World's No. 1 Swordsman-Chapter 390: The Ancient Sword Emerges

For Wang Sheng, breaking the formation was a simple matter. He only had to follow Yaoyun's instructions.

The preparations took half an hour. Before the cliff wall, he flew in a circle a few times and carved open several chunks of stone with Spiritless. He then condensed a qi sword with his enchanted power and sent it into the tunnel that he had dug out.

The entire process resembled a construction crew burying pipes and blasting through rock. Perhaps the principles of all things were ultimately interconnected.

Yaoyun told Wang Sheng to double-check with the Shu Sword Sect and the formation spirit of the Seventy-Two Swords if they truly wished to break the formation. They would only be responsible for the destruction, not the repairs.

Wang Sheng did as instructed. Qing Long also summoned a disciple suited to enter the Seventy-Two Swords. The disciple entered, awakened the formation spirit, and consulted it about the matter. When he returned, he played a recording of the formation spirit stating that the formation had to be broken.

Following Yaoyun's instructions again, Wang Sheng wielded Spiritless, hovered before a certain point of the cliff face, and began channeling his enchanted power.

"Use your strongest attack to trigger the formation's movement, then ignite the one hundred eight qi swords. That should be enough."

"It's that easy?"

"What makes it difficult is calculating the meridians of the formation and its foundational nodes." Yaoyun calmly answered.

Wang Sheng just smiled in embarrassment. He was only a sword cultivator; he didn't truly understand such matters or dare ask too many questions.

He took a deep breath and focused. As the night sky above glittered with stars, enchanted power surged around him. He then used the Heavenly Ziwei Sword Art. To launch his most powerful attack, he had to prepare and adjust his condition to the very peak.

Wang Sheng unleashed one Heavenly Ziwei Sword Art technique after another. His sword momentum, arranged in the pattern of the Big Dipper's seven stars, flared repeatedly into the heavens. The sword cultivators watching below couldn't help but be dazzled, almost entranced.

Those of lower cultivation could only sense the countless sword phantasms flying upward, each imbued with fierce enchanted power. However, the Heavenly Abode Realm elders could clearly perceive how exquisitely each sword phantasm was formed and how profound the Dao Rhythm it contained.

No wonder Wang Sheng could face the entire Dark Faction all on his own back then.

A sudden shout rang through the air. Wang Sheng's sword momentum soared even higher. As flames engulfed his sword, he shot forth like a meteor. Sword phantasms gathered around him. Right after, his sword radiance shifted from pointing at the sky to the cliff before him.

The Seventy-Two Swords responded. Wisps of green light converged, yet the ancient sword that served as the formation's core suppressed its power from within, aiding them from inside and out.

Wang Sheng thrust his longsword forward, the starlight that filled the sky immediately gathering into its blade. All the condensed sword phantasms converged into Spiritless.

Heavenly Ziwei Sword!

He put his mid-stage Nascent Soul Realm strength into the attack and combined it with his present comprehension of the Dao of the Sword!

The flowing brilliance stretched out like a hundred-meter-long sword beam, yet in the next instant, it retracted back into Spiritless's blade. Ripples of light shimmered across the sword's surface. From within it, the sovereign power of Ziwei surged straight toward the cliff.

A vague sword phantasm, over ten meters long, emerged from the cliff. A pressure similar to heavenly might fell on Wang Sheng.

His mind quaked, but he did not falter. With his eyes shining with divine light, he unleashed the Dao Rhythm of a sword cultivator who would never yield or bow to anyone.

The sword phantasm at the cliff launched a thrust. As the green light surged, its form grew more solid. Right before the giant sword could fully take shape, Spiritless met it head-on. Their tips clashed, making a shockwave rage up and down the cliff face. Sword cries rang out from the rear mountains of the Shu Sword Sect, and every cultivator's sword shook violently.

Between the sword tips, green and purple light erupted. A moment before Yaoyun's reminder reached him, Wang Sheng triggered the one hundred eight qi swords hidden in the mountain.

The thunderous blasts shook the heavens. The blurry sword phantasm shattered, the mountain trembled, and multiple parts of the cliff collapsed.

Wang Sheng hadn't released all of his Heavenly Ziwei Sword's power, yet he had already destroyed the grand formation. Fearing that he would damage the Shu Sword Sect's "ancient relic," he forced his thrust upward, transforming the attack into a blazing crescent sword radiance that slashed across the night sky.

The elders nearby and the disciples on the mountains all stared in shock as the sword light pierced the heavens.

How many lifetimes will we need to reach such heights in cultivation, sword mastery, and strength?

A loud and familiar laugh suddenly echoed from within the cliff.

"Wahahaha!"

Wang Sheng's heart skipped a beat. It sounded so arrogant that they seemed to have released some ancient devil. However, no one had ever heard of a spiritual entity falling into devilry on their own. Spirits were spirits. Formation spirits, born over long years, reflected the temperament of their master.

Qing Feng Zhenren had been the Wenqu Star's incarnation. Naturally, he was far from being devilish.

Green light burst from the crack in the cliff, revealing a three-foot-long sword. It looked plain, even a little unadorned, yet it was wrapped in misty green light and radiated righteous qi.

