Chapter 1174: Chapter 1172 Progress_1
"Purple Sun Absolute Heaven," was the ultimate move of the Purple Jade Great Emperor, painstakingly perfected over hundreds of years, and it was also his trump card for competing for the Heavenly Martial Peak this time.
Originally he was hesitant, but in order to regain the lost face, especially in front of the Sentimental Demon Concubine, the Purple Jade Great Emperor could no longer care about the consequences, knowing that as long as he killed Shi Xiaole and the women by his side, no one else would know.
The purple barrier swept across like a small world as anyone facing it would be greatly hindered and unable to exert their full strength.
Seeing Shi Xiaole wield his sword so slowly and with such difficulty, the Sentimental Demon Concubine’s delicate body slightly stirred. But soon, a radiant brilliance blossomed in her seductive eyes.
Crack!
The speed of the purple barrier inexplicably slowed, growing slower and slower, as if an invisible marsh in the void was blocking it. The Purple Jade Great Emperor within the barrier finally realized something was wrong, and his face underwent a series of frantic changes.
Following that, including the Illusion Orchid Tower hostess and other women, they all involuntarily fell into a vortex. They could no longer think, only feeling their bodies and spirits irresistibly drawn to Shi Xiaole’s sword, as time and space neared a standstill under his blade.
"Old Ox’s Broken Cart!"
Bai Ruiting exclaimed.
She finally remembered the name of this sword move; she had seen Shi Xiaole practice it before, but how could she have known that what appeared to her as a snail climbing a wall contained such terrifying and potent lethality?
"Dodge!"
As the barrier and Sword Qi collided, it was the barrier that first felt the impact, with light and dark fusing, causing its power to drastically fall. Watching the barrier crack open, with Sword Qi seeping through, Purple Jade Great Emperor roared in his mind, desperately trying to shift his position.
But Shi Xiaole’s reaction was faster than that of the Purple Jade Great Emperor, moving ahead of him and still firmly trapping him within the domain of Sword Qi.
Crack crack crack.
Large fissures spread across the purple barrier, and Shi Xiaole’s sword advanced inch by inch. In the Purple Jade Great Emperor’s eyes, widened as if seeing a ghost, it mercilessly pierced his chest, with Sword Qi exiting from his back.
"Pfft..."
The Purple Jade Great Emperor’s mouth and nose bled, but he finally managed to break free from the sword’s momentum, retreating rapidly. As he retreated, blood still burst from his body relentlessly, accompanied by strands of Sword Qi mercilessly cutting through the void.
After expending enormous effort, the Purple Jade Great Emperor finally suppressed the Sword Qi within his bones and muscles, lifting his head to look at Shi Xiaole in the distance, unable to hide his shock.
He had lost.
After nearly a thousand years of devoted cultivation, his first confrontation resulted in a defeat to a youngster not even one hundred years old, without the slightest chance to fight back.
The Purple Jade Great Emperor could not accept it, yet he had no choice but to swallow this bitter pill.
Recalling his previous attitude of nonchalance when dealing with Shi Xiaole, compared to his current miserable defeat, his face turned both green and white, changing rapidly, and he even dared not look at the Sentimental Demon Concubine at this moment.
"Both of you come at me together, one on his own can’t stop me," Shi Xiaole shook his head, looking towards the Sentimental Demon Concubine.
If it were only the Purple Jade Great Emperor, Shi Xiaole wouldn’t mind using mental tactics to kill him.
However, with the Sentimental Demon Concubine also present, should he expend his refined mental strength, capturing her afterwards would become difficult, and he didn’t want to reveal his hand just yet.
Others might not know, but Shi Xiaole was very clear that in terms of aura, the Sentimental Demon Concubine was more unpredictable than the Purple Jade Great Emperor, and most likely even stronger.
With such two people teaming up, even Shi Xiaole felt some pressure.
Upon hearing this, the Purple Jade Great Emperor’s face turned even more ashen.
As for the Sentimental Demon Concubine amidst the flowers, she slowly stood up and smiled, "Indeed, a heroic figure among the young, Young Hero Shi, your strength is astonishing. Very well, I’ll leave this place to you."
