Chapter 581: Sighing at Your Ten Thousand Years of Futile Effort

Wang Sheng stepped forward.

Shocked by his remarks, the expressions of the Celestial Wind Sect's delegation darkened. Long Aotian, in particular, felt fury surge from his heart. After all, Wang Sheng had essentially just threatened him right to his face.

Did Lishang and Pi Kachew truly kill Elder Tan Lang? How is that possible?!

It was no secret within the Celestial Wind Sect that Tan Lang and Lin Feiyao had taken five war slaves to intercept and kill the two. However, the messages that they had sent to those elders had sunk like stones into the sea. To make matters worse, Wang Sheng and Lishang were the ones who had returned to the thirteen qi planets.

They all looked at Lishang. Considering they couldn't make sense of this situation, the answer they sought had to be beyond their understanding.

Elder Tan Lang ambushed them before she had even broken through to the Heavenly Immortal Realm, yet she still managed to slay him?! Are the divine abilities of Nuwa's descendants truly that terrifying?

Though the immortals of the Xinghai Sect hadn't spoken of it publicly, they had already heard of this matter earlier and saw no reason to question it. After all, they believed that their vice sect master was simply too formidable. They now simply stroked their beards and smiled faintly, which only further convinced the Celestial Wind Sect.

Xiao Ende and Wei Fu, the two elders of the North-River Sword Sect, also simultaneously looked at Lishang with great surprise and a trace of wariness.

Meanwhile, Lishang merely stood quietly on the high platform. She looked at Wang Sheng as a faint, bitter smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

You really never listen.

Long Aotian glared at Wang Sheng and shouted, "You reckless brat! How dare you speak nonsense?! You're Pi Kachew, an elder of the Xinghai Sect, aren't you? I heard that you possess a sword heart and that you are a rare, prodigious sword cultivator. Even so, everything has limits! What do you hope to gain from making such insane claims, twisting right and wrong, and attempting to smear the reputation of our sect?

"Elder Tan Lang hasn't returned to the Celestial Wind Sect for several thousand years already. We lost track of him long ago. Yet here you are, lying, changing your story, and tripping over your own words. You're truly a master of slander!"

Wang Sheng was momentarily speechless. He then smirked, casually summoned a cup of wine, and laughed. "I did not expect you to possess such manipulative eloquence, Elder Long! After all, you are a veteran of the Celestial Wind Sect—one who has cultivated for hundreds of thousands of years. I suppose this is only natural, though. A tree lives by its bark, and a person by their face. Your skin is thicker than two-hundred-thousand-year-old ironwood!"

"

Hmph!

" Rage filled Long Aotian's squat face as he coldly questioned, "Is this how the Xinghai Sect treats its guests?! You dare let a brat with milk still on his lips bark wildly before me?!"

"Elder Pi," Yao Xingzi called, "Elder Long has profound cultivation, and he's already at the late stage of the Heavenly Immortal Realm. He also possesses many powerful abilities, making him one of the strongest cultivators in all of the thirteen qi stars. Now, do not be overly rude and step back for now."

Wang Sheng cupped his hands. "Sect Master, I know Elder Long wishes to spar with the vice sect master, but I would like to spar with him first. As you know, I recently obtained a rather formidable sword spirit, and I also possess the Thirty-Six Dragon-Slaying Slashes. Considering how difficult it is to have an audience with Elder Long, I am unwilling to let this opportunity pass."

"Well..." Looking troubled, Yao Xingzi pondered for a moment. He then looked at Long Aotian. "What do you think, Elder Long? Why not spar a little with my sect's young elder and show him the gap between you two? This would stop him from spending his days believing that he could rival a Heavenly Immortal, ultimately helping him settle his mind and focus on cultivation."

Long Aotian naturally noticed that Yao Xingzi was playing along with Wang Sheng. The sect master was deliberately provoking him into competing with a mere True Immortal.

Does that young man actually possess some special technique that can restrain me? No, that's illogical. He's only at the early stage of the True Immortal Realm. Even if his sword is a spiritual treasure, he's still absolutely no match for me. Does that mean Lishang's formidable divine abilities are the only reason Tan Lang failed?

