CHAPTER 201: RUFENG DIES, THE HEAVENLY SWORD DESCENDS

With a deep frown, Rufeng swiftly retreated and attempted to invoke his Buddhist arts. However, the "black hole" pulling primal qi from the side disrupted anything that required manipulating primal qi, even forming seals and unleashing Buddhist light, before it could take shape.

Wang Sheng charged in. Left with no other choice, Rufeng defended himself with Buddhist light and clashed with Wang Sheng head-on over a dozen times.

Nearby, a massive tornado of primal qi was growing at an alarming speed. As the wind howled, immense primal qi surged toward the depths of the cavern like the tide of a great river. The overwhelming suction force was affecting even the circulation of Wang Sheng's refined true essence.

The ancient devil was truly cunning. After breaking free of its seal, it did not rush out immediately. Instead, it remained below, drawing in the primal qi of heaven and earth.

Wang Sheng seemed unaware of it, however. He focused entirely on attacking and trapping Rufeng firmly in place. Rufeng could not afford the slightest distraction. If he ever lost even the slightest focus, Spiritless and the celestial-grade flying sword would pierce through his heart meridian, dantian, forehead, or throat.

The suction soon intensified enough to disrupt their footing and prevent even the celestial-grade flying sword from flying steadily. Wang Sheng withdrew his flying sword, held it in his left hand. With each step, he drove it into the ground to steady himself while continuing his fierce assault.

Rufeng brought out all his techniques, but he could only remain on the defensive due to the sword wounds that he had already sustained. Though he was a powerful Golden Core Realm expert with a large arsenal of spells and techniques, he couldn't use any of his abilities in such an environment.

Rufeng practiced the Indestructible Vajra Art just like Huai Jing; he could certainly defend against multiple attacks. Still, Wang Sheng's Spiritless wasn't easy to block.

In just thirty seconds, Rufeng was already in grave danger. Wang Sheng never stopped attacking. He had now switched to the Seven-Star Sword Formation, unleashing the full sharpness of Spiritless.

Compared to the four Golden Core Realm experts above, whose techniques had already begun to falter, Wang Sheng was doing remarkably well. This was one of the rare moments where a sword cultivator could gain complete dominance. The timing and environment had worked entirely in his favor.

The suction of the tornado finally stopped increasing. Both Wang Sheng and Rufeng could barely stand. Rufeng had retreated to a corner, his usual calm expression now twisted with a trace of savagery.

This, perhaps, was his true nature beneath the refined facade.

"You want to die here with me?" Rufeng sneered. "I have already released the ancient devil, and it has absorbed three drops of my blood essence. Why would it kill me?"

Wang Sheng said nothing. He simply continued his relentless attacks.

With his Seven-Star Footwork restricted and his sword formation partially hindered, he could only barely maintain the upper hand. Even so, he dared not hope for more.

He only had one desire in his heart.

I'm going to kill you, you corrupt monk!

The image of his master, gravely wounded and barely alive, still lingered in his mind. The fury burning inside him was close to overwhelming his reason.

Piercing the Clouds, Traversing the Moon! North-Star Piercer!

Blood gushed out. Although Rufeng's enchanted power forced out Spiritless before it could pierce deeply, it still left two sword wounds on Rufeng's left shoulder and chest, staining his white robe red.

"You really think you can kill me?" Rufeng roared lowly.

As the ferocity of his expression turned into fury, he stopped defending and allowed Buddhist light to surge from all around him. He then launched an all-out counterattack.

Swords and palms collided. Wang Sheng once again pierced through Rufeng's Buddhist light and hit his heart meridian, but Rufeng's enchanted power forced Spiritless out once more, preventing him from ending the battle.

Two palm phantasms slammed into Wang Sheng's Flowing Celestial Robe, forcing him back two steps. Rufeng then abruptly turned and tried to leap away.

Suppressing the blood rising in his throat, Wang Sheng lunged again, aiming to cut down Rufeng's spine with one swift strike. The white-robed fiendish monk growled and could only turn back to fight. His eyes had started to redden.

