Chapter 1253: Chapter 1251: The Prime Culprit?
The azure curved blade, like a wave on the surface of the sea, shimmered with specks of golden light under the sun. With a light swing, the void turned into an ocean made of blade qi.
There was a cacophony of crackling sounds.
For the first time, the invincible Shark Tooth Whip flew back in reverse, great force attached to the whip, reverberating violently through Great Battles Emperor’s right arm, causing it to go numb. Underneath the strain, a layer of blood soon oozed from the surface of his muscles.
"Divine Blade!"
Great Battles Emperor was utterly shocked.
What made a godly artifact truly divine was that it was naturally born and nourished, absorbing the essence of the sun and the moon. Such weapons were rare and beyond seeking.
Having lived for tens of thousands of years, traversing many secret realms of the Martial World and presiding over the Hundred Battles Tower, he had only glimpsed a godly artifact when the Shark Tooth Whip had appeared.
Strictly speaking, the Shark Tooth Whip was not his alone but belonged to the six legends of the South Sea collectively.
There was also the Witch God Moon-drawing Bow once used by Chi Evil Great Witch, which was the supreme godly artifact of the Witch God Palace. Since the three-way battle, it had long returned to its rightful owner. Even with Chi Evil Great Witch’s status, he could not obtain it again.
As for the masters of the Demon Blade and Flying Horse Emperor, it could only be said that they were incredibly lucky to not witness this operation. Weren’t both of these individuals not carrying their godly artifacts with them?
In fact, other leaders had thought about forcibly taking their godly artifacts, but it was no use.
Firstly, with the might of the godly artifacts, the leaders were not guaranteed to be able to kill the master of the Demon Blade or the Flying Horse Emperor.
Secondly, godly artifacts were sentient. Once they acknowledged a master, they could not be swayed to change allegiance. Killing the master of a godly artifact would only make the artifact flee thousands of miles away.
Unless you possessed the strength of the Sky Origin Realm.
So upon seeing Shi Xiaole take out the Divine Blade, how could the Great Battles Emperor not be shocked? And it was not just him; everyone present was dumbfounded.
Especially the swordsmen, their eyes turned red with envy. This was a Divine Blade, and it seemed, moreover, to not yet have recognized a master!
"Kill!"
With the Divine Blade in hand, the bald elder’s momentum was surging. A single slash seemed to vertically lift the sea surface into mid-air, causing a flickering of shimmering waves.
There were two thudding sounds!
The Sect Leader of the Demon Exorcism Sect and Wind Wave Ancestor screamed in agony as each was struck by the blade light, severing countless sinews, veins, and bones.
Despite having lost half his body, despite having no legs, how powerful was the bald elder? Before the Great Battles Emperor utilized the Shark Tooth Whip, the three of them could only fight to a standstill.
"You have a godly artifact, and this old man also has a godly artifact. Now let’s see whose methods are superior."
Moving laterally and nimbly, the bald elder unleashed a second slash, enveloping the Great Battles Emperor in it.
"Hundred Scrolls God-killing Bind!"
The Great Battles Emperor’s arms swelled, and the Shark Tooth Whip exploded into a long spear. As his wrist turned, the spear danced into countless shadows, furiously attacking the bald elder.
In the midst of a strange metallic tearing sound, eighty percent of the experts were left with bleeding ears, temporarily deafened.
Burst after burst of power erupted, sparking a level-ten tsunami. The islands within a million miles were like leaves in a storm, one by one swallowed and shattered.
Wangyou Island, protected by layer upon layer of Sky Origin Realm Array Systems, narrowly survived in the midst of the tempest, but cracks appeared on the surface of the array system.
At the eye of the storm, a figure flew backward, forcibly retreating hundreds of thousands of miles, leaving behind a distinct trail of blood—a path. If not the Great Battles Emperor, who else could it be?
The nominal number one figure of the East Victory realm at this moment had his hair disheveled and his body covered in blood, his features nearly indistinguishable. A six-inch deep wound nearly bisected him.
