World's No. 1 Swordsman

Chapter 806: Making a Move

That unmistakable Dao Rhythm, the whisper that suddenly echoed within the hearts of all living beings, the weakness that seemed to seep deep into the bones... It felt as though some hidden mark inside every being had been stirred awake, causing their true spirits to tremble softly.The eyes of quite a few cultivators with unstable Dao Hearts or simply more emotional temperaments had reddened. They nearly burst into tears.

The lack of information only made the situation feel more serious.

The experts skilled in divination immediately made calculations based on that single whisper. Very quickly, they uncovered even more information.

The Immortal Emperor had not died. He had disguised himself as Feng Jiu, deceiving the heavens and scheming against Houtu while pouring an immeasurable amount of resentment into the Six-Path Wheel of Reincarnation.

Houtu was on the verge of losing control. She was about to seal the Six-Path Wheel of Reincarnation and suspend all reincarnation within the Nether Realm!

"How could this happen?"

"We were deceived!"

"Houtu is warning us. Daoist friends, retreat at once!"

"She intends to seal the Six-Path Wheel of Reincarnation?"

In mere moments after Houtu's whisper faded, countless immortals throughout Fengdu City had already deduced so much information through heavenly fate.

Just as many experts prepared to verify the situation with the Nether Realm authorities, the great arrays surrounding the underworld suddenly shut down. The phantasm of the Six-Path Wheel of Reincarnation appeared right above Fengdu City, visible throughout the entire Nether Realm.

Right now, the Six-Path Wheel of Reincarnation resembled a vast piece of warm yellow jade, streaked with flowing lights of many colors.

In the next instant, strands of black qi spread from its core. A jade-like hand suddenly emerged from the vortex at the center of the wheel, as though trying to escape from within.

Then, in the blink of an eye, the hand transformed into countless streams of radiance that wrapped around the entire Six-Path Wheel of Reincarnation. Boundless light instantly flooded the Nether Realm.

Countless wandering souls cried out in grief. Innumerable ghost wardens and yin cultivators raised their heads and roared. The Eighteen Levels of Hell shook violently as cracks spread across the ground beneath Fengdu City.

The radiance persisted for some time. When it finally faded, the entire Six-Path Wheel of Reincarnation had been completely frozen in place. Its phantasm quietly disappeared, leaving behind a massive iceberg at the center of the city.

"Your Imperial Majesty!"

Within the underworld, dozens of people shot into the sky and split into two groups, stopping near the iceberg. They were still positioned against each other, ready to fight, but they now just stared blankly at one another.

The Kings of Hell's underworld forces and the rebel faction that Feng Jiu had infiltrated were caught completely off guard.

Neither had expected events to develop like this.

The underworld faction knew that the Six-Path Wheel of Reincarnation's condition was worsening, but they never imagined it had become this severe. By all accounts, Houtu should still have been able to keep it under control for some time longer.

Their King of Hell selection had originally been a compromise.

By the time the Nether Realm announced the matter publicly, they were already standing with a sword pressed against their throats. The situation had been extraordinarily complicated from the very beginning, with both sides locked in constant struggle.

Feng Jiu had tampered with the Six-Path Wheel of Reincarnation, forcing Houtu and the Nether Realm authorities into submission. But to pressure Houtu into yielding, Feng Jiu never ordered the rebel forces to launch a full assault. Instead, the underworld forces and the rebels maintained a strange balance.

The three Ghost Emperors' forces, along with Feng Jiu's experts, were strong enough to overturn everything at any moment.

Meanwhile, the Kings of Hell's forces remained firmly stationed before the Six-Path Wheel of Reincarnation, hoping for an opportunity to meet Houtu in person.

All Feng Jiu had to do was wait until Houtu could no longer suppress the resentment of the countless souls. If Houtu yielded, Feng Jiu would gain complete control over the Six-Path Wheel of Reincarnation. If Houtu refused, then Feng Jiu would usurp it once the resentment eroded the wheel and problems emerged within the Six Paths of Reincarnation.

She had already pushed the Nether Realm authorities to the edge of a cliff. They were like fish and meat on the chopping board, completely butchered by the rebel faction.

The Kings of Hell's priority had been searching for any possible turning point. They knew there existed a force within the Immortal Saint Realm opposing Feng Jiu, with Qinghua acting as its representative.

