Chapter 1092: Chapter 1091 The Heavens Have Eyes_1
If the deathly aura and resentment within the Ferrying Warrior were equivalent to a single drop of water, then the deathly aura and resentment in the black fog were like the surging currents of a great river, completely incomparable.
Shi Xiaole had no choice but to exert all his strength to stimulate the Life and Death Martial Way and the Demon Martial Way.
Within the sea of consciousness, the Taiji Yin-Yang Plate spun at high speed, clusters of deathly aura were absorbed, transformed, and merged into it. The nearby shadow opened its mouth wide, absorbing the resentment at a speed not slower than the Taiji Yin-Yang Plate, and maybe even faster.
Time trickled by.
"Ah, I can’t hold on anymore..."
When the Color Crossing Ship entered the middle of the black fog, from the first layer of the ship’s tower, a shrill and desperate cry rang out. A Void Origin Realm Martial Emperor lay powerless on the ground, black gas like countless poisonous snakes drilling into his pores.
In a blink of an eye, this Void Origin Realm Martial Emperor’s body and path disintegrated, but what was terrifying was that he quickly stood back up, his eyes void of spirit, just like a puppet.
"This, this, this is a Ferrying Warrior!"
Someone screamed, feeling a chill pouring into their pores, their entire scalp numbing.
The others were just as pale, frantically backing away, their teeth chattering. Indeed, the deceased Void Origin Realm Martial Emperor was no different from a Ferrying Warrior.
So, this is the secret of the Color Crossing Ship? Those who died would become Ferrying Warriors, existing forever in a zombie-like state on this ship, continuing to slay the next batch of people boarding the Color Crossing Ship.
In fact, when the crowd recognized the identities of some Ferrying Warriors, they had their suspicions but didn’t dare to think further. Now, they had to face the reality.
Subsequently, screams were ceaseless; one after another was corroded by the deathly aura, losing their vitality, then driven by the resentment to become puppets.
Some left the cabin, attempting to rush out of the black fog, but the tremendous pressure on the Color Crossing Ship made it difficult for them to move even an inch. Coupled with the excessive depletion of their strength, even those who could have held on for a while soon followed in the footsteps of the few before them.
In the end, only Cold Crow Ancestor and four others staunchly held on to the last thread of vitality.
"Go find Shi Xiaole, he can kill Ferrying Warriors, maybe he has a way."
In the moment of despair, someone suddenly had an idea and energetically rushed towards the wooden stairs. Cold Crow Ancestor and the others were startled, also frantically following suit, but in a brief moment, they despaired.
For unknown reasons, the bodies of the Ferrying Warriors they had dumped into the Returning Home River packed the entire hall again, the corners of their clothes dripping with water, their aura stronger than before their deaths.
Cold Crow Ancestor and the five could not make it through!
At the same time, on the fifth floor of the ship’s tower, the Zhan father and son and the Red Stamen Fragrance Queen also reached the most critical moment, their lifeforce flickering like candles in the wind, which, surrounded by the deathly aura, could extinguish at any time.
Only on the sixth floor of the ship’s tower did Shi Xiaole exude an increasingly strong aura, the deathly aura and resentment attacking him more than ten times stronger than the others.
Boom!
At a certain moment, the Taiji Yin-Yang Plate suddenly expanded, a silver-gray transparent glow accompanied by little diamond-like stars, dreamy and ancient, each rotation seeming like the cycle of life and death, filled with a breath nearly divine.
Eighty percent pinnacle!
After absorbing enough deathly aura, the Life and Death Martial Way smoothly broke through from the late eighty percent to the pinnacle of eighty percent.
Like a chain reaction, the moment the Life and Death Martial Way broke through, the shadow beside it also burst with brilliant light. When the light receded, the shadow’s skin, hair, and even gaze had become identical to the real Shi Xiaole.
Finally, the Demon Martial Way broke through to the pinnacle of ninety percent!
