World's No. 1 Swordsman-Chapter 90: Fire Sages Demise

So that’s the man responsible for this entire mess?

Looking at the young cultivator with sunken eyes and a gaunt face on the screen, Wang Sheng felt a sense of dissonance—much like everyone else.

Was this barely alive, frail-looking man really their opponent?

"Daoist Master Wang..." Mou Yue called softly from beside him. "You're really heavy. Let me push you somewhere with a better view."

"Ah, thank you." Wang Sheng, who had been pushing down on Mou Yue's shoulder with his left hand to stay on his feet, calmly let go and settled back into the wheelchair.

Mou Yue quickly pushed him to a corner near Chi Ling, giving him a much better view. Now, he could see all of the screens, one of which displayed a small storage room.

Inside, Guo Qianxing lay on a single bed, white sheets scattered around him. He had none of the advanced electronic equipment one might expect or any defensive talismans in place. He remained perfectly still as two heavily armed soldiers approached and locked him in special restraints that sealed meridians.

Inside the command center, a middle-aged officer turned to Chi Ling. "Captain, should we bring him in or interrogate him on the spot?"

"Go interrogate him on the spot and make him confess his entire plan. Since we must not cause public panic tonight, I want all the other units to stay focused on the cultivators in the river."

"Prepare for interrogation. Clear the area of bystanders!"

Within half a minute, dozens of Special Warfare Unit members had formed a human wall on the lawn outside the storage room.

Guo Qianxing was placed in a chair while two solemn-faced soldiers pressed their palms together and began chanting scriptures, filling the area with Buddhist chants. Through the speakers, it even caused dizziness among some of the investigation staff who had no cultivation.

The two were performing a Buddhist arts technique that disrupted spiritual consciousness. The fact that the Special Warfare Unit's training included such methods suggested a highly diverse composition.

To deal with the Fire Sage, those in charge of the interrogation took every precaution. Buddhist chants, Daoist arts, talismans, alchemical pills, and modern instruments were all deployed at once.

Yet Guo Qianxing remained calm; he did not resist at all, making it seem as though he had expected this outcome and was simply waiting for the end.

"There's no need to go through all this trouble," he said weakly. "Ask whatever you want. I don't have much time left, and you don't need to waste your energy on me."

All eyes in the command center turned to Chi Ling.

"Let me speak with him," Chi Ling ordered.

Moments later, she appeared on the phone screen in front of Guo Qianxing. She remained as composed as ever. After all, her role did not allow for emotional outbursts.

Coldly, she asked, "Tell me about the auction process."

Guo Qianxing smiled faintly.

—Auction? What auction?

Chi Ling's tone turned sharper. "The auction for the Celestial Master Secret Scroll. Stop stalling for time!"

In response, Guo Qianxing smirked and sighed deeply.

—Do you have a cigarette? Let me clear my mind, and I'll tell you everything.

"Give him one."

Wang Sheng noticed the veins bulging slightly on Chi Ling's neck.

On the screen, an investigation team member lit a cigarette. Guo Qianxing then took a deep drag. As his gaze grew distant, he finally began to confess lightly as if just recalling a trivial matter.

—The transaction for the Celestial Master Secret Scroll was completed five minutes ago. The auction was nothing more than a decoy. I may be a discarded disciple of the Longhu Mountains, but I only have myself to blame for that. The sect never wronged me—I was the one who wronged them by using the scroll as bait.

—Most of the righteous cultivators in the river are just poor Daoist priests who can't afford the real thing. The corrupt cultivators who paid... Well, let's just say they've made a generous donation to this charity project. Haha...

Guo Qianxing coughed harshly.

The command center was rendered completely silent.

—In truth, there was no auction. The actual transaction started ten minutes ago, and the buyers aren't anyone you'd expect.

"The deal was conducted entirely online. It was simple, really. I just listed one hundred twenty copies of the scroll's first and second volumes under various weapon trade listings on overseas black market sites. Only those with my encryption key could purchase them.

—Daoist Master Tianzheng, my master, once taught us that when using talismans in battle, the key is to blur the line between truth and illusion. Since talisman paper can be easily destroyed, we must always have distractions.

—You probably don't care about that, though. Let's talk about what really matters. So far, I have gathered ninety-two basic incantations, including sixty-four Foundation Establishment cultivation techniques.

—The earnings from the transactions have already been deposited into secure black-market accounts, and I've entrusted some like-minded friends to manage them. From now on, anyone who spreads the techniques online within the Hua Republic will receive monetary rewards based on their contributions.

—Don't worry, I've done my research. Because the written language that our ancestors in the Hua Republic have passed down is so difficult to master, and since foreigners follow a completely different path from ours, outsiders are unlikely to exploit these techniques. Besides, they are just basic cultivation methods for ordinary people; they are far weaker than what you've shared with the military. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

Guo Qianxing's expression then relaxed, as if he no longer had any regrets.

Chi Ling took a deep breath, clearly suppressing her anger. She then immediately ordered, "Contact the cyber department. Activate emergency protocols and monitor the entire internet."

—It's useless, Captain. You can't censor all cultivation techniques. It's like trying to ban adult websites. As long as there's demand, people will find ways to spread them.

The corners of Guo Qianxing's lips curved into a bright smile.

—Yu the Great carving through mountains to control floods, Li Bing's Dujiangyan irrigation system... All these stories teach us that water should be guided, not blocked. Primal qi has returned to Earth. Everyone can cultivate now, so why shouldn't they?

