Chapter 305: Hold Position and Take Out the Reinforcements

Wang Sheng contacted his senior sister as soon as he landed. While chasing the vampire prince, what had worried him the most was not his own safety, but whether his senior sister, who had fallen behind, would encounter foreign cultivators.

Mu Wanxuan was unlikely to come across enemies, though, and even if she did, he should be worrying about the enemies instead. His senior sister could appear as light and delicate as drifting willow catkins or floating duckweed, but she was far from weak. Hence, getting to stand before her now, handling every trouble and formidable foe, made Wang Sheng feel a faint sense of pride.

With his sword in hand, he felt as though he could do anything.

A vampire prince? Pfft! So what?

Wang Sheng sensed that he still had room to grow even stronger. He even jokingly considered replenishing his enchanted power now, heading straight to the vampires' lair, and searching for the three ancient princes who had only ever been spoken of in legends.

In truth, he won easily because of his refined and profound Daoist arts. He had not yet progressed far enough in his cultivation to challenge such powerful beings. Considering his victory was rooted in the advantage of his Daoist heritage, he really had nothing to be proud of.

In his letter, Lu the Progenitor stated that only three to four races survived on Earth. Were the vampires among them?

Judging from the strength of the vampire prince, the only reason the ancient Hua Republic's cultivation world didn't wipe out their race a thousand years ago was to preserve species diversity.

Turning around, Wang Sheng stepped on Flying Haze and flew back more than a hundred meters. He looked down at the dozen or so vampires, who were either gravely wounded or near death. In his haste to pursue and kill the prince earlier, he had struck quickly instead of taking the time to finish them off properly.

Seven to eight of the survivors could still fly, yet none of them moved. They stared at Wang Sheng as if petrified, which was only natural. After all, as the nearest vampires, they were simply following orders to aid their prince, yet they ended up witnessing their worst nightmare! The sword cultivator had easily killed and sliced apart their prince, one of the six strongest vampires in the present age, in one strike!

The vampire race strictly followed their ranks and hierarchies. A prince stood at the pinnacle of each family and was the mightiest of their kind, also serving as a spiritual pillar. Now, one of those pillars had collapsed.

For half of those present, who were members of the Vlad family, it was no different from watching their father perish.

A golden-haired girl threw back her head and wept. The other vampires began to wail as well, seemingly unleashing an ultrasonic attack. Wang Sheng's sleeve swept through the air. Dozens of light beams fell rapidly, and the weeping ceased at once.

Dozens of qi swords hovered before and around the vampires. Sword tips pressed to their foreheads, throats, and the parts of their chests where small bats were concealed. No one dared to move.

Hovering in midair, Wang Sheng slowly closed his eyes. Threads of primal qi flowed toward him like streams. Within a radius of ten

li

were several villages and pastures of Saros. A large army was now hurrying to his location, yet he just quietly and calmly waited.

Although he had already killed the vampire prince, he had no intention of leaving just yet. While guarding the over ten vampires he had spared, he replenished his enchanted power out in the open.

From the western sky, black specks appeared once more. Wang Sheng opened his eyes and flicked his left hand, sending Flying Haze out again.

By the time the second wave of vampire reinforcements saw the strange scene ahead and attempted to stop, Flying Haze had already struck them. Within moments, most of them were annihilated. Only two escaped in panic; Wang Sheng had deliberately spared them so they could spread the word. To put it more plainly, he was provoking the vampires.

After killing one of their princes and many of their kin, he kept more than ten vampires as hostages, neither killing nor releasing them. His intention to stir trouble could not have been more obvious. He was essentially holding a location to kill off reinforcements.

His phone vibrated several times. His master was advising him not to cross the Saros border and not to chase a cornered foe or enter unknown forests. They clearly weren't aware yet that the fight was already over.

Wang Sheng replied to his master and mistress that he had slain the vampire prince and was replenishing his enchanted power. He also told them that he was waiting for more experts to appear so that he could deepen his victory.

***

Qing Yanzi, who was rushing westward with a group of fellow Daoists, read the reply from his second disciple. The corners of his mouth twitched.

My disciple killed a vampire prince just like that?

They had already reached the city that Wang Sheng had enveloped in heavenly tribulation clouds as if besieging it, yet they were still quite far from Wang Sheng's location.

"Fellow Daoists, save your enchanted power. We don't have to rush anymore. It seems the battle is already over," Qing Yanzi instructed.

