World's No. 1 Swordsman-Chapter 551: Romantic Entanglements

The split wooden puppet, the Xinghai Sect's missing sword cultivator, and the fact that the sword cultivator in question had an extremely powerful Dao of the Sword all pointed to one conclusion.

The scene made many of the Celestial Wind Sect's immortals believe that the case was already solved. With anger evident in their expressions, they immediately prepared to spring into action.

However, just before a fight could break out, Yao Xingzi flipped his left hand and revealed an Eight Trigrams disk that was about a foot wide.

Calmly, he said, "Everyone, please calm down. Now that things have come to this, I'll use divination to find Elder Pi."

Li Tianyao stared at the disk and suddenly smiled. "Didn't you say that you can't use divination to find people, Sect Master Yao Xingzi? Were you just toying with us earlier?"

"It seems you've misunderstood me, Young Master Li. Depending on the circumstances, finding people can be very different. You initially asked me to find someone with no birth date, no name, and no title. How was I supposed to do that? Elder Pi is different. I have all of his information."

As he spoke, the eight rings on the disk began to rotate slowly, and colorful lights flickered across it.

He made a sign with his right hand and slowly moved it into the disk, causing it to glow brightly. A beam of rosy light then shot into the sky and raced northwest before finally hovering above a cliff.

Yao Xingzi frowned. In a deep tone, he instructed, "Please wait here, everyone. I'll invite Elder Pi to come over."

"Wait!" Li Tianyao called out sharply. With a hostile expression, he added, "Please lead the way, Sect Master Yao Xingzi. We'll come with you."

Yao Xingzi showed his displeasure, but he just nodded slightly. He led the Xinghai Sect immortals half a step ahead, while the Celestial Wind Sect pressed forward behind them. Both sides remained on guard, as if a battle today was unavoidable.

Upon reaching the cliff, Linyuan, who had left the great palace earlier, flew up from below and blocked their path.

He hurriedly asked, "Sect Master, why have you brought so many people here?"

Yao Xingzi pointed at the disk in his hand and solemnly replied, "Why else but to look for Elder Pi? Is he here?"

"Well..." Linyuan hesitated. He looked behind him, then softly said, "He seems to be."

"Seems? What do you mean?"

Linyuan smiled bitterly. "I sensed his aura coming from this place. I'm so old that half my body is already in the ground, Sect Master. I didn't go in to look since, at my age, it's hard to get involved in the matters of the younger generation. Anyway, you should all go back. This matter shouldn't be made public."

From behind, a Celestial Wind Sect True Immortal shouted, "What tricks are you playing now, Xinghai Sect?!"

Yao Xingzi sighed. "If we can't find Elder Pi today, I fear the Celestial Wind Sect will put the blame on us. As long as he's in the sect, everything else is a small matter. Lead the way."

Looking troubled, Linyuan sighed. "Haaaa. Alright."

Seeing the Celestial Wind Sect immortals' murderous looks, he could only turn and fly down toward the cliff below. The Xinghai Sect immortals followed behind, while the Celestial Wind Sect immortals flew a little slower, fearing an ambush had been set below.

On a closer look, waves of light from layers of grand arrays could be seen concealing a valley. Inside was a lotus pond with an elegant pavilion beside it.

Yao Xingzi raised the disk in his hand and slowly descended. In an instant, the arrays below began to deactivate.

Linyuan had called out, "Lishang, come out of seclusion for a moment!"

"Mm?"

The Xinghai Sect immortals were familiar with the voice that had come from below.

Behind a window of the pavilion, Lishang appeared in her human form. She stood barefoot on a soft cushion, donning a long gown that exposed her shoulders. Though flowy, it couldn't hide her perfect figure.

Moreover, she wasn't wearing a veil today, allowing everyone to see her beautiful, painting-like brows and eyes. Though she still looked cold and distant, a trace of charm tugged at the corners of her lips. The mere sight of her at the window was enough to make the hearts of many immortals waver.

Upon seeing the huge crowd above, she turned around with slight displeasure and softly said, "They are looking for you."

"Oh?"

Wang Sheng stood up right behind her. Currently, he was in a long robe that was left open at the chest, its sleeves rolled up. His long hair cascaded freely, and he was barefoot, making him look completely relaxed.

