CHAPTER 197: FIRST CLASH AGAINST A GOLDEN CORE REALM CULTIVATOR

The rushing wind howled as the wings of the sword trembled softly.

The circulation of Wang Sheng's true essence had already reached its peak and was now surging through every part of him. Moreover, the qi vortex in his qi sea had long since begun to boil. Although controlling the sword consumed some of it, the subtle aura that his Illusory Core released replenished it almost instantly.

Up ahead, he could already see what was happening above the Ziyan Temple. Enormous fireballs occasionally exploded in the sky, followed by missiles or helicopters being destroyed. Amid the bursts of light and shadow, two figures swiftly and continuously kept themselves out of the effective range of the thermal weapons targeting them.

Attack helicopters could unleash hell from the air to the ground, but before Golden Core Realm cultivators, they were no more than mere targets. Soldiers fell alongside the modern weapons, filling the battlefield with tragedy.

When Wang Sheng caught sight of the rear courtyard of Ziyan Temple, a few lights streaked through the sky, rapidly passing under the feet of the two Golden Core Realm cultivators. They shot straight into the rear courtyard at nearly the speed of sound. A moment later, dense clusters of metal shrapnel erupted in a muted explosion.

Just before the missile warhead detonated, a group of black-clad ninjas rushed to Rufeng—the monk in white robes. Seven or eight simultaneously raised something resembling a primal qi shield, but the shrapnel still tore two of them apart.

Rufeng did not spare the situation around him a single glance. In front of him, the Devil-Sealing Well was surging with blood-red light, as if a spring of blood had erupted from within.

Wang Sheng’s eyes narrowed, fury burning within them. Though still hundreds of meters away, he had already locked onto Rufeng.

The enemy did not hesitate either. The Fire and Wood Elders had already turned and were charging toward him across the sky. The Fire Elder, who was in front, sent out five or six flame serpents at Wang Sheng. They weren't attempting to fight him head-on.

Behind Wang Sheng, two long howls rang out, and the auras of two Golden Core Realm instructors spread through the sky. They had rushed over to defend the Devil-Sealing Well.

"Fei Yu, get down!" one shouted.

Ignoring him, Wang Sheng sped straight toward the two elders, even accelerating slightly. As the flame serpents lunged at him, he flung out two sword cores from his palms and quickly formed sword fingers with both hands. Wrapped in faint golden true essence, the sword cores instantly transformed into flying swords, weaving together a flurry of sword phantasms in front of him. Each flame serpent was shredded in the blink of an eye.

Right after, the two flying swords zipped toward the Fire Elder. Though only at the Illusory Core Realm, Wang Sheng did not falter before his Golden Core Realm opponent.

The Fire Elder roared in response. Now less than a hundred meters from Wang Sheng, he wrapped himself in raging flames. Layers of white-hot fire also began to build in both his palms.

"You’re just an Illusory Core Realm cultivator. You must have a death wish."

Wang Sheng’s expression remained calm and still. However, the bloodlust in his eyes didn't fade. Chanting swift sword incantations, he made the two flying swords twist like twin flood dragons. Their sword radiance interwove in graceful arcs that resembled crisscrossing ribbons, making the wind howl around their trajectory. Though the technique looked like the Wind-Chasing Dual Sword, which required two people, it wasn't quite the same.

The fierce momentum of the two swords captured the Fire Elder's attention. He completely failed to notice the celestial-grade flying sword beneath Wang Sheng’s feet, already glowing with multicolored light.

Fifty meters!

Thirty meters!

As the flying swords closed in on the Fire Elder, the flames enveloping him flared up. Although not as concentrated as they had been during his clash with Qing Yanzi, they were still more than enough to incinerate an ordinary Illusory Core Realm cultivator.

Waves of flame surged. With the wind fanning the fire, the two fierce flying swords were swatted aside with overwhelming force.

The Fire Elder paused in surprise, then burst out laughing in mockery and disdain. He sent several blazing palm phantasms straight at Wang Sheng.

Behind them, the two Golden Core Realm instructors grew furious. A corrupt Golden Core Realm cultivator was about to kill one of the righteous sects' most outstanding young talents just because they were too far away to intervene in time.

Why is that young man being so reckless?

"Fei Yu, get out of there already!" an instructor shouted, but he soon fell silent. Wang Sheng's next move made his jaw drop, allowing the rushing wind to fill his mouth.

Just as the palm phantasms were about to hit him head-on, Wang Sheng suddenly spun in the air twice. He then kicked the end of the sword hilt beneath him with his left foot.

The celestial-grade flying sword unleashed sword radiance as it surged forward, tearing two of the four palm phantasms coming his way. With only seven or eight meters in between him and the swords, the Fire Elder didn't even have time to dodge. The celestial-grade sword shot toward his chest like a meteor.

Suspended in the air, Wang Sheng used true essence to brace himself for the impact, then waited for the remaining two flaming palm phantasms to slam into him. Through it all, he kept his eyes fixed on the celestial-grade sword.

