Chapter 1067: Chapter 1066: Three Extraterrestrial Beings_1
"Court death!"
The Yinhua Sword Emperor had never expected Shi Xiaole to dare to make a move against him.
One ranked ninety-third, the other one hundred and ninth, although rankings don’t represent all of a person’s strength, the difference in levels was clear, how could he tolerate such insolence?
Could it be that, thinking he had the Nine Profound Great Formation to rely on, even if he couldn’t win, he could still hide, that he was so fearless?
"Yin Jue Soul Dispersing Sword!"
A two-foot short sword unsheathed, the Yinhua Sword Emperor struck towards the rear. In the heavens and earth, a long black line appeared, as if it had already been there, shooting towards Shi Xiaole with a speed difficult to capture with the naked eye.
Those separated by the Nine Profound Great Formation, just by looking, felt a chill deep in their souls, as if a fierce ghost was lunging at them.
But—
Another golden line was even faster. It was like it came rushing from the other end of the sky, brushing past the black line in parallel.
The Yinhua Sword Emperor’s pupils fiercely contracted, as in his field of vision, the golden light was like a falling comet, halting his every move and even his thoughts in the glare of the comet. The pause was only for an instant, but this instant created a gap.
"Soul Dispersing Return Sword!"
In his great hurry, the Yinhua Sword Emperor who had only used eighty percent of his strength, frantically mobilized his full power, but it was too sudden, and there was no time to react. As he roared in his heart, his short sword traced a circle before his chest.
Puff.
The golden line struck the sword circle, its progress only delayed by a thousandth of a blink, then pierced through it, bringing up a bunch of congealed blood, and opened a hole in a series of mountains within ten thousand meters. Within the small hole, Sword Qi overflowed, booming loudly, and some of the narrower peaks collapsed, with dust soaring to the sky.
"You, you..."
The Yinhua Sword Emperor looked at the bloody hole in his shoulder incredulously, his complexion an iron blue, his body trembling violently non-stop.
Shock, regret, humiliation and various emotions assaulted his heart, causing his expression to change repeatedly.
He regretted not having used his full strength, but even at eighty percent, with his top Heavenly Realm level strength, it should not have been something Shi Xiaole could block.
There was only one explanation, this youngster’s strength had already closely approached the top Heavenly Realm level, and his ranking should not be one hundred and ninth, but even higher.
Clang!
Only then did a sword cry resound between heaven and earth, belatedly, as the Cleansing Evil Sword was unsheathed and sheathed, the sound combined because of the sword’s extreme speed.
From beginning to end, the Yinhua Sword Emperor had only seen a blurry pattern of the sword blade, while the people of Nine Heavens Mountain could only see a golden line.
"Don’t roll out of here quickly."
Shi Xiaole, in his blue garments, seemed as if injuring the Yinhua Sword Emperor was just an offhand act.
"You dare to be so arrogant just by relying on a surprise attack, I will make you pay, Yin Jue Soul Dispersing Sword, kill for me!"
How could the Yinhua Sword Emperor tolerate such humiliation? This time he directly used his full strength, with one sword strike, the long black line interweaved heaven and earth, containing extremely cold power.
This move, "Yin Jue Soul Dispersing Sword," was not ranked in the Bei Liang killer move rankings, not because it wasn’t qualified, but because the Yinhua Sword Emperor had never gone to test it. But he was confident that this sword would be more than enough to deal with Shi Xiaole.
"Lightning Startling Swan!"
The same motion, the same momentum, Shi Xiaole unleashed the second sword strike. The previous attack that injured the Yinhua Sword Emperor had greatly increased his confidence in this sword strike, and he could not wait to try it again.
Bang!
Booming and pounding.
Under the clash of black and golden lines, they dispersed at the slightest touch. What followed was five consecutive, even stronger collisions. Both figures were simultaneously sent flying thousands of meters backward. From the looks of it, they were almost evenly matched.
"Relying on the advantage of a weapon alone, claiming to be the unparalleled genius of all ages, I see it’s nothing but an empty reputation!"
