World's No. 1 Swordsman-Chapter 364: Peak of the Snow Mountain

I knew Galina would step in to shield the prince. I should've prepared to use Ziwei Sword; I could have changed this outcome, Wang Sheng thought.

With a swing of Spiritless, he unleashed forty-nine rays of sword radiance. His Pure Yang Enchanted Power erupted unrestrained, and his Heavenly Tribulation Sword Intent pulsed with destructive might within it.

Even Galina could not withstand such an attack unscathed. Though she swung her longsword so fast that she left countless afterimages, she still couldn't block every phantasm of Wang Sheng's sword. Still, she managed to stall him for two full seconds.

They clashed dozens of times in that short moment, allowing the ancient prince behind her to burst through the gates of the base.

A spray of blood followed. Cuts and stab wounds had marked Galina's slender arm and fair face. Wang Sheng then struck her longsword aside, leaving her wide open.

Wang Sheng attacked her with a simple, unadorned thrust. Galina's blue eyes blazed, and from her pale chest, a burst of blue light spread into a shimmering shield.

The moment Spiritless hit the shield, Wang Sheng shook his left hand a little to unleash more power. Galina was blasted backward and smashed into the mountainside, the impact violently shaking the entire base.

Wang Sheng raised his left hand in a sword finger as lightning burst around him. A dazzling pillar of lightning split the sky, and he shot upward in pursuit.

The ancient prince turned back, glaring at Wang Sheng. He hurled several spheres of blood-colored energy orbs and detonated them. Clusters of ice-blue flames also flared into existence above, crashing down upon Wang Sheng's lightning. Lightning and fire collided in a deafening explosion. Waves of destructive force rippled outward, momentarily stopping him.

Galina burst from the mountainside once more. Her wounds had already healed, her skin flawless again. Gripping her longsword with both hands, she let out a piercing cry and beat her wings, rushing toward Wang Sheng.

Flying Haze, which had stayed hidden until now, flew from the storm of fire and lightning. It slashed straight at the back of the ancient prince.

Is he going to devour his own kin to grow stronger? If I retreat and fight these ancient princes several more times, will they eventually swallow their entire race?

The ancient prince spun in midair. He allowed Flying Haze to pierce through his shoulder, yet he didn't slow down. With a flick of his hand, the several dark-golden bats were flung outward. He opened his maw wide and swallowed them whole.

Blood mist erupted around him. He swelled once more, growing larger and more grotesque.

Wang Sheng snorted coldly and began measuring the flow of his enchanted power. The Reversed Seven-Star Sword Formation allowed one to battle many, but it consumed double the regular Seven-Star Sword Formation. He could drain his reserves quickly, especially if he kept using his Heavenly Tribulation Sword Intent to use Lightning Flash.

Since he had to slay the ancient prince as soon as possible, he realized his Dao Body's defenses could finally come into play. Even if the enemy's attacks landed, they could not truly harm him.

Having reviewed his situation in a heartbeat, Wang Sheng once again clashed with Galina, the strongest of the ancient princes.

With the battlefield spreading, the Devil's Shadow struggled to keep pace with their tempo. The Fire Lord, on the other hand, managed to gather his flames effectively, putting Wang Sheng under pressure.

Now a third of his original size bigger, the ancient prince bellowed furiously and rejoined the fray. He gathered energy in his palms and waited for his aura to reach its peak before charging back into the mountainside.

Three seconds later, the vampire was hurled back out despite now standing five meters tall. He was bent down at the hips, and pieces of his shoulder and forehead had been cut off.

A dazzling bolt of lightning struck after him. At its end stood the sword cultivator, long hair flowing and longsword radiating beams of light more than ten meters long. The celestial-grade flying sword orbiting him could barely keep up with him.

Galina, who was wreathed in blood-red and azure light, darted across from the side again, cutting off Wang Sheng and giving the ancient prince another chance to breathe.

There was nothing he could do. They simply outnumbered him.

Before reaching the Nascent Soul Realm, Wang Sheng had tested himself in the Saros Empire against a modern vampire prince. After breaking through, he crossed swords with the second-strongest ancient prince. Both battles had served as whetstones, helping him measure his strength.

Now, he faced four opponents alone. He went all out in this brutal battle, giving Galina and the others the false impression that their intel had been inaccurate. They weren't truly wrong, though. He had simply never revealed his Heavenly Ziwei Sword Art techniques before this battle.

The last time he had relied heavily on that sword art was thirteen years ago, when the Hua Republic had waged its great purge against the corrupt cultivators. Back then, the Dark Faction was only just starting to rise; it had no strength to spare for observing the trump cards of young sword cultivators in the Hua Republic's cultivation world.

The Devil's Shadow and the Fire Lord rushed out of the base to join the battle in the skies. Galina let out a war cry, and the four attacked together once more. In response, Wang Sheng suddenly plunged to the ground, drawing the battle toward a snowy peak. Assuming he was exhausted, they pressed their assault mercilessly.

