Chapter 1085: Chapter 1084: The Retreat of the Old Expert_1
"We’re about a hundred miles away from Sky Alliance," he said, "guarded by multiple layers of Array Systems. Without permission, not even a fly could get in. What, Shi Xiaole? What are you doing?"
As Zhan Liye was giving the introduction, he suddenly noticed Shi Xiaole charging out. While still in mid-air, using his finger as a sword, he pointed straight towards the Sky Alliance headquarters that he was so wary of.
The Sword Qi at first was just a speck, but in the blink of an eye, it became like a pillar reaching across the sky. With a thunderous roar, the entire headquarters of the Sky Alliance shook violently. A series of light barriers appeared on the periphery, rippling on the surface as if they would shatter at any moment.
Zhan Liye’s mouth was wide open in shock.
He was always cautious in his actions. But due to the frustration of being trapped in the Colorless Realm and meeting Shi Xiaole, who he admired most in life, he had drunk a few extra glasses. After a brief farewell to the Zhen Family, he rushed to the Sky Alliance.
He could never have imagined that this junior brother Shi would give him such a huge scare. Judging from that earlier strike, even his father, Zhan Renxiong, was far inferior. My god, how far has the opponent’s strength advanced? This is impossible!
"Who dares to act so presumptuously?"
"Are you tired of living?"
The massive disturbance outside soon enraged the masters of the Sky Alliance. However, as soon as they rushed out, with a cracking sound, the grand Array System of the Sky Alliance shattered into pieces right before their eyes.
Many had strayed into the Colorless Realm, but very few had the fortune to enter the second area. Their development naturally couldn’t match the outside world. The grand Array System of the Sky Alliance was but a mere high-level Void Origin Realm formation, which could not stop Shi Xiaole at all.
Suddenly, the masters of the Sky Alliance deflated, unsure whether to advance or retreat.
"Who are you, sir? I have never seen you before," one of them said.
At a critical moment, a figure flew from a distance, standing at the forefront of the Sky Alliance masters.
This elder wore a moon-white robe with a white beard that hung down to his chest. At first glance, he looked like a benign elder, but his eyes were sharper than a spirit sword, piercing and painful to stare into for too long.
"Are you the old man in charge?" Shi Xiaole asked lightly, his gaze landing on the Cleansing Evil Sword the other was holding.
"Indeed, I am," the elder replied. "Such presumption demands an explanation. Without one, you might not leave here so easily today."
If it had been anyone else, the elder would not have bothered to speak, but Shi Xiaole’s arrogance made him uncertain, deciding to weigh the situation first.
Of course, he had no intention of letting Shi Xiaole off the hook. In the outside world, the elder’s strength was purported to be far less than his actual ability. To assault the Sky Alliance without paying a price, did he think himself so easily bullied?
"I can explain," said Shi Xiaole, lifting his chin slightly. "But before that, give me back my treasured sword."
The elder was initially taken aback, then he looked at the Cleansing Evil Sword in his hand and burst into loud laughter: "You say the Heavenly Sword is yours? Hahaha, ridiculous. This is the funniest thing I’ve ever heard. Boy, you’ve got guts trying to scheme for my beloved sword."
The other masters of the Sky Alliance looked at Shi Xiaole as if he were a madman. Who didn’t know that the Heavenly Sword was the old man’s most cherished possession? Ever since obtaining it, he had never been parted from it, and an attendant who once touched it had her hand chopped off on the spot.
Honestly, the swordsmen present could understand Shi Xiaole’s feelings, but to plot against the old man was somewhat misguided. As for whether or not the Heavenly Sword belonged to Shi Xiaole, that was not important. What mattered was that it was currently in the old man’s hands.
Zhan Liye was secretly sweating bullets for Shi Xiaole. He had no idea that the weapon Shi Xiaole claimed he had lost was the famous sword obtained by the elder.
"Junior Brother Shi, let me lend you a helping hand," Zhan Liye declared, after thinking it over, and finally gritted his teeth and charged out.
The current Shi Xiaole was beyond his comprehension, but regardless, more helpers equaled more strength, and with Zhan Liye’s temperament, he couldn’t stand to watch the other fight alone.
Shi Xiaole gave him a smile.
The elder tightly gripped the Cleansing Evil Sword, his face darkening as he shouted to Shi Xiaole, "I give you the count of three. If you don’t want to leave, you can die right here!"
Just at that moment, the elder suddenly felt the Cleansing Evil Sword vibrating in excitement, a sensation resembling joy that he had never felt before, given the saying that famous swords have spirits.
Hearing this, Shi Xiaole could no longer bother with words and pointed out his finger, unleashing a Sword Qi that was twice as powerful as the one he had used to strike the Sky Alliance’s Array System.
The entire sky seemed to split in two with the appearance of that Sword Qi. The masters under the Sword Qi felt their souls turn cold and their bodies numb, completely losing the power to resist.
"This..."
Zhan Liye stared, unable to believe this was the extent of Shi Xiaole’s power. His strength had far exceeded what Zhan Liye could have imagined.
Even the elder, confident of his invincibility in the Colorless Realm, felt a heavy pressure under this sword strike. Without the luxury of hesitation, he drew out the Cleansing Evil Sword and made a slash.
Buzz, buzz, buzz.
Unexpectedly, while still on its way, the Cleansing Evil Sword began to violently tremble, and a significant portion of the Sword Qi unleashed by the elder was actively dissipated by the sword itself.
Boom!
As soon as the Sword Qi collided with the Cleansing Evil Sword, a tremendous force surged towards the elder. He staggered back with rage in his eyes, flying back tens of thousands of meters before finally stopping, his face flushed with anger.