The ancient devil was on the verge of breaking free, and no one knew whether it would unleash carnage upon its release. Anyone caught in this situation, forced to fight with no end in sight and unable to break free, would feel their mind begin to unravel.

"You want to trade your life for mine? You think I'm afraid of you?" Rufeng roared again as he clashed with Wang Sheng once more. He seemed to have finally made up his mind to fight to the death.

Wang Sheng simply continued attacking. He pushed his footwork to the limit and unleashed every bit of his strength. Relying on the Flowing Celestial Robe to withstand the incoming palm strikes, he used Spiritless to carve multiple bleeding wounds into Rufeng.

As the devilish qi below grew increasingly dense, the sense of dread within both men also became more distinct. The ancient devil could burst out from the mountain at any moment!

On the verge of madness, Rufeng constantly shouted at Wang Sheng.

"I began cultivating at the age of three! At twelve, I was sent to the Hua Republic to study Buddhism and Daoism! Since the return of primal qi to the world, I have reached the Golden Core Realm. How dare you, a mere Illusory Core Realm cultivator, attempt to take my life?

"I own countless assets and six temples east of the Eastern Sea! My ancestors have served as the yang sect master of the Yin-Yang All Creation Sect for generations. Under my leadership, the sect reached its peak! And you, a lucky brat who happened to become Qing Yanzi's disciple, think you can trade your life for mine?!"

Unbothered, Wang Sheng pushed on with his offensive. Rufeng's attacks, on the other hand, became more disordered. Though they looked fierce, his rhythm had already fallen apart. Being at the Golden Core Realm didn't necessarily mean one was good at close combat.

Sword cries filled the air. The wind howled around them.

Wang Sheng no longer felt pressed for time. He even unknowingly switched to a defensive stance every now and then. After blocking Rufeng's palm strikes, he would suddenly counterattack and wound him even more. Were it not for Rufeng's enchanted power, Wang Sheng would have already killed him.

The Wood and Fire Elders of the Yin-Yang All Creation Sect roared furiously above them, but they couldn't do anything either. The two instructors from the Special Warfare Unit used everything they had to keep the two firmly locked in battle.

Seemingly coming to a realization in the middle of their fight, Pang Longhua shouted toward the ground below, "Get out of there now, Fei Yu! That devil is about to break out. Several Daoist masters are already closing in. Rufeng won't escape. Don't throw your life away here!"

Wang Sheng paid him no attention. With his eyes fixed on Rufeng, who was covered in blood and looked half-mad, he continued his offensive unabated. He knew that the moment he let up, Rufeng would escape.

Even now, Rufeng's madness and apparent loss of control were at least partially an act. When Rufeng dodged his Ziwei Sword, Wang Sheng concluded that Rufeng would never allow anything to disrupt his clarity of mind.

The ground, which had been stable for a while, suddenly began to tremble again. The tornado spun more slowly as well.

Thump!

A heartbeat, or perhaps a war drum, echoed within Wang Sheng's and Rufeng's hearts, making them stop at the same time. In the next second, Wang Sheng's Spiritless thrust forward once more. Rufeng, who was just about to leap away, glared fiercely at him.

Wang Sheng had the advantage. Unable to block in time, Rufeng could only twist his body to narrowly avoid it. Sword in hand, Wang Sheng pressed forward with another fierce assault when a chill crept up from the depths of his soul.

The two instinctively looked at the vortex.

They had not realized it before, but the base of the vortex had expanded to more than ten meters in diameter. Amid the swirling winds, a pair of blood-red eyes the size of windows stared straight at them.

"Not good!" Rufeng exclaimed as two massive chains shot out of the tornado. Mysterious blood runes shimmered along their lengths.

Buddhist light burst from Rufeng. The phantasm of a seated Buddha appeared behind him, making it seem as if Rufeng was trying to resist the chains head-on. In truth, he had already prepared to use the force of the approaching chains to escape.

