World's No. 1 Swordsman

Chapter 804: Wow, So ScArY

So this is the Other Shore?Wang Sheng looked around. For some reason, his heart gradually settled into complete calm.

In the distance stretched a dim yellow sky with faint clouds drifting along the horizon. Yet overhead, the skies remained blue and white beneath a pale-golden tint.

A small, crystal-clear river also flowed nearby. The cobblestones at the bottom of the river carried mysterious patterns within them.

The white flowers beneath his feet swayed gently in the breeze, reminding Wang Sheng that wind existed here. The ground rose and fell in rolling hills, where pale green and white blended endlessly, the layers of color stretching farther than the eye could see.

Is this the space within the Six-Path Wheel of Reincarnation? Or is this the legendary Other Shore?

A faint question drifted over with the wind. "Who are you?"

Wang Sheng followed the sound, finding a solitary figure in a light-blue robe sitting quietly atop a distant hill. Her aura seemed incredibly weak.

As Wang Sheng swayed slightly, the scenery in his eyes abruptly reversed.

The white flowers under his feet vanished, replaced by countless white bones. Even the hills turned into piles of skeletons!

The frail figure was now kneeling atop the mountain of bones and leaning against a longsword for support. She trembled weakly, as though she could collapse at any moment.

Great Virtuous Houtu?

Instead of acting rashly, he simply loudly called out, "I, the Nether Realm's defending general, have come to pay my respects, Great Virtuous Empress Houtu! The situation within Fengdu City is unstable. Large numbers of experts are already lying in wait outside the city, and Fengdu City has become the trigger point for the great war within the Immortal Saint Realm!

"I came here at great risk seeking guidance from you, Your Imperial Majesty. I am the master of the Great Dao of Slaughter and wielder of Yuan Tu. If I can obtain guidance regarding the Great Dao, I may still have a chance to battle those with malicious intentions!"

"So it is you... They already told me about you."

The woman upon the hill slowly opened her eyes. Wang Sheng immediately felt a sharp gaze sweep across him, causing even the Great Dao within his body and mind to tremble softly.

This was likely some kind of test. Hence, he simply stood openly and obediently. Since there was no guilt in his heart, he naturally feared nothing.

He truly had come here to aid the Nether Realm. Destroying the enemy's schemes naturally increased his side's chances of victory. Moreover, he genuinely wanted to cooperate with the Nether Realm. He wasn't hiding any ambition or desire.

The woman softly instructed, "Come closer. I must remain here at all times to keep this place under control; I cannot move away."

A trace of caution rose in Wang Sheng's heart. He cupped his fists respectfully in a military salute before lightly stepping forward and flying toward the hill.

The saying about a distant mountain exhausting a horse truly proved accurate. Wang Sheng flew for quite some time before finally reaching the hill. Instead of standing on ceremony, he landed several dozen meters away before carefully examining the woman's condition.

He pursed his lips slightly.

She's in an extremely bad situation...

The spiritual power within her had nearly been exhausted. Even now, she continuously squeezed out thread after thread of spiritual power and poured it into the sword in her hands.

The sword was not a real weapon. It was just the manifestation of some sort of seal, and it was trembling.

Beneath it lay an abyss.

Countless resentful spirits within the abyss wailed, roared, and screamed, seemingly capable of bursting free at any moment.

The woman asked softly, "Do you see this?"

Wang Sheng nodded. "These are the resentments left behind by living beings during reincarnation?"

The woman smiled bitterly. "Mm. This matter is not something you can handle. Come sit within ten zhang of me. I will show you the path of the Dao of Reincarnation. How much you comprehend will depend on your own fortune."

Wang Sheng frowned slightly. "Are you Great Virtuous Houtu?

"This place is the Six-Path Wheel of Reincarnation, is it not?"

"Greetings, Empress Houtu." Wang Sheng bowed respectfully with a Daoist salute. "Please forgive me, your junior, for any offense earlier."

"It does not matter." The woman sighed softly. Her tone carried the distant weight of endless years. "At a time like this, you still came specifically to protect the land of reincarnation. Although you're the Great Dao of Slaughter's master, your Dao Heart remains sincere enough to receive the Dao of Reincarnation."

