World’s No. 1 Swordsman

Cast: Eight Golden Core Realm experts, fifty-four Illusory Core Realm Daoist masters, and two Seed Formation Realm cultivators.

Filming Equipment: A low-resolution smartphone.

Script: An ancient devil attempts to emerge from the well but is temporarily suppressed. The righteous cultivators suffer heavy casualties.

The video lasted only twenty seconds, and the actual filming took a little over ten minutes, but post-production required more than an hour.

Naturally, this kind of technical work was not something the Daoist masters could handle. The Special Investigation Unit had brought in over a dozen of the country's top special effects professionals, who merged the footage with pre-prepared effect samples and edited the video frame by frame.

They were using the most professional level of craftsmanship to create what looked like an ordinary, low-quality video. If it still failed to fool those corrupt cultivators, then the Special Investigation Unit could only admit defeat.

The final version of the video depicted the Devil-Sealing Well exploding. A giant devilish hand burst out from underground, swatting away two Golden Core Realm Daoists and slamming down on the cracking earth. The ground trembled as it slowly swelled upward.

Qing Long, the sect master of the Shu Sword Sect, furiously roared, "Quick, deploy the great devil-sealing formation! Everyone below the Illusory Core Realm, fall back! We must not let this ancient devil bring disaster to the world!"

If the roles were judged by screen time, Qing Long was undoubtedly the leading figure. While he had a full line of dialogue, the other Daoist masters only had lines like "Ah," "Huh?" or "Ah!"

The scene ended abruptly with a violent shake, as if the person recording had quickly put away their phone and fled into the distance. Once the filming wrapped up, the professional crew retreated into an underground shelter built during the construction of the fake Ziyan Temple.

The next phase of the plan had nothing to do with these technicians. They would remain hidden until the fighting outside was over, at which point they could retrieve their phones and leave the mountain.

Beneath the fake Ziyan Temple, two formations had been laid down. One was a Wind-Gathering Formation, which used several special machines in the rear courtyard to release billows of black smoke into the sky and create the illusion of surging devilish qi. The other was a Qi-Sealing Formation that isolated the replica temple and the surrounding mountaintop, cutting off all escape routes.

To set up these two formations, sixty thousand Qi-Nurturing Stones had been buried beneath the replica Ziyan Temple. The authorities had truly spared no expense.

The fake Devil-Sealing Well had already collapsed, and the nearby ground was riddled with cracks. Several Daoist masters sat nearby, meditating and recovering. Over a dozen dedicated Daoist masters lay motionless on the ground, their robes stained with tomato juice.

It perfectly depicted a post-battle aftermath.

In one corner, Wang Sheng and the other four sat quietly on their cushions, waiting for the battle to begin.

Wang Sheng took out two bottles of alchemical pills from his Crane-Spirit Treasure Pouch and tossed them to Liu Yunzhi and Shi Qianzhang. "Those are for restoring primal qi and healing. In the battle ahead, just focus on protecting yourselves. The corrupt cultivators who'll show up in this battle definitely won't be easy to deal with."

"Thanks, Brother Sheng." Shi Qianzhang smiled and pulled out a thick stack of talismans from his robes, handing them over. "I've marked every one of these. There are a few Qi-Restoring Talismans, some Godspeed Talismans and Ape's Leap Talismans, and Vajra Talismans. Since you're the main damage dealer in our squad, these should help you strike faster and harder!"

"Thanks." Wang Sheng took the stack and found that each talisman certainly had a small label written in the top left corner.

This guy truly put in some effort.

Wang Sheng handed a Vajra Talisman to Huai Jing and gave Godspeed and Ape's Leap Talismans to Mu Wanxuan, but they both refused. Huai Jing opened his robe, revealing a thick bundle of talismans hidden inside. Liu Yunzhi and Shi Qianzhang merely smiled quietly.

