Chapter 1096: Chapter 1095: Leaving the Colorless Realm_1
Among the four Forbidden Martial Emperors, the ugly eunuch was not the strongest, but his cultivation on the Spiritual Path was second to none, and his practice of the "Mingwang Hollow Fist" was a top-tier spiritual martial art, having already reached a state of perfection.
The ugly eunuch let out a smug, sinister laugh, convinced that Shi Xiaole would not be able to withstand such an assault; the opponent would either die or go mad.
Clang!
The Spirit Fist, strong enough to kill most warriors of the Void Origin Realm, suddenly met a formidable resistance in mid-air. Instead of the expected invincible advance, the Spirit Fist cracked upon impact, and that resistive force charged at the ugly eunuch like a bolt of lightning through the cracks in the fist.
With a thunderous boom in his head, the ugly eunuch felt as though he had been struck hard by a hammer, seeing stars, his expression blank as he flew backward. Had the beautiful old woman not reacted in time, he would have almost been struck by the white-haired elder’s hand blade.
"How is this possible?"
The ugly eunuch’s expression was crazed, even more exaggerated than if he had seen a ghost.
What defines a Forbidden Martial Emperor is not only the possession of the Supreme Martial Arts but also reaching beyond the level of eleven, with the peak of the Void Origin Realm in terms of mental strength, every aspect at its zenith - only then can one be called Forbidden!
The ugly eunuch was confident that no one other than a Forbidden Martial Emperor could withstand his mental assault. Why, then, could that boy not only block it but also seem to be slightly stronger?
Absurd, this is utterly absurd!
Enraged, the ugly eunuch repeatedly launched his Spirit Fist, determined to prove that everything that had just happened was an illusion. This time, neither the white-haired elder, the round-faced elder, nor the beautiful old woman stopped him; they too could not believe it.
Boom boom boom.
No matter how fast or ferocious the fists were, they were not as swift and sharp as Shi Xiaole’s gaze. Each move of the Shocking Eye Tribulation forced the ugly eunuch to retreat repeatedly.
"The total amount of my mental strength should have reached the Sky Origin Realm, but the power of the Shocking Eye Tribulation seems to be less than I imagined."
Shi Xiaole found that each use of the Shocking Eye Tribulation made him feel as though he was unable to exert his full strength, as if there was a force bounding him from the shadows.
The laws of heaven and earth!
After much thought, it had to be the laws of heaven and earth. Could it be necessary to cultivate a higher level of spiritual martial arts in order to utilize the mental strength of the Sky Origin Realm? That means only Divine Martial Arts remain.
Although his overall mental strength was suppressed to the Void Origin Realm, Shi Xiaole’s mental quality was still superior to that of others, hence he still maintained the upper hand in his fight with the ugly eunuch.
Of course, the advantage was not very significant. In a one-on-one fight, he probably wouldn’t even qualify to cause dizziness to his opponent. The Shocking Eye Tribulation had its limits and could not truly display Shi Xiaole’s mental strength.
Even so, the sight of Shi Xiaole causing the ugly eunuch to retreat again and again deeply shocked the round-faced elder and the other two, leaving them dumbfounded.
"Little child?"
The white-haired elder was over a thousand years old. In his eyes, Shi Xiaole, who was not yet a hundred, was certainly just a child, but this child was terribly frightening.
The round-faced elder, absorbed in attacking the beautiful old woman, admitted that he had misjudged the situation. Shi Xiaole’s mental strength definitely surpassed his own. Could Shi Xiaole possibly have a chance to break the Array System?
Perhaps, there might be a sliver of a chance! If even Shi Xiaole, with mental strength surpassing his, could not do it, the round-faced elder truly could not imagine who else in the Void Origin Realm could.
Reluctantly tearing his gaze from Shi Xiaole, the beautiful old woman silently withdrew.
