So even such a thing exists...

Wang Sheng’s Primordial Spirit remained within the planet’s core, steadily receiving the Dao of Creation. However, he was physically free to leave, return to the surface of Earth, and roam as he pleased.

When he thought about what Nuwa had done, he could only shake his head in amazement. The Dao of Creation truly lived up to its name. There seemed to be nothing it could not do.

He had also entrusted Spiritless to the Dao of Creation, allowing it to stay beside his Primordial Spirit to recover and grow together with it.

Thinking back on everything he had learned, Wang Sheng sighed quietly.

In every sense that mattered, Nuwa was no longer part of this world. From what this "mother" had told him, he had gained a rough understanding of her current state.

She had returned to nothingness.

Everything that possessed form, from living beings to dust, from celestial bodies to stars, galaxies, and even black holes, all belonged to the realm of form.

Opposite it stood the Sea of Dao Laws.

The two were intertwined, not separate.

The Sea of Dao Laws defined all forms and appearances within the physical world, while the physical world sustained the Sea of Dao Laws.

Both traced their origin back to the Sea of Chaos.

The Three Pure Ones, as sages, existed within the Sea of Dao Laws, yet could also manifest within the physical world.

They were embodiments of the Dao itself, capable of influencing its flow.

That level was something Nuwa could have reached with ease, yet she had chosen to give it up for the fate of all living beings.

Wang Sheng glanced around. The place looked like an ordinary stretch of farmland.

He did not pay much attention to it. Instead, he tried to piece together the origins of the Immortal Emperor using what he now understood.

The Sea of Chaos held only one concept: existence.

From existence came endless evolutions, branching out like countless worldlines.

The world Wang Sheng now stood in included Earth, the ancient battlefield, the four great sky regions, the endless space, and the Immortal Saint Realm. All of it had begun from a single possibility, a faint disturbance within the Sea of Chaos.

Buddhism spoke of three thousand great worlds.

Daoism spoke of endless heavens.

Both were attempts to describe the same truth.

From the moment Nuwa stepped out of the Sea of Chaos, this world had begun to evolve. That was the true beginning of creation.

The path she walked later came to be known as the Dao of Creation. Now, she existed neither in the realm of form nor within the Sea of Dao Laws.

She had fully dissolved herself to complete this world, allowing it to hold greater possibilities in the future.

The one speaking with Wang Sheng was only a trace of her spiritual consciousness, or perhaps a lingering will, residing within the Dao of Creation and watching over him.

The Immortal Emperor came from a world that had reached its end—a universe that had already fallen into silence.

He had torn through the boundary between universes and forced his way into this chain of causality. His true strength had to have been immeasurably terrifying.

He had paid a heavy price when he entered this universe, yet he still survived. From the perspective of this universe, the Immortal Emperor was an external devil.

Seen from this angle, his fall and the collapse of the Heavenly Court seemed to hold many new layers of meaning.

Regardless, Wang Sheng now faced a new problem.

"How am I supposed to win against that?"

Standing beneath the night sky, Wang Sheng looked up at the countless celestial bodies with a helpless expression. He had only just been sent out from the planet's core.

It had been three months since he was drawn into the statue.

He had spoken at length with Nuwa, gained many insights, and learned the hidden truths of the world. At last, he understood his true task.

Stabilize the Three Realms. Destroy the external devil.

After that, the world would be wide open to him, and he could go wherever he wished. At least, that was how he chose to interpret it.

His Primordial Spirit remained in the planet's core, receiving the Dao of Creation. The process could take decades, perhaps even a century.

Wang Sheng could afford to wait, though.

While Mu Wanxuan was receiving the Dao of Life, he was now receiving the Dao of Creation.

Mm, the Great Dao of Creation is one of the most fundamental and powerful Great Dao in all of heaven and earth. In the future, my standing in this family will at least be secure.

He was joking, of course. He and his senior sister were deeply in love.

With his Primordial Spirit remaining inside the planet's core, Wang Sheng could only exert strength at the True Immortal Realm for now.

Even so, his physical body was still at the Golden Immortal Realm. On Earth, at least, nothing should be able to break his defenses.

