World's No. 1 Swordsman-Chapter 663: Manifestation

For half a month straight, Wang Sheng lingered near the immortal palace within the tree trunk, never once heading to the middle layer to intercept those attempting to breach the arrays. He simply roamed around the divine tree with Yaoyun, carefully scouting and surveying the area.

Although Yaoyun had studied arrays, she had only reached the Heavenly Immortal Realm during her cultivation in the Jade Pool. While she was skilled in array arts, she still could not comprehend the deeper layers of the arrays here.

"There has to be a grand array here that we simply cannot comprehend," Yaoyun said. "I can vaguely sense that the roots of this divine tree intertwine beneath the ground, forming an array linked to the death aura of living beings."

When the divine tree withers, death will give rise to life.

The more Wang Sheng pondered, the more astonishing the thought became.

Why would the divine tree wither, and who is the one transforming death into life? What does the transformation of life and death truly mean? Does it mean resurrection, or the conversion between life and death? Can it bring harm to his senior sister?

The more Wang Sheng contemplated it, the more he realized how vast its implications were. Combining it with the strange and abnormal events that had followed the activation of the grand array, he came up with a troubling thought.

Did Senior Sister and I stumble into one of Emperor Qinghua's intricate schemes?

At the very least, he didn't have to worry about his senior sister's safety for now.

In her previous life, Qinghua had personally taught Hua Qing and cherished her almost like his own daughter. As one of the Four Heavenly Ministers, he was renowned for being upright. Even if he had been forced to alter his Great Dao due to the Five Heavenly Declines, there was no reason for him to harm his only remaining disciple.

"Stop overthinking it," Yaoyun said as she handed him the bronze mirror. "Rather than worrying here, we could go ask Star Deity Xin Yuehu ourselves."

Wang Sheng smiled wryly. "How would we even ask? Senior Zhuge Lin fulfilled our wish, and you benefited beyond measure. Should we really question whether there were hidden schemes behind it all? That would make no sense. Even though Senior Sister is inside the palace and I'm nearby, I still feel like you and I are nothing more than bystanders."

Yaoyun reminded, "We should still prepare a retreat plan just to be safe."

"Of course," Wang Sheng replied. He studied the mirror, glancing over the array inside and out, and the unease in his heart eased slightly. He then set off with Yaoyun toward the central ring.

He didn't focus on ambushing intruders during this period, though he did encounter a few isolated cultivators.

Seven or eight people had already reached the inner array barrier and begun searching for ways to break through it. Moreover, formidable opponents were becoming increasingly common now. Even the burly man who had once fought Wang Sheng head-on, a cultivator who specialized in tempering his physical body, had been hunted for hundreds of miles earlier and was now drenched in blood.

The cultivators of the endless space truly should not be underestimated.

Standing within the treetops, Wang Sheng gazed down at a fierce battle unfolding beside a lake, his immortal perception locking onto two male cultivators. With a flick of his right hand, Yaoyun transformed into Spiritless and returned to his grasp. He then pressed his left palm downward, making layers of tribulation clouds gather beneath him.

Moments later, the battle by the lake ended, and the two men he had targeted emerged as victors. While they were still entangled, Wang Sheng slipped into the tribulation clouds and descended swiftly. Along with three black clouds drifting nearby, he formed a perfect encirclement.

The two men could have escaped, but they noticed that the black clouds were still some distance away. Moreover, they were unwilling to abandon the spoils that they had yet to collect. Hence, they lingered for a few precious moments.

Those who had reached this place were typically wealthy, especially the Heavenly Immortals who couldn't reach the Golden Immortal Realm. Each was practically a walking Daoist canon repository.

When circumstances allowed, Wang Sheng would claim these spoils after an ambush. However, he ignored them whenever other cultivators were watching, preserving his mysterious image as the array's guardian spirit.

Lightning crashed down. Taking the initiative, Wang Sheng launched a surprise attack, immediately killing one of his targets. The outcome of the ambush was decided in an instant.

Once again, he left the storage artifacts untouched. Riding a lightning bolt, he vanished back into the tribulation clouds and drifted away, leaving only devastation along the lakeshore.

After the lightning tribulation dispersed and the black clouds scattered, several figures rushed in, immediately clashing once more over the abandoned storage artifacts.

Wang Sheng had already hurried to another location by then, leaving behind a streak of flame in the treetops. Using the jade pendant, he freely moved in and out of the third grand array.

A week passed. He had slain over ten more experts, was forced back twice, and returned empty-handed six times.

More than a hundred figures had now gathered outside the inner array, spreading out in all directions as they tirelessly attempted to breach it.

The number of cultivators in the middle array had long surpassed tens of thousands. Some True Immortals had even slipped in under disguise. Conflicts grew more frequent, and the restrictions concealing spiritual herbs and treasures were continuously shattered.

Everyone believed that Qinghua's Daoist heritage would soon find its rightful owner.

Wang Sheng's ambush efforts were once again stalled. With no better option, he made Yaoyun remain by the bronze mirror to watch for opportunities while he meditated, refining the insights that he had gained from the countless battles.

He repeatedly cultivated for several days and then headed out again as the number of cultivators in the central ring steadily increased. His understanding of the Dao of the Sword rose even further, while the inner array remained unshaken.

