgotten it."

"Well, it still once ruled the Three Realms and the endless space. There are fragments of information about it even in the memories my mother left me. Some of them were about the Immortal Emperor; the Four Heavenly Ministers, who conquered all cardinal directions; and the nearly endless Immortal Dao experts.

"Unfortunately, no matter how vast a power is, it will ultimately fade with the passage of time. It cannot withstand the unseen will of heaven."

Wang Sheng didn't say much more on the matter. He merely smiled and shook his head lightly.

The fall of the Heavenly Court was truly difficult to put into words, but Haotian's self-destructive actions accounted for a large part of it. If the six celestial tablets on Earth truly recorded the heaven-defying cultivation technique that Nuwa's kin had created—the one capable of returning the endless space to Chaos—then why did Haotian practice it? What was he plotting and what did he intend to do?

Thinking it through carefully, Wang Sheng got the answer he sought. He felt a trace of cold sweat roll along his back.

Still, the dead were already gone. Only he would ever know what Haotian had intended to do back then.

The journey home was more peaceful and slightly faster.

At Guimo, Wang Sheng and Lishang still paid the guards two Immortal Stones instead of forcing their way through using immortal power. After all, it was better to have one less problem. They had to prioritize caution since all that mattered right now was their safe return to the thirteen qi planets.

They finished their journey without incident. After ten and a half months, Wang Sheng and Lishang flew out of the primal qi passage at Jinhua.

Before they could even relax, they immediately sensed something off about the qi planet. The four great cities below them were quiet and still, but past the planet's atmosphere, over a thousand auras were split into two groups and locked in constant confrontation. Among them were four Heavenly Immortal Realm aura fluctuations.

Are the Fengli Sect and the Celestial Wind Sect still facing off?

Wang Sheng and Lishang exchanged a glance. With silent understanding, they released their auras at the same time and flew openly toward the outer reaches of the sky.

The two soon detected the two Heavenly Immortals of the Celestial Wind Sect, causing their killing intent to surge. However, the Celestial Wind Sect had also deployed several hundred immortals, which was a combat force that they couldn't just ignore.

Moreover, although the Fengli Sect was nearby, its stance was difficult to read. Even if Wang Sheng and Lishang made a move, they had no guarantee that the sect would seize the opportunity to attack. Wang Sheng wasn't willing to take a risk based on such wishful thinking.

By releasing their auras, they declared to both factions that a descendant of Nuwa had already reached the Heavenly Immortal Realm. This established an initial deterrent.

Under the scrutiny of many waves of immortal perception, Wang Sheng and Lishang left the airspace of Jinhua and sped toward Fengmo.

Wang Sheng used Soaring Red Feathers, while Lishang relied on a secret technique of her race. Advancing side by side, the two streaked past one corner of the ancient battlefield at great speed.

When they returned to Fengmo and found the mountain gate of the Xinghai Sect, they noticed that its grand defensive array was at full power. They breathed a sigh of relief almost simultaneously.

At that moment, several long howls rang out. The defensive array slowly deactivated, and bells rang out within the sect, startling and waking up many immortals who were in seclusion. Streams of immortal perception quickly discovered the two figures descending from the sky.

Vice Sect Master Lishang has broken through to the Heavenly Immortal Realm and returned safely!

Most of the senior immortals in the Xinghai Sect momentarily smiled. Yao Xingzi stood behind the window of his small pavilion, his aged eyes filled with relief and satisfaction.

After the bell rang nine times, all sect members and disciples headed toward the main palace. Streams of light descended one after another, creating a rather magnificent scene.

Soon after, the sect held a feast to celebrate Lishang's breakthrough.

As elders surrounded her and congratulated her, Wang Sheng quietly withdrew to a corner. He watched for a while and then felt that there would be little need for him here. Hence, he decided to head to Xinghai City to inform his friends that he was safe.

Lishang noticed him depart. She looked as though she wanted to say something, but the congratulatory remarks around her drowned out her hesitation.

***

Tianfeng.

"What? Lishang and that Pi Kachew came back alive?!"

In the private chamber of the Celestial Wind Sect's sect master, the sect master and several Heavenly Immortals wore varied expressions as they listened to the quick report of a True Immortal below.

One elder anxiously commented, "First, we lose contact with Elder Tan Lang and Elder Lin. Now, Lishang and Pi Kachew have returned."

Long Aotian confidently reasoned, "They likely never encountered them. We all know how powerful Tan Lang is. Unless Lishang had advanced to the Heavenly Immortal Realm, she never could have hoped to overwhelm him. Even now that she had broken through, they still would be even at best. Our elders definitely failed to intercept them!"

Faintly agitated, the sect master stood up and paced back and forth. However, he quickly forced himself to calm down. He commanded deeply, "Withdraw all forces from Jinhua and Fengmo, even if it means letting the Fengli Sect and Xinghai Sect have our territories on those qi stars! Send a few reliable elders to search for Elder Tan Lang and Elder Lin as well! Also, prepare another gift and ask the two elders of the North-River Sword Sect to prolong their stay in our sect!"

"Yes, Sect Master!" two of the elders responded and swiftly carried out his orders.

The sect master's eyes glinted sharply. "From now on, treat Lishang as a grave threat to our sect!"

Long Aotian pondered for a moment. "What about Pi Kachew?"

The sect master calmly replied, "He is nothing more than a True Immortal with somewhat formidable sword techniques. Right now, we have to focus on determining how strong Lishang has become.

"Once Tianyao's master finishes handling matters within the sect, we have to invite him to make a trip to the thirteen qi planets if necessary."

Several elders nodded at the same time. The unease they had felt earlier eased somewhat as they recalled that they now had the North-River Sword Sect supporting them. A single descendant of Nuwa wouldn't be enough to move them.