Having said that, she seemed to say something to the Purple Jade Great Emperor, and after casting a deep look at Shi Xiaole, the Sentimental Demon Concubine activated her movement technique and soon vanished amid the sea of flowers.
The Purple Jade Great Emperor wanted to leave some harsh words, but upon meeting Shi Xiaole’s cold and indifferent gaze, he clenched his teeth and followed the Sentimental Demon Concubine away.
"Shi Brother."
As soon as they left, Qu Ni, either out of excitement or outburst of pent-up emotions, threw herself into Shi Xiaole’s arms, sobbing miserably and soon soaking the front of Shi Xiaole’s clothes.
Bai Ruiting quickly pulled Qu Ni away and comforted her, "Senior Sister Qu, it’s all right now, with Brother Shi here, no one can harm us."
Qu Ni made a noise of acknowledgment, seemingly realizing her earlier bold move, her pretty face turned slightly red, and she kept her head down, not daring to look at Shi Xiaole.
The rest of the women likely knew about Qu Ni’s feelings, with various expressions on their faces, none of them took the initiative to speak.
It was the Illusion Orchid Tower hostess who broke the silence, "Time is precious, let’s all comprehend quicker. If another strong enemy comes, we can’t always expect Young Master Shi to step in for us."
This statement jolted the other women.
Although the land of Fate was vast, if both the Purple Jade Great Emperor and Sentimental Demon Concubine, as well as themselves, could find this place, so could others. They promptly set aside their inner distractions and hurriedly entered the center of the sea of flowers.
The Illusion Orchid Tower hostess gave Shi Xiaole a complex glance and followed the other women, quickly immersing into a state of comprehension.
Left alone, Shi Xiaole settled himself into the sea of flowers as well.
The Martial Path of Flowers also contained the essence of the Martial Path of Life, and he had every reason not to miss out on comprehending the Martial Path of Life and Death. Additionally, he had another idea.
"Old Ox’s Broken Cart, although not a Sword Realm martial art, still contains a similar aura to barriers. Perhaps it can be further developed in the future," he thought.
Without witnessing the power of barriers, Shi Xiaole’s idea wasn’t strong, but Purple Sun Absolute Heaven’s formidability made him consider creating a Sword Realm.
Imagine with Shi Xiaole’s combat skills, if he could pair them with a Sword Realm, his strength would increase significantly from the original foundation.
Moreover, it is said that barriers are related to mental power, which is another strong point for Shi Xiaole. It would be a waste not to explore this. However, creating a Sword Realm is not something that can be done just by wanting to. Talent alone is not enough; such a feat requires time and patience.
With that thought in mind, Shi Xiaole took out the black stone he had obtained from the ruins of Yanbei Country. Only a portion of the death energy remained inside, and Shi Xiaole decided to comprehend it along with the floral martial path.
In many corners of the land of Fate, even more brutal disputes took place. People died at any moment, and some seized the opportunity to break through their limitations and surpass themselves.
As the experts of the South Sea vied for chances in the land of Fate, the same scenes unfolded in another dimension.
"Xuanwu Divine Palm, Xuanmen Shatter the Ruins!"
At the summit strewn with red maple leaves, a young man as handsome as if he had stepped out of a painting was locked in a duel with another swordsman dressed in black. The handsome young man flicked his sword with one hand and unleashed a palm strike with the other.
"Blood as the Sword Guide!"
Gathering his essence blood in his mouth, the swordsman in black’s body shriveled slightly. He spat out a blood sword that pierced the palm force, a smug smile appearing on his face.
"Shanhai Boxing Scripture, Fists Dominate the World!"
However, before the smile on the swordsman in black could fade, the handsome young man switched from palm to fist, his presence soaring, and as he shattered the blood sword, his fist sent the swordsman in black flying.
"Gui Zhihang, you are formidable indeed."
Leaving behind these words, the swordsman in black slipped into the red maple forest.
Identified as a top Earthly Realm Martial Emperor, he had battled against Gui Zhihang months before and completely dominated the fight. Yet, encountering him again today, he was immediately suppressed. Could this be the makings of a monster?
Gui Zhihang knelt on the ground, weary, yet a happy smile broke across his face.
Ever since the Gui Family was exterminated, his state of mind never returned to what it was before; only cultivation and battle allowed him to forget the pain. Perhaps it was this stimulus that tapped into his potential; for these past years, Gui Zhihang had progressed faster than ever before.
