Chapter 681: Slaying the Golden Immortal, Recruiting the Foolish Tiger

In only half a day, the fierce battle between Golden Immortals had completely reshaped the already unstable surface of the desolate planet.

Fortunately, the grand array had held. Otherwise, the planet would have shattered; its core could have even been blasted through.

The ground shook, and the mountains trembled the entire time they fought in a life-or-death battle.

Hundreds of immortals died miserably in this senseless melee. No one knew who struck first, and no one understood the reason behind it. Everyone simply went mad and tried to crush every living being they saw.

The twelve Golden Immortals, in particular, slaughtered without restraint. The three hundred Heavenly Immortals were wiped out before long.

Standing on the edge of a volcanic crater, Wang Sheng glanced back at the girl floating quietly behind him. Her flowing dress had turned a pale gray. The human-faced vine leaves wrapped around her had turned blood red, making her look even more "vivid" and strangely "pure."

Just as Wang Sheng was about to leave, Ling Sheng suddenly opened her eyes. The phenomena that altered her appearance disappeared as she stepped forward and followed him. A trace of panic showed in her gaze, as though she feared her master would abandon her here.

Softly, he instructed, "Let's go. Time to finish them off."

He formed a sword finger with his left hand. Nine immortal swords, which he had hastily forged, flew out from his sleeve. They spun gently as they circled him.

Wang Sheng could still sense more than a dozen faint auras in the array. However, they were all already at the end of their lives and as weak as a dying breath.

He first sought out two severely wounded Golden Immortals.

One of them was particularly miserable. Half of him had been blasted off, while the remaining half was covered in wounds of varying severity. Even his Primordial Spirit had nearly been completely shattered.

He had won the earlier clash—a meaningless victory.

Wang Sheng and Ling Sheng descended to the edge of a deep crater. The Golden Immortal's bloodshot eyes immediately turned toward them, and faint ripples of aura began to stir across him.

Frowning slightly, Wang Sheng pointed his sword finger downward. The nine flying swords shrieked downward and struck the Golden Immortal repeatedly.

Even Wang Sheng had not expected that he would defeat a Golden Immortal in this situation. What surprised him more was that even after unleashing his Sword-Controlling Art at full force, it still took him considerable effort to completely snuff the life of his incapacitated target.

Turning around, he looked over the ground, which was carved with trenches and craters. Severed limbs and mutilated corpses were scattered everywhere. He fell silent for a moment.

"Ling Sheng, how exactly does your divine ability work?"

The girl behind him tilted her head slightly, looking confused. "

Mm?

"

"How do you control these cultivators and make them slaughter each other?"

She shook her head gently. "I'm not sure either, Master. When someone walks into the area where I release those seeds, I can vaguely see the malice hidden in their hearts. Once I do, their malice grows very quickly.

"All living beings carry evil within them, and every outcome eventually bears bitter fruit. Unless one has completely gotten rid of their malevolence, like saints or quasi-saints, it should be very difficult for them to suppress its growth."

Wang Sheng nodded slowly.

He pondered Ling Sheng's remarks as he traveled toward where other survivors could be.

All living beings carry evil within them, and every outcome bears bitter fruit.

In a way, it seemed somewhat similar to his Myriad-Slaying Sword Intent.

Perhaps the lingering killing intent along the way had stirred something within him. The Myriad-Slaying Sword Intent inside him began to stir restlessly as well. Fortunately, the small wooden sword that usually lazed around trembled lightly, sparing him a great deal of trouble.

The Heavenly Immortals and Golden Immortals who had died here left behind vast vitality. All of it had transformed into death auras, which Ling Sheng absorbed.

By now, Ling Sheng's cultivation had already deepened so much that even Wang Sheng found it difficult to see through her. No matter how strong she became, she would only ever have one divine ability. Still, the stronger she grew, the wider the area she could spread her seeds. Moreover, not only would she live longer, but it would become much harder for powerful enemies to destroy her.

In truth, she would display her greatest power in battles like the one that transpired on the ancient battlefield near the Realm of Exiled Immortals. In such a massive war, just one of her kind could kill a hundred thousand celestial soldiers without spilling even a drop of blood herself.

