Chapter 1169: Chapter 1167 Who Kills Who_1
"So it seems that Liu Ruofei and the others are already among the top one hundred and fifty experts in the South Sea."
Having heard the words of the Five Hearts Divine Monarch, Shi Xiaole was not very surprised.
He had heard of the exploits of the South Sea’s Proud Ten, and in terms of talent, they were in no way inferior to the Four Great Evildoers. Rapid advancement was the norm for them, and if they had remained stagnant for a long time, Shi Xiaole would have been skeptical instead.
"Indeed, just over two months ago, Liu Ruofei easily defeated the Sombre Pine Sword Emperor. Some say his true strength is probably unmatched under the taboo. The others have likely hidden their strength as well."
After a pause, the Five Hearts Divine Monarch stared unblinkingly at Shi Xiaole, "As for Xuanyuan Di and Qi Muchu, these two are both over two hundred years old with deep accumulations, their strength is simply immeasurable. Young Hero Shi, do you feel confident facing the Proud Ten?"
This question wasn’t conveyed through secret sound transmission, so many people around clearly heard it.
"Hey, do you have ulterior motives? Get lost!"
Shi Xiaole did not speak; it was Bai Ruiting who flew into a rage first, glaring hatefully at the Five Hearts Divine Monarch.
Although this was her first time in the South Sea continent, the reputation of the Proud Ten was so great that she had heard much about them on the journey. The other party openly asking Brother Shi such a question could provoke public outrage with just one wrong answer.
"Get lost!"
Qu Ni also scolded sharply in her delicate voice. One was naive and the other was playful; their anger carried little deterrence, instead offering many men an eye feast.
"Ridiculous, what kind of figures are we, the South Sea’s Proud Ten? How could mere cats and dogs unknown from where compare with us? Five Hearts Divine Monarch, I find your name unworthy of your reputation!"
Just then, a scorn-filled burst of laughter erupted.
The crowd turned towards the sound and saw several martial artists clad in uniform tight-fitting clothes and carrying large halberds, their mouths curved in amusement as they looked at Shi Xiaole. When their gaze shifted to the eight women, it carried meanings all men understand.
"They’re disciples of the Lonely Lance Emperor’s School."
"These people have always been arrogant and disdainful of others. They must have taken a fancy to those women this time."
"Shh, watch what you say! Haven’t you seen the Lonely Lance Emperor heading this way?"
"What?"
With some’s reminder, many looked up to see a figure approaching rapidly, bringing with him a chilling aura. As he neared, it seemed as though a great halberd fell from the sky, weighing heavily on the psyche of everyone in the fourth circle.
Under normal circumstances, those in the fourth circle would not have been able to see the Lonely Lance Emperor’s speed, but the energy surging from the Gate of Fate slowed him down. Even so, his speed remained frighteningly fast.
"Boy, you dared to ambush our master in the third district and steal his things. You have the audacity of a bear and the heart of a leopard. Kneel down and beg for our master’s mercy now, and you might be able to salvage a dog’s life."
The disciples of the Lonely Lance Emperor’s School laughed boisterously, thinking they had the upper hand, and did not hide their lecherous gazes towards the eight women.
With these words, everyone knew who the Lonely Lance Emperor was after. Recalling his notorious propensity for retribution in the Martial World and his unfathomable strength, they cast a pitying look at Shi Xiaole.
The Five Hearts Divine Monarch was also stunned. He hadn’t expected this development and instinctively wanted to distance himself from Shi Xiaole.
Although Shi Xiaole had been impressive in the battle at the seaside, with even Liu Ruofei taking notice, his fame was nevertheless not as widespread or solid as that of the Proud Ten.
Moreover, in the past year, while the Proud Ten had been flourishing, Shi Xiaole kept a low profile, and no one knew what he had been doing or how far his strength had progressed. Accidents could happen to any genius; it’s possible he had fallen behind.
But some intuition made the Five Hearts Divine Monarch stop in his tracks. Shi Xiaole was too composed. Such composure didn’t seem feigned; it was as if it naturally emanated from within, with not a trace of falsehood.
Remembering how Shi Xiaole had remained unfazed upon hearing about the exploits of Liu Ruofei and the others, the Five Hearts Divine Monarch gritted his teeth and stayed put.
As the disciples of the Lonely Lance Emperor’s School were speaking, the Lonely Lance Emperor himself had already arrived overhead, looking down on Shi Xiaole with eyes cold as ice.
With Shi Xiaole at the center, within a radius of several thousand kilometers, everyone other than the eight women and the Five Hearts Divine Monarch had retreated completely, fearful of being implicated.
"Boy, since I made my debut, not a single person whom I have wanted to kill has escaped. You’re unlucky to have angered me. I will not only kill you but also take your women and make them kneel before me, begging for life in vain and for death even more so."
The Lonely Lance Emperor’s mouth twisted into a cruel and ferocious smile.
He was never a magnanimous man, and as for Shi Xiaole, not only had he taken the Spiritual Origins Grass but also almost cost him his life in the Ruthless Gang Wind River. He wouldn’t rest until he had flayed and drawn Shi Xiaole’s tendons to quench the hatred in his heart!
The Lonely Lance Emperor had decided; since he couldn’t enter the Gate of Fate for now, he would temporarily spare Shi Xiaole’s life. He wanted Shi Xiaole to watch his women writhe under him, and in the end, have them send him to hell with their own hands.
That would surely be a delightful experience, hahaha!
Hearing the Lonely Lance Emperor’s unmasked cruel words, not just the experts of the fourth circle, but even many from the third and second circles felt a chill run down their spines.
A strong person with a bottom line isn’t scary, but what’s terrifying is one without. And the Lonely Lance Emperor was clearly the latter, a madman whose provocations could deprive anyone of sleep.
