World's No. 1 Swordsman-Chapter 40: Daoist Priests Encounter Soldiers

Sizzles reverberated as the fierce spirit stopped and convulsed. Roaring, it raised its sharp claws.

The talismans had worked; they had scorched the red-scaled malevolent ghost. However, its soul power soon melted them away, disintegrating them into three clumps of ash and scattering them.

"It worked!" Zhou Yinglong's spirit was momentarily lifted, but his smile soon disappeared.

The spirit had turned its head and fixed its gaze on him. It then ferociously lunged five or six meters. Gripping his treasured sword tightly, Zhou Yinglong drew in a cold breath and quickly retreated.

As Zhou Yinglong fell back, the Li family shrieked in terror; two or three nearly collapsed from fright. Those watching from a distance turned and ran straight for the main gate.

Amid the chaos, a slanted sword radiance flashed in front of the attic. Several sword slashes struck the spirit's arm and back as Wang Sheng began reciting the exorcism incantation at breakneck speed.

Now focused on Wang Sheng, the spirit lunged at him. In response, Wang Sheng relied on his Seven-Star Footwork to dance around it while reciting his incantations.

Zhou Yinglong was evidently far too weak to join the fight. Even so, he did not want to just stand and watch. Hence, he resorted to far simpler ways to assist.

"Be careful, Junior Brother Wang! I'll try to hit it with more talismans!"

He couldn't help but think about Shi Qianzhang of the Longhu Mountains and Liu Yunzhi of Mount Mao. If either of them were with Wang Sheng instead, they could have already exorcised the vicious ghost.

Feeling rather useless, Zhou Yinglong sighed quietly. However, he quickly gathered his resolve. This was not the time to pity himself.

Wang Sheng deliberately lured the red-scaled spirit in circles, making it easier for Zhou Yinglong to hit. His senior soon struck it in the back with two talisman-wrapped stones, making it sizzle and convulse.

Exploiting its momentary weakness, Wang Sheng launched a fierce assault. He danced around the spirit as he surrounded it with twenty-one sword phantasms. The sword phantasms then streaked toward the spirit, making it spatter blood-like mist.

The creature was truly resilient.

Wang Sheng took a quick breath while maintaining his offense and keeping his true essence expenditure rate under control. Since the ghost seemed unkillable through conventional means, he had no other option but to wear it down.

Their fight led them away from the front of Li Shishan's attic, through the west wing, and finally toward the main gate. He had just participated in a mere sparring match on Mount Mao not too long ago, yet he was now engaged in a real, life-or-death battle.

Still, Wang Sheng felt no regret. Had he faced the corrupt cultivator in the security uniform half an hour earlier, he still wouldn't have immediately killed him. Instead, he would have opted to render him immobile and find a way to cripple his cultivation. After all, he would rather not resort to certain actions unless he had no other choice.

Although the environment nowadays made chivalrous acts and fiend-slaying more difficult, Wang Sheng would certainly act when presented with the opportunity. He couldn't bring himself to disappoint his master, who had instilled in him a spirit of righteous heroism for so many years.

In just over ten minutes of fierce combat, Wang Sheng and the spirit had half-destroyed the Li residence's once beautiful garden. At the very least, though, Wang Sheng had managed to lure the spirit away from the most valuable main house attic, avoiding even greater losses for the Li family. They had collected exorcism fees earlier, after all. Their service had to be flawless.

As the fierce spirit grew more ferocious, Wang Sheng's sword technique became even more ethereal. He had not perfected even the Seven-Star Sword Formation to this extent. One after another, insights began to well up in Wang Sheng's heart.

He wished he could find a secluded place to close himself off and delve deeply into the Dao of the Sword. However, if he paused even for a moment now, the fierce spirit would strike him down with a single slap, and if he allowed the fierce spirit to roam unchecked, the nearby civilians would undoubtedly suffer.

Facing the fierce spirit head-on put Wang Sheng under immense pressure. In truth, he'd be no match for it if he fought it directly using only his true essence and spiritual consciousness. He could only depend on his exquisite sword formation to keep the battle going. free𝑤ebnovel.com

Zhou Yinglong had thrown over thirty talisman-wrapped stones in succession, but they posed a limited threat to the spirit; they could not cause any substantive damage. Noticing that he wasn't much help, he assisted in clearing the battlefield instead. He even carried Zhang outside and removed the poisoned needle from his neck, though he still showed no signs of regaining consciousness.