After the breakthrough of the two Supreme Martial Arts, the absorption rate quickened, the density of the black air enveloping Shi Xiaole reaching twenty times that of others. It was also fortunate that the deathly aura inside was not as pure as that in the black stone; otherwise, Shi Xiaole would certainly become the next Ferrying Warrior.
"Damn it, I forgot about Suzerain Zhan and the others."
When the Color Crossing Ship entered four-fifths of the depth of the black fog, Shi Xiaole suddenly remembered this and hurriedly rushed to the fifth floor. By the time he arrived, the Zhan father and son were already at death’s door, their consciousness dissipating.
After thinking for a moment, Shi Xiaole also located the Red Stamen Fragrance Queen, placed the three side by side, and began to absorb the black aura from their bodies.
Three-quarters of an hour later.
The Color Crossing Ship finally emerged from the black fog, and all the black air disappeared in an instant. Shi Xiaole then ceased the operation of the two martial ways. The three members of the Zhan Renxiong party lay on the bed breathing smoothly, clearly out of danger. With some rest, they would awaken.
Shi Xiaole stood at the window, looking back at the black fog, feeling somewhat reluctant to leave. However, he knew that he could not depart from the Color Crossing Ship.
Ever since boarding the Color Crossing Ship, the pressure outside the ship’s body had been intensifying with every passing moment. In fact, even if Shi Xiaole had not intervened earlier, Old Man Zhan would have had no chance of escape.
This ship only allowed boarding, not disembarking!
"No matter what, I have gained a lot."
The Life and Death Martial Way at eighty percent pinnacle was equivalent to the pinnacle of any hundred percent top-tier martial way. Though not sufficiently powerful for offense, its abilities in converting life and death, recovery, and healing had undeniably strengthened significantly.
Shi Xiaole tried it out. The Vigorous Air consumed by the nine consecutive swords earlier required about a quarter of an hour to fully recover, but now it only took two-quarters of an hour.
What was most delightful was the Demon Martial Way.
Just how powerful a ninety percent pinnacle Supreme Martial Arts was, Shi Xiaole hadn’t known before, but now he did. A single beam of jet-black sword light imbued with endless negative power struck the invisible barrier outside the Color Crossing Ship.
With a bang!
The barrier rippled slightly.
This was a Sky Origin Realm Array System, capable of causing disturbances within the array itself; the Wind Sword Way alone could not achieve this.
Shi Xiaole estimated that if he were to employ the Wind Sword Way, his strength would likely rank around seventieth on the Emperor List. Even if not quite there, he’d be fairly close. On the other hand, using the Demon Martial Way could potentially propel him into the top sixty-five.
This was a frightening achievement.
Just a few months ago, Shi Xiaole was capable of defeating only the Thri-Color Great Emperor, who ranked ninety-seventh on the Emperor List, and he was perhaps slightly stronger than the ninetieth-ranked Golden Face Great Emperor. Regardless, his strength always hovered around ninetieth.
In just a few short months, he had surpassed over twenty ranks. Such news, if spread, would surely scare people to death, as most warriors on the Emperor List might strive for hundreds of years without reaching this level.
Of course, all this was just Shi Xiaole’s speculation and conjecture. To know for sure, he would have to actually fight and see.
Upon reaching the first layer, besides the Zhan father and son and the Red Stamen Fragrance Queen, the others had all turned into Ferrying Warriors. To this, Shi Xiaole was neither happy nor sad.
From the moment they started fighting over the ship, everyone was gambling. Today it was the Cold Crow Ancestor’s turn, but perhaps in a few days, Shi Xiaole himself might encounter great peril. The only thing he could do was to remain constantly vigilant and preserve himself with the utmost strength.
Returning to his room, Shi Xiaole lay down beside the Red Stamen Fragrance Queen. He only pretended to wake up after the three of them gradually regained consciousness, as he did not wish for the trio to know his secret. It was better for everyone this way.
