Chapter 1013: Chapter 112 Recovery and Departure_1
The moment this aura entered, it immediately carried with it a rolling vitality, spreading over the cracked Slaughter Martial Way. In an instant, Uncle Wang felt an extremely terrifying sensation, as if the cracks were healing somewhat.
"This is..."
Uncle Wang was horrified beyond belief; the man who remained unflustered even if Mount Tai were to collapse before him now felt bone-chilling shock, an indescribable astonishment.
How could he not differentiate that this breath represented the power of martial arts, yet it was neither the Wind Sword Way nor the Illusion Martial Way that outsiders were familiar with? Did this not mean that Shi Xiaole possessed a third martial art!
What was even more inconceivable was that, despite this martial art’s realm not being very high, in terms of level, it was still above both the Wind Sword Way and the Illusion Martial Way.
Even his own Slaughter Martial Way felt an instinctual trembling when facing this martial art. And a martial art that could make a twelve-percent-late-stage top martial art tremble could only be... the legendary Supreme Martial Arts!
The Supreme Martial Arts?!
How could this be possible? How could one person simultaneously possess one Supreme Martial Art, one half-Supreme Martial Art, and one top-level martial art?
Moreover, the Supreme Martial Arts inside Shi Xiaole had clearly reached an early eight-percent stage, which made Uncle Wang wonder what kind of talent and energy it would take to enhance all three martial arts to such a level.
How old was Shi Xiaole?
Shock, bewilderment, confusion, delight—all sorts of complex emotions intertwined in Uncle Wang’s heart, ultimately transforming into a profound sense of emotion.
"Stone lad, do you realize, by exposing such a shocking secret before your old brother, if I were suddenly overcome by greed, you would have no way out but death!"
Uncle Wang, with a stern expression, transmitted his voice.
"I know, but I believe the old brother wouldn’t do that."
Shi Xiaole replied.
"People like you, they tend to die young. Remember, such a secret must never be revealed to a second person, no matter who it is!"
Uncle Wang seriously reminded, even deliberately intensifying his tone, as if he would not give up until Shi Xiaole agreed.
The more powerful one was, the more they understood the importance of martial arts. The emergence of any Supreme Martial Arts was enough to shake the Void Origin Realm circles, and even some old monsters would pay extra attention.
For, as Uncle Wang knew, there were several particularly vicious methods in the world that allowed a person, after abandoning their own martial arts, to plunder someone else’s and claim it as their own! And such things had happened in ancient history!
Especially Shi Xiaole’s Supreme Martial Arts, which even vaguely possessed the potential to reverse life and death, would be much more attractive to some old monsters than other Supreme Martial Arts, something not to be underestimated.
"Rest assured, old brother, I understand."
Shi Xiaole was more cautious than anyone else.
Just exposing his dual martial arts had already attracted far too many gazes, leading to the forces from Oblivion Assembly, Blood Emperor’s Lair, and Dragon View Ridge seeking out Nine Heavens Mountain right after the Gold Abyss Alliance faded.
If it weren’t for the strength of the Nine Profound Great Formation, Shi Xiaole and his family and friends would have definitely suffered a tragic fate. And that was without the old monsters making a move.
In their eyes, his dual martial arts, though unique, were just that—uniqueness, nowhere near as valuable as Supreme Martial Arts.
But if the life-and-death martial arts were exposed, the significance would be entirely different. By then, some old monsters probably couldn’t help but take action, not to mention others who were watching covetously.
As the saying goes, open spears are easy to dodge but secret arrows are hard to defend against. Even though Shi Xiaole wasn’t afraid, he didn’t want to attract universal attention, which would put him in a position where it would be difficult to move an inch, and he might indeed capsize in the gutter.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle.
Under the effect of the early eight-percent stage life-and-death martial arts, the cracks in the Slaughter Martial Way were healing at an imperceptible rate, detectable only with the spirit.
Shi Xiaole took a deep breath, his confidence hadn’t been great before, as the realm of the life-and-death martial arts was too low. Fortunately, the result was still quite smooth.
Uncle Wang’s face turned red with excitement, trembling all over.
No matter what, the claim of not caring was merely talk. As a martial artist, especially one standing at the peak of the Martial World, who could truly be content with mediocrity? That would be more painful than death itself!
Looking at Shi Xiaole’s calm and handsome face, Uncle Wang’s chest heaved, and he couldn’t help but think: so this is Stone lad’s true trump card. People think he’s too high-profile, little do they know, he’s already low-key enough. One day, he will surely reach the heights of his father!
"Protector Shi, acting blindly is of no use. When you return to the sect, I will immediately have someone go through the ancient texts; we should be able to find some methods to alleviate the elder’s injuries," said the Sect Leader, as the leader, he should win people over with virtue, not stoop to his subordinates’ level. Having thought it over, Mu Qianji decided to generously forgive Shi Xiaole’s previous rudeness.
"Thank you, Sect Leader."
Shi Xiaole was compliant, after all, he was mindful of the favor owed.
Mu Qianji harrumphed, but his expression had obviously softened a lot.
And so, the group of four, plus Xia Xiaonine, temporarily stayed in the cave.
Every day, Shi Xiaole would take out two hours to treat Uncle Wang’s cracks until he was utterly exhausted, heedless of how much Uncle Wang protested.
The rest of the time, he devoted himself to cultivating the "Body-Breaking Invisible Sword Qi," "Saintly Spirit Sword Technique," and "Sacred Heart Technique." The former, having reached a minor level of mastery, did not show much progress.
But the "Saintly Spirit Sword Technique" and "Sacred Heart Technique" were progressing at a rapid pace, advancing by leaps and bounds each day.
