After waking, Wang Sheng remained in bed for another half month before he was finally able to get up and move around.

The news of his return in an injured state had been treated as a secret. Aside from Qing Yanzi and a few Daoist sect leaders, no one else knew.

By all rights, Lishang should have stayed by his side. However, since he was constantly being looked after, she just left behind a strand of divine sense and went out to explore.

Just as Wang Sheng had told her, the Hua Republic was a fascinating place. Its culture shared roots with the endless space, yet after a thousand years without primal qi, it had developed along a completely different path.

Huai Jing and Xi Lian became deeply absorbed in the many modern games.

Mu Wanxuan took a strong interest in manga and anime. Back in the day, she had even been known as the best in meme battles.

Now, Lishang had also fallen under the same spell. The direction she took caught Wang Sheng off guard, though.

Romance novels and palace drama TV series...

Wang Sheng could only facepalm and sigh. He couldn’t help but be a bit worried about how Lishang’s personality would change in the future.

Lishang's presence naturally drew attention from both the authorities and the Daoist sects. When she first appeared, her pressure had covered the area around the Hua Republic. She had also been the one to bring Wang Sheng back.

Soon after, Qinglin and Xi Lian rushed over to explain who she was.

Xi Lian understood the concerns of the authorities. Hence, she gave them a detailed explanation.

The descendant of Nuwa, Wang Sheng's close friend, was a completely trustworthy Heavenly Immortal. Still, it was best not to approach her directly. They could wait until Wang Sheng woke and let him handle it.

The Special Investigation Unit accepted and ensured to avoid making contact with Lishang. However, to everyone’s surprise, Wang Sheng had already told her about the unit. She used her immortal perception to search around and went to report herself.

The situation turned tense.

The three special departments went on full alert, and the Daoist sect experts stood on edge.

Lishang used her divine ability to appear right in front of Chi Ling. In the Hua language, which she had only learned for a few days, she calmly declared, "I am Fei Yu's friend. I will not cause trouble. Give me some money for use in this world."

Even the experienced and steady Chi Ling paused in surprise at Lishang’s slightly foreign tone. Still, she quickly arranged everything the Nuwa’s descendant needed.

When Wang Sheng woke, Lishang recounted the experience to him, making him laugh out loud.

Then, because of the strain, he fainted again.

During that half month in bed, Wang Sheng received a great deal of news and saw many familiar faces.

His master, junior brother, and junior sister stayed by his side the entire time.

The Pure Yang Sword Faction still consisted of just a few of them, with no plans to expand.

Since his parents had not been informed yet, Wang Sheng asked his master to call his father and let him know he had returned to Earth to stop them from worrying. Wang Sheng would visit them later, as he was still handling matters related to extraterrestrials.

Qing Yanzi set aside all other matters to stay with his disciple, listening as Wang Sheng spoke about his experiences.

After Wang Sheng woke, Lishang stopped going out. She sat quietly in a corner of the room, reading from a collection of paper books stored in her ring. Dressed simply in local fashion, she exuded a different kind of charm. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"Fei Yu, there is something you should know."

Qing Yanzi paused for a moment.

Seeing that Wang Sheng could now walk, he continued, "More than six years ago, which should be about six hundred years outside, Xiaomiao had a dream."

"A dream?"

Qing Yanzi nodded. "Yes. She saw Empress Nuwa in it, holding this blue planet. Before disappearing, she pointed to a location, where we later uncovered a massive statue of her. You can’t sense it right now because it constantly emits a certain kind of fluctuation into space. Worried that it would reveal Earth's location, we used various methods to seal it. This matter should be related to you. Do you want to go take a look later?"

Wang Sheng frowned, in thought. "Master, I’d like to see it this afternoon. I have not fully healed from my injuries yet, but I can at least move without issue."

"I can take you there now," Lishang said.

Wang Sheng shook his head. "No need. Since I am home, let my master handle it."

Lishang just nodded, lowered her head, and continued reading. Her slender figure and fitted dress gave her a striking presence.

Qing Yanzi soon left to make arrangements. The large hospital room was left with only Wang Sheng and Lishang.

Wang Sheng looked out the window. Sparse trees lined the view. From time to time, figures on patrol flew by on their artifacts. A sense of calm settled in his heart.

"What do you think?" he asked.

Lishang thought for a moment and smiled faintly. "It is a very good place. If time did not pass so slowly here, I would have liked to stay long-term."

Wang Sheng hummed quietly. He drew over his master's projection phone and began looking through the news displayed on it.

"This is the best part about this place. No matter how hard you fight out there, no matter how much you suffer, the moment you remember it is all to protect this planet, the hardship no longer feels like much."

Lishang smiled softly. She then thought of Wang Sheng's condition earlier and frowned. "Those treasures I gave you, why did you not use them?"

