World's No. 1 Swordsman-Chapter 612: The Garment Removing Divine Jade!

Wang Sheng discretely slipped in from the back of the main palace with his senior sister. He clutched Spiritless tightly, afraid that even the slightest loss of temper would be enough for Yaoyun to charge straight at the Fengli Sect's sect master and strike her down.

This incident had caught Wang Sheng completely off guard.

Is the Fengli Sect's sect master really the reincarnation of Yaoyun's mother—of the Jade Pool's owner? No, it can't be. That's impossible.

After Haotian fell, the Heavenly Court's enemies launched an attack on it, leading to its collapse. Known among the immortals as the "foreign races" and the "hundred races," that opposing force was composed of an extremely complex patchwork of factions. Its strength back then was unimaginably vast.

As far as Wang Sheng knew, that coalition's strongest combatants were mostly those who had once competed with—and ultimately lost to—Haotian for dominance in the Immortal Saint Realm. During the prime of the Heavenly Court, many experts of the Ancient Era fled into the endless space to hide, later becoming the core strength that finally toppled the Heavenly Court.

The Heavenly Court had also provoked resistance from the cultivators across the regions of the endless space due to its repeated suppression of immortal Dao forces throughout the endless space. To top it all off, traitors also appeared in the Heavenly Court's ranks.

The combined power of all those forces was truly unfathomable.

Before the Heavenly Court divided the Three Realms, most of the solar systems in the endless space had been barren and desolate.

Ironically, it was precisely the Heavenly Court's millions of years of relentless wars across the Immortal Saint Realm, along with the resulting chaos, that created the opening for the endless space to flourish and thrive.

The backlash of the Great Dao—known as the Five Heavenly Declines—affected a considerable portion of the Heavenly Court's immortals after Haotian's death. Their cultivation realms plummeted, and devilish deviation even swiftly killed some of them. Meanwhile, unified under a power that Wang Sheng had yet to fully understand, the vast and intricate web of anti-Heavenly-Court forces invaded the Immortal Realm.

The exact details of this process were nearly impossible to uncover. What exactly happened, whether some truly betrayed the Heavenly Court, and who had been scheming behind Haotian's fall, were all buried under layers of fog. They had since become shrouded, unreachable mysteries.

However, Wang Sheng was at least absolutely certain of one thing.

The Queen Mother of the West couldn't have survived. Since she was Immortal Emperor Haotian's Daoist partner, the host of the Jade Pool banquet, and the second most powerful member of the Heavenly Court, the Heavenly Court looked up to her as the ideal female immortal.

The Queen Mother would've succeeded the Immortal Emperor had she survived. After all, Emperor Ziwei was simply a "feudal lord," and she commanded immense prestige among the assembled immortals.

Under such circumstances, how could the anti-Heavenly Court forces possibly spare her? The Queen Mother must have fallen long ago. The Fengli Sect's sect master likely learned of her peerless appearance from somewhere and used a transarray technique to imitate her.

Wang Sheng was simply speculating, but from a logical standpoint, this explanation made the most sense.

Moreover, the Fengli Sect's sect master was ruthlessly decisive and could almost be described as utterly unscrupulous. She treated her many disciples as mere tools to be exploited. This was far removed from what the true Queen Mother had been like.

Well, it's not like I truly know what the Queen Mother was like...

That wasn't important, though. Right now, Wang Sheng had to prioritize proving that the Fengli Sect's sect master had no connection whatsoever to the Queen Mother.

***

The banquet inside the palace had been arranged with great care.

Two low tables were placed before the raised platform. The Fengli Sect's sect master and the Xinghai Sect's sect master took their seats together, but they maintained a distance of ten meters between them.

On each side were three rows of low tables. The female immortals of the Fengli Sect sat to the left of their sect master, while the immortals of the Xinghai Sect sat to Yao Xingzi's right.

Perhaps because the Xinghai Sect had recruited many male Protectors and outstanding male disciples, the overall scene looked somewhat like a large-scale matchmaking gathering.

