Chapter 1080: Chapter 1079: Colorless Realm_1
"Huh, you actually dodged my sword strike, interesting," said Shi Xiaole, a hint of surprise in his voice.
The Soul Mountain Sword Demon appeared somewhat astonished. He had only heard that someone obtained a famous sword but had not investigated Shi Xiaole thoroughly. In the eyes of the Soul Mountain Sword Demon, no one but those old monsters could stop him.
"Demon Love Fallen Sky Sword."
In a flash, leveraging the momentum of his charge, the Soul Mountain Sword Demon pierced the air with another sword strike, the merciless Sword Qi initially but a point that rapidly spread in all directions, like ink bleeding into water.
Shi Xiaole had only one sensation — he couldn’t block it, nor should he try to block it; any technique he used would be swallowed up and pierced through by the pitch-black Sword Qi.
"Such a strong Heart Sword Realm!"
Ever since the power of his Heart Sword reached three hundred threads, Shi Xiaole had not ceased to comprehend the Sword Tortoise Shell. Now, his Heart Sword power had grown from a major achievement of three hundred threads to three hundred and sixty threads, surpassing countless swordsmen in the Martial World.
But the Soul Mountain Sword Demon was undoubtedly stronger. Shi Xiaole surmised that the other’s Heart Sword power was at least above four hundred threads, otherwise, his Sword Realm could not be suppressing his own.
Another move, Lightning Startling Swan, but Shi Xiaole did not attack; instead, he practiced Body-Sword Integration, using it to evade and retreat.
"You won’t be able to dodge this," the Soul Mountain Sword Demon declared, uninterested in wasting effort. His lengthy arm shook, and the Demon Love Sword emitted a strange clanging sound as pitch-black Sword Qi suddenly enveloped Shi Xiaole from all sides.
Clang, clang, clang...
Shi Xiaole swung his sword frantically and noticed that whenever the pitch-black Sword Qi neared the Cleansing Evil Sword, its power immediately decreased, and its speed likewise diminished. Taking advantage of this, Shi Xiaole weaved through the gaps in the Sword Qi, dodging.
"It can actually weaken Devil Qi. Indeed, it is a renowned sword of the Martial World. If I obtain it, both my Sword Realm and martial realm could reach a higher level," the Soul Mountain Sword Demon thought, his eyes gleaming with intense greed.
His Demon Love Sword was only a top-grade mid-level Spiritual Weapon. If he could switch to the Cleansing Evil Sword that countered the Devil Path, he might not be well-suited at first, but his future achievements would only increase, perhaps even deepening his understanding of the Devil Sword Path.
As his power climaxed, every sword strike from the Soul Mountain Sword Demon carried a cold and merciless flavor. Before long, the vast expanse of the clear sky became squares segmented by black lines.
Within a hundred thousand li (approximately 31,068 miles), numerous warriors from the Western Region lifted their heads, their faces stricken with terror, as if doomsday had arrived. The residual Sword Qi in the sky made them feel incapable of mounting any resistance.
Beneath a vast and endless royal palace...
An old lama dressed in yellow and red robes opened his eyes, murmuring to himself, "Who could this be, to drive that old demon to madness?"
"Master, what has happened?"
Sitting across from the old lama was a young boy about seven or eight years old. Described as a boy, but if you stared into his eyes, you would find yourself unable to extricate yourself, completely entranced.
"Nothing. My disciple is indeed a rare genius of the Secret Sect, showing signs of a breakthrough in just a few short months," the old lama mused.
Compared to the Soul Mountain Sword Demon, the boy before him was certainly of more concern to the old lama.
The Turn-the-Sky God-slaying Art, a practice of increasing difficulty with each level. Since ancient times, only a handful of people have cultivated it to the ninth level, including Dezhi Shangshi himself.
However, the Fiery Flame Child Emperor was different. Although under a hundred years old and with power far below other masters of the Secret Sect, in terms of his realm, he was already on par with his predecessors. Dezhi Shangshi eagerly anticipated the day when the Turn-the-Sky God-slaying Art would shine its true light in the hands of the Fiery Flame Child Emperor.