Wang Sheng was rendered speechless.

She actually believed me? Or is this still some kind of trap?

Although he had already sensed the Great Dao within her, and such recognition could not be faked, he was still uncertain.

First, the woman was extremely weak. Second, he truly could not determine whether Houtu had already sided with Feng Jiu.

At present, Feng Jiu's forces had mobilized on a massive scale and vaguely created layers upon layers of encirclement around Fengdu City. It really did feel like they were using the King of Hell selection as part of a larger scheme.

Wang Sheng walked forward another dozen steps before finally jumping to a spot ten zhang away from the woman. He obediently sat down cross-legged and revealed his Dao of Slaughter.

Yuan Tu trembled softly as it manifested behind him. A Great Dao ran through the sword of slaughter itself, condensing into a blood-colored lotus behind Wang Sheng.

The woman murmured, "What a pure Dao of Slaughter..."

As though using every last ounce of strength in her body, she slowly raised a finger and pointed at Wang Sheng's forehead from afar.

He didn't feel even slightly under threat.

A white flower petal drifted from the woman's hand, and her gentle voice echoed within his heart.

"The Great Dao holds neither good nor evil. I hope that in the future, you will use this Dao and your strength to save living beings instead of allowing the Great Dao of Slaughter to corrupt your heart.

"The Great Dao of Slaughter does not correspond directly to the Great Dao of Reincarnation. Living beings experience birth, aging, sickness, and death, while the Great Dao of Slaughter merely supports the Dao of Death. That Dao seizes the lives and spirituality of living beings, but it is also a necessary force for balancing life and death within heaven and earth.

"Remember this: you are not an emissary of slaughter who controls killing itself.You are merely the gatekeeper standing before the gate of slaughter."

How gentle...

For some reason, Wang Sheng's heart tightened painfully. The flower petal drifted to the space between his eyebrows before bursting apart into countless soft, white lights.

Endless comprehension surged from within his heart. The profound truths of reincarnation continuously revolved in his mind as he entered an empty and tranquil state, sinking deeply into those insights.

Wang Sheng then used his personal trump card and opened his eyes.

His mind split into two functions. His Primordial Spirit absorbed the profound truths of reincarnation while his consciousness remained fully active.

The woman froze slightly before sighing softly. "I was too forceful. You only managed to gain this little comprehension, after all. As expected, the Great Dao of Slaughter and the Great Dao of Reincarnation are difficult to merge. If you had come ten thousand years earlier, perhaps I could have shown you more of the Great Dao. But now, I no longer have any strength left to spare."

"Your Imperial Majesty, you misunderstand," Wang Sheng explained. "This is just a minor technique I use to split my focus. Most of my mind is currently digesting the comprehension you granted me, while a smaller portion of me is speaking with you."

The woman's eyebrows knit slightly. "I have never heard of such a method before. No one has ever managed to divide their attention while comprehending the Dao... What is it you wish to ask me?"

"Mm..."

Wang Sheng quietly studied her face.

At first glance, she did not appear to be the type of woman whose beauty overwhelmed the senses. However, her gentleness resembled a tranquil pool that drew others to linger and appreciate it more deeply. Beneath that softness rested a faint dignity that naturally inspired reverence.

A thought suddenly stirred within Wang Sheng's heart. He abruptly saw what this woman would have looked like under normal circumstances.

She ought to have stood here surrounded by a faint halo, her back facing all living beings who managed to reach this place. Endless compassion would have radiated from the Dao Rhythm around her.

That was how Wang Sheng had imagined Houtu before. Right now, though, she was simply too weak.

"What happened?" Wang Sheng asked.

Houtu gently shook her head. Within her tired eyes flashed traces of guilt and frustration.

Guilt? Why would a figure who carries boundless merit toward all living beings feel guilty? And she seems rather... naive...

"Were you deceived?"

Houtu answered softly, "Mm."

A light flickered in her eyes, and Wang Sheng immediately saw a scene unfold before him.

Battles raged all around the Six-Path Wheel of Reincarnation. Amid the chaos, a person in a crimson gown slowly walked forward, their hands covered by pale blue-white gloves.

