World's No. 1 Swordsman-Chapter 572: The Pacifist

Wang Sheng had a vague dream about a silver-haired woman standing under the Small Immortal Realm's moon laurel tree. She was gazing into the distance, her head raised in anticipation.

He sighed slowly, then opened his eyes. All around him was a desolate, airless expanse of planet debris. Lishang lay beside him, still unconscious.

He struggled slightly. With no gravity to restrain him, he sat up with ease, but waves of sharp pain surged through him, forcing several muffled groans out of him.

Looking down at himself, he saw that many strips of cloth had been wrapped around him. Flying Cloud had returned to him on its own, while the Dragon Sword hovered quietly nearby as though guarding him and Lishang.

They were still within the grand array, not far from where they had fought. Judging by the flow of time, Wang Sheng sensed that roughly half a month had already passed.

Sect Master Qinglin...

Wang Sheng sighed quietly and looked at the broken sword, which he still clenched tightly. With tangled emotions filling his heart, it took some effort before he managed to pry open his left hand.

The Celestial Wind Sect truly deserved to be annihilated. He had already sworn before that he would stop at nothing to destroy it in the future. Now, he was also doing it to console Qinglin's spirit.

The Sword-Controlling Art's final technique was, in truth, a desperate move meant to be used only when one had reached a dead end. The Wenqu Star didn't include it in the sword art's manual because he didn't want the Shu Sword Sect's disciples to rely on it.

Wang Sheng grasped the essence and intent of the final technique just by looking into the broken sword in his hand. Upon analyzing it, he concluded that using one's body as the sheath and one's soul as the sword was indeed far too overbearing.

Wang Sheng muttered in frustration, "I'm glad you can now rest in peace, Daoist Master Qinglin, but how am I supposed to explain this to Big Sister?"

He then lowered his head and began to busy himself. First, he took out several multicolored celestial crystals and set up a qi-gathering formation around himself and Lishang.

Lishang was still in deep slumber, having entered a profound meditative state. She had likely forced herself to bandage his wounds, but ultimately fell unconscious. Unable to make any arrangements, all she could do was lean against a large rock.

As soon as the qi-gathering formation was set up, Wang Sheng discovered a rather serious problem: he could not draw in this primal qi at all.

He immediately examined his internal condition. At first, his brows knit tightly, but he soon relaxed.

Despite having been injured far too severely, he still forcibly used the Heavenly Ziwei Sword Intent to unleash astral power earlier. His recklessness made his immortal body enter a state similar to hibernation, allowing it to recuperate on its own. However, it prevented him from absorbing primal qi to accelerate the process.

A faint patch of Pure Yang Immortal Power was already circulating within him, yet it wasn't enough to awaken his immortal body, which seemed to have sunk into a deep slumber.

Now, he had no choice but to spend some time in quiet recuperation. Still, considering he survived his fight against Tan Lang, he deduced that his injuries now weren't really fatal.

After depositing the broken sword into his Qiankun Ring, Wang Sheng found himself involuntarily pondering how he should speak to Xi Lian the next time they met. He even considered keeping this matter buried in his heart, allowing her to retain at least some hope.

Wang Sheng rubbed his forehead as bitterness filled his heart.

Emotions had been wearing down the human heart since ancient times. Trapped and unable to break free from her emotions, Xi Lian was no longer simply facing an emotional tribulation. After all, her emotions had taken deep root.

Qinglin also wanted Wang Sheng to keep this matter a secret. In his final moments, he even wished to simply have the broken sword returned to the Sword Mound, hoping that time would dilute Xi Lian's thoughts.

Yet no matter how one looked at it, such an act seemed rather one-sided.

Wang Sheng knew Xi Lian all too well. Though she appeared to be indifferent to everything, she was, in truth, extremely sensitive.

Wang Sheng softly said, "I'll handle this one step at a time."

He pursed his cracked lips and looked at Lishang. Afterward, he took out two alchemical pills, swallowed them, and began to meditate beside her.

Half a month later, Lishang finally awakened as well.

Recovering far faster than Wang Sheng, she had already regained her strength.

Her previous overexertion was somewhat akin to excessive blood loss. Once she had recuperated long enough to create new blood, she quickly healed from her injuries, and her racial power naturally stabilized.

Unlike hers, Wang Sheng's injuries lay in his cultivation realm. His Dao foundation had been shaken. Though not immediately catastrophic, such injuries could leave behind severe hidden troubles if not properly treated.

Once Lishang could move about, she started guarding Wang Sheng. She even took advantage of a moment when Wang Sheng was unconscious to draw her sword, cut her own wrist, and let three drops of golden blood fall to his lips. With incomparably gentle movements, she carefully used her finger to ease the golden blood into his mouth.

Although this did little to heal Wang Sheng's injuries and could only somewhat strengthen him physically, Lishang still wished to do whatever she could for him.

Gazing at Wang Sheng's slightly weary face, Lishang thought, Elder Pi seems to be called Wang Sheng.

An unbidden sense of loss rose within her. From the previous battle, Lishang had also learned that Wang Sheng was closely connected to the Heavenly Court. Although she didn't know what the Heavenly Court truly represented, she had at least heard of the name.

