World's No. 1 Swordsman-Chapter 108: Encirclement

Amid the calm evening tide, Spiritless hummed softly. Yellow sand suddenly filled the air, and a toast was met with laughter.

Violent fluctuations of primal qi stirred erratic gusts of wind. Thunder rumbled, flames flared, and furious shouts echoed across the battlefield as whirlwinds surged in all directions. On the shores of the Yellow Sea—with the surface of the sea mirroring the vast starry sky—erupted the first great battle of the cultivation world since the resurgence of primal qi.

When primal qi returned, Cultivators who had practiced for over a decade or even several decades advanced at a tremendous pace. They refined their true essence, gathered spiritual consciousness, formed their Dao Seed, and eventually opened their Illusory Core. Now, they fought to the death using their Daoist arts.

Since the Special Warfare Unit instructors had come from different Daoist sects, the battle could be considered the first direct confrontation between the righteous and the corrupt.

Among them, Mu Wanxuan was undoubtedly the most dazzling. Having reached the late-stage Seed Formation Realm, she used the profound mysteries of the yin-yang qi to single-handedly hold back the Sturdy Iron God, a veteran among the corrupt cultivators. Meanwhile, although only at the early-stage Seed Formation Realm, Wang Sheng faced dozens of corrupt cultivators with nothing but his sword.

Fei Lianzi of the Shu Sword Sect... was doing alright. Although he had been cultivating for twenty to thirty years, his Daoist realm was still lower than that of the ten Illusory Core experts, and he lacked Mu Wanxuan's extraordinary talent. Hence, he ended up as a supporting figure who made the two young cultivators shine.

Unlike them, he could hardly be considered young.

Before Wang Sheng summoned Spiritless, the outcome of the battle had already been decided. The corrupt cultivators had placed their last shred of hope on the Earth Sand God, believing he could capture Chi Ling.

Hence, Wang Sheng found the situation quite simple. He only had to hold off the Earth Sand God for a short while, and the battle would be a complete victory. Nothing else mattered.

Seven-Star Footwork: Stars Synchronization!

He charged through the waves with his sword in hand. Its blade reflected the vast starlit sky, leaving behind a faint trail on the water's surface.

The Earth Sand God's face filled with rage. His Illusory Core spun rapidly as he swept up a cloud of sand and sent it slicing across the sea, attempting to trap Wang Sheng within. Fei Lianzi had already fallen prey to the same technique twice, yet he still couldn't break free.

Two inches of sword radiance extended from Spiritless as Wang Sheng thrust it forward, dispersing the incoming force. Right after, he completely removed the true essence under his feet, plunging him into the sea. With its target gone, the sweeping sand struck the water's surface instead, preventing it from having any effect.

Splash!

Wang Sheng resurfaced and leaped into the air. As his sword vibrated in his grip, waves of sword qi whistled and flew toward the Earth Sand God in retaliation. However, the earth-yellow glow enveloping the Earth Sand God shimmered slightly, completely nullifying the attack.

The overwhelming difference between their realms was now more apparent than ever. Still, instead of backing off, Wang Sheng took a few steps forward, closing the distance between them and preparing for close combat.

The Earth Sand God conjured a dirt ball in his palm and pressed it downward. The surrounding primal qi was rapidly drained into it and even pulled Wang Sheng with tremendous force.

Had he countered it with the Dual-Polarity Sword Intent, he would've had a seventy to eighty percent chance of breaking the attack. However, he chose to take a more unconventional approach. Pushing through with the Seven-Star Sword Intent, he exploited the force pulling at him to thrust Spiritless straight at his opponent's throat.

The attack lacked unnecessary variation. It was purely about speed and precision.

The Earth Sand God sneered with contempt. If he had time to speak, he would have scoffed and mocked, "Your reputation is undeserved. Wudang's Seven-Star Sword Technique is nothing special."

Instinctively, he tilted his head to dodge while he reached out to grab the blade with his left hand, which he had wrapped in dense true essence. Though Spiritless was fast, his reactions as an Illusory Core Realm cultivator were just as quick.

Upon securing his grip on the longsword, he channeled his full true essence into his right hand and hit Wang Sheng with a palm strike. However, Wang Sheng remained completely unfazed. He looked eerily calm, as if none of this mattered to him.

Something's wrong!

A sudden realization struck Earth Sand God, but it was already too late. He was already grasping Spiritless' blade. Wang Sheng abruptly twisted his wrist, shifting the sword's angle, and slashed horizontally. The sharp edge of the blade severed four gnarled fingers and half of a thumb clean off the Earth Sand God's hand.

A violent tremor erupted from the Earth Sand God's Illusory Core. He radiated a dazzling yellow light as a massive force sent Wang Sheng flying backward.

How is this possible? I have clearly enveloped my hand in true essence... The old man clutched the bleeding stump of his hand. Watching his severed fingers sink into the sea, he roared furiously.

Wang Sheng staggered across the water's surface for a dozen steps before finally steadying himself. Blood churned in his chest, and he spat out a mouthful of it.

"I'm fine!" he immediately shouted, fearing that his senior sister would be distracted because of him. Right now, Mu Wanxuan was facing the notorious Sturdy Iron God, a true menace—not some lowly corrupt cultivator like before. There was no room for error.

With his fingers gone, the Earth Sand God lost all composure. He charged at Wang Sheng, screaming, "I'll kill you! I swear I'll kill you!"

Before he could reach him, however, a flying sword whistled through the air. Fei Lianzi had finally broken free and rushed over. "Fei Yu, let's take him down together! Don't let him escape!"

