Chapter 1254: Chapter 1252: The Son of Shi Xiaole (Part 1)
When Shi Xiaole returned to Nine Heavens Mountain, his feats of overpowering Xuanyuan Lang and wounding the Black White Master had already spread far and wide, stirring up a commotion throughout the land.
The world was once again shaken by Shi Xiaole.
It was this battle that added another brilliant stroke to his short yet legendary life in the Martial World.
The Martial World publication even made an exception for him by releasing a new issue ahead of schedule, changing the front-page ranking of the sixteen giants to seventeen giants.
For a while, Shi Xiaole’s fame reached an unprecedented peak.
However, following that, the causes and consequences of that battle were disclosed one by one by the Martial World publication, including how the East Victory world had gathered masters, made preparations, attacked the Outer Heaven Demons, and how they were eventually stopped by Shi Xiaole — every detail was revealed as if witnessed firsthand.
The common people of the world were in an uproar.
Upon learning the inside story, some immediately cursed, "Is something wrong with this Shi Xiaole? What is he thinking? Does he not know that those not of our kind, surely have a different heart?"
"Of course he knows, but he’s willing to gamble the safety of the entire East Victory world for the sake of his own reputation. Ridiculous! I had praised him so much before. From now on, I don’t want to know anything about him."
"Is this bastard brain-damaged? Or is he an Outer Heaven Demon, a spy planted among us?"
"If that’s truly the case, I would rather he had been killed by Xuanyuan Lang and the Black White Master!"
There’s a saying about being ’all the rage’, but for Shi Xiaole, he had gone from being acclaimed to infamous; upon these revelations, countless people tore apart their copies of the Martial World publication, cursing him vehemently.
With the fall of one, naturally emerges the platform for another.
"Was Shi Xiaole wrong? Indeed, it was some beasts of East Victory who were unkind first, who were ungrateful. What he did was exactly the way of chivalry and righteousness!"
"Everyone talks about being heroic and righteous, heh, how many can actually do it? Now someone has done it, yet they are cursed so fiercely."
"Why were the discovered Outer Heaven Demons just nine in number? Don’t you think it’s a conspiracy?"
In taverns, inns, teahouses, and even in brothels, one could always hear people arguing over this matter, some even coming to blows. Opinions about Shi Xiaole had become completely polarized.
The entire world was in an uproar.
...
Overlapping Land.
Nine Heavens Palace.
"This bastard!"
The Nine Heavens Ancestor flew into a rage upon receiving the news. Their plan to set a tiger against a wolf had been proceeding perfectly, and it was nearly successful.
Little did they expect that Shi Xiaole would ruin it all!
What angered the Nine Heavens Ancestor the most was the report from his subordinates that Shi Xiaole had used a sword technique that involved projecting his spirit. Wasn’t it exactly the same as the one who helped the Demon Ruler?
Could it be that both times, it was this kid who foiled their plots?
"The last time I searched for the Ancestral Altar, I exhausted a tremendous amount of soul power, which needs to be slowly recovered. Once I have recuperated, Shi Xiaole, I swear I will personally take your wretched life!"
...
Miaojiang.
All five Great Witches were living in constant anxiety; they could no longer afford to give Shi Xiaole time to grow, or else everyone would live in his shadow.
Especially the five of them who had participated in the assassination plot. Knowing Shi Xiaole’s vengeful nature, they were certain that once he felt confident enough, he would surely penetrate deep into Miaojiang to settle scores with them.
"Chi Evil Great Witch, do you have a solution?"
Ghost Blade Great Witch asked anxiously. With each passing day wasted, he felt increasingly uneasy.
Shi Xiaole was just too terrifying; while others might not progress in hundreds or thousands of years, he changed with each passing year, breaking through more effortlessly than lesser martial artists, leaving no room for others to survive.
"The best course of action is to strike first! Tell me, if we combined forces with the six from the South Sea, could the eleven of us together take him down on Nine Heavens Mountain?"
The Chi Evil Great Witch spoke coldly.
"I fear it would be very difficult."
The Demon Spider Old Man, who had once repaid a debt of gratitude to the Heavenly Destiny Divine Fortune Teller by stealing the Fate stone for Shi Xiaole, shook his head, saying, "I’ve heard the Nine Heavens Grand Formation was obtained from a highly skilled individual by Shi Xiaole, and it’s extremely profound."
"If we cannot break it in one strike, and we manage to surround Shi Xiaole, only to have him escape through a secret tunnel, even if we kill everyone on Nine Heavens Mountain it would be pointless. It would only deepen our enmity and be counterproductive."
Uttering this, even the Demon Spider Old Man found his words unbelievable.
When had he ever had to consider the pros and cons, weighing the possibilities of success or failure? If someone was disobedient or displeasing to the eye, they would be dealt with at his whim.
Even facing the other giants, such as the Great Battles Emperor, at most he would be a bit wary. After all, although the emperor was stronger than him, he certainly couldn’t kill him.
But when it came to Shi Xiaole, it wasn’t just wariness the five Great Witches felt—it was fear!
From that young man, they sensed a terrifying potential. Who would become the first Sky Origin Realm Supreme Lord in sixteen thousand years?
No one dared to be certain in the past, but now, deep down, all five had an unwelcome name in mind.
"Damn it, uncatchable and unkillable, we might as well all hide away!"
Ghost Blade Great Witch fumed with pent-up frustration.
But as soon as these words left his mouth, Poison Flower Great Witch’s eyes lit up.
Facing a situation beyond their control, she had no notion of yielding disgracefully. What was losing face compared to life itself? Besides, how would outsiders know if she was taking refuge or going on an adventure somewhere?
