Chapter 362: Gathering of the Strong, Starlight Unleashed!

"Is the recording done?" the demon-masked man asked in Gelan.

"Yes, sir. Would you like to take a look and see if this works?"

The two brawny men in charge of filming stepped forward, while several others crowded around to watch the finished product.

Glancing at the recording, the man smiled in satisfaction. "Notify the drone unit. Have them randomly kill ten people and send back clear footage. Combine it with this video and release it online. Make sure they move quic—"

Psh!

The demon-masked man stiffened and lowered his head in disbelief.

From his chest protruded the tip of a nearly transparent sword, a single bead of blood sliding slowly down its edge. On the narrow, curved surface of the blade, the stunned faces of those nearby were faintly reflected.

What is... going on...

The sword was withdrawn immediately. The demon-masked man felt waves of qi flood into him, tearing his organs apart and wreaking havoc within. Sword light then erupted, killing the men in camouflage uniforms in half a second. They didn't even have time to call for help.

Instinct told him to flee, but he managed only a few staggering steps forward before grasping a steel railing for support. He turned and slumped weakly against it, eyes filled with disbelief as they followed the trace that the longsword had left.

How is this... possible?

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

The wound in his chest was lethal, yet his enemy had intentionally made sure it wouldn't kill him immediately.

Who did it?

Despite his blurry vision, the demon-masked man locked onto a figure ahead. His eyes brimmed with shock.

The half-transparent silhouette, the Daoist hairpin binding his hair, and the celestial-grade sword in his grasp...

"Wang... Wang Sheng?"

Wang Sheng, who was already walking toward the missile, tilted his head slightly. He swung his celestial-grade sword in horizontal and vertical arcs.

The intersecting sword radiance shone brightly, splitting the costly medium-range missile before him into pieces like a soft cake. When the warhead detached and tumbled down, Wang Sheng swiftly wrapped it in enchanted power and pulled it toward him.

He took out his Crane-Spirit Treasure Pouch, which once held the fragments of the Blood-Dissolving Divine Swords. With a brief test, he smoothly stored the warhead inside.

The Crane-Spirit Treasure Pouch had fortunately been modified to be more spacious in recent years. The first-generation version from more than a decade ago would have forced Wang Sheng to take the dangerous risk of sealing the warhead in his pendant instead.

Spiritless released strands of immortal light, sealing the Crane-Spirit Treasure Pouch. Still uneasy, Wang Sheng wrapped it with several more layers of enchanted power before depositing it into his pendant.

Now, he had resolved half of the nuclear threat.

The simplest solution was sometimes right in plain sight. One just had to see it, just like Wang Sheng had. Keeping the warhead in a storage artifact completely blocked all external signals, and having Yaoyun seal the storage artifact eliminated all other chances for the enemy to trigger it.

Wang Sheng finally looked at the dying demon-masked man. With Spiritless in hand, he stepped forward, daring not to waste any time. After all, the enemy's experts had already sensed what was happening. He walked over to him and pressed the sword's tip against the man's forehead.

"Don't kill me!" the demon-masked man sharply cried out in desperation. "You'll regret it! I have all the intel you want to know! Wang—"

"

Hmph!

" Impatience flickered in Wang Sheng's eyes. He pressed Spiritless firmly against the man's brow.

Yaoyun immediately employed the soul-searching technique, and images flickered past in Wang Sheng's mind like scenes from an old film. Half a minute later, he narrowed his eyes and readily thrust Spiritless. The demon mask split apart, revealing the young man's horror-filled face. His eyes, which had become vacant due to the soul search, dimmed and went still.

Wang Sheng had already seen him before. The first time they met was the night the Fire Sage died. Back then, this man and two of his followers had been pursuing Shi Qianzhang. Later, in the rear mountains of the Three Pure Ones, he disguised himself as a frivolous disciple before the First Immortal Dao Conference and attempted to approach Wang Sheng and his senior sister.

They had two more encounters after that: once on Saros's snowy plains, where he joined the encirclement against Yan Zhengnan and openly insulted him. The other, and the most recent, was when the Dark Faction began taking hostages. At the time, he had appeared in the video they had broadcast to the cultivation world of the Hua Republic.

Now, Yin Yangning, the young master of the Yin-Yang All-Creation Sect and only son of the Yin Sect Master, was right before Wang Sheng.

When the Yin-Yang All-Creation Sect was at its prime, the world didn't even know of Yin Yangning's existence. He infiltrated Mount Hua disguised as a disciple and orchestrated plots to stir chaos, yet the sect's elders often whispered that he was far too ordinary.

After their sect was driven from the Hua Republic and retreated to Sakura Island, the Yin Sect Master spent most of his time in secluded cultivation to seek a breakthrough, allowing Yin Yangning to take full control of the sect.

However, his sect constantly provoked the cultivation world, hastening its own downfall. Eventually, Daoist masters crossed the sea to eradicate them. In the face of overwhelming force, their sect swiftly collapsed. Their experts either fled or perished.

Each day, Yin Yangning sank deeper into despair.

When Hua Republic cultivators finally slew the Yin Sect Master, the sect crumbled for good. Yin Yangning fled with the few survivors across the ocean to join the rising Dark Faction.

