Chapter 1220: Chapter 118 The Strongest Redfire Divine Skill, Qi Realm
Shi Xiaole’s peak combat ability enabled him to fight against nine opponents, equivalent to battling against nine versions of himself, but this only applied to the Divine Barrier Realm and the ordinary levels of the Void Origin Realm.
Strictly speaking, a master who could comprehend Supreme Martial Arts to the extent of 110% was already in the transitional phase from the Void Origin Realm to the Sky Origin Realm, having tempered their spiritual power substantially.
Even Shi Xiaole was far from capable of taking on nine opponents by himself.
Facing the relentless assault of five elite warriors, Shi Xiaole quickly felt enormous pressure, like a small boat in the midst of a storm, constantly at risk of capsizing.
Yet, to Murong Wuguo and the other four, it was a profound shock.
If any of them were in the same situation, they wouldn’t have lasted that long and would have been penetrated within a few moves. It wasn’t merely a matter of combat strength but rather an overpowering force of a higher caliber.
Even in the land beyond the heavens, known for its emergence of elites, there was no one like this.
He must die, this kid must die!
As the Sword Realm shattered, the Sword Qi it released was also annihilated. Shi Xiaole encountered his greatest difficulty and in several flashes, burst out from the flaws, covered in blood.
Still, despite such a situation, his martial prowess left everyone dumbfounded and in disbelief.
"Extreme Divine Tribulation!"
Sensing the murderous intent from the five, Shi Xiaole immediately unleashed his spiritual attack, five invisible forces penetrated the Vigorous Air and struck each of the five warriors.
Boom!
It was as if iron boulders were hammering down. Murong Wuguo felt dizzy, his spiritual defenses broken instantly, and blood even started to trickle from his nostrils.
The other four fared similarly, their lethal techniques only half-executed, the remaining half trapped inside their bodies, recoiling and injuring themselves.
When Shi Xiaole’s spiritual power tempering reached 28%, he was able to consecutively launch three Extreme Divine Tribulations. Now, at 41%, he just managed to release five.
Moreover, with the increase in tempering, the strength of his spiritual attacks had greatly amplified. Even the strongest among the five, the Left Envoy of the Nine Heavens Palace who had tempered 29%, could hardly withstand Shi Xiaole’s attacks.
"Let’s go!"
With his spiritual power drained and only 30% of his martial power remaining—thanks to the Life-and-Death Martial Arts—Shi Xiaole thought quickly, "Heartbroken Small Arrow" burst forth from the ground below, carrying Meng Chou and the others with it. They shot towards the outside of the Nine Heavens Palace and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
With Life-and-Death Martial Arts operating to its limits, Shi Xiaole, dragging his weary body, frantically fled. He had no strength left to kill Murong Wuguo and the others.
It only took a moment for Murong Wuguo and the four to regain consciousness, eyes wide with anger and shock. Before they had a chance to pursue, a terrifyingly ominous presence suddenly erupted from the depths beneath the Nine Heavens Palace.
"The Palace Master has been disturbed and has exited his seclusion!"
The Protector of the Nine Heavens Palace was overjoyed, then his complexion turned pale.
As a master close to the Sky Origin Realm, it certainly wouldn’t be difficult for the Palace Master to capture Shi Xiaole and the others. However, with his seclusion disrupted, they would likely have to endure the towering wrath of the Palace Master!
After all, the five of them combined had not only failed to retain Shi Xiaole but had also allowed him to rescue a hostage, which made them seem even less competent.
"That kid is courting death!"
Ge Dingbang also realized this and his face was exceedingly grim, wishing he could cut Shi Xiaole into a thousand pieces.
"Boy, stay behind."
In the sky, a steel-hard black fist plummeted down, warping the void like a thin film and smashing a deep hole into it.
At the end of that deep hole was none other than Shi Xiaole, who was in the midst of fleeing.
"This child has exceptional talent and could be brought back to the palace for thorough research. At the very least, we’ll drain his blood and marrow dry to quench the hatred in my heart," said the Nine Heavens Wanderer, his face full of spiteful venom.
He had been in seclusion for many years and was at a crucial juncture when Shi Xiaole interrupted him. To re-enter that state might take a long time. And with a general offensive coming in a few years, how could he afford any delays?!
The black fist, blotting out the sun, made people feel as if it was the end of the world. Not to mention Shi Xiaole at his current state, even at his peak, he couldn’t safely receive this punch.
Just then, a wave of sky-scalding, earth-boiling, fierce green flames suddenly enveloped the land, turning tens of thousands of miles into pitch-black wasteland.
The void boiled over, and the black fist started making popping sounds, its surface splitting open with small and large holes. The green flames, like venomous snakes, seeped in, burning the black fist to a charred red state.
The next moment!
The black fist turned to ash.
"What, impossible!"
The Nine Heavens Wanderer was taken aback by the thwarted momentum, and it took him dozens of punches to extinguish the sea of fire. When he looked again, there was no trace of Shi Xiaole to be found, and even his spiritual power could no longer sense him.
"Such an attack must have reached the level of a Fake Sky Origin Realm, even surpassing me... But if that kid really had such power, how could he be so distressed?"
The Nine Heavens Wanderer knew that Shi Xiaole must hold a great secret, and if he could acquire that secret, he might be able to take a step further.
"With my own ability, I may not be able to find him. I must first notify my father, and with the capacity this world can withstand, it won’t be long before he descends, and then..."
A chilling light flashed in his eyes as the Nine Heavens Wanderer turned around and headed back to the Nine Heavens Palace.
"It truly is the highest realm of the Redfire Divine Skill."
