World's No. 1 Swordsman-Chapter 368: Another Ancient Prince Slaughtered

From fighting four opponents alone, Wang Sheng now fought ten at once.

The Dark Faction's four strongest members attacked him together, yet they still failed to subdue Wang Sheng. Even when the renowned experts of the Dark Faction joined the battle, clashing with him in the skies for several minutes, Wang Sheng held them all at bay with his sword.

Inside the command hall of the Special Investigation Unit, many younger members found themselves with no immediate tasks to perform since their assigned forces had already gathered and were preparing to depart. Hence, they kept their eyes fixed on the giant screen.

The satellite feed didn't have high resolution. The high-speed movements were reduced to little more than blurs on the display. Nevertheless, they kept watching and could still feel the weight of the battle. At that moment, over a dozen enemies had surrounded the lone cultivator who represented the Hua Republic, yet he still held his ground. They could only imagine how difficult such a feat was.

The screen showed more than the aerial clash. The staff could also clearly see the grand array and the thousands of cultivators charging toward it, hoping to break through and slaughter the Hua Republic citizens.

"Why don't they all focus on Daoist Master Wang?" an officer asked in a hushed tone.

Now slightly hoarse, Chi Ling answered, "They're essentially attacking the 'heart.'"

Another officer added, "In duels between top experts, they're often too strong for weaker cultivators to intervene. Right now, the enemy clearly intends to get their hostages back, seize the initiative, and force Daoist Master Wang to submit."

"Where is their second nuclear warhead?"

"Daoist Master Wang has most likely stolen it with his storage artifact," someone answered quickly. "We detected an energy fluctuation above their base earlier, which we've confirmed was Daoist Master Wang and the four experts fighting until they got out of the secret mountain base.

"Daoist Master Wang is always several steps ahead. He probably infiltrated the base, found the warhead, and stored it away. That was when he was exposed."

"Chief! The transport aircraft has already departed! The estimated time of arrival is seventy-two minutes!"

"All international flight routes have been cleared! Fighter escort squadrons have already taken off!"

"Put a countdown to the arrival of reinforcements on the main screen!" Chi Ling commanded.

The technicians beside her immediately went to work, and the giant screen soon split in two. On the left was the satellite feed of the battle, and on the right was a detailed map that showed three aircraft, which represented the reinforcements that were already en route.

An older general frowned.

—Seventy-two minutes? More than ten experts have surrounded Daoist Master Wang. How can he possibly last seventy-two minutes? Does the cultivation world have no way of reaching him faster?

"The strongest modern cultivator in the world right now is only at the Nascent Soul Realm, which is nowhere near the realm of immortals," a core member of the investigation unit explained. "Based on our intel, even a true immortal would require time to fly there. We're already gathering and dispatching reinforcements as fast as we possibly can."

—Does that mean all we can do now is sit here and wait for seventy-two minutes?

"It's just seventy-one minutes now."

"Look! Vampires have begun attacking the protective array!" someone reported from the side.

All eyes shifted from the clashing lights to the edge of the field, where several hundred of the fastest vampires were already hurling themselves against the grand array. In response, the array unleashed a multi-colored glow. Ripples spread across its surface, but it remained unscathed and unyielding.

Many of those watching finally breathed a little easier.

"Chief! The six newest reconnaissance satellites are now positioned above the Aukuili Mountains! We've got live visuals!"

"The Heavenly Sword System is also online now! Heavenly Swords Two and Three have completed charging!"

Chi Ling's spirit stirred. "Connect the feed!"

The giant screen flickered, and the pixelated feed turned into an ultra-clear overhead view of Wang Sheng, who battled and maneuvered with his sword in hand. He constantly fended off attacks from all directions.

The onlookers, who had been anxious for him all along, finally felt a bit reassured.

With dazzling sword radiance, Wang Sheng pursued the massive ancient prince. He unleashed an explosive attack, reducing half of his target's torso into blood mist.

Due to the overhead view and their lack of cultivation, the Special Investigation Unit members could not truly comprehend the subtlety of Wang Sheng's sword techniques. Still, his sheer power was as clear as day.

On the other hand, the enemy far outnumbered him. Just as Wang Sheng rushed forward to finish off the vampire, a blue flash beamed across his path. Galina, who had been hounding him relentlessly, attacked him once more.

Wang Sheng was forced to evade to the side. Galina shielded the ancient prince again and crossed swords with Wang Sheng multiple times. Whenever her longsword clashed with Spiritless, the air rippled visibly with shockwaves.

Wang Sheng had no intention of engaging Galina in a prolonged fight. If she managed to stall him, he would be forced completely onto the defensive.

When outnumbered, retaining the initiative at all times was crucial.

