Chapter 1036: Chapter 1035: Repel_1
"Should be injured, right?"
Xueluo Emperor was secretly anticipating.
With the strength of Jade-faced Devil Emperor not below his, despite the distance between them, a full-force hit should be enough to heavily injure any Earthly Realm Martial Emperor.
While pondering this, a figure casually walked out from the clouds on the other side, tall and graceful, wearing an unblemished blue robe, with two strands of white hair hanging before his chest—who else could it be but Shi Xiaole?
"Not injured?"
Xueluo Emperor’s expression changed slightly, but then he thought of Shi Xiaole’s exceptional reflexes and felt relieved. His eyes flickered continuously, wondering something.
Meanwhile, amid the fierce battle, Hanguang Emperor and Divine Might Great Emperor also noticed Shi Xiaole’s presence, their faces filled with murderous intent.
They had chosen to come here on their own, subconsciously believing that Sword Evaluation Elegant Mountain would call for help from the Kirin, so they decided to try their luck.
Now, without the Nine Profound Great Formation and without the Third Elder of Holy Heaven Sect, there were plenty of opportunities to kill this kid!
"Young Hero Shi, long time no see."
Grand Elder greeted him from afar, his voice filled with unmistakable shock and astonishment.
Going through internal and external troubles, he did not yet know Shi Xiaole’s exact strength, but the fact that Shi Xiaole had avoided Jade-faced Devil Emperor’s strike was proof enough that he had reached the level of the Void Origin Realm.
He still remembered the Sword Evaluation Conference of years past where this young man was unstoppable, clearing rounds one after another, becoming the eighth star-ranked swordsman of Sword Evaluation Mountain, and the youngest star-ranked swordsman in history at that.
In just over a decade, he had made such progress—’genius’ was not enough to describe him.
Worried that Shi Xiaole might be affected by the Heavenly Realm battle, Grand Elder secretly transmitted a message, "Young Hero Shi, please go help Chen Kang and the others."
In the area where Chen Kang was, a group of Void Origin Realm Martial Emperors, far below the Heavenly Realm, were fighting fiercely, many of whom had recently broken through thanks to the surge of spiritual energy in this grand era.
"I have long admired the great name of the Kirin. I would like to see for myself, the Heavenly Illusion Devil Hand!"
A black palm print swiftly covered Shi Xiaole from above, massive in size, and within the palm print, countless gods, demons, and ghosts roared ferociously, shaking the eight extremities of the world.
The person who made the move was none other than the Six-Transformed Ghost Emperor of Hell Gate. His opponent, Divine Might Great Emperor, seemed a step too slow and was unable to prevent this from happening.
"Despicable!"
Grand Elder roared in anger, but he too had enemies to deal with and couldn’t intervene.
Xueluo Emperor’s lips curled up, Hanguang Emperor laughed unabashedly, and as for Divine Might Great Emperor, he took pride in his adaptability.
This attack was different from the one Jade-faced Devil Emperor launched earlier. At such a close range, anyone who wasn’t a Heavenly Realm Martial Emperor would definitely be unable to block this move. The Kirin would be either dead or severely injured.
It was already too late to escape. From this palm attack, Shi Xiaole saw endless gloom, resentment, and killing intent. Clearly, it was aimed at both the spirit and the body, unavoidable. In truth, if he revealed the skills of the Demon Martial Way, Shi Xiaole was confident he could reduce the power of this attack by more than thirty percent.
Any negative emotions or forces could be absorbed by the Demon Martial Way.
But a Six-Transformed Ghost Emperor was not worth Shi Xiaole revealing this. His fighting spirit was undeterred, and like a divine sword revealing its sharp edge, Shi Xiaole reached for his sword and met the descending black palm print head-on with his "Body-Breaking Invisible Sword Qi."
Hiss...
First, countless shooting stars sparkled.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Soon after, a torrent of sharp Sword Qi battered against the black palm print, slowing its descent. The surface of the palm print was drilled with a large hole by the Sword Qi torrent, nearly pierced through.
As the Sword Qi torrent began to exhaust, and the black palm print still retained some force, Shi Xiaole quickly retreated backward with a thunderous explosion that ripped numerous fissures into the void.
