Chapter 1043: Chapter 1042: Rest Period Ends (Part 1)
Shi Xiaole was still unclear about Shi Xuanzhong’s affairs when Ling Jingsi came to inform him that he planned to return to Qin Building. Remaining any longer wouldn’t yield any discoveries, so Shi Xiaole decided to go with them immediately.
With the scream of an eagle, three men and one eagle vanished from the Thousand Darkness Poison Palace.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Then, as if by a tacit agreement, within less than three days, about seventy percent of the people in the Thousand Darkness Poison Palace had quietly dispersed.
The remaining thirty percent initially didn’t dare to move, but then someone spread the news that both the Thousand Ghosts Poison Emperor and the Holy Elephant Poison Emperor had also disappeared. Finally, those people panicked; some fled, others escaped, and even a few, in their scramble to seize resources and treasures upon their departure, broke out into violent skirmishes.
In less than seven days, the Thousand Darkness Poison Palace existed in name only.
All of these events were due to the deterrence of that young man; no one wanted to stay in a sect that had caught his attention. The astute could see that Shi Xiaole had left the Thousand Darkness Poison Palace as bait for Qin Building’s retribution.
After receiving the news, Ling Jingsi displayed no surprise. Liu Yuanming, who had already been enlightened, looked at Shi Xiaole with nothing but deep respect and astonishment.
The master was right, a martial artist must not outsource their vengeance. He remembered those who had abused and harmed him and was determined to seek revenge by his own hands, even if he had to search till the ends of the earth!
Shi Xiaole’s mindset was more serene. Since he bore no guilt towards the Thousand Darkness Poison Emperor, he had no cause for self-disturbance.
A few days later, they all returned to Qin Building.
Meanwhile, Fu Zongming and Jin Zilin had just received the news of Shi Xiaole infiltrating the Thousand Darkness Poison Palace. Upon seeing the three of them, they were completely incredulous.
Once Ling Jingsi explained the situation, Fu Zongming and Jin Zilin fell into a prolonged silence.
"Young Master Shi, please accept my bow!"
Fu Zongming, the first to recover, solemnly paid his respects to Shi Xiaole. On the side, Jin Zilin hurriedly followed suit.
"You must not, this was my duty," Shi Xiaole said, preventing the two from bowing.
Fu Zongming and Jin Zilin exchanged looks, their hearts filled with too many emotions.
To a martial artist, especially one at the Void Origin Realm of the Martial Emperor, ten years were but a mere moment. Yet this young man had already ascended peaks that many could not reach in their entire lifetimes. Where his limits lay, no one knew.
They stayed at Qin Building, catching up with Ling Jingsi and the others for several days, during which they inevitably spoke of Yan Yuchai.
According to Fu Zongming, there were very few people who had seen Yan Yuchai in the Western Sea, and since it was too far from Daxia, the fact that Yan Yuchai had once been the master of Qin Building hadn’t spread yet.
"By the way, Martial Uncle Fu, when I left Rainbow Island last time, I went to Qin Building looking for you, but I heard that you and Senior Brother Jin had left."
Shi Xiaole suddenly brought up an issue. (Chapter 885)
Fu Zongming nodded, "Indeed, at that time we received a secret message only used by the core members of Qin Building, which left us no choice but to rush to the Western Region. It was then that we lost contact with Yuchai."
Upon hearing this, Ling Jingsi shuddered, his eyes shining with unprecedented brightness, "The core of Qin Building is me, you, Zi Lin, Yuanming, Yuchai," his voice trembling slightly.
Fu Zongming and the others stared intently at him, as if a suspicion had been confirmed.
Ling Jingsi murmured, "Aside from us, only my younger brother Shi knows. If he knows, could it be he who sent it? Did you see the messenger?"
Shi Xiaole also turned sharply.
Fu Zongming sighed helplessly, "The letter only specified a location. By the time we got there, everything was over, not even traces of battle remained."
"What location?"
Shi Xiaole asked urgently, and Ling Jingsi also held his breath in anticipation.
"The ruins of Yanbei Country in the Western Region."
Yanbei Country?
Shi Xiaole silently noted down the name of the place. Ling Jingsi also silently recited it, his eyes trembling, unaware of what he was thinking.
