Chapter 1152: Chapter 1150: The Flawless Sword Armor_1
Two completely different streams of Sword Qi constantly clashed and collided, sometimes passing by each other, sometimes entangling endlessly. Layers upon layers of sword shadows filled the sky like a rising sea of swords, giving off a sense of infinity.
"If I don’t kill you, I swear I’m no human!"
Having lived for over a thousand years, the Falling Sky Sword Emperor had never been so angry, even when he had been publicly defeated in the past, it was more frustration than disgrace.
Yes, Shi Xiaole had made him feel disgraced.
In his desperation to protect Ling Cunyi, even when the Chaos Sky Sword Emperor intervened, Ling Cunyi had still been killed by the opponent, cleanly and without leaving any room for mercy.
If he did not make the opponent pay the price, the Falling Sky Sword Emperor might as well not be part of this world.
"You forced my hand, ’Impeccable Sword Armor,’ activate!"
Once again, it was a matter of countering move for move. The Falling Sky Sword Emperor knew too well that continuing the fight, he would not find any chance to strike back.
It was truly because Shi Xiaole’s swordsmanship was too exquisite, so flawless that perhaps without any slip-ups from the opponent, the Falling Sky Sword Emperor might make a mistake himself. He had to use his trump card.
Visible to the naked eye, streams of Sword Qi burrowed into the Falling Sky Sword, rebounding back onto the Falling Sky Sword Emperor and forming pieces of black and red sword-shaped light armor covering his entire body, not sparing even his eyes.
Enveloped in the light armor, the Falling Sky Sword Emperor looked as if he were cast from bronze, radiating an invincible glow.
Meanwhile, waves of Sword Qi surged outwards, filling every inch of the void, shuttling back and forth with the breath of the Falling Sky Sword Emperor, as if capable of piercing through all things in the world.
Shi Xiaole’s protective Vigorous Air emitted a grating sound like teeth being clenched, showing signs of collapse. At this moment, those watching the battle retreated a full hundred thousand meters away, fearing they would be caught in the crossfire and seriously injured.
"The experts of the South Sea martial arts truly are stronger than on the East Victory continent, but the stronger they are, the more it suits my taste."
The full power of the Heart Sword, exemplary martial arts skills, advanced stages of top-level swordsmanship, and the elusive techniques of the sword being used, the strength displayed by the Falling Sky Sword Emperor was definitely comparable to Uncle Wang, likely placing between seventh and tenth on the Emperor List.
Had Shi Xiaole not improved his Wind Sword Way during his journey across the sea, relying solely on martial strength, he truly would not have been able to suppress the opponent.
The swift sword struck the opponent, eliciting a metallic ring. The immense rebound force traveled through the Cleansing Evil Sword into Shi Xiaole’s arm, causing him to be thrown backwards.
"Your quick sword is useless against me, ’Obliterating Heavenly Calamity,’ die!"
The ’Impeccable Sword Armor,’ originally prepared by the Falling Sky Sword Emperor for entering the realm of Fate, was now exposed prematurely, and he blamed it all on Shi Xiaole. With the reinforcement of the sword armor, the black and red Sword Qi swelled to nearly twice its size, stirring chaos in the skies.
"Returning Sword!"
Shi Xiaole did not lose his composure and as he dodged by flashing back, he launched two successive attacks.
Bang bang!
Green Sword Qi split into numerous fragments like waves crashing against a mountain, whereas black and red Sword Qi expended ninety percent of its strength but still ten percent burrowed through the gaps, assaulting Shi Xiaole with unbearable speed and submerged him entirely in an instant.
"Was he hit?"
The thoughts of the crowd were complex.
The reason the Ten Prides of the South Sea were unbeaten was that they were unbeaten. If Shi Xiaole were defeated, regardless of his talent, his momentum would initially suffer.
"No, that’s not right!"
The man in the red and blue Taoist robe suddenly had a flash in his eyes.
Before he could shout out, Shi Xiaole’s figure had already appeared behind the Falling Sky Sword Emperor, and he swung his sword, channeling all his power into it.