This place was fairly remote. With his immortal perception sealed, Wang Sheng could only wander on foot through rows of vegetable greenhouses and farmland.

He was in a patient's gown, his long hair loose down his back. Deep in thought, he walked barefoot, with a Qiankun Ring still on his hand.

Anyone who saw him would probably assume he was some mad Daoist priest who had escaped from a mental hospital.

He strolled across the fields, thinking about the universe, the starry skies, the rise and fall of countless beings, and the cycles of heaven and earth.

In the nearby village, two elderly men exchanged uneasy looks, then picked up their somewhat outdated smartphones and made a call.

Before long, several police cars appeared in Wang Sheng's view. A group of young officers, each with a trace of cultivation, rushed out holding guns with runes as they shouted at him.

"Freeze!"

"Daoist Master, you are disturbing the public. Please cooperate with us!"

Wang Sheng was rendered speechless.

Good thing he had not reached any real conclusions just now. If his train of thought had been cut off at a critical moment, that would have been troublesome.

He got into the police car without protest. Leaning back against the seat, he waited quietly for their phones to start ringing.

Meanwhile, his thoughts returned to the same vast questions, the starry skies, the universe, the fate of countless beings, and the shifting order of heaven and earth.

Clang!

Finally, the iron door of a cultivator holding cell shut behind him. Talismans on the door activated at once, forming a faint barrier of light.

Wang Sheng tilted his head and looked around. Upon confirming that he had actually been locked up, he found himself at a loss for words.

Is the Special Investigation Unit really this inefficient now? I have been out in the open for so long, and they still have not noticed? Then again, the statue took me underground earlier. They are probably still focused over there.

This seems to be somewhere along the coast of the East Sea. Forget it. Without immortal perception, everything feels inconvenient. I don't even have a phone on me. Since I'm here already, I might as well settle in. I can still think no matter where I end up. This isn't so bad, all things considered.

Wang Sheng turned onto his side and lay down slowly on the narrow bed in the cell.

He was not even sure what the current rules were in the secular world. Apparently, if they ran into a lone cultivator, they would just lock them up like this.

Secular world... Those words feel very much like something from the endless space. Fortunately, I have been suppressing my aura the whole time. If it had fluctuated even a little, they might have treated it as resisting arrest.

Anyway, what method can I possibly use to deal with the Immortal Emperor? Even after taking in the Great Dao of Creation, I will need a long time to truly master it. That period might stretch into tens of thousands of years.

If the Immortal Emperor's destruction by the sages had been part of his plan, if he had shifted from the open into the shadows and begun scheming around the laws of this world, then the Immortal Saint Realm must already be filled with forces he had planted in secret.

Is Feng Jiu really the Immortal Emperor? Or is Feng Jiu nothing more than his puppet? No, that doesn't seem right. According to what Nuwa has said, the sages destroyed the Immortal Emperor because they detected something abnormal about him. That event must have dealt him a severe blow. If that's the case, then I still have a chance to win.

Wang Sheng lay there with his arms folded, deep in thought, when someone suddenly called out from nearby.

"Yo, bro. What's your cultivation level? How did you end up in here?"

Wang Sheng looked up. Through two layers of talisman barriers, he saw a Daoist chewing gum.

The man looked about twenty-eight or twenty-nine. He donned a dirty Daoist robe on top and jeans below. His hair, which had once been tied up in a Daoist crown, now hung loose and messy.

Wang Sheng did not respond. He lowered his head and continued thinking. With a casual motion, he took out an ancient text from his Qiankun Ring and pretended to read.

"Damn, that's high-end gear. That ring has to be worth at least a few hundred thousand, right?"

The man grinned. "Big Brother, say something. Are you really a cultivator?"

Can I not even get a moment to think about how to save the universe?!

Showing a trace of helplessness, Wang Sheng replied, "I am a cultivator."

"Aye, what a coincidence. So am I, hahaha..."

Wang Sheng was at a loss for words.

Fine.

He set aside his grand questions and put away the ancient text. With a faint smile, he asked, "Brother, where are you from?"