Those outside had no idea of the conditions required to activate the inner array. No one knew how long it would take before the divine tree withered, either.

***

In a secluded corner outside the grand array,

Dressed in a pale-violet gown and draped in a black cloak, Lin Feiyao carefully took out a brocade box from her robe.

"Strange. Why would the grandmaster entrust me with something like this?"

When she opened it, a pendant that appeared utterly ordinary slowly floated into the air.

She still remembered the look in Wensheng's eyes when he handed her the box. The complexity and reluctance within them had been impossible to miss.

What exactly is this thing?

She dared not be careless. Extending her immortal perception, she repeatedly swept the surroundings and confirmed that no one was nearby.

To ensure she could complete this task safely, Wensheng had even given her several spiritual treasures for protection. Yet the task itself was remarkably simple.

Enter this place, find an empty corner, and crush the pendant.

Lin Feiyao's master had been Wensheng's sixth disciple. Upon falling out with several alchemy elders over pill refinement, he left in anger and wandered far from the sect. He then took her as his disciple before his death.

After leaving the Celestial Wind Sect, she did not know where to go. In the end, she joined the Qiling Immortal Sect, thinking it would not hurt to seek refuge in it. It gave her a sense of safety and belonging that she had never experienced before.

That was why she had panicked when she suddenly encountered Wang Sheng. Afraid he would bring up their past entanglements and jeopardize her future prospects within the Qiling Immortal Sect, she had hurried to speak first.

An alchemist of her caliber hardly stood out in such a sect, though. Her cultivation was unremarkable, and her pill-refining skills, if one was being generous, could only be described as slightly above average.

"So why did the sect master choose me?"

Lin Feiyao softly breathed in, pinching the pendant between two fingers before pressing down gently.

A crisp crack rang out. The pendant shattered as easily as ordinary glass, releasing a surge of rich vitality. Before that life force could fully spread, however, a strange tremor rippled through the ground.

A faint, indistinct figure appeared before him and looked down at her.

Lin Feiyao's Dao Heart tightened. She raised her head to meet its gaze, sensing that she had just done something momentous, even though she did not know what it was.

"Come to the inner array."

The figure flickered and vanished without a trace.

What did I just do? She stared blankly at the remains of the pendant, only to see it slowly dissolving and turning into fine powder that scattered into the wind. Come to the inner array?

Lin Feiyao turned toward the depths of the array, hesitating slightly.

Her grandmaster had instructed her that after completing this task, she could wander around for a while before leaving. He had also stressed absolute secrecy, forbidding her from mentioning it to anyone.

Yet the words she had just heard lingered in her heart, stirring an inexplicable impulse to venture deeper into the array, toward its very center.

What should I do?

She bit her lip and pondered for a moment. She didn't fear taking risks, but this entire experience felt strangely unreal.

Reaching a decision, she drifted forward like a lone wild goose, heading straight toward the depths of the array.

***

Almost at the same instant that Lin Feiyao crushed the pendant, Wang Sheng, who was meditating near the Immortal Palace within the tree trunk, opened his eyes and frowned slightly.

Watching the bronze mirror, Yaoyun asked softly, "What is it?"

"I suddenly feel uneasy," Wang Sheng said, raising a hand to his neck. "It is not a warning from my spiritual senses. It's just a vague restlessness."

"Perhaps it is the aftereffect of that Six-Aperture Dao Comprehension Pellet. The medicine is powerful, but it is still an external aid. Some backlash when its effects fade is unavoidable."

Wang Sheng nodded. "Mm, maybe. How's the situation?"

"I haven't found any opportunity to strike yet. There are already hundreds of powerful cultivators here, and they are all extremely cautious. It would be too risky for you to show yourself now."

"Mm." He yawned. "Then the decisive moment will be when the divine tree withers and the inner array opens on its own. On another note, should we head outside and walk back in without relying on the jade pendant? According to the Apricot-Yellow Banner, that would grant us the right to enter the immortal palace and reunite with my senior sister."

Yaoyun cut straight to the point. "What if you lose the competition?"

Wang Sheng was rendered speechless.

Better to stay here obediently.

He stretched lazily. Even at the Heavenly Immortal Realm, maintaining such intense focus and fighting nearly two hundred fierce battles had left him weary.

He had truly upheld the rule of not slaying nameless foes this time. Those who died by his sword were all renowned Heavenly Immortals within their respective planets and solar systems.

By now, the interception plan was nearing its end. All that remained was to wait and see how things unfolded. Ideally, his senior sister would emerge from the Immortal Palace before the divine tree withered. He would take her and slip away, leaving this swirling vortex far behind.

Taking the bronze mirror, Wang Sheng glanced at the scene inside the immortal palace. To his surprise, his senior sister had shifted from lying down to sitting upright, quietly hovering in midair.

Faint green light continuously gathered around her, and three leaf-shaped marks had appeared on her forehead, making her already ethereal beauty seem even more otherworldly.

Wang Sheng smiled. "Look, she is even more beautiful now."

Yaoyun was about to reply when she suddenly trembled and froze in place. Her eyes widened.

Wang Sheng then heard a clear and gentle voice behind him.

"Even between Daoist partners, it is still improper to peek while one is cultivating."