Chapter 1129: Chapter 1128: Hammering_1
Qibao Dai Domain.
Atop an unnoticeable low hill.
A faint sigh drifted through the air.
"It has been three days, and not only has Shi Xiaole not improved, but his injuries are still worsening. If he doesn’t wake up soon, I fear he might..."
The Galan Sword Emperor’s face bore a look of sorrow.
His premonition saved both him and the Dustless Sword Emperor once again, but it also brought disaster upon Shi Xiaole, which was not the outcome the Galan Sword Emperor wished to see.
The Dustless Sword Emperor offered some consolation, "The lucky ones have their own celestial favor. Brother Shi has come this far through numerous hardships and won’t be easily defeated."
A person’s destiny often accumulates like a rolling snowball, growing larger and larger. Once it gains momentum, even if difficulties arise, there’s a good chance of turning misfortune into a blessing.
However, that is not absolute. If one encounters a danger great enough, their fortune can collapse in an instant.
Looking at Shi Xiaole, who lay on the bed in the thatched cottage with a peaceful breath, the two sighed simultaneously. They could do nothing about his spiritual trauma but to heal his physical wounds, they did not hesitate to feed him a Nine Rebirth Pill.
Furthermore, they spared no effort in taking turns to connect with Shi Xiaole’s spirit daily, hoping to awaken him, but to no effect.
Having done everything they could, the rest was up to fate.
What the Galan Sword Emperor and the Dustless Sword Emperor did not know was that at this very moment, within Shi Xiaole’s sea of consciousness, a different kind of terrifying battle was unfolding.
"Kid, you’ve actually grasped four types of martial arts, and even possess two types of Supreme Martial Arts. Hahaha, I’ve found a treasure, be destroyed!"
Before him was a middle-aged man with a stately appearance, wearing a jade crown and a square face. He flicked his hands, and ten clusters of scorching Sword Qi intertwined, rushing towards Shi Xiaole.
Shi Xiaole did not dodge.
The battlefield was his sea of consciousness, where, if he couldn’t extinguish the opponent’s assault, the damage would ultimately be his own. The opponent had seen through this fact, which was why he attacked so unrestrainedly.
And once his own spiritual power was worn down, the opponent could usurp his position, and reincarnate using his body, playing a clever game!
Swinging his arm, Shi Xiaole unleashed a lethal sword qi.
Driven by the Demon Martial Way, the pitch-black Sword Qi surged like it came from the depths of hell. Although it was shattered by the opponent’s Sword Qi, the lingering resentment attached to the opponent’s body like a festering sore, causing the square-faced man to stagger.
"I wonder how long you can hold out."
The square-faced man’s eyes were filled with insatiable greed.
The power of the Demon Martial Way was not very strong, but its sustained effect was terrifying, and it could affect his condition. That was only at ninety percent of its peak. What if it reached one hundred percent, or even a hundred and ten percent? How powerful would it be?
Not to mention the square-faced man had seen another ultimate martial art that contained the mysteries of life and death and seemed capable of controlling reincarnation.
If he could comprehend the profound levels of this art, he suspected he might become immortal. Even if he couldn’t, his lifespan and strength would surpass anything imaginable!
One person comprehending two types of Supreme Martial Arts was unheard of, even in his era. He must acquire it, he must obtain this young man’s body!
"Kid, with your qualities, combined with my Sky Origin Realm spiritual power, just give me time and I will be invincible in this world, supreme in the universe. You’ll be killed by me sooner or later, so it would be wise to surrender now and avoid further suffering,"
the square-faced man uttered with a chilling smile, spreading his arms. The spiritual power belonging to Shi Xiaole, surprisingly, was partly restrained and absorbed by the square-faced man.
This was precisely the most important reason why the opponent, despite severe losses, could still persist until now. Of course, the extent of his absorption was limited, perhaps due to his own spiritual power deficit.
"Invincible in this world? Do you have the right to speak such words, you who is nothing but a failure who couldn’t even break through to the Sky Origin Realm? Or should I call you, the Yuan Sword Emperor?"
As soon as Shi Xiaole finished speaking, the square-faced man’s face turned to shock and anger.
It was rumored that the ancestor of the Fire Stiffs had seven sons, each with exceptional talent and different paths in cultivation. The sixth son, a natural swordsman with unmatched swordsmanship, was known as the Yuan Sword Emperor!
There was little recorded about the seven sons of the Fire Stiff ancestor in later generations, but combining the situation in the tomb and the opponent’s martial skills, Shi Xiaole was confident in his deductions.
He also recalled a terrifying possibility: the third son of the Fire Stiff ancestor, who specialized in the path of resentful spirits, seemed to possess methods similar to the master of the Netherworld Boat.
"You’re calling me a failure? Hehehe, if you die by my hand, how does that make you anything but less than a failure?"
The Yuan Sword Emperor’s expression turned angry and fierce. Failing to break through to the Sky Origin Realm was a lifelong pain and humiliation, and in a frenzy, he attacked Shi Xiaole, causing the sea of consciousness to tremble violently.
Shi Xiaole’s face turned pale as he clenched his teeth and tangled with the opponent.
The opponent’s strength had not reached the Sky Origin Realm, but his spiritual power certainly had, and was of a decidedly higher quality. It was infuriating that his own spiritual power now served as nourishment for his enemy, turning back to assail him.
If this continued, with the ebb and flow, he was sure to be the one to die!
What should he do?
An invisible force struck the Yuan Sword Emperor. Shi Xiaole unleashed the "Extreme Divine Tribulation," followed closely by a "Heavenly Palace Illusion," attacking relentlessly.
Boom, boom, boom.
Though the onslaught seemed powerful, Shi Xiaole’s attack could hardly harm the opponent. Of course, the Yuan Sword Emperor was also unable to crush Shi Xiaole due to his own shortcomings.