On the other side, the bald elder was in a similar plight. He had sustained grave injuries before obtaining the Divine Blade. If it weren’t for his exceptional martial skills, how could he have held on until now?
"Shi Xiaole, remember, you’re the sinner of the entire East Victory realm and will be reviled for all eternity!"
Assessing the situation, the Great Battles Emperor bellowed with rage and fled without looking back.
His powers were greatly depleted, and killing the bald elder was out of the question. Continuing the fight could potentially lead to his own death instead. And all this was thanks to Shi Xiaole.
Without him, the bald elder could never have obtained the Divine Blade. Without the Divine Blade, defeating or even killing the opponent was just a matter of time.
At that time, all the remaining Heavenly Aliens would be killed at his pleasure.
It was maddening, so close to success!
"Let’s go!"
Chi Evil Great Witch also looked grim. Perhaps the bald elder wouldn’t last much longer, but if he stayed, he would definitely become the elder’s target.
The very trap set to catch all the elites of the East Victory realm had failed, all because of the addition of one person.
Shi Xiaole.
Even with Chi Evil Great Witch’s temperament, he felt some fear. He would not forget that he had once overseen an assassination attempt on Shi Xiaole and believed that it would take the latter a thousand years to become a threat to him.
And now? It had only been a few years, and the other party was already suppressing the likes of Xuanyuan Di. Could the distance from himself be far off?
No, something must be done to eradicate the threat once and for all!
With the two leaders gone, the scene became headless, and fearing the bald elder, the remaining leaders also dared not stay long and fled faster than the others.
"Black White Master, why did you harm Shi Xuanzhong?"
Having repelled Xuanyuan Lang with a sword, Shi Xiaole turned to Black White Master. Despite the latter’s good cover, Shi Xiaole still caught a fleeting look of panic in his eyes.
"This old man doesn’t understand what you’re talking about."
Black White Master shouted coldly, proclaiming, "Shi, it’s you who single-handedly saved these Heavenly Aliens, you who gambled with the safety of the East Victory realm. If anything goes wrong later, you are the arch-criminal, deserving of a thousand cuts! You will face retribution, certainly!"
With his halberd in motion, Black White Master didn’t bother to tangle any further and turned to leave. As for Xuanyuan Lang, he had chosen to escape earlier on.
With the major leaders gone, who among those remaining would dare to linger? They ran faster than if they could fly.
In no time, the clouds over the sea dispersed, and the oppressiveness that had weighed on the hearts of the Nine Heavenly Aliens vanished along with them.
The brilliant sunshine illuminated much of the sea, reflecting in the sky and dazzling people to the point where they could hardly open their eyes, just like the hearts of the people from beyond this world, finally breaking through the clouds to see the sun.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh.
Gazes fell upon the bald elder and Shi Xiaole; their narrow escape from death could be entirely attributed to these two.
"Bald Grandpa, are you all right?"
"Elder Meng, thank you for your hard work."
"Shi family elder brother, thank you for saving our lives."
With the Array System deactivated, Shi Xiaole and his companions landed on Wangyou Island and were immediately surrounded by people, their eyes filled with undisguised gratitude and closeness.
"Elder."
Shi Xiaole placed a palm on the bald elder, silently channeling the martial arts of life and death.
The other’s injuries were severe but still within a bearable range. With daily nurturing by the breath of life, he believed it would take no more than a month for a full recovery.
The bald elder handed back the Divine Blade, and Shi Xiaole declined, "I am not a swordsman; it is more useful in elder’s hands."
As these words were spoken, the way the people from beyond looked at him changed again.
"Very well, I shall hold onto it for you for the time being."
The bald elder looked melancholic, caressing the azure curved blade as if in remembrance of something.
However, the expressions on the faces of the Meng and Shi clans’ people were very complex, looking at Shi Xiaole with hesitancy gleaming in their eyes. They realized that their blood connection with Shi Xiaole seemed to have disappeared.
