World's No. 1 Swordsman-Chapter 500: Blood Mine Ruptures

After chiseling for three months, Wang Sheng completed the exact amount of work that had been assigned to him.

When the celestial rope slowly retracted upward, a flicker of starlight passed through Wang Sheng's eyes. His expression immediately switched to dejection and helplessness.

Yaoyun had already gone to rest. Although controlling his Dao Body didn't consume much spiritual power, doing it nonstop for three months still tired her out a little. After all, she wasn't made of iron.

From Wang Sheng and Yaoyun's calculations, this situation was expected to continue for a long time. These three months were only the beginning.

Jumping back to the cliff edge, Wang Sheng deliberately made his steps appear unsteady. Two celestial soldiers stood ahead. Realizing their purpose, he handed over the hammer and chisel.

One of them smiled at him and handed over an Immortal Stone. "Not bad. Go wait over there."

The other snorted coldly, snatched the hammer and chisel, and barked, "What are you standing around all stupidly for? Do you want to die?"

Keeping a straight face, Wang Sheng glanced at the rude celestial soldier. He walked between the two and stood to the side, waiting for his cellmates to gather.

The fourteen cultivators who had worked alongside Wang Sheng climbed up one after another. They handed over their tools, collected their Immortal Stones, and stood beside him.

The last to come up was a female Grand Immortal Ascension Realm cultivator. The ill-tempered celestial soldier stopped her. In response, she lowered her head, handed over her tools, and accepted her Immortal Stone. She was about to walk to the group when the grumpy celestial soldier hit her.

He was at the late-stage Ascended Immortal Realm. Though the attack was light, the female cultivator couldn't possibly withstand it.

She didn't even have time to react. Her outer shirt and the upper half of the dress under it were split apart.

Smiling mockingly, the celestial soldier's gaze roamed brazenly. The female cultivator, who had always been expressionless, flushed with anger. She clumsily covered her chest and glared at the celestial soldier.

Frowning, the soldier kicked her to the ground. "You dare glare at me? What, do you think you can kill me?"

Now looking afraid, the woman clutched her torn clothing and shook her head.

However, the soldier only sneered. He pulled out a long whip and lashed her. "You're rebelling, aren't you?! Are you trying to rely on your looks to collude and scheme with other cultivators?! The audacity! I'll teach you insects where you belong!"

The woman curled up as her assailant wounded her all over. Clenching her teeth, she refused to make any pained noises.

Grand Immortal Ascension Realm cultivators had strong Dao Hearts. Still, she looked humiliated as she lowered her head and endured.

She did it to survive.

Frowning, Wang Sheng took half a step forward. However, he felt someone tug at his arm, reminding him that he, too, was supposed to be barely holding on.

He turned slightly and saw that it was the same female cultivator who had helped him tie the celestial rope three months ago. She shook her head subtly, her gaze seemingly warning him.

The celestial soldier in charge of distributing Immortal Stones stepped forward and pulled on his companion. "Hey, Brother Lin, what got you so worked up? Just confiscate her Immortal Stone as punishment. If you beat her to death, we lose a worker, and we might get scolded."

The violent celestial soldier snorted and casually pulled the Immortal Stone from the female cultivator's hand.

Her cultivation was sealed, and she had just taken a heavy beating from an Ascended Immortal. Unable to move, she just lay on the ground, her aura faint.

The celestial soldier who had spoken up called out, and two female cultivators came forward. One carried the wounded female on her back, while the other supported her.

The prisoners helped each other unfasten their celestial ropes. The two celestial soldiers then escorted the fifteen back to their large wooden cage.

"Hmph! You all better behave!" the violent celestial soldier barked at the cage before leaving.

Once the two celestial soldiers had departed, several cellmates went to the corner to check the female cultivator's injuries. Before long, the celestial soldier who had pleaded for her returned and tossed in a healing alchemical pill. He then shook his head and left with his hands behind him.

