Chapter 1163: Chapter 161: Sixty-Eight Pieces - Part 1
Two swords, two of the top ten experts of the Ling Family retreated with injuries, without any power to resist.
"Impossible, I don’t believe it!"
A nearly twisted screech, Falling Sky Sword Emperor disregarded his bleeding wounds, knowing only that he had been defeated by a single sword stroke, and the person who had bested him, couldn’t handle him just over a month ago.
This stark contrast almost drove the Falling Sky Sword Emperor mad on the spot.
Equally shocked was the Mist Hidden Martial Emperor.
Wasn’t it said that the child’s strength was not even on par with the Falling Sky Sword Emperor’s, merely surviving on combat skills, but what was going on now?
The combined force of himself and the Falling Sky Sword Emperor seemed like falling leaves in the wind in the eyes of the other, not even worth a second glance.
"Let’s go!"
After the shock came indescribable fear, and the Mist Hidden Martial Emperor did not care about Falling Sky Sword Emperor anymore, directly transforming into a mist and blending into the drifting white clouds.
The reaction of the Falling Sky Sword Emperor was not slow at all. Taking advantage of the momentum to retreat, he gritted his teeth and turned into a sword light, vanishing in an instant. He secretly vowed that he must never provoke Shi Xiaole again unless he was one hundred, ten percent sure, for the kid was too uncanny!
Shi Xiaole did not pursue. As his sword returned to its sheath, he continued in his original direction, not stopping for even a moment.
To him, the likes of Falling Sky Sword Emperor were no longer of interest. Besides, catching up to the two would not be easy. Weighing his options, it wasn’t worth wasting the time.
The master of Illusion Orchid Tower beside him didn’t know what to say. She witnessed a victory over a top three hundred expert of the South Sea as something easily done. For a moment, she even felt the urge to study the sword.
From Shi Xiaole, the master of Illusion Orchid Tower saw the ultimate grace of a swordsman, that assured victory with every stroke without leaving a trace, truly admirable.
...
The Ruthless Gang Wind River.
"Iron Tree Blossom" Chen Boqing, a silver-haired old man with one arm severed, and a man wielding Crocodile Scissors, were still desperately searching for the leaves of the Supreme Martial Way.
The last gains of Shi Xiaole had further stimulated the three, making their resolve even firmer, almost to the point where they would not leave without success. Mainly, apart from the leaves of the Supreme Martial Way, they couldn’t think of any other way to improve themselves.
There were many chances in the third zone, but with their strength, there really wasn’t much competitive advantage. It was better to stay here and try their luck.
"There it is!"
The man with the Crocodile Scissors brightened his eyes, seeing a piece of emerald-green willow leaf floating three hundred meters away.
He reached out with his left hand, grabbing forcefully, stirring up a level three Ruthless Gang Wind. With his right hand following suit, he drew back, the emerald-green willow leaf that was swept into the river flying toward him, only to be caught by another gust of wind and land further away.
This made the man with Crocodile Scissors both angry and frustrated. Such was the plight of most martial artists, even if they discovered the leaves of the Supreme Martial Way, how to seize them remained a big problem.
Suddenly, a blue shadow dashed into the eight hundred meter zone of the Ruthless Gang Wind River at an extremely fast speed. With one hand grabbing, though the Supreme Martial Way leaf was forced down, it was caught by the blue shadow.
"It’s him again!"
The man with the Crocodile Scissors glared.
Chen Boqing and the silver-haired old man also looked surprised. Especially the old man, subconsciously touching his missing right arm, a trace of resentment flashing in his eyes.
Shi Xiaole did not linger at the eight hundred meter mark, but rushed into the inner one thousand meter area, moving to and fro among the incessantly appearing Ruthless Gang Winds with ease, causing the other three people to tremble in awe.
"This is a leaf of the Supreme Palm Way. If you want to get more leaves in a short time, you have to use extreme measures."
Shi Xiaole didn’t want to wait for luck, that would take too much time, which he couldn’t afford. His spiritual force spread out, confirming there was no immediate threat to him, he drew out the Cleansing Evil Sword and slashed towards the air river below.
"What is he doing, has this kid gone mad?"
"Damn it!"
"This bastard!"
Seeing his action, Chen Boqing and the others went pale, their first thought being Shi Xiaole had gone mad, and the second was to run, for once the air river went berserk, there would be no escape.
As the three of them retreated swiftly, Shi Xiaole was enduring the surrounding winds, his flesh tearing and bones fracturing, turning into a bloodied figure almost instantly.
Unsure if it was bad luck, after suffering such heavy wounds, he did not find the leaves of the Supreme Martial Way this time.
Shi Xiaole had to retreat while running the Martial Way of Life and Death to heal his wounds; during this process, the absorption of the black stone’s death energy turned out to be even smoother than during his usual cultivation.
"Young Hero Shi, resources are important, but life is more so. Why take such risks? If you lose your life, then it will be too late," Chen Boqing warned seemingly in good faith, but in reality it was because Shi Xiaole’s actions could inevitably affect him.
Rather than responding, Shi Xiaole simply glanced at them. The last time these three men clearly intended to harm him and take the leaves. He couldn’t be bothered with them. After swallowing a pill to disguise the presence of the Martial Way of Life and Death, half a 2-hour period later, Shi Xiaole charged in again.
Boom!
Bang bang boom...
The usually stable Ruthless Gang Wind River was experiencing frequent violent outbursts today, the numerous vast Gang Winds intertwining and snapping at each other like dragons and serpents, as if they could destroy everything.
Every time Shi Xiaole made a move, Chen Boqing and the others had to retreat in advance. Eventually, they simply stood outside of the air river.