The Yinhua Sword Emperor gritted his teeth, his face twisted with rage.
He could not accept that he was unable to overpower Shi Xiaole, even when using all his might. His heart was filled with envy for the other’s good fortune. If the Cleansing Evil Sword were his, he could easily trounce Shi Xiaole.
"Weapons are also a form of strength. You can’t beat me."
Shi Xiaole spoke indifferently.
In terms of strength, he was indeed somewhat inferior to the Yinhua Sword Emperor, but with the addition of the Cleansing Evil Sword, he could barely manage to hold his ground against him.
Shi Xiaole didn’t say anything about what might happen if they were the same age. In his view, only the weak make excuses. Winning is winning, and losing is losing; there’s nothing to argue about.
The Yinhua Sword Emperor was filled with a hatred so intense it was almost insanity, but he knew all too well that even after using his strongest moves, he still couldn’t gain the upper hand. Staying would only bring him humiliation, and, moreover, it would bolster Shi Xiaole’s momentum.
"I will remember today, you just wait!"
"I hope it’s not too long, or I might forget about you."
Suppressing the impulse to fight to the death, the Yinhua Sword Emperor departed with a dark expression. Shi Xiaole returned to Nine Profound Mountain, ignoring the fervent excitement behind him and landing directly on a low peak. Facing him, Xi Xianglei caught sight of him, her eyes flickering for a moment.
For some reason, today’s setting sun seemed unusually piercing. Xi Xianglei only looked for a while before she averted her gaze and said, "I’m leaving first." With graceful, light steps, she disappeared into the maple forest, leaving Shi Xiaole with only a silhouette that could captivate all beings.
Shi Xiaole shook his head with a smile. This woman came and went as she pleased, her personality detached. He could not imagine what could possibly make her lose composure.
Quickly setting aside everything else, Shi Xiaole continued to practice "Lightning Startling Swan." The recent exchange had unexpectedly inspired him, and he hoped it might help him achieve mastery.
In the end, Shi Xiaole did not reach mastery. Two days later, Uncle Wang, who had been out of touch, returned and immediately informed him of an earth-shattering matter.
"The neutral Heaven Outside beings have been located."
The tumultuous operation to cleanse the demons had everyone in turmoil, Uncle Wang especially.
Not all Heaven Outside beings were demonic. For example, those who advocated for neutrality had even helped the masters from East Victory during the most critical times in the past, allowing them to overcome great peril and laying the foundation for a comprehensive counter-attack later on.
Thus, cleansing was necessary, but one shouldn’t condemn all indiscriminately.
Some time ago, Uncle Wang returned to his Heaven Outside lineage only to find that his people had already relocated, leaving the place deserted. Later, he met with Yan Zhenning, and together, using methods passed down from their ancestors, they finally deciphered the secret of the Nine Ancestors’ mud sculptures, uncovering the locations of several other Heaven Outside groups.
"How did elder brother know they are the neutral faction?"
Shi Xiaole asked.
He remembered that during his time in Mirage City, the guard had told him that to ensure safety and secrecy, the Heaven Outside people did not communicate with each other. So how could they have left a breach like the Nine Ancestors’ mud sculptures?
Uncle Wang explained, "Not communicating is a façade. Whether it’s the faction advocating for war or for peace, both have extremely secretive communication methods to assist each other. The Nine Ancestors’ mud sculptures were one such method of communication for our neutral faction."
According to Uncle Wang, the locations of the several Heaven Outside groups he had found included one in the East Sea, one in Bei Liang, and another in the Western Region. He also had their exact locations. With the exposure of Heaven Outside bloodlines, it was crucial to find a way to contact them to avoid being too passive.
"The hiding place of the group in the East Sea is called Affectionate Island; the one in Bei Liang is called Yang Town, and the one in the Western Region is called Peach Blossom Village - we..."
"Elder brother, wait, what did you say the hiding place of the group in the Western Region is called?"
"Peach Blossom Village, what’s wrong?"
Uncle Wang looked on in surprise as Shi Xiaole’s expression violently changed. He had never seen him like this before.