"For this day, I have made too many preparations, and a breakthrough is just a natural result. Master once said that the Turn-the-Sky God-slaying Art dominated the Martial World in the ancient times, cutting down all powerful enemies and reigning supreme. I, your unworthy disciple, also hope to revive the awe of this divine art and restore the Secret Sect to its former supreme glory!" The Fiery Flame Child Emperor spoke with a radiant conviction that excited Dezhi Shangshi, who laughed heartily, "You certainly aim high, my disciple! Good, I believe you can do it. There is still a year and a half until that notable duel, and I shall assist you. For now, let’s focus on becoming the foremost among your peers."
The Fiery Flame Child Emperor closed his eyes, beginning to practice the Turn-the-Sky God-slaying Art.
The foremost among his peers?
That was not a goal, but merely something that must be accomplished—a stage along the way. The Fiery Flame Child Emperor would not limit himself to the competition of his peers. The world was his stage, and in this grand era, he would defeat foes from all corners, ascending to unmatched heights.
"So powerful, that man is the Soul Mountain Sword Demon!" exclaimed the Purple Wood Sword Emperor from the back of the Divine Eagle, both shocked and scared.
He was shocked that the Soul Mountain Sword Demon had targeted Shi Xiaole and afraid that, given the demon’s terrifying strength, Shi Xiaole wouldn’t last long.
Ten moves.
Twenty moves.
Thirty moves.
Contrary to the Purple Wood Sword Emperor’s expectations, under the relentless assault of the Soul Mountain Sword Demon, Shi Xiaole somehow managed to endure fifty moves.
What is meant by "Devil Sword"? The Devil, by nature, does not entertain sentimentality and acts as it pleases. Therefore, the strikes of the Soul Mountain Sword Demon also spare no quarter, aiming to kill at every turn. It is difficult for those with lesser prowess to withstand even ten moves.
Despite multiple injuries and blood streaming from his wounds, Shi Xiaole seemed capable of holding out for a while longer. Quite the impressive feat!
Not only the Purple Wood Sword Emperor was stunned, even the Soul Mountain Sword Demon was taken aback, which quickly turned to rage. His swordplay transformed as he unleashed his most powerful killing move — Extremity of Carnage and Obliteration.
There was no Sword Qi, no Sword Realm, only boundless darkness enveloping Shi Xiaole, where sword moves and the void became indistinguishable.
"Is this the strength of the top eighty on the Emperor List?"
Shi Xiaole revealed a helpless wry smile.
Uncle Wang had once analyzed with him that the top one hundred on the Emperor List could roughly be divided into four levels.
The level from the hundredth to around the eightieth rank, where martial artists’ Heart Martial Realm had basically reached completion and their top martial arts varied from minor to major completion.
From the eightieth to around the sixtieth rank, every martial artist had surpassed major completion in the Heart Martial Realm, and their top martial arts had all reached perfection, just like the Soul Mountain Sword Demon who, apart from Vigorous Air, surpassed Shi Xiaole almost entirely in fighting technique and spiritual power.
From sixtieth to around the twentieth rank, there was a broader span and more individuals, who, in addition to having perfect top martial arts, had Heart Martial power close to perfection.
From the twentieth down to around the fifth place, both aspects had reached perfection, such as Uncle Wang himself.
As for the top five, they had reached the level of the Forbidden Martial Emperor, being able to crush all living beings with merely one hundred and ten percent of Supreme Martial Arts, simply not existing on the same level.
Facing the long-range killing move of the Soul Mountain Sword Demon, Shi Xiaole had No Strategy to Employ, though, of course, he could escape if he chose to, at the cost of severe injuries.
This battle truly made Shi Xiaole realize the gap between himself and the masters at the forefront of the Emperor List, and it also strengthened his determination to strive harder.