It’s a pity for the eight beautiful women by that boy’s side; they’re likely walking into a tiger’s den.
"It’s him."
A hint of surprise flashed in Liu Ruofei’s eyes.
Even from a great distance, which was no obstacle for someone as powerful as Liu Ruofei, he recognized Shi Xiaole with ease.
"What’s the matter, you know the other person?"
Ding Yufang asked with a lazy smile.
Standing tall at 1.9 meters and looking down on most of the people present, Fan Shengnan curled her lips and said, "I’ve heard that a year ago, Liu Ruofei, you personally praised a swordsman from overseas, claiming he was worthy to cross swords with you. Could it be this person?"
"That’s right, it’s him."
Liu Ruofei didn’t deny it.
"The Lonely Lance Emperor is not someone to be trifled with. Brother Liu, are you going to take action? If this talented swordsman, whom you praised, were to make a misstep, it wouldn’t reflect well on you either."
Ding Yufang loved a good drama and didn’t mind stirring the pot. Of course, she also wanted to take the opportunity to gauge Liu Ruofei’s strength. Although a single Lonely Lance Emperor certainly wouldn’t reveal all, it was bound to provide some insight.
"He and I are not friends. The praise he got from me back then was due to his own strength. If one day he slips up, he can’t blame his opponent for being too strong."
Liu Ruofei said indifferently, showing no intention of getting involved.
It’s true that he values Shi Xiaole, but that fact has been somewhat exaggerated. In Liu Ruofei’s heart, only a few people like Xuanyuan Di and Qi Muchu were deserving of his full attention.
The words he had said to Shi Xiaole were merely a spur of the moment. However, upon seeing him again, perhaps by a swordsman’s intuition, Liu Ruofei always felt that Shi Xiaole wasn’t that simple and might not be overwhelmed by the Lonely Lance Emperor.
The crowd didn’t notice that, at the moment he clearly saw Shi Xiaole, Luo Zijiao’s eyes flashed with a strange light, as if he had thought of something.
"This young man has actually offended the Lonely Lance Emperor; truly, ’fate may cause suffering, but self-inflicted wounds are truly hopeless.’"
Among the third-ranking experts, the finest talent of the Ling Family, Ling Jianming, laughed in his heart. A hint of hard-to-detect joy appeared on his face.
Ever since Shi Xiaole broke the records of the Hundred Refinement Forest, the halo that once surrounded Ling Jianming had faded significantly. Walking around the house these days, Ling Jianming even felt that the maidservants looked at him differently, which made him both angry and resentful.
Everything was caused by Shi Xiaole, and he hoped the man would just drop dead immediately!
The other high-ranking members of the Ling Family were either secretly pleased or worried, but the expressions on both the Falling Sky Sword Emperor and Mist Hidden Martial Emperor were indescribably strange.
They knew that a year ago, Shi Xiaole managed to drive them back with just two swords, his strength certainly comparable to that of the Lonely Lance Emperor. Now, a year had passed, and with Shi Xiaole’s talent, he shouldn’t have been standing still.
But it was also hard to say; perhaps something unfortunate had happened to him, which would have been for the best.
"Not only do you want to kill me, but you also intend to harm others?"
Hearing the unmistakable, fate-deciding words of the Lonely Lance Emperor, Shi Xiaole spoke in return, his eyes growing colder under his long eyebrows.
"You can only blame yourself for everything; some people are not meant to be offended by you."
The Lonely Lance Emperor remained haughty.
The next moment!
His declaration of death was immediate. The arms of the Lonely Lance Emperor suddenly swelled, and as he swung his large halberd, it seemed as if all his strength was poured into it, making the world sluggish with his movement.
"Halberd Cleaves the Heavens!"
A vast and boundless shadow of the halberd fell from the sky, striking towards Shi Xiaole below with an overwhelming force. The halberd’s edge was like a sharp scalpel, continually slicing through the waves at the gate of Fate, stirring up massive swells.
"It’s not just you who wants to kill me; I also want to kill you."
The Lonely Lance Emperor did not forget the perilous Ruthless Gang Wind river, and neither did Shi Xiaole. So, facing his opponent’s lethal strike, Shi Xiaole showed no mercy whatsoever.
With his fingers clutching the hilt, he exerted force, drew his sword in an instant, and a surge of majestic cyan Sword Qi, like a waterfall flowing in reverse, rushed upward, colliding directly with the halberd’s light.
Crack!
As soon as the two forces collided, the halberd’s light, once mighty, was torn like a sheet of paper.
The cascading Sword Qi shot out countless splashes like water from a sword, scattering across the sky and puncturing myriad voids. The main body, however, remained condensed and unyielding, continuing with a constant speed toward the Lonely Lance Emperor, unstoppable and accurate.
"What?!"
The Lonely Lance Emperor’s face turned wildly pale as he doubted his eyes and, in a panic, quickly swung his halberd in front of him to draw a circle, attempting to deploy the defensive skill "Halberd-I Unity."
But the Sword Qi was too fast. Before he could even complete half of the swing, it had already pierced the halberd. Strand by strand, the Sword Qi, like an incurable disease, threaded through the halberd and frantically bored into the Lonely Lance Emperor’s body, stabbing back and forth.
Puff puff puff puff puff...
Geysers of blood burst out. Each time it sounded, it meant another blood hole had opened in the Lonely Lance Emperor’s body. With fear and terror suppressed, he resisted with all his might, but in a flash, Shi Xiaole swung cold-heartedly with a second sword.
"No..."
A flash of the sword’s light.
The roar of the Lonely Lance Emperor echoed for a long time, but his body had quietly turned into air.