From a corner, Wang Sheng watched the celestial soldier's back, feeling a bit moved.

The Celestial Wind Sect secretly captured cultivators to mine, but it seemed not all of its members were wicked. Rather, this great sect was like a pot of messy porridge with good and bad ingredients mixed in it. Though its people shared the same interests, their personalities differed.

Yaoyun telepathically asked, "What's on your mind?"

Wang Sheng didn't even pause to think. "Whether I should destroy the Celestial Wind Sect in the future or take over it and use it as the shell for Earth's cultivation world."

Yaoyun was rendered speechless for a few seconds. Finally, she managed, "Focus on escaping before you think of anything else."

Wang Sheng smiled faintly. At the end of the day, he was still a human. If he couldn't even dare to think, how could he achieve anything?

He stood up, walked to the injured female cultivator, and placed his Immortal Stone beside her hand.

She held the Immortal Stone close and looked up at Wang Sheng. "Thank you..."

"Mm."

Everyone in the cage watched as he returned to his spot.

He was just about to start cultivating when the female Ascended Immortal from earlier turned from the corner and inconspicuously walked over. She sat beside him, arranged her dress, and closed her eyes.

She whispered ever so faintly, "Don't act rashly, Daoist Friend. In this place, you have to prioritize your own survival."

Wang Sheng just nodded faintly.

She seemed to have approached him just to advise him. Soon, she began cultivating.

Just as Wang Sheng was about to enter meditation, Yaoyun telepathically warned, "That female immortal is hiding her cultivation." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"Mm?"

"She appears to be a True Immortal, but she's very skilled in aura concealment. I'm not completely sure what her actual realm is."

"Huh?"

Wang Sheng's Dao Heart swayed a little. He couldn't help but glance at the woman beside him.

She's a True Immortal? What's going on? Is she an undercover agent from some other faction?

Yaoyun reminded, "She's probably watching you as well, maybe even trying to draw you in. Let's wait and see for now. The murkier this place becomes, the better it is for us."

"I know. It's our only shot."

Wang Sheng sighed quietly, then quickly meditated, paying little attention to the woman beside him. Growing stronger was far more important than whatever story the supposed True Immortal had. Without enough power, even seized opportunities could slip from his grasp.

***

Contrary to Wang Sheng's expectations, the suspected True Immortal didn't speak to him again for an entire year. She always helped him tie his celestial rope with surprising enthusiasm whenever they went down the cliff, but that was the full extent of their interaction.

Hence, Wang Sheng just stopped paying her any mind and focused on strengthening himself. He let Yaoyun take over his body and chisel away at the face of the cliff. Meanwhile, he hid in his Heavenly Abode, comprehending his Dao of the Sword and studying the astral power.

He made slow but steady progress in his cultivation realm and Dao of the Sword. During his one-month rest in the wooden cage, he absorbed the Immortal Stone to quickly replenish a bit of his immortal power.

On their fourth descent, the female cultivator walked over to him again to tie his celestial rope.

"Lan Huilin," she said.

Wang Sheng blinked, realizing she was giving him her name. Hence, he turned, politely bowed to her in gratitude, and then casually offered one in return.

"Wang Qiu."

The female cultivator likely didn't give him her real name either.

As Lan Huilin left, she lowered her head to hide a faint smile. Meanwhile, Wang Sheng jumped down the cliff to his work site. Yaoyun then took over his immortal body, and his Primordial Spirit returned to his Heavenly Abode.

After some thought, Wang Sheng telepathically laughed. "Why would Lan Huilin hide her cultivation and chisel rock here? What is she after?"

Yaoyun replied, "Another faction near the ancient battlefield likely planted her here. Her goal is probably to take control of this blood mine."

"That makes sense. Well, she's none of our concern."

Within the Heavenly Abode, Wang Sheng summoned his four great sword intents and continued his comprehension and cultivation.