The more than twenty Daoists flying alongside him all looked at him in concern and asked about the outcome. Qing Yanzi's somber expression eased, and he sighed.

"Little Sheng has killed the vampire prince."

The group fell silent for a few seconds, then exclamations filled the air. Some marveled at the fact that Wang Sheng was already strong enough to make the older generation of cultivators feel ashamed despite still being so young. Some laughed heartily, saying it was a delight, while others took out their phones to quickly send the news back to the cultivation circles of the Hua Republic.

In recent years, a dark cloud had gathered over the Hua Republic's cultivation world from all directions. Yet in one sweep of sword radiance, much of that shadow had been dispelled.

The vampires, also known as the Blood Race, were by no means comparable to the Hua Republic in overall strength, yet they had become the prime example of hostile foreign powers. In Europe, they were a powerful force on the side of darkness, balanced by certain forces of light. Because of distance and other factors, they had only just begun to extend their reach to the Hua Republic in recent years.

Regardless of motive and how many foreign cultivator factions were involved, the Saros plane crash and the events that it had set in motion could be seen as a vampire-led probing attempt against the Hua Republic's cultivation world.

Had the foreign cultivators succeeded in their operation, they would have struck a blow to the Hua Republic's morale. They would have also inspired the belief that seizing its cultivation world's qi meridians and plundering its achievements was possible. More importantly, their fear of the Hua Republic's cultivation world would have been greatly diminished, and its deterrent power would have been weakened.

Such conditions could easily lead to an all-out war among cultivators.

Wang Sheng was well aware of that, and Qing Yanzi even more so. That was why they had split into two pursuit teams and why Wang Sheng had chased the vampire prince relentlessly for thousands of

li

.

Foreign cultivators had to be struck hard enough to feel pain to make them understand that the Hua Republic's cultivation world was the true dominant force on this blue planet. That was also the only way to remind them that the Hua Republic's neutral stance should not be taken as weakness.

Every now and then, the Hua Republic had to make a show of force to teach the other nations that it was sacred and inviolable. Between cultivator factions, there was no need for elaborate schemes or excessive trickery. The strong could stand unshaken, while the weak could only bow in submission.

Wang Sheng's display of dominance had taken everyone by surprise. Not only had he summoned a heavenly tribulation to lock down a city, but he had also pursued and slain a vampire prince over thousands of

li

. His feats had built a towering wall of deterrence and shattered the restless ambitions of the foreign powers.

Gucci Vlad had given their fight some strategic thought before facing Wang Sheng in a fair duel at the peak of Wang Sheng's momentum. He simply had the misfortune of challenging someone who had just emerged from the Earth Qi Seal. Now, he had become a stepping stone for the sword cultivator to become a living testament to the presence of true cultivation experts within the Hua Republic.

Had Qing Yanzi fought the prince, they would have had a fierce battle, not a one-sided massacre. Their chances of victory would have been even.

Wang Sheng's dazzling sword techniques were a perfect counter to such straightforward fighting styles. Combined with his formidable Dao Body, he had complete confidence in defeating the vampire prince head-on.

Wang Sheng's victory was enough to secure three to five years of breathing room. Unlike the vampires, whose power came from bloodline awakening and could only shine for a time, Daoist sect cultivators grew stronger with each passing year. In this age of abundant primal qi, three to five years would be enough for Daoists to grow even stronger.

The vampires could only expand their number of vassals. Their overall strength would remain pretty much the same.

The Hua Republic pursued a peaceful rise, and the Daoist sects sought tranquility in an era of peace. If foreign cultivators did not provoke the Hua Republic's cultivation world, they could engage in whatever chaos they liked in their own lands without interference.

Not every nation aspired to play world police.

***

Wang Sheng's tactic proved quite effective.

Before Mu Wanxuan could join up with her junior brother, three more waves of vampires had charged into the area that he had been defending. Several among them were powerful present-day dukes and marquises. Nevertheless, no one could get past Flying Haze and Wang Sheng's Sword-Controlling Art.

Wang Sheng had now killed over two hundred vampires, and that number was still steadily rising.

Killing bat fiends should count as slaying fiends and vanquishing devils, should it not?

𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

His Dao Heart suffered no ill effects. On the contrary, he felt ever more clear-headed and invigorated.

Just as Wang Sheng invited his senior sister to find a patch of grass for tea and conversation while maintaining his defensive position, he received a video call from his mistress.

According to her, a large number of vampires were gathering at the Saros border. It seemed the Blood Race intended to fight Wang Sheng to the death.