Apart from Poison Flower Great Witch, the other witches, including even Chi Evil Great Witch, each had their own diverging thoughts, though, of course, they kept them to themselves.
After the inconclusive discussion, the five Great Witches returned to their respective dwellings. For a long while, there were no signs of them in Miaojiang.
As for Black Abyss Elder and Scorpion Lady, they had acted even earlier. As soon as they returned to Miaojiang, they ventured out alone, and nobody knew where they had gone.
...
Nine Profound Mountain, Divine Sword Villa.
Shi Xiaole did not know the situation outside, but he could guess a bit, however, he didn’t care—it was just vain fame after all. As long as one’s actions did not betray one’s conscience, that was enough.
"Thankfully, there’s the Fate Stone and the spiritual herbs."
Inside the master of the villa’s training chamber, Shi Xiaole sat cross-legged. To his left was the Fate Stone, and to his right were the Spiritual Origins Grass and the Awakening Divine Pill.
The Awakening Divine Pill, obtained in East Victory, had miraculous effects on spiritual recovery. This time, after his confrontation with Xuanyuan Lang and the Black White Master, his spirit had suffered severe damage. Under normal circumstances, it would take several months to heal fully.
But after consuming the Spiritual Origins Grass and the Awakening Divine Pill, in just three days, his spiritual power had returned to its peak state.
"My cultivation has reached a temporary halt, now I can fully focus on refining my spirit."
Spiritual power had always been Shi Xiaole’s advantage, and to break through to the Sky Origin Realm, refining spiritual power was an indispensable step. Next, he planned to concentrate on cultivating his spiritual power.
Once the refinement was complete, with his quality of spirit, he would absolutely crush any heavyweights.
Picking up the Fate Stone, Shi Xiaole quickly entered the state of serene clarity.
More than a month whisked by.
Shi Xiaole’s degree of spiritual refinement had reached sixty-three percent, a tremendously fast pace. But he could clearly feel that the spiritual energy within the Fate Stone had diminished by more than half and probably wasn’t enough to support him through the completion of his refinement.
This was quite different from the situation with other heavyweights.
"Could it be that because my spiritual quality is so high, the refinement also consumes more?"
Shi Xiaole pondered.
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps sounded.
His training chamber was of utmost importance, and only a few people such as Zhu Ling were allowed to enter, but even they would not come in unless there was an extremely urgent matter.
"Great Villa Master!"
Behind the stone door, Zhu Ling’s voice came through, panting for breath.
"What is it?"
With a thought from Shi Xiaole, the stone doors swung open to either side.
Zhu Ling’s pretty face was flushed as she glared at Shi Xiaole and said, "How can you still be in the mood for training? Miss Xi is about to give birth!"
What?
Shi Xiaole’s head thundered as he finally registered the fact. The last time he returned, Xi Xianglei had been eight months pregnant; counting the time, she was due to give birth right about now.
He hadn’t even realized it.
In the small courtyard.
Apart from those who were out, all the high-level members of Nine Profound Mountain were present, including Qu Wuyan, Lei Jiaxin, the overseers; Gui Zhihang, Mu Ling, the villa masters; and core members like the pair of swordsmen, Niu Dali, and the Ai siblings.
As for Su Yanru and Xia Yunxi, they were inside the birthing room.
Seeing Shi Xiaole arrive, the whole group crowded around him.
"Great Villa Master, I understand you’re under great pressure and diligently training, but you shouldn’t neglect such a major event," said Qiu Mingyue, holding Niu Zheng, in a tone neither light nor heavy.
She had always held Shi Xiaole in high regard, but this time she couldn’t hold back. She herself had struggled alone with her elder daughter, Qiu Rou, and knew full well the fragility and difficulty of a woman’s situation.
Shi Xiaole gave a wry smile and asked, "How is it now?"
"It’s been over half a day since it started, and considering Miss Xi’s martial skills, the birth should have been easy," said the respondent, a beautiful woman who was Qu Wuyan’s subordinate Rong Shu, and also Yang Feng’s lover. The two had pledged their love in the Pleasure Valley but had yet to marry.
Several cries of alarm came from within the birthing room.
The faces of everyone changed, but considering it was Xi Xianglei inside, it wasn’t appropriate to probe with spiritual powers.
With a flash, Shi Xiaole entered the birthing room.
"Oh my, how can a man enter there!"
Qiu Mingyue was so anxious that she started stamping her feet.
In the customs of East Victory Continent, men entering the birthing room was considered to attract bad luck. Of course, for the people of the Martial World, such a rule could be ignored, but with a woman giving birth, wouldn’t it be shameful for a man to intrude?
Indeed, more loud shouts erupted from the room.
On the bed, Xi Xianglei was covered in sweat, her face pale and even her breath weak. This sight left the midwife so flustered that she couldn’t pay attention to Shi Xiaole.
Su Yanru and Xia Yunxi were also too anxious to know what to do.
Seeing this, Shi Xiaole, without a word, quickly channeled a vast amount of life essence into Xi Xianglei’s body. Soon after, her breathing became steady, and her complexion gained a slight flush.
"Tell me, how can I save you?" Shi Xiaole demanded urgently.
The baby inside Xi Xianglei was like an unfathomable whirlpool, absorbing life essence at a rate even faster than Shi Xiaole was supplying.
If this continued, Xi Xianglei was sure to die.
Looking at the woman’s reddened eyes and weary expression, Shi Xiaole’s heart ached.
Xi Xianglei made an effort to open her eyes, looked at Shi Xiaole, and slowly shook her head, revealing a tragic smile. "I’ve said it before, the Witch Queen wants to condense the Supreme Witch Soul, nobody can save me, there’s no need to waste your energy."