Wang Sheng replied, "Using them would have exposed too much. Forefather had already accounted for everything."

"You are not worried that Chun Yangzi might have deceived you as well?"

Wang Sheng shook his head. "I am not. Knowing who to trust is its own kind of skill. Some people cannot be trusted; some can. Forefather is one of the latter, just like Star Deity Wenqu. Great Divine Guardian Wang is one of the former."

Lishang blinked. "Without him, how could this plan have succeeded?"

"He only played his part because he placed the hope of restoring the Heavenly Court on me. I am grateful for the help he has given me, but I would not confide in him.

“Unlike him, Star Deity Wenqu followed Emperor Ziwei. Before His Imperial Majesty’s last soul fragment faded, he had already judged the Star Deity’s character. What he pursues is truth itself. He does not follow any one person."

Lishang seemed to half understand. She nodded thoughtfully, careful not to let Wang Sheng see whether she truly understood or not.

"What about me, then?"

Wang Sheng smiled. "Of course, I trust you. When I was at my weakest, I was in your hands. It would have been easy for you to kill me. Besides, you have nothing to gain from me, and we are close friends. Why would I not trust you?"

"Mm." Lishang lowered her gaze slightly. Sunlight fell across her face, beautiful without being overly striking. A strand of hair slipped down, giving her an almost divine air.

"You can trust me at any time. Protecting you is the meaning of my existence."

Wang Sheng was rendered speechless.

"If you were a man and I were a woman, that declaration would have likely moved me to tears.”

Lishang simply smiled. She lowered her head and continued reading.

Wang Sheng scrolled through the projection screen in front of him, taking in the flood of information online. Before long, his head began to ache.

It was just a simple headache, though; it didn’t stem from stress.

The Hua Republic was generally stable. On this planet, it stood above the rest. The surrounding cultivation world did not dare provoke it. The only real threat came from beyond the stars.

The Hua Republic had been steadily promoting a nationwide immortality initiative, introducing high-quality, low-cost alchemical pills into the medical system. It also actively combined cultivation and technology across all aspects of society to improve daily life.

Those at the top were well aware of the dangers beyond Earth. Even the chaotic state around the ancient battlefield had made it clear that their vision had to stretch far into the future.

Wang Sheng began searching through various news reports.

Sakura Island had been quiet and well-behaved, which was good. The western regions were unsettled, but it had nothing to do with the Hua Republic, which was also good.

He searched for recent popular songs and played a few soft love tracks. He gradually relaxed.

I miss my senior sister... I wish she were by my side.

Soon, Qing Yanzi entered with Mou Yue and Da Zhuang, who were here to visit Wang Sheng.

"Fei Yu, how are you?"

Wang Sheng smiled. "Why does everyone ask that? I am already at the Golden Immortal Realm. I can more or less live forever."

Mou Yue softly exclaimed, "Wow..."

Qing Yanzi stood to the side with a bitter smile. He had yet to ascend, yet his second disciple had already reached immortality. Still, there was no one he could complain to.

After some light conversation, Mou Yue and Da Zhuang left not long after.

Qing Yanzi had already arranged transport: a qi-powered ultra-stable airship—the Hua Republic's latest research product.

On Fengmo, a research center for the Hua Republic had already been established.

From Earth's perspective, the speed of new developments had increased nearly tenfold.

***

The closer they drew to the statue of Nuwa, the more Wang Sheng felt an indescribable emotion stir within him. It felt like a mix of helplessness, grief, anger, hatred, and loneliness.

Inside the aircraft, Lishang also grew restless. She seemed to sense something, yet she could not fully grasp it.

Her bloodline was responding.

In the video Qing Yanzi played, Wang Sheng and Lishang saw the enormous white jade statue.

Wang Sheng frowned. "This is clearly something divine. How did you manage to seal the fluctuations it gives off?"

Qing Yanzi smiled. "Something to do with magnetic fields, most likely. That came from the research institute. They started from arrays that block immortal perception, then discovered certain links between immortal perception and biological magnetic fields. It is a complicated field. I cannot explain it clearly in a few words. If you are interested, they can arrange a proper lecture for you later."

Wang Sheng smiled helplessly. "Master, do I really have that kind of status now?"

"Of course.” Qing Yanzi sighed lightly. "Everyone knows what you have done, and they recognize it. The hardships you endured cannot be for nothing. If they fail to give you the recognition you deserve, I will go demand an explanation from your mistress!"

"Master, since when did you become so bold?"

Qing Yanzi smiled calmly. The answer spoke for itself.

Just then, Bu Yan's phone vibrated lightly. Chi Ling appeared in the projection.

"Ahem! Do not speak. I need to take this call first."

"Yes, Master," Wang Sheng answered seriously.

Beside him, Lishang's eyes curved as she smiled.