Chapter 1215: Chapter 1123: Life-and-Death Unfounded Cave (6/10 update for ’poonlo’)
Although bound by a martial oath, Fairy Yunni, Bai Ruiting and the other five women could not betray Wuyuan Palace, the palace did not restrict their freedom.
On the contrary, over the years, the elder of Wuyuan Palace even encouraged his subordinates to venture out and strive to become stronger. Hearing that Shi Xiaole was returning to East Victory Continent, the seven women immediately requested to accompany him.
The master of Illusion Orchid Tower naturally felt the same. She too wanted to see what kind of place could produce someone like Shi Xiaole.
Without returning to the Ling Family, Shi Xiaole simply said he would visit next time and bid farewell to Ling Cunyi and the others. It was not that he was heartless, but simply that there was no need for now.
With his current influence, coupled with the tactics of Ling Wenlong and Ling Hu, toppling Ling Wenyu would be a breeze. He assumed that the next time he visited, the Ling Family would have a different visage.
Shi Xiaole was not worried that the six great experts would harm the Ling Family either, as breaking through the Array System set up by Ling Yujie was no easy feat.
A large ship set sail, departing from the South Sea.
Years passed, and the passageway to Floating Stone Realm grew even sturdier and wider, with large ships frequently shuttling back and forth.
What Shi Xiaole did not know was that the connections between the South Sea and East Victory were much tighter than before, with warriors often adventuring and exchanging insights between the two places.
Naturally, a great deal of information about the martial worlds of both sides was exchanged more frequently as well.
East Victory knew of the six Fake Sky Origin Realm experts in the South Sea, the hundreds of Forbidden Martial Emperors, and the ten prodigies who swept through Martial World, their reputations rivaling those of legendary figures.
The South Sea was also aware of the Emperor List of East Victory. Of course, in the eyes of many South Sea experts, this list was a joke, except for a few individuals on it, many in the South Sea could easily take their place.
But there were also some bits of news that shocked the martial world of the South Sea.
For instance, two Gates of Fate had simultaneously appeared in East Victory and Miaojiang, an occurrence unseen in over a hundred thousand years.
Moreover, East Victory was not ruled by the martial sects like in the Martial World, but by dynasties, which were the most powerful sects, the complete opposite of the South Sea.
And then, some people were surprised to learn that this session’s Master of Fate from the South Sea, the genius swordsman Shi Xiaole, was not over seventy years old, but only sixty.
As soon as the news was released, it set off stormy waves in the martial world of the South Sea.
Today’s Shi Xiaole was known to all; after his consecutive victories over hidden experts and the ten prodigies, almost everyone was seeking information about him, wanting to know more.
At such a critical moment, the disclosure of this matter by East Victory’s warriors could only imagine the impact it caused, almost driving all the warriors of the South Sea mad.
In truth, it wasn’t just the South Sea’s experts who were going mad.
As some East Victory warriors who had traveled to and from the South Sea brought back news of the South Sea’s Fate region, learning that Shi Xiaole had become the Master of Fate of the South Sea, the martial world of East Victory also erupted.
For a time, Shi Xiaole’s reputation soared so high that it even overshadowed the stronger Martial Emperors. Because he was younger, more talented, and had made a name for himself in the South Sea, he fully satisfied the vanity and pride of the warriors of East Victory.
The news about Shi Xiaole mastering the way of life and death was only known to a few and spread slowly; otherwise, the world would probably be even more agitated.
Shi Xiaole was unaware of all this, and even if he knew, he wouldn’t care; after all, vain titles were hardly worth mentioning.
Inside a room on the ship.
Shi Xiaole was using the Stone of Fate to temper his spiritual power.
The portion of his spiritual power that had been depleted had already been reabsorbed by him. Moreover, continuous cultivation in recent days had increased his degree of spiritual refinement from twenty-eight percent to thirty-three percent.
"Thirty-five percent now," Shi Xiaole said as he awoke from his cultivation state late at night, a hint of joy on his face.
He wondered if it was because his soul had merged with another from a different life that he found tempering his spiritual power not as difficult as others claimed.
Without the Stone of Fate, he had tempered twenty-eight percent over five or six years, and now with the stone, he had improved by seven percent in just two months, a speed almost akin to flying.
"Spiritual power is just the first step, if I want to become a Sky Origin Realm expert, I must focus on developing Supreme Martial Arts," Shi Xiaole reminded himself.