During that time, Xia Xiaonine attempted to approach several times, only to see Shi Xiaole either healing or cultivating, forcing her to step back, retreating with a gloomy expression.
Han Yanfa also struggled to express his bitter feelings.
Not long ago, Mu Qianji stripped him of his Protector title, accusing him of leading fellow Divine Sect members into an unjust situation. However, because he actively strived to avert a worsening of the situation and came forward with a confession, he was spared expulsion from the Divine Sect for the time being, pending further observation.
Han Yanfa didn’t care about losing his position as Protector; he was resigned to Shi Xiaole’s attitude. Recalling the times they had happily shared drinks and once considered each other friends regardless of age, he felt an endless sigh of regret.
The first month passed.
"Master, Xiaonine has come to say farewell."
To facilitate their cultivation, each of the four had carved out their own cave. Xia Xiaonine stood in front of the cave on the far right, the early morning sunlight illuminating his handsome face. Yet it failed to dispel the pain and remorse in his expression.
"A nation cannot be without its ruler for a day. Committed to the will of my ancestors, even if I die a soulless death, I cannot allow the foundation they laid to be destroyed by my own hand. From the moment I took that position, I was prepared to give everything."
"Master, as we part today, I do not know if we shall meet again. But no matter where you are, Xiaonine will wholeheartedly wish for your well-being, hoping that one day you wield your sword proudly at the pinnacle, becoming an unprecedented Sword Emperor! Xiaonine truly wishes to see that day come. Whether you agree or not, Master, I will tell everyone that you are my master."
There was no response from within the cave for a long time.
"Master, Xiaonine is leaving."
Xia Xiaonine let out a bitter laugh, closing his eyes to hold back the moisture in them, and whispered in a low voice, "Master, I, Xiaonine, was wrong... so very wrong..." He turned and walked away, his figure steeped in boundless solitude.
A figure trailed distantly behind Xia Xiaonine—it was Han Yanfa. Having promised Pan Eunuch, he naturally could not let her befall any misfortune and was determined to escort her to Daxia City at least.
Inside the cave, Shi Xiaole slowly opened his eyes.
Did he really blame Xia Xiaonine?
In truth, Shi Xiaole could guess that before the Blood Sacrifice Ceremony, if he wasn’t always at the Wuzi Temple cultivating, Xia Xiaonine would have likely had Han Yanfa knock him unconscious and let things between her and Xia Youying progress, and then escort him away.
In Xia Xiaonine’s eyes, that was the only way to take care of both her master and her imperial duty.
Later on, after he entered the Witch Queen’s temple and gave no news of life or death for half a year, she risked herself for his sake, bravely facing the prospect of being used by Uncle Wang, putting life and death aside, even allowing the most important Daxia City to become a place where anyone could come and go as they pleased.
And now, such a diligent person, in order to gain his forgiveness, had stayed here for a full month, not to mention the days previously spent in captivity.
Any one of these actions showed her utmost protection and filial piety. How could Shi Xiaole not be moved? However, he had to maintain a distant demeanor.
Because of Mu Qianji.
The ambitions of the Divine Sect, to which Mu Qianji belonged, were great, and there was no guarantee they wouldn’t exploit his relationship with Xia Xiaonine to infiltrate the Daxia imperial court, leaving him in a dilemma.
In fact, in recent days, he had secretly discovered that Mu Qianji was keeping a close eye on Xia Xiaonine. If not for several warnings from Uncle Wang, Mu Qianji might already have taken action.
Thus, Shi Xiaole couldn’t reveal his stance, not even a message through spirit communication, because any change in Xia Xiaonine’s expression could arouse Mu Qianji’s suspicion. For the moment, Shi Xiaole did not want to leave the Divine Sect just yet.
As for Han Yanfa, Xia Xiaonine’s feelings and trust in him were limited, so any effort by Mu Qianji to manipulate that avenue was bound to be fraught with difficulty.
"Protector Shi, you really have a heart of stone."
Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Mu Qianji walked in with evident annoyance in his demeanor.
"When a person does wrong, they should be punished. I never accept unnecessary apologies."
Shi Xiaole replied indifferently.
Mu Qianji snapped back in anger, "An unsympathetic jerk!" and turned to stride away.
Outside the cave, Uncle Wang chuckled, "Sect Leader Mu, I see you’re quite skilled. Why don’t we have a spar? Maybe I could offer you some pointers."
Mu Qianji ground his teeth, his frustration turning to laughter, "To compete against the old Master Shenzong is a supreme honor indeed, an opportunity I would not miss for the world."
The two soared into the sky, but they dared not release their Vigorous Air; they fought purely with their martial arts prowess.
An hour later, Han Yanfa returned.
Several months passed, and Uncle Wang’s martial arts fissures had recovered by seventy percent, and his physical injuries had long since healed. Only rest was required for a full recovery. The four therefore decided to set out on their journey back to the Flying Horse Dynasty.
...
"This is great, my power has finally been restored, hahaha..."
In a remote small town, bodies lay everywhere, numbering in the hundreds of thousands. From within each corpse, wisps of black energy were being drawn out, merging into the darkness of the figure in the sky. Gradually, they formed a terrifying aura that even a Void Origin Realm Martial Emperor would fear.
"To think that I, the Fearful Martial Emperor, once a prominent Earthly Realm Martial Emperor, was once chased by a half-step Void Origin nobody because of severe injuries – it’s disgraceful. It’s time for revenge."
The shadowy figure beckoned, and a stream of Sword Qi hovered in his palm. This was the energy he had taken from Shi Xiaole, and after sensing it with closed eyes for a moment, he bared his teeth and dashed off in a certain direction.
