Chapter 1061: Chapter 1060: Solution_1
More people tried to rush towards the hole, but it was too late; as time passed, the hole itself began to close up, and except for the three figures of the Thunderbolt Emperor, nobody was able to escape the grasp of the Burial Martial Artists.
What made matters worse was that the unexpected escape of the Thunderbolt Emperor and his two companions had incited the murderous intent of the Burial Martial Artists. Iron chains flew through the air as one expert after another, like ants on glass, was swept away, dying without even a bone remaining.
The subdued warriors of Void Origin Realm, including the Martial Emperors, were also in a terrible state, either with broken bones and torn sinews or with their internal organs displaced, evidently used as tools to vent anger.
"Heaven and Earth Prison Cage!"
A storm of Vigorous Air wildly spread out, and at the center of the storm, Young Master of the Prison’s complexion looked awful. With a single hand reaching through the air, he firmly locked onto Shi Xiaole. The force of his grip hadn’t even approached yet when groups of blood blossomed nearby, belonging to Earth Immortals and Lords who couldn’t withstand the pressure of his power.
"Formless Sword!"
The Summit Severing Sword was swung, absorbing the azure Sword Qi from all around to fiercely clash with the intangible prison cage.
With a boom!
Shi Xiaole was sent flying backward, his throat roiling a few times before he couldn’t help but spew out a jet of blood. With his current strength being at best of the Ninth Tier, how could he stand against Young Master of the Prison who harbored the power of a human realm?
In reality, seeing Shi Xiaole withstand a move from Young Master of the Prison without being utterly defeated had already shocked many onlookers to the core, causing many to start questioning their lives.
"You stubborn fool, I’ll see how many moves you can block, for every person you killed with your hands, I will destroy those hands of yours!"
The Hell Burial Souls Fragrance was still in the experimental stage, so there was no room for any error in this operation; they needed to capture everyone in one fell swoop. Now, with the Thunderbolt Emperor’s trio having escaped, Young Master of the Prison had no idea how to explain himself to those above.
In his eyes, it was all Shi Xiaole’s fault. If not for Shi Xiaole, he wouldn’t have taken action, and naturally, the Thunderbolt Emperor wouldn’t have found an opportunity to escape.
He was determined to skin and flay this brat alive!
A vicious look flashed through his eyes as Young Master of the Prison let out a furious roar, with his hands moving one after the other towards Shi Xiaole in sweeping motions, like the tide ebbing and flowing, shaking the sky repeatedly.
Crack.
Crack-crack...
This time Shi Xiaole was sent retreating thousands of meters before being bounced back by the Array System’s light shield. He vomited a mix of blood and liver fragments, which caused his breath to fade significantly. The worst affected was his sword-holding right hand, twisted like a corkscrew, with the bones and tendons inside shattered into dust.
If it were someone else, that arm would have been permanently useless.
Despite such a serious injury, there was no sign of defeat or despair in Shi Xiaole’s eyes, only an icy indifference like the depths of a cold pond.
Meanwhile, in the thick of the fierce fight, Shi Xiaole had used his exceptional mental strength to locate the weak points in the Array Systems of both the Burial Martial Association and Jingyun Palace; however, due to the limitations of his power, he couldn’t break through and could only redirect the forces to his advantage.
Just a little more was needed.
The others were unaware of this information, and the hearts of the other Void Origin Realm Martial Emperors still resisting turned cold. If even the Kirin, who had never lost a fight, had fallen to such a state, who else could hope for an escape?
Their will to fight was gone, and with their inadequate strength, many more Void Origin Realm Martial Emperors were quickly subdued.
Only a few, such as the Ink Emperor, Black Absolute Emperor, and Four Symbols Sword Emperor, continued to struggle desperately. It is worth mentioning that with Shi Xiaole’s covert assistance, the pair known as the Lovebird Sword Couple had also not been captured alive, but it seemed that even they wouldn’t last much longer.
"Oh, only one arm was wasted? As expected, very resilient. Initially, you only needed to lose both hands, but now, I suddenly have a desire to waste your four limbs, hahaha, a Kirin without legs, I wonder if you can still jump?"