Now that he had exposed the way of life and death, Shi Xiaole had no need to hide. It was imperative to strive for improvement. However, it was easier said than done to enhance his capabilities, a task not accomplished overnight.
According to Qin Elder and the other two, once spiritual power was tempered to one hundred percent, Supreme Martial Arts had to be improved to a peak of eleven percent. Only by finding a balance between the two and merging them could one hope to step into the Sky Origin Realm.
And this was the lost method for breaking through to Sky Origin!
"The way of life and death is at its peak of ten percent. With the current rate of conversion, reaching the early stages of eleven percent would take at least five years," Shi Xiaole calculated.
This speed was already quite fast, but Shi Xiaole was not satisfied because even if the way of life and death reached the early stages of eleven percent, he would not be able to defeat a Fake Sky Origin Realm expert.
How long would he have to wait to avenge the oppression from the six legends of the South Sea?
Furthermore, the tripartite battle was set to take place in a few years, and he would undoubtedly participate. With his current strength, he truly would not be much help.
Of course, to increase his strength, he didn’t necessarily need to improve his Supreme Martial Arts, but Shi Xiaole didn’t have another way at the moment.
Martial skills could only be honed over time. As for Heart Sword, he had comprehended enough of the Supreme Sword Way’s spirit, he just needed to slowly assimilate it. Searching for the leaves of the Supreme Sword Way would be of no use.
As for using the Stone of Fate to enter the land of Fate, according to Qin Elder and the others, one could only reach the location of the Fate Platform before the two hundred year cycle was up, which also did not have much effect on Shi Xiaole.
Standing up, Shi Xiaole walked to the room where the Heavenly Destiny Divine Fortune Teller was staying. After a few light knocks and receiving permission, he pushed the door and entered.
"Shi Xiaole, what brings you to see this old man today?"
The room was brightly lit by candlelight. Qin Elder and the blind old man were both there, one playing a game of weiqi with the Heavenly Destiny Divine Fortune Teller, and the other playing the erhu, enjoying himself.
Seeing Shi Xiaole, all three of them looked over, with the Heavenly Destiny Divine Fortune Teller asking cheerfully.
"I apologize for disturbing the seniors. I have come to inquire about a matter."
Shi Xiaole stood respectfully to one side.
While placing a white piece on the board, Qin Elder smiled and asked, "What’s the matter?"
Shi Xiaole said, "Do the three seniors know of any place in the world that could help me improve my life-and-death martial arts and enhance my strength more quickly?"
All three elders were momentarily startled. The blind elder said, "Brother Shi, you mustn’t rush things. Given your age, achieving such progress is already rare in the annals of history. Too much can be as bad as not enough!"
This was not just talk. In the past, there were peerless geniuses, eager for quick success, who, despite their spirit seas already at their short-term limits, remained unsatisfied. In the end, their martial arts grew too rapidly and burst their spirit seas.
The three elders were worried that Shi Xiaole might make the same mistake.
Shi Xiaole lowered his head and said, "But I don’t feel any swelling or straining in my spirit sea; in fact, it feels quite relaxed."
This statement rendered the elders speechless and they exchanged glances, remaining silent for a long time. They didn’t believe Shi Xiaole was pretending to be unfazed. Given his character, his words were probably an understatement.
Finally, after contemplating for a moment, the Heavenly Destiny Divine Fortune Teller said, "Brother Shi would not lie. It’s just that the life-and-death martial arts are unprecedented, without any specific point of reference... If Brother Shi insists, perhaps you could take a look at the Life-and-Death Unfounded Cave."
"You old swindler, what nonsense are you talking about!"
Upon hearing these words, Qin Elder immediately scolded in anger, and the blind elder also quietly furrowed his brows.
The Life-and-Death Unfounded Cave is the most dangerous of the world’s ten deadliest places—no exceptions. It is said to be a cursed land, where all living beings that enter it have nothing but a path to death awaiting them.
What truly alarmed the two elders was the fact that they had once entered it together, yet, despite their extraordinary powers, they barely lasted a quarter of an hour before retreating in disarray.
It was after that same expedition that the three of them were severely injured, taking thousands of years to recover.
"Do the seniors know the exact location of the Life-and-Death Unfounded Cave?"
Shi Xiaole quickly asked.
Among the ten deadliest places, with the exception of a few, most are highly secretive. Shi Xiaole had previously contemplated venturing into the Life-and-Death Unfounded Cave but could find no way in.
