Chapter 1063: Chapter 1062: Absorbing Experts _1
The Cleansing Evil Sword, one of the five high-grade Spiritual Weapons owned solely by Jingyun Palace, also served as the personal favorite sword of the last palace master of Jingyun. It possessed a formidable reputation throughout the Martial World during that era, ranking among the top ten famous swords.
Since ancient times, beauties have loved heroes, and swordsmen have naturally cherished famous swords, but Shi Xiaole never dared to dream of acquiring a high-grade Spiritual Weapon.
First, two of the five high-grade Spiritual Weapons had gone missing in the Martial World, their whereabouts unknown—an improbably large number.
Second, the forging techniques for such weapons had long been lost. Even in Rainbow State, where the tradition hadn’t died out, they only knew how to forge medium-grade Spiritual Weapons.
Third, the scarcity of high-grade Spiritual Weapons was even greater when it came to swords. Considering the Martial World over the last several thousand years, when had one heard of a high-grade spiritual sword? Never!
The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. Shi Xiaole didn’t want to get his hopes up. In his view, acquiring the Sky Pillar Axe had already been lucky enough.
However, it was only upon truly holding the Cleansing Evil Sword that Shi Xiaole realized what he called satisfaction was sometimes just self-deception. Indeed, the adrenaline surge, the sensation of a sword in hand commanding clouds in all directions, the aspiration to greatness—could the Sky Pillar Axe ever offer such feelings?
A famous sword is indeed the swordman’s deepest love.
Feeling the restlessness of the Cleansing Evil Sword, Shi Xiaole’s eyes flashed with intensity, his left hand raised high as he gently swung the sword forward.
Crack!
Craaack craaack...
The onlookers witnessed a scene that set their hearts racing. Beneath the slash of the Cleansing Evil Sword, the vacuum of space, like tofu, was effortlessly cleaved in two, yet the fissure didn’t branch out, nor was it very wide—it was a straight line as wide as a thumb.
It wasn’t that the Cleansing Evil Sword lacked power, but rather the opposite—it was so sharp, it cut the scene before them as easily as a knife through paper.
"As expected of a famous sword, its attack strength is even above that of the Sky Pillar Axe," Shi Xiaole mused.
Looking down at the Sky Pillar Axe hanging at his waist, he easily discerned the difference between them.
Both being offensive Spiritual Weapons, the characteristic of the Sky Pillar Axe lay in its momentum—overwhelming with sheer force, its destructive power was often explosive. Faced with this, any martial artist with even a slightly weaker will might fail to exert eighty percent of their strength.
The Cleansing Evil Sword, on the other hand, was the epitome of sharpness, emanating pure lethality with no dissipation of power. Moreover, the sword itself carried a righteous aura, and Shi Xiaole surmised it likely had some repressive effect on demonic energy.
Whoosh!
Having just mastered the Cleansing Evil Sword, a beam of divine light, not inferior to that of the sword itself, burst forth from the sixth floor of Jingyun Tower, racing toward Shi Xiaole at an astonishing speed.
Shi Xiaole stood as if petrified.
Clang!
This was the sound of the sword sheathing. The crowd focused their gaze and collectively dropped their jaws—it turned out this divine light was actually the sword’s scabbard. Made of the same bright yellow material as the hilt, capable of withstanding the sharpness of the Cleansing Evil Sword, one could only imagine that the scabbard itself was a treasure of immeasurable value.
A bright yellow sword, a figure in cyan robes. While any famous sword should not be tarnished, to the onlookers, Shi Xiaole and the Cleansing Evil Sword were perfectly matched—there could be no more flawless combination.
Floating down to the ground, Ye Junlan and his wife were the first to approach Shi Xiaole: "Congratulations, Young Hero Shi, on acquiring a famous sword."
Both being swordsmen, it was false to say they didn’t envy and covet it, but they definitely didn’t feel jealous.
Let alone Shi Xiaole getting it, even if the Cleansing Evil Sword were given to the couple, they wouldn’t dare to accept it. There was a saying among swordsmen that a famous sword was no ordinary object, and ordinary people who obtained it wouldn’t be blessed, and might even attract a calamity.