Within the Six-Path Wheel of Reincarnation, a pair of divine eyes opened and prepared to unleash divine light to force the intruder back.

Wang Sheng could sense that if the divine light erupted, it would severely wound the person. However, hesitation appeared within those eyes.

"Have you forgotten me, Houtu?"

"Queen Mother? How are you alive?"

Queen Mother?

Wang Sheng recognized her instantly: Feng Jiu.

Feng Jiu removed one glove, revealing her left hand. Her little finger was missing. Several drops of black blood slid from the severed finger and fell into the Six-Path Wheel of Reincarnation.

The divine eyes instantly dissolved. The Six-Path Wheel of Reincarnation shook violently as endless resentful souls burst into furious howls.

"Houtu, you are still as soft-hearted and indecisive as ever. Submit, or watch the Wheel of Reincarnation be destroyed. The choice is yours. This time, I do not want verbal cooperation. I want your absolute loyalty."

Feng Jiu lightly waved her wide sleeve. The chaotic battle around them immediately came to a halt.

That conflict had originally begun as a rebellion within Fengui City's inner zone. The three Ghost Emperors under Feng Jiu's control had orchestrated it.

The Nether Realm eventually ended the rebellion, and both sides reached a certain unspoken understanding. To appease the rebels, the Nether Realm announced the selection process for a new King of Hell.

So that's what happened...

Wang Sheng crossed his arms and looked at Houtu. He then quietly asked, "That woman managed to deceive you because of a single moment of hesitation?"

"That is not a woman," Houtu softly corrected him. "She merely uses the shell that once belonged to the Queen Mother of the West. The divine soul inside already belongs to someone else—to an extremely terrifying being."

Wang Sheng frowned slightly. "What did her blood do?"

"That was not blood," Houtu muttered. "I do not know where he obtained such endless resentment from living beings, but it directly triggered all the resentment accumulated within the Six-Path Wheel of Reincarnation. Though I exhausted all my spiritual power suppressing it, I can only hold on for less than a hundred years more.

"Moreover, I can sense that she will soon return and force me to bow my head. If that happens, she will gain control of the Six-Path Wheel of Reincarnation and seize the lifeline of heaven and earth itself."

Wang Sheng muttered, "That's scary."

Houtu nodded with complete seriousness. "Mm. Very scary."

Wang Sheng nearly burst out laughing. Why is Great Virtuous Houtu so naive?

Shortly afterward, though, he understood.

Only someone with such a temperament could sacrifice herself to complete the Great Dao of Reincarnation. Only someone like her could remain here quietly and watch over living beings as they stepped onto the path of reincarnation from the Other Shore.

Wang Sheng straightened his expression. "Do you have any idea who that divine soul is, Your Imperial Majesty?"

"The Immortal Emperor." Houtu sighed softly. "The same Immortal Emperor whom the Saints destroyed."

"The Immortal Emperor isn't dead? That's so scary."

"Mm. The schemes hidden behind all this truly are terrifying." Houtu looked directly at Wang Sheng and frowned slightly. "Xu Xian, even when facing an enemy like this, would you still draw your sword and stand against him?"

Wang Sheng didn't know what to say.

Forget the probing. He was honestly starting to feel guilty.

He lowered his head and coughed lightly. A beam of light suddenly appeared behind him, and a pure white flower bloomed behind the blood lotus formed from the Great Dao of Slaughter. Soon afterward, the lotus transformed into endless radiance and countless stars, evolving into ten thousand Great Daos before finally condensing into all things under heaven.

Houtu froze in shock.

"I'll explain later. Let me first help you cleanse the hatred and resentment in this place, Senior."

Wang Sheng formed sword finger gestures with both hands. Behind him, countless specks of light slowly gathered and condensed into a golden statue of Nuwa.

The statue slowly approached Houtu, passed through the sealing sword without obstruction, and descended beneath the hill. Sutra chants, prayers, and endless voices of devotion drifted from the statue. In an instant, the abyss below was illuminated completely.

Though already weakened to the extreme, Houtu stared blankly at the scene. She then murmured, "Senior..."