The police cars retreated, and the convoy of armored vehicles once again advanced. Akiu Masayo realized that all he had done was nothing but a futile struggle. At that moment, he already understood the stance his own sect had chosen. Worse, if even he could see it, then Wang Sheng definitely could as well. If anything, Akiu Masayo was the one who was clouded by his own feelings. His personal emotions led him to believe that his sect had chosen to side with the Dami Empire. In truth, Wang Sheng had already seen through Sakura Island's true intentions. They wished to sit on a mountain and watch the "tigers" fight, hoping to become the "fisherman" profiting from the struggle. Sakura Island, which was unwilling to stay on the sidelines, had never truly intended to depend on anyone. Adept at patience and concealment, it could never place itself under another's rule. Even though the Dami Empire had militarily restrained it for nearly a century, it had never stopped resisting. Decades ago, it had even attempted to challenge Dami's dominant authority in various fields. With the return of primal qi and the revival of cultivation, the world had entered an age of transformation. If not for the Daoist sects nearly extinguishing Sakura Island's fledgling cultivation flame in one strike, the country would already have been stirring up trouble across the world with its army of shadow dwellers. After all that had transpired today, Sakura Island's leadership had set their plan into motion in the shortest time possible. They stirred up disputes, or rather, fanned existing flames of conflict It was common for the weak to seek alliances to resist the strong. Only when conflict reached a certain level could Sakura Island gain more bargaining power against the Dami Empire, reclaim what belonged to them, and exploit both sides and grow stronger through constant gestures of goodwill. The situation was somewhat complex, but Sakura Island had essentially chosen not to stand behind the Dami Empire. Instead, they stood at the side and added fuel to the fire, hoping to benefit from the two. Wang Sheg had at least received a full nine years of compulsory education. Though his foreign language skills were poor, he could still see through such simple games of power. Tonight's battle against the Dami Empire's army was unavoidable. What Wang Sheng hesitated over was whether he should also seize this chance to deliver a heavy blow to Sakura Island's cultivation forces. If one wished to play the fisherman, they first had to ask whether they had the strength for it. Those caught in the game failed to see that. Two dull thuds echoed. Akiu Masayo had fallen to his knees behind Wang Sheng but remained silent. Wang Sheng did not look back. The other three also paid no attention to the ninja. Since they all regarded Wang Sheng as their leader, they would take whatever course of action he'd choose. Shi Qianzhang turned to Huai Jing. "Did you record it all?" "All done, all done," Huai Jing replied helplessly, tossing the phone over. Shi Qianzhang stopped twisting around theatrically. With a snap of his fingers, the dozen or so shadow dwellers behind him all collapsed to the ground in disarray. Huai Jing asked quietly, "Fei Yu, how do we fight this battle?" Wang Sheng began assigning roles. "You and Qianzhang will lead the charge on the ground. Senior Sister, I want you to stay at their side. Focus on protecting and covering them. The plan is for you three to draw the enemy's attention head-on. I will circle from the air and take out the most dangerous among them as swiftly as possible. Considering they dared send an army against us, they probably have an ace up their sleeves. We should remain cautious." Wang Sheng casually summoned Spiritless and then drew out a sword core. He refined it quickly, condensing it into a flying sword for aerial maneuvers. "Let's go!" Shi Qianzhang called out with a swagger. Hands clasped behind his back, he strolled forward with paper talismans rising around him. Huai Jing dragged the devil-subduing staff, its tip gratingly scraping against the asphalt. He advanced side by side with Shi Qianzhang. Further into the empty street, the armored vehicles loomed like a black wall. The two men appeared tiny in contrast, yet they still looked completely calm, as if they had long grown used to such scenes. Mu Wanxuan winked at Wang Sheng. With Ice Crystal in hand, she followed behind the two, neither too near nor too far. Wang Sheng stepped onto his flying sword and hovered above the three. He slowly spread his Heavenly Ziwei Sword Momentum outward. Though he had said that Huai Jing and Shi Qianzhang would draw the enemy's attention, he ended up drawing most of their focus. More than half of the enemy's guns were already aimed at him. The four cultivators—all of flesh and blood—slowly advanced toward the steel torrent ahead. If the enemy shouted for them to step aside since they were merely passing through now, it would be a little awkward. Fortunately, the loudspeaker of one armored vehicle blasted a voice with a weird accent. —Cultivators, hand over the item you've stolen. Otherwise, we cannot guarantee you will make it out alive. Huai Jing and Shi Qianzhang stayed silent. Mu Wanxuan only focused on channeling yin-yang qi within dozens of li, waiting for Wang Sheng's command. Meanwhile, Wang Sheng found himself hampered by his lack of Gelan fluency. Wang Sheng snorted coldly. "Forging a devilish sword is the work of corrupt cultivators. Though I have already destroyed it, you must still give us an explanation today." Around him, starlight seemed to sparkle. Even the sky, which the city's glow had dulled, revealed faint threads of it. Ahead, every living being on the street felt the pressure from the purple star pressing down directly on their very souls. —We know full well what kind of strength you possess, Heavenly Tribulation Executor! The man was loud on the