The Li family and their staff had all gone outside, anxiously waiting under a streetlamp. Soon, they heard sirens in the distance, making Zhou Yinglong pause. With his sword in hand, he rushed toward the main gate of the Li residence.

The Li residence was not far from the local police substation of the Armed Police[1], and Li Shishan was a locally famous philanthropist. Moreover, the emergency call had been frantic. They exclaimed that a monster was killing people, then bursts of screams followed.

In today's Hua Republic, the commonfolk prospered, and crimes had decreased significantly compared to decades ago. Hence, murders were exceedingly rare in small towns.

Nevertheless, a year ago, a directive had been issued: all police officers on duty were to carry firearms and sufficient ammunition. They also improved their shooting and close-combat training.

A murder case that night—involving a major local taxpayer—had made the police respond several times faster than usual. As the increasingly urgent sirens echoed, Zhou Yinglong stomped his foot, turned, and charged into the Li residence.

Utter chaos greeted him. Broken ornamental rocks, collapsed stone bridges, toppled outdoor lights, and arches that had been smashed to pieces...

In the distance, illuminated by several searchlights, the red-scaled malevolent ghost roared continuously and charged wildly at anyone nearby. However, it repeatedly missed its mark.

The corrupt cultivator in the security uniform had clearly already lost all sense. The spirit's frenzied will to destroy was the only thing driving it now. Otherwise, it would not have turned away from Li Shishan, its original target, and relentlessly pursued the elusive Wang Sheng.

Around the fierce spirit, the young man in a dark-blue Daoist robe relentlessly unleashed sword radiance. Abyss Listener, its blade as smooth as water, shimmered with rippling light as it surrounded the fierce spirit with dazzling phantasms.

Compared to its initial ferocity, the fierce spirit's movements had considerably slowed down. Additionally, the more Wang Sheng cleaved through its outer skin with his sword, the more severe the damage he dealt. It was evident that the power of the fierce spirit was beginning to wane.

Junior Brother Wang, have you really been cultivating for only a few years?

Zhou Yinglong sighed softly; he had lost count of how many times he had sighed.

Before he met Wang Sheng, he had thought quite highly of himself. He was a rising star in Wudang, one of the top ten among the younger generation of disciples, and belonged to the sect master's lineage. His entire life had given him a deep-seated pride.

Now, Wang Sheng had completely crushed whatever little pride Zhou Yinglong had left. When it came to swordsmanship, he was like a kindergartener, and Wang Sheng was a high schooler. Furthermore, Wang Sheng was already at the late-stage Spirit Convergence Realm, and Zhou Yinglong knew that as their cultivation realms advanced, the gap between them would only widen further.

Zhou Yinglong tried to console himself by thinking that if he worked hard, he could still catch up to his junior brother's cultivation realm. However, he quickly remembered that Wang Sheng also had a terrifyingly advanced senior sister by his side.

He couldn't help but mutter inwardly, No wonder Grandmaster said that Martial Uncle Qing Yanzi's lineage would produce three Dao experts... I should just focus on cultivating properly. Why am I even comparing myself to others? Am I trying to make myself suffer?

The police sirens were even louder now. They were getting closer and closer to the Li residence.

Zhou Yinglong finally snapped back to reality. He gripped his sword and rushed toward the battlefield.

"The police are almost here, Junior Brother! What do we do?!" he shouted.

Wang Sheng flickered away from the fierce spirit. His brow then furrowed slightly; the situation was becoming more complicated.

"Hold them back and don't let them interfere. Give me fifteen more minutes; that creature won't last much longer."

The fierce spirit roared and lunged at Wang Sheng once again.

Wang Sheng snorted coldly as he fixed his eyes on the sword phantasms swirling around him. He then unleashed his Seven-Star Sword Intent, which seemed to have undergone another breakthrough. Using his sword radiance, he once again dragged the fierce spirit into his web.

Dragon's Roar of the Returning Sword!

Zhou Yinglong's jaw dropped. However, he had no time to be dumbfounded. He stomped his foot, turned around, and dashed back toward the main gate.

The triggered security system had turned on all the lights in the Li residence, illuminating the garden. The fight between Wang Sheng and the fierce spirit had ruined half of it.

As Zhou Yinglong neared the entrance, he heard Li Shishan shouting outside.