Over twenty musicians played and sang with utmost devotion in the corner. Meanwhile, in the center of the great palace, more than ten beautiful immortal maidens danced gracefully.

The hall had a fairly pleasant atmosphere.

When Wang Sheng slipped in with his senior sister, it immediately drew a series of gazes from within the palace.

Linyuan transmitted, "Elder Pi, over here. I saved you a seat."

Wang Sheng followed the voice and immediately spotted Linyuan. He was in a quite conspicuous area, in the second row beneath Yao Xingzi's seat. Lishang sat directly in front of him.

Pulling his senior sister along, Wang Sheng walked over without the slightest hesitation as he transmitted back, "Make some room."

The two pushed their low tables together. Wang Sheng then took out a cushion from his sleeve and placed it for his senior sister to sit on the outer side. Afterward, he sat next to Linyuan, drinking and chatting.

Mu Wanxuan noticed a small detail. After her junior brother had sat down cross-legged, he pressed Spiritless firmly across his legs and dared not relax even for a moment, as if facing a formidable enemy.

She carefully observed the Fengli Sect's sect master for quite some time, yet she could not recall anything familiar. In truth, she was just as beautiful as the female sect master. Her only disadvantage was her overly conservative attire.

Meanwhile, Wang Sheng glanced once at the rather beautiful Fengli Sect's sect master but didn't pay her further attention. Instead, it was the Fengli Sect's sect master who stared at him for a while. She seemingly smiled faintly behind her veil, her eyes glimmering with noticeable interest.

Immediately afterward, Lishang snorted softly and deliberately shifted sideways, blocking Wang Sheng from view. She had given him three tenths of her primordial power. It would be a tremendous loss if someone stole him away now.

"Do you see anything?" Wang Sheng telepathically asked Yaoyun as he raised his wine cup and drank with Linyuan.

Yaoyun softly replied, "She definitely can't be my mother."

A stretch of silence followed.

After some time, she added, "Her aura feels very familiar to me, though. It resembles my mother's. Perhaps she did not merely meet my mother. She may also have obtained one or two of my mother's personal treasures."

"As long as you can stay calm, that is good enough. Observe a bit longer."

After watching the performance for a while, Wang Sheng used voice transmission to discuss with his senior sister the clothing styles and makeup of the immortal maidens seated across from them. He whispered which style she liked, and she began selecting and commenting with great seriousness.

Linyuan felt thoroughly ignored.

When the performances ended, the two sect masters began exchanging a few polite but awkward remarks.

The situation was urgent now. Five North-River Sword Sect experts had arrived at the Celestial Wind Sect the day before, and the Fengli Sect truly had no intention of lingering here any longer.

Before the Fengli Sect's sect master could speak, an elderly woman said, "Sect Master Yao Xingzi, may I ask whether you have read our sect master's letter?"

Yao Xingzi replied calmly, "Of course. I have also discussed it with several elders within the sect. We didn't find your requests excessive, but there's one point that does require further discussion."

The immortals in the palace immediately listened more intently, even though most of them did not know what was in the letter.

Yao Xingzi added, "My sect can cover our side of the teleportation array's Spirit Stone expenditure. However, its destination point should not be in either sect's grand defensive arrays."

An elderly woman frowned. "How can we ensure that powerful enemies will not attack the array first when they arrive, then?"

"Hmph." Lishang calmly asked, "Wouldn't we be playing right into your hands if we built it inside our defensive array, and you ended up harboring enough ill intent to trick our experts into going over?"

Two elderly women quickly issued retorts.

"Vice Sect Master Lishang, isn't that going too far? We're building an alliance, which means mutual trust is mandatory. If we cannot achieve even this level of trust, how are we supposed to face the Celestial Wind Sect's aggressive pressure?!

"If we truly intended to scheme against you, then it wouldn't matter where the teleportation array is built. Layers of arrangements could still be made. We have come here today with sincerity, and this is the first time we have sought another sect's help. We ask you not to be overly harsh, Vice Sect Master Lishang."

Lishang frowned. "I am not deliberately making things difficult. However, I don't really have to speak of your sect's reputation, do I?"