The awkwardly moving Devil's Shadow charged over. The Fire Lord also conjured over ten ice-blue flame spears and hurled them at Wang Sheng. However, Wang Sheng rode a bolt of lightning to cut across the battlefield. The four experts instantly shifted positions.

He darted through the lightning and appeared to the right of the ancient prince, the Devil's Shadow, and Galina. His sword radiance burst forth like a constellation of stars.

While the others immediately dodged, Galina raised her longsword and retaliated with a flurry of strikes, clashing furiously with him in midair. Still, his onslaught forced back even Galina, the strongest of the Blood Race and the pinnacle of Western power.

Wang Sheng had riddled her with gashes. Though two-thirds of his sword phantasms were blocked, those that hit made blood mists burst from her wounds, albeit they swiftly returned to her body.

Such was the might of the Heavenly Ziwei Sword Art and the power of the Reversed Seven-Star Sword Formation!

The live feed had no sound, yet it still had overwhelming intensity. It was nothing short of shocking to the investigation unit's young members. While they stood around the screen in a daze, Chi Ling and the officers beside her had already finished a brief discussion.

"Lock Heavenly Swords Two and Three onto Fei Yu's primary target! That large vampire!" she commanded, and several officers immediately relayed orders.

Outside the command platform, the Special Warfare Unit's coordination center began operating as well. However, the Special Warfare Unit was scheduled to arrive only after the Daoist cultivators, and many of its top fighters had already been dispatched with the first wave of transport planes.

"The enemy is too fast and unpredictable. We cannot track the target with the naked eye; locking on is proving difficult!"

Chi Ling frowned. "Do it anyway! Do not attempt manual targeting. Let the system choose the moment automatically. Just feed it sufficient target data!"

"That may violate certain protocols..."

"I will bear all consequences. Protocols are made by people. We can reinstate them afterward if needed."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Two officers conferred quickly, then issued orders to the technicians accordingly.

Chi Ling narrowed her sore and strained eyes, waiting for the screen to flash with two crimson beams. Unfortunately, even after half a minute, the orbital weapons still hadn't fired, making her feel slightly disappointed.

So in the end, they still couldn't help?

"Chief! An elder of the Hidden Earth Sect is requesting a call about support for Daoist Master Fei Yu!"

Support from the Hidden Earth Sect?

Seemingly coming to a realization, Chi Ling stood up sharply. "Put him through immediately!"

"Yes, ma'am!" The communications officer quickly keyed commands. A white-haired old man appeared before Chi Ling, giving a formal bow before breathing in slowly.

"Has the immortal from the Small Nether Realm decided to help us?" Chi Ling asked urgently.

—She's already flying northwest and will soon arrive at the base where the cultivators are gathering. Chief Chi Ling, please inform them in advance to prepare to enter the Small Nether Realm—

Startled exclamations rose from the side, interrupting the elder. Chi Ling instinctively turned to the screen. Out of the corner of her eye, she barely caught sight of two fleeting violet-red beams.

The Heavenly Swords had descended from the sky!

***

In front of the hastily arranged grand array, two beams of destructive energy fell from the heavens and instantly vanished.

Wang Sheng wasn't the only one who froze. Three of the four experts battling him stopped in their tracks as well. Moreover, even the other top-tier cultivators of the Dark Faction, who had mostly been content to shout encouragement from the sidelines, all stiffened and instinctively looked at the pale sky.

Up above, it seemed as though two stars had suddenly flared into brilliance. An eight–shaped crater was on the ground below them.

In the air, the ancient prince took a moment to make sense of what was happening. Looking down, he learned that his shoulders and arms were gone, and his wings had been mangled. Indescribable pain coursed from his scorched wounds. Before he could even scream, he plummeted straight to the earth.

The ancient prince desperately unleashed power. Streams of blood light gushed from the remains of his torso, struggling to regrow his wings and arms.

However, Wang Sheng would never let such a chance slip away. This was his first and only opportunity to turn the tide of battle! He immediately used Lightning Flash and Reversed Seven-Star Sword Formation!

Just as he lunged forward, a light blue phantasm appeared beside him, rushing almost simultaneously toward the wounded prince, who had temporarily been incapacitated.

Galina let out a piercing sonic shriek. Her beautiful face twisted as she revealed her hideous true form, her power surging beyond control.

Bzzz! Crash!

Lightning cleaved into the chest of the ancient prince, and Wang Sheng darted through it. His arm trembled violently, as though a violet star had ignited within his chest. Right after, seven radiant stars burst into existence before him.

The lightning of Heavenly Tribulation had hit its target!

Reaching the ancient prince before Galina, Wang Sheng finally secured a kill!