Having broken free, the sword soared into the sky with dozens of green lightning bolts in its trail. It then fell straight back down and hovered before Wang Sheng.

Green and white light beams gathered into the image of the formation spirit. He appeared once more as an old man with white hair and beard.

He seemed to have recognized the sword spirit within Spiritless. Instead of bothering with Wang Sheng, he immediately cupped his hands. In an ancient tone, he greeted, "Thank you for your help, Your Highness. I, an old and humble sword, have certainly caused you trouble."

Yaoyun transformed into a three-inch-tall fairy and stood on Wang Sheng's shoulder. Calmly, she replied, "It's fine. You're dismissed."

"Thank you," the spirit answered respectfully.

Smiling, he cupped his hands toward Wang Sheng and then fell back into the ancient sword. His deferential attitude showed just how strict the hierarchies of the Heavenly Court had been in ancient times and how exalted Yaoyun truly was.

"Wasn't the Wenqu Star the one who nurtured that senior from an ordinary sword into a sword spirit? Why does he show you so much respect?" Wang Sheng muttered softly.

Yaoyun snorted coldly. "Do you think everyone is as unruly as you?"

Wang Sheng frowned. "At least I'm not clumsy."

"Pui! You're exactly like your ancestor!" Yaoyun was about to flare up but suddenly laughed gently instead. Casually, she added, "It seems I have to watch you closely. You would surely take advantage of Fairy Hua Qing before you two even get married. If she isn't around, you'll definitely be off flirting and groping other female cultivators!"

Wang Sheng's face immediately fell. Hovering in the air, he pleaded for mercy. Yaoyun only smiled faintly and returned into Spiritless.

Wang Sheng sighed and shook his head. "I knew it. The older, the sharper."

Spiritless slipped from his hand, flew behind him, and tapped him lightly on the head with its hilt.

A surge of emotions welled up within the elders watching them.

To have an immortal sword that housed a true sword spirit was a blessing beyond measure. Wang Sheng's sword spirit was not only powerful and knowledgeable, either. She was also a companion in battle, a guide in cultivation, and even a confidante at times.

Above all, she was a striking immortal maiden—a princess of the Heavenly Court. Despite her noble status and vast influence, she still joked around with her master.

It made them want to curse out loud.

Soon, the ancient sword landed before Qing Long. He bowed respectfully, and all the elders stepped forward to pay their respects.

The sword spirit remained composed as he accepted their courtesy. After explaining a few matters to the sect, he turned and flew back into the cliff.

He would still guard the Seventy-Two Swords and nurture the sect's disciples. However, he was now also the sect's greatest hidden card and strongest deterrent. Should the sect face any crisis, he would defend it.

According to him, he could ensure the sect's safety except against true immortals. Once the sect eventually produced an immortal of its own, he would return fully to the duty Qing Feng Zhenren had entrusted to him: nurturing talent for the Shu Sword Sect.

An immortal...

Still hovering in the air, Wang Sheng sighed. "I can't believe he can contend with a true immortal."

"That's because his foundation is too weak. Since the sword itself is of poor quality, his power is limited. In ancient times, Emperor Ziwei's sword spirit could rival a Taiyi Golden Immortal, the mightiest of experts, even if they wielded an extraordinary artifact," Yaoyun telepathically commented lightly.

Wang Sheng could not help but click his tongue. He then fixed his gaze on Spiritless.

"Don't look at me. I've been cultivating even before I became a spirit." Yaoyun snorted softly. "Anyway, I've hidden my aura. That ancient sword probably wants to talk to you, but since he was in my presence, he dared not speak."

Spiritless returned to its sheath, and Yaoyun fell silent.

Just as she had said, once her aura vanished, the formation spirit appeared before the cliff again. Stroking his beard, he smiled at Wang Sheng.

"My young friend, it has been less than twenty years since we last parted, yet you're already unrecognizable! Why not come and catch up with me? I can hardly wait to hear of your adventures!"

Wang Sheng smiled and nodded. This was exactly what he had hoped for.

He called for his senior sister and Wang Xiaomiao, then sought permission from Qing Long. The sect master naturally granted it.

Entering the Seventy-Two Swords, which had been stripped of its protective formation, Wang Sheng encountered the formation spirit on the first level.

He pulled his senior sister forward. Skipping all pleasantries, he asked, "Senior, do you know anything about the Dao of Yin and Yang?"

The formation spirit blinked. "Yin and Yang?"

The spirit had intended to jest and chat with Wang Sheng, to resume their earlier "bromantic bond." He had not expected Wang Sheng to bring a woman who was not even a sword cultivator and to open their conversation with such a question.

"Come with me. Within these grounds are two sword techniques concerning the Dao of Yin and Yang. They may be of use to you."

"On which level?" 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

The spirit smiled. "The eighth, of course. It's one of the sword techniques you obtained last time but never even looked at."

Wang Sheng's spirit shook. Grabbing his senior sister's hand, he rushed straight to the higher levels.

Xiaomiao, the neglected young maiden, rolled her eyes and ran after them.