With both hands forming sword fingers, he rapidly tapped his left wrist with his right hand, then gently twisted his left hand toward the front. "This sword has no beginning; this sword has no end! By the boundless heaven and earth, let this sword pierce the firmament!"

The celestial-grade sword accelerated further, making horror flicker in the Fire Elder’s eyes. Simultaneously, Wang Sheng took the two palm phantasms head-on. Though his Flowing Celestial Robe remained unscathed, the impact boiled his blood and sent him tumbling backward.

Across from him, half of a severed hand spun through the air as blood sprayed from the remaining half of the Fire Elder's right palm. The celestial-grade sword was now wrapped in a ball of fire and falling to the ground.

What a pity, Wang Shoung thought.

Still airborne, he spat out a mouthful of blood. The true essence at his feet dispersed, sending him plummeting. The two Golden Core Realm instructors instinctively moved to catch him, but before they could, two flying swords flew in from the side. Wang Sheng tapped them lightly with his toes, slowing his descent. With a renewed surge of true essence beneath his feet, he drifted into the forest below.

Every move, strike, and retreat seemed calculated.

Stirred by Wang Sheng's actions, one of the instructors laughed loudly. "Hahahahaha!"

The Fire Elder tried to chase after Wang Sheng again, but the two instructors had closed in from both sides. Growling lowly, the Fire Elder rationally decided to retreat and regroup with the Wood Elder. Together, they held back the two camouflaged Golden Core Realm instructors.

From the sky, an instructor shouted, "Fei Yu, go kill those Eastern bastards! Leave the Devil-Sealing Well to us!"

Down in the forest, Wang Sheng landed steadily but staggered right after. He then vomited a mouthful of dark blood laced with fire poison. Sitting down immediately, he closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing to return to peak condition.

Wang Sheng forced out another mouthful of clotted blood. Now, he had healed even his smallest internal injury.

The palm phantasms from the Fire Elder could have been fatal to a normal Illusory Core Realm cultivator. Fortunately, the Flowing Celestial Robe had blocked most of the fire poison. Moreover, even without the robe, Wang Sheng’s Pure Yang True Essence could have kept him alive. He had essentially only taken two moderate hits from a Golden Core Realm cultivator.

With the bruises on his left shoulder now gone and his ribs repaired, he released his spiritual consciousness toward the gate of the Ziyan Temple. He felt the mountain tremble nonstop. Beneath the temple, a terrifying power stirred.

Nevertheless, Wang Sheng did not rush forward. He focused on dispelling the lingering impact of his wounds. His next opponent was a Golden Core Realm cultivator. If he were not in perfect condition, he would have little chance of winning.

Despite burning with fury, he remained extraordinarily calm and avoided acting recklessly. Still, he was aware of exactly what he had to do. He would never forgive those who had crossed his bottom line.

Something shifted in the forest.

Mm?

Wang Sheng had just sensed an extremely faint fluctuation of primal qi when a fierce battle broke out in the sky. The auras of four Golden Core Realm cultivators clashed repeatedly, which could have caused the disturbance.

Yet a trace of coldness still flickered in Wang Sheng’s eyes. With shaking fingers, he snapped the strap of the sword case. He then pulled it with his left hand, making it flip over and fall beside him. The faint noise of an engine starting reverberated from within.

The forest quieted down.

Wang Sheng formed a sword finger with his left hand. His celestial-grade flying sword soared up from the left side of the forest, the flames around its blade already shaken off.

Soon, two shadows leaped down from the crowns of two trees behind him. Two ninjato were thrust and swung at him.

Snap!

The metal plate on the front of the sword case popped open and quickly ejected Spiritless. Wang Sheng lunged forward and grabbed the sword's hilt with his right hand. He stepped from Tianshu to Tianji, then shifted to Tianxuan and Yuheng. Right after, he spun around and slashed back.

The two shadows failed to even see how Wang Sheng dodged. All their eyes reflected was the flash of sword radiance as Spiritless cut through them and sent them to the ground. Blood quickly soaked through the grass.

A sharp whistle of a flute then rang out in the forest. Using his spiritual consciousness, Wang Sheng picked up on several figures rapidly closing in on him.

The ninjas were nothing like the half-trained ones from the exchange meeting. However, to their misfortune, their group of well-trained assassins now faced the successor of the Heavenly Ziwei Sword Art, who excelled in footwork and fighting multiple opponents at once.

Wang Sheng still had a calm, slightly cold expression. Sword in hand, he walked toward the Ziyan Temple's gate at a measured pace.

From the forest, shadowy figures converged around him. To them, Wang Sheng was a tempting bait. However, under that bait lay the Seven-Star Footwork, the Heavenly Ziwei Sword, and the Shu Mountains' Sword-Controlling Art.

Cold light gleamed like frost under the lone star. Today, blood would cleanse the night.