Chapter 1248: Chapter 1246: Expel the Tiger and Swallow the Wolf, Xiang Lei is Pregnant
Overlapping Land.
A magnificent palace stood atop the mountaintop, and this was none other than the Nine Heavens Palace.
In the deepest part of the Nine Heavens Palace, the aura of the Array System was pervasive.
The Sect Leader of the Six Lotus Sect sat within; at a certain moment, a tall, ethereal figure emerged, clad in a black robe with profound eyes—it was the soul body of the Nine Heavens Ancestor.
Remaining too long in a body that wasn’t one’s own could have certain effects on the soul body, so as soon as he returned to the great array that communicated with the world beyond, the Nine Heavens Ancestor immediately stepped out.
This place could evade the will of Heaven and Earth from East Victory, so there was no need for concern.
"Damn it!"
The Nine Heavens Ancestor was bursting with rage.
Although they had secured many treasures from the people of East Victory this time, compared to causing grievous harm to the Demon Ruler, what was it really worth?
If it hadn’t been for someone meddling at the last moment, he and the other three would have already achieved unprecedented feats. After conquering East Victory, perhaps they would have been fortunate enough to enter that place.
Now it was all ruined!
Moreover, the Nine Heavens Wanderer had not returned. By all rights, his battle should have ended long ago.
"Could it be that the Demon Ruler noticed him and he died?"
The Nine Heavens Ancestor waited a few more days with a nervous heart and used the Array System to inform the two Deputy Palace Masters to send out searches, but there was still no news of the Nine Heavens Wanderer.
By then the Nine Heavens Ancestor had pretty much confirmed that the Nine Heavens Wanderer had been killed.
Although he had many offspring, the Nine Heavens Wanderer was the most outstanding among them. New hatred atop old made the Nine Heavens Ancestor’s anger uncontrollable.
"This time acting has greatly depleted my soul power; I must recuperate in time. Furthermore, frequently dwelling within weak bodies also affects the soul body..."
The mission of the Nine Heavens Ancestor to cross worlds was to create chaos in the world of East Victory, but now, he couldn’t take action personally. After pondering for a long time, the Nine Heavens Ancestor suddenly lit up with a bright idea and immediately used Array System to inform the other three Sky Origin Realm Supreme Lords who had crossed worlds.
"Nine Heavens, what’s the matter?"
The other three replied swiftly.
"The people of East Victory have it too easy, we must let them realize our might! If I remember correctly, out of the thirty-six Heavenly Aliens that crossed over, nine of them betrayed us, yes?"
The Nine Heavens Ancestor spoke with an ominous tone.
"So what?"
One of them asked.
The Nine Heavens Ancestor said with a smile, "Tell me, what do you think would happen if the warriors of East Victory learned of the whereabouts of those nine Heavenly Aliens?"
"Those not of our kind are sure to have a different heart!"
A man named Yuanyuan Master seemed to understand something and spoke coldly, "For the sake of the great unity to come, those foolish people of East Victory will definitely join forces to force those nine Heavenly Aliens out. Only by doing so can they eliminate the unstable factors. History has proven this point."
16,000 years ago, just after the people of East Victory had repelled the invaders, they immediately turned their swords against the nine Heavenly Aliens who had helped them, a standard case of ingratitude—kicking away the ladder once across the river.
With that blood feud, the people of East Victory would certainly not trust those nine Heavenly Aliens today, so once the news leaked out, both sides were sure to fight to the death!
One group was the prey, and the other were the traitors; in any case, both were problems to be solved. It was perfect to let them wear each other down first.
"What a scheme to drive the tiger to swallow the wolf, killing two birds with one stone, ha ha ha, Nine Heavens, you are indeed cunning!"
Another laughed heartily.
"With our four beings’ soul power and the Ancestral Altar’s Array System, sensing the locations of other Ancestral Altars shouldn’t be difficult. There’s no time to lose, we must act immediately."
The Nine Heavens Ancestor snorted coldly.
"Good, I can’t wait to see the spectacle of dogs biting dogs. It will certainly be exciting."
"Indeed!"
That very afternoon, several masters from the Fake Sky Origin Realm, carrying jade-like containers, converged and left the Overlapping Land. A few days later, they secretly entered the headquarters of the Heavenly Aliens.
Following that, four ethereal figures burst from the jade-like containers and entered the Ancestral Altar. Using the boundless void, they successfully evaded the will of Heaven and Earth and then exerted their soul strength, searching desperately for something.
Another half a month passed.
"Found it!"
The figures of the four grew increasingly transparent and dim. It was clear that even using soul power, locating the other Ancestral Altars was not easy, but fortunately, they had accomplished their goal.
Next, with some careful manipulation, they could throw the entire world of East Victory into chaos. And they could simply watch from the sidelines.
...
Shi Xiaole, having left East Victory’s surroundings, followed the same direction back. However, he didn’t rush on his way but spent a great deal of time on cultivation instead.
The experiences from the past few days made him see the harsh reality more clearly, and he didn’t want to waste any time.
After reaching five hundred and eighty-five strands of Heart Sword power, Shi Xiaole’s comprehension of swordsmanship climbed to a new level. Cultivating the "Saintly Spirit Sword Technique" was like a fish returning to water.
He soon grasped the essence of the "Emotional Heaven and Earth Sword" and often swung his sword to corroborate what he had understood.
Above the boundless East Sea, occasionally some sailing ships passed by. At different times of the day, the people on the ships would always find that an aurora comparable to the sun appeared in the sky, which took a long time to fade away.
"Daddy, mommy, what’s that?"
A little girl with a delicate appearance pointed at the distance, curious and excited.