Letting the darkness engulf him, Shi Xiaole withdrew the Cleansing Evil Sword, and immediately after, the darkness was violently shattered, a stick shadow that pierced through heaven and earth appeared abruptly, whistling past with the momentum that swept through all directions.
"Pfft!"
The Soul Mountain Sword Demon, who a moment ago was complacent, now finally revealed a look of horror. His Demon Love Sword pushed forward in an attempt to counter, but it couldn’t withstand the enormous power of the stick shadow. He was sent flying back tens of thousands of meters, crying out, "Shenzong!"
Using the momentum from the retreat, the Soul Mountain Sword Demon fled without looking back. He could have never imagined that the unassuming old man was actually "Shenzong," the Godslayer.
Since he had failed to sense the threat in advance, it could only prove that the other had reached the unsurpassable state of returning to simplicity. How could he fight against that?
Purple Wood Sword Emperor and Chen Lihua watched Uncle Wang with their mouths agape, in astonishment at his prowess. Yan Zhenning suddenly exclaimed, "Where’s Xiaole?"
Uncle Wang turned his head and couldn’t help but his expression changed drastically, swiftly unleashing his spiritual power, his face quickly darkening.
Under his very eyes, Shi Xiaole had vanished!
After going through the life-and-death battle in the Daxia Imperial City and being inspired by the life-and-death martial arts, Uncle Wang’s power was even greater than before by a factor of three, and he was confident that he could escape, even from a Forbidden Martial Emperor.
Uncle Wang honestly couldn’t think of anyone who could abduct Shi Xiaole without him noticing. The more he couldn’t figure it out, the more terrified he became.
Could it be some old monsters on the brink of death but not yet perished? That didn’t seem right either. Given their pride and confidence, they would not stoop to such acts.
Purple Wood Sword Emperor flew out in a flash, and after making a full circuit, he returned with a dejected look and shook his head at Chen Lihua. The Heavenly Divine Eagle had already gone mad, flapping its wings and soaring high, shuttling swiftly among the clouds while emitting long cries, as if calling for its master.
Yan Zhenning suddenly said, "Perhaps, we have all thought wrong."
"What do you mean?"
Uncle Wang was taken aback, and Purple Wood Sword Emperor and her daughter stared at Yan Zhenning without blinking.
Yan Zhenning said, "I mean, as of now, at least on the surface, no one could abduct someone from Big Brother’s side without him noticing, perhaps Xiaole wasn’t taken by someone."
"It can’t be that he left on his own, can it?"
Chen Lihua seemed unable to keep up with the train of thought.
Uncle Wang seemed to have thought of something, his expression turning even uglier than before. Yan Zhenning sighed and said with a heavy voice, "If he had been abducted, it might have been for the better. Now, I suspect that Xiaole has entered the Colorless Realm."
Upon hearing this, Purple Wood Sword Emperor’s body shook violently. Even Chen Lihua’s mouth fell open in shock.
The Colorless Realm, free from desires and needs, exists yet does not exist. It might be compressed within a cloud or hidden in a drop of water. It is everywhere in the world, yet nowhere in the world can its trace be found.
No one can enter the Colorless Realm deliberately, but if one’s luck is disastrously bad, one might find oneself within the Colorless Realm after waking up from sleep. If we were to rank the ten most dangerous places based on their eeriness, the Colorless Realm would surely rank within the top three.
The worst part is, while there is a way to leave Heavenly Desire Origin, there isn’t one for the Colorless Realm, for it is unclear if anyone has ever come out of it.
"Perhaps things aren’t so bad. Our priority now is to confirm the situation and to look up information related to the Colorless Realm."
As the head of the Yan family, Yan Zhenning quickly regained composure.
His words were sensible, but aside from the explanation of the Colorless Realm, there seemed to be no other answers. His gaze swept over and saw Uncle Wang’s grim expression. For some reason, Yan Zhenning felt an ominous feeling.
"We will act in groups."
Uncle Wang said.
"Big Brother, you’re planning to...?"
"Without the Soul Mountain Sword Demon, this situation wouldn’t have occurred. I’ll go chop off his dog head first!"
