World's No. 1 Swordsman-Chapter 680: The Ghost Heart Vine Unleashed Its Might!

Looking at the desolate planet from space, all one would see was the thick dust and haze covering it. It appeared barely any different from many others of its kind.

A closer view revealed countless rifts and volcanoes scattered across the surface. The outer crust, which had yet to stabilize, trembled constantly. Rivers of lava ran across the land like exposed veins, and dense, rolling mist enveloped the planet.

Ordinary living beings naturally could not survive in such a place. For immortals, however, entering and leaving it posed no difficulty. This was just an unpleasant environment for them.

Many of the people hovering outside the planet exuded astonishing presences. They focused on the hundreds of streaks of light plunging into the atmosphere.

They all had grudges against the divine tree's guardian spirit. After all, he had killed their core disciples and even blood relatives. Hence, upon learning that he was actually a cultivator and not part of Qinghua's array, they furiously rushed back to Qiling. Still, they weren't idiots. They would not allow hatred alone to cloud their judgment.

The mysterious guardian who appeared at Qiling and vanished without a trace could retreat calmly even when faced with Taiyi Golden Immortals. He seemed vastly stronger than the one in the divine tree array.

The real guardian spirit suffered defeats and retreated without success several times. At most, he was at the peak of the Heavenly Immortal Realm.

Because of the difference in strength and the restriction that prevented Golden Immortals from entering the divine tree's arrays, most immortal factions had assumed that the guardian was a calamity that the array itself had created, not a living being.

In comparison, the one they were now tracking down seemed to be far stronger. Even so, they refused to let this person go. They had searched nonstop around Qiling until they finally found and pursued him all the way here.

Gazing at the planet below, they examined the grand array covering it. Anyone with a sound mind instinctively stopped.

A trap?

The longer they observed, the more unsettling the place felt. The desolate planet seemed to release an aura that stirred unease.

The pursuers joined forces to seal the surrounding space, preventing the guardian spirit from slipping away. After some discussion, they then deployed the first group of hunters, which consisted of twelve Golden Immortals from different factions and three hundred Heavenly Immortals. Their task was simple: force the guardian spirit to reveal himself and struggle for survival.

Streams of light soon spread across the desolate planet, searching every region. Naturally, they couldn't find him. The culprit behind all this was far more powerful than they imagined.

Before long, the hundreds of cultivators gathered near the grand array. They quickly discovered its entrance and saw eighteen stone pillars along the edge of the gray mist. Humans hung from each one.

The cultivators were further enraged.

"We have to save them first!"

More than ten people rushed forward immediately. Sweeping past the entrance, they rescued the severely injured cultivators hanging from the pillars.

A short commotion erupted near the entrance. Some kind-hearted cultivators took out many alchemical pills, and the group busied themselves caring for the wounded.

Meanwhile, several Golden Immortals floated in the air and discussed how to search for the guardian spirit. One suggested simply destroying the array to avoid greater danger inside.

The hundreds of cultivators soon formed a battle formation and launched a joint assault against the gray-mist array, startling the dozens of cultivators still wandering inside it. Some even thought that it had been three days and that the terrifying masked man had come to slaughter them.

Lightning flashed, and true fire spread in waves.

The array remained completely unmoved. The gray mist swirling within showed no sign of weakening.

Afterward, an array expert managed to understand a small portion of its workings and issued a warning. "This array is easy to enter but difficult to leave. Anyone who wishes to investigate what's inside should be cautious. There may be other hidden traps."

While the group outside struggled fruitlessly, a streak of light suddenly emerged from the array. It was an immortal sword that pierced through the gray clouds and landed before several Golden Immortals.

All eyes turned toward it. A line of characters written in blood could be seen along the blade.

Those who enter the array will die. Those who wish to live should retreat.

Wang Sheng had sent the sword. Forced into a desperate situation by Wang Shan, he hoped the warning would frighten the people and ease the pressure on himself. Even if it didn't work, it would still be helpful to delay matters for a short while. He had to endure ten years in here, after all.

Contrary to his expectations, though, his message had the opposite effect.

A Golden Immortal raised his arm and shouted, "That thief is looking down on us! How dare he provoke us to enter the array! What makes him think we're afraid of him?!"

Dozens of hot-blooded Heavenly Immortals turned into streaks of light and rushed into the array at once, hoping to settle both old and new grudges with Wang Sheng. The people outside could still sense their general positions when they entered, making the array appear harmless at first glance.

However, two Heavenly Immortals soon received a call from the Golden Immortals outside and attempted to leave. When they tried to head back the way they came, they quickly lost their sense of direction. Confused, they wandered and drifted farther and farther away.

It truly was difficult to get out of. It hid far too many mysteries.

Inside a volcanic crater at the edge of the array, Wang Sheng used his immortal perception to observe the scene. He felt a trace of helplessness.

Behind him stood Ling Sheng. She immediately prepared to act, but Wang Sheng raised his hand to stop her. He told her not to rush and to just continue preparing.

These cultivators wouldn't find him any time soon. The newcomers inside did not dare wander too freely, fearing unseen traps.