The moment his feet touched snow, he used his Seven-Star Footwork. His rhythm shifted dramatically, and the strain on his power rapidly decreased.

He could finally use his Sword-Controlling Art to its fullest. He paired the Heavenly Ziwei Sword Art with the Sword-Controlling Art and occasionally supported it with the Heavenly Tribulation and Dual Polarity Sword Intents, allowing him to respond to the four experts with growing ease.

The mountains shook, and avalanches came crashing down in succession.

For a moment, Wang Sheng felt as if he were in the legendary "Sword Duel atop Mount Hua[1]." The only pity was that his opponents were far from worthy of being called masters of the four directions.

The four experts quickly realized that Wang Sheng only grew fiercer the longer he fought. He didn't even falter in the slightest. They shouted constantly in foreign tongues, trying to take advantage of the fact that Wang Sheng could not understand their language.

***

Meanwhile, satellites in orbit had already started capturing the battle on the mountain summit, transmitting images to every corner of the world.

Inside the Special Investigation Unit headquarters, the main command screen first displayed an overhead view of the fierce clash.

A young investigator suddenly stood up and shouted, "Strong primal qi turbulence detected above the Aukuili Mountains! Surveillance satellites picked up five powerful energy signatures!"

"Satellite imagery confirmed. With clear skies, the resolution is much higher!"

"One of them has been identified as Daoist Master Fei Yu! We've also confirmed the others as two ancient vampire princes, the Devil's Shadow, and the Fire Lord! All four of the Dark Faction's strongest are fighting him!"

Every pair of eyes turned to the giant screen. From the satellite's distant angle, only a few figures could be made out on the summit. Most of the time, bursts of flame, black mists, and blood light obscured the feed, though dazzling sword radiance tore them apart every now and then.

Wang Sheng was outnumbered, yet he wasn't at a disadvantage.

"Give me an update on Base Twenty-Eight!"

Chi Ling's command rang from the speakers. The well-trained investigation unit members immediately provided report after report.

"Several Heavenly Abode Realm cultivators have already arrived!"

"Fairy Bu Yu and Xi Lian are on site. Daoist Master Bu Yan will arrive in three minutes!"

"Sixty percent of the army has been assembled!"

With resolute eyes, Chi Ling unhesitatingly ordered, "Have them depart immediately. Send reinforcements to the Aukuili Mountains!"

However, before the command could be relayed, someone sharply interrupted her.

—Wait!

Chi Ling frowned and turned. It was Qin Yishen, his expression stern.

"Captain Qin, you do not have the authority to stop my orders."

—According to regulations, secondary command personnel have the right to question unreasonable orders from their superiors! Even with our most advanced transport aircraft, it would take more than two hours to reach the Aukuili Mountains from Base Twenty-Eight. That makes no difference to this battle!

Qin Yishen sounded firm.

—I suggest we stick to the established plan. We cannot risk the lives of more cultivators, more Special Warfare Unit soldiers, and thousands of citizens simply because of one cultivator who refuses to follow operational rules! Chief Chi Ling, don't you think you're being a bit irrational?

Chi Ling's tone turned cold. "The fight is balanced right now. The sooner the reinforcements arrive, the more chance they can aid Daoist Master Fei Yu! If he can no longer hold out and retreats east, the time required to support him will be even shorter! Captain Qin, do you mean we should just sit here and watch as foreign corrupt cultivators assault the Hua Republic's strongest cultivator?"

Qin Yishen frowned deeply.

—This is not an assault. This is the consequence of a cultivator who acted on his own, disregarding discipline and official authority. He should bear the cost of his actions. We cannot overturn our entire hostage rescue plan because of him.

"Qin Yishen!" Chi Ling suddenly rose to her feet. Though she possessed no cultivation, a powerful aura radiated from her.

Qin Yishen stood tall as well, his suit immaculate. Not even one wrinkle could be seen.

"Daoist Master Fei Yu is someone worth risking ourselves for!"

—But he's also your most beloved disciple, is he not?

Chi Ling snapped. "Revoke Qin Yishen's access to this meeting!"

Qin Yishen's projected image vanished at once.

She sat back down and drew in a long breath, her gaze showing a trace of thought.

"Proceed with the order. All cultivators are to assemble and prepare. Move out immediately!"

"Chief!" A man with glasses in the corner jumped to his feet. "A military satellite of the Dami Empire just sent a special frequency signal to the Aukuili Mountains. It's a delayed nuclear detonation set to one minute! Those Dami bastards must have left a hidden backdoor in the Jialington Group's warheads. They bypassed two layers of activation protocols and triggered them remotely!"

Before the man even finished, the main screen flared with lightning.

The satellite's high-speed camera barely captured it: a man wreathed in lightning bursting from the encirclement of the four Dark Faction leaders and flying to town at the foot of the mountain!

1. A well-known reference in wuxia literature. It originally comes from Jin Yong's novels, where Mount Hua is the site of a legendary tournament among the greatest swordsmen to determine the top master. ☜