Meng Chou and Shi Fu appeared to guess the thoughts of the crowd, exchanged a glance, and Meng Chou spoke loudly, "Quiet down, I have three things to say. First, Shi Xiaole is neither a person of our Shi clan nor of the bloodline from beyond this world."
Cries of shock rose in unison.
The faces of the people from Meng and Shi clans turned pale, as did the other seven clans.
After all, following this battle, nearly all the young people had come to see Shi Xiaole as their idol and pride. His presence had given them the courage to face a world of enemies and walk through storms unafraid.
Hearing this news now was a staggering blow, pulling away their spiritual support.
"Impossible, how could Xiaole not be of the Shi clan? The Ancestral Altar couldn’t have been wrong!"
Shi Xiaoba exclaimed loudly.
Meng Chou remained silent; when he first heard this from the bald elder, he too had been unable to accept it.
"I will explain the specifics later. The second point I want to make is that although Shi Xiaole is not a Shi clansman, he has deep roots with the Shi clan, he is a true friend of our clan. After today’s events, do you still hold any doubts toward Young Hero Shi?"
Subconsciously, the crowd shook their heads.
What a joke, to save them, Shi Xiaole risked his life, standing on the opposite side of the East Victory world, branded a traitor and criminal, and even gave away a divine artifact without hesitation.
Without him, they all would have been doomed. How could such a lifesaving grace be negated by racial prejudice?
"Third, everyone, the forces that betrayed us in former years, stabbing us in the back, have mostly been purged cleanly these past years. I want to ask, what are your plans moving forward?"
Meng Chou’s words plunged the crowd into silence.
The great vengeance had been avenged, the grievances with the people from beyond no longer seemed as etched in their bones. From their perspective, they were the traitors, and both sides fighting to the death was no surprise.
"We have no place in the world beyond, and most of the East Victory people also regard us with enmity; why not find a place to live in seclusion, away from worldly affairs?"
An elder suggested.
The crowd was silent.
They had lived in the East Victory world for generations, and had no particular longing for the lands beyond.
As the elder had said, since the world had rejected them, why not find a peaceful and undisturbed place to quietly live the life they desired?
"That’s right, Uncle Liu is correct!"
"We were bound by revenge for generations, now that all the hatred is resolved, it’s time to retire from the Martial World."
"Peaceful days without burdens, how I long for them."
Looking at everyone’s faces, Shi Xiaole wanted to persuade them to unite against the invasion from beyond, but after a moment’s thought, he withheld his words.
Because he knew that even if he spoke out, most would likely refuse.
The behaviors of some from East Victory in the past had left the nine tribes utterly disheartened. Moreover, given the current situation, many in East Victory still saw them as thorns in their side; how could he be so selfish?
"Uncle Meng, have you decided?"
Shi Xiaole asked.
Meng Chou looked deeply at Shi Xiaole and said, "If not for the leak of the ancestral lands this time, the clan leaders and I had also planned to do so."
"Xiaole, and all the high-ranking experts of East Victory present, you are our benefactors. Remember, if you ever have any requests in the future, even if it costs us our last drop of blood, we will fulfill them for you. Our ten tribes have always been clear about debts of gratitude."
The others echoed one after another.
Shi Xiaole sighed inwardly; perhaps for the ten tribes, this was indeed the best outcome.
The group began their departure.
Shi Xiaole accompanied them for a while, treating the bald elder’s wounds for a month until he was fully healed, and his condition returned to its peak.
During this time, he also shared drinks and conversations with Shi Xiaoba, Meng Xiaoliu, and others.
The issue of identity had troubled the Meng and Shi clans for a while, but after that period, perhaps due to the bald elder’s own explanations, everyone had regained their closeness.
Finally, Shi Xiaole also decided to leave; before departing, he learned from Meng Chou where the ten tribes had decided to retire.
