World's No. 1 Swordsman-Chapter 498: Although His Cultivation Was Low, He Never Forgot His Troublemaking Personality
Half-lying in the wooden cage, Wang Sheng did his best to stay inconspicuous as he coldly watched the figures moving outside.
He lowered his head and looked at the shackles on his wrists and ankles. They appeared to be ordinary forged iron, yet they made his immortal power sluggish. Trying to force his immortal power to flow made his whole body feel unbearably heavy.
His Primordial Spirit was shackled as well. However, as long as he didn't utilize his immortal power, he could still move easily. His physical strength hadn't been suppressed. Since he had tempered his body using heavenly tribulation, he was still somewhat capable of combat.
His captors had asked the Heavenly Immortal to lift the restriction on his Primordial Spirit, only to shackle him again afterward. Judging from their previous conversation, they would only undo the shackles if they needed him to enter some special environment.
This place was probably a mine occupied by a force called the Celestial Wind Sect. It was likely the remains of a powerful being or a group of experts from the great war long ago. The place had its own share of odd details, yet none seemed to have anything to do with him.
"I have to figure out an escape route," Wang Sheng muttered to himself. He leaned against the wooden cage and continued coldly observing everything.
Banners bearing the words "Celestial Wind Sect" hung everywhere. Coiled around the characters were a purple azure dragon and a ferocious one-eyed wolf. They likely represented two Heavenly Immortal Realm fiends.
Having his own version of what an azure dragon looked like, Wang Sheng refused to admit that the Heavenly Immortal earlier resembled the Eastern Azure Dragon he had known since childhood.
Yaoyun telepathically explained the dissatisfaction stirring in him. "The true azure dragons were a powerful race from the Primal Era. They've long been extinct. The last true azure dragon roams beyond the heavens, not within the Three Realms. As one of the four guardian divine beasts, it suppresses countless qi stars across the endless space."
"That fiend cultivator only has a faint trace of azure dragon blood. He's probably more like a python. Although the head of his dragon form looks similar at first glance, it differs in many ways."
Wang Sheng silently praised Yaoyun. He had felt this many times, yet still wanted to say it: having an elder at home was like having a treasure. The old saying remained true.
More than two hundred armored guards were stationed in the area, ranging from late Ascended Immortal Realm to late Primordial Immortal Realm. They were likely the Celestial Wind Sect's elites.
Even if he were to defect to their side right now, they probably wouldn't even spare him a glance.
Over ten True Immortals were also present. They were dressed far more casually, though a few were in Daoist robes and had swords on their backs. They either cultivated cross-legged in high places, chatted in pairs while drinking in grass huts, or patrolled the area in armor.
Those were only the forces on the peak. Many more overseers were likely around the cone-shaped structure below.
With his Primordial Spirit bound, Wang Sheng couldn't extend his spiritual perception outward. All he could do was sit and wait quietly.
At that moment, he heard three drumbeats behind him. He turned his head, then shifted within the cage so he could lean on the wooden bars and watch.
Dozens of armored celestial soldiers gathered around a large pit in the ground. A light membrane at the bottom trembled, and two True Immortals flew out. Each held a chain as thick as an arm, faint light flickering along the links. They were clearly some kind of artifact.
The chains pulled up a ten-meter-wide wooden platform. More than twenty people sat on it, eyes closed and wrapped in a flickering layer of blood light.
In the area they surrounded lay a pile of ores, faintly glowing herbs, and several corroded weapons still shrouded in immortal light.
With a hint of realization, Yaoyun commented, "So it is fiend-blood energy."
She then explained the situation to Wang Sheng.
"The hard-earned cultivation of powerful beings may mutate if they die full of regret and hatred. Their immortal bodies and divine souls can undergo ominous changes.
"The process produces fiend-blood energy, which can erode immortal power and even corrode the Primordial Spirit. Weak cultivators wouldn't be able to withstand the poison. On the other hand, places like this also produce valuable artifact crafting materials, celestial herbs, and strange beasts."
Wang Sheng nodded slightly. Finally understanding where he was, he felt less tense.
I should focus on escaping.
The two True Immortals dragged the large wooden platform to the side, and armored soldiers rushed forward. Two of them subdued and shackled one cross-legged cultivator at a time.
Most of the cultivators looked grim and cooperated quietly, even raising their hands and feet. After being chained, someone tossed each of them an alchemical pill. The miners immediately swallowed them and continued recovering.
Two suddenly began cursing and shouting in an old dialect. "If you lot have guts, then give me a quick death!"
Several soldiers immediately pinned them down and forced them into shackles.
"Most of them are Primordial Immortals. Their Primordial Spirits already tainted with fiend-blood poison," Yaoyun said. "The poison isn't hard to cleanse, but if they keep being sent into places filled with fiend-blood energy, it'll eat their Primordial Spirits away bit by bit until they become dry bones. The Celestial Wind sect has clearly captured these unaffiliated practitioners to send them into the mines for treasure."
