Chapter 1058: Chapter 1057: True Strength_1
Clang!!
The strike infused with the power of five first-rate Heaven Realm Martial Emperors exploded violently, like a torpedo plunging into the deep sea. Merely the shockwave alone deafened many of the Earthly Realm Martial Emperors, compelling them to retreat swiftly.
What followed was an even more terrifying assault of Vigorous Air, forcing everyone present to erect protective shields of light around themselves, narrowly avoiding calamity.
The divine radiance that shot from the Jingyun Tower was halted mid-air, its dazzling light first taking the shape of a rhombus before suddenly expanding, connecting heaven and earth.
Everyone felt a massiveness that was brooding and oppressive, yet carried the momentum of an avalanche.
Without a doubt, the quality of this top-grade Spiritual Weapon must be extremely high, surpassing even those of the Thunderbolt Emperor and the Ice Emperor. Moreover, it was likely designed with an emphasis on offensive capabilities.
Shi Xiaole heard heavy, gasping breaths.
Compared to defensive top-grade Spiritual Weapons, those from the Martial World, who bled hot blood, clearly preferred the offensive ones. If one had to choose between the golden Duster and the top-grade Spiritual Weapon represented by this divine radiance, Shi Xiaole believed, most would opt for the latter.
Even the Thunderbolt Emperor and the Ice Emperor were tempted, especially the Thunderbolt Emperor, who felt that the aura of this divine light was more in sync with him.
Whoosh.
As the divine light dispersed, the weapon that appeared before everyone—a battle axe.
The head of the axe, when viewed from the side, was square-shaped with a hollow center and three inches thick. Yet, incredibly, when it came to the edge of the blade, it became extremely thin, its barely visible edge making one’s heart skip a beat at a single glance. The handle of the axe was golden yellow, one foot long, as if forged from pure gold, emitting dazzling radiances.
Those with keen eyes could also spot two tiny ’Heavenly Pillar’ characters at the junction of the axe head and handle.
Sky Pillar Axe!
Swish.
A sword shadow dashed towards the Sky Pillar Axe at an extremely fast speed, exploding into smoke mid-way due to attacks from the Black Absolute Emperor and the Ink Emperor, only to recondense further away.
"Unfathomable Leg!"
A leg shadow spanned the void, finally halting the reassembling Sword Qi.
"White Tiger Technique!"
The Sword Qi was the embodiment of the Four Symbols Sword Emperor. With a single-handed sword swing, a white tiger phantom directly bit through the leg radiance, and its forward rush was unabated. Facing the combined force of the Black Absolute Emperor, the Ink Emperor, and even Shi Xiaole, the Four Symbols Sword Emperor neither retreated nor evaded but instead revealed a grim, determined cold smile.
"Celestial Hexagram Death!"
A ring of spinning white hexagrams appeared on the surface of the Four Symbols Sword Emperor. The first corner lit up quickly, followed by the second, and then the third... When all six were illuminated, the Four Symbols Sword Emperor’s body divided into six parts, each entering one corner of the hexagon.
In the next instant, five corners of the hexagram engulfed by the combined attack of the three exploded, while one corner burst forth. The Four Symbols Sword Emperor, with a forceful swing of his sword, violently knocked the Ink Emperor away, who spat out a cloud of blood, unable to stop it.
"This..."
The Unfathomable Leg Emperor was horrified, suddenly realizing something, and shouted incredulously, "Did you hide your true power before this?"
The Four Symbols Sword Emperor laughed loudly, offering no reply, but his actions were the best answer. With another move, Celestial Hexagram Death, this time the Unfathomable Leg Emperor was the victim. His leg shadow, when met with the Four Symbols Sword Emperor’s Sword Qi, was erased as if it was chalk writing wiped from a chalkboard.
Crack!
The Unfathomable Leg Emperor screamed miserably as his bronze boots shattered, revealing his mangled flesh and stark white bones. Wisps of Sword Qi were drilling into the flesh, attempting to destroy the entire thigh. The Unfathomable Leg Emperor struggled greatly to finally eliminate these Sword Qi.