A frosty silence fell over the Fengli Sect. From the sect master down to the newest disciple, every face turned cold.

Several female immortals immediately stood up to refute her, claiming that Lan Huilin's words were nothing but slander and should not be believed. They even said that Lan Huilin had long been connected to someone within the Celestial Wind Sect, among many other things.

Several Xinghai Sect elders also stood up at once, trying to de-escalate the situation. However, Lishang's remark had already caused considerable displeasure among many of the Fengli Sect cultivators.

Both sides began an intense debate over the teleportation array's placement.

Even with the situation seemingly about to escalate into open conflict, Yao Xingzi remained composed. He gently stroked his beard, looking as though he already knew how to resolve the matter.

The Fengli Sect's sect master also quietly watched the elders from both sides argue. When the noise finally subsided, she asked softly and gently, "Sect Master Yao Xingzi, do you have a solution that satisfies both sides?"

She sounded ethereal, light, and quite pleasant to the ear.

Yao Xingzi nodded calmly, then gazed at Wang Sheng. "Elder Pi, do you have any good solutions in mind?"

The great palace quickly fell silent.

Wang Sheng first handed Spiritless to his senior sister for "suppression." With a calm expression, he then stood up calmly and looked across the hall.

Many female immortals looked over with interest.

A mature, steady, and well-known sword cultivator was a desirable Daoist partner option for many of the Fengli Sect's female cultivators. There was no helping it; this was simply their sect's culture.

After pondering for a moment before the crowd's gaze, Wang Sheng asked slowly, "What exactly is the teleportation array in question?"

The palace instantly fell silent. Soon after, someone let out a suppressed laugh. The Fengli Sect's female immortals covered their mouths and chuckled, while the Xinghai Sect's immortals felt a wave of embarrassment.

Lishang turned her head and looked at Wang Sheng, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. She was well aware that Wang Sheng was deeply focused on the Dao of the Sword and knew nothing about arrays.

Hence, she explained gently, "A teleportation array is a fixed array that's set up in advance to connect space. When needed, it's used to unleash teleportation techniques, allowing instantaneous travel to a fixed location."

Many of the Xinghai Sect's immortals felt a pang in their hearts. The vice sect master had never spoken to them so gently.

Wang Sheng asked again, "Are they mutually connected, or are they independent?"

"Naturally, they are connected," Lishang replied. "It can't be used for teleportation techniques otherwise. That said, the most advanced version of it can be linked to multiple different teleportation arrays, allowing the destination to be switched.

"Those consume an enormous amount of Spirit Stones, though. In all of the thirteen qi stars, only the Celestial Wind Sect possesses one. What we're attempting to build are simply two mutually connected teleportation arrays."

Wang Sheng smiled, looking as though he finally understood. "This has quite a simple solution, then. The teleportation arrays can be built within the grand defensive arrays, but a rule has to be established. Each side will send two elders, ten disciples, and a hundred Protectors to the other sect's mountain gate to watch over the array.

"In times of peace, ordinary sect members and disciples from either side are not allowed to approach the arrays under normal circumstances. The area within a radius of one hundred zhang around each array will also be regarded as the other sect's territory. Neither side may trespass into those locations.

"The elders, disciples, and Protectors sent over may leave several soul lamps behind, set up rosters, and use the arrays to switch personnel at irregular intervals."

Wang Sheng cupped his hands briefly, then sat back down with apparent indifference.

The palace quieted down for a moment. Many of the Xinghai Sect's cultivators showed expressions of sudden realization, while the female immortals repeatedly praised the idea.

Yao Xingzi stroked his beard and smiled, while the Fengli Sect's sect master unblinkingly stared at Wang Sheng. Lishang straightened once more, blocking her intense gaze.

Taking advantage of the palace's chaos, Wang Sheng took out a jade piece and lowered his head as if deep in thought. With Lishang blocking him, he secretly peered through the forefather's jade piece and looked at the Fengli Sect's sect master through the gaps between his fingers.

He wanted to see for himself what this "garment-removing divine jade" was capable of. Through it, he would figure out the true form of the female sect master!