But even more embarrassing for the old man was the previous reaction of the Cleansing Evil Sword.
A fine bird chooses its tree to nest, and the same is true for renowned swords; only a swordsman recognized by it could truly bring it to life. In the choice between him and Shi Xiaole, the Cleansing Evil Sword obviously chose the latter.
Of course, there were some less outstanding swordsmen who, due to living in close quarters with a famous sword and cultivating feelings for it, represented another matter. But given Shi Xiaole’s age, that possibility was extremely low.
"This old man doesn’t believe in such evil, Judgment Sword!"
Clutching the Cleansing Evil Sword tightly in both hands, the old man raised it high above his head and slashed heavily forward. The ethereal swordplay didn’t seem remarkable, but it was like a net, invisibly enveloping Shi Xiaole, seemingly inescapable.
"Quite a marvelous sword technique."
With a glint in his eyes, a sky-full of Sword Qi gathered in front of Shi Xiaole, morphing into towering sword light that surged forward. The void immediately erupted with crackling sounds, and huge spatial rifts appeared, causing bystanders to retreat repeatedly, daring not to come within ten thousand meters of the two combatants.
"Heavenly Judgment!"
As one sword move was executed, a second was already on its way. The old man swung the Cleansing Evil Sword, emitting dazzling sword light. The tips of the sword light scraped the air, creating cracks and wrinkles due to the intense pressure of the sword moves, which were extremely terrifying.
Frankly speaking, the old man’s strength was absolutely greater than the likes of the Thri-Color Great Emperor and the Yinhua Sword Emperor. Shi Xiaole estimated that the opponent could possibly make it into the top ninety of the Emperor List.
Pity that the Shi Xiaole of now wasn’t the Shi Xiaole of the past.
All three hundred and ninety strands of Heart Sword force were fully condensed, Shi Xiaole invoked his Body-Breaking Invisible Sword Qi, and the horrific sword light, like a downpour, filled the void. Driven by the recoil, a hazy sword mist even formed and completely enveloped the old man.
Boom, boom, bang.
Pfft!
A figure retreated in distress, the old man’s white beard stained with blood, his face filled with shock and anger. He had been repelled, impossible, he could not be repelled by anyone!
And for the masters of the Sky Alliance, the impact of this scene before their eyes was so great that it made their souls tremble. They had never imagined that the old man, who dominated the Colorless Realm, would one day be repelled barehanded.
Zhan Liye had no idea how to describe what he felt; if he had to, it would only be the word ridiculous, lamenting the absurdity of the world.
With a loud cry, the old man sheathed the sword and, using his arms as weapons, attacked Shi Xiaole frantically. At his level, it made no difference whether he had a medium-grade spiritual sword or not. Even, because he abandoned the cursed Cleansing Evil Sword, the old man’s strength at this moment was a third stronger than before.
With each collision of Sword Qi, the two of them moved heaven and earth. The massive headquarters of the Sky Alliance had long been riddled with holes from their swordplay, turning into ruins.
Because the two of them were exchanging blows so quickly, for the onlookers, it seemed as if they were exchanging thousands of moves in a single breath.
Yet the old man became more and more frightened as the fight went on.
Having swallowed one of the ten Exotic Fruits, the Hedao Fruit, the robustness of his Vigorous Air was unique, even outside this realm, yet he couldn’t suppress Shi Xiaole, and the opponent’s fighting skills were so advanced that many times he nearly fell into his traps.
As time passed, the old man grew more fatigued, feeling as if Shi Xiaole was all around him, slowly dragging him into an invisible quagmire.
"Xuanji Destiny Sword, kill!"
Following another clash, the old man’s space to dodge was compressed to just thirty feet, unfavorable for unleashing his killing move, but he only had one chance, and since it was indeed a killing move, the old man didn’t believe Shi Xiaole could find the minute flaw.
Now is the time!
With a ferocious look in his eyes, the old man’s arms moved gently, each swinging to either side.
Amidst the growing tension, an eerie and overwhelming sense swept over Shi Xiaole’s body like a tide, giving him the sensation of being controlled, but it was quickly severed by the Heart Sword.
Truth be told, martial arts concepts such as heavenly decree and fate had the opportunity to transform into the Supreme Martial Arts. However, regrettably, the old man clearly lacked that insight, or else Shi Xiaole might have had some trouble.
With eyes as precise as the best scanners, nearly the moment the sword moves washed over him, Shi Xiaole made his move, thrusting an Invisible Sword that gathered energy from all directions straight ahead.
Crack!
As if a fleeting, minute flaw had been struck, it was then torn apart by the violent Sword Qi. In the blink of an eye, the all-dominating sword intent crumbled away, exposing the old man’s body.
"Not good..."
The old man was so scared that he saw stars, looking as if he had seen a ghost. He could not understand how Shi Xiaole had noticed the flaw in his killing move; it was illogical.
He tried to retreat, only to find himself surrounded and pressured by powerful Sword Qi. His movements slowed, and in the next moment, the old man was sent flying, his blood spraying into the sky as if it cost nothing, turning into a shower of blood.
And that Cleansing Evil Sword, which he treasured as his own life, had already flown out automatically and landed in Shi Xiaole’s hand.
"My friend, you have been wronged."
Shi Xiaole looked at the Cleansing Evil Sword, which emitted an excited tremor, automatically unsheathing three inches and its Sword Qi soaring to the heavens.
With the Controlling Sword with Qi Skill, Shi Xiaole could have commanded the Cleansing Evil Sword just now, but he didn’t. An old man like him wasn’t worth his full effort.