The beautiful woman beside her fondly stroked her head and said, "Mommy doesn’t know either. This world is grand and mysterious. When you grow up, you’ll have to explore it yourself, darling."
The little girl immediately stood tall, "I will be like daddy and mommy, travel to the ends of the earth, become a righteous heroine."
The beautiful woman laughed with joy, but noticed that her husband beside her was frowning slightly, and quickly asked, "Hubby, what’s wrong?"
The man dressed in luxurious purple clothes, with a well-groomed beard and a handsome yet composed face, shook his head and said, "It’s nothing."
Su Junhao deceived his wife.
Just now, he thought he saw a figure in green emerge from the aurora, a figure that bore a striking resemblance to someone he once knew.
But could it be possible?
The person in question was the leader of the ten renowned figures, the master of Divine Sword Villa, so how could he appear in the East Sea?
Remembering the time he joined forces with him to execute a Subdue Evil Sect’s chieftain and later invited him to enjoy liquor and snow viewing, a wistful smile appeared on Su Junhao’s face.
Life is unpredictable. Back when he was regarded as the leader of the "Four Young Masters" of Cloud Triangle, Shi Xiaole was just beginning to rise. Now, he himself had faded into oblivion in the vast tides of the Martial World, while the other stood at the pinnacle of the highest wave.
If back then he had, like Zhu Ling, chosen to follow Shi Xiaole, perhaps he too would be a figure of renown throughout the world. But then, how would he have met his current wife?
Su Junhao grasped his beloved wife’s hand very tightly.
There are many choices in life, and at least the life he had now was satisfying. That was enough.
As if feeling her husband’s love, the beautiful wife smiled sweetly and leaned her head on his shoulder. The sea reflected the image of the family of three, contented and warm.
...
"Did I just miss something?"
Rousing from his contemplation, Shi Xiaole was momentarily startled. Looking around, the sea was vast and empty, with waves rolling endlessly and not a single person in sight.
Shaking his head, Shi Xiaole continued to speed forward, traversing thousands of miles in an instant.
Returning to Nine Profound Mountain was a matter of three months later, and because he didn’t take detours, it saved a lot of time compared to the journey there.
Shi Xiaole told Hong’er that he found the three Dusty Sages, but that they had matters to attend to and couldn’t return for the time being, but they would surely come to fetch her later.
Everyone knew that Shi Xiaole never lied. Hong’er exclaimed with joy, running into the flower patches along with the equally excited Beigong Shiling to frolic with the butterflies.
After being away for over eight months, Divine Sword Villa had recruited many high-quality servants and attendants, making the place much livelier, but Shi Xiaole noticed a certain peculiarity in the way everyone looked at him.
"Hahaha, Old Shi, you’re great. Truly a dark horse, we are really not your match!"
Mu Ling came visiting with wine.
Gui Zhihang was smiling as well, but Duanmu Keren simply shot Shi Xiaole a glance, then huffed loudly.
Something was off!
"Has something happened?"
Shi Xiaole asked.
Duanmu Keren scoffed, "Has something happened? Don’t tell me you don’t know?"
Shi Xiaole appeared very helpless.
At that moment, hearing of Shi Xiaole’s return, Niu Dali and Qiu Mingyue also paid a visit. Qiu Mingyue cradled a baby boy in her arms, the very Niu Zheng born half a year ago.
"Xiaole, you’re more steady than your brother!"
Niu Dali gave a thumbs up.
Qiu Mingyue glared at him fiercely before turning to look at Shi Xiaole, her eyes filled with an inexplicable meaning.
"What exactly happened?"
Shi Xiaole grew even more curious.
Qiu Mingyue said, "Master Villa Owner, you’ll know once you visit Miss Xi."
Upon arriving at Xi Xianglei’s courtyard, a burst of giggling filled Shi Xiaole’s ears, including the voices of Auntie Su Yanru and Xia Yunxi, and Xi Xianglei chimed in from time to time.
Shi Xiaole felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and his face changed instantly.
With his powerful spiritual strength, he immediately realized that Xi Xianglei’s belly was very big—she was pregnant!
Pregnant...
Was it that night?
A resonance and throbbing in his bloodline made Shi Xiaole’s emotions surge. Until now, he had never considered marriage or offspring. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, only that a martial artist’s life was far too long, and he still had much to accomplish.
But accidents always catch one off guard.
Shi Xiaole quietly left the courtyard, not yet sure how to face Xi Xianglei and Xia Yunxi.
Late at night.
Practicing swordsmanship by Jade Water Lake, Shi Xiaole suddenly paused, his expression becoming distant.
Could it be because he was to have an offspring that he noticed a subtle change in his state of mind? And it was this change that allowed his "Emotional Heaven and Earth Sword" to reach a perfected state.
At this moment, Shi Xiaole’s strength once again grew substantially, though how much stronger he had become, he could not yet be sure.
A flurry of hurried footsteps approached.
"Master Villa Owner, the Undying Ancestor seeks an audience," said Zhu Ling from behind.
Turning around, he saw her looking at him with a plaintive gaze. Shi Xiaole felt a tingling on his scalp and pretended to be unaware as he pondered the motives of the arrival of these martial experts.
"Have you discovered the Ancestral homeland of the Heavenly Aliens?"
In the elegant deliberation hall, Shi Xiaole sat at the head, his face unchanged, but inside he was deeply shaken.
"Indeed, the initial news came from the East Sea, where it was said to have been confirmed. Only a few top experts are aware of this matter now, and as leaders of Qingmo Organization, we must unite the experts of East Victory to eliminate those Heavenly Aliens!"
The Undying Ancestor spoke passionately.
The once-famous Qingmo Organization was secretly led by him and the Holy Heaven Scholar.