Young Master of the Prison’s eyes turned blood red with excitement.
What Flying Horse Dynasty’s number one genius, what talented leader, he was still at his mercy, to be toyed with as he pleased. It was just a pity that the woman wasn’t here; otherwise, to abuse the man she endorsed before her very eyes would be even more thrilling!
"Sky Cleaving Nameless Blade!"
With a flat sweep of his palm, Young Master of the Prison sent a filigree of sharpness through the void, fleeting in a flash.
Shi Xiaole’s hairs stood on end, his intuition telling him that this blade was different from the ones before. If he were struck by it, his legs would certainly be severed, and even with the martial path of life and death, it would be impossible to grow entirely new legs.
Clang-clang!
Despite being weakened, his mental strength and reflexes were still intact, as Shi Xiaole blocked with the Summit Severing Sword in front. Amid the sparks flying, the blade energy was obstructed, but the blade’s force passed through the blade and surged towards Shi Xiaole.
Bang-bang-bang...
Blooms of blood mist exploded from Shi Xiaole’s body, turning him into a bloody figure. At the same time, the diffused forces, intentionally or unintentionally redirected by him, shot off into the void, causing a sound like beans popping.
The Array System began to change, but the extent of the change was so slight that only Shi Xiaole could notice it. It was almost there!
"It’s over."
A sense of forlornness rose in everyone’s heart, both for the Kirin and for themselves.
The old fox remains the craftiest. What use was the Kirin’s dazzling talent when, in the end, only the Thunderbolt Emperor’s trio managed to escape? Had they known, they would have stuck close behind the trio, and they wouldn’t have been so passive.
"Hahaha, make sure to record all of this on a Retaining Image Stone, I want the entire Martial World to witness this battle and know exactly who crippled the Kirin."
Young Master of the Prison laughed as he instructed the Burial Martial Artists behind him.
If the people from the Burial Martial Association knew all this, they would certainly not let him go, because a complete Kirin is much more useful than a damaged one. Therefore, Young Master Qiu had already made up his mind to kill all the Burial Martial Artists together. By then, who could do anything to him?
It was still the hand-blade, still the same strength, and Young Master Qiu believed that Shi Xiaole could no longer withstand this strike, because the latter’s strength had already regressed to the Seventh Tier.
Shi Xiaole indeed couldn’t withstand it; all the muscles in his body were strained to the limit, swinging his sword to chop towards the blade light, which, in the eyes of others, was nothing but a helpless counterattack in the face of despair.
Thud!
The blade’s force surged over the sword, and just as it was about to sever Shi Xiaole’s legs, perhaps by merely one-tenth of a second’s difference, scattered residual waves exploded first in various places in the void.
Suddenly, the light of the Array System burst forth, and in the eyes of all those staring widely, it turned into a barrier protecting Shi Xiaole, successfully blocking Young Master Qiu’s blade’s force.
It was only because Shi Xiaole’s strength was inadequate that he could only temporarily borrow force to change the local array. Otherwise, he could have used the array to kill Young Master Qiu.
Seizing the moment to retreat, Shi Xiaole gathered his strength, used the Array System to kill some Burial Martial Artists, called out to the stunned Swallowtail Sword Couple to retreat, and led the way back to Jingyun Palace first.
The awakened Swallowtail Sword Couple hurriedly followed, along with a very few Void Origin Realm Martial Emperors and even some Terrestrial Immortals who had fortunately survived, also frantically rushed back to Jingyun Palace.
Bam bam boom.
Young Master Qiu’s large hand slapped continuously, but he didn’t know that before rushing out, Shi Xiaole had scattered Sword Qi throughout Jingyun Palace, and now triggering it completely activated the Great Jingyun Array System, rendering Young Master Qiu’s attacks useless no matter what.
"Damn it!"
Young Master Qiu’s face turned iron blue; he had never imagined that under these circumstances, Shi Xiaole could still escape.