Wang Sheng smiled and made a Daoist salute, respectfully calling out, "Greetings, Sect Master, elders, fellow members, and... Oh? Young Master Li, why have you brought so many people here?"

For a moment, the immortals above showed extremely dynamic expressions.

Most of the Xinghai Sect immortals sighed to themselves, though some looked up and sighed deeply, saddened by the fact that the strongest female immortal in the sect had already been taken.

Meanwhile, the faces of the Celestial Wind Sect immortals and the North-River Sword Sect's two elders turned shades of green and black.

Li Tianyao snorted coldly. He then calmly said, "Your sect's behavior seriously confuses me, Sect Master Yao Xingzi."

Yao Xingzi cupped his hands and replied just as calmly, "You jest. Not even I was aware of this situation. Had I known, I could have been a witness for them. There would have been no need for such secrecy."

Linyuan sighed and smiled awkwardly. "This is my fault. I was the one helping them from the side. If you have to blame anyone, blame me."

After a short while, Wang Sheng rode some clouds up. Lishang followed behind him. She had already changed into her usual plain-white long dress and put on a veil.

Once in the air, she reverted to her original form, her tail coiling. Her presence was as strong as any Heavenly Immortal.

Wang Sheng cupped his hands in salute, then frowned. "Has something major happened, Sect Master?"

Yao Xingzi acted as if he were asking a serious question. "Elder Pi, why did you leave a wooden puppet at the place where you were supposed to be in meditation?"

"Well..." Wang Sheng sighed. "To be honest with you all, I'm quite a shy person. There are certain matters that I'd rather not reveal to others too quickly."

Lishang added from the side, "Actually, this was my idea."

Yao Xingzi was about to reprimand them when Meng Zuofan, an elder of the Celestial Wind Sect, stepped forward.

The old man smiled faintly and gently. "This clears up the misunderstanding. It seems we were needlessly tense for nothing. Earlier, I have to admit that we behaved quite offensively. I hope you and your sect don't take it to heart, Sect Master Yao Xingzi. That little thieving sword cultivator is simply far too vicious. He stirred our sect from top to bottom into unrest, which led to our suspicions."

Wang Sheng smiled. "Little thieving sword cultivator? Do you mean the nameless sword immortal who destroyed the blood mine long ago?"

A Xinghai Sect Protector muttered, "That makes no sense. A hundred years ago, when the Celestial Wind Sect's blood mine was destroyed, that nameless sword immortal was already at the True Immortal Realm. He even injured quite a few True Immortal Realm administrators of the Celestial Wind Sect.

"Elder Pi and I joined the Xinghai Sect around the same time. He only broke through to the True Immortal Realm a few years ago, and everyone witnessed the commotion that event caused. How did they get lumped together?"

"Exactly. Is the Celestial Wind Sect deliberately trying to cause us trouble?"

"Haaa. That's impossible. The Celestial Wind Sect has always been benevolent at heart, and its sect master governs with benevolence and virtue. They couldn't possibly do that."

Mockery and sarcasm rose endlessly from all sides. With no grounds to argue, the Celestial Wind Sect immortals could only stand and endure the jeers.

Li Tianyao asked, "Can you assist us in finding the nameless sword immortal, Sect Master Yao Xingzi?"

"If you have a token belonging to him, then I can at least try," Yao Xingzi said. "Divination is never one hundred percent certain. I am willing to help later, but I can't promise that we'll definitely catch the thief."

Li Tianyao offered a Daoist salute. "Very well. Thank you, Sect Master Yao Xingzi. We have intruded greatly today and caused some inconvenience to the cultivation of our fellow Daoists in the Xinghai Sect. Please forgive us. Unfortunately, we'll have to take our leave now and continue our search for the thief. Let's go."

With a dark expression, he turned and left. The Celestial Wind Sect immortals followed behind him.

"Safe travels, Young Master Li," Yao Xingzi replied calmly. "Elder Linyuan, see him out of the mountain gate for me."

Linyuan replied cheerfully, "Yes, Sect Master."

Leading a group of Xinghai Sect immortals, he chased after the Celestial Wind Sect's group.

Meanwhile, the two elders of the North-River Sword Sect remained standing in midair. They stared at Wang Sheng for a while, who met their gaze calmly with a faint smile.

