World's No. 1 Swordsman-Chapter 624: Hard to Guard Against Traitors at Home!

Outside the Fengli Sect's planet, a Heavenly Immortal Realm elder escorted an immortal vessel speeding toward the ancient battlefield. Aboard it were Long Aotian and more than ten severely wounded True Immortals.

***

Rear courtyard of Earth's cultivators, Xinghai City.

Mu Wanxuan stood quietly on the pond itself. Faint ripples spread across its surface as a golden Buddhist seal slowly rotated underwater.

Those who were not in seclusion had also gathered inside the pavilion.

The Buddhist swastika seal spun for a while, bathing Mu Wanxuan's face in a golden glow.

She had been standing there from morning until afternoon, then suddenly opened her eyes. A trace of light flashed through her bright pupils.

Huai Jing hurriedly asked, "Did you sense a specific location?"

"Vaguely."

Huai Jing slapped his forehead and sucked in a sharp breath. "Hiiiiiss. You really can sense it."

Fei Lianzi and Fan Tuantuan could not help but roll their eyes.

Fan Tuantuan muttered, "Didn't you set up that formation yourself, Mr. Arhat? Why aren't you aware of exactly how effective it is?"

Huai Jing smiled. "Amitabha. Like Fei Yu, I have always been positioned as a close-combat fighter. I preach reason with my fists and deliver facts with my palms. I rarely handle support work.

"Moreover, methods that expand the range of one's senses like this are really just a small way for gathering worshippers. They're hardly a proper technique. It just happened to be useful here. Anyway, Bu Yu, in which direction did you sense it?"

"Over there." Mu Wanxuan raised her hand and pointed seemingly to the northwest. "Very far."

Fei Lianzi stroked his newly grown mustache and pondered. "How far exactly is it? Space is vast. Unless we have its exact location, we'll have trouble finding it even if we use primal qi passages."

"Can you see any obvious landmarks? Or a specific place?" Huai Jing asked.

"Mm..."

Mu Wanxuan thought carefully for a while, then casually released a wisp of Yin-Yang Enchanted Power that was reminiscent of drifting smoke. She guided it with her slender fingers, forming a lush mountain valley.

A rather unremarkable cyan wood tree stood quietly deep within it. It was neither tall nor strange, but it had a subtle and mysterious aura. Flowers bloomed all around, making the area look full of life.

Mu Wanxuan gently looked at it. She parted her thin lips and sighed in satisfaction, seemingly saying that this was the place.

Huai Jing and Fei Lianzi looked at each other. Mu Wanxuan blinked lightly, as though asking what was wrong.

Fan Tuantuan softly confirmed, "Senior, where is that valley?"

"Over there." Mu Wanxuan pointed in the same direction as before. "Very far."

Fei Lianzi smiled. "At the very least, we have to know which celestial body it's on. If we fly to it instead of using primal qi passages, we could end up dying of old age before ever reaching it."

Mu Wanxuan immediately lowered her head in thought. Using her finger, she drew a bitterly smiling emoji with a hand covering its face.

"Being able to sense its direction is already quite remarkable. At least we know this path is viable, and that the divine tree has not been destroyed," Huai Jing said. "I'll set up the formation again. Bu Yu, continue scouring in that direction and see if you can obtain any useful information.

"If you still can't find any leads, I'll do it a third time for you. My Buddhist power will be exhausted after that, and I'll have to rest for several days before continuing."

Mu Wanxuan nodded earnestly. "Thank you."

With a general direction already established, seeking more information should not be too difficult.

Huai Jing soon sat by the pond and began casting the spell to activate the formation. Fei Lianzi and Fan Tuantuan also sat down and drank tea.

Lost in thought, Mu Wanxuan stared quietly at the ink wash painting she had created with her enchanted power.

Gazing toward the Fengli Sect's solar system, Fei Lianzi muttered, "I wonder how things are going over there. Has Instructor Zhang returned with any news?"

"Not yet." Fan Tuantuan snorted. "Celestial sect battles do not have live broadcasts. Getting news now would be a miracle!"