Wang Sheng nodded and advanced using the Seven-Star Footwork. Spiritless howled as he once again faced the Earth Sand God head-on. Just as he closed in, he repeated his earlier tactic—diving into the sea.

The Earth Sand God could not move efficiently in water. With his footwork and techniques significantly weakened, he had no choice but to curse furiously.

Fei Lianzi learned from Wang Sheng. Instead of fighting head-on, he simply retreated into the water whenever the Earth Sand God attacked. As soon as Wang Sheng drew the enemy's attention, he would emerge again to strike from the side. freewēbnoveℓ.com

Utilizing the sea as part of their strategy, Wang Sheng and Fei Lianzi easily took cover and coordinated their attacks from all angles.

Clouded by rage, the Earth Sand God roared in anger as he repeatedly sent waves of palm force crashing into the sea. However, his attacks failed to even scratch Wang Sheng and Fei Lianzi.

At that moment, Zixiaoyao used a voice transmission technique to shout across the battlefield. "Hey guys, I just got invited here. They're the ones slaughtering indiscriminately, not me. I haven't killed anyone. I won't be sticking around for this."

Several cultivators turned toward her, finding her standing at the edge of the sea. Her opponent, Yan Zhengnan, was on one knee on the sand, clutching his chest as blood dripped steadily onto the beach. A jade hairpin was embedded in his torso, binding him in place and radiating thin strands of emerald-green light.

Zixiaoyao chuckled softly and then backed off, aiming to slip into the seawater and disappear.

Yan Zhengnan, the old acquaintance of Qing Yanzi who had lent Wang Sheng a treasured sword, growled lowly in pain as the jade hairpin trembled violently and slowly shifted outward. His eyes turned bloodshot with fury.

Bang!

Before Zixiaoyao could reach the sea, a gunshot rang out from within the forest. Shuddering, she skimmed sideways across the water. Her dense true essence had completely blocked the bullet, which relied purely on kinetic force to kill.

Simultaneously, someone shot past Yan Zhengnan like a beam of light from twenty to thirty meters away. With their longsword, they slashed at Zixiaoyao in quick succession. Three pale-green arcs of sword energy streaked through the air toward her.

If Wang Sheng had the time to glance over, he would have instantly recognized the sword art as Wudang's Taiyi Golden Immortal Sword art!

"You bastards! Just how many dogs does the government have?" Zixiaoyao cursed. She drifted like a falling willow leaf, narrowly avoiding the sword qi.

Just as she was about to dive into the sea, the sword-wielding instructor swung his blade, sending ripples across the water's surface. Arcs of sword radiance cut through the waves, completely sealing off her escape routes.

Meanwhile, like soaring hawks, four more swooped in from above the forest. Two immediately joined Wang Sheng and Fei Lianzi, another attacked the Flowing Water God, and the last rushed to aid Mu Wanxuan.

The remaining corrupt cultivators' expressions turned grim.

The Flowing Water God snorted coldly and quickly formed a simple hand seal. Right after, she released an explosion, firing countless water arrows in all directions.

The two instructors attempting to flank her frowned in irritation rather than surprise. They immediately intercepted the incoming projectiles.

Zhang Zikuang shouted, "That's not an escape technique! It's just a distraction! Her real body is still right there!"

The two instructors immediately turned back; the Flowing Water God had already reappeared. She chuckled lowly before wrapping herself in a current of water and slipping past them, swiftly heading for the sea.

"Ah-Tie, we should—" The Flowing Water God suddenly froze in place. She looked down in shock and saw two Tai Chi koi—one pure white, the other pure black—slowly swimming in a circle beneath her feet.

Ten meters away, Mu Wanxuan had assumed a solid stance, her left foot in the seawater and her right foot on the sand. Her eyes were lightly shut, seemingly focusing on her other senses. Extending her right hand toward the Flowing Water God, she clenched her fist and shook her arm.

The Flowing Water God let out a muffled groan as she stumbled backward. A small fist imprint had appeared on the water shield protecting her chest.

Due to the difference in their cultivation realms, Mu Wanxuan failed to injure the Flowing Water God with her punch. However, she had stalled her long enough.

If the two instructors failed to seize this opportunity, they would have no face to show to the Special Warfare Unit. Hence, without hesitation, they attacked with everything they had. Talismans, spells, and sword arts were all unleashed in unison.

Not long after, a longsword softly pierced through the Flowing Water God's chest. The glow of her Illusory Core flickered briefly before fading.

Out at sea, the Wudang instructor had already pushed Zixiaoyao into a desperate situation. His exquisite sword art left her with nowhere to escape.

Meanwhile, the two instructors who had come to support Wang Sheng launched a flurry of palm strikes at the Earth Sand God. They instantly relieved all pressure from Wang Sheng and Fei Lianzi.

A dark-skinned instructor laughed heartily. "Good work, Kid! Go take a break! You'll get all the credit!"

Instead of arguing against the instruction, Wang Sheng simply lowered his sword and drifted backward.

Fei Lianzi, on the other hand, found himself in an awkward position. He had the same seniority as the instructors and was even slightly older than them, leaving him wondering if he should step aside or keep fighting.

Forget it. I might as well keep fighting.

Wang Sheng glanced at the battlefield. The Flowing Water God had just been eliminated. Daoist Iron Eagle and Duan Kongming had both fallen as well. Showing full confidence in the Wudang instructor's ability, Zhang Zikuang and the other three turned their focus to surrounding the Sturdy Iron God.

Scattered fights were still breaking out within the forest as the Special Warfare Unit's elite forces hunted down the stragglers. Brief skirmishes also erupted in the surrounding waters. Soon, however, bodies of corrupt cultivators began floating to the surface.

Tonight, they would not stop until the corrupt cultivators were annihilated.

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