Ignoring the angry expressions of Qin Elder and the blind elder, the Heavenly Destiny Divine Fortune Teller took out a baby palm-sized black array disk from his robe and handed it to Shi Xiaole with a smile, "Take this; it will guide you."
"Thank you, Senior!"
Seeing that the atmosphere was off, Shi Xiaole quickly left the room.
As soon as he was gone, Qin Elder exploded in anger, smashing the chessboard into dust, and coldly said, "You old swindler, are you trying to send him to his death? He is the son of the Holy Monarch!"
The Heavenly Destiny Divine Fortune Teller shook his head and said, "I am wholeheartedly loyal to the Holy Monarch, I would never harbor ill intentions."
The speech of the two was blocked from reaching outsiders by the blind elder’s Vigorous Air.
"I certainly know that. That’s why I gave you face just now and didn’t stop you. But if you can’t give me a convincing reason, this matter won’t end here," Qin Elder said sternly.
The blind elder also stared at the Heavenly Destiny Divine Fortune Teller with his hollow eye sockets.
The Heavenly Destiny Divine Fortune Teller did not show anger but simply said, "Back then, we all suspected that the Holy Monarch and Holy Empress had entered the Life-and-Death Unfounded Cave, prompting us to explore it. Little did we expect an accident."
"Over the years, I have made advances in my art of divination. Recently, I have ascertained that only the Young Master has a chance to find the Holy Monarch and Holy Empress! Elders, the second great celestial war is nigh! You are well aware of the strength of the Outer Heaven Demons."
"The land of Fate is both an opportunity and a death warrant. Once the spirit energy of heaven and earth reaches its peak state and the world’s capacity to accommodate increases, those terrifying beings who have sealed themselves away will reemerge one after another! Without someone presiding over the cosmos, how can we turn the tide?"
The room fell silent.
After a long pause, Qin Elder said, "But I worry that the Young Master might meet with an accident."
"Which great figure hasn’t grown from danger and adversity? Rest assured, as one of the twelve destinies, he bears an extraordinarily tenacious life; only the other eleven destinies could kill him."
"Moreover, don’t you understand the Young Master yet? He seems impulsive, but he is more cautious than anyone. Without certainty, would he rashly enter the Life-and-Death Unfounded Cave? Ha, life-and-death martial arts seem designed for him; it is also the will of heaven."
The Heavenly Destiny Divine Fortune Teller laughed and said, "And those two youngsters from the Meng and Shi clans, ah! The two clans suffered a grievous past. Their closeness to the Young Master is quite natural. Let’s not interfere; this place has become safe. Let’s leave tomorrow. Too much intervention may do more harm than good."
Qin Elder and the blind elder remained silent. The words of the Heavenly Destiny Divine Fortune Teller made some sense, but they still worried about Shi Xiaole’s safety.
Qin Elder said, "How about this: we go to the Life-and-Death Unfounded Cave first and wait outside. When the Young Master enters, we follow him in. If he encounters any peril, we’ll immediately bring him out."
The Heavenly Destiny Divine Fortune Teller knew this was his companions’ bottom line and could only nod with a smile.
The next day.
When Shi Xiaole went to bid farewell to the elders, he found no trace of them. After searching in vain with his spiritual energy, he could only smile helplessly.
Upon learning of the elders’ departure, Meng Xiaoliu and Shi Xiaoba finally sought him out that night, their demeanor grave as they probed Shi Xiaole’s identity through their words.
Tired of beating around the bush, Shi Xiaole said, "In Zrin Kingdom that time, it was me."
When the two risked their lives for him without a second thought, Shi Xiaole began to suspect their identities. Along the journey, he had been observing them covertly and had formed a good idea of who they were.
The two were profoundly shaken and then overjoyed. Shi Xiaole’s acknowledgment of their identities prompted them to immediately remove the seals on their bloodlines.
Suddenly, a close bond seemed to form among the three of them.
"Xiaole, knowing that you belong to our Shi clan will make everyone so happy!"
Shi Xiaoba slung an arm around Shi Xiaole’s shoulder, laughing heartily.
The two suggested returning to East Victory Continent and immediately heading to Peach Blossom Village to recognize his ancestors and return to his ancestral lands. Shi Xiaole thought for a moment and did not refuse. There were things that needed to be clarified first.