"It's fine. In Fei Yu we trust." Fei Lianzi took a sip of tea. "He's the strongest among all of Earth's cultivators. How could he lose to those aliens?"

Aliens?

Fan Tuantuan couldn't help but smile. The comparison was actually fitting.

Meanwhile, Mu Wanxuan grew increasingly troubled the more she thought about Fei Lianzi's remark. Before long, her cheeks flushed red.

In her previous life, she had fled from the Heavenly Court to Earth as well, which meant she was also one of the so-called aliens. If she and her junior brother had children in the future, would they not be... alien hybrids?

That sounded cool.

***

As the radiance of the Fengli Sect's grand defensive array illuminated the night sky, several Fengli Sect elders came over to discuss the upcoming battles with Wang Sheng and Lishang.

The Celestial Wind Sect's sect master would arrive before long, which meant harder battles lay ahead. Their enemy seemed determined to obliterate the Fengli Sect this time. The grudges that the two sides had accumulated for each other over the course of tens of thousands of years seemed to have finally exploded.

The Celestial Wind Sect urgently required a great victory to stabilize its increasingly weakening position as the hegemon of the thirteen qi planets, especially since the Fengli Sect was ambitious. Considering it could very well surpass them in a few thousand years, they were left unable to eat or sleep in peace. In the end, they finally seized this opportunity to settle everything once and for all.

The Fengli Sect's grand elder, who had the highest cultivation, sighed. "Elder Pi, we truly owe it to you for severely injuring Long Aotian earlier. Without you, we would not have been able to hold on in this battle."

Another elderly woman analyzed, "Unfortunately, two pressing problems lie ahead of us: the enemy's sect master and his True Immortals, who heavily outnumber us. If our top experts lose too quickly, this war will be difficult to win."

Linyuan frowned. "Our sect has already gone all out in this battle. Kachew was even injured earlier, and he's now in an unstable condition. Don't place too much hope on us."

Wang Sheng nodded and casually added, "Even if the enemy's sect master comes to the frontlines himself, he won't actually be adding that much pressure. After all, your sect master hasn't made a move yet either."

"Our sect master will naturally respond if their leader heads to the battlefield," the old woman replied. She then gave Wang Sheng a somewhat apologetic look. "You risked your life to protect our sect. We will never treat you unfairly."

Wang Sheng waved his hand. "It's too early to talk about that. Let's discuss battle tactics instead. During the battle earlier, I noticed Wang Beifeng seemed to be injured. If he recovers, even if I join forces with Vice Sect Master Lishang, we may still not be able to hold him off. May I ask how strong the Fengli Sect's sect master is? Does she possess any formidable divine abilities?"

The Fengli Sect's grand elder replied solemnly, "If Wang Beifeng fully recovers, our sect master will subdue him. Her divine ability is somewhat special, but even if she goes all out, she can only restrain one person. That's why she won't act unless it is a critical moment or an urgent matter."

Wang Sheng looked as though he understood, but deep down, he was already discussing matters with Yaoyun.

The paper figure could clearly unleash power exceeding the Heavenly Immortal Realm. Its creator likely bestowed upon it a strong divine ability that it probably could only use once. On the other hand, it was also possible that it simply replenished its immortal power very slowly, similar to sword spirits and their spiritual power.

Moreover, it could be inferred that the grand elder knew at least a little about the background of the paper figure.

Wang Sheng decided not to press the matter further, lest he expose himself. "In that case, we can finally be at ease."

He then shifted the topic to tactics for the frontal engagement, offering several suggestions regarding battle formation arrangements.

From the moment they arrived until now, the Fengli Sect's sect master had never once shown herself.

Wang Sheng was actually somewhat hoping for the enemy's sect master to come. After all, Wang Sheng and Yaoyun could get some clues from the divine ability of the Fengli Sect's sect master. She just had to be forced to use it.

***

Less than three days later, the Celestial Wind Sect's sect master arrived with reinforcements and joined up with his main army. They now had over sixty thousand celestial soldiers on the battlefield and an overwhelming number of Primordial Immortals and True Immortals.