After staying a few more days at Qin Building, with worries on his mind, Shi Xiaole declined the entreaties of several people and left on the Heavenly Divine Eagle.
"Younger Brother Shi, Zi Lin, Yuanming, I will be going into seclusion next, and unless it’s a matter of life and death, you must not disturb me."
A century of imprisonment, although it hindered Ling Jingsi’s progress in strength, provided a rare tempering of his character. Over the years, he fully grasped some of Shi Xuanzhong’s concepts and incorporated his own understanding to create an even more powerful martial arts system.
Ling Jingsi believed that the day he emerged from seclusion, he would be far superior to his former self and could contend for supremacy against the elite of this great era!
"Younger Brother Shi, I believe you will certainly reappear. How can this era be lacking you?"
...
Shi Xiaole did not immediately head to the Western Region but instead returned to the Nine Heavens Mountain first.
On the way back, he suddenly had a premonition that there might not be many more chances to stay at Nine Heavens Mountain, so this time, he planned to spend quality time with those close to him.
The Martial World was in a constant state of turmoil, and the battle between the righteous and the evil had reached its climax. The Righteous Path held an absolute advantage this time, so neither the Qingmo Organization nor the Righteous Path Alliance demanded that more forces from the Righteous Path join.
Because if they won, with too many sects, the resources would be harder to distribute.
Nine Heavens Mountain was as tranquil as ever, emitting a thriving vitality.
Apart from practicing every day, Shi Xiaole would admire the fish with Xia Yunxi at the pavilion in the lake or stroll through the mountains hand in hand with other close friends and family, leaving their laughter and joy across many peaks of Nine Heavens Mountain.
Occasionally, he also gave pointers to Chou Hentian and Qi Yuanzheng.
Both of his named disciples were now over twenty years old, and even under Shi Xiaole’s arrangement to gain a reputation in the Martial World with assumed identities, they were listed on the third rank of the Under Thirty Stars Ranking.
Now, the Martial World, thanks to the ever-growing intelligence capabilities of the Divine Strategy Academy, was no longer limited to places like Xuanwu State, Mirror State, and Tian State, but encompassed the entire Flying Horse Dynasty.
The Stars Ranking was aimed at this large Martial World, divided into three categories: under thirty, under fifty, and under a hundred years old. Each category, from strongest to weakest, was further divided into five ranks.
Chou Hentian and Qi Yuanzheng were the heroes of the third rank of the Under Thirty Stars Ranking.
The Flying Horse Dynasty was already brimming with talent, and thanks to the surge in spiritual energy, there were even more prodigies sprouting up like bamboo shoots after rain, one generation after another. For this reason, the Martial World gathering even dedicated a section to introduce the most outstanding of the new talents.
While Chou Hentian and Qi Yuanzheng might only be placed in the third rank, even those in the fifth rank, if placed in a single state or region, would be invincible geniuses. And if we look at it longitudinally, they are certainly no weaker than the former top talents of the various states!
The quality of talent throughout the Martial World was increasing at an alarming pace.
Of course, no matter how outstanding the rising stars or how stunning the peerless prodigies, they were inevitably overshadowed by a vast and immense figure. Even the most arrogant person would not dare to show even a hint of conceit when mentioning him, let alone speak of a challenge.
That name, which dominated the top spot of both the Under Fifty and Under Hundred Stars Rankings—Shi Xiaole.
That somewhat childish, endearing name was like an immovable mountain towering over the Flying Horse Dynasty’s talented heroes, casting a shadow that dimmed the brilliance of all others.
During the fifth month at Nine Heavens Mountain.
Shi Xiaole withdrew his hand from the Purple Wood Sword Emperor’s shoulder.
After several years of transformation through life and death in the martial path, the Purple Wood Sword Emperor’s vitality greatly flourished, but Shi Xiaole still underestimated the severity of his injury. If he continued to delay, he feared that the Purple Wood Sword Emperor’s spirit would disperse before his realm in the martial path of life and death could advance.
"It seems I must make a trip to the Heavenly Desire Origin. My rest, too, should come to an end."
Looking out the window, Shi Xiaole’s gaze was profound.