"The Celestial Wind sect is... rather cruel."
"This is the norm out here," Yaoyun replied, then quieted down.
Wang Sheng sighed quietly. Sitting down, he continued scheming. He wasn't sure if it'd come in handy, but he memorized the number and combat power of the celestial soldiers first. He also studied the locations of the True Immortals and sketched the general layout of the area in his mind based on the brief glimpses he had managed.
He pinpointed three main problems in escaping from here: the Primordial Immortals and True Immortals stationed in the area, the grand array enclosing the entire place, and the Heavenly Immortal patrolling outside—the one who had captured him.
Wang Sheng found it unfortunate that he wasn't at least a True Immortal. Otherwise, he would've likely had a chance to fight back.
He shook his shackles slightly and thought for a moment. Closing his eyes, he began sensing the primal qi around him. It was extremely thin and seemed to contain faint traces of blood light, which were most likely drifting fiend-blood energy.
Moreover, he had noticed that the celestial soldiers always had Immortal Stones on them. Whenever they were free, they would place their hands on the stones at their waist, likely absorbing spiritual power from them to cultivate.
Wang Sheng had no way of copying it. He couldn't expose the Qiankun Ring, which he had worked so hard to hide.
What if I just ignore the lack of primal qi and focus completely on comprehending the Dao?
It was theoretically possible, but it was extremely difficult to put into practice.
Wang Sheng tried cultivating normally and found that the shackles didn't prevent him. They suppressed his immortal power and Primordial Spirit, but they didn't stop him from absorbing primal qi or comprehending the Dao.
That was a bit troublesome. Without cultivation, he wouldn't grow stronger; he'd be stuck laboring here. However, if he wanted to cultivate properly, he would have to absorb primal qi mixed with fiend-blood energy. His cultivation would be extremely slow as well. It would be nowhere near its speed on Earth.
To make matters worse, Wang Sheng realized that if he broke through to the late Ascended Immortal Realm, he would probably be thrown into the blood mine as a miner.
He mentally laughed bitterly. When he opened his eyes, he saw that only a few True Immortals were left on the wooden platform, sorting the harvest. They processed the herbs a little and stored everything properly. The miners had already been moved into the cages beside his.
Once thrown in, no one cared about them anymore. They simply did their best to expel the fiend-blood energy from their bodies while sitting cross-legged.
Wang Sheng watched the two closest cultivators to him. They didn't even spare him a glance.
Before long, two celestial soldiers arrived carrying a jade talisman and a wooden box. They stopped near the cages. One took out several dozen palm-sized Immortal Stones and tossed one into each cage. Like dying men in a desert finding water, the miners immediately clutched them and began absorbing the primal qi within with desperate urgency.
Upon reaching Wang Sheng, the soldier frowned a little and muttered, "Why did they capture you to mine as well? You're just an Ascended Immortal. What's your division number[1]?"
Wang Sheng remained silent, his eyes as deep as a still pool.
The celestial soldier shook his head and quietly tossed an Immortal Stone inside. "Looks like you were unlucky. Here, try to live a few more years."
He moved on to the next cage.
Wang Sheng memorized his face and felt some mixed emotion rise inside.
Once everyone had been given Immortal Stones, the second soldier lifted the jade pendant and announced, "Xuan Zero Two[2], you get five Immortal Stones for obtaining a supreme-grade blood essence!"
The first soldier picked up another armful of Immortal Stones, walked to an elderly man with graying hair, and tossed five stones in. From dull and gloomy, the prisoner immediately brightened. He placed the Immortal Stones around him and set up a small qi-gathering formation.
"Xuan Zero Nine, you get three Immortal stones for finding three top-tier blood essence today. Xuan Eleven, three Immortal stones for a wandering spirit herb. Xuan Fifteen, you obtained..."
In total, seven miners were rewarded with Immortal Stones.
Wang Sheng silently praised the Celestial Wind Sect. With this reward system, they could encourage the miners to search for higher-value items, extend their use, and even weaken their desire to rebel.
Heh, even the miners are being treated better than I am.
Wang Sheng pondered ways to escape as he held the Immortal Stone and began absorbing its primal qi.
Fortunately, one hundred years here was only a year on Earth. Even if he were trapped here for several hundred years, only three years would pass for his senior sister.
Celestial Wind... Celestial Wind...
Earth's cultivation world could end up clashing with this faction once they had exited the Realm of Exiled Immortals. If so, he might as well gather intelligence while imprisoned. After all, knowing the enemy was the key to victory.
He now had a chance to turn his misfortune into fortune.
1. "Division number" in this context means the worker's serial number. ☜ 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦
2. Xuan is the name of their division ☜
