World’s No. 1 Swordsman

Daoist arts were meant to protect the Dao, and the Dao was meant to lead not only one person but all of its protectors to longevity. After all, if one stood alone at the end of this path, with only their own shadow for company, what meaning would longevity still hold?

Following that same principle, the sword in Wang Sheng's hand did not sing solely for him. He had to do his best to determine whether anyone from the Yin-Yang All-Creation Sect was hidden among the people of Sakura Island.

On a grander scale, he now temporarily represented the countless cultivators of the Hua Republic's cultivation world and the old generation of Daoist elders who never got to return from the war against the Eastern Lands.

Corrupt cultivators deserved execution, and those who were already mortal enemies of righteous sects were all the more undeserving of mercy. Focusing on the fight at hand, he decided to suppress these petty villains to show the might of the Hua Republic.

Wang Sheng opened his eyes, revealing pupils that reflected stars strewn across the sky. He showed no regard for the six people fiercely charging at him.

Among them was the one whom Wang Sheng had defeated earlier. With ferocious eyes, he charged at the forefront.

Five meters, four meters... The enemies narrowed down the space between them.

The six katana users seemed to have practiced a combined attack technique. Two thrust their swords forward, two chopped down vertically, and two sliced horizontally. Moving in unison, they divided Wang Sheng's body into six target zones.

Wang Sheng wondered if his opponents would really stop if he didn't retaliate now.

Hmm... they most likely wouldn't.

He flicked his wrist, making Spiritless sway along with it. Starlight completely swallowed the Seven-Star Sword Intent within him.

The opponents were now only two meters away.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh~

A dense burst of air being pierced suddenly erupted from Wang Sheng. Twelve dark beams shot over him, each carrying waves of primal qi fluctuations.

Sword radiance surged on Spiritless. Wang Sheng then unleashed the Reversed Seven-Star Sword Formation, causing the sword radiance to burst in all directions.

This was the first time that Wang Sheng had attacked with full force since breaking through to the Illusory Core Realm. He had originally planned to use this attack against corrupt cultivators, yet he now unleashed it upon the Sakura Island delegation.

Sword phantasms first appeared around him. They then shot forward, leaving only sword radiance behind. Soon after, dazzling starlight was conjured as well.

Clang, clang!

Weapons clashed nonstop. The twelve kunai couldn't even get within two meters of Wang Sheng. As sword phantasms swept past, they detonated into fireballs one after another. The resulting flames sprayed outward, but the strands of sword radiance instantly sliced them all apart and forced the first six attackers to fall back. Moreover, though they outnumbered Wang Sheng, they had to muster all their strength just to block the incoming starlight.

Instead of deploying the two longswords circling him, Wang Sheng swung Spiritless faster and faster. Sword phantasms scattered like a bursting galaxy, leaving shallow cuts all over the six attackers.

Controlling the force of every strike and ensuring Spiritless did not kill anyone was truly a taxing effort. Fortunately, Spiritless had not even a sliver of spirituality. Though it couldn't aid Wang Sheng in sword practice or comprehension, it couldn't interfere with his mind or reason during moments like this either. It was simply a cold instrument for slaughter—a pure extension of the sword intent in Wang Sheng's heart.

The six young swordsmen now looked increasingly disheveled, their eyes all showing varying degrees of shock. Watching the duels was one thing, but facing Wang Sheng in combat made the terrifying reality much clearer. Despite only being roughly the same age as them, he wielded astonishingly fierce sword techniques.

They would have likely been able to withstand a brief burst of power. However, as each second passed, the young swordsman's attacks became sharper and more overwhelming.

They had already felt the Spiritless's edge and realized that Wang Sheng was not striking to kill. Otherwise, he could have instantly eliminated them all beneath the radiant starlight.

They had to scatter immediately.

No matter how formidable the young swordsman's sword techniques, he was only one person; he couldn't be everywhere at once. If they split up, there was no way he could simultaneously chase them all down.

Concede? There was no way they would do that. Wang Sheng was holding back, and they had already mobilized over a dozen people. If they still lost, they wouldn't have any face to show the entire cultivation world of Sakura Island.

The combatants shouted and fell back even faster. Two remained to face Wang Sheng head-on, while the other four darted rapidly to the sides. It seemed that they had forgotten that just half a minute ago, they had charged in with fierce momentum, only for Wang Sheng to force them back with his sword as soon as they reached him.

It was six against one, yet they still couldn't injure Wang Sheng. On the contrary, they were reduced to such a pitiful state, each with seven or eight shallow wounds.

Soon, they once again heard air being pierced. From the side, seven or eight figures launched more kunai, each imbued with one of the five elements. If they hit Wang Sheng, he'd be in deep trouble.

Nevertheless, Wang Sheng snorted lowly. Using the Reversed Seven-Star Sword Formation, he slowly turned and shot out row after row of Seven-Star sword radiance.

Sword phantasms swallowed the two men directly in front of him. The kunai flying from every direction still couldn't get within two meters of Wang Sheng.

Two cries of pain rang out as Wang Sheng's sword momentum paused briefly. He kicked the two in front of him, who were now tattered and battered. Two strands of Pure Yang True Essence then surged through the soles of his cloth shoes and into their bodies. Though he hadn't crippled them completely, he had paralyzed them for the next thirty minutes.

The entire venue fell into a strange silence.