Clang clang clang.
A scythe-like Sword Qi of several thousand meters in length burst into sparks from the Falling Sky Sword Emperor’s back, scorching the void like white paper, leaving holes both large and small.
The Falling Sky Sword Emperor surged forward from the force, his gaze fixated on where Shi Xiaole was overwhelmed, sensing traces of an illusionary aura and was both shocked and doubtful.
What’s going on?
That was clearly martial aura, but what this youngster had comprehended was definitively the Wind Sword Way.
Before his confusion could clear, the Falling Sky Sword Emperor felt a haze in his mind; illusions appeared before his eyes, revealing numerous Shi Xiaoles, each performing different sword techniques and attacking him.
Bang bang bang...
The Falling Sky Sword Emperor was flung backward, exclaiming, "Illusion Martial Way!"
He could hardly believe it, but he had to accept that Shi Xiaole had a second martial way, which had reached ten full stages and was not much inferior to the Wind Sword Way.
This was a first in the South Sea martial world, with no previous example.
Seeing this scene, all who were watching the battle were utterly shocked. The number of times they had been astonished today already exceeded that of several years combined, and all because of Shi Xiaole.
"Mere illusions, you can’t do anything to me, ’Raging Annihilation Sword!’"
The Falling Sky Sword Emperor’s expression was stern. With his mental strength, he quickly adapted and soon identified all the illusions, disregarding them completely.
Instead, the black and red Sword Qi became like thick blood plasma under his relentless drive, so dense and oppressive that even those standing a hundred thousand meters away felt as though their chests might explode.
Shh!
But before the dense Sword Qi could strike, Shi Xiaole’s rapid sword strikes had already hit first, followed by a second, third, fourth sword strike...
His quick sword could indeed not break the defense, but if it were tens of times, hundreds of times in succession, it could effectively halt the opponent’s offensive.
"Dammit!"
Falling Sky Sword Emperor’s face turned an iron shade of blue.
While Shi Xiaole’s attacks were certainly unable to breach his defenses, it was uncertain whether by coincidence or not, the opponent’s sword moves would repeatedly strike his points of exertion, significantly affecting his ability to perform his ultimate moves, preventing them from reaching their full potency.
With a clanging sound, the Falling Sky Sword Emperor was forced to use only seventy percent of his ultimate move, while Shi Xiaole had already dodged in anticipation. Aided by his peerless Flying Skill, he launched a fresh onslaught, his continuous sword shadows madly attacking the Falling Sky Sword Emperor’s entire body.
Everyone was stunned.
It was clear that the Falling Sky Sword Emperor was stronger and had the upper hand, but from the way the fight was playing out, it looked as if he was the one being led around by the nose by Shi Xiaole. Shi Xiaole certainly couldn’t defeat the Falling Sky Sword Emperor, but neither could the Falling Sky Sword Emperor defeat Shi Xiaole.
"I, am indeed far inferior."
Inheriting Heaven Sword Emperor was both shocked and full of admiration.
It should be noted that the Falling Sky Sword Emperor was a one-in-a-billion talent, yet in combat skills, he was still outclassed by Shi Xiaole by a wide margin. Just how skilled must the opponent be.
It’s feared that even among the Ten Prides of the South Sea, only one or two could match Shi Xiaole in terms of combat skills.
"What a pity, this young man is too young. Some of the Ten Prides are hundreds of years old, with too much accumulation."
Thinking of next year’s Fate Grounds, Inheriting Heaven Sword Emperor felt regret for Shi Xiaole.
Those were not the stage for geniuses, but rather for the strong. This included all the great masters who had never entered, all of whom would participate. It was imaginable how fierce the competition would be then, and the difficulty of standing out was immense.
If Shi Xiaole were a hundred years older, he might have a chance.
"I don’t believe it, I just can’t believe..."
The Falling Sky Sword Emperor was nearly driven mad. Why, why despite laying all his cards on the table, could he still not kill Shi Xiaole, or even defeat him?