But this was Shi Xiaole’s sea of consciousness after all. The ripple effects wounded him, and from the start, his condition had continued to deteriorate.
If he managed to defeat the Yuan Sword Emperor this time, his own spiritual power would be severely damaged, and his insight would likely decrease a great deal!
With this thought, Shi Xiaole’s eyes grew colder, yet deep within his eyes, he was carefully sensing the spiritual power of the Yuan Sword Emperor. The home ground was his disadvantage, but also his advantage, at least the opponent’s every move couldn’t escape his eyes.
"My spiritual power has clearly surpassed the Void Origin Realm, yet it has always failed to reach the level of my opponent, probably because of density."
Shi Xiaole discovered that the Yuan Sword Emperor’s spiritual power was extremely condensed. Comparing his own spiritual power to wood, the opponent was like steel, not on the same level at all.
In other words, as long as he reached the same level, with the total amount of his spiritual power, killing the opponent would be a trivial matter.
If Shi Xiaole were to research on his own, there was a ninety-nine percent chance of failure. For someone who didn’t even know what steel was, without a reference, how could he possibly forge steel? That one in a million chance, it was very difficult to occur to an individual.
But now, was there an excellent opportunity?!
Shi Xiaole had a crazy idea, while fiercely battling, he was secretly observing the opponent’s spiritual power and analyzing its structure. Especially when the opponent was casting, the differences were most apparent.
One day.
Two days.
Three days.
Seven days passed.
Shi Xiaole’s sea of consciousness was riddled with holes, his condition had plummeted to rock bottom, his body so faint it was almost invisible. In contrast, the body of the Yuan Sword Emperor, although nearly transparent, was much stronger than Shi Xiaole’s.
"Kid, you will definitely die within a day at most! Hahaha, truly heaven is helping me, in no more than a hundred years, I will make the name of the Yuan Sword Emperor known in every corner of the world."
In his excitement, the Yuan Sword Emperor laughed heartily, having waited for countless years, accompanied by darkness, in league with solitude, all those who once looked down upon him, open your dog eyes and see.
"Go to hell!"
A beam of fiery Sword Qi shot towards Shi Xiaole at high speed, and with his current state, if hit, he would undoubtedly die.
"The one to die is not necessarily me."
Shi Xiaole, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly chuckled coldly, his sword finger pointing forward. In the eyes of the Yuan Sword Emperor, filled with utter shock, a cyan Sword Qi pierced through the fiery Sword Qi, its momentum unabated, and in a flash, penetrated the Yuan Sword Emperor’s body.
"Impossible!"
The Yuan Sword Emperor screamed in disbelief.
The quality of spiritual power in that last sword was clearly no less than his own. When had the opponent refined it?
In this day and age, virtually no one knew the method to break through to the Sky Origin Realm, so naturally they couldn’t imagine how difficult that was. First and foremost, warriors must refine their spiritual power to the level of the Sky Origin Realm.
But if the quality and quantity were not up to standard, they couldn’t even take this step, yet even if they were up to standard, without a Sky Origin Realm expert demonstrating the method of refining, one shouldn’t even dream of success.
By oneself?
The method of refinement had exhausted the efforts of countless extraordinary individuals from ancient times to the present, finally perfected. With your own power, could you match all the sages of previous generations?
Absurd!
Therefore, even during the flourishing martial arts era of the ancient times, Sky Origin Realm experts were rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. Those without a background, unless they obtained the ancestors’ method of refinement, could not step into that realm.
But every Sky Origin Realm expert generally had disciples, had successors, so why would they leak their inheritance?
If Shi Xiaole had the opportunity, with the opponent’s conditions, it was impossible to be refining only now. But if not, then had he figured it out on his own?
The Yuan Sword Emperor’s pores suddenly constricted, a seemingly impossible possibility crossed his mind, but still he shouted in disbelief: "Have you been hiding it all along?"
Shi Xiaole shook his head: "Speaking of which, I must thank you. Without you, I wouldn’t have known that spiritual power can be enhanced through refinement."
As he spoke, his sword finger swiftly pointed, each strike severely injured the Yuan Sword Emperor. After all, this was Shi Xiaole’s home ground, and once he found the method, it was like commanding an arm.
"I don’t believe it, you can’t have achieved this, Sword of the Divine Soul!"
Being hit repeatedly made the Yuan Sword Emperor go mad.
In a vicious laugh, he suddenly stepped back, avoiding the Sword Qi and at the same time, swung a sword radiating light several dozens of meters long, fiercely slicing towards what was in front.
Crack.
The sea of consciousness seemed to be torn apart.
Huge swaths of spiritual power were shattered and scattered like shaken off dust, fluttering everywhere. Shi Xiaole’s spirit became even more dim.
"You forced this on me."
In doing so, even if the Yuan Sword Emperor obtained Shi Xiaole’s body, his own potential would be limited. But now he couldn’t care less about that. The priority was to destroy the opponent.
Just as the Yuan Sword Emperor was about to continue his attack, a lot of spiritual power suddenly poured in from the depths of the sea of consciousness, filling the gaps. This was the result of the automatic replenishment by the Mountain of Spirit. Previously suppressed by Shi Xiaole on purpose, now there was no need to hide it anymore.
"You..."
The face of the Yuan Sword Emperor turned deathly pale.
But Shi Xiaole couldn’t care less to say another word, his spiritual power converged, transforming into an omnipresent sword. Amidst the sudden intense light, it shattered the Yuan Sword Emperor’s spirit body, the Sword Qi churning back and forth without stopping.
In the sea of consciousness, a wave of unwilling and fearful screams resonated, but after a moment, it abruptly ceased.