"You, your strength is so formidable?"
The Unfathomable Leg Emperor’s face was ashen.
The strength exhibited by the Four Symbols Sword Emperor meant that even if he was not a top-tier Heaven Realm Martial Emperor, he would be a rare match within the first-rate Heaven Realm Martial Emperors. It was in vain that he thought he understood the other.
"Hmph, had I not realized this move just recently, what qualifications would you have to contend against me? Black Absolute Emperor, Kirin, all of you are trash," the Four Symbols Sword Emperor sneered continuously.
"Celestial Hexagram Death," was a true killer move he had created a long time ago, yet he never tested it on the Absolute Kill Wall. First, he did not want to expose his true trump card, and second, the move was not perfected with too many flaws.
But after years of refinement, and inspired by Shi Xiaole’s sword move moments ago, the Four Symbols Sword Emperor had a breakthrough, truly mastering the move.
"Black Absolute Emperor, get lost."
The sword intent of the Four Symbols Sword Emperor surged. His body split into six, each aiming at the Black Absolute Emperor simultaneously.
With a roar to the heavens, the Black Absolute Emperor retreated while unleashing the Black Absolute Heavenly Gang Palm. His retreating motion already proved his inner fear, and once the mind harbors fear, one cannot exert one’s full power. How could he possibly withstand the attack?
A sword light tinged with blood flashed briefly in the void. The Black Absolute Emperor groaned as his robust chest was pierced through.
"So powerful, no one can stop him."
The Eight-sided Martial Emperor gaped in awe.
Before this, aside from the Xuanming Taoist Emperor, the Thunderbolt Emperor, and the Ice Emperor, the Black Absolute Emperor was regarded as the strongest among those present. Yet within the strong, there was someone even stronger. Who could have imagined that the Four Symbols Sword Emperor had hidden his strength so deep?
As the glances fell on Shi Xiaole, the Eight-sided Martial Emperor once again became excited. Now, to see how this youngster would deal with the situation. Presumably, other than being injured, all that was left for him was to flee with his tail between his legs.
The Thunderbolt Emperor gripped the knife handle, and the Ice Emperor also reached behind for his iron mace. Both sensed that this was a tremendous opportunity, but neither knew that what they considered an opportunity was not the same thing.
The other Heaven Realm Martial Emperors and Earthly Realm Martial Emperors did not make a move, partly in shock at the Four Symbols Sword Emperor’s strength and partly because any intervention was futile. The more chaotic the scene, the more advantageous it was for the more powerful fighters, lest they drag themselves into the fray.
"Kid, you’re still not leaving, do you know you can’t escape?"
The gaze landed on Shi Xiaole, and the Four Symbols Sword Emperor’s eyes carried a touch of playfulness and madness. With the posture of a cat toying with a mouse, he said, "Speaking of which, I should thank you. Without you, I wouldn’t have been able to comprehend this move. So, consider this sword as my token of gratitude."
As the hexagram spun, it turned into six sword lights stabbing towards Shi Xiaole. However, the Four Symbols Sword Emperor cast a sidelong glance at the Thunderbolt Emperor, Ice Emperor, and Xuanming Taoist Emperor, his lips curled in a mocking smile.
He was not in the least afraid that these three would make a move, nor was he afraid of anyone else intervening. Because even if they did, he was fully confident he could secure the Sky Pillar Axe first. As for Shi Xiaole, there would be time to deal with him later.
The joy in his heart had not yet reached its peak when suddenly, a sword light that was willful and unrestrained, not bound by heaven and earth, appeared in front of the Four Symbols Sword Emperor, stabbing directly at him.
Boom!
The world shook violently.
The triangles of the hexagram were erased, and with the remaining triangles, the Four Symbols Sword Emperor swung his sword at Shi Xiaole, who was overestimating his own abilities.
Shi Xiaole showed no intention of retreating. Countless Sword Qi, like billions of fine hairs, gathered in front of him, lashing out in rapid succession.
