Chapter 786: The Earth Sword Sets Forth
Should I make my exit from seclusion a bit more ceremonial?
Wang Sheng thought it over, but he ended up just stepping out of the villa.
Outside, white clouds drifted across the sky, and the ground was empty. Since he had not informed anyone, there was no welcoming scene waiting for him.
As he walked out, he raised his right hand slightly. Threads of immortal light blossomed in his palm.
The villa shrank before his eyes, compressing to just over a chi in height. It spun in his hand as he refined it into a simple, treasured artifact, then stored it inside his Qiankun Ring.
This place held many shared memories with his senior sister. He would naturally keep it with him, so when they met again, it would not be left to the elements.
With the villa gone, the space before him opened wide.
Wang Sheng instructed in an ancient tone, "Lishang, please contact the Special Investigation Unit and have those six stone tablets brought back. I will spend some time with my parents. This trip might make it hard for me to return."
"Mm," Lishang replied, then vanished in a flash, already at the horizon.
The divine ability of Nuwa's lineage was extraordinary. Wang Sheng felt an urge to rush straight into the endless space, but he was no longer the impulsive young sword cultivator he once was. Everything required careful consideration now.
"Ling Sheng, go wait outside the Realm of Exiled Immortals. If you cannot find my forefather or Fairy Zhi Bing, investigate the surroundings."
"Yes, Master," Ling Sheng responded softly and turned to leave.
Wang Sheng casually wrapped Er Gou in immortal power and tossed him toward her. "Take him with you."
Ling Sheng smiled and grabbed the boy. She then turned into a streak of green light, disappearing into the distance.
Wang Sheng stretched lazily and gazed out over the lakeside for a while. With a slight motion of his hand, streams of multicolored light flowed along his arm and gathered in his palm, forming Spiritless.
He rose and trained in the sword like an ordinary man. There was no sword cry, no surging sword energy.
The sword phantasms shifted between fast and slow. At times, several afterimages flickered around him. Other times, he looked no different from an old man in a park reviewing a basic routine.
He sought no insight; he only wanted to place his feelings for this place and the emotions in his heart into this single sword.
After a while, he stood still with the sword held behind him. A faint ripple stirred within him, then quickly settled.
"Yaoyun, can you come out and keep me company?"
"Sure."
Spiritless took the form of a small fairy in a short, pure-white dress, unexpectedly more modern in style than traditional robes. Her long hair hung loose, held only by a simple hairpin.
Wang Sheng blinked and looked her over a few more times.
Yaoyun asked calmly, "Adapting to the surroundings is fine, is it not?"
"Of course it is," Wang Sheng replied as he glanced at her cloth boots.
He almost suggested something else, then decided against it. His sword spirit already stood out enough. A small mismatch did not matter.
"Let's walk around. I have a feeling that once we leave Earth, it'll be a while before we return."
He stretched and rose with Yaoyun on a cloud, drifting toward his parents' location.
Yaoyun observed the changed Hua Republic and murmured, "Things here have changed quite a bit."
Wang Sheng smiled. "Mm. In the mortal world, twenty or thirty years mark an era. People interact constantly. Unlike the cultivators outside, who stay in caves and rarely emerge, people interact constantly here. That's why its society changes far faster."
"Oh." Yaoyun clasped her hands behind her back, seemingly uninterested in the topic.
"How much of the Great Dao of Creation have you grasped?" Wang Sheng asked.
"About one or two parts in a thousand. At this point, I do not know whether I count as a living being or a spiritual entity. I should be considered alive, yet I have no cultivation realm. Only the Great Dao of Creation could produce something like me."
She extended a smooth jade-like arm toward him.
"Here, feel it."
Wang Sheng tapped it lightly and chuckled. "Your skin is almost as smooth and elastic as Senior Sister's."
"That's not what I meant!" Yaoyun pulled her arm back and said with a hint of annoyance, "I am asking whether I now feel like a living being who's full of warmth instead of a cold spiritual entity."
Wang Sheng smiled. "You already know about your father's identity, right?"
Yaoyun nodded slowly. "Mm, I do. Don't worry about me. The Heavenly Court's princess already died in the Small Nether Realm. Now, I am your sword spirit. Even if you use Spiritless to pierce his soul, I will give you my full support."
"There is no need for that. I won't put you in such a difficult position. Besides, I already know how to handle it."
"This may be my fate, Wang Sheng."
Wang Sheng shook his head. "There is no such thing as fate. Is the fate of the sacred spirit not significant? If I strike myself down right now, would that fate not be broken? Everything depends on what we do. The closer I get to the Sea of Dao Laws, the clearer my understanding becomes.
"What we call destiny does not truly exist. Even heavenly fate is nothing more than the Sea of Dao Laws' acknowledgement of another. Countless prior factors are what determine how something develops. External disturbances create the variables.