Suddenly beset by a two-against-one disadvantage, the ugly eunuch could not break free to kill Shi Xiaole, and mental sneak attacks were futile; he ultimately let out a loud cry and could only flee in resentment.
The battle had barely ended when the round-faced elder and the white-haired elder immediately floated down in front of Shi Xiaole, their gazes sizing him up with various intentions.
"Thank you, seniors."
Shi Xiaole stood up and saluted the two. Without them, he would have definitely been unable to dodge the ugly eunuch’s ruthless moves.
The round-faced elder cut straight to the point, "Boy, what are your chances of breaking the formation?" he asked, his eyes carrying a mix of hope and anxiety.
The white-haired elder held his breath, not exhaling a single sigh.
Rare are those willing to spend their lives in a place isolated from the world, especially when it’s against their will. Any Forbidden Martial Emperor was a prominent figure commanding respect in the Martial World, ill suited for obscurity.
Even if Shi Xiaole’s mental strength hadn’t broken through, he was completely confident in breaking the formation, although it would take a very long time. As for now, his goal was to break the formation within six months.
Don’t think that an increase in total mental strength merely extends the duration of thought. Often, the inability to perceive and solve problems is simply due to exhaustion.
You only need to look at how much faster your thoughts can be when your energy levels are high compared to normal; this is the change brought about by an increase in total mental strength.
After pondering for a moment, Shi Xiaole conservatively said, "Probably about seventy percent."
"What, seventy percent?"
The round-faced elder exclaimed, and the white-haired elder’s breathing grew heavier. They had assumed that Shi Xiaole was referring to him being seventy percent sure of breaking the formation, igniting an indescribable excitement within them.
The round-faced elder pressed urgently, "Don’t boast, lad. I want to hear your real answer."
Unable to leave the Colorless Realm meant unable to avenge the bloody grievances of the past. After experiencing one disappointment after another over the years, the round-faced elder really couldn’t endure another blow.
"That is the junior’s answer."
Both elders took a deep breath, exchanged glances, and saw a forcibly composed demeanor in each other’s eyes. They feared too much, and so they did not allow themselves too many expectations.
The white-haired elder said, "Take turns, causing trouble."
Understanding that the other always spoke in no more than five words, the round-faced elder nodded. Now, nothing could be allowed to go wrong with Shi Xiaole; whoever dared to harm him, he would fight them to the death!
Indeed, the elders didn’t have much to worry about.
After the beautiful granny returned to her dwelling and calmed down to consider the situation, she realized that their hopes of escape were pinned on Shi Xiaole. Given that she had no intention of harming him, she naturally wouldn’t take action.
However, the ugly old man was different. The outside world, with all its distractions, would only disrupt his time with the beauty. If he could, he would wish to kill all others, leaving the world quiet and peaceful.
Therefore, Shi Xiaole had to die!
Under the protection of the round-faced elder and the white-haired elder, Shi Xiaole became even more focused.
Ling’er would sometimes come over with a few little white goats, playing on her own. When she was particularly playful, she would pluck at the white-haired elder’s beard and hang the little goats on him. However, he remained expressionless throughout, truly like a wooden statue.
Fifty meters.
Sixty meters.
Seventy meters.
The substantial increase in the total amount of spiritual power gave Shi Xiaole a more abundant energy. His observational ability and thinking speed also improved. In the past, he could build only one meter of the channel in a day, but now he had increased it to six meters.
Remember, this does not mean his thinking speed increased fivefold. Breaking the array was just like this; once the key points were discovered, efficiency would multiply.
As for the assertion that Shi Xiaole’s spiritual power exceeding the Void Origin Realm meant conceding defeat to the array creator, this obviously did not hold water.
One must understand, combining countless Void Origin Realm arrays was not something a Void Origin Realm Martial Emperor could accomplish. The contest was unfair from the beginning!
Moreover, even before this, Shi Xiaole was capable of breaking the array; he just didn’t want to waste too much time.