—Survival and defying fate are human instincts; everyone should be rightfully entitled to those. You can't suppress people's fear of death. More importantly, I am merely a forerunner. Others will surely follow—

"Enough!"

Chi Ling's sharp rebuke echoed through the room, but Guo Qianxing only smiled sheepishly. She took another deep breath and quickly regained her composure.

"I can tell you right now, everything you've done will only have a negative impact! It serves no meaningful purpose! What the Hua Republic has accomplished goes far beyond what you can see! Take him into custody and keep him under strict surveillance!"

—There's no need for that. My time has come.

Guo Qianxing smiled slightly, a faint trace of blood flowing from the corner of his lips. His gaze flickered, like a candle slowly going out.

—Qianzhang... is fine, right? Why did that blue bird come to me... with blood on its feathers...

His murmurs faded, and the so-called Fire Sage—the exiled Longhu Mountains disciple who had eluded the investigation unit for so long—closed his eyes for the last time.

A military officer immediately shouted, "Don't let him die!"

On the screen, the medics from the Special Warfare Unit had already begun working. Soon, they received a report.

"Captain, the suspect has lost all signs of life. Preliminary assessment indicates that he has consumed a lethal poison, and his body has already reached its limit. His internal organs have completely failed..."

Chi Ling slowly sat back in her seat, frowning in thought. Wang Sheng sighed, clasping his fingers together as he stared at Guo Qianxing's lifeless face.

With the Fire Sage dead, the reward distribution system that he had set up for those who would spread cultivation techniques would soon become a playground for hackers around the world. Many would even empathize with his actions, continuing his legacy and stirring up even greater chaos.

Guo Qianxing had ignited a fire that could bring large-scale upheaval to the world.

"That bastard!"

Unable to contain her emotions, Chi Ling kicked over the desk in front of her. She then paced back and forth behind her chair.

The atmosphere in the command center bore down on them.

In a corner, a few technicians from the local cyber police department murmured among themselves. Among them was a young cyber officer. Sitting at his desk, he stared at the screen in a daze, unwilling to glance at the large monitor.

"After tonight, we'll never see each other again. From now on, live your lives to the fullest, you two. I have nothing to give you—no rewards, cultivation techniques, or alchemy pills. Still, thank you for walking this last stretch with me."

"Ah Zheng, why are you crying?"

"Crying? I'm not crying..." The young officer chuckled as he slowly lowered his cap. Tears streamed uncontrollably down his cheeks.

"Ah Zheng?"

"I'm fine. I'm going to the restroom. Keep an eye on things for me."

The young officer turned and walked toward a nearby side door. His colleagues exchanged glances. They were puzzled, but said nothing.

Maybe he was just exhausted from working overtime.

***

Dozens of police speedboats covered the river. Over ten Daoist experts also walked on the water, reaching out to lift cultivators out of the river and throwing them toward the shore. The Special Warfare Unit members then swarmed in and swiftly subdued them, leaving no chance for resistance.

However, the cultivators on the river were soon met with retaliation. One of the many experts lying in wait underwater attacked a Daoist elder, forcing him back several steps and nearly knocking him into the river.

Immediately after, towering walls of water, several meters high and stretching dozens of meters long, surged up from the river.

Intricate talismans flashed on their surface. Soon, arrows of water, each three feet long, shot out from every direction, filling the sky and raining down on the Daoist elders!

The Daoist elders skillfully defended themselves. Blue light enveloped two Illusory Core Realm cultivators from the Longhu Mountains as they nonchalantly faced the attack head-on.

The weaker ones, however, were forced to retreat to the shore to avoid being injured.

"Break that water formation!"

The Longhu elders flicked their sleeves and tossed several inconspicuous talismans onto the water walls, making them collapse instantly. As water splashed all over, another wall rose from the river. A tall, burly man and a slender, graceful woman also leaped out of the water.

The delicate woman on the left was the one who had been casting spells to obstruct the Daoists.

The drone footage was somewhat blurry, making it hard to tell her exact age. She quickly formed hand seals. Soon, her ancient robe glowed green, and dozens of water dragons surged from the river.

Someone in the command center immediately shouted, "Those are the Five Gods Cult's Flowing Water God and Sturdy Iron God!"

The water dragons roared, instantly engulfing several Daoist elders. However, the Daoist elders had spent years in seclusion, and many had also traveled the world. Their combat skills were extraordinary.

On the large screen, talismans flickered, celestial light shone, and whirlwinds swept across the river. Several red-clawed crane spirits flew around, tearing the water dragons apart. Moreover, the Daoist elders who had retreated to the shore rejoined the fight, charging straight toward the Flowing Water God.

Wang Sheng also spotted Jingyun on the large screen. She was as graceful as an immortal in flight. Though he couldn't help but break into a cold sweat, the techniques she used filled him with admiration.

This was likely only the second time that Jingyun had been in combat, yet compared to her initial lack of experience, she now moved with complete ease. Unleashing a technique of the Jade Maiden Sword Art, she sent dazzling white sword radiance slicing through the air. They shattered the water wall with overwhelming force and flew straight toward the Flowing Water God.

The eight-foot-tall man beside her roared in rage. He glowed golden as he stepped forward and shielded Flowing Water God with a barrier of iron-colored qi.

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