World's No. 1 Swordsman-Chapter 462: The Moon Palace Reopens

In a scenic villa in Sakura Island, Akiu Masayo—now a frail man with sunken eyes—sat cross-legged and stared at the famous Mount Fudo. Across his knees lay a sheathed longsword. Behind him, several elderly men knelt respectfully, reporting the latest admissions of the shadow dwellers.

Two years ago, the entire cultivation world of Sakura Island attempted to hunt Akiu Masayo, who was once a senior officer of Sakura Island's Affairs Unit. They had also labelled him the "Devil of the Underworld."

Since then, wielding the sword before him, he had cut his way from the southern tip of Sakura Island to the northern reaches, turning Sakura's winter into spring. He had also unified the four great hidden villages and brought nearly every faction of their nation's cultivation world under his control, forming a sharp, hidden shortsword waiting to be drawn.

However, Akiu Masayo could hardly sustain himself now. Every time he used his devilish sword, it consumed a part of his life force and tore away fragments of his soul. The sword's power grew stronger as his vitality waned.

In truth, Akiu Masayo hadn't conquered Sakura Island's cultivation world; the sword itself had simply completed its path to domination.

The time had come to choose its next owner. He had to find someone who could prioritize Sakura Island's prosperity, had immunity to the corruption of great power, and would never fail to uphold their spirit's integrity.

Akiu Masayo exhaled slowly, his eyes brightening. Coughing in between words, he hoarsely instructed, "Show me the information on these young ones... in video form."

"Yes, my lord."

"Now, leave me. Who's there?!"

Akiu Masayo leaped to his feet. From a frail old man a moment ago, he now moved like a startled antelope sensing a predator. His every nerve tightened as he stared ahead.

Above Mount Fudo, a lone, tall figure stood with his hands clasped behind his back, the hem of his Daoist robe and the ends of his long hair fluttering lightly in the wind. His familiar face made the corner of Akiu Masayo's mouth twitch.

So it really is him.

"Fei Yu!" Akiu Masayo shouted, half in anger and half in a desperate plea.

Instead of moving closer, Wang Sheng merely raised his left hand, formed a sword finger gesture, and pointed it lightly at Akiu Masayo. A dazzling burst of sword radiance exploded behind him, cutting across the skies and sweeping over the forest below.

Normally, a cultivator would instinctively draw their longsword, cleave through the incoming sword radiance, and strike the flying sword hidden within it. However, Akiu Masayo did not block or counter. Instead, he clutched his longsword tightly to his chest, turned around, and used himself to block the attack.

Vast primal qi instantly surged from the old men in the villa as they simultaneously attacked. They flung kunai and paper talismans, activating the five-element array that surrounded the building.

Before the sword radiance hit, the entire building was already wrapped in dense primal qi.

Wang Sheng frowned slightly. With a cold snort, he pressed his hands together into the sword finger gesture, rapidly tracing a complex rune.

The sword has no beginning, the sword has no end! Limitless heaven and earth, strike all things and pierce the stars!

Flying Haze shone brilliantly. A thirty-meter sword of pure radiance horizontally slashed through the five-element array, then thrust straight down.

Primal qi erupted, thunder roared, and dust surged like a waterfall. Brilliant seven-colored light illuminated half the sky, and the ground within a hundred li trembled.

By the time the storm of primal qi finally settled, the villa was already gone. In its place was an uneven crater nearly a hundred meters wide, water spraying from broken pipes.

At the bottom of the crater knelt Akiu Masayo, a line of blood running down his forehead. It dripped on the devilish sword, which had been reduced to nothing but a hilt.

High above Mount Fudo, Wang Sheng raised his left hand, making Flying Haze circle back and transform into a stream of light. It then spiraled in his palm, shrunk into a sword core, and sank into his chest.

Looking back, Wang Sheng merged with the wind and drifted away. He circled once over Sakura Island to confirm all threats had been eliminated, then used Soaring Red Feathers to turn into a streak of rainbow light and shoot beyond the sky.

Half a day later, an earthshaking rumor spread through Sakura Island's cultivation world.

The once unified factions suddenly fell into chaos again. Wars erupted across the land, and the secular world was drawn into the conflict.

Primal qi was a treasure.

But it was also a poison.

***

After meeting with Chi Ling and dealing with the threats that he had left years ago on Sakura Island, Wang Sheng spent quite a bit of time making a thorough inspection of the island. Fortunately, Soaring Red Feathers truly lived up to its reputation as the treasure art their forefather once used to escape pursuit from female immortals.

Ahem.

Soaring Red Feathers was undoubtedly the perfect flight technique to complement the Pure Yang Immortal Mantra. Its incredible speed allowed Wang Sheng to catch up to the Daoist sects' elders midway to the Moon Palace. He flew past them in a rather showy manner, circled a few times around his senior sister, Xi Lian, and Jingyun, then spread his wings and shot ahead, reaching the Moon Palace first.

"Show-off!"

Xi Lian, who had to fly more slowly because she had to bring others along, gritted her teeth and cursed. However, she had no choice but to keep her composure and maintain the white cloud under her, Mu Wanxuan, and Jingyun.

