Chapter 434: The Unity of Man and Sword!

The pressure of heavenly might spread in waves, casting a shadow over all of Mount Hua from hundreds of

li

away.

The cultivators in the mountain could faintly see the heavenly tribulation repeatedly striking down in the northern sky. Moreover, they all felt the oppressive aura of heavenly might gathering there. Those with weak Dao Hearts trembled in fear.

Meanwhile, the thirteen ancient cultivators watched the northern horizon with complicated expressions. Through their spiritual perception, they could vaguely sense the tribulation taking place in the distance. Each hoped that the heavenly tribulation would kill the troublesome young sword cultivator alongside the ancient Mount Mao cultivator.

After only three lightning bursts, the tribulation ended abruptly. The tribulation clouds dispersed and dissolved into pure primal qi, which then spread across the northern lands of the Hua Republic. A tribulation ending so suddenly could only mean that the cultivator who had triggered the heavenly tribulation had died.

Flames burst through the northern sky, and the thirteen ancient cultivators' expressions all turned grim, their eyes filled with disbelief and unease.

Despite having forced his way into another's heavenly tribulation to double its power, the sword cultivator was alive.

The ancient Mount Mao cultivator, who was at the Tribulation Realm, couldn't even withstand three waves before his Dao Body and Primordial Spirit were destroyed. Meanwhile, the sword cultivator, whose realm was lower, was returning unscathed.

They wouldn't have been as shocked had he come back battered and half-dead. However, through their spiritual perception, they could clearly sense that Wang Sheng's aura hadn't grown weaker. The primal qi around him surged violently, but he was completely unharmed. Moreover, he was even stronger now.

Is he some kind of fiendish devil? Are the rumors about him commanding heavenly tribulation actually true?

Gasps rose from all directions as the three-legged Golden Crow soared through the air and landed at the center of the arena, creating clouds of dust.

The dust soon settled and revealed Wang Sheng. His Daoist robe was torn and tattered, and his hair hung loose behind him. Spiritless was still in his right hand. In his left hand, he held a charred corpse by the ankle.

The arena fell completely silent. Not a sound could be heard.

In the stands, Xi Lian, whom Xiaomiao was cradling in her arms, slowly opened her eyes. She saw Wang Sheng's back as he slowly walked away.

For reasons she couldn't understand, a tear slid down her cheek.

Behind Wang Sheng, the trail of blood smeared across the ground was broken in places. Half of the corpse he dragged was blackened to ash, while Spiritless had riddled the other half with over a dozen clean holes.

He silently looked at the thirteen ancient cultivators hovering high above him, his killing intent undiminished. With a flick of his wrist, he flung the mangled corpse onto the platform below.

Two down.

Wang Sheng raised his head toward the thirteen ancient cultivators, who stood on white clouds that they had conjured using Daoist arts. Their eyes, too, burned with killing intent.

There was no need for words now. Their stances were clear.

Everything that Wang Sheng had done declared that there would be no retreat, no compromise. Either they all lived, or none did.

The ancient Mount Hua cultivator's eyes gleamed faintly. He reached back, grasped the hilt of the longsword on his shoulder, and slowly drew it.

In a calm yet solemn tone, he declared, "Let us settle everything in a battle between sword cultivators."

Wang Sheng's expression remained unchanged. "Oh?"

Instead of killing intent, battle intent—the yearning for a worthy opponent—flickered in his eyes.

The Mount Hua cultivator's treasured sword hummed softly. It seemed to have spiritual insight.

Looking down at Wang Sheng, the old Daoist calmly said, "The Dao of the Sword you showed earlier seems to be a combination of the Heavenly Dao of the Sword and the Human Dao of the Sword. I, on the other hand, have devoted myself to the Earth Dao of the Sword.

"I have studied sword arts related to it for fifty-six years and comprehended eighteen types of sword intent. Still, though my cultivation surpasses yours, you wield a celestial-grade sword. That makes it hard to predict the outcome."

Wang Sheng stayed silent. He slowly lowered Spiritless, as if accepting the challenge silently.

The Mount Hua ancient cultivator nodded. "You are truly devoted to the sword. Were our positions reversed, I would have made the same choice. You have the courage of a swordsman and the Heavenly Ziwei Sword at your side. Considering you reached the Rebirth Realm in just a few decades of cultivation, I'm sure your future achievements will far exceed my imagination.

"Even so, today, I'll wager my life against yours. If I win, I will not kill you. This matter will end here, and I, along with my Daoist peers, will return to the mountains and withdraw from worldly affairs. If I lose, my life is yours. What do you say?"

Wang Sheng did not answer, though a trace of thought flashed in his eyes. Assuming he was considering the proposal, the Mount Hua cultivator waited quietly.

At the edge of the arena, the Daoist elders and masters from different Daoist heritages exchanged voice transmissions, weighing the possibility of such an agreement.

In the Special Investigation Unit's command hall, Chi Ling frowned. She had wanted to interject several times, but she ultimately just chose to observe.

From a broader perspective, keeping the balance between the forces that were out of the Special Warfare Unit's control could serve as a form of mutual restraint. Due to the Daoist sects' reactions and the ancient cultivators' reckless actions, though, the situation could no longer be viewed from a strategic point of view alone.