When the suction from the tornado disappeared, Wang Sheng found an opening to escape as well. All he had to do was use the Seven-Star Footwork and step onto his flying sword. He couldn't care less, though. Using the Seven-Star Footwork, he lunged at Rufeng. Starlight flashed from Spiritless.

Rufeng turned his head and looked at him, his eyes filled with horror.

One of the massive chains swept horizontally toward them. Before the chain bound him, Wang Sheng unleashed his strongest sword technique toward Rufeng's chest. He was truly staking his life in this battle, with no regard for the consequences!

"Wang Fei Yu!" Rufeng's face twitched.

He was forced to dissolve the Buddhist arts that he had just summoned and quickly dodge to the side. Though he managed to avoid Wang Sheng's sword once more, the Buddhist arts that he had prepared to counter the chains were interrupted. A chain hit him square in the back, causing him to cough up blood.

The two chains, each as thick as a well's opening, reached for them at almost the same moment. Wang Sheng immediately changed his strategy. He raised Spiritless, which he held in his right hand, and slashed at the chain, the shock from the clash nearly shattering his true essence. As he lurched backward, the chain looped around him and bound his upper body completely.

Rufeng fared even worse. The chain wrapped around him and dragged him into the swirling wind, where a terrifying mouth lined with jagged teeth opened wide. The massive tornado, towering between heaven and earth, broke apart into strands of light and was sucked into the gaping maw.

A fox fiend, dozens of meters long and enveloped in black devilish qi, now stood over the deep chasm. It was so huge that it occupied half the courtyard. As its enormous mouth began to close, it flicked its chain, flinging Rufeng directly toward its mouth.

Panicking, Rufeng cried out, "Senior, I was the one who released you! I—"

The fox's jaws clamped down on him and began to chew. In just one bite, it had killed the Yin-Yang All Creation Sect's yang sect master, one of the most mysterious figures in the sect. Another bite later, it coughed and spat out the mangled corpse, seemingly disliking the taste.

Its massive, bloodshot eyes betrayed a hint of confusion.

Two anguished screams echoed overhead, followed by two angry shouts. Instead of trying to stay in the fight, the Fire and Wood Elders immediately retreated, while the two instructors made no move to pursue them. Instead, they turned their focus to the fox fiend below.

Although their Dao Hearts trembled uncontrollably, they received clear orders through the earpieces in their ears. All they had to do was keep the fox in place for ten seconds.

However, just as the two dove down, the chains wrapped around the fox fiend whipped into the air. They swiftly struck both men squarely and sent them flying.

Even Wang Sheng, who hated Rufeng to the bone, frowned at the sight of the beast tearing someone apart. Now, the fox fiend was looking at him. The chain holding him suddenly pulled tight and yanked him toward the creature's mouth.

However, he naturally didn't just sit still and wait for his demise. Though he was mostly bound, his left hand was still free.

He immediately let go of the celestial-grade flying sword and formed a sword finger. Right after, he forcibly chanted the Pure Yang Immortal Mantra and used the Sword-Controlling Art to turn the celestial-grade flying sword into a brilliant arc of light and hurtle it toward the fox's forehead.

Once again, the fox fiend's massive eyes filled with confusion. When the sword drew nearer, its confusion faded slightly, allowing endless fury and boundless resentment to replace it. As devilish qi surged wildly around the fox, the chain wrapped around Wang Sheng shook violently.

At that same moment, a blue beam shot down from the clear sky and struck the fox fiend directly on the back. The flash was so bright that Wang Sheng could barely keep his eyes open.

Devilish qi exploded outward. The fox fiend threw its head back and let out a howl filled with endless pain; rage; misery; and bitter, unending sorrow.

The rising devilish qi blasted the celestial-grade flying sword aside. The massive chains binding Wang Sheng suddenly snapped inch by inch. Right after, the devilish qi sent him flying as well.

That light... was the Heavenly Sword of the Hua Republic!