At the Moon Palace's entrance, Wang Sheng sat cross-legged and gazed blankly at the open space. He had flown beyond the Heavenly Court's illusion array and was now under a foreign starry sky. The constellations he was familiar with had all vanished. He could still see the Ziwei Star and the Big Dipper, though they were now at the western part of the sky.

Unfortunately, the barrier surrounding the Realm of Exiled Immortals prevented Wang Sheng from sensing any starlight or celestial power aiding him.

"Yaoyun, why does this Realm of Exiled Immortals exist?"

"Hmm..." The tiny fairy appeared on Wang Sheng's shoulder. "Experts of the Small Immortal Realm spent a lot of time looking for the answer to that."

"Experts?" Wang Sheng chuckled. "You sound much less ancient and more like a modern person now."

"Hmph. Do you want an answer or not?"

Wang Sheng quickly chose peace over pride. "I do, I do."

Yaoyun slowly explained, "This realm isn't unique. There are others like it, though most are perilous domains full of ferocious beasts and unknown dangers. Some appeared when ancient supreme experts tore apart the fabric of heaven and earth or shattered stars.

"There are six well-known Realms of Exiled Immortals within the Three Realms. Throughout the endless void, many more are recorded in legend. Emperor Ziwei created one of them when he led the Heavenly Court's immortals in a war against thousands of foreign powerhouses.

"Their opponents at the time used a forbidden art that kept them from dying, causing their bodies and divine souls to cling together. Emperor Ziwei sealed them within a region of stars, turning it into a Realm of Exiled Immortals filled with fearsome and immensely powerful devilish souls."

"What about the one Earth is in?"

"The turbulence of heaven and earth can birth Realms of Exiled Immortals, but they usually have an irregular shape, much like the Chaotic Edge—the most famous among them. Meanwhile, the realm that Earth is in is perfectly spherical. It's far too symmetrical."

"Is it artificial?"

"Not exactly. Emperor Ziwei once said that it was unlikely to be the work of an ancient immortal. For one, anyone who could cultivate in the Great Dao of the Time Wheel and freely control the flow of time would be known across all lands. There would be records or legends, at the very least.

"Creating a realm like this also requires enough power to nearly rival that of the Three Pure Ones, who have grasped the Great Dao itself. Considering my father has shown us all where the limits of cultivation lie, such a powerful cultivator can't possibly exist."

An idea struck Wang Sheng. "Maybe the Three Pure Ones created this realm themselves."

"Why would they?" Yaoyun countered.

Wang Sheng shrugged, ready to drop the subject. "You got me."

However, Yaoyun, who now seemed intrigued, added, "Emperor Ziwei's conclusion was the most convincing. He said this place is proof that even the Great Dao can deviate slightly, that it is but a small ripple on the Great Dao of the Time Wheel." Yaoyun's eyes glimmered with faint admiration. "I'm certain he's the only one who can reach such an answer."

Wang Sheng smiled. "You could call that romantic."

"Mm, yes, it is romantic."

Wang Sheng smirked playfully. "Yaoyun, don't tell me you..."

"Vulgar! Your mind is always filled with filthy thoughts of men and women!" Yaoyun huffed. "I only admire the Emperor with respect!"

Wang Sheng put his hands up. "That's exactly what I meant, respect. Why so defensive, Your Highness?"

Deciding that the best response was silence, Yaoyun just snorted coldly.

Wang Sheng stared at her for a while, then smiled and gazed at the distant stars, as if something within him stirred. After some time, he said, "Instead of suppressing my realm, I plan to break through as soon as I get the chance. The heavenly tribulation will probably be a bit weaker, but I'll just have to put up with it."

"Oh? Are you willing to settle for less?"

Wang Sheng watched the lights approaching from Earth's direction. "Whether I'm willing or not doesn't matter. Right now, the cultivation world needs someone fast enough to explore ahead. I'll just deal with future bottlenecks when they come."

Instead of persuading him against it, Yaoyun simply nodded gently.

Spiritless left its sheath, and Wang Sheng grasped its hilt. He poured in streams of enchanted power as Yaoyun returned to her normal form and quickly wove hand signs. By the time his senior sister and the Celestial Master arrived, the gate to the Small Immortal Realm was already opening.

Wang Sheng cleared his throat. "Everyone, please enter quickly. The gate will close soon."

The Daoist elders and masters barely had time to marvel before he urged his senior sister to lead the way. The group of twenty entered the Moon Palace swiftly, and he followed right behind. Before stepping into the Small Immortal Realm, the Daoist masters expressed deep awe for the power of the immortals and the difficulty of attaining such feats.

Carrying Spiritless and holding a half-finished formation flag, Wang Sheng walked to the front and earnestly fulfilled the role of tour guide.

"Come, everyone. If you look to your left, you'll find the famous moon laurel tree, which was transplanted from a spiritual root. The palaces in its canopy were specially built for the Heavenly Court's female immortals..."

Xi Lian could not help but transform into her youthful form. Clinging to Mu Wanxuan, she laughed uncontrollably.

Meanwhile, the Daoist elders listened attentively. As Wang Sheng revealed one shocking fact after another, they all fell deep into thought, feeling the same helplessness that he had felt when he had first entered the Small Immortal Realm.