Chapter 1123: Chapter 1122: The Sword Dao in the Depths_1
To the disappointment of many, passing through the jade-like grand gate did not reveal any larger or more magnificent burial structures. In fact, there was not even a single decent stone to be seen.
All that met the eye was pitch darkness.
Fortunately, the three of them were Martial Emperors of the Void Origin Realm, so the darkness did not pose any problems. They advanced along the passageway, and gradually, a familiar scorching sensation began to emanate from the depths of the earth.
Sizzling...
Shi Xiaole quickly summoned his protective Vigorous Air, and steam began to rise off his body. He would bet that if any low-level Martial Emperor from the Void Origin Realm came here, they would be incinerated to ashes.
As for the earth on both sides, it remained untouched by this searing air, which was even more terrifying, indicating that the scorching sensation was extremely regular.
When the three had delved about a hundred thousand meters deeper,
Buzz!
An incomparably powerful Sword Qi suddenly erupted from beneath the ground. As soon as he sensed this Sword Qi, the Dustless Sword Emperor’s expression changed drastically, his mind, normally untouched by dust, was shaken to its core at this moment.
It is known that Sword Qi stems from the Sword Path, and just the Sword Qi alone being able to affect the Dustless Sword Emperor’s state of mind indicated that the underlying Sword Path was superior even to the transformed Supreme level Dustless Sword Path, at the very least far surpassing it in terms of realm.
The second one to be affected was the Galan Sword Emperor.
The Galan Sword Path was also a Supreme Sword Path and in terms of realm, it was even higher than the Dustless Sword Path by a margin, with the Galan Sword Emperor’s age being evident.
Under the impact of the Sword Qi, the Galan Sword Emperor felt like a rock in a storm, the more he resisted, the more dangerous it was, liable to capsize at any moment.
"Pfft!"
Shi Xiaole had the strongest reaction, and after a few gulps in his throat, he could no longer hold back the sickly sweet taste that surged up and spat out a mouthful of blood.
The Wind Sword Way was only a semi-Supreme Sword Path, far from able to withstand this Sword Qi, not to mention the Illusion Martial Way. As for the Life and Death Martial Way and the Demon Martial Way, Shi Xiaole forcefully suppressed them, otherwise, if his breath leaked, the other two might detect it.
"What kind of Sword Path is this? It is undoubtedly a Supreme Sword Path and has reached an extremely high realm."
Up to now, the highest martial realm Shi Xiaole had seen was in the Martial Emperors and the master of the Ghost Carriage, both at the early stages of the eleven-fold Supreme Martial Arts, equivalent to the early stages of the thirteen-fold top-level martial way.
But in Shi Xiaole’s perception, the Sword Path deep beneath the ground seemed to surpass even these two!
Fortunately, after an initial surge, the Sword Qi began to recede slowly and finally fell within a range that Shi Xiaole and the other two could withstand. Otherwise, they would have had to consider whether to continue or not.
"It is said that there was once a flourishing martial age in ancient times, with countless experts. Perhaps through this tomb’s master, we can learn more."
The Dustless Sword Emperor became excited.
In nearly three thousand years, there hadn’t been a master of a tomb as powerful as this one. If they could obtain such a person’s secret manuals and experience logs, it would definitely be immensely beneficial.
All three were clever people and knew this tomb was extraordinary, becoming even more careful. Shi Xiaole concentrated his mental power to a fine point and extended it outward to avoid any unforeseen dangers.
The path ahead became wider and more passageways emerged. At one point, Shi Xiaole suddenly said, "Careful!"
Whoosh whoosh whoosh...
Nine bursts of flames shot out from the cavern. As the firelight dispersed, nine swordsmen clad in red armor, wielding long swords, and with crimson skin and blood-like eyes became visible. As they opened their mouths, even their teeth were red, presenting an especially terrifying sight.
"Fire Stiffs!"
That familiar scorching sensation finally found its answer at this moment. In Shi Xiaole’s memory, this was the third time he had encountered Fire Stiffs. The first time was in Xuanwu State, the second on Rainbow Island, but the nine Fire Stiffs in front of him were clearly not comparable to those before.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Shi Xiaole drew the Cleansing Evil Sword and swiftly slashed it forward.
Clang!
Three Fire Stiff swordsmen were sent flying. A sword strike that could cleave a Martial Emperor of Heavenly Realm did not wound them; instead, they returned with even more ferocious attacks.