Long Aotian's mind raced. He was no fool. After all, he had survived and operated within the thirteen qi planets for so many years. In the blink of an eye, he weighed the pros and cons several times and reached a decision.

"Alright! Alright!"

He appeared furious, yet in truth, his murderous intent had already stirred. Calmly, he declared, "Since we're only sparring, I will not waste time on words. If you have the guts, then meet me outside the palace!"

Wang Sheng replied calmly, "Why don't we fight outside the mountain gate instead?"

"

Hmph!

" Long Aotian turned and walked toward the exit.

All the immortals in the palace also rose to their feet. With each group sticking to one side, they left the building in great numbers and prepared to watch the battle.

Before Wang Sheng could follow them, Lishang pressed a slender hand on his shoulder. She telepathically said, "

Don't overestimate yourself. Exacting vengeance takes time. More importantly, Long Aotian has many hidden talents and is extremely difficult to deal with.

"

Wang Sheng softly replied, "

Don't worry. I know my limits.

"

Lishang only nodded gently in acknowledgment. Golden light enveloped her lower body as she transformed her tail into a pair of jade feet. Barefoot, she stepped onto the slightly cool floor and lightly hooked her arm around Wang Sheng's.

This action had no other purpose apart from giving her a suitable and easily acceptable reason to intervene once he proved no match for Long Aotian later. Still, seeing the two being so intimate—with Lishang even proactively switching to her human form and leaning against him like a delicate bird—inevitably made the Celestial Wind Sect feel envious. On the other hand, the Xinghai Sect's immortals felt overly satisfied.

Once outside the palace, Wang Sheng patted the back of Lishang's hand to silently convey his gratitude. He then stood fifty meters away from Long Aotian, took out two thin black threads, and bound the wide sleeves of his Daoist robe. His eyes gleamed with spiritual light.

Long Aotian kept his hands clasped behind his back, carrying himself with the aloof bearing of a supreme being. Still, the moment Wang Sheng drew out the Dragon Sword, Long Aotian unconsciously frowned slightly. Not only did the sword make him feel vaguely uncomfortable, but Wang Sheng's aura also steadily rose from the early stage of the True Immortal to its middle stage, then late stage.

A draconic roar reverberated as the Dragon Sword unleashed astonishing killing intent!

The greatsword's appearance had changed significantly since Wang Sheng had gotten it. Though it was still golden, its blade was now as cold as refined iron. Moreover, along the blade were neatly arranged dragon scales that emitted a pure aura reminiscent of the Azure Dragon.

Failing to recognize the origin of the sword, Long Aotian simply assumed that it belonged to Nuwa's descendant.

Wang Sheng slung the Dragon Sword across his back. An azure dragon flew out from its hilt and slowly coiled around him.

With a soft snap, he then pressed his palms together and slowly parted them, making immortal light flow between his hands and condense into Flying Cloud. It gleamed from end to end without revealing the existence of its sword core.

Holding Flying Cloud, Wang Sheng assumed a stance and gazed at Long Aotian. Having merged with the Dragon Sword's sword spirit, he nearly reached the Heavenly Immortal Realm. Long Aotian's cultivation realm still exceeded his by a great margin, but in terms of raw power, Wang Sheng could now give him a run for his money.

The North-River Sword Sect elders' eyes gleamed as they stared and observed the Dragon Sword. They seemed far more interested in it than in his sudden surge in cultivation. Since they were sword cultivators—and discerning ones at that—a glance was enough for them to tell that it had already given birth to a sword spirit.

To possess such a sword was the lifelong wish of countless sword cultivators, and the two were no exception.

Their sect had many Heavenly Immortals, but it only had a few swords with sword spirits. Golden Immortal Realm elders owned most of them, nurturing them over countless years. Hence, they wouldn't just lend or pass such swords down to anyone.

Sword spirits generally remained fiercely loyal to their masters for as long as their master's mindset hadn't corrupted them. If outsiders tried to seize them, they would fight to the death to protect their master, choosing to shatter themselves rather than submit to a powerful enemy.

Hence, the two North-River Sword Sect elders' eyes filled with envy that wasn't tainted with malicious intent.

With his hands still behind his back, Long Aotian calmly commented, "So that's why you're confident enough to provoke me, huh?"