Beings like her were simply too heaven-defying.

Wang Sheng soon found seven or eight severely wounded Heavenly Immortals—the last survivors of their respective small battlefields. On the verge of death, they had all been hiding in remote corners.

He swept his sword finger through the air, making his flying swords descend and kill them.

At that moment, Wang Sheng felt his Dao Heart changing inexplicably, but he could not tell whether it was good or bad. He only sensed that he had become more indifferent. A heavy pressure also seemingly gathered in his heart—one he could not release.

I still have to endure this kind of life for ten more years.

Wang Sheng muttered under his breath, "That damned Wang Shan."

He soon located the second severely wounded Golden Immortal. However, he hesitated to make his move this time. In the end, instead of killing his target, he carried and tossed him near the exit of the grand array.

Once it opened again later, he hoped the immortal would manage to escape and scare the ones outside with his miserable state. That could count as defeating the enemy without fighting. On the other hand, it could also attract a few Taiyi Golden Immortals instead.

Wang Sheng searched and finished off a few more survivors. When he finally found the last one—a peak-stage Heavenly Immortal hidden in the farthest corner—he could not help but frown.

It's him again.

The same troublesome and reckless physical cultivator he had encountered in the divine tree's array and on Qiling now sat in a crack in the ground.

Covered in blood, the burly man gasped for air as blood gushed out of a gaping hole in his chest. His eyes were still completely red, which meant he was still under the effects of Ling Sheng's divine ability. In such a condition, he couldn't even heal his injuries.

Wang Sheng placed his right hand behind his back. He then formed a sword finger with his left hand and pointed it upward at an angle. However, he felt as though someone had grabbed his wrist, preventing him from swinging it down.

The reckless brute glared at Wang Sheng. He bared his teeth and trembled all over, looking exactly like a dying ferocious beast.

Wang Sheng turned his head and, in a hushed tone, instructed, "Release your control over him."

He lowered his sword finger. The nine immortal swords dimmed and hovered calmly around him.

"Yes, Master," Ling Sheng replied.

She extended her slender hand toward the burly man, making a wisp of pale-green light drift out of him. As the blood-red color in the man's eyes quickly faded, he clutched his chest and let out a muffled groan.

Wang Sheng spoke calmly. "Would you rather I kill you or spare you?"

"It's you!" The burly man bared his teeth again and cursed. "So you're the sneaky one behind this! How dare you use such vicious tricks?! If you have the guts, then fight me in single combat—actually, forget it. I probably still can't beat you even in a fair fight."

He loudly cursed a few more times, but he clearly wasn't stupid. While talking, he had already begun secretly taking out a few alchemical pills.

Wang Sheng's sword finger flicked lightly, making two flying swords drop down and plunge straight into the man's wound. Cold light then spread from the blades and locked down his weak Primordial Spirit, which was now even feebler than that of a True Immortal.

"If you want to die, I can give you a swift end. If you want to live, swear loyalty and serve me. The decision is yours."

The burly man glared and roared, "Do you even know who my master is?!"

Wang Sheng only smiled.

Ling Sheng frowned slightly at the side. She raised a delicate finger and pointed at the burly man, ready to use her divine ability, but Wang Sheng stopped her with a gesture.

He calmly remarked, "Someone wearing the same mask as me probably captured you. Do you know who he is?"

The burly man frowned. "Your master?"

"No. My master is a rather special existence. The person who captured you wants to play me to death." Wang Sheng's mouth twitched faintly. "So I need helpers. I will tell you the truth. If you swear loyalty to me, there is still a high chance you will die here."

The burly man muttered, "Then just give me a quick death!"

"Fine."

Wang Sheng moved as if he were about to strike, but the burly man hurriedly shouted for him to wait. His eyes darted about frantically as his bitter smile deepened.

"Why is my luck so terrible?!" the burly man complained. "I was just cultivating peacefully when the old man insisted on throwing me out to see the world. Next thing I know, I get dragged to this miserable wasteland.