Not just Shi Xiaole, but even the Galan Sword Emperor and the Dustless Sword Emperor were the same. The attacks from both sent three Fire Stiff swordsmen flying but were immediately entangled again.
"They’re merely at the lower levels of Martial Emperor strength, but very difficult to kill."
The trio of Fire Stiffs attacked relentlessly without defense, trading blow for blow and forcing Shi Xiaole to keep retreating.
The durability of the Fire Stiffs was frightening. Shi Xiaole tested it and found that using "Lightning Startling Swan" was not very effective; from the feedback of his mental power, he guessed it would take ten slashes to kill one.
"Returning Sword!"
The sword’s force burgeoned as Shi Xiaole heavily struck with one slash.
Boom!
The three Fire Stiffs were knocked back. Before they could regain their composure, Shi Xiaole slashed with a second, third... up to ten consecutive strikes, blowing up the three Fire Stiffs on the spot.
Resting on his sword with one hand, Shi Xiaole gasped deeply, his complexion turning a shade paler.
The lethality of "Returning Sword" was far greater than "Lightning Startling Swan," but the consumption was also much higher. With the thickness of Shi Xiaole’s Vigorous Air, performing it ten times consecutively left him feeling almost exhausted.
The Galan Sword Emperor and the Dustless Sword Emperor also abandoned the idea of a drawn-out battle. Continually entangled, they weren’t just facing exhaustion problems; they could potentially get hurt, making things even more troublesome. With the full force of their Heart Sword, the Galan Sword Emperor killed three Fire Stiffs with three slashes, and the Dustless Sword Emperor, like Shi Xiaole, also used ten slashes.
After a brief adjustment on the spot, the three men did not hesitate and chose to move forward. A tomb like this was rare in the entire world; unless they were truly in a life-or-death crisis, it would be too regrettable to give up.
As they expected, the Fire Stiff swordsmen increased in number; from the original nine to twelve, eighteen, twenty-five, thirty...
Perhaps due to sensing their aura, the Fire Stiffs attacking the Galan Sword Emperor were always the most numerous. Eventually, the Galan Sword Emperor had to face sixty Fire Stiffs alone. The frequent activation of his Heart Sword greatly drained him, so he had to engage in protracted battles, chipping away at his opponents one by one.
Otherwise, once the next batch appeared, they would suffer a great loss.
"Galan Guardian Sky Pass!"
A layer of blue crystal light enveloped the Galan Sword Emperor, as fire Sword Qi stabbed at it, only to be repelled. The Galan Sword Emperor’s expression turned somewhat unsightly.
From the beginning until now, he had been forced to use his ultimate defensive moves more and more, but there was no help for it. Anyone who faced so many recklessly attacking Fire Stiffs, who were also very hard to kill, would end up on the back foot.
It was much the same for the Dustless Sword Emperor beside him, who went from actively attacking to having to defend, using Vigorous Air to withstand his opponents and looking for the next opportunity to go on the offensive.
His gaze swept over to Shi Xiaole and the Galan Sword Emperor was taken aback.
Instead of struggling as expected, Shi Xiaole, who was evidently less powerful than him, was now weaving through more than fifty Fire Stiff swordsmen. Each of his moves seemed casual, yet he always managed to dodge deadly attacks at just the right moment and counterattack.
Ducking his body, Shi Xiaole sidestepped the long sword swung by a Fire Stiff swordsman and, as if he had eyes on the back of his head, used the Cleansing Evil Sword to fend off an attack from another side. He surged forward, dodging a third stream of firelight.
As Sword Qi fell from above and all around him, Shi Xiaole suddenly surged upward, and whether by luck or coincidence, he broke through the weakest spot, his long sword swinging out first.
A Fire Stiff swordsman exploded; before this, Shi Xiaole had stabbed it thousands, if not tens of thousands of times.
Instead of advancing, Shi Xiaole took the initiative to charge into the group of Fire Stiffs, repeating the same tactics. His form and his swordplay interwove, as if there were more than ten Shi Xiaoles fighting all at once. The speed, not to mention adaptability and rhythm, left the Galan Sword Emperor unable to find a single flaw.
No, upon closer inspection, the subtleties of Shi Xiaole’s handling were even superior to his!
"Is this truly his combat skill?"
The Galan Sword Emperor was in deep shock.
