World's No. 1 Swordsman-Chapter 367: Sword Drawn Once More, Lives Hang in the Balance!
Inside the mountain base, more than a dozen figures hovered in midair.
"I thought nuclear bombs could destroy this world? Why didn't it do anything?!" Galina asked coldly.
She looked at the three modern vampire princes at her side, then at the people standing all around the mountain structure. No one dared meet her eyes. Most did not even dare to breathe.
Several Jialington Group executives were dragged forward. An elderly man stammered out a few explanations. They gave her the same reasoning that the Special Investigation Unit had immediately thought of: hiding the nuke inside a storage artifact.
Galina nodded slowly, dropping the matter. "Their Daoist arts are incredible."
The main gate of the base slowly opened, but the multiple protective layers that had been locked to withstand the nuclear blast took time to unseal.
Following Galina's command, the cultivators of the Dark Faction, who couldn't join the earlier battle on the summit, gathered at every exit.
While waiting, the ancient prince, who was still in his true form, asked, "What was that Heavenly Tribulation Wielder thinking? Why would he willingly sacrifice himself to save thousands of humans who are no better than livestock? It makes absolutely no sense."
"The Hua Republic values its citizens," the man wreathed in flames answered coldly and deeply. "As I've said long ago, do not provoke the Hua Republic. You two have just awoken from your long slumber. Though you probably witnessed that mighty nation prosper for thousands of years in ancient times, you likely missed it nearly collapsing from its own decay around two hundred years ago.
"And yet, at their weakest, their people's repeated sacrifices kept their nation's ember alive. Now, that ancient ember burns fiercely once more. Around eighty years ago, when the new Hua Republic was first established, my father clashed with their soldiers. It was terrifying. If they could not be toppled at their weakest, why would you provoke them now that they have gotten back on their feet?"
From a shadowed corner, a black man replied in a deep tone, "If we do not conquer them, they'll conquer us. The Hua Republic's cultivation world has already broken the balance."
"Sir," timidly called a bespectacled young man in a white lab coat. He was just an ordinary person. "The fact is, throughout history, the Hua Republic has rarely started international wars. Even two thousand years ago, when they had the power to dominate the world, they instead built great walls for defense."
"Weren't the emperors of ancient Hua Republic butchers of their own people?"
"To judge modern civilization by the standards of ancient feudal rule, sir, is a bit too... Wow, I think I may have drunk too much."
A dagger pressed against the young man's throat. Trembling, he shrank back and hastily corrected, "I'm just joking. We value freedom of speech, but I respect the stance that my work requires! I serve the Dark Faction with all my heart! May all the Hua Republic cultivators die! Glory to the Dark Faction! Glory to Your Majesty Galina, the strongest and most respectable of all!"
"Hmph." The burly man in a camouflage vest behind him withdrew his dagger.
"Enough." Galina's order rang throughout the base. It sounded gentle yet inexplicably authoritative. "Do you really think it's still possible to negotiate peace with them?"
The hundreds who had gathered fell silent.
The Dark Faction expert wreathed in flames deeply said, "Regret is for cowards. More importantly, we've already reached the point of no return. Lessons can wait until the war is over."
With an ice-cold expression, Galina raised her longsword. "Prepare to give your all!"
Above her, the outermost circular gate finished opening.
"It feels almost laughable to say this, but we are now fighting for the Dark Faction's dignity. This battle to the death will decide whether we can continue to survive on this planet.
"At present, we face only one enemy, but he is exceedingly powerful. In about two hours, hundreds, maybe even thousands, of Hua Republic cultivators will also arrive to reinforce him. But do not lose heart! They're not the only ones getting reinforcements!.
"Be ready to face the forces of the Hua Republic's cultivation world. We have to do whatever it takes to kill the sword cultivator and the cultivators who have been lured out of the Hua Republic! Once we've succeeded, we'll launch a holy war against their cultivation world!
"Do not allow them more time to grow stronger. You will never know the despair those limitless cultivators once brought me in ancient times. The only forces this world needs are Dark and Light!"
In a blaze of dazzling blue radiance, Galina shot out of the open shaft above and into the sky, which was already beginning to pale with dawn. However, as soon as she emerged, her brow furrowed. Looking down at the foot of the mountain, she saw a dome of light above the town. Primal qi was surging toward it, thickening and strengthening the barrier.
Their target had clearly detected their presence. Sword in hand, he stepped out from within the dome. He hovered in midair before the barrier, silently gazing toward them. His eyes reignited the blazing battle intent of the Dark Faction's four experts.
Behind Galina, the ancient vampire prince said in a deep tone, "The Hua Republic cultivator made that array. He clearly doesn't want those Hua Republic citizens to be affected."
"I know," Galina replied softly. "I hope it cost him a lot of strength to set it up. Pass the order down. Have the weaker ones attack the array. Once it is broken, slaughter the Easterners inside slowly. We'll divide his attention to stop him from fully focusing on fighting us.
"Have the second-tier combatants support us as well. We'll kill him as swiftly as possible and prepare for the true battle to come! That's the Hua Republic's strongest cultivator. The moment he dies, the pressure from their cultivation world will be halved."
"As you command." The ancient prince bowed slightly. He then turned his head back and howled deeply.
Over a thousand vampires swiftly spread their fleshy wings and surged into the sky, gathering behind their superiors.
From the gates of the mountain base below, two thousand to three thousand Dark Faction cultivators poured out. The starkest among them were the nearly a thousand modified humans, who were clad in full battle armor and armed with modern weaponry.
At that moment, all eyes turned to the dome of light covering the town. Its residents had already realized what was happening. With the drone threat gone, most began driving along the highway, fleeing into the distance. Among them were several hundred Hua Republic citizens.