Particularly after his breakthrough to the Void Origin Realm and selecting a top-tier martial art named "Mysterious Martial Truth Skill" from the Book Collection Building of Nine Heavens Mountain, his advancement had been meteoric, causing even renowned prodigies Duanmu Keren and Mu Ling to marvel in silence.
"The land of Fate is the juncture for my swift rise to an extraordinary master; I cannot let this opportunity pass."
Suddenly, Gui Zhihang thought of Shi Xiaole.
That fellow had entered the forest of exceptional masters early on. Now that the gates to the land of Fate were wide open, he must have come in too, right? I wonder what kind of surprise he’ll present to me when we meet again.
I cannot fall too far behind!
Gazing at the red sunset atop the mountain, Gui Zhihang was full of ambition. He withdrew his gaze and began to perceive the martial essence of this space.
Inside a cave shrouded in the whirls of mortal dust.
Mu Ling was also embroiled in a bloody battle, mastering a top-tier martial art named "Upright Heart Demonic Great Method." The aura emitted from this cave was just right for his comprehension.
"In such a grand martial world, how can it lack the presence of the Jade Lion, Mu Ling? I will catch up with the top masters of this era and defeat one strong opponent after another."
With eyes blazing like fire, Mu Ling lunged at his opponent, growing wilder with every battle.
In the sky, a tiger and a phoenix were locked in combat.
The tiger’s form belonged to Old Tiger Power, a top Earthly Realm Martial Emperor, whereas the towering figure within the phoenix’s form was the "Heavenly Phoenix" Duanmu Keren, one of the four great prodigies.
At a certain moment, blue flames suddenly erupted across the surface of the phoenix’s form. With the flapping of its wings, the flames spread throughout the void.
Hiss, hiss, hiss.
Previously evenly matched, the tiger’s form was instantly scorched, its flesh rending open. Old Tiger Power’s hair turned charred, his presence weakened, and overwhelmed with shock, he turned tail and fled.
"The Redfire Divine Skill is divided into three levels. I have only mastered the first level, and it possesses such power. Hopefully, this journey to the land of Fate will help me reach an even higher realm."
As the phoenix’s form dissipates, Duanmu Keren’s upward-gazing eyes still flickered with two blue flames, morphing into various shapes.
Besides these three, Zhang Xiangfeng, Hua Yiyun, and other acquaintances of Shi Xiaole all entered the land of Fate to seek their fortunes.
They knew it was dangerous and might even lead to death, but as martial artists, it was their nature to struggle against both heaven and humanity, and death in such a pursuit was honorable.
...
Within a sea of flowers.
Amid the wafting fragrance, Fairy Yunni was the first to break through, her strength reaching the secondary level of the Earthly Realm. Then came An Rumei, who, with the Orchid Martial Path, broke through to the initial stage of twelve percent, becoming a Heaven Realm Martial Emperor.
Bai Ruiting, Qu Ni, Pei Qiuyan, and the five other women were slightly behind, but with time and accumulation, their breakthrough was just a matter of time.
The strongest among the women, the Illusion Orchid Tower’s mistress, had countless orchids swirling around her body, each petal seeming to contain an indescribable mysterious power, embodying the cycle of bloom and decay.
"Our mistress’s Orchid Martial Path is nearly reaching the peak of twelve percent!"
Qu Ni exclaimed with delight.
The leap from later stages of twelve percent to the peak is harder than from the pinnacle of eleven percent to the initial stage of twelve percent. Even the martial path of the Purple Jade Great Emperor is only near the peak of twelve percent.
One could foresee that, at this moment, although the mistress of the Illusion Orchid Tower might not be as strong as the Purple Jade Great Emperor, she was no longer powerless against her as before.
What surprised the group the most was Shi Xiaole.
Not a hint of aura emitted from him; he was as if lifeless, yet upon closer look, he exuded an endless vitality.
"Finally absorbed all the death energy within the black stone."
Unnoticed by the women, a black stone hidden in Shi Xiaole’s hands was quietly placed back into the system space. And now, Shi Xiaole, although still at the initial period of nine percent in his Life and Death Martial Way, had made significant progress compared to before.