"I only wanted to squeeze a few benefits from the Qiling Immortal Sect, yet somehow, that bastard wearing the same mask as you ended up capturing me. As if that wasn't bad enough, I also got dragged into a fight for no reason at all and almost got myself killed in the process! What is up with this ridiculous mess?!"

"You already lost to me in the divine tree's grand array. Why would following me make you feel wronged?"

"Fine, then. I can be your follower, but you have to swear first that you will not use me as cannon fodder!"

Wang Sheng nodded. "Alright."

He immediately swore an oath on the Great Dao that he would treat all of his subordinates equally.

"Alright, then. I'm a person who judges people by their face." The burly man grinned. "Take off your mask and let me have a look. If you—"

A cold light flashed in Wang Sheng's eyes. One of the flying swords stirred slightly inside the wound.

"I swear loyalty! I swear loyalty!"

Wang Sheng nodded. "Take the oath properly."

The burly man lowered his head and cursed under his breath. He was clearly extremely unwilling.

"I swear on the Great Dao that I will follow you until we leave this place! I will listen to you and let you beat me as much as you want!"

Wang Sheng calmly countered, "Do it again. There shouldn't be a time limit."

The burly man angrily roared back, "Don't push your luck! Tigers[1] have dignity too!"

The flying sword stirred again. The burly man screamed in misery and quickly changed his tone. With grief and fury in his eyes, he glared at Wang Sheng and swore the oath on the Great Dao again.

Wang Sheng nodded, then added, "Make two more vows. First, under no circumstances may you attack me or any of my friends or family. Second, you may not scheme against me in any way or attract powerful enemies to me. If you break your oath, the Great Dao will abandon you, and heavenly punishment will strike you dead."

The burly man turned as pale as ash. He gritted his teeth and glared at Wang Sheng for a long moment, but eventually swore the additional vows as well.

Right after, three muffled thunders echoed in the sky, and three streaks of purple lightning struck down behind Wang Sheng. The burly man stared in shock.

"Does a casual oath really work like that?"

"What did you expect?"

Wang Sheng snorted. He withdrew the immortal swords and casually tossed over a jade bottle. Inside were two celestial pills for healing.

He then told Ling Sheng, "Keep an eye on him. If he does anything unusual, put him under your control immediately."

Ling Sheng lowered her head. "Yes, Master."

The burly man rolled his eyes and grabbed the jade bottle. Just as he was about to crush it, he suddenly froze. It looked strangely familiar.

The burly man ground his teeth as he shouted, "Damn it! So it really was you, you sword-playing monkey!"

Wang Sheng just laughed cheerfully in response.

Before long, he flew back toward the volcanic crater where he had hidden earlier. Flying swords circled him as he traveled. The burly man floated behind him, supported by two flying swords.

Ling Sheng followed beside them. She looked as though she was taking care of the injured man, but in truth, she was keeping him under watch. The burly man stole glances at the graceful girl from time to time. He even blushed faintly.

"M-miss, what's your name?"

"Ling Sheng."

"O-oh. My name is Hu Chang. Hope we get along..."

Ling Sheng replied softly, "

Mm.

"

Hu Chang scratched his head and grinned foolishly. He seemed to have completely forgotten that he had just become someone else's subordinate.

Wang Sheng soon stopped in midair. Ling Sheng and the two flying swords carrying Hu Chang did as well.

Hu Chang raised his head and looked ahead. His eyes instantly filled with fury.

He saw the man in black who had captured him. The figure appeared strangely in front of them. Behind the withered wood mask, those eyes were fixed on Wang Sheng.

Wang Sheng let out a mocking laugh and spoke calmly. "What is it? Do you think I passed this test too easily and want to increase the difficulty, O'

Great

Divine Guardian?"

Wang Shan glanced at Ling Sheng and Hu Chang, but he didn't make a move. He just dissolved into a cloud of gray mist and quietly faded away, leaving behind only a sigh.

"It seems I underestimated that Ghost Heart Vine."

1. The burly man's surname "Hu" means tiger ☜