World's No. 1 Swordsman-Chapter 444: The Finger of an Immortal

Before they even entered the back courtyard of the temple, they could already hear Xi Lian's wild laughter echoing.

"Wahahaha! My devilish seed is gone! Hahaha! Those bastards beat me yet failed to kill me, and now I've gotten rid of my devilish seed! I can finally become an immortal!"

Wang Sheng and Mu Wanxuan exchanged glances and smiled faintly.

When they landed in the courtyard and pushed open the guest room door, Xi Lian gasped lightly. She jumped up from the bed and, with a flash, transformed into a five-year-old or six-year-old child. Afterward, she turned into a streak of flowing light and threw herself into Mu Wanxuan's arms, crying out loud.

Perhaps it was only in this small form that she could cry so freely.

Looking at the little, silver-haired Xi Lian, Wang Sheng couldn't help but feel so relieved that he smiled again. All that mattered was that she was safe and sound, her devilish seed had been purged, and he had fulfilled Santong's dying wish. How soon Xi Lian would reach the Ascended Immortal Realm and how much more powerful she would become didn't really matter much to him.

He reached out, patted little Xi Lian's shoulder, and sighed softly. Xi Lian unexpectedly raised her tearful face from Mu Wanxuan's arms and stretched her hands toward him, which made things a bit awkward.

Wang Sheng hesitated for a moment, but Mu Wanxuan had already placed little Xi Lian in front of him. Wang Sheng had no choice but to take her into his arms.

The scene looked a little too much like a helpless father with his child.

Xi Lian whispered in his ear, "Thank you, Little Fei Yu, for venting my anger for me."

Wang Sheng patted her back, but before he could speak, Xi Lian telepathically added, "So, how do you want me to repay you? Should I offer myself? What if Little Xuanxuan gets jealous, though? Well, maybe we can keep it a secret. When we find Daoist Master Qinglin, he'll be my primary husband, and you can be my secondary. How about that?"

Eh?

Wang Sheng was completely speechless.

Xi Lian giggled and struggled lightly. Laughing foolishly, she then turned into a silvery stream of light and dove back into Mu Wanxuan's arms.

Mu Wanxuan held Xi Lian lovingly while Xi Lian made a face at Wang Sheng. Clearly, after shedding her devilish seed, her mood had brightened greatly, and her jokes had become even more unrestrained.

A few minutes later, Wang Sheng sat by the table sipping tea while Xi Lian, now back in her teenage form, sat on the bed with Xiaomiao, angrily condemning the wicked ancient cultivators. She also explained to Mu Wanxuan what had happened earlier and why Wang Sheng had mentioned falling out with the Special Investigation Unit.

Upon hearing about Xi Lian's near-death suffering and mental state at the time, Mu Wanxuan's eyes reddened. She sat cross-legged on the bamboo bed, typing furiously to join the denunciation of the ancient cultivators.

Soon after, Xi Lian finally asked, out of conscience, how she had managed to purify her devilish seed.

Wang Sheng explained that he had brought a celestial pill from the Small Immortal Realm. Xi Lian blinked and muttered, "I thought what you fed me was just a healing pill. I suddenly felt relieved and thought I'd fallen for someone else instead. It scared me!"

Mu Wanxuan naturally didn't understand what Xi Lian was talking about. Meanwhile, Xiaomiao hugged her blanket and laughed uncontrollably.

Just then, Qing Yanzi and Jingyun descended from the sky. Xi Lian blinked, said she had to change her clothes before meeting anyone, and asked Wang Sheng to step outside.

As soon as he walked out, the guest room was wrapped in Buddhist light and enchanted power.

After the Immortal Dao Conference, the Special Investigation Unit returned Xi Lian's storage artifact to Wang Sheng. They had recovered it from the ancient cultivators. The night of the ambush, Xi Lian had rushed into battle so quickly that she had left her storage artifact behind in the ruins of the villa, and one of the ancient cultivators had secretly taken it. The items inside were found nearly untouched.

Before long, Xi Lian came out neatly dressed in a light-purple gauze dress and embroidered shoes that clicked softly against the floor. Purified of her devilish seed, she looked even more radiant now. She had an elegant figure, skin as fair as frost, and graceful eyebrows. Her silver hair hung loosely behind her, accentuating the mesmerizing curve of her jaw and neck.

Unlike Mu Wanxuan's quiet, ethereal grace, Xi Lian's immortal aura carried a gentle and alluring femininity. Every frown, every gesture seemed to tug at one's heart.

Xi Lian now regarded herself as Wang Sheng's and Mu Wanxuan's equal. She stepped forward gracefully and bowed slightly to thank everyone for taking care of her while she was recovering.

Qing Yanzi sighed. "I didn't really help you much. I don't deserve your gratitude."

Xi Lian smiled charmingly. Softly, she replied, "But Daoist Master, you did raise two excellent disciples, didn't you?"

"Well, if you put it that way, then I suppose you're right, Senior Xi Lian."

Wang Sheng then remembered the storage pouch that Liu Yunzhi had given him. He tossed it over to her. "This is from Little Liu—ahem, from Yunzhi. A gift of apology."