Records from excavated texts also supported this idea. Every time a famous sword reappeared in the world, it would change hands several times, and its former owners would either disappear or meet with utter ruin. Without sufficient strength, one simply couldn’t protect a famous sword.
"Don’t mention it," said Shi Xiaole with a smile.
A blessing in disguise, perhaps. Without the Burial Martial Artist causing chaos, the Thunderbolt Emperor and the others wouldn’t have fled, and so the chance of Shi Xiaole getting the Cleansing Evil Sword wouldn’t have been more than thirty percent.
Therefore, considering the outcome, he ought to thank the Burial Martial Artist. It could only be said that fate had its designs, and what was meant to be his, would ultimately be his.
"Please wait a moment. I need to heal," Shi Xiaole excused himself, vanishing to a secluded spot within Jingyun Palace. First, he stored the few medium-grade Spiritual Swords on his back, including the Frosted Peak Sword, as well as the Sky Pillar Axe at his waist, into his system space. Then he sat down cross-legged, placed the Cleansing Evil Sword beside him, and began healing.
Having reached the latter stage of his life-and-death martial path at eighty percent completion, his healing ability had greatly improved. In less than one two-hour period, the twisted mess that was Shi Xiaole’s right arm returned to its original state. If one could see through his skin, they’d find his bones and tendons broken to pieces, now completely intact again.
And his bodily injuries were thoroughly healed as well.
"As expected of the Supreme Martial Arts. If it were someone else, not only the right arm would be useless, the wounds alone would torment them for half a year," he thought.
When Shi Xiaole returned, the astonishment of the husband and wife swordsmen and the Cloud Wave Martial Emperor, among others, was palpable. They couldn’t comprehend how his injuries had healed—could he have obtained some peerless medicinal herb?
And what about the weapons that had been on his person? They were utterly mystified.
"Let me take you two out of here," Shi Xiaole offered to the obliging couple.
He had already understood while neutralizing the poison of the Hell Burial Souls Fragrance on them that it was not long-lasting and would disappear naturally after some time.
"If that’s the case, we appreciate your help, Young Hero Shi," Ye Junlan replied, unsure of what else to say.
Previously, the weapons that had spewed from Jingyun Tower were not of the highest medium-grade and were scarce in number. Shi Xiaole knew that the tower’s inventory must be nearly exhausted and thus there was no need to collect or wait further.
Levitating with the couple, the three of them blinked outside Jingyun Palace in an instant.
At that moment, not only the Burial Martial Artists but also the subdued Martial Emperors of the Void Origin Realm were attacking the grand formation of Jingyun. However, their powers had only recovered to the Divine Barrier Realm level.
Had Shi Xiaole not neutralized the medicinal power in advance, given the intensity of their assault, the Sword Qi definitely wouldn’t have lasted even five days.
"Kirin!"
"You’ve finally crawled out!"
"Realized you can’t escape, have you?"
The Burial Martial Artists, upon seeing Shi Xiaole, were first taken aback, then collectively burst into excitement.
The imprisoned Young Master, who had been closing his eyes in rest and was unable to vent his anger, abruptly opened his eyes, and his face suddenly turned ferocious. However, when he saw Shi Xiaole’s intact right arm, his pupils shrank, and a very bad premonition suddenly rose in him.
"Attack him!"
The Young Master shouted, commanding the Burial Martial Artists, while he himself retreated rapidly, wanting to test Shi Xiaole.
Unfortunately, Shi Xiaole had no intention of delay. He never showed mercy to those who almost killed him. It was just right to test out the might of the Cleansing Evil Sword. Shi Xiaole stretched out his right hand, grasped the Cleansing Evil Sword tied at his waist, drew the sword and delivered two slashes, up and down, across and around.
Pu pu pu pu pu...
In the sky, two straight, immeasurable dark lines appeared, and the Burial Martial Artists, like figurines made of dough, were easily sliced into irregular halves.
Two swords, more than two hundred Burial Martial Artists, became over four hundred corpses.
"This..."
The subdued warriors of the Void Origin Realm were dumbfounded.
To save their lives, they had to swear allegiance to the Young Master, which was the only way they obtained a temporary antidote. But why, that boy obviously had no antidote; how could he neutralize the Hell Burial Souls Fragrance?