surface but trembling underneath. —But you must understand that your cultivation is nothing before the weapons we have prepared specifically against cultivators! If you continue to resist, you'll face consequences far more than you can bear. Now, hand over what you've stolen immediately! Wang Sheng calmly said, "Do any of you have something that does not belong to us? Give it to them." Shi Qianzhang laughed mockingly as talismans floated up around him. Huai Jing lightly tapped the devil-subduing staff against the ground, a faint ripple of Buddhist light spreading outward. Aside from the glow, it had no real effect. Mu Wanxuan pursed her lips. She reluctantly pulled out two mangas, gently stroked the covers, and tossed them away. She had borrowed them from a hotel front desk when she went shopping with Xi Lian and had not yet returned them. Wang Sheng could not help but chuckle. He could clearly feel the enemy's rage surging. Out of nowhere, the loudspeaker spat out the command to open fire along with a few curse words. Wang Sheng's spiritual perception twitched. His gaze instantly locked on the rear of the armored column, where two beams of searing orange light were fired. High-energy laser beams! Wang Sheng had not expected that he would one day be forced to confront such modern weapons. However, there was no time to hesitate. The instant he spotted the light, He held Spiritless across his body, his enchanted power surging into it. The rıghtful source is 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚•𝕟𝕖𝕥 The two beams, each as thick as a thumb, slammed against Spiritless's blade. Immortal light wrapped around it, preventing it from being damaged. However, the sheer force still blasted Wang Sheng away. He tumbled through the night sky until he regained control of his flying sword. No one knew if Wang Sheng had been injured in that split second, but Shi Qianzhang and Huai Jing still sprang into action. "Damn it! How dare they use lasers on Brother Sheng!" Paper talismans rustled wildly as Shi Qianzhang blurred aside and rapidly formed hand signs. Sheets of talismans skimmed across the ground like flocks of birds. Huai Jing charged forward like an arrow loosed from a bow. Blazing with golden light, he hefted his staff and swung it at the nearest armored vehicle. Cannons roared, and gunfire poured down like rain. Now, they were aiming at Huai Jing and Shi Qianzhang. A volley of missiles flew skyward, and four more laser beams followed, all aimed in the same direction. Missile launchers swiveled rapidly, targeting the path where Wang Sheng had been hurled. On the ground, amid the roar of heavy artillery, Huai Jing gleamed with a bronze sheen. His youthful face was filled with an awe-inspiring dignity. Flames chaotically erupted and engulfed him. He emerged completely unscathed, but a blast wave and the pounding force of heavy machine-gun fire had broken his charge, forcing him to skid down from midair. The Buddhist master from the Heavenly Dragon Temple radiated fury and power, making him appear like a tiger-subduing arhat who had descended on the world. Upon landing, he roared and leaped again. He then swung his devil-subduing staff downward, creating rushing winds as he crushed an armored vehicle flat. By then, Shi Qianzhang's talismans had slid beneath the vehicles. Explosions erupted one after another. Cranes and monstrous serpents burst forth, assailing the armored convoy. Ignoring the armor, swarms of mystical butterflies slipped into the vehicles. Screams rang out from within. Mu Wanxuan cast a worried glance in the direction that Wang Sheng had been blasted to. When her spiritual consciousness sensed that her junior brother's aura remained steady, she raised her hands and formed a circle. Qian and Kun heed my command: bring forth the yin and yang of all creation! A Tai Chi diagram that was over three hundred meters wide appeared under the armored vehicles. Yin-yang qi surged forth, coiling and clashing like erupting volcanoes. The dozen "steel coffins" in the center were instantly flipped upside down. Explosions also tore through the night sky. Windows of high-rise buildings shattered as fire streaks merged into the shape of a soaring dragon. A burst of rainbow-hued sword phantasm spread across the sky, and a piercing sword cry rang out above the armored legion. In its wake, countless qi swords rained down. Half pierced through weaker sections of armored vehicles, while the rest shattered and scattered tiny sparks of starlight across the armored troops, whose formation was already in disarray. Seven blazing stars then appeared in the heavens. Ziwei, which should have only appeared in the north, now shone directly above the streets. The seven stars unleashed dazzling brilliance that turned into seven colossal swords, each over ten meters long. The figure in the sky gently pointed his longsword downward, and the giant swords crashed down with unstoppable heavenly might. This was the true power of the Heavenly Ziwei Sword Art at Wang Sheng's current cultivation realm! In front of the hotel, Akiu Masayo's pupils reflected the seven massive swords. He slumped weakly to the ground and sighed deeply. In the next instant, the swords hit their marks. Over a dozen armored vehicles were cleaved in two. Sword radiance swept outward, flipping more of the "steel coffins" into the air. Hundreds of meters away, several aircraft flew in and opened fire. High-energy lasers were blasted at Wang Sheng. However, Wang Sheng had already devised a countermeasure. An expanse of cyan clouds appeared before him, swallowing every laser beam. Each one made the clouds swell. With a casual wave, Wang Sheng dispersed the clouds. Spiritless unleashed immortal light as he plummeted. With his left hand, he formed a sword finger and traced a sword symbol. Flying Haze appeared before the aircraft. With ease, it pierced through their armor and drilled into the cockpits.