To strengthen external defense, the array allowed those inside to exit freely, but once outside, they could not reenter. Nevertheless, Wang Sheng did not stop the civilians from leaving. They could freely choose to stay in the town, trusting him and the Hua Republic's authorities to rescue them, or believe that leaving gave them a greater chance to survive.
Their fate was in their own hands. Wang Sheng had come to rescue hostages, not to persuade others with honeyed words that he could win this fight.
In the sky above the mountain, the four experts had gathered once again. Behind them and near the lower exits were more than a dozen other experts who were nearly as strong as modern vampire princes. Even those who could not fly were strong.
Wang Sheng looked at the little fairy standing on his shoulder. With a solemn expression, he asked, "Yaoyun, how far can you go right now?"
"What do you mean?"
He smiled, his eyes squinting. "Help me in this battle. I still remember you telling me that you would fulfill your duty as a sword spirit. Since you're already in this situation, you might as well be a sword spirit who doesn't bring shame to the Heavenly Court."
"Did I ever say that?" Yaoyun snorted coldly, clearly unwilling to admit it. "The power of a sword technique depends on your enchanted power and Dao of the Sword mastery. I can help you reduce your enchanted power consumption, though.
"Most spirits I have seen inhabiting immortal treasures only allow that treasure to reach the limit of what its wielder can draw out, but you've already reached that level on your own. That makes my role less obvious. At best, I can spend my own enchanted power to slightly empower your sword techniques."
Wang Sheng slowly nodded. "Anything else?"
"You don't have to hold back. If they defeat you, Spiritless can fly you away."
An escape tool?
Yaoyun thought for a moment, then added, "If you and your soul are heavily wounded, and you fall unconscious, I can temporarily take control of your Dao Body."
"Not bad," Wang Sheng replied, slightly reassured. With blazing focus, he locked on the four experts flying toward him. "Since that devil and the fire wielder are less of a threat, I'll prioritize taking out the ancient prince. Galina hasn't consumed her own kin to strengthen herself. If she does, she'll be even harder to face."
Yaoyun warned softly, "Don't forget that you can never let those four attack the array. Since it was only built with celestial crystals, they'll make quick work of it. Everything else isn't as important.
"Understood." Wang Sheng raised Spiritless with his right hand. Flying Haze drifted under his feet, and his Dao Body was once again wrapped in cyan clouds.
At that moment, he had an idea. He reached into his pendant, which he had put back on, and took out several bottles of alchemical pills. Pulling out their stoppers, he poured them all into his mouth in one go.
"Yaoyun, can you project electromagnetic waves?"
Yaoyun blinked in confusion. "What?"
"I'm kidding. Electromagnetic waves are used for modern communications. What I mean is, can you contact my mistress and the others? Tell them to hurry over before I run out of enchanted power."
Wang Sheng slowly closed his eyes. Despite his request, he was well aware that even a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator with an object-control technique would require at least an hour to fly from the northwestern border of the Hua Republic to the Aikauli Mountains. That did not even account for the travel within the country.
It all came down to him.
He glanced back at the array. Through the light dome, he could see all the civilians, their faces filled with hope, tension, and fear. If there were no primal qi, they likely would've lived the rest of their lives without experiencing such an upheaval.
However, now that primal qi had returned, did he not have some obligation to protect these ordinary people? After all, he cultivated by drawing on the very reason they were in danger.
Wang Sheng did not think about it too deeply. All he knew was that he was the same as the people behind him: a citizen of the Hua Republic. They shared the same ancestors, spoke the same language, and had the same blood.
He didn't even have to ask himself why he drew his sword now. The sword in his hand had always been meant to fight for this.
"You probably don't know this, Yaoyun, but when I was young, I admired the wandering heroes in wuxia novels. Only after growing up did I realize I was ordinary. I never thought that after becoming a Daoist cultivator, I would actually feel like a hero of the sword."
"Mm? It was only an instant, but I passed through all your memories when I reconstructed the Earth Qi Seal. Do you really think I wouldn't know that?" Yaoyun's eyes shone playfully. Her tone remained soft. "Even with the power of an immortal, one still has to act as boldly and righteously as a hero. Only then can one be called a true immortal hero."
"Let's fight first. We can talk philosophy after." Wang Sheng chuckled and then drew in a slow breath.
Lightning surged in his eyes.
Bzzz!
Lightning gathered and coiled into a clawing, fanged dragon. It tore through the sky, charging straight at the four experts!
The Devil's Shadow raised a scythe woven of black qi, the Fire Lord summoned raging flames, and Galina's cursed sword brimmed with layers of blood light. The ancient vampire prince, still in his berserk state, let out an ear-piercing shriek.
Lightning wrapped around Wang Sheng's small Nascent Soul, and starlight fell on his qi sea. In his Heavenly Abode, golden light burst forth.
All they could do now was fight! The victor would live; the defeated would be killed!
Behind him were thousands of mortals. Before him were snarling fiends and devils.
Heavenly Ziwei Sword Intent! Heavenly Tribulation Sword Intent! Sword-Controlling Art!
Today, he would drive off his foreign foes. Tomorrow, he would drink the moon's nectar in the Nine Heavens!
As Wang Sheng charged toward the four experts, the tiny fairy on his shoulder casually smiled faintly.
Electromagnetic waves?
Yaoyun slowly closed her eyes as she glimmered. Right after, she vanished into Spiritless, lending her strength to Wang Sheng.
***
Deep within the Small Nether Realm, a white-haired woman opened her eyes from meditation in the Palace of Reincarnation, which was above Fengdu City. Her brow furrowed slightly.
"Wang Sheng... Hmph! Bold fiendish wretch! How dare you bully Princess Yaoyun? Do you truly think the Heavenly Court has no immortals left to call upon?!"
