Chapter 372: The Strongest Cultivators of the Present Day

"Ah..."

Wang Sheng, who had finally caught his breath, leaned against his younger sister's shoulder. He stared at the overwhelming scene ahead, eyes following his senior sister. From deep within his heart rose emotions that he had rarely ever felt.

Even her back is so beautiful... Ahem.

Truly, no one among the Daoist masters was mediocre.

He admitted that he had been somewhat arrogant before. Still, now that he was witnessing the might of the Celestial Master; Qing Long; the sect master of Mount Mao; and his own master, who had just broken through to the Nascent Soul Realm, he realized how limited his mindset had been. It had opened his eyes to a world beyond the Dao of the Sword.

The Celestial Master's essence lay in the Great Dao of Talismans. With a mere wave of his hand, countless paper talismans filled the air. Each one seemed like a spell frozen in time, waiting only for a trace of enchanted power to activate it. He embodied the greatest power of talismanic arts.

Scattering the talismans burned through the reserves of the Celestial Master Sect. Still, with just one man, it was as if hundreds of cultivators were casting spells at once! The ability to control so many talismans simultaneously was already awe-inspiring in itself.

Qing Long of the Shu Sword Sect pushed the power of the Sword-Controlling Art to its limits. Now that he was at the early Nascent Soul Realm, he was able to command six flying swords at once, each one bearing the true ferocity of the art. Meanwhile, the sect master of Mount Mao wielded the art of lightning talismans with flawless mastery.

The thousands of Dark Faction cultivators before them stood no chance against the three. Even if the enemy outnumbered them hundreds to one, they were still nothing more than a rabble before the trio.

By comparison, Wang Sheng's Dao of the Sword was limited when it came to large-scale battles. His Sword-Controlling Art consumed far too much enchanted power, which put him at a disadvantage in prolonged clashes against powerful opponents.

The weaknesses he now clearly saw served as directions for his future cultivation.

Age certainly did bring wisdom and strength. Having cultivated for many years, the Daoist elders and masters were truly powerful.

And the fiercest among them was his master, Qing Yanzi.

Like his second disciple, Qing Yanzi was not skilled in Daoist arts that affected large areas. However, his mastery of the Pure Yang Immortal Mantra and his broad knowledge of Daoist arts allowed him to adapt freely in battle. With nothing more than his bare hands, he suppressed two vampire princes. He hit one of them until they coughed blood violently and were nearly broken.

Even so, Wang Sheng did not belittle himself. He was still strong enough to stand among the five most powerful cultivators.

The battle had only just begun, yet it had already turned into a one-sided massacre. The Dark Faction cultivators couldn't even retreat in defeat. The Hua Republic cultivators were annihilating them faster than they could flee.

Six Heavenly Abode Realm Daoists surrounded the Devil's Shadow, hammering the old woman within until she coughed up blood profusely.

For the first time in thirteen years, Xi Lian had unleashed astonishing might again. Entering a controlled initial devilish state, she fought high in the skies, batting Galina back and forth like a volleyball. The vampire was formidable, yet she still looked weak before Xi Lian, who was at the Grand Immortal-Ascension Realm. If Xi Lian had a divine weapon, Galina would have already been torn into pieces.

The Daoists completely outclassed, outnumbered, and dominated the Dark Faction's strongest combatants.

The Celestial Master and other Nascent Soul Realms experts unleashed technique after technique. Within the grand array that Lady Meng had created, the battlefield had become a purgatory of slaughter.

This was neither war nor the decisive battle that the Dark Faction had imagined.

It was nothing but one-sided slaughter.

The enemy finally understood that dealing with the Heavenly Tribulation Wielder was difficult because he wasn't alone. The Daoist masters, with their endless techniques and profound arts, were each as troublesome as he was. Compared to the Sakura Island invasion years ago, they had grown stronger by leaps and bounds.

From the Nether Gate, more Daoist masters charged into battle. Because the Nether Gate was far from the Small Nether Realm and Qianlin had not yet fully mastered its power, its transportation ability was limited. The hundreds of Daoist masters inside had to come out in groups.

The strongest emerged first. Those who came after merely added to the momentum. Considering how quickly the Dark Faction was being annihilated, the third wave would only be able to slay a few enemies at best, while those after them would only make it to the brief "excursion" to the Aukuili Mountains.

Lady Meng should have arrived several minutes earlier, but when she reached Base Twenty-Eight, the aircraft carrying the Daoist experts had already departed. She had no choice but to wait a few minutes, allowing the masters to leap off the aircraft, fly back to the base, and enter the Nether Gate.

Thankfully, Lady Meng arrived just in time. If she had been a second later, Yaoyun would have already taken Wang Sheng back to the Hua Republic.

"

Argh!

"

A furious roar echoed across the battlefield. Nervous, Wang Sheng's eyes snapped open and turned to where his senior sister fought.

The Fire Lord, now riddled with sword wounds, had raised his head to bellow. His chest had been pierced through, and his aura was rapidly collapsing.

Qing Long snorted coldly. His sleeve billowed as he swept a sword finger gesture, making his six flying swords descend from the heavens like blooming crimson plum blossoms.