Their sect master had brought with him a group of white-haired veteran True Immortals. Most of them had long lost hope of becoming Heavenly Immortals, but they had at least generally reached the mid to late stages of the True Immortal Realm.

These people were the true foundation of the Celestial Wind Sect.

In contrast, the Fengli Sect had already gone all out in the previous battle. With no additional strength to draw upon, they appeared clearly inferior in the face of the Celestial Wind Sect's aggressive advance.

The Celestial Wind Sect's army slowly pressed toward the Fengli Sect on the second day of their sect master's arrival. The fighting began once more.

On that same day, Long Aotian and his group reached the Celestial Wind Sect's mountain gate.

Heavenly Immortals were naturally far faster than Primordial and True Immortals. Crossing the ancient battlefield did not take much time for them.

After entering the grand defensive array, the elder hurriedly helped Long Aotian and the other severely injured immortals settle down. He then immediately left the mountain gate and rushed back toward the Fengli Sect's planet.

Not long after, Long Aotian, who had been bound like a rice dumpling with bandages for healing, opened his right eye. Veins bulged on his forehead as he roared, "That little thief deserves death! I must kill him!"

Seeing the condition he was in, tears welled up in the eyes of the disciples keeping watch by his bedside. A deep, sorrowful silence filled the room.

A fair-skinned, slender female disciple hurried forward and pressed Long Aotian down by the shoulder. Through sobs, she cried out, "Master, you are already back at the Celestial Wind Sect! The sect master will avenge you."

The killing intent in Long Aotian's wide-open right eye gradually receded. He coughed a few times, then pressed his hand against the female disciple's shoulder and slowly sat up.

He said, "Binglu, help me to the Palace of Treasures!"

"Master, you should focus on recovery!"

Long Aotian gritted his teeth and shouted angrily, "No! I am going to take a few powerful artifacts and settle accounts with that little thief!"

Binglu tried to dissuade him further, but he released a wave of pressure.

The disciples could understand the fury burning in the heart of their sect's old hero.

Moreover, Long Aotian was one of their revered elders. Forget taking items from the treasury; even emptying it outright would not be an issue.

Binglu soon supported him from the palace he had been recuperating in to a secluded valley in the back mountains of the Celestial Wind Sect. Naturally, none of the patrolling celestial soldiers or hidden sentries dared stop one of their sect's three great pillars.

Oh, wait, no. One of the three great pillars had already fallen. Tan Lang was already dead[1].

Deep within the valley, they walked straight into a mountain wall, and a burst of treasure light immediately flickered before them.

Long Aotian was naturally familiar with the place. He went straight to a corner, retrieved a restricted treasure chest, and opened it. Inside lay a banner covered in vicious ghost talismans.

Only then did Long Aotian breathe a sigh of relief.

Binglu's eyes filled with curiosity. She softly asked, "Master, is that banner a powerful treasured artifact?"

Long Aotian murmured, "Powerful is an understatement. It is supreme."

He lifted the banner, carefully stored it in his sleeve, and looked around him.

Around him were small mountains of treasured materials, Spirit Stones stacked like city walls, and countless immortal treasures.

This was the greatest treasury of the Celestial Wind Sect.

Long Aotian muttered, "Master probably needs these."

Binglu tilted her head in confusion. Master? Why does he seem so strange today?

Just as the little fiend was about to ask him a question, Long Aotian flickered, instantly transformed into a dragon head that had a diameter of thirty zhang, and opened his mouth. The countless treasures, materials, and Spirit Stones around him turned into streams of light and flew into his jaws.

Binglu anxiously cried out, "Master, what are you doing?!"

The dragon fiend glanced down with his right eye. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly as a pulling force wrapped around Binglu, swallowing her together with the treasures.

"Master will surely favor me for being obedient."

Long Aotian transformed back into his human form, glanced at the now-empty cavern, and calmly turned to leave. Once outside the treasury, he waved his hand and set down a restriction that others could not break.

He then raised his head and furiously roared, "That little thief humiliated me! I will skin him alive and tear out his tendons!"

He shot into the sky and smashed straight through their sect's grand defensive array.

1. Fourth wall break joke. ☜