No one noticed that faint green pollen had begun drifting through the array along with the waves of heat rising from the volcano. It had already spread to every corner of the array, though it had not yet taken effect.

While Wang Sheng waited, the situation outside continued to develop.

The immortal sword Wang Sheng had thrown out was already reduced to a pool of molten iron. Two Golden Immortals had used a secret method to melt it down. They then extracted the lingering aura that Wang Sheng had left on the flying sword, allowing them to determine that the person who had thrown the sword was a Heavenly Immortal.

Their discovery was quickly sent back to the experts in space, which only deepened the mystery surrounding the situation.

After a brief discussion, the remaining eleven Golden Immortals outside, along with the more than two hundred Heavenly Immortals, began to enter in groups. No matter how formidable the array could be, they believed that as long as they stayed together and assumed battle formations, they would have nothing to fear.

The moment their army entered, the two rows of stone pillars shifted rapidly. The array's entrance and exit closed immediately, preventing anyone from leaving or coming in.

The twelve Golden Immortals, the three hundred Heavenly Immortals, and the dozens who had been thrown in earlier all vanished from the perception of the cultivators outside.

Their fates had now become unknown.

***

Inside the volcanic crater, Wang Sheng called softly, "Ling Sheng."

The young girl who had been staring at her master's back immediately lowered her head and replied, "Yes, Master?"

Wang Sheng closed his eyes and breathed in lightly. The air here had a strong and pungent smell.

Cultivators would naturally hold their breath in a place like this. Even those who had not yet become immortals do that much. However, that wasn't the only way for the green pollen that the Ghost Heart Vine had released to enter her victims' bodies.

Wang Sheng had already been on guard when he fought her before. Nevertheless, he had still fallen victim to her.

He turned around and looked at the girl behind him.

One could describe Ling Sheng as somewhat frail. She was so pale that she seemed drained of blood, yet her eyes were remarkably clear.

Wang Sheng calmly said, "I'll bear the weight of this bloodshed. You are only following my orders; you're not the one who wants to slaughter the people out there. Always remember to guard your heart."

Ling Sheng blinked lightly. Her thin lips curved into a faint smile as she nodded gently at him. "Yes, Master."

"Begin," Wang Sheng said as he closed his eyes again. "Do it before they search this place. Show no mercy."

"Yes, Master."

Slowly closing her eyes, she began to float. Behind her appeared the emerald-green vine. It wrapped around her in graceful loops, like decorations upon a flowing dress.

Its human-faced leaves then moved as if they were alive and displayed a different expression. Some looked furious. Some were wounded. Some were filled with sorrow. Others showed exhilaration.

Through it all, Ling Sheng simply kept her eyes closed in quiet concentration. A gentle and contented smile rested on her lips.

***

Throughout the array, several figures hiding in the cracks in the ground rushed out, panic evident on their faces. Brilliant immortal light surged around them as various treasures appeared to protect them. Some even summoned true fire to burn their vicinity.

Nevertheless, their expressions soon shifted from panic to terror. They lowered their heads and stared at their chests as though some fiendish devils were devouring their heart meridians. Not long after, a Heavenly Immortal threw two punches at a nearby companion. His immortal power erupted at full force.

The other man furiously roared, "Li Song, what are you doing?!"

He rushed forward, meeting the incoming punches head-on. His eyes instantly turned blood red. A grand seal that circled him slammed straight toward the man who had thrown the punches.

An enraged shout then rang out.

"Attack!"

The cultivators hiding in a corner all turned on each other, launching all-out attacks at whoever was near them.

The same scene unfolded in many parts of the array. The Heavenly Immortals who had been thrown in here earlier and survived Wang Sheng's attacks now fought each other chaotically. Even those who had been wandering alone rushed toward the places where powerful auras erupted. Their eyes burned red as their own auras surged wildly.

"What is happening?"

The three hundred Heavenly Immortals and twelve Golden Immortals who had formed a battle formation sensed violent disturbances shaking the surrounding space. They all immediately became alert.

Without warning, a longsword pierced the chest of a female cultivator. The shocked and bewildered eyes of the people around her reflected the startlingly bright blood that sprayed out of her.

Moments later, gushes of blood splashed into the sky. The twelve Golden Immortals had started an indiscriminate slaughter.

Inside the volcanic crater, Wang Sheng observed everything with his immortal perception. He could not help but open his eyes as he looked at the girl floating before him.

He could sense waves of death aura gathering and flowing toward them, ultimately seeping into Ling Sheng. From looking frail, she regained a trace of color.

A faint red glow surrounded the human faces on the vines wrapped around her.

"Ling Sheng?"

The girl's eyelids fluttered open. "Yes, Master?"

She quietly waited for Wang Sheng's command. Her eyes remained as bright and clear as before.

Wang Sheng waved his hand and breathed out slowly. "Nothing. Guard your heart."

"Yes, Master."

He resumed using his immortal perception to observe the chaotic battlefield, witnessing hundreds of immortals slaughtering one another. He forced himself not to dwell on it and sealed away the softer part of his heart.

At most, he allowed himself a faint, self-mocking smile as he thought. It definitely wasn't a mistake to choose the Myriad-Slaying Sword Intent back then.