The man dragged a stool over to the edge of his own cell's barrier. Only a two-meter-wide corridor separated them.

He seemed to have realized his earlier question had been too abrupt. Looking slightly embarrassed, he rubbed his nose and answered honestly, “My surname is Zhao. My Daoist name is Dezhu. I'm a cultivator from the East Sea Dangying Sect. I'm currently at the late stage of the Golden Core Realm, and I specialize in talismanic arts. What about you, Big Brother?"

Wang Sheng said, "Pi..."

Wait, no. The moment I say Pi Kachew here, I will be recognized right away.

Across from him, Zhao Dezhu chuckled. "Forget it, no joking around. I made that sect up. I am just an unaffiliated practitioner, and my cultivation is only at the early stage of the Golden Core Realm."

Wang Sheng's eyes curved into a smile. "My name is Wang Sheng."

"And?"

"I'd rather not say."

"Aiysh, alright then. People with squinty eyes are always big shots, so I will just call you that," Zhao Dezhu said as he scratched his head. "I could tell earlier that you are not an ordinary cultivator. How did you end up in here, Big Shot?"

Wang Sheng thought for a moment. "I passed by a melon field, and someone called the police on me. What about you? Your cultivation looks decent. Why did you get caught?"

"Ah, I got drunk yesterday and fell asleep on the street. When I woke up, I was already here."

Zhao Dezhu raised an eyebrow at Wang Sheng, then stretched a hand forward. His fingers passed straight through the layer of the talismans' light film. "See? This cannot hold me. I am just following the rules. I cannot be reckless."

Wang Sheng asked, "What is the current cultivation world like?"

"The cultivation world? Big Shot, do not tell me you have been training in the mountains for more than ten years and just came out?"

"Something like that."

Zhao Dezhu grinned. "That's impressive! The mortal world is so lively, yet you could still hide away in the mountains to cultivate in peace. Things are not like five or six years ago. Cultivators all have to restrain themselves now. If you want to live in a bustling city, you have to act like ordinary people. You cannot use your cultivation to do whatever you want."

Wang Sheng nodded with a faint smile. "If you do something wrong, is it not fine as long as you are not caught?"

Zhao Dezhu snorted. "How could you not get caught? The Special Investigation Unit is quite competent. Cause even a little trouble, and the Special Warfare Unit will show up with a bunch of burly guys.

"If things get serious, even experts from the Daoist sects will step in. With my level of cultivation, flirting with girls is already pushing it. There is no way I would dare stir up trouble."

Wang Sheng chuckled inwardly. It seems the order back home has been maintained quite well.

Zhao Dezhu was a chatterbox who never seemed to pause. From this so-called ordinary cultivator, Wang Sheng heard things that never appeared in official documents.

According to him, the authorities had been constantly adjusting how tightly they controlled cultivators, maintaining a balance between the immortal and mortal sides. The systems in place were already quite refined.

After chatting for a little over an hour, footsteps sounded in the corridor.

Wang Sheng sighed to himself. He planned to ask Zhao Dezhu what he had actually done. If it were nothing serious, he would have the people from the Special Investigation Unit take Zhao Dezhu along when they left. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

However, just as Wang Sheng stood up and straightened his patient uniform, an old Daoist drifted over with a fly whisk in hand and scolded Zhao Dezhu a few times.

Wang Sheng was once again rendered speechless.

I am so... non-existent.

The old Daoist signed the paperwork and then dragged Zhao Dezhu out, giving his backside a few swats with the fly whisk.

"Master, help this big shot out, too," Zhao Dezhu said loyally. "He just wandered around and scared someone; that is why he got caught."

The old Daoist glanced at Wang Sheng. At first, he paid little attention, then suddenly froze. He stared at Wang Sheng carefully, his old hands beginning to tremble.

"Master, what is wrong?" Zhao Dezhu hurried to support him. "Infinite gods above, Master, do you have... Parkinson's?"

The old Daoist's voice trembled as he called out, "Fei Yu... Fei Yu! Sword Cultivator Fei Yu?!"

Wang Sheng laughed awkwardly. Right now, he... might be better off not being recognized at all.