World's No. 1 Swordsman
Chapter 154: Sword Shatters the Azure Dragon Claw!

Chapter 154: Sword Shatters the Azure Dragon Claw!

"Divine Being Xuanming, ruler of the Northern Water Palace, guide the principles of earth and water! Return their essence to the singular origin..." Jingyun chanted softly as she slowly backed off, strands of Mystical Azure Water swirling around her. Her long hair streamed behind her, and the jade hairpin at her side vibrated lightly.

Hovering in midair just a bit of distance in front of her was the brawny man. Eighteen blood-red patterns marked him all over, making him resemble a devilish god. Forming a claw with his right hand, he roared as deafeningly as a tiger or a dragon. He then charged at Jingyun with unstoppable force!

The devilish dragon's roar echoed through the mountains and forests. The killing intent it harbored overwhelmed and froze over a hundred cultivators from both righteous and corrupt factions engaged in battle below.

Jingyun shouted lightly as she emanated a gentle Dao Rhythm, barely resisting the pressure. Her jade hairpin then released a stream of cold aura, slowing the burly man's charge.

The blood light coming from the man flared violently, and the cold aura before him quickly dissipated. With brutally aggressive footwork, he flashed several times in midair until he appeared right in front of Jingyun.

"All creations of heaven and earth revere yin and yang! Did you really think you could trap me with Xuanming's name?"

The cultivators below felt their hearts tremble. The man, who looked like a devilish god, struck Jingyun with a palm.

Jingyun swung her short sword horizontally to block it, but she and the sword were both blasted away. She coughed up a mouthful of blood in midair.

The brawny man roared again. He looked like a madman, yet his mind remained fully alert. As if wary of something, he plunged downward with great force, aiming straight for Wang Sheng and the other four.

Wang Sheng swiftly commanded, "Fall back!"

In truth, he had been keeping part of his attention on his martial aunt all along. For Jingyun to reach such a level, fully unleashing the potential of her cultivation realm during the battle, was no easy feat.

Nevertheless, the enemy proved far too ferocious. Despite being gravely wounded, he still unleashed such overwhelming might. On the other hand, though, his decision not to finish off Jingyun and instead descend toward them could either mean that he could not sustain his current state for long or that he had more pressing concerns.

As Azure Dragon dove toward them, Wang Sheng, Gao Shixing, and Huai Jing retreated. Wang Sheng couldn’t even notice the dense swarm of black specks appearing in the western sky, resembling a flock of birds.

The corrupt cultivators tried to pursue them, but the pressure from the Golden Core Realm brute held them back.

Landing on the ground, the brute locked onto Wang Sheng and roared furiously. Discovering that Wang Sheng, a mere late-stage Seed Formation Realm cultivator, had been holding off his subordinates clearly enraged him deeply.

Radiating waves of immense force in every direction, the man charged at Wang Sheng as he mimicked dragon claws with his hands. The corrupt cultivators behind him could only step back for now, leaving the battle to their strongest.

Facing such a foe, even Gao Shixing felt an obstruction with his true essence. How much worse could it be for Wang Sheng?

"Run, Fei Yu!” Gao Shixing sharply shouted as he charged forward with his sword. He stood like a mountain, unleashing his full power into a single strike.

Humanity was in a constant battle against heaven and earth. Though they could follow the laws of nature, they would not yield to them. If their sword could not defy devils and fiends, then what good was their sword?

Fight strength with strength; fight force with force!

However, just as Gao Shixing stepped forward, he sensed a familiar yet distant sword intent erupting behind him. The perfected Seven-Star Sword Intent—the Heavenly Ziwei Sword Intent swept past him!

Ziwei was the master of its constellation. The Four Symbols would never dare defy it!

Starlight filled Wang Sheng's eyes as he stepped forward. The Golden Core Realm cultivator's pressure could no longer restrain the sword in his hand.

He knew he was no match for the enemy, but his senior sister was right behind him. He could retreat using the Seven-Star Footwork, but what about her? How would she retreat? Where would she hide?

He unleashed the Reversed Seven-Star Sword Formation. Countless sword phantasms formed and gathered before him, quickly draining his true essence. The portable qi-gathering device he carried was utterly insufficient.

Gao Shixing met the brute's claws with his longsword. Though the clash instantly blasted him away, that one strike had halted the brute's advance!

As Gao Shixing spun in the air and barely found his balance, a swarm of corrupt cultivators attacked him, forcing him on the defensive and making it impossible for him to face the brute.

It didn't matter, however. The moment Gao Shixing was knocked back, Huai Jing leaped up!

Wang Sheng was halfway into unleashing his sword technique when the Golden Core Realm cultivator, who was only four or five meters away from him, swung his claws forward again. Coming to Wang Sheng’s defense, golden light burst from the left. Huai Jing swung his devil-subduing staff through a rushing wind, aiming for the brute's head.

The monk's usually gentle expression was now fierce with righteous fury. "The Buddhist arts are boundless! I'll send you to heaven!"

With a loud clang, the brute steadily blocked the staff with an arm. He then raised a hand and struck Huai Jing with a dragon claw squarely in the chest.

The young monk was sent flying high into the air, flipping repeatedly. His chest burst open with five bloody holes, but golden light still surged within them.