Instead of taking out even just one treasured artifact, he simply kept staring at Wang Sheng with disdain.

Wang Sheng chuckled. "Ready when you are, Elder Long."

"Come. How about I give you a head start and let you have the first few moves?"

"Well, don't mind if I do. Thank you for being so generous, Elder Long."

Wang Sheng slowly lifted Flying Cloud and pointed its tip straight at Long Aotian's throat. Afterward, he took a seemingly normal step forward and unleashed immortal power. Moving at light speed, he instantly appeared before Long Aotian and thrust his sword at the elder's neck!

Long Aotian just snorted coldly. Without even raising a hand, a barrier of immortal power appeared around him. Relying solely on his overwhelmingly profound cultivation, he blocked Wang Sheng's attack head-on, stopping Flying Cloud three meters away from him. A shockwave rippled in all directions, yet it couldn't advance even an inch.

The clash seemed to be showing the absolute gap in their strength.

Wang Sheng's legs remained in a bow stance, his attack frozen in place. His sword, hand, arm, and body moved as an inseparable entity.

Xiao Ende sighed softly in admiration. "Splendid form!"

Just as Long Aotian was about to observe Wang Sheng's expression, his expression darkened.

Those North-River Sword Sect elders are appraising treasures again instead of doing their jobs properly!

With his head slightly lowered, Wang Sheng smirked faintly and unleashed the force accumulated within the bow stance. He slid sharply to the left and used his Seven-Star Footwork, surrounding Long Aotian with layers upon layers of afterimages!

From stillness to motion in an instant, Wang Sheng displayed astonishing control, which was directly related to the elevation of his bloodline!

Explosions rang out nonstop. Wang Sheng successively circled Long Aotian more than ten times while unleashing the full power of his Pure Yang Sword Song.

With his expression growing solemn, Long Aotian unclasped his hands behind his back and started moving them restlessly. Using immortal power to block Wang Sheng's sword strikes in midair was no easy feat. It generally required at least tenfold the immortal power of each attack.

From the very first strike, Wang Sheng had already realized that Long Aotian had formed a spherical barrier around himself. However, the immortal power imbued into the barrier wasn't evenly distributed. Most of it was concentrated on the front, which was how Long Aotian had managed to block his offensive.

With that in mind, Wang Sheng quickly changed his approach. He launched attacks from all directions, forcing Long Aotian to concentrate his immortal power according to the angle of each strike.

After only a dozen exchanges, the Celestial Wind Sect elder could no longer maintain his lofty posture. He moved his hands continuously, rapidly mobilizing immortal power. It looked as though he was using his bare palms to fend off the sword phantasms that kept appearing around him. The faster the sword phantasms became, the more chaotic the palm phantasms grew!

Long Aotian was already showing signs of distress, while Wang Sheng capitalized on the maximum essence and subtlety of his Seven-Star Footwork. His sword momentum surged like wind fanning the flames.

The shockwaves were so strong that they reached the front of the main palace, forcing all immortals and celestial soldiers who hadn't yet reached the True Immortal Realm to retreat farther.

Moments later, Wang Sheng broke through the rhythm of Long Aotian's defense. A sweeping burst of sword energy flew straight toward Long Aotian's neck.

At that moment, a draconic roar echoed, and the somewhat squat Long Aotian exploded with terrifying power. He raised both hands to the sky as immortal power surged outward in all directions!

Like a raging gale or a crashing tsunami, he used pure brute force to suppress all else!

The restrictions on the plaza in front of the palace shattered instantly. The ground and stairs within a thousand meters exploded at the same time! With a flick of his fly whisk, Yao Xingzi shielded the great palace.

Meanwhile, by the time the violent winds blew, Flying Cloud had already brought Wang Sheng swiftly into the air.

He strode through the raging wind as if walking on nothingness. With each step, a Tai Chi diagram formed under his feet, and a Pure Yang Sword Song technique was unleashed, causing streams of sword energy to cross and slash!

A thin line of blood appeared on Long Aotian's neck, causing his lips to twitch slightly.

The dragon fiend leaped. As his wide sleeves billowed, he formed the shape of a dragon's claw with his right hand and reached for Wang Sheng's head!

"Die!"