Two had been kicked out of the arena, and the other four had retreated to the sides. Only Okamoto Nichikawa and another gray-haired elder remained right in front of Wang Sheng.

Still not making a move?

Wang Sheng smiled calmly. He slung Spiritless onto his back, raised his left hand in a sword finger, and sent the celestial-grade flying sword and the nameless treasured sword to his flanks at high speed.

Wang Sheng no longer used the same fierce sword techniques as before. Instead, he used the Seven-Star Footwork to easily dodge the incoming kunai and focused entirely on controlling the two flying swords to pursue and attack the young women around the arena.

Wang Sheng had only taken a few steps when the flying swords wounded two young girls in the shoulder or arm.

Okamoto Nichikawa exchanged a glance with the elderly man beside him. The latter distorted slightly and then vanished without a trace.

Invisibility Art? No, not quite.

In the ninjutsu of Sakura Island, so-called invisibility arts were mostly just visual illusions. Only upon reaching the highest levels could one truly flee using escape techniques. Given their current strength, it was unlikely that they could already use such a high-level art.

Wang Sheng smiled faintly. He had already sensed the approach of a hidden threat.

Okamoto shouted sternly, prompting the four young swordsmen who had previously withdrawn to charge forward again. Okamoto also used the katana-drawing technique that he had used earlier, sending a bright arc of light toward Wang Sheng.

Two flying swords flew back to guard Wang Sheng as he unleashed the Reversed Seven-Star Sword Formation once again. Instead of dodging, he simply shattered the incoming arc with two rows of overlapping sword phantasms.

While channeling such a powerful one-person sword formation, he wanted them to believe that he couldn't divide his attention to control his flying swords independently. He was creating a false impression, and his opponents fell for it.

Okamoto Nichikawa, who had broken into a charge, and the elder lying in ambush near Wang Sheng both believed that they had the upper hand. However, neither felt any joy or satisfaction.

To take down a young sword cultivator from the Hua Republic, they had to mobilize nearly half of their entire delegation. Two members of their older generation also had to take to the field together just to secure victory.

In hindsight, suppressing those ancient hidden villages that practiced "ninjutsu" had been short-sighted. The cultivation world of the Hua Republic was far too powerful. Unless all of Sakura Nation's cultivators stood united, they had little hope of regaining the upper hand.

Okamoto had no time for reflections at the moment. He was already clashing blades with Wang Sheng.

Wang Sheng demonstrated his sharp swordsmanship once again. Okamoto fought with everything he had, and the four young swordsmen around him launched fierce attacks as well. Nevertheless, in just a few seconds, Wang Sheng's relentless sword strikes forced Okamoto and the four other swordsmen away.

The four swordsmen had sustained fresh wounds. Moreover, although Okamoto had easily blocked every strike, faint cracks had begun to appear on his katana.

Just then, a flash of cold light twisted into existence beside Wang Sheng. Before it could hit him, the celestial-grade flying sword orbiting Wang Sheng unleashed dazzling brilliance. It burst in a straight line like a meteor across the sky, slicing cleanly across the back of the ambusher's hand that was holding a knife.

The ninja blade fell to the ground as blood sprayed. The elder revealed himself and tried to retreat, but the celestial-grade flying sword had already turned and shot toward him again.

Without even glancing back, Wang Sheng pushed the Reversed Seven-Star Sword Formation to its limit. Though his true essence was rapidly being drained, he pressed forward like a calligrapher sweeping a brush across a scroll to write a sky full of stars. Within that vast starry river, a comet-like beam zipped back and forth, leaving behind trails of crimson light.

A surge of uncontainable fervor swelled in Wang Sheng's chest. His sword momentum suddenly came to a halt as he unleashed the Heavenly Ziwei Sword!

The brilliance of the sword dazed many of the audience. For some, the scene was even seared into their memory.

When the sea of sword radiance faded, the celestial-grade flying sword dimmed and orbited him again. Wang Sheng stood quietly in the center of the field, surrounded by figures either slumped or seated on the ground. Five broken katanas were scattered across the arena.

At the edge of the arena, seven or eight young girls looked pale, each bearing shallow but painful wounds on their shoulders or arms. Meanwhile, the elder who had tried to ambush him sat huddled in a corner, clutching his injured hand with a blank expression.

Okamoto Nichikawa knelt in front of Wang Sheng. His suit had been torn to shreds, and thin cuts marked his forehead.

If Wang Sheng had held back even a fraction less, Okamoto might have lost the ability to think altogether.

The entire venue had gone silent. Everyone now had complicated expressions.

"I admit defeat."

Wang Sheng lowered his head and sighed softly, as if filled with many regrets. He looked at Spiritless in his hand, gave Okamoto a Daoist salute, then turned and walked toward the edge of the arena with an inexplicable sense of melancholy.

Lost? How could this possibly be considered a loss?

Many were stunned at first, but they soon remembered what Wang Sheng had said earlier.

If the Sakura Island delegation could force him to use his strongest sword technique, then he would concede.

"Argh!" Okamoto roared lowly, his muscles bulging as if readying to lash out in fury.

Wang Sheng didn't even look over his shoulder. He walked straight back to his seat.

The rest of the Sakura Island delegation, along with the medical personnel standing by at the edge of the arena, rushed in immediately, no longer holding out any hope of turning the tide.

A buzz of voices erupted in the venue.