Chapter 1276: Chapter 1274: The Great Victory (Third Update, for ’Moonlight and Snow-Breeze’)
The Heavenly Demon had once predicted that Shi Xiaole’s strength surpassed that of the Fake Sky Origin Realm giants in the secular sense, and even the Golden Wheel Great Ancestor from back in the day wouldn’t be able to withstand his ten swords.
It must be said, his judgment was indeed sharp, yet he still underestimated Shi Xiaole.
Under a full-powered attack, sparing no expense, Shi Xiaole merely used fewer than ten moves to defeat the Wansheng Madman, who was even stronger than the Golden Wheel Great Ancestor, and thereafter, killed him on the spot with unfathomably mysterious means.
One must realize that killing is not the same concept as defeating. At the level of the giants, being a notch stronger than an opponent would at most result in defeat, but to kill, one must be at least two notches stronger.
However, Shi Xiaole’s strength was not two notches stronger than the Wansheng Madman. It could only be said that his combat power was even more exaggerated than his own strength.
If others could exert a hundred percent of their strength, they would be immensely grateful, while he could exert two hundred percent.
Therefore, Shi Xiaole was not only a cultivation genius once in hundreds of thousands of years but also a combat genius once in hundreds of thousands, or even a million years.
Even as a comrade-in-arms, the Great Battles Emperor felt shivers down his spine and could hardly believe that such a person existed in the world, but what followed was boundless delight and excitement.
They won, Shi Xiaole won!
This fight, concerning the fate of East Victory’s world, finally had Heaven on their side.
"Elder Zhuang, I, Yue Lingxing, have never admired anyone in my life, but today, I must say the word ’admire’ to you, thank you so much!"
Yue Lingxing bowed deeply in the direction of Shi Xiaole, both in gratitude for saving his life and for saving the fate of the East Victory world.
"That’s what I am supposed to do."
Sheathing his sword, Shi Xiaole left the atmosphere, with the Great Battles Emperor quickly following, automatically staying a step behind.
Only a few hundred breaths had passed since the Wansheng Madman was killed, and the fighting in the pit continued but was clearly less tragic than before. Because everyone was concerned about the battle above the dome, knowing that was where the key lay.
At a certain moment.
Two figures appeared above, one after the other.
"All twelve Outer Heaven Demon giants have been slain; will you not surrender swiftly? Good always triumphs over evil; your Outer Heaven plots are doomed to never prevail!"
Amplified by the Vigorous Air, the voice of the Great Battles Emperor resonated in all directions.
"What, even the Wansheng Madman is dead?"
"Impossible, he is the foremost under the Supreme Lord, other than the Supreme Lord, who could defeat him, let alone kill him, it must be a ploy by the natives of East Victory to unravel us!"
Countless Outer Heaven warriors shouted, unwilling to believe what they heard.
The Great Battles Emperor gave a cold, long laugh, "Who is indeed the first under the Supreme Lord? Your East Victory madman couldn’t withstand even ten of the Elder Zhuang’s moves, and all twelve Outer Heaven giants have been slain by Elder Zhuang’s hand alone! What hope do you still hold?"
With a gesture, a contorted corpse fell into the hands of the Great Battles Emperor, who shouted, "See for yourselves, do you?"
"No!"
"He’s dead, the invincible East Victory madman is truly dead, killed by that swordsman..."
"It’s not possible, I don’t believe it..."
The bisected body, still recognizable as preeminent in life, bore a stubborn face now frozen with shock, seemingly unable to fathom his own death, just like the countless Outer Heaven warriors at this moment.
Crack, crack, crack.
As if something within their hearts had shattered, the fighting spirit of the Outer Heaven warriors weakened to rock bottom in an instant