And that sword, was it a superior Spiritual Weapon?!
Feeling Shi Xiaole’s gaze upon them, these warriors of the Void Origin Realm were so frightened that they urinated and defecated, scattered and fled without a second thought.
This time, Shi Xiaole sent out three strands of Sword Qi just with his gaze.
Bang, bang, bang.
The Black Absolute Emperor, the Four Symbols Sword Emperor, and the Unfathomable Leg Emperor were reduced to dust and bones. For the others, he could overlook, but these three had to die.
"Impossible, how could something invented by the Medicine Saint fail..."
The Young Master’s vision was filled with stars; he couldn’t comprehend what was happening. His speed of escape was indeed fast, but how could he be faster than Shi Xiaole?
With a mere gentle reach, Shi Xiaole dragged the Young Master in front of him. Without any word, he directly searched the Young Master’s body, using a psychic technique to probe the information in his mind.
"To think there are restrictions set up, preventing forceful decryption." Shi Xiaole frowned and said, "Tell me everything about the Burial Martial Association, in detail."
The Young Master’s eyes still had a trace of ferocity and hope, as he shouted, "Let me go. I have sworn an oath, I can’t reveal any secrets, and besides, the Burial Martial Association isn’t someone you can afford to provoke. It would be better for me to introduce you..."
Boom.
The Young Master exploded into pieces.
Shi Xiaole shook his head; it seemed that the "Burial Martial Association" must be an extremely secretive organization. The only question was whether the Hell Burial Souls Fragrance could be mass-produced. If it could, it would be a disaster for the entire Martial World.
"The medicinal effect can’t last long; it must be because the research isn’t perfected yet. The Heavenly Desire Origin is abundant with various medicines. Could it be that this is the reason why the Burial Martial Artists could act unbridled?"
Opening the porcelain bottle he had taken from the Young Master, Shi Xiaole poured out a red pill. This red pill, in terms of aura, was somewhat similar to the Mutation Transformation Flower seed, but undoubtedly it was ten times more potent.
Without hesitation, Shi Xiaole immediately gave two pills to the couple, claiming it was the antidote. The couple did not hesitate and immediately swallowed it, quickly restoring their strength to the Divine Barrier Realm. After taking another pill, they finally fully recovered.
"Kirin Sword Emperor, may I have one?"
"I beg the Kirin Sword Emperor for a reward, please!"
The masters who had emerged from Jingyun Palace had seen everything and were shouting frantically, almost hoarse with desperation. For a warrior, losing their power was more terrifying than death.
After some thought, Shi Xiaole flicked out a few red pills and then left with the couple. After all, these people hadn’t done anything to harm him; besides, after today, there would be no more interaction. There was no need to be so ruthless.
"Thank you, Kirin Sword Emperor!"
Clutching the red pills as if they were lifesaving treasures, the people called out loudly, afraid that Shi Xiaole wouldn’t hear them.
Having left the crowd, the couple wanted to say goodbye, but Shi Xiaole stopped them and insisted on inviting them to Nine Heavens Mountain. Their character was unproblematic, and their martial arts were first-rate—just what Nine Heavens Mountain needed.
"Brother Ye, Sister-in-law Shang, you can rest assured. Other than when needed, Nine Heavens Mountain will never restrict your freedom. And you can enjoy many resources of Nine Heavens Mountain, like top-tier martial arts..."
If they could, not many people liked being loners; after all, resources and background were equally important to warriors of the Void Origin Realm. Those top forces had also invited the couple, but they had been rejected.
The most important reason was that these top forces were complicated and fraught with deeply entrenched factions, which intimidated the couple.
But Nine Heavens Mountain was different; it was a completely emerging power without so many twists and turns, and considering Shi Xiaole’s significant kindness to them and hearing about the access to top-tier martial arts, the couple couldn’t think of any reason to refuse Shi Xiaole.
"In that case, we will have to rely on Master Shi’s care from now on!"
The couple looked at each other, and Ye Junlan cupped his hands in salute.
"Not at all, not at all."
Shi Xiaole hurried to stop him.
Seeing this, the three of them laughed together.