The Black Absolute Emperor, Four Symbols Sword Emperor, Unfathomable Leg Emperor, Ink Emperor, and others were also looking at Jingyun Palace unwillingly and resentfully. They were too far away to react in time.
At this moment, they not only hated the Burial Martial Artists but also extended their hatred to Shi Xiaole, convinced that he had abandoned them to die.
"Every kilometer, set up personnel and Array Systems around Jingyun Palace, attack with all your might. I don’t believe this array can hold out for long."
The Great Jingyun Array System was different from the array at Jingyun Tower, being a top-tier Void Origin Realm Array System. However, Young Master Qiu was extraordinary, with particularly keen eyesight, and he easily discerned that after many years, the Great Jingyun Array System had already shown signs of defects, entirely being driven by Sword Qi.
As long as they consumed this Sword Qi, breaking through wouldn’t be difficult.
And within these ten days, thanks to the effects of the Hell Burial Souls Fragrance, Shi Xiaole would lose all his strength, so all they needed to do was consume the Sword Qi to claim victory.
Turning his gaze, Young Master Qiu saw the many subdued Void Origin Realm Martial Emperors and suddenly had another idea, smiling coldly.
...
Inside Jingyun Palace, only a meager number of people managed to escape back, all feeling the fortune of surviving a catastrophe. But after the initial relief came panic. They heard the explosions outside, the Burial Martial Artists were clearly attacking the array with all their might.
And their strength was still declining, with many having fallen below the Spiritual-Passage Realm, each looking as grief-stricken as if the end of the world had come.
Ignoring these people, Shi Xiaole headed towards Jingyun Tower. Until the very last moment, he would never give up on any hope or opportunity.
Shi Xiaole’s injuries were severe, but firstly, he had the Life and Death Martial Path, and secondly, he had many spiritual medicines, so he wasn’t concerned at all. The only trouble was figuring out how to solve the issue of regressing power.
Shi Xiaole knew very well that the Sword Qi he had laid out should last for about five days. After five days, if he couldn’t restore his power, it would be really bad.
In front of Jingyun Tower.
Shi Xiaole took out dozens of dried seeds from the Mutation Transformation Flower.
These were what he had brought from the dwelling of a mysterious man in the past. Unsure whether they could dispel the Hell Burial Souls Fragrance, with a dying hope, Shi Xiaole swallowed one of the seeds.
Gazing inwardly at himself, he clearly noticed that after being digested, the seeds of the Mutation Transformation Flower exuded strands of energy that entered his Vigorous Air and mental force, loosening the effect of the Hell Burial Souls Fragrance.
It worked!
Shi Xiaole was overjoyed, his declining strength also stopped at this moment, but after a short while, it began to decline again.
"The seeds of the Mutation Transformation Flower can only drive away the potency of the Transformation Flower itself; that deep red mist is far too powerful," Shi Xiaole muttered, shaking his head. However, he hadn’t held much hope to begin with, so it was not a disappointment. From the start, Shi Xiaole’s method was not to rely on the seeds of the Mutation Transformation Flower.
Swallowing another seed, this time just as the energy was released, Shi Xiaole activated the Life and Death Martial Path.
The Life and Death Martial Path at eighty percent proficiency couldn’t dissolve and transform the deep red mist, but with the help of the Mutation Transformation Flower seeds, the potency of the deep red mist began to loosen. And that was the opportunity he needed.
Whirring sounds.
Seizing the opportunity, the Life and Death Martial Path operated at full force, leading to a surprising turn of events. Shi Xiaole saw the deep red mist begin to split, each wisp turning into different energy gases and being expelled from his body through his pores.
But it was not yet time to relax. After all, the Life and Death Martial Path was powered by Vigorous Air, and the less Vigorous Air he had, the weaker its effect. If the rate of decomposition didn’t surpass the rate of erosion, all would be in vain.
Swiftly swallowing more seeds, perhaps stimulated by the desperate situation or due to long-accumulated potential, Shi Xiaole unleashed his latent power, and the Life and Death Martial Path spun faster and faster.
