Chapter 285: Wolf Howls from All Sides

In front of his senior sister, the phrase "dual cultivation" truly became difficult to say out loud.

Since even his master had already started helping him along, Wang Sheng understood what he ought to do. As long as he acted naturally and took the initiative, things would fall into place.

I should hold her soft hand, to start with...

Wang Sheng quietly reached out and soon found Mu Wanxuan's small hand. She lightly jolted, like a little rabbit being woken up, and then obediently leaned forward and gently gripped his palm. She was simply playing around, unaware that she had stirred up a subtle itch in Wang Sheng's Dao Heart.

Watching the scene through the rearview mirror, Qing Yanzi looked as relieved as a proud father.

Once they had left the underground facility and boarded a new model of flying vehicle that resembled a sparrow hawk, Qing Yanzi brought up a more serious topic. "Little Sheng, when are you breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm?"

"I can do it any time, really," Wang Sheng replied. "But I'd rather take my time and stabilize my foundation first, Master. While I was trapped in the Earth Qi Seal, Yaoyun guided me through my cultivation. Her divine soul also briefly occupied my body, which essentially forced a full refinement of my physique. It all made my cultivation realm rise nonstop.

"I feel like I'm progressing a little too fast. It only takes me a short period to reach the peak of my Daoist realm, and I have even sometimes surpassed my current understanding of the Dao. Only after breaking through do I slowly come to realize why I was able to break through.

"Right now, I have just barely reached the peak of the Heavenly Abode Realm. Spending more time tempering my Primordial Soul happens to be the best way to ease this awkward situation."

Qing Yanzi had originally intended to give Wang Sheng a reminder, but now, he could only smile in satisfaction. "You haven't let your recent breakthroughs cloud your judgment. Being trapped really did sharpen your state of mind."

Wang Sheng smiled as well. "This is all thanks to your good teachings, Master."

"You've gotten cheekier, too."

"Eh..."

Mu Wanxuan giggled lightly from the side. "

Hihi...

"

Seemingly unaware of it, the martial siblings were still holding hands, their fingers interlocked. Even Qing Yanzi felt a twinge of jealousy.

Girls really can't be kept once they're grown. But marrying her off is really just bringing her back in; they're both my disciples anyway, and they're a perfect match.

"Little Sheng, have you been keeping up with your Dao of the Sword?"

"I practice my swordsmanship whenever I take a break from cultivating." Wang Sheng opened his left hand and formed a sword-finger gesture. "Master, do you have any swords? Bring out a few if you do."

"Of course." The jade ring on Qing Yanzi's thumb flickered faintly as he summoned four sheathed treasured swords. He placed them on the seat.

Wang Sheng did not use his enchanted power or Sword-Controlling Art. He merely pointed forward with his fingers, and two of the four swords unsheathed themselves by half a

cun

, emitting a resounding sword cry.

Qing Yanzi's eyes lit up. "That's the Human Dao of the Sword's Realm of Sword Control!"

"

Mmm.

This has been my greatest area of progress. I seem to have hit a bottleneck with my Heavenly Ziwei Sword Intent, though," said Wang Sheng. "Maybe I have to spar more with true experts."

Qing Yanzi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Where would you find experts capable of sparring with you? If what you're looking for is a true battle of life and death, though, that can certainly be arranged."

Wang Sheng frowned. "Master, do we have powerful enemies right now?"

"Yes. Quite a few, actually." Qing Yanzi exhaled gently. "Things are still manageable within the country. At present, the people we brought back from the Small Nether Realm have the highest Daoist realms. Among them, two are at the peak of the Rebirth Realm and already very close to the Ascension Realm. Fortunately, they're all obediently acting as grand elders of their respective sects.

Wang Sheng was confused. "Were no restrictions placed on them?"

"Of course there were. That's why they're not a threat to the Hua Republic's stability, even though they're all guilty of serious offenses. Back then, we summoned nearly all Daoist heritages and held a trial. Most abstained from the vote, giving the final decision to the Hidden Earth Sect."

Wang Sheng shook his head. He could already imagine what happened afterward. Still, he listened to the rest of his master's explanation.

According to Qing Yanzi, the Hidden Earth Sect knew how to handle things. They did not immediately execute the ancient cultivators. Instead, after they regained consciousness, the sect began interrogating them about their actions in the past.

Anyone whose hands were stained with the blood of the Hidden Earth Sect's ancestors was executed without mercy. Those who had only gone straight to the Small Nether Realm were granted leniency and handled differently.

In the end, most of the ancient cultivators were found innocent of grievous crimes. Aside from one whose divine soul was completely erased, the remaining fifteen entered the Small Nether Realm sometime later and found the vertical passage connecting its upper and lower levels.

The Hidden Earth Sect took that one person's life and made the other fifteen each swear an oath. From then on, they were only allowed to live in seclusion and cultivate. They were prohibited from taking a single step outside their mountain gates, contacting one another, and committing any act that could endanger the Hua Republic.

However, oaths were not as reliable as restrictions.

Hence, the Celestial Master devised several plans. Restrictions were placed on each expert's Dao Heart, Primordial Soul, and Dao Body. The keys to those restrictions were handed over to the official authorities of the Hua Republic. If any of the individuals violated their oath, the authorities could immediately trigger the restriction and reduce them to ashes.