He worked tirelessly to persuade its powers, preaching the threat of the cultivation world. His words swayed several leaders, convincing them to regard the Hua Republic's cultivators as mortal enemies. He also directly planned and participated in the snowy plains ambush and the present upheaval.

Clenching and slowly unclenching his fist, Wang Sheng whispered under his breath, "What a pity. I can only kill you once."

Focusing back on the task at hand, he scoured the stolen memories for the location of the second nuclear warhead.

A white truck on the main street, parked by the roadside...

The warhead had already been hidden among the hostages. An ancient vampire princess named Galina had the detonator.

Galina was the longest-lived and strongest of the blood clan's ancient princes. Her blood was said to be the closest to the progenitor of all vampires. Seizing the detonator from her would not be easy.

Moreover, Wang Sheng could now hear heels striking steel from the side passage. A tall and slender figure slowly walked forward from the entrance of the launch facility.

The ancient vampire princess had arrived uninvited. The lighting made her face indistinct, but Wang Sheng's spiritual perception was already ringing with warning.

"

Be careful,

" Yaoyun reminded softly.

Wang Sheng nodded slightly as he gripped Spiritless tighter.

He cleared stray thoughts and restored clarity to his Dao Heart. His body then released a faint sword cry. No longer concealing his aura, he allowed it to rise steadily.

The footsteps stopped in the light. Less than twenty meters away, the two silently stared at one another.

Powerful cultivators, be it from the Hua Republic or other countries, were usually extremely beautiful and had a heavy presence. The ancient vampire princess, who was more than two thousand six hundred years old, was no exception.

Her light brown curls framed pale, exquisite features. Her bright blue eyes shimmered with allure, and the slight upward tilt of her lips showed her dimples even when she wasn't smiling. Moreover, she displayed her voluptuous figure without reservation. Her little cocktail dress seemed ready to tear apart at any moment.

Vampires could transform, though. The lovelier their human form, the more terrifying their true form.

In Yin Yangning's memories, he had fantasized about the princess countless times. He didn't simply lust over her, though; he also craved to conquer her. However, she never spared him a glance.

"Wang... Sheng?" Her Hua tongue had a slight accent.

Wang Sheng simply tilted his head and glanced behind, where a towering brute engulfed in flames approached. Judging from his aura, he was as strong as an ancient vampire prince.

"You killed the Yin-Yang Lord." Galina pointed at Yin Yangning's corpse. She smiled faintly and, in halting Hua tongue, added, "You killed my nephew as well."

Wang Sheng frowned slightly, but not at her words. Above him and to the rear, two more experts at the level of ancient vampire princes had already taken position, with only rock and steel separating them.

He was surrounded.

Wang Sheng had foreseen this the moment he killed Yin Yangning. Nevertheless, the weight of reality still pressed down heavily on him.

"I know you're strong." Galina stepped closer, her blue eyes glowing with dangerous charm. "And you'll only grow stronger. That's why I have to kill you here."

A corner of Wang Sheng's mouth twitched as he formed a sword finger gesture with his left hand. Wisps of cyan cloud enveloped him, and threads of lightning as fine as hair crackled in the air around him.

Spiritless was leveled horizontally, its tip aimed at her throat. Still, he did not attack first.

At that moment, their every move could stir the whole battlefield. Facing many enemies alone, Wang Sheng could not afford even the slightest mistake.

Galina laughed coldly. Behind her, a pair of fleshy wings wrapped in an azure radiance slowly unfurled.

Behind Wang Sheng, the flames that had engulfed the burly man's upper body turned blue. Wang Sheng sensed true danger from the fire, as if it could scorch even his Dao Body.

Behind the wall to his left came the old lady whom he had encountered before. Shrouded in dense black mist, she transformed into the Devil's Shadow, a five-meter to six-meter shadow that looked like one of the classic devils of Western legend. Overhead, another ancient vampire prince had already completed his transformation, making him seethe with immense destructive power.

Wang Sheng dared not lower his guard. The four were visibly uneasy as well. After all, his victories alone served as a warning. Though he felt the weight of their combined pressure, the four could also feel the killing intent emanating from the sword in his hand.

They were locked in a stalemate.

Within his chest, his tiny Nascent Soul raised its hands. In its right was the Heavenly Ziwei Sword Intent, and in its left was the Heavenly Tribulation Sword Intent. Both were poised, waiting to be unleashed.

Should I provoke them first?

Wang Sheng wondered.

At that moment, the burly man behind him roared furiously. He threw a left feint and then instantly condensed his flames into a long spear, throwing it straight at Wang Sheng's throat.

Heavenly Tribulation Sword Intent!

Lightning flashed and burst forth. Wang Sheng, who had been waiting for this moment, rode it with blinding speed.

Galina struck like a phantom. A blood-red European longsword materialized in her hand and thrust its tip straight at Wang Sheng's heart.

The devil shrouded in black mist also charged through the wall, making the wall beside them explode. Simultaneously, the vicious vampire above tore the steel plate open and lunged down, his claws outstretched. Below them, cold flames burst and swept outward, coalescing into countless spears.

Nevertheless, Wang Sheng stood motionless and slowly closed his eyes. Every detail of the scene was etched into his mind.

Spiritless trembled. Sword intent cried out within him as starlight erupted across his sword. He then shifted and strode through the air with the Seven-Star Footwork.

Heavenly Ziwei Sword Art: Reversed Seven-Star Sword Formation!