Chapter 1274: Chapter 1272: Evil Cannot Overcome Righteousness
"Heavens, why are you so cruel to us, East Victory!"
"Since ancient times, it’s been said that evil cannot overcome righteousness—could that all be false? Why can invaders act so wantonly? Just as it was sixteen thousand years ago, so it persists today. Where is the Path? Where is East Victory’s way out?"
"All our struggles end in vain. What meaning does our sacrifice hold in the end?"
Countless people wailed in agony, desperately and powerlessly resisting the catastrophe before them.
Even though they knew the likely outcome, in the hearts of both the fallen and the surviving warriors lurked an unspoken hope they couldn’t help anticipating.
Perhaps, just perhaps, East Victory was still harboring an unparalleled expert powerful enough to turn the tide of battle. In our most desperate hour, they would arrive on the battlefield to reverse the calamity.
Until this moment, the cold reality slapped everyone awake.
What unparalleled expert?
At least sixteen thousand years ago, East Victory had the Holy Monarch, and there were legendary heroes. But now, there was no such peerless figure, no one to lead them with the capability to swallow rivers and eclipse all others.
What does the future hold?
The people were too exhausted to think; they had done all they could.
With a clear conscience!
...
"Not good."
In the sky, a figure flew swiftly, covering hundreds of thousands of meters in the blink of an eye.
The moment he regained his strength, Shi Xiaole hurried non-stop towards the giant pit, but the closer he got, the more uneasy he felt. In theory, with the addition of Xuanyuan Lang and the other seven, East Victory should have been able to turn the situation around.
Unless, had another Outer Heaven Giant crossed over?
But if there really was such an expert, why didn’t the beings from the outer realms deploy them from the beginning?
The ominous premonition grew stronger, and Shi Xiaole entered the desert. Although the entrance to the giant pit was millions of meters away from him, for Shi Xiaole, it was only a matter of several breaths.
...
"Die!"
With the overall situation seemingly decided, the Blood Sea Blade Emperor flew into a rage when one of their giants was dragged away by the opponent. He let out a thunderous shout, and under the gaze of countless eyes, he channeled his power into the Divine Blade and slashed heavily towards the Great Battles Emperor.
The blade’s light stretched ten thousand meters long. As the edge came down silently, a shockingly smooth ravine appeared in the pit, extending from under the Blood Sea Blade Emperor’s feet to tens of thousands of meters away.
An infinite Sword Qi burst forth from the ravine, like an apocalyptic storm, shredding all nearby corpses and charging toward the masters on both sides.
And that was merely the residual force of the blade’s light. The main force of the strike, like lightning and thunder, struck with incomprehensible speed towards the Great Battles Emperor, vowing to end this first man of East Victory.
At this moment, the Great Battles Emperor was utterly without recourse, unable to swing not just the Shark Tooth Whip but even the Great Battles Whip. And learning from what had transpired before, the three Outer Heaven Giants that entangled him had retreated far away, vigilant against his self-destruction.
"So this is to be my end."
The Great Battles Emperor did not dodge.
Strength and conviction were fading from him. Despite the unwillingness and pain in his heart, he was powerless to change the situation.
This leading figure of the South Sea, also the openly acknowledged foremost figure of the East Victory world, suddenly closed his eyes, and tears trickled down from his eyes.
The actions of numerous East Victory warriors slowed for a moment as if a force in the dark had led them to abandon resistance. The despairing strike not only severed the life of the Great Battles Emperor but also cut down the last bastion and symbol of the East Victory world.
The true disaster of world’s end!
Time seemed to freeze at this moment.
Nothing else was visible; darkness shrouded the hearts of all.
Whoosh!
In an instant, it seemed as though someone saw a light—a light not very intense, but extremely fast. Unnoticed, it had stretched across the horizon, cleaving the sky in two, piercing the gloom in everyone’s hearts as well.
The sunlight poured down.
Clang!
Amid the earth-shaking sound of metal clashing, the deadly blade suddenly froze mid-descent. Countless sparks like the scythe of the Grim Reaper burst between heaven and earth, piercing vast stretches of land and the void.
After a brief pause, the blade’s light continued downwards but had deviated from its original path. It struck a blood sea and mountains, causing a Heavenly Collapse and Earth Shattering upheaval. Rocks mixed with blood flew chaotically, yet there were no casualties.
The limitless Sword Qi that surged from the ravine was now covered by an even more powerful Sword Qi. Amid the hissing sound, countless beings from the outer realms perished, while the warriors of East Victory remained unharmed.
Despite the overwhelming noise and earth-shaking tumult, everyone felt a strange silence descend upon the pit, as if something miraculous had just occurred.
Maybe it was a moment; maybe it was an eternity. After numbness and daze, gazes shifted together, all turning towards the sky, towards the intact figure of the Great Battles Emperor.
And then.
The people saw the young man standing in front of the Great Battles Emperor.
In his clean, unsullied blue robe, with a touch of grey at his temples, a long sword hanging at his waist, his figure was tall and upright. His face bore a rare handsomeness that was seldom found in the world, and just by standing there, he seemed to radiate light, becoming the center of the entire heaven and earth.
This temperament, this grace, in the whole East Victory world, only one person possessed it.
"Estate Master!"
"Shi Xiaole!"
"He’s not dead, it turns out Swordsman Shi really didn’t die!"
Some were astonished, others delighted, a few screamed, but after the initial excitement, most people still felt a sense of helplessness.
Even if Shi Xiaole had returned, what could he do? He was strong, but his power alone was absolutely unable to change the tide of today’s battle; it would just mean another precious life was added to the fray.
Only a handful of people had their hearts and eyes filled with a certain doubt and the burgeoning light that followed, which they desperately tried to suppress.