Many bystanders could only shake their heads.
The greatest mistake of the Falling Sky Sword Emperor lay in his underestimation of Shi Xiaole. The opponent was not simply a quick-sword type swordsman, but an all-around type, with every aspect reaching the extreme. If there were any shortcomings, perhaps it was only that the defense was not obvious.
To deal with such a person, only absolute power could suppress, everything else was empty talk.
Not remembering the number of moves they had exchanged, Falling Sky Sword Emperor rapidly retreated, his eyes bloodshot as he said viciously, "You act arrogantly, thinking too highly of yourself. There will come a day when you will face retribution and swallow the bitter fruit; it’s bound to happen!"
Shi Xiaole said, "No need to worry on my behalf."
Hating so much he gritted his teeth, the Falling Sky Sword Emperor ultimately did not make another move. He had also realized the problem: continuing the fight would only bring him further shame and bolster his opponent’s might.
He took a deep look at Shi Xiaole, as if engraving his image into his bones, then without turning his head, he flew away and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Sword now sheathed, Shi Xiaole walked toward Ling Cunwei.
He didn’t take the other’s threats to heart. As long as he continued on the righteous path, why fear slander and hate from others? With no fear in his heart, he himself could shatter it with a single sword.
"You, really are my sister’s son, right... yes, you must be. You look so much like your uncle; it can’t be faked..."
Ling Cunwei was already so agitated he couldn’t control himself, speaking incoherently. He clearly had much to say, but when it came to speaking, he ended up questioning and answering himself.
Ling Cunwei grabbed Shi Xiaole’s shoulders urgently, "Where are my sister and brother-in-law?"
"Uncle, let’s talk about it slowly."
Not wanting to be surrounded by onlookers, Shi Xiaole took Ling Cunwei away, leaving behind the crowd, exchanging confused looks.
"Senior Brother Luo has a new rival now."
The man in the red and blue Taoist robe sighed.
This time, the square-faced young man beside him did not refute.
In the past nearly thousand years, the South Sea martial arts world has seen wave after wave of powerhouses and geniuses, and in the past two hundred years, their numbers have surged to an astonishing extent.
It was not only the contemporary powerhouses but also those from a thousand years ago who, despite their exceptional strength, had chosen to hide their cultivation and avoid the six Fake Sky Origin Realm experts, would all emerge in this contest.
Because everyone knows that this will be the pinnacle contest, and that those who come out on top will reap the greatest benefits. It is not to be missed!
In the square-faced young man’s view, whether it’s Senior Brother Luo Zijiao or Shi Xiaole, the chances of either of them being recognized by the Fate Grounds were extremely low.
"Let’s go. Even if we can’t dominate the competition next year, we still have to fight to our fullest, and must not tarnish our reputation."
The man in the red and blue Taoist robe suddenly smiled, launching forward.
The square-faced young man was startled, then burst into laughter, following closely behind with soaring fighting spirit.
...
Outside the Third Block.
After listening to Shi Xiaole’s explanation and reading Ling Cunyi’s letter, Ling Cunwei clenched his fists: "At least it proves that brother-in-law is still alive, and therefore my sister must be safe. Haha, the heavens indeed have not abandoned the Ling family. Xiaole, to save me, you left Suspended Sound Island. You should go back to cultivate."
Shi Xiaole smiled and said, "Uncle, are you planning to venture deeper into the Third Block? Why don’t we travel together?"
Even without the matter of Ling Cunwei, Shi Xiaole would not have stayed long on Suspended Sound Island.
Given that his Vigorous Air was nearing saturation, the effects of returning to cultivate would likely be minimal. The next significant increase would probably require waiting for the Vigorous Air Vortex to split again. It would be better to explore deeper; perhaps he might stumble upon some opportunity.
After listening to Shi Xiaole’s explanation, Ling Cunwei was at ease but worried about holding Shi Xiaole back, so he suggested only venturing to a certain depth. Shi Xiaole naturally agreed.