However, Feng Jiu's forces tightly monitored their own territory. If they openly contacted Qinghua, or even appeared too close to him, Feng Jiu would likely attack the Six-Path Wheel of Reincarnation without hesitation.

That was precisely why so many rumors had spread earlier within Fengdu City. Some even claimed Qinghua would personally show himself in the Nether Realm or spread gossip that he intended to become Houtu's Daoist partner.

The Nether Realm authorities could only deny everything and coldly state that Houtu held no such feelings toward Qinghua. It was not that they were unwilling to join forces with Qinghua's faction. They simply lacked the conditions necessary to establish contact.

When Xu Zhongliang realized that, Wang Sheng decided to take the risk of infiltrating the underworld himself. Disguising himself as the Wandering Slaughterer, he gradually worked his way closer to the Six-Path Wheel of Reincarnation.

The first area Wang Sheng operated within belonged entirely to the traitorous Ghost Emperors, namely the inner district of the underworld. By slaughtering the Asuras to steadily increase his standing, he eventually became the Kings of Hell's final hope. Only then did he finally gain the opportunity to enter the Six-Path Wheel of Reincarnation.

However, what he found most unexpected was that both sides truly believed him to be the Wandering Slaughterer and never connected him to anyone else.

They had actually laid many pieces of groundwork for this.

The Great Dao of Creation was mysterious and difficult to comprehend from the start, while Feng Jiu's faction had never exposed the act surrounding the sacred spirit's death. Wang Sheng also possessed Yuan Tu, a supreme treasure tied to the Dao of Slaughter, and had deliberately altered his usual behavior and mannerisms to complete an imperfect yet convincing disguise.

Feng Jiu remained calm and unhurried the entire time simply because she believed no one could eliminate the resentment within the Six-Path Wheel of Reincarnation in such a short time.

Moreover, Wang Sheng was deeply familiar with concepts like self-replication and exponential growth. Viruses often infected his computer back on Earth, after all. Hence, through the Great Dao of Creation, he created "beetles" that fed upon resentment and reproduced at a frenzied rate.

Resentment itself was one of the major pillars maintaining the Sea of Dao Laws' balance. That was why Wang Sheng gave the beetles an extremely short lifespan. Once they finished devouring the resentment, they immediately crumbled into dust.

Wang Sheng then seemingly opened some hidden door of inspiration. Once he finished considering how to break the deadlock, he personally helped Houtu recover and came up with the unexpected move of transmitting her voice to all living beings.

Using the close connection between Houtu and the Sea of Dao Laws, he deliberately embedded information regarding Feng Jiu within it.

The "voice transmission" itself merely handed everyone a key. The various experts would then open the door themselves and uncover the "answers" through heavenly fate. This scheme actually owed much to one of Wang Sheng's teachers from his previous life.

"Sometimes, hearing an answer explained a hundred times is still inferior to deriving it personally just once."

Once the information had spread far enough, Wang Sheng personally directed the entire performance of sealing the Six Paths of Reincarnation. Houtu froze the Six Paths of Reincarnation in a way that made it seem as though the resentment within had spiraled out of control. She also pretended that she could only barely maintain stability in the situation.

They took many elements involved in this plan into consideration.

Wang Sheng's ultimate goal was to lure Feng Jiu into showing herself simply because, according to Haotu, Feng Jiu had clearly not fully recovered from the injuries she sustained ten thousand years ago, or roughly one Earth century ago.

If they could lure Feng Jiu into showing herself because of the Nether Realm crisis, then Wang Sheng could take her by surprise. At the very least, that would give them a thirty percent chance of victory.

***

Half a day later, Fengdu City descended into complete chaos.

Not only had the King of Hell selection been suspended, but the experts in the city also rushed toward the inner district.

The Nether Realm had been completely split apart. The rebels had once again erected outer defensive arrays, while the Nether Realm stationed heavy forces everywhere to prevent outsiders from causing trouble.

Meanwhile, the Kings of Hell, along with the underworld's remaining experts and troops, had all gathered around the Six-Path Wheel of Reincarnation to protect it.

Within the city, most cultivators just observed. Large numbers had already begun retreating toward the outskirts of the city, while those with sharper instincts had long since fled far away from the city altogether.

Reports streamed in from every direction.

Countless unknown immortals had appeared around Fengdu City, and every exit of the Nether Realm had been sealed shut. The entire realm now resembled a coffin, trapping all the immortals who had come here for the King of Hell selection.