Gasping for breath in the wilderness, Shi Xiaole landed on the ground. What he had just activated was a murderous technique obtained by sacrificing the ’Longevity Technique’, derived from Lian Chengzhi.
However, Shi Xiaole clearly felt that the power of that move had not reached its limit and had been suppressed to some extent.
"This world cannot yet bear the power of the Sky Origin Realm, which is why there are no Sky Origin Realm masters, and even the power of systematic killing techniques is limited."
Based on the information obtained from the Qin Elder and the two others, Shi Xiaole quickly deduced a conclusion.
As for the battle at Wuyuan Palace that year, the power of the Sky Origin Realm burst forth from the man in the blue mask probably because there, in Rainbow State, the barriers of the void were much weaker.
"This world will soon be in turmoil, and my strength is still not strong enough. I must increase it even faster."
He hastened on his way while circulating the life-and-death martial technique to recover, and before long, Shi Xiaole arrived at the foot of a mountain where they had agreed to meet.
"Xiaole!"
"Shi World Brother, you’ve finally returned!"
Figures shot out rapidly, nearly a thousand in number—it was Meng Chou and the others. The way these people looked at Shi Xiaole was filled with boundless closeness, gratitude, and admiration.
Without Shi Xiaole, their fate would have been death. Peach Blossom Village, Affectionate Island, and Yang Town would have consequently weakened substantially, and it was uncertain if they could have preserved themselves in the coming tumult.
And all of this was saved by Shi Xiaole risking his own safety.
Meng Chou slapped Shi Xiaole’s shoulder with force, laughing, "Well done, truly worthy of being the unparalleled genius of our Meng and Shi clans. We all owe you our lives."
"Not just one life, all three clans owe little brother a favor."
This was an elder from Yang Town’s Yang Clan, admiringly sizing up Shi Xiaole. Before this, he couldn’t have imagined there existed a person like Shi Xiaole in the world.
Perhaps even the heavens were righting the injustice for their Nine Heavenly Aliens, which is why they bestowed this miraculous young man upon them.
Meng Tian, with her arm around a sturdy young man’s arm, also secretly looked at Shi Xiaole. The sturdy young man was her brother. Perhaps because the Nine Heavens Palace still wanted to use them, they were not stripped of their powers while imprisoned.
Shi Xiaole was submerged in a sea of gratitude and had no choice but to return the courtesies one by one.
Soon, he unexpectedly found Uncle Wang and Yan Zhenning, and he was overjoyed. The latter two also laughed heartily, but with so many people around, they did not make a point of coming over.
For safety’s sake, the group immediately set off, returning along the original route to the Triangular Sea Area. Under Shi Xiaole’s lead, they spent several days successfully navigating to the periphery.
At this time, Meng Hao and the others were frantic, with all three clans mobilizing manpower to search for the missing Shi Xiaole and the others.
When both sides met and learned of what had happened, Meng Hao and the Grand Elder of Affectionate Island were completely at a loss for words, only able to marvel that geniuses cannot be judged by common standards.
Shi Xiaoba was particularly indignant, regretting that he had missed such a thrilling event.
Not long after, the chieftains of Affectionate Island and Yang Town also returned safely from the Triangular Sea Area, to everyone’s joy. The three places promptly shrank their battle lines, recalled their clan experts, and prepared for conflict.
This decisive battle among the Heavenly Aliens seemed to be a loss for them, but the Murong, Ge, and Dongguo clans also had a tough time, losing a large number of masters and even Murong Di’s death made it somewhat of a draw.
After this battle, both sides gained a deeper understanding of each other. In terms of average strength, Peach Blossom Village and its allies had the upper hand, only falling short in top-tier combat power. Meng Chou and the other chieftains were determined, seeming to discuss venturing into some dangerous places to rapidly increase their power.
Also, because of this event, Shi Xiaole established a great reputation within the circles of Peach Blossom Village, Affectionate Island, and Yang Town’s Heavenly Aliens. Elders took pride in him, while young people saw him as a role model.
Shi Xiaole, somewhat indistinctly, became the leading figure of the next generation in these three places. Everyone believed that with Shi Xiaole’s presence, their blood vengeance, their grievances, would one day be washed away!
Shi Xiaole didn’t care about the outside world’s view of him. After returning to Peach Blossom Village, he began to seclude himself, digesting the gains of the past few days.
Half a month later.
A ferocious and peerless aura suddenly burst forth from the depths of Peach Blossom Village, enveloping much of the sky with a continuous hissing sound.
"I didn’t expect that the power of the Heart Sword has not increased, but the realm of my sword technique has broken through first."
Long ago, Shi Xiaole had reached the fourth realm of the ’Body-Breaking Invisible Sword Qi’, the ’Sword Qi’ realm, and today, he finally cast aside the word ’sword’ and advanced into the strongest ’Qi’ realm.
Sword Qi, after all, has a physical form, but Qi does not.
At this stage, Shi Xiaole had completely made the transition from tangible to intangible. Any of his wills, his thoughts, could become Qi, and because they retained the properties of Sword Qi, they were unstoppable and unpredictable.
In the past, Shi Xiaole could only use the life-and-death martial way, stacking techniques to defeat adversaries like Xuanyuan Di. Now, such stacked techniques were sufficient to seriously injure his opponents.
"The power of the Heart Sword is about to break through as well. Next, I need to clarify matters regarding the Demon Bone. Then go to the Life-and-Death Unfounded Cave to see if I can find a greater opportunity for progress."
Shi Xiaole was very demanding with himself. His adversaries were no longer the likes of Xuanyuan Di but at least masters like the Black Abyss Elder and Scorpion Lady in the Fake Sky Origin Realm.
On the eve of this great change in the world, he must use every means to elevate himself!