Within the arena, Qing Yanzi studied Wang Sheng's condition closely. He was the only one who couldn't care less about politics at that moment; he simply worried that Wang Sheng was pushing himself too far.

The Mount Hua sect master standing beside him smiled faintly. Softly, he said, "Fei Yu, our forefather only wishes to prevent needlessly weakening our cultivation world. He admires your talent. That's why he—"

Gazing at the crowd, Wang Sheng calmly interrupted, "Shut up."

The old Daoist, who had pointed fingers at the Celestial Master and Qing Yanzi earlier, turned bright red. It was as though some kind of spell had rendered him completely speechless.

High above, the ancient Mount Hua cultivator coldly questioned, "Do you really think you can kill all thirteen of us? If we join forces, not even those two seniors might be able to stop us."

Lady Meng let out a soft, mocking laugh, but she stopped almost immediately. She simply stood still, silently watching the ancient cultivators' backs.

In a steady tone, Wang Sheng asked, "When you ambushed Xi Lian and my sister, did it ever cross your mind that they had nothing to do with you?"

The thirteen ancient cultivators' expressions darkened. Wang Sheng's intentions could not have been clearer.

"Fei Yu," the Celestial Master sighed softly from the side. "Don't push yourself too hard, Fei Yu."

Wang Sheng nodded lightly. "Thank you for your concern, Celestial Master."

He then glanced at his master, catching the worry in his eyes.

"Master, Senior Sister will be here soon. She was right behind me."

Qing Yanzi's expression softened. He smiled faintly and nodded. "Don't overthink; do whatever you believe you have to. Whatever happens, I will do my best to support you. My cultivation is no longer on par with yours. Still, if I can't shield you, then we'll face the consequences together.

"Cultivation is about immortality, and what the long-lived yearn for most is freedom. If your heart can't be at ease, how can you speak of freedom? If there's no freedom, what meaning is there in cultivating immortality at all?"

Wang Sheng smiled and nodded. "

Mm.

"

Lowering his gaze to Spiritless, he sighed softly and murmured to it.

The ancient Mount Hua cultivator coldly asked, "There's no room for negotiation, then?"

Above the clouds, the thirteen ancient cultivators released their full might. Their combined pressure bore down on Wang Sheng. If he refused to duel the strongest among them, they had decided that they would slaughter their way out together.

At the side, Qing Yanzi, the Celestial Master, Yuan Pu Zhenren, Qing Long, and several other modern cultivators unleashed their auras. Though their presence was like river fish before deep-sea whales, they still rose into the air, ready to stand against the ancient cultivators.

"Let me handle this," Wang Sheng calmly declared, cutting through the oppressive tension.

All the raging auras faltered for a moment as every gaze fell on him once more. He still had his eyes on Spiritless, whispering to it like an old companion.

Wang Sheng's deeds had already shaken the cultivation world enough to etch his name into its true history, not just this era's.

After breaking out of the Earth Qi Seal, his cultivation had soared. He repelled foreign threats, fought against the Dark Faction's elites, then disappeared for three years. When the ancient cultivators sought to throw the world into chaos, he reemerged and slew two of them in succession.

From Qing Yanzi's mere disciple to an honorary elder of the Shu Sword Sect, from the hero who had sacrificed himself to seal the Earth Qi Seal to the Heavenly Tribulation Execution, feared across the Earth's cultivation world...

Who would have thought that just a few years ago, he was just a young cultivator who had only been training in the Wudang Mountains for six months when primal qi returned?

Now, he faced thirteen ancient cultivators, each one ready to attack at a moment's notice. Despite a bloodbath all but certain, he only had four simple words to say.

"Let me handle it."

The boy who once stood in the snow, practicing the Seven-Star Sword Formation with a wooden sword, now stood at the forefront of all cultivators of his age.

Right in front of the ancient criminals, he wielded Spiritless to protect the modern world's clarity and peace.

The ancient Mount Hua cultivator's lips curved into a faint, relieved smile. He clearly thought that Wang Sheng had agreed to his challenge. However, when he descended, Wang Sheng gazed at the other twelve instead.

The aura that Wang Sheng had released locked onto all thirteen ancient cultivators. Afterward, he brushed Spiritless with his left hand and telepathically murmured, "

Yaoyun, I'll have to borrow your spiritual power.

"

Spiritless trembled softly. Streams of spiritual power flowed from its hilt into Wang Sheng's palm; and threads of immortal light drifted from the blade, wrapping around his arm.

Wang Sheng had always avoided drawing upon Yaoyun's power, let alone fusing with her. He believed that as a sword cultivator, he should never let his sword control him, nor should he rely too heavily on it. However, he currently faced overwhelming foes, and intense rage burned in his chest.

He could no longer hold back.

Wang Sheng slowly rose into the air. Spiritless shone brilliantly as Yaoyun's phantasm, which was slightly taller than her sword master, appeared behind him. It then dissolved into immortal light and merged with his Dao Body.

Through the unity of man and sword, the spirit and her master had become one!

Radiant light burst from Wang Sheng's eyes as his aura surged wildly. At the same time, a sword cry reverberated behind him. Another ancient sword flew over and stopped before him, quivering in the air.

Wang Sheng extended his left hand and grasped its hilt. His aura exploded outward, the primal qi in the area spinning into chaos.

Spiritless shuddered once, unleashing gales across the sky!