"Do you know, Yaoyun, that from the very beginning, when the Sea of Chaos extended the possibility of our universe, those subtle disturbances had already shaped what the endless space and the Immortal Saint Realm would become today? This is both the path of immortals and a theory found on Earth. All methods lead to the same place: the Dao and its principles."
Yaoyun listened from the side, visibly taken aback. She raised a hand to her forehead and glanced at Wang Sheng, who was smiling to himself, then muttered, "You are starting to sound more and more like those senior experts."
"Eh, am I?"
Wang Sheng chuckled and shook his head. He turned and looked at his slightly overgrown hair, then casually trimmed part of it away and tied the rest into a neat Daoist headband.
Though he was already over a thousand years old, there was nothing wrong with looking a bit younger.
The two chatted as they flew, and Wang Sheng kept admiring the futuristic feel of the Hua Republic.
Since they were not particularly fast, satellites had already locked onto them. The news of Wang Sheng leaving seclusion quickly reached the Special Investigation Unit.
When they reached the city where his parents lived, Wang Sheng slowly lowered his altitude. Below, hundreds of fist-sized flying drones rose and arranged themselves into a line of glowing characters:
We welcome you warmly, Daoist Master Wang! Thank you for your visit and guidance!
Both land and air traffic in the city were restricted. As Wang Sheng landed, he could not help but feel a little embarrassed. Fortunately, no officials came out to greet him, which spared him even more awkwardness.
With Yaoyun beside him, Wang Sheng soon reached an elegant garden. He gently descended.
As soon as he entered, he heard soft classical music. He saw his mother with several aunties, each holding a folding fan and dressed in a qipao, moving through slow and graceful dance steps.
Did Mom join a dance group?
She still looked to be in her thirties, full of vitality.
Wang Sheng smiled and walked over. He landed behind them on a rock formation and called out, "Mom!"
The aunties all jumped in surprise.
"Oh my!"
"Little Sheng, where did you come from?!"
"How did you get up there?!"
Wang Sheng laughed and hopped down. Yaoyun followed behind him and politely greeted them, "Aunties."
"Oh, is this your son and his wife?"
"What a beautiful couple!"
"This is my son and his... colleague! Yes, colleague!" Wang Sheng's mother said with an apologetic smile toward Yaoyun. "I already showed you photos of my daughter-in-law before."
The aunties immediately understood and wore a knowing expression.
He must be a successful man, having a woman at home and another at work. The one he brought today is probably a private affair.
Since Wang Sheng was here, they did not linger. They arranged their next dance practice and said their goodbyes.
Wang Sheng smiled as he linked arms with his mother and saw them off.
"When did you leave seclusion?"
"Just now," Wang Sheng replied. "I came to see you and Dad. I will be heading out again soon."
His mother frowned slightly at him, then said softly, "Do not overwork yourself."
Wang Sheng grinned. "I will be fine. Plenty of people are helping me. To be honest, I am something of a capable fighter now. Even if I cannot win, I can still escape."
His mother laughed, though the worry in her eyes did not fade.
As the saying goes, when a child travels far, the mother worries. When he stays, she worries all the same.
Wang Sheng stayed home for a few days before being chased out again.
Perhaps not chased out, but encouraged to leave and work for the peace of Earth and the stability of the universe.
***
After a few days, Ling Sheng returned from her scouting. She brought news that Zhi Bing was guarding the exit and had also surveyed the star domain near the ancient battlefield to ensure there would be no ambush when Wang Sheng set out.
The Special Investigation Unit also came to meet him and delivered the six celestial tablets he had requested.
On a side note, Lishang had been asked to reveal her true form for a few photos, which were apparently meant for publicity.
His master and mistress had already left Earth and gone to Fengmo for cultivation and a sort of vacation.
The Pure Yang Sword Faction had begun expanding. Before leaving, Wang Sheng visited them, chatted warmly with his junior brothers and sisters, and left behind a generous amount of cultivation techniques, alchemical pills, and Spirit Stones.
He still had to look after his own sect, after all.
Wang Sheng also spoke with Zhao Dezhu, the reincarnation of the Human King. He told him not to focus on cultivation and not to rush. When Wang Sheng returned next time, he would remove the restriction on his soul. For now, he had to deal with more urgent matters outside.
The news of Wang Sheng leaving seclusion was not shared with anyone outside the Realm of Exiled Immortals.
Staying in the shadows was an advantage right now. He had no intention of giving that up.
Standing above the blue planet, he looked down at the clouds and the thriving Hua Republic beneath them.
This sword of his was about to set out once again.
Come, then. Let's have a battle, you unfathomable Immortal Emperor with a mysterious background and perhaps a touch of chuunibyou!
His next stop would be to find Xiaomiao, see how her work was progressing, offer a bit of criticism, and greet her as an older brother should.
Afterward, he would meet his forefather and head into the Nether Realm.