After some time, he asked, "Yaoyun, how long do you think we'll be stuck here?"

Yaoyun softly replied, "At your cultivation speed, it'll take at least a thousand years before you're strong enough to attempt an escape."

"That long, huh... Well, it isn't that bad. That's only ten years on Earth."

He flicked a finger against the Heavenly Ziwei Sword Intent, lifting his spirit again. Afterward, he continued refining his Heavenly Ziwei Sword Art.

With the astral power reinforcing it, Ziwei's Daoist heritage became even more profound. To fully comprehend it would take far more than a mere century. Wang Sheng even sensed that by the time he escaped this place, he'd still only have a grasp over a tiny fraction of the Heavenly Ziwei Sword Art's and the astral power's true secret techniques.

Since there was no day-night cycle in this restricted land, he gradually stopped caring about the passage of time. He had at least several tens of thousands of years of lifespan anyway, and a hundred years here was only one year at home. No matter how he looked at it, he could afford the wait.

He treated going up and down the cliff as a change of scenery for cultivation. The Immortal Stone he received every four months was the only hope for most cultivators, yet for him, it was almost irrelevant.

The beaten female cultivator later gave Wang Sheng an additional Immortal Stone along with her Daoist name. Moreover, whether intentionally or unintentionally, she would linger near him during every rest period.

Perhaps she felt safer around him.

Through this repetitive and restricted routine, Wang Sheng's Dao Heart grew tougher.

***

After two hundred years of chiseling away at the cliff, Wang Sheng had grown a full beard. Unfortunately, he never had time to trim it. He couldn't very well pluck the hairs one by one.

Over the two centuries, only four things ever stirred his heart: missing his senior sister, his cultivation deepening, comprehending his Dao of the Sword, and his thirty-four brief conversations with Lan Huilin.

Each talk made the two a little closer. After decades of greeting each other with fake names, Lan Huilin finally let slip something useful.

"Don't give up, Daoist Friend. The moon always shows when the clouds part."

Wang Sheng nodded slowly.

Why would a True Immortal conceal her realm, work here as a common worker, and even encourage a small fish like me?

Lan Huilin clearly had her own reasons. She certainly didn't offer him such meaningful hints because she found him handsome. Rather, she likely found a use for him.

Just when Wang Sheng thought his days of chiseling and cultivation would really stretch on for over a thousand years, something finally broke his routine.

Lan Huilin's faction didn't make a move, and the Celestial Wind Sect didn't collapse in chaos. On the contrary, it was the blood mine itself that changed.

That day, Yaoyun had taken over his body as usual, chipping away at the cliff. As Wang Sheng cultivated in secret, a sudden rumble echoed from deep within the stone, and the entire blood mine shook violently.

Screams echoed from afar. Looking down, several kilometers away, a cloud of blood swallowed a mortal cultivator. Skulls flew out of it, shrieking in waves.

More screams erupted as Yaoyun gazed around, finding fiend-blood energy surging outward from all over the slanted cliff. While many cultivators yelled for the celestial soldiers above to pull them up, Yaoyun showed Wang Sheng the scene overhead.

Fiend-blood energy was erupting from several higher tunnels as well, throwing the celestial soldiers into complete chaos.

At that moment, a wisp of bloody mist drifted out of the stone wall before him.

Wang Sheng immediately took control of his body. Light burst from his chest as Spiritless prepared to fly out and sever his shackles, but he stopped it in time. Gripping his hammer and chisel, he thoughtfully stared at the mist.

Yaoyun urgently asked, "What is it?"

With his left hand, Wang Sheng reached out to the swelling tide of fiend-blood energy.

"I can purify that thing into primal qi using my Heavenly Tribulation Sword Intent."

Before Yaoyun could make sense of what was happening, he had already thrust his hand into the blood mist. Right after, the cliff face split open, and a thick wave of fiend-blood energy swallowed him whole.