Mu Wanxuan's refusal was simpler—she drew a Tai Chi diagram in the air with her finger and gently tapped it, making it vanish. She wasn't the type to move around much during battles. If any attack managed to reach her, even a Vajra Talisman wouldn't help.

The five waited a while longer before two Daoist masters wheeled out a man-sized special speaker and placed it near the fake Devil-Sealing Well. They gestured for everyone to cover their ears.

Soon, a chorus of thunderous, beastly roars echoed from the mountaintop. The once clear sky, thick with lingering black smoke, gradually turned dark and overcast.

"Do you think those corrupt cultivators will fall for this?" Shi Qianzhang asked, resting his chin on his hand. "How much did this whole setup cost anyway?"

Wang Sheng shrugged. For now, all they could do was wait.

He had no way of contacting his master or Mou Yue, and he had no idea what was happening outside.

He reviewed the plan once more in his head and found no flaws. If the plan failed, the worst-case scenario would be the enemy simply refusing to take the bait. He was more afraid of the corrupt cultivators doing nothing at all than them charging in.

Where has Master gone? Ever since we reached the mountain, I haven't sensed his aura even once.

Wang Sheng looked up at the sky. There were eight Golden Core Realm Daoist elders gathered here today, but his master wasn't one of them. A large number of righteous cultivators were likely still hiding at the base of the mountain, ready to flank the corrupt cultivators once they launched their attack.

Wang Sheng's guess was spot on.

At that very moment, tens of thousands of Special Warfare Unit soldiers and hundreds of righteous cultivators were rushing in from all directions to surround the fake Ziyan Temple. They acted as support for the operation at the summit.

As deliberately arranged by the Special Investigation Unit, they were scattered and positioned at a distance. Only the rapid aerial support forces could arrive in time.

The real killing blow was hidden underground, in a dense forest at the foot of the mountain. The essence of underground warfare was being utilized to the fullest all over the Shu Mountains.

Waiting below were five Golden Core Realm experts, one hundred and twenty Illusory Core Realm righteous cultivators, and Special Warfare Unit instructors. They were concealed beneath the forest floor, a fewzhangsof earth overhead. They cycled through Stealth Talismans at regular intervals to keep themselves hidden.

Over a dozen corrupt cultivators had lingered in and carefully searched the same forest earlier, but they failed to find anything out of the ordinary. Right above where the righteous experts lay in hiding, some even discussed causing trouble on the mountaintop.

Nevertheless, not a single righteous cultivator made a move. In complete silence, they waited—a little patience now would ensure the bigger plan succeeded. A dozen corrupt cultivators weren't even worth wasting energy on anyway.

Except for Jingyun, who had just been summoned recently, the Golden Core experts stationed here were all directly affiliated with the government: Qing Yanzi; two instructors of the Special Warfare Unit; and Rufeng, whom Qing Yanzi had roped in.

The forces that the righteous faction had gathered were already enough to crush more than half of the corrupt Daoists.

As the ancient saying went, "When you have a flying dragon at your disposal, how could you possibly lose[1]?"

The beastly roars echoing from the mountaintop faintly reached the underground chamber. Using voice transmission, Qing Yanzi told one of the Warfare Unit instructors, "What's the situation now?"

"Don't worry, Daoist Master Bu Yan," the instructor replied. "Everything is under control. We've already spotted more than sixty Illusory Core Realm corrupt cultivators gathering at the back of the mountain. They've started preparing for the assault."

"How many Golden Core Realm cultivators have shown up?"

"None so far, but they're likely mixed in with the Illusory Core Realm cultivators," the instructor answered. "Even if a few Golden Core Realm experts are among them, they won't be able to cause much trouble."

Qing Yanzi nodded. He swept his spiritual consciousness through the surrounding forest but found no sign of the enemy.

At that moment, another Special Warfare Unit instructor frowned and pressed a hand to the earpiece in his ear. His breathing changed ever so slightly.