As for the Ferrying Warriors, they had already followed Shi Xiaole’s orders and left the hall. With the barrier of the Sky Origin Array System in place, not even the combined mental force of the Zhan father and son could detect any anomalies.
The Color Crossing Ship continued its unhurried course.
Another half a month passed.
From afar, the group caught sight of a long shoreline.
"Is that the other shore?"
After the last brush with death, Zhan Liye became extremely cautious, his first reaction to seeing the shoreline was not joy but vigilance.
The speed of the Color Crossing Ship suddenly increased, resembling an arrow, and as the shoreline grew more distinct, Shi Xiaole could see endless green plains and overlapping mountain ranges.
Thud!
The moment the Color Crossing Ship reached the shore, Shi Xiaole found that the pressure and barriers surrounding the ship had vanished.
Could it be that the exit of the Colorless Realm lay just ahead?
The Zhan father and son and the Red Stamen Fragrance Queen suppressed their uneasiness and turned to look at Shi Xiaole.
After pondering for a moment, Shi Xiaole placed the Color Crossing Command on the first floor of the boat tower and then leapt off the ship. This act brought smiles to the Zhan father and son, and the way the Red Stamen Fragrance Queen looked at him also changed.
All around was tranquility, with green lawns and luxuriant vegetation everywhere. Waterfalls cascaded down, and flocks of birds crisscrossed and sang loudly amongst them.
Zhan Liye looked back; the Color Crossing Ship had set off again. The speed at which it was now traveling was not even one thousandth of the speed it had arrived. By the time it reached the other shore, perhaps a hundred years would have passed, and it was uncertain whether another group of people would board it by then.
But Zhan Liye was convinced they would not be as lucky as himself as he watched Shi Xiaole’s retreating figure.
The four of them raced along, covering tens of thousands of miles in an instant. Half a day later, they spotted a blurred white light screen. It was like an immense gateway, connecting heaven and earth, and was a hundred yards wide.
"Could that be the exit of the Colorless Realm?"
The Red Stamen Fragrance Queen’s voice trembled as she spoke. The Zhan father and son also showed signs of excitement. It took their strong willpower to keep from rashly rushing forward.
Using his mental force, Shi Xiaole carefully examined the vague light screen, but found nothing, which made his heart sink. The unknown signified uncertainty—beyond the light screen might be the exit or it might be an even greater danger. It was a gamble to decide whether to go through or not.
Shi Xiaole did not gamble, and the four of them bypassed the light screen to proceed. Strangely though, no matter which direction they went, a light screen always appeared in front of them.
Zhan Liye said, "Xiaole, it’s quite clear now. We can either die of old age on this piece of land or walk through it."
If the Color Crossing Ship had not appeared for no reason and was seen as a test, then it was evident that Shi Xiaole and the others had passed the test. Therefore, the likelihood of running into danger after entering the light screen should be very low; otherwise, what was the point of designing such a trial?
Shi Xiaole was, of course, aware of this and said, "We’ll go in."
Swish, swish, swish, swish.
The four charged into the light screen.
The next moment, however, the Zhan father and son and the Red Stamen Fragrance Queen seemed to hit an impenetrable wall and were rebounded back, while only Shi Xiaole disappeared into the light screen.
"Xiaole!"
Zhan Liye shouted, making several attempts to break through, but each time he was harshly repelled.
Zhan Renxiong pulled him back and said, "Calm down. Xiaole’s strength is far above ours, and the fact that only he passed through precisely proves that he is not in danger for the time being."
Standing still, Zhan Liye’s expression shifted as he mused, "I believe so too."
In the records unearthed from the Colorless Realm, there had been no account of anyone who successfully left. However, if anyone could, Zhan Liye believed that person to be Shi Xiaole.
Once through the light screen, everything seemed unchanged. But before Shi Xiaole could sense the other three’s whereabouts, a coy laughter rang out first at his ear.
"Well, heavens be praised! After so many years, a handsome young fellow finally makes it into this godforsaken place."