Wang Sheng couldn't help but ask, "So how are they supposed to judge whether the experts have broken their oaths? Doesn't that mean their lives are basically in the hands of the authorities? There's no way the government would just waste such powerful individuals."

"They naturally wouldn't. In fact, the Hidden Earth Sect's attitude probably stems from the proposal that the authorities made," Qing Yanzi replied with a smile, then sighed. "In any case, the matter has been settled. As long as our generation of cultivators reaches the Rebirth Realm, we will no longer have to worry about those ancient relics causing trouble."

Unsure how to respond, Wang Sheng simply nodded quietly. He then asked, "By the way, Master, is Senior Xi Lian doing well?"

Still smiling, Qing Yanzi answered, "She's been living in seclusion this whole time. She should have heard that you've returned, though. We'll probably see her soon."

"As long as she hasn't caused any trouble." Wang Sheng then thought for a moment. "Just now, Master, it sounded like you were saying there are many strong enemies abroad as well."

"That's right," Qing Yanzi replied solemnly. "Right now, several pressing problems have surrounded the Hua Republic. The greatest threat right now is a few legendary races in Western Europe."

"Legendary races?"

"You've probably heard of the two most famous ones: vampires and werewolves." Qing Yanzi smirked. "Western Europe has a cultivation system of its own, but the ones who truly stand out rely on one thing: bloodlines. Those vicious werewolves gain their strength through bloodline awakening, which gives them rapid growth in power. I fought one before. I won, but it was not an easy fight."

Qing Yanzi rolled up his sleeve and revealed a few scars on his forearm, which made Wang Sheng frown. There was a clear trace of hostility in his eyes.

Looking nervous, Mu Wanxuan hurriedly stepped forward. Actually seeing her master with wounds for the first time, she handed him a roll of bandages and a bottle of disinfectant.

Qing Yanzi laughed bitterly. "It was only after I killed that werewolf that I learned he had been one of the stronger members of their kind. Looking back now, I have to admit I acted somewhat recklessly.

"The ones who pose the greatest threat to us are those vampires who have been around for a thousand years, though. They've remained in hiding all this time, surviving to the present day only by secretly drinking blood. Anyway, vampires and werewolves are like ancient rival clans. Their constant battles have spiraled some small countries into chaos. In a way, they serve as mutual deterrents."

Wang Sheng looked pensive. "That area is still a bit far from us, isn't it?"

Qing Yanzi shrugged. "Yes, but the vampires have been calling for a return to aristocratic rule. You could consider them the corrupt cultivators of Western Europe. Their power has expanded dramatically in just a few years. These days, they're even supporting political candidates in secret and pushing back the werewolves' territory. They're quite honestly difficult to deal with."

Mu Wanxuan punched the air. Qing Yanzi simply smiled.

He then began to describe the current situation surrounding the Hua Republic. The more Wang Sheng listened, the more he realized how dangerous things had become.

Thirteen years ago, the environment around the Hua Republic had still been relatively calm. Most cultivators were able to train in peace.

Now, because of the Universal Cultivation Method and the discovery of qi meridians, the Hua Republic had become a kind of ideal paradise on a global scale. All kinds of dangerous people now had their eyes fixed on this land of fortune.

Fortunately, Sakura Island's cultivation world had already been suppressed. The next step was to deal with the forces of corrupt cultivators in the south and the threat from another heavily populated country to the southwest.

The forces beyond the Hua Republic's borders were already showing signs of unification. However, until an actual modern war broke out, the real battlefield was still among the cultivators of each nation..

The Hua Republic could still hold its ground against all sides thanks to its cultivation world and the fact that the Daoist sects still had enough powerful experts. However, if things really played out the way Qing Yanzi had said, and the foreign experts joined forces to challenge the Daoist sects, they would be facing a serious problem.

Qing Yanzi turned to Wang Sheng. "What do you think?"

Wang Sheng thought quietly for a moment. "Rather than sit around and wait for disaster, we should launch a preemptive strike."

Qing Yanzi shook his head. "Every action sets off a chain reaction. The reason we were able to crush the cultivation world of Sakura Island had to do with historical circumstances, which made it easier to explain afterward. If we take even the smallest action now, it will inevitably cause a string of consequences and push us into a completely passive position."

"That makes things simple, then. We can just go around challenging the top experts of every region. It'll allow us to increase our deterrent force, win over a few allies, and tear apart the opposing alliance. As long as we apply a strong enough pressure, a few small benefits will make this situation quite easy to manage."

Qing Yanzi smiled widely enough to make him squint. "That's exactly what I did a few years ago. The Special Investigation Unit gathered a great deal of intelligence, and I avoided facing opponents who could be too powerful. I spent some time moving through the world and learning what I could."

Qing Yanzi then raised his hand and patted Wang Sheng on the shoulder.

"Once you reach the Nascent Soul Realm, you can go out and become a little deterrent force of your own. There are quite a few powerful experts abroad with unique techniques. Take the opportunity to travel the world and broaden your horizons. While you're at it, bring your senior sister along."

Wang Sheng smiled in agreement. At his side, Mu Wanxuan already looked a little excited.

Her junior brother would go around challenging people to fights, and she could search for local gourmet delicacies.

What could be more delightful than dining at the government's expense?