The instructor looked up at Qing Yanzi. Even in the dim and cramped space underground, Qing Yanzi could still see a trace of shock on the man's face.

"What's wrong?"

"Daoist Master Bu Yan, something strange is happening at the actual Devil-Sealing Well. The devilish qi is increasing!"

"What?" Qing Yanzi frowned immediately. "Could the large number of cultivators gathered here have startled the ancient devil? We're still dozens ofliaway, though..."

Jingyun transmitted, "Maybe the ancient devil sensed something unusual and thinks that this is an opportunity?"

Qing Yanzi didn't hesitate. "Stay here and continue as planned. I've been studying the Five-Element Escape Art lately. I'll use the Earth-Escape Technique to take a look."

One of the instructors replied, "Very well. Don't worry, Daoist Master Bu Yan. We'll hold this position."

Jingyun reminded, "Be careful, Senior Brother."

Qing Yanzi nodded and formed a hand seal. He then suppressed his primal qi fluctuations to an extremely low level, evidencing his skill.

Just as he was about to complete the Earth-Escape Technique, he paused and glanced at Rufeng, who was meditating in the corner.

"Monk Feng, come with me. Your Buddhist arts might have some restraining effect on fiendish devils."

Rufeng opened his eyes and smiled helplessly. "You're really not afraid of troubling me, are you?"

Qing Yanzi raised an eyebrow, grabbed the Buddhist master casually, and once again formed seals for the escape technique. The two were quickly wrapped in sand and soil and disappeared into the ground.

"Just how many techniques has Daoist Master Bu Yan mastered at this point?" a Golden Core Realm instructor couldn't help but mutter, drawing a few chuckles from the surrounding people.

***

On the mountaintop, the primal qi continued to boil. The auras of five or six Golden Core Realm cultivators surged into the sky. The violent fluctuations in qi made it impossible to probe the situation using spiritual consciousness.

There was no need to investigate, though. It was obvious that the righteous cultivators had engaged in a fierce battle and were going all out to suppress the ancient devil once more.

The sky grew darker.

In a forest on the mountainside, over a hundred figures had gathered. All of them looked at the mountaintop, their gazes either cold and ruthless, relaxed and pleased, or calm and unreadable.

Among them, four stood at the center. Though they had concealed their auras, the other corrupt cultivators instinctively treated them as the leaders. If one didn't look, it would be nearly impossible to sense their presence.

The Hua Republic's cultivation world was built around advancing from the Golden Core Realm to the Nascent Soul Realm, and most corrupt cultivators followed the same path. Naturally, the four were Golden Core Realm cultivators.

The beastly roar stopped for half a minute, then rang out again. The qi fluctuations atop the mountain grew more intense, and the entire peak appeared as though it was lightly trembling. The devilish qi rising into the sky grew thicker than ever as well.

Among the four corrupt Golden Core Realm cultivators, a middle-aged scholar with delicate features and a folding fan in hand asked, "Elder White Tiger, did your sect invite us here just to watch the show?"

"Of course not," said a young girl stepping forward from under a tree. Despite her youthful appearance, her tone carried a hint of age. No one would believe she was one of the Yin-Yang All-Creation Sect's four grand elders without hearing it for themselves.

Most corrupt cultivators were eccentric, if not outright monstrous. Had Flowing Water God still been alive, she might have been able to match Elder White Tiger in every way.

Just as she was about to continue, three holes opened quietly in the ground beside the forest. Several demon-masked figures stepped out, their auras fully concealed.

The man in the lead wore a long black robe and a half-mask shaped like the dark koi of the Tai Chi symbol. He had a bit of stubble around his mouth, and his long hair looked somewhat unkempt.

Elder White Tiger immediately stepped forward and knelt on one knee.

"Welcome, Sect Master."

The hundred or so corrupt cultivators in the forest all took a synchronized step back.

1. With an overwhelmingly dominant position where victory seems guaranteed, losing would require absurd incompetence or bad luck. ☜