Who had saved the Great Battles Emperor just now, and who had saved the martial artists from East Victory who were destined to die?
Could it be... no, it couldn’t be... Even if Shi Xiaole could rival Wansheng Madman, there was no way he could turn around today’s dire situation, and in just a few short months, how could Shi Xiaole possibly match up to Wansheng Madman?
"You actually didn’t die?"
Blood Sea Blade Emperor’s eyes widened in disbelief.
There were also the Ice Polar Sword Emperor, Nine Peaks Axe Emperor, and other giants who were part of the contingent that attacked Shi Xiaole, all of whom had their pupils contract. Not to mention his injuries, how had he walked out of Soul Losing Hill?
Could it be that the East Victory traitor contacted by the Nine Heavens Ancestor had failed in their mission, and that a Supreme Lord of East Victory had sent Shi Xiaole out? Yes, it must be so.
"If you didn’t die, how could I possibly die?"
Shi Xiaole looked at the Blood Sea Blade Emperor.
"The fact that you survived last time was due to your immense luck. I never imagined you would come here seeking death once more. This time, not even all the gods and buddhas can save you. I will storm into the world of East Victory right in front of you, and kill everyone till it’s clean, thoroughly conquering it," said the Blood Sea Blade Emperor with a hideous laugh.
His words, like a demonic chant, made every warrior from East Victory’s eyes turn red with rage, yet they were powerless to refute. The joy brought by Shi Xiaole’s arrival was utterly nullified, leaving only an icy chill through their bodies.
"Take my strike, Blood Sea Reincarnation Slash!"
The Blood Sea Blade Emperor had used only seventy percent of his strength in his previous strike, but now he summoned all of his power. His blade’s glow, bolstered by the Divine Blade, turned into a bloody red color, resembling a huge shard of blood-red crystal, beautiful yet filled with boundless killing intent, as he viciously slashed at Shi Xiaole.
"Great leader!"
The Great Battles Emperor deeply felt the terror of this strike.
What startled him even more was that Shi Xiaole did not attempt to dodge.
With his right hand gripping the Cleansing Evil Sword, this talented swordsman, who had amazed the entire world of East Victory, faced the light of the Divine Blade and drew his sword as though slowly yet rapidly.
When the sword left the sheath, the overwhelming Sword Qi was like the great Yangtze River, surging unrestrainedly, bursting forth like water through a floodgate.
At three inches unsheathed, the void itself began to make a whooshing impact sound. A foot unsheathed unleashed a fury greater than a storm at sea, still accumulating power, as dark clouds gathered in the sky and lightning crackled, twining like numerous giant serpents.
At a full three feet unsheathed, the entire heaven and earth became filled with Sword Qi, as if countless versions of him were wielding their swords.
Centred around Shi Xiaole, within hundreds of thousands of meters, warriors from beyond the heavens who were below the Void Origin Realm had their heads severed from their bodies. Even those who had reached the Void Origin Realm felt unbearable stinging pain and had to divert most of their power to resist, looking up at the swordsman in the sky with eyes full of shock.
And this was merely the Sword Qi.
Boom!!
Shi Xiaole launched his attack, a strike that seemed to come from time immemorial, cleaving heaven and earth, illuminating darkness, tearing through everything it encountered, unstoppable, invincible.
Clang...
Between the collision of blade and sword, ripples spread outwards while the sky turned pitch black in an instant, as if the void was an immense sheet of glass. Glass shards scattered across the sky, shredding the Blood Sea Blade Emperor beyond recognition, his screams of agony startling in all directions.
Shi Xiaole was forced back by the force, bleeding from his arms, but as the glass shards approached him, they were immediately affected by an invisible Sword Realm and began to revolve slowly around him.
As Shi Xiaole’s second sword strike came down, countless glass shards shot out. On the ground, an unknown number of warriors from beyond the heavens were pierced into sieves, falling like wheat waves in a field, continuing as far as the eye could see.
With two strikes, the Blood Sea Blade Emperor, along with his Divine Blade, was utterly defeated, and countless warriors from beyond the heavens were killed.
"Ah?"
The Great Battles Emperor was astounded.
Che Renzhong, Spirit Ink Emperor were astounded.
The giants from beyond the heavens were astounded.
Everyone present was in shock, staring at the scene in disbelief, as if caught in a dream.
"I knew it, you Shi Xiaole wouldn’t die. The man who defeated me fair and square, even the King of Hell would not dare to take him,"
Xuanyuan Di laughed heartily toward the sky.
"Since ancient times, evil has never overcome righteousness. With the united hearts of everyone in East Victory, with every civilian as a soldier, any aggressor who dares to reach out one inch will have their hand cut off, step one foot forward and their foot will be cut off, step one zhang into our domain and their body will be cut down!"
Shi Xiaole pronounced each word resonantly, ringing like countless swords. Under the impulse of the martial path of life and death, the wounds on his arms healed instantly, and he rapidly swung the Cleansing Evil Sword forward ten times.
Puff puff puff puff puff...
The Blood Sea Blade Emperor, Ice Polar Sword Emperor, Nine Peaks Axe Emperor, and seven other giants from the outer heavens, without even a chance to resist, blew up in the air, leaving no trace of their bodies.
"Hmph!"
The Wansheng Madman vibrated his right fist, shattering the Sword Qi, and his eyes burst with unprecedented fighting will and cruelty, speaking coldly, "So you are the strongest under the Supreme Lord of this world, interesting. Fight me!"
With hair wildly dancing, the Wansheng Madman’s aura shot up to a whole new level. As he took a step forward, the heavens and earth seemed to reverse, showing the full extent of his power.