How could they continue their search? Half a 2-hour period apart, this kid would go crazy once, and going in would leave them in constant fear.
Perhaps today was truly Shi Xiaole’s unlucky day. After five consecutive attempts, he still came up empty-handed, only his injuries becoming more and more severe, not a single pore on his body was intact, his vitality greatly weakened. His miserable state prompted silent sneers from Chen Boqing and the others.
An overconfident fool, let him be arrogant!
"Today, I can only try two more times."
Even the most formidable Supreme Martial Way cannot heal indefinitely; surpassing the critical point, Shi Xiaole could not guarantee his own safety.
By the sixth attempt, it seemed that even the heavens were moved, as Shi Xiaole successfully found three Supreme Martial Way leaves that had been swept up. Without the time to discern their properties and using the storm as cover, he immediately harnessed them with his spiritual force and secured them successfully.
That allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief; otherwise, with empty hands, he would’ve begun to doubt whether it was even worth continuing.
"Hmm?"
Chen Boqing narrowed his eyes.
He thought he saw Supreme Martial Way leaves being taken by Shi Xiaole, did he not?
Without changing his demeanor, Chen Boqing observed Shi Xiaole’s injuries. Even if Shi Xiaole hadn’t managed to get any just then, one must not forget that the other had obtained one at the very beginning.
The seventh time.
Shi Xiaole found two more Supreme Martial Way leaves and once again took possession of them.
He roughly guessed that different areas had varying numbers of submerged Supreme Martial Way leaves; some places had none, while others had plenty.
Remembering the earlier location, Shi Xiaole sat at the periphery of the qi river to rest and breathe.
Chen Boqing and his two companions finally made it in, but sadly, being too far behind Shi Xiaole, they gained nothing, which further fueled certain thoughts in their minds.
The next day.
Shi Xiaole was in luck, harvesting a total of seven Supreme Martial Way leaves, but that also worsened his injuries. His vitality weakened substantially, almost dropping below the Void Origin Realm.
However, because of this, Shi Xiaole noticed the Supreme Martial Way technique was operating faster. The death energy in the black stone was being absorbed continuously, and there was a faint sign of an impending breakthrough!
Suppressing the joy in his heart, Shi Xiaole rested for three days. Afterward, his external injuries still appeared grave, but in reality, he had recovered sixty percent.
That day, Shi Xiaole obtained five Supreme Martial Way leaves.
Three days later, he got three more.
Five days after that, he got six.
...
Shi Xiaole’s injuries grew increasingly severe, at least to outward appearances; death seemed to be merely steps away. Even a breath could cause flesh to fall from his body, and a slight movement would shatter his bones even more severely.
Yet every time, he didn’t die. Instead, he dragged his battered body back to the periphery, causing Chen Boqing and his companions to twitch with irritation and inwardly curse the freak.
A month later.
Most of the death energy in the black stone had been absorbed, and the signs of a breakthrough in the Supreme Martial Way were even more evident, the efficiency far surpassing that of the past. Meanwhile, the number of Supreme Martial Way leaves Shi Xiaole amassed had reached an earth-shattering sixty-eight!
"I’ve combed through a kilometer depth; there should be none left unless I go deeper. But given my current strength, the risk is too high."
After some consideration, Shi Xiaole ultimately gave up on delving deeper. To continue, he too must wait until his power had further advanced.
Of course, it was also because among these sixty-eight Supreme Martial Way leaves, there were thirteen Supreme Sword Way leaves, which were enough for him to digest for some time.
"Young Hero Shi, how about we make a deal? Chen is willing to trade suitable resources for your Supreme Martial Way leaves," Chen Boqing proposed as Shi Xiaole was about to leave, and the three of them suddenly formed a triangle, blocking his path.
Although the storm blocked their view before, there were still a few occasions when the trio saw Shi Xiaole snatching leaves and knew he had a considerable stash on him.
Knowing full well that Shi Xiaole’s survival from such injuries was unusual, they couldn’t help themselves under such temptation.
"I don’t wish to trade. Let me pass," Shi Xiaole flatly refused.
The silver-haired elder smiled and said, "Why be like this? Having another friend means having another path. Your actions have made us waste our time for nothing; don’t you think you owe us some compensation?"
"We each rely on our own means," Shi Xiaole said.
"Enough with the nonsense, will you agree or not? My Crocodile Scissors seldom strike, but when they do, blood is shed!" declared the Crocodile Scissors man, the least patient among them.
In his eyes, neither vitality nor injuries could be faked. The way Shi Xiaole moved freely in the Ruthless Gang Wind must mean he had uncovered a technique. If they could get it from him, wouldn’t they also be able to do the same?
The three exchanged glances, and without hesitation, they struck simultaneously the next moment.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
But faster than the trio were three streams of spiritual assaults, slashing through their spiritual seas like divine swords cleaving the heavens.
Shi Xiaole walked through the encirclement of the three men and said indifferently, "This has made me waste spiritual power that should have been honed, why bother?"
A figure with a faint fragrance landed beside Shi Xiaole and, after looking at him, sighed, "Now I finally understand why your strength is so formidable."
A genius is not to be feared. What is terrifying is a genius who is willing to disregard life and death for the sake of becoming stronger. With such resolve, what can possibly stop him?
The owner of the Illusion Orchid Tower took the initiative to hook arms with Shi Xiaole and disappeared with him into thin air. Shi Xiaole did not refuse, knowing that his physique would surely invite suspicion, but he also did not want to cause an overly shocking spectacle.
It was not until long after the two had departed.
That Chen Boqing and his two companions were blown to the ground by the wind, their expressions vacant and soulless.