Xiao Ende forced an ugly smile. "Little Friend, do you still remember our previous agreement?"

Wang Sheng nodded. "Of course. If I have the opportunity, I will certainly visit the North-River Sword Sect."

"There's no need to go through such trouble," Wei Fu replied. "Why not write a sword-heart comprehension text now? Whatever you request, we can accomplish it for you."

I want the Celestial Wind Sect to be annihilated, Wang Sheng thought. He knew better than to say it out loud, though.

The two immortals clearly weren't above using force and their status to oppress others, leaving him no room to refuse.

He pondered for a moment and then requested, "Please give me a little more time. I have only cultivated in the Dao for a short while, and there are some insights that I've comprehended but can't explain verbally yet. Give me five years. At that time, I'll have someone deliver the sword-heart comprehension text to the Celestial Wind Sect."

"Very well. What treasures do you want?" one of them asked.

Wang Sheng looked at Lishang. A trace of apology appeared in his eyes as he smiled. "A vermilion hairpin, a pair of jade bracelets, and a few neon dresses will suffice."

The two nodded solemnly, recorded his requests, and cupped their hands toward him. They then turned and flew toward the mountain gate.

Once the Celestial Wind Sect departed, Wang Sheng finally breathed a long sigh of relief.

Yao Xingzi raised a hand and pointed, activating most of the sect's grand defensive array.

The Xinghai Sect immortals returned to their respective places of cultivation with teasing smiles. They had gained a rather interesting conversation material today.

Linyuan soon flew back. Seeing Wang Sheng's awkward expression, he did not say much.

Moments later, the four sat around a low table in Lishang's pavilion. Yao Xingzi stroked his beard and smiled. Wang Sheng and Lishang sat facing each other, yet they deliberately avoided meeting each other's gaze.

Linyuan sighed. "We dealt with that situation quite well."

Wang Sheng frowned. "Why did the Celestial Wind Sect suddenly come here?"

"It was likely just a coincidence," Yao Xingzi answered. "They were originally supposed to come and ask me to use divination to locate you. Most of their forces were probably just searching for you when they joined the group that's supposed to come to our sect."

Linyuan said, "The Celestial Wind Sect's strength is truly somewhat frightening."

Yao Xingzi sighed, a hint of helplessness in his eyes. "I agree. Considering they control three qi stars, it'll certainly be difficult for us to shake them."

At the side, Lishang pointed at Wang Sheng. "You're the nameless sword immortal?"

Wang Sheng immediately sat up straight and nodded. "Yes. I didn't mean to conceal it when I joined the sect. I hope you forgive me."

"You were already a True Immortal a hundred years ago. How have you broken through the same realm twice?" Lishang asked.

Wang Sheng hesitated slightly, but still replied, "I was only at the Primordial Immortal Realm back then. I just used a secret method to forcibly raise my combat strength."

"Now that you have two powerful treasures and that new sword technique of yours, wouldn't you be able to fight a Heavenly Immortal if you use that secret method again?"

Wang Sheng smiled awkwardly. "That's not really an accurate way to calculate it. It also depends on the actual situation."

Linyuan laughed. "There's no need to dwell on this. It won't be difficult for you to become a Heavenly Immortal in the future anyway. Right now, we have a more pressing problem: by tomorrow, news of your romantic affair with our vice sect master will likely have spread across the thirteen qi stars. What's your stance on this, Kachew?"

Wang Sheng immediately smiled bitterly. He had already found this emergency plan somewhat strange, but he had not expected the sect master and Linyuan to have their own plans.

Lishang calmly commented, "That will only give us a false reputation. There's absolutely nothing going on between us. I still bear the responsibility of saving my race, and I am not as coy as human women. Let them say what they wish."

Wang Sheng softly remarked, "Should anything happen to your reputation, Vice Sect Master, I'll do my best to make amends."

"No need to be so fussy," Lishang replied. "Give me a copy of your sword-heart comprehension text as well, and this matter will be settled."

Wang Sheng shook his head and smiled bitterly. Seeing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone at the side, he stood and walked over.

"In that case, I will write down many of my insights in the Human Dao of the Sword today. Please have someone copy a set and deliver it to the Celestial Wind Sect later, Sect Master."

Yao Xingzi could not help but stroke his beard and chuckle softly.

Lishang simply pursed her lips a little.