Immediately after, Fei Lianzi's twin flying swords whistled past Wang Sheng and slashed at the brute. The aura enveloping the brute blew them away with ease, but they bought Wang Sheng enough time to charge onward!

The hundreds of sword phantasms all converged into Spiritless. Though it was sunny, a dark, starry sky seemed to replace the clear sky as the vast galaxy gathered upon Wang Sheng’s blade.

The corrupt cultivators behind the Golden Core Realm brute unleashed over a dozen attacks. However, they instantly vanished amid the starlight, as if torn apart by countless invisible strands of sword energy.

The burly man's eyes filled up with nothing but fury. He had always been a proud man, and rightfully so. Yet now, a young cultivator who hadn't even completed the Foundation Establishment Stage was making him feel a genuine sense of danger.

Crimson, fish-scale-like markings surfaced on his hand, truly transforming it into an azure dragon claw. Though he had a chance to dodge the sword, he opted to block the Ziwei strike head-on.

He could not afford to dodge. If they didn't crush the swordsman and monk in front of them right now, they wouldn’t be able to escape.

"Get lost!"

"Senior Sister!"

The Golden Core Realm brute and Wang Sheng roared at the same time, but Wang Sheng's proved more useful. The yin-yang koi twined around the man, stopping him for a mere second.

However, that instant was enough for Spiritless to reach the brute. The Ziwei strike pierced straight through his dragon claw.

Still, the enemy proved truly formidable. In the blink of an eye, he broke free of the yin-yang qi that Mu Wanxuan had set down. He shifted his wounded hand slightly to the side, diverting the blade that was about to pierce his throat just enough for it to miss his vital points and instead pierce half a cun into his shoulder.

His face twisted into something monstrous, and he clenched his jaws so tightly that they nearly shattered. He thrust his clawed hand and tried to grab Wang Sheng's throat.

Behind Wang Sheng, Mu Wanxuan had already unleashed her full power. The yin-yang qi turned into two massive hands in front of Wang Sheng, one on each side. As they struck forward, two strands of yin-yang aura wrapped around Wang Sheng's waist, yanking him backward with great force.

Spiritless dragged a line of blood as it pulled free from the burly man's palm. Not even a Golden Core Realm cultivator could withstand its blade’s sharpness.

Amid the chaotic surges of primal qi, two palm phantasms hit Wang Sheng's chest in succession, sending him flying backward even faster.

Junior Brother!

Mu Wanxuan panicked. She kept retreating, her hands drawing circles in the air. Wave after wave of gentle force cushioned Wang Sheng's back.

The injured brute swung his wounded arm and bellowed, "Kill them! Take the celestial tablet and go!"

More than twenty corrupt cultivators behind him rushed forward to attack. However, a jade light shot down from above, blasting into the ground and kicking up a storm of dust.

Jingyun, pale yet devoid of emotions, returned on two jade daggers. Her cool, elegant expression and her fluttering Daoist robe made her look like an immortal who had descended from beyond the heavens.

The corrupt cultivators were once again forced to a stop. The Golden Core Realm brute lunged forward, but he could no longer raise his wounded arm, forcing him to face Jingyun with one hand.

Jingyun swung her short sword horizontally. With her weapon imbued with sword intent, she unleashed Jade Maiden Sword Art techniques, making her presence even colder and more distant.

The Golden Core within her spun rapidly. Going all out, she unleashed wave after wave of sword phantasms at her enemies.

Gao Shixing soon returned and stood beside her. Providing support, Fei Lianzi commanded his flying sword, coordinating with them to immobilize and kill the corrupt cultivators.

Huai Jing sat cross-legged on the ground, continuously chanting sutras. Rings of Buddhist light swirled around him, interrupting the incantations of the corrupt cultivators. The bloody hole in his chest was slowly closing.

Wang Sheng was badly injured. Fortunately, his wounds weren’t fatal—just disrupted qi flow and a few disordered meridians in his chest.

He now sat behind Mu Wanxuan, holding Spiritless in his right hand. With his left hand, he formed a sword finger and traced it through the air. The celestial-grade flying sword once again burst into dazzling light, weaving through the group of corrupt cultivators.

Of their group, the brute had severely injured two and slightly wounded one. Still, they had at least successfully stopped the strongest among their enemies.

Fortunately, Jingyun’s surprise attack had already gravely injured the man. Otherwise, Wang Sheng and the monk would likely already be dead.

Why is that man so ferocious?

The disciples of the Yin-Yang All-Creation Sect were nothing like the ragtag bunch from the Five Gods Cult.

The real bloodshed was happening at the bottom of the slope. Seeing Wang Sheng's group repeatedly pushed to the edge of danger yet still managing to desperately hold off the corrupt cultivators, the morale of the Daoist masters below surged. Even if it could mean losing eight hundred of their own, they still threw all caution to the wind and went all out to injure a thousand of their enemies!

Knowing that a brutal battle still awaited them, Wang Sheng focused on regulating his aura. He forced himself to stand despite the pain, only to hear the roar of an aircraft flying low across the sky.

From down the slope, a Special Warfare Unit captain shouted, "Reinforcements are here! Hold them off! Don't let them escape!"

In the western sky, soldiers in camouflaged wingsuits dove straight down onto the battlefield.