"Officer! There really is a vengeful ghost in there! Fortunately, we have two Daoist priests from the Wudang Mountains holding it back! I swear on my life and reputation that I'm telling the truth! I wouldn't lie to you!"

"You can't go in!" Zhou Yinglong shouted as he rushed to the entrance.

Jumping outside with his treasured sword in hand, he was immediately met with over a dozen fully armed policemen. Alarmed, they swiftly raised their pistols, rifles, batons, riot shields, and tear gas launchers.

"Don't move! Drop your weapon!" a group of men commanded in unison.

"I'm not the fierce spirit! It's inside!" Zhou Yinglong put his hands up, but the gleaming longsword in his grip kept the policemen alert. The sword was sharpened and infused with his true essence, giving off a faint, chilling aura.

The officers were immediately reminded of some of their unusual training sessions. Just last year, a new combat course was introduced on how to handle armed targets with agile movements. The instructors had repeatedly emphasized the importance of decisive shooting.

For some reason, the atmosphere tensed up.

"What about Daoist Master Fei Yu? Is he alright?" Li Shishan hurriedly asked.

"Junior Brother Wang is fine. He said he needs another fifteen minutes to exorcise the fierce spirit, so it's best if you all don't get too close... Huh."

Zhou Yinglong felt a bitter taste in his mouth. Everything he said was true, so why did it sound exactly like something con artists scamming a wealthy household would say?

The commanding officer—a stern-faced middle-aged man—gestured for his subordinates to hold their fire. "Exorcism? You just look like thieves pulling some kind of cheap trick to me!"

"Dude... No, sir," Zhou Yinglong smiled bitterly. "My father is a police officer too. I have a Daoist priest certification. I'm a Daoist priest from the Wudang Mountains, not some con artist."

"Drop the weapon first!" the officer yelled fiercely.

Zhou Yinglong frowned slightly. Nevertheless, he still infused his true essence into the longsword and slowly put it on the ground.

A group of armed policemen tactically dashed toward him. Using his true essence, Zhou Yinglong released a burst of energy, sending two officers stumbling back.

His gaze was sharp as lightning. With his Spirit Convergence Realm spiritual consciousness reinforcing his presence, his aura became imposing and intimidating, momentarily startling the well-trained but ordinary men.

"I'm not a scammer! If you want to help, figure out what's going on first! I'm a Daoist priest performing an exorcism!" Zhou Yinglong exclaimed.

Glancing at the wreckage inside the Li residence, a flicker of doubt crossed the commanding officer's face. Several of the armed policemen gripped their batons tightly, ready to strike at any moment.

"Little Li, you and your team keep this guy restrained! Follow the training procedures—you have permission to fire at will!" the commanding officer quickly gave orders. "The rest of you, move in! Get the backup team to secure the side entrances—don't let his accomplices escape!"

Several bulky cops stepped forward to subdue Zhou Yinglong.

"Officer!" Li Shishan rushed forward to shield Zhou Yinglong. "This young man really is a Daoist priest from the Wudang Mountains! The fierce spirit is inside! Hurry!"

Zhou Yinglong became increasingly anxious. "No! My junior brother told me not to let anyone in!"

"You are obstructing law enforcement, Daoist Priest! I have every right to arrest you on the spot!" the commanding officer sternly reprimanded. "And you, Old Man, have you gone senile already? Your house is filled with valuable things—how can you just believe anyone?

Afterward, he ordered, "You two, restrain this Daoist priest!"

"Why are you being unreasonable?" Zhou Yinglong questioned. Growing desperate, he was about to unleash his true essence when he heard a series of metallic clicks.

They had aimed several rifles at him. Though he wasn't sure if they were loaded, they were still intimidating.

Zhou Yinglong gritted his teeth. His junior brother was risking his life to exorcise the fierce spirit. As his senior brother, if it meant buying Wang Sheng the time that he needed... then he would stand as an immovable barrier against a thousand men!

"Step aside!" Two nervous armed policemen lunged forward and pressed the cold barrels of their guns against his forehead.

"Ah..."

Zhou Yinglong hesitated for a moment. Before he could react, the cops pinned him against the entrance. The stern-faced commander then waved his hand. Leading over ten armed policemen, he stormed into the Li residence.

1. The People’s Armed Police is a real-life state paramilitary organization in the Hua Republic that deals with internal security issues, including riot control, internal security, disaster response, etc. ☜