It once ruled the Three Realms hundreds of thousands of years ago as heaven and earth's greatest power. However, it fell due to unknown reasons.

The homeland Wang Sheng often spoke of also seemed to have an extraordinary origin, likely containing many formidable Daoist heritages.

Wang Sheng's furious roar toward the starry sky that day then echoed in her mind. He had demanded the stars to obey his command with such astonishing Dao Rhythm that it left an indelible impression on her.

Elder Pi, who exactly are you?

Lishang lightly pressed her lips and lowered her head. Looking at her tail, she transformed it into human legs and then sat silently beside Wang Sheng.

Another two days passed. Lishang had completely stabilized her innate power. Thanks to Wang Sheng's arranged qi-gathering formation and three precious multicolored celestial crystals, she had already recovered most of her strength.

At some point, she sensed someone seemingly spying on her. She recalled Tan Lang previously mentioning that another Heavenly Immortal from the Celestial Wind Sect was on their way.

She immediately wrapped Wang Sheng in immortal power. Holding him before her, she flew deeper into the grand array.

It was time to search for the exit. They weren't far from her homeland, where she thought they'd be safe.

Lishang was almost back to her peak condition. As long as the other Heavenly Immortal wasn't as strong as Tan Lang, she would be able to deal with them.

Her intuition was right.

Lin Feiyao, whom Wang Sheng had toyed with and delayed earlier, was already in the grand array. She arrived only five days after the two had defeated Tan Lang, but instead of rushing in, she lingered at the outskirts for several days, waiting for Tan Lang's message.

Had she been decisive enough to charge in, she would've been able to easily kill Lishang and Wang Sheng. Her hesitation and caution caused her to miss her final chance to earn merit.

By the time she had figured out the array's operating rules and entered it, Lishang had mostly healed from her injuries and recovered seventy percent of her full strength. Moreover, Lin Feiyao quickly discovered the remaining half of Tan Lang's corpse, causing her expression to drastically darken. She instinctively retreated in haste toward where she had come from.

Lishang and Pi Kachew have killed Elder Tan Lang?! They're even more ferocious than I imagined!

Halfway through her retreat, Lin Feiyao realized that the two had also likely suffered heavy injuries during the battle. She immediately began searching for them. However, once she discovered Lishang's steady aura, she instantly abandoned any thought of ambushing them and opted to simply follow them from a distance for a while.

Hesitation filled Lin Feiyao's eyes. Tan Lang's death had truly been beyond her expectations. For the Celestial Wind Sect, this was an enormous, unacceptable loss.

If she returned to the Celestial Wind Sect empty-handed, the sect master would certainly punish her. She could even be accused of colluding with Lishang and the others.

After all, anyone would find this situation difficult to believe. Lishang hadn't even reached the Heavenly Immortal Realm, yet she had already managed to kill one of the Celestial Wind Sect's two founding elders and five war slaves. Once she had become a Heavenly Immortal, the Celestial Wind Sect would lose all hope to contend with the Xinghai Sect. To make matters worse, this failed ambush naturally made Lishang see the Celestial Wind Sect as an enemy.

Lin Feiyao spent some time thinking about her options. She even considered leaving the thirteen qi planets, never to return to the Celestial Wind Sect. As a Heavenly Immortal skilled in refining pills, she could secure a decent livelihood wherever she went. There was no need for her to continue wading through such muddy waters, especially now that she could no longer clearly see the future direction that the thirteen qi planets would take.

Having made up her mind, Lin Feiyao decided to reveal herself to Lishang and Wang Sheng. To make up for her previous schemes against them, she would do them the favor of leading them out of the grand array.

Lin Feiyao didn't feel like she owed the Celestial Wind Sect anything anyway. Over the years, she had refined many pills for it. Moreover, there was no master-disciple affection or talk of loyalty for unaffiliated practitioners who had joined immortal sects.

She also considered the previous resentment she had for Wang Sheng as a small matter. After all, one had to first survive before they could get the chance to pursue the path to immortality.

Lin Feiyao telepathically told the two, "You two! Please stop for a moment. I have something to tell you."

As if facing a great enemy, Lishang's battle intent surged. Wang Sheng also slowly opened his eyes and grasped the Dragon Sword's hilt.

Lin Feiyao, who currently looked like an old woman, transformed back into a young girl. It was truly impossible to tell which of the two was her true form.

With a steady aura, she advanced slowly. She even took the initiative to greet, "We meet again."

Wang Sheng's eyebrows raised slightly. Lishang shouted lowly, "It's you?!"

"That's right." Lin Feiyao shook her head. "Vice Sect Master Lishang, there is no need to be anxious. I did intend to scheme against you earlier, but that sword cultivator saw through it. Considering you've killed Tan Lang, I've realized that I shouldn't overestimate myself and challenge you."

Lishang demanded coldly, "Just get to the point."

Lin Feiyao smiled. "I merely wish to guide you out of the array. It's better to resolve a conflict immediately than let it fester. I have decided to leave the Celestial Wind Sect and venture into the Northern Sky Region.

"Although I previously schemed against you, I didn't cause either of you any real loss. Why not let bygones be bygones? If we meet again in the future, then we can consider it fate."

Wang Sheng and Lishang exchanged a glance as they reached the same conclusion.

This could be a trap.