Everyone has limits, but perhaps, the battle at Endless Risky Peak that, in the eyes of others, pushed a warrior to the brink of their combat abilities, was still not the limit for Shi Xiaole. How terrifying must this person be!
Once again executing "Galan Guardian Sky Pass," the Galan Sword Emperor suppressed the astonishment in his heart and refocused on his own battle.
Soon after.
Shi Xiaole had killed all the Fire Stiff swordsmen and noticed that both the Dustless Sword Emperor and Galan Sword Emperor had each killed dozens. Without much thought, he immediately went to help the closer Dustless Sword Emperor.
"You’re not human, kid."
Seeing Shi Xiaole resolve the fight so quickly, the Dustless Sword Emperor was equally surprised, but also couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Otherwise, if it were up to him alone to kill all the Fire Stiff swordsmen, it would have taken at least over a quarter of an hour.
They quickly finished the battle, and then the two of them joined forces to assist the Galan Sword Emperor and killed the remaining Fire Stiff swordsmen.
The Galan Sword Emperor glanced at Shi Xiaole and finally remarked, "What an exceptional youth!"
He began to comprehend the despair of Shi Xiaole’s opponents; if it were a battle among those of the same level, he could at best only block tens of thousands of the opponent’s moves.
As the three of them delved deeper again, the number of Fire Stiff swordsmen did not increase but instead decreased. However, the trio felt no joy but grew more somber because the strength of the Fire Stiffs had increased, reaching the Earthly Realm level.
All of a sudden, the amount of Vigorous Air the three of them expended to kill a Fire Stiff multiplied, and as the number of Fire Stiffs increased, the trio became more fatigued. After several rounds, both the Galan Sword Emperor and Dustless Sword Emperor were panting heavily.
Conversely, Shi Xiaole, by leveraging the transformation of the Life and Death Martial Way, remained in a stable condition, causing both of them to glance frequently with shock and awe.
"These Fire Stiff swordsmen, clearly devoid of consciousness, yet they can exhibit such formidable strength. Why does this situation feel so similar to the Ferrying Warriors on the Netherworld Boat?"
In the past, Shi Xiaole did not associate the Fire Stiffs with the Ferrying Warriors, because the battle instinct of the low-tier Fire Stiffs wasn’t high, and the high-tier ones actually had their own consciousness.
But the Fire Stiff swordsmen at hand were clearly not of that kind; even mental attacks were useless.
"Is it this Sword Intent that’s controlling the Fire Stiffs?"
Suddenly, Shi Xiaole sensed something! With his spiritual power, it was only now that he sensed that each time the Sword Intent slightly expanded, Fire Stiffs would appear.
Bang!
This time, thirty Fire Stiffs appeared, all at the Heavenly Realm level.
"Retreat!"
The face of the Galan Sword Emperor changed abruptly, and he turned to run; this was a battle they couldn’t fight. Having expended too much Vigorous Air earlier, his strength was now less than sixty percent of his peak.
"Don’t run back the way we came!"
Shi Xiaole suddenly shouted, turning to run through a side passage. The Galan Sword Emperor and Dustless Sword Emperor hesitated for a moment but instinctively followed his lead. A moment later, dozens of Fire Stiffs blocked their original path.
Whether they had fallen into a trap or not, Heavenly Realm level Fire Stiffs kept appearing until they numbered over a hundred. Under their relentless suicidal attacks, Shi Xiaole and the others all sustained injuries.
It was mainly the consumption of Vigorous Air that greatly weakened the trio’s combat power. At that moment, even Shi Xiaole’s Life and Death Martial Way couldn’t keep up with the conversion. Blocked from both front and back, the three had to split up and run.
Boom, boom, boom...
Intense Sword Qi carrying a fiery intent kept surging, Shi Xiaole had the combat skills but couldn’t make use of them, he was bombarded by the endless streams of fire Sword Qi until he coughed up blood mist, his body covered with burns.
In desperation, he burst forth with wide-ranging deadly moves, destroying the passage, which inadvertently triggered an Array System and inflicted even greater damage on himself.
Thump!
This time, Shi Xiaole felt as if all his internal organs had shattered, flames burning inside his belly, his meridians and bones broken in countless places.
But at the same time, his boiling blood paradoxically began to strengthen his aura. The Purple Blood Great Method that he had been cultivating for days suddenly found its breakthrough opportunity at this critical juncture.