As the sect master of the Shu Sword Sect, he did not chant aloud before so many eyes. Still, his silent commands made his swords blaze with radiance, extinguishing the Fire Lord's final eruption of flames. The effortless grace and hidden ferocity of the attack filled Wang Sheng with awe and exhilaration.

By the time the plum blossoms faded, the Fire Lord had already been torn apart. Two streams of yin-yang qi then rose from below, sweeping away both his exploding flames and his mangled corpse into the skies.

Mu Wanxuan pressed her lips together and, standing on Ice Crystal, charged toward the densest cluster of enemies. With the four Dark Faction overlords already gone and her going all out for her injured junior brother's sake, she swept through the battlefield like a tempest. Groups of cultivators were dragged into the sky, and Daoist arts and flying swords flashed beside her, cutting them all down.

It was a pity that Mu Wanxuan had not yet reached the Nascent Soul Realm. With her Dao of Balanced Yin and Yang, she wouldn't have been inferior to Qing Long otherwise.

As more Daoist masters entered the fray, the battle reached its inevitable conclusion even faster.

Wang Sheng finally breathed a sigh of relief. He spotted several familiar people, including Fei Lianzi and Gao Shixing, who seemed to be quarreling again. The two charged ahead as fast as they could up the mountain toward the entrance of the secret base.

Gunfire and artillery reverberated from the base at once.

High above, Lady Meng hovered silently, overseeing the entire battle. The array she had created blocked all of the foreign cultivators' escape routes.

During the Sakura Island campaign, the Hua Republic cultivators did not wipe out all their foes despite their unresolved grudges. Today, though, the Dark Faction had pushed the Hua Republic too far. The Daoist masters showed not a shred of mercy.

Wang Sheng sighed once more, in satisfaction this time. Though feeling heavy and drowsy, he wanted to hold on until his senior sister returned. He wished to tell her that he was unharmed and she shouldn't worry.

"

I'll rest for a while,

" Yaoyun gently said.

Wang Sheng replied, "

Thank you, Yaoyun.

"

"Mm..."

She fell silent. Wang Sheng assumed she had gone to rest.

Though the teleportation array had been interrupted midway, it still cost her spiritual power, which meant she would have to replenish it slowly. Cultivation was never easy for a spiritual entity. She would likely have to recuperate for several months.

"

Even if I'll be living the rest of my life in Spiritless, I will have no regrets,

" Yaoyun added, making Wang Sheng feel a little sorry for her.

𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The sword spirit had now truly fallen into slumber again.

Having tested his limits in a battle to the death against the four Dark Faction overlords, Wang Sheng gained confidence in the Dao of the Sword. He had confirmed its power and his shortcomings.

Cultivation realm was the foundation of combat power. Without it, neither the quality nor the quantity of enchanted power could grow, and sword techniques would remain limited.

Cultivation still had to return to the Dao itself. He would continue to seek breakthroughs in seclusion, striving to reach the Rebirth Realm as soon as possible, to transcend tribulation and step onto the bright Great Dao of Immortality.

Speaking of brightness, what should I do with the Light Faction?

Wang Sheng's mouth twitched. The warning that he had given Dale earlier could come true.

Stand by and watch? Reap the spoils? Those not of one's own race certainly could never be trusted!

Glancing at the countless Daoist elders and masters filling the skies, a thought stirred in his heart. He decided to bring it up with his master later.

Since his seniors had already come this far, there was no harm in letting them tour the nations of Europe. They could treat it as travelling to experience the customs of foreign places. Chi Ling would have to handle the reimbursement for it, though.

This battle would surely grant the Hua Republic's cultivation world another ten or twenty years of steady growth.

The nation's primal qi was now abundant, and each Daoist heritage enjoyed multiple advantages. Even if breakthroughs no longer came as rapidly as they had in the early years of primal qi resurgence, their cultivation world's overall strength would completely outstrip that of foreign sects in a few decades.

By then, the Light and Dark Factions would no longer matter.

They should be more concerned about preparing for the ascent to immortality of Earth's cultivators.

Wang Sheng coughed weakly a few times.

Xiaomiao quickly wiped her tears. With a trembling voice, she asked, "Brother, are you okay? Does it hurt anywhere?"

Unaware of how pale he looked, he just smiled at his sister gently. "Don't worry, I just overexerted myself. I'm already recovering a little."

Xiaomiao immediately burst into tears. She tried to channel her faint true essence into him, but it could not even penetrate his skin.

Wang Sheng pressed his hand to his shoulder and sat upright. "I'm going to tend to my wound. Close your eyes and do not look."

"Alright!" Xiaomiao obediently covered her eyes with her hands, though she still peeked between her fingers.

He pulled aside his Celestial Combat Garment, revealing the pierced shoulder beneath. Xiaomiao gasped softly, unable to calm herself.

"I am a surgeon, Daoist Master Wang! Let me stop the bleeding!" a middle-aged man shouted and rushed over.

The hostages who had regained mobility immediately gathered around Wang Sheng.

He wanted to say he was fine, that there was no need for them to worry. However, his Nascent Soul trembled slightly, and his vision darkened. At last, he had completely fallen unconscious.