"Mm?" Xi Lian, who had just regained her grace and elegance, curiously opened the pouch and immediately blurted out, "Holy shit! A full top-end virtual setup! This is the kind of ultra-luxury gear that eighty percent of games don't even charge time for! Liu Yunzhi's family must own a mine or something! He even got two sets!"

Wang Sheng couldn't help but smile, while Jingyun and Qing Yanzi exchanged amused looks.

Ten li away, Huai Jing's ears twitched as he flew back with Chi Wen. The alms bowl under his feet shone brightly as he rushed straight toward the courtyard. As soon as he arrived, he saw Xi Lian fiddling with the two sets of equipment.

Huai Jing quickly came over with his alms bowl in hand. "Amitabha. You can't even use two sets at once, Big Sister."

"Bah, I can just switch between them to extend their lifespan, can't I?" Glaring at Huai Jing defensively, Xi Lian waved her small hand and stored both sets back into her storage artifact. "Liu Yunzhi gave these gifts to me. Go ask Shi Qianzhang for your own."

Huai Jing now had a pitiful look on his face.

Xi Lian rushed back into her room and instantly laid down more than ten layers of seals on the doors and windows. Compared to when she had to restrain her devilish nature, she now unleashed techniques that were on an entirely different level.

Qing Yanzi asked, "Little Sheng, have you told Senior Xi Lian about the Pure Yang Sword Faction?"

"Not yet," Wang Sheng replied. "I'll tell her about it later. Since she just recovered today, and Martial Aunt and Junior Sister are here, why don't we find a nice place to celebrate and discuss our sect's future?"

Qing Yanzi and Jingyun nodded in agreement. The dejected Huai Jing was also pulled along to the gathering.

To make things more formal, Wang Sheng set out half an hour earlier to prepare.

Coming up with an idea, Wang Sheng bought several tents, two large barbecue racks, and bundles of seasonings and fresh ingredients. He also prepared cold drinks, snacks, stools, and playing cards. Afterward, he flew to the mountains of the Pure Yang Sword Faction and chose a quiet valley.

A gentle stream flowed nearby, the Milky Way glittered overhead, and the night breeze brought in the fragrance of grass and trees. Lying in the tents and listening to the chirping of insects truly felt like a scene out of a dream.

Wang Sheng had deliberately avoided buying any alcohol out of worry that Xi Lian, who was still excited from being freed of her devilish nature, would cause trouble if she got drunk. Unfortunately, when his master and the others arrived, he found out that Huai Jing had brought along two enormous jars of ancient wine that were said to be centuries old from his Buddhist sect.

Later, they discovered that what they drank that night was celestial wine that had vanished from the world a thousand years ago. Even Huai Jing couldn't tell exactly how old it was.

Wang Sheng's arrangements were well received and earned praise from both his master and martial aunt. The whole sect gathered, drinking, talking, grilling, and eating skewers.

Mu Wanxuan was by his side the entire time. From Wang Sheng's perspective, this was perhaps as comfortable as life could get.

Having drunk several rounds of wine, everyone was now slightly tipsy. Dropping his usual dignity as a master, Qing Yanzi leaned on Wang Sheng's shoulder as he imagined the grand future of their sect once it flourished.

Meanwhile, Jingyun was deep in discussion about Buddhist arts with Huai Jing, leaving the monk sweating nervously.

Wang Sheng sat beside his master, watching the beautiful women playing by the stream. The two unknowingly sighed at the same time.

Qing Yanzi chuckled. "What are you sighing for, Little Sheng?"

"I can't help but wonder how long times like this can last. How long can the peace we've earned now endure? Why about you, Master?"

"I feel useless. I couldn't even protect even your dearest friends in critical moments," Qing Yanzi replied as he leaned back on his hands. "I can still remember the day you came up the mountain. Thinking about it now feels like a dream."

Wang Sheng smiled faintly. He then suddenly raised his hand toward the sky, hiccupped, and grinned. "Master, that up there is the real world. Once I become an immortal, I'll go see it for myself."

"I'll be far behind you." With a wave of his hand, Qing Yanzi summoned a cup of wine and downed it in one go. "A few decades or centuries from now, the cultivation world will probably no longer fit in the secular world. When cultivators grow powerful, some will always stray from the right path. Even if they can be stopped, the world of mortals will still suffer."

"We don't even know what's happening outside right now." Wang Sheng sighed softly. "We have no idea what's waiting for us out there."

"Speaking of, take a look at this."

Qing Yanzi sat upright and made his wine cup float to the side. From his robes, he took out the bronze square box that had been passed down through their sect. He opened it with practiced ease and took out a jade-like finger.

Wang Sheng froze for a moment. The finger was glowing faintly white.

Wang Sheng frowned. "What is that? Why is it glowing?"

"I discovered this anomaly half a year ago," Qing Yanzi replied thoughtfully. "I suspect an immortal left it behind. Feel the immortal power inside it carefully."

Wang Sheng examined it for a moment. "It's cold."

"It's the exact opposite of our Dao of Pure Yang," Qing Yanzi murmured. "I think this might be..."

"From the forefather's enemy?"

Qing Yanzi tapped Wang Sheng on the forehead. "What enemy? It's from the forefather's Daoist partner!"

Wang Sheng chuckled. He then listened to his master's detailed explanation.