As the days passed by, Shi Xiaole no longer forced himself. When he was tired, he would rest for a while and incidentally cultivate the last and strongest of the Sacred Heart Four Tribulations, the "Extreme Divine Tribulation."
Surprisingly, even though he only cultivated in his spare time, his progress was exceptionally rapid, and he quickly approached minor completion (小成).
The power of the "Extreme Divine Tribulation" at minor completion was actually thirty percent stronger than the minor completion of the "Shocking Eye Tribulation," which made Shi Xiaole realize the potential of this technique–it could leverage his spiritual advantage to an even greater extent.
During this time, the round-faced elder and the white-haired elder had to take action several times, as the ugly old man kept sneaking over, trying to kill Shi Xiaole. Under such circumstances, even Ling’er’s freedom was restricted. She could only stay on the cliff to prevent becoming a target.
Soon after, a fight broke out between the beautiful granny and the ugly old man, with the former evidently fed up with the latter, effectively restraining him for Shi Xiaole’s sake.
Eight months rushed by in haste.
The difficulty of the array increased, and what Shi Xiaole had initially expected to break within six months was unexpectedly dragged out to eight months.
On this day.
Shi Xiaole slowly opened his eyes and said, "Elders, Ling’er, let’s head out."
Boom!
His words were like a thunderclap, causing the round-faced elder and the white-haired elder to stagger, both pairs of eyes staring at Shi Xiaole, as if solidifying the void itself.
Ling’er excitedly jumped up, cheering loudly, "Big Brother Shi, you are so amazing! Even grandpa and Wooden Grandpa couldn’t do it. Ling’er loves you to death." She threw herself at Shi Xiaole and kissed him on the cheek.
It took a long while for the round-faced elder to come back to his senses. He quickly dragged Ling’er away from Shi Xiaole’s embrace, huffing, "This is unseemly. Before a marriage, a woman should not touch a man."
Ling’er acknowledged with an "Oh" and went back to teasing the little white goats, not having taken in a word.
The round-faced elder couldn’t afford to squabble; he urgently said to Shi Xiaole, "Since that’s the case, we shouldn’t delay any further. Let’s leave immediately."
Shi Xiaole nodded and was about to move when suddenly, a rustling sound came from afar.
A dense shower of Golden Silkworm Rain drifted over, instantly landing on the cliff. The speed was so fast that it caught the round-faced elder and the white-haired elder off guard, as if facing a formidable enemy.
"Golden Silkworm, long time no see," said the round-faced elder with a forced smile.
As the Golden Silkworm Rain morphed into a hazy figure, a voice that sounded both male and female replied, "Don’t be nervous; I just want to go out with you guys."
"Ha ha ha," the round-faced elder dared not display the slightest dissatisfaction. As a Forbidden Martial Emperor, normally the strength difference between them should be small, but he had never seen through the Golden Silkworm’s abilities.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, the Golden Silkworm casually pointed a finger, sending out a string of golden rain strands. A splash of blood bloomed in the distance, accompanied by the horrified cry of the ugly old man.
To wound an enemy with a single move.
This terrifying show of power turned the faces of Shi Xiaole and his companions ashen. Only Ling’er applauded and cheered; she certainly hadn’t forgotten how the ugly old man had repeatedly troubled grandpa and Big Brother Shi.
"Golden Silkworm Grandmaster, may I go with you too?"
The beautiful granny arrived as well, her face filled with hope and pleading.
"Five hundred years ago, you and the ugly one attacked me together. At that time, I was healing and could not fight back. Considering you were just bored, and meant me no harm, this time I’ll spare your life," said the Golden Silkworm with just one sentence, scaring the beautiful granny pale. Regretting her past foolishness, she gave a wry smile, glanced at Shi Xiaole once more, then flew off.
With no more obstacles, the group, led by Shi Xiaole, followed his steps into the array light barrier. Through the round-faced elder’s constant anxiety and fear of loss, everyone finally passed through the array light barrier successfully and left the Colorless Realm.