The cultivators already got the gist of the situation. They knew Feng Jiu and the Immortal Emperor's faction intended to seize control of the Six-Path Wheel of Reincarnation.

However, cultivators were selfish by nature. Very few were willing to stand up and shout about justice while rushing to aid the Nether Realm.

Countless rumors spread rapidly through Fengdu City's cultivator circles.

"The Immortal Emperor did more than survive the Saint's execution. He has already fallen into devilry. The Heavenly Court's destruction was just part of his scheme to overthrow the Saints and become this world's sole ruler. Not only does he wish to merge into the Sea of Dao Laws, but he also intends to control it completely. However, he has to usurp the Six-Path Wheel of Reincarnation to challenge the Sea of Dao Laws."

"The Immortal Emperor intends to sacrifice every living being currently within the Nether Realm to gain enough power to shake the very foundation of heaven and earth!"

"The only one we can rely on now is Empress Houtu! We have to rescue her! If the Immortal Emperor succeeds, none of us will be able to stand against her!"

"Even the Saints could not kill the Immortal Emperor?"

"Emperor Qinghua is already on his way to Fengdu City. He intends to suppress the rebellion and oppose Feng Jiu, the Immortal Emperor!"

Gradually, the undecided immortals within Fengdu City examined the great array surrounding the inner district.

No one knew who made the first move, but a streak of light suddenly slammed into the barrier of the array. Right after, countless more streams of light erupted and shattered the barrier.

The two opposing sides immediately showed opposite reactions. One was delighted, the other horrified.

The Nether Realm army stationed around the inner district immediately rose into the sky. Millions upon millions of people formed layers upon layers of defensive, seemingly completely unbreakable lines.

At that moment, the ghost soldiers under the rebelling Ghost Emperors trembled uncontrollably. After all, they now faced an endless sea of immortals that stretched across the skies. There were countless of them.

An elderly man with a powerful aura stepped forward and coldly declared, "I am Daoist Lord Wudang. I ask the Kings of Hell of the underworld to provide us with an explanation."

Qin Guang flew into the sky and loudly answered, "Everyone, can you truly not see the situation before us? Feng Jiu is the Immortal Emperor! Not only has her faction previously manipulated the underworld, but she even sabotaged the Six-Path Wheel of Reincarnation.

"She injected countless resentful souls into it and pushed it beyond its limits, leaving Empress Houtu no choice but to seal it! We ask all righteous immortals present to help protect the Six-Path Wheel of Reincarnation.

"Most of you here should have experienced reincarnation yourselves. Her Imperial Majesty has never wronged living beings in any way, nor has the Nether Realm ever harbored ambition for domination!"

"The Immortal Emperor ultimately deceived us all!"

"Where is Feng Jiu?! Since she dares to scheme against the underworld, why hasn't she stepped forward and defeated us openly?!"

An immortal stepped forward. "I am willing to defend the underworld!"

Immediately afterward, countless figures across the sky advanced together, releasing overwhelming pressure that crushed forward like a tidal wave.

The defensive line that the ghost soldiers had formed suddenly resembled a fragile dirt dam on the verge of collapse.

"Amitabha..."

Golden light shone brilliantly as an old monk slowly stepped forward.

"Even now, you would still rather insist on opposing all living beings instead of waking up? Immortal Emperor Feng Jiu destroyed the Heavenly Court, defied the Saints, and committed such evil deeds!

"You are also living beings who walk the path of cultivation, so why do you keep assisting her? You would do better to lay down your weapons and withdraw. You will not last even a moment in this battle; you will only die for nothing. Do you truly refuse to believe Great Virtuous Houtu? Others are just using you!"

The ghost wardens looked at one another in confusion. No one knew where it began, but somewhere within the array, a ghost soldier removed his helmet and threw down his spear...

Their battle formation rapidly collapsed.

Half of the rebelling Ghost Emperors' experts turned pale, while the other half burned with fury.

Clearly, a large portion of the traitors had been manipulated. Surrounding and suppressing them would not be difficult at all.

Inside a room within an inn in Fengdu City, Xu Zhongliang stood by the window, watching the situation unfold within the underworld.

The smile on his face slowly faded.

Aren't today's events... progressing a little too smoothly...? The Immortal Emperor wouldn't just sit quietly and await death. Could he already be preparing some ultimate move?