"This person must be a second-tier Heavenly Realm Martial Emperor."
Shi Xiaole made a quick judgment.
His swordsmanship was approaching Heavenly Realm Martial Emperor level on the surface, but even the weakest Heavenly Realm Martial Emperor couldn’t be that much stronger than him. Only a second-tier Heavenly Realm Martial Emperor could manage this.
There was no doubt, Divine Might Great Emperor must also be at this level.
Having already had someone investigate Xueluo Emperor and the other two, Shi Xiaole now had an even clearer understanding of their strength.
"Blocked my killing move?"
Six-Transformed Ghost Emperor screamed incredulously.
A year ago, the Kirin was still a top Earthly Realm Martial Emperor, and a top Earthly Realm Martial Emperor definitely could not receive his attack, which meant, had the opponent made tremendous progress in just one year’s time?
Who didn’t know that it would take at least decades for a Void Origin Realm Martial Emperor to make progress, barring a tremendous stroke of fortune? Even in the Divine Border Realm they hadn’t seen progress this fast.
Or was it that the Kirin had concealed his strength a year ago already? Either conjecture sent the Six-Transformed Ghost Emperor’s emotions into turmoil.
"Impossible!"
Divine Might Great Emperor nearly bit his own tongue, unable to accept what he had seen. Xueluo Emperor and Hanguang Emperor both had their pupils constrict, their astonishment laced with a surge of murderous intent that increased a hundredfold.
This man was too terrifying; he must be exterminated at all costs!
Among those present, the most astonished were undoubtedly the five Heavenly Realm Martial Emperors of Sword Evaluation Elegant Mountain, including Grand Elder. Their hearts pounded wildly.
They were still unaware of what happened at Nine Heavens Mountain. The fact that the Kirin had become a Void Origin Realm Sword Emperor had already dumbfounded them, but they could somewhat accept it, given that this grand era made breakthroughs much more attainable than before.
But the Kirin was not just any ordinary Void Origin Realm Martial Emperor. It seemed that he was almost reaching the level of a Heavenly Realm Martial Emperor, which was truly terrifying. Have you ever heard of a Heavenly Realm Martial Emperor in his forties?
Even Martial Emperors reached that step at over a hundred years of age, didn’t they?
"Heavenly Demon Chaos Hand!"
The Six-Transformed Ghost Emperor was furious with shame, and as his hands moved rapidly, endless palm imprints pressed toward Shi Xiaole, causing the very void to undulate unpredictably.
During this process, the Divine Might Great Emperor did not show any intention of intervening.
Whoosh!
With the Purple Blood Great Method in motion, a purple aura enveloped Shi Xiaole, vast for hundreds of miles. Clasping his sword with both hands, he drew a cut, and a sword light with hues of green and purple slashed out, directly colliding with the palm imprints.
The two figures rapidly closed in, clashed, and crossed paths. Just in an instant, numerous battle afterimages appeared. This was not an illusion, but rather the entire process of their exchange. Yet because of the swift speed, it looked like an illusion.
"Divine Might Great Emperor, why are you just standing by and watching?"
The Grand Elder shouted out a reminder.
"The Kirin Sword Emperor has only recently advanced, I just wanted to let him adapt to his own power,"
Divine Might Great Emperor curled his lip.
Stand by and watch? If it weren’t for the fear that taking action against Shi Xiaole under the public’s eye would spread to the Qingmo Organization and subsequently invite severe punishment, he would be itching to join forces with the Six-Transformed Ghost Emperor.
Not just the Divine Might Great Emperor, the Xueluo Emperor and the Hanguang Emperor also had issues. Although they were desperately engaging their own opponents, they seemed slightly inadequate and occasionally, several attacks would surge toward Shi Xiaole.
"Use spiritual martial arts to ambush him."
Just as the Divine Might Great Emperor was feeling caught in a dilemma, a voice transmission suddenly rang in his ear, instantly lighting up his eyes. Spiritual attacks, although limited by distance, are extremely concealed, especially between opponents of the same level, and are very difficult to detect.
Though the spiritual prowess of him and the Xueluo Emperor, as well as the Hanguang Emperor, was nothing extraordinary, their combined efforts should be enough to disturb Shi Xiaole.
And as long as there was a slight slip up on the latter’s part, the Six-Transformed Ghost Emperor had the strength to inflict heavy damage on him.
"Crushing Heart Sorrow!"
"Bloodless Soul Shattering Spear!"
"Cleaving Heaven Extinction Light!"
The three waited secretly for an opportunity, and when they saw Shi Xiaole being pressured by the Six-Transformed Ghost Emperor, trying to dodge a deadly move, they simultaneously unleashed their strongest spiritual arts at full force following the Xueluo Emperor’s silent command.
In the void, three invisible and intangible spiritual forces streaked by, too fast for the eye to catch up with.
But who was Shi Xiaole?
"Finally making your move."
Shi Xiaole had been patiently waiting, exactly for the trio to make their move. Although confident against such tactics, he didn’t want to risk being hindered. Under his spiritual scan, the spiritual attacks of the Xueluo Emperor and the others had nowhere to hide and were easily avoided by Shi Xiaole.
"Heavenly Palace Illusion!"
At the same time, Shi Xiaole’s spiritual force enveloped the Six-Transformed Ghost Emperor, who was closing in on him.
Sizzle sizzle sizzle.
A layer of spiritual fluctuation protected the Six-Transformed Ghost Emperor, mitigating much of the power of the Heavenly Palace Illusion. A Martial Emperor from the Void Origin Realm hailing from a top-tier force would train in the Spiritual Path, as a Martial Emperor of the Void Origin Realm cannot afford to have weaknesses.
"You think you can ambush me, but you..."
He couldn’t finish his sentence as the spiritual force he had seemingly blocked suddenly pressed down with even greater intensity, and in a flash, overwhelmed him.
"Shocking Eye Tribulation!"
With Shi Xiaole’s spiritual power rivalling that of a Forbidden Martial Emperor, coupled with the level of the Sacred Heart Four Tribulations, it was not difficult to seize the opportunity and overwhelm the Six-Transformed Ghost Emperor.
Following the "Shocking Eye Tribulation" came the "Body-Breaking Invisible Sword Qi." Shi Xiaole, who had been gathering strength for a while, gently moved his Spring Fury Sword, and a surging sword Qi directly covered the Six-Transformed Ghost Emperor.
"Oh no..."
"You dare to plot against me, kid?"
In the grim expressions of several Devil Path Heavenly Realm Martial Emperors, the Six-Transformed Ghost Emperor was battered and bloodied by the sword Qi, his limbs shattered, and as he retreated, bursts of blood still exploded from his injuries.
"Kid, did you do this on purpose?"
The Six-Transformed Ghost Emperor’s voice was hoarse, his expression as ferocious as a devil’s. With Shi Xiaole’s level of spiritual cultivation, it made no sense for him to be at a disadvantage unless the latter intentionally held back to catch him off guard.
"So what if I did?"
Shi Xiaole inwardly lamented; the "Heavenly Palace Illusion" and "Shocking Eye Tribulation" were not yet fully mastered. Otherwise, he was confident that his recent move could have seriously injured, if not killed, the Six-Transformed Ghost Emperor.
With this lesson, the Six-Transformed Ghost Emperor would likely avoid close-range combat, meaning Shi Xiaole’s spiritual martial arts would be hard to utilize effectively.
While he felt regret, the others could only feel shock, an immense shock.
Approaching the strength of a Heavenly Realm Martial Emperor and defeating one were two completely different concepts, with at least a tier of difference in power. Regardless of whether Shi Xiaole relied on martial prowess or spiritual power, the latter would merely prove that he was even more well-rounded and terrifying than the rumors suggested.
"Divine Might Shattering Heaven Fist!"
Divine Might Great Emperor’s eyes flickered before suddenly launching a punch towards the gravely injured Six-Transformed Ghost Emperor. The latter cursed him for his shamelessness, yet could only retreat further and further.
In other battle groups, the situation was evenly matched, but with Shi Xiaole’s involvement, the scales of victory were tipping towards Sword Evaluation Elegant Mountain.
Seeing that they could not gain the upper hand today, the Nether Heaven Devil Emperor from Nether Demon Hall glared hatefully at Shi Xiaole and sounded the retreat with a clang of metal, quickly withdrawing with his forces.