Bang Bang Bang...
The two streams of Sword Qi clashed and twisted around each other, eventually disintegrating at the same time. The two combatants, shaken by the force, both retreated several tens of meters.
"What?"
The Four Symbols Sword Emperor’s eyes widened, unable to believe what he was seeing. Seeing Shi Xiaole calm and composed, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
How is it possible? He blocked it, he blocked my true killing move?!
"How did you do it?"
The Four Symbols Sword Emperor bellowed.
"Am I the only one allowed to hide my strength?"
Shi Xiaole shook his head gently. The words he uttered shocked everyone present, causing them to look at each other in dismay. Ye Junlan and his wife, stuck between advancing or retreating, could only regard the young man they wanted to help with complex gazes.
From the beginning, Shi Xiaole had not revealed his true strength because he was unsure whether the others had any hidden cards up their sleeves. He had been observing secretly until a moment ago, when he felt there was no need to hide any longer.
The Sky Pillar Axe was within his grasp.
"I don’t believe it, Heavenly Hexagram Death, kill!"
The Four Symbols Sword Emperor’s eyes turned bloodshot, clearly agitated. With a flick of his sword, the overwhelming Sword Qi surged towards Shi Xiaole.
"It’s useless no matter how many times you try. Your killing move is not flawless. Each time you merely use a clone technique to minimize the damage," Shi Xiaole said.
Four hundred fifty-nine Vigorous Air Vortices were all activated, and a cyan light illuminated the eight directions. In this moment, Shi Xiaole pushed his own power to the limit, transforming into a heaven-shaking rainbow of Sword Qi, striking towards his opponent.
Boom!
Crash Crash Crash...
The continuous sounds of impact were stronger than rain beating on banana leaves. Amid the intense shocks, a figure was repelled, spitting blood and struggling to counter the increasingly powerful attacks from the opponent.
"No, I don’t believe it..."
The Four Symbols Sword Emperor couldn’t keep his composure.
Shi Xiaole was right; the "Celestial Hexagram Death" indeed caused a thousand casualties to the enemy at the cost of fifty to oneself. But until now, the Four Symbols Sword Emperor had been confident he could control his injuries before all was settled.
Little did he expect, Shi Xiaole, already astonishingly powerful, was in no way inferior to him. As the fight progressed, the flaws in his killing move were magnified by Shi Xiaole, ultimately leading to this situation.
With merciless eyes, Shi Xiaole executed one move after another. Under his relentless onslaught, the Four Symbols Sword Emperor was at a loss, blood spurting everywhere. His earlier prestige had vanished without a trace, replaced only by misery.
Hiss!
The Black Absolute Emperor took a sharp breath of cold air.
The faces of the Unfathomable Leg Emperor and the Ink Emperor twitched.
And the Thunderbolt Emperor, Xuanming Taoist Emperor, Ice Emperor, as well as all the Heaven Realm Martial Emperors and Earthly Realm Martial Emperors present, were all dumbfounded, completely at a loss to describe what they had witnessed.
"Unbeatable, absolutely unbeatable."
The Eight-sided Martial Emperor was so frightened he lost all control, wishing he had never harbored any thoughts of vengeance against Shi Xiaole, much less acted on them.
Overcome with a chilling fear, the Eight-sided Martial Emperor didn’t think twice before turning tail and running, cursing himself for not having been born with more legs. The two accompanying Void Origin Realm Martial Emperors were equally quick to flee.
"Thinking of leaving?"
With a flash, Shi Xiaole thrust a sword through the abdomen of the Four Symbols Sword Emperor. In the eyes of onlookers whose pupils dilated with horror, he effortlessly seized the Sky Pillar Axe from the void.
Sss Sss Sss!
He flicked his fingers three times in quick succession.
The distant trio that included the Eight-sided Martial Emperor could only utter a pitiful scream before being severely wounded. After three more flicks, the trio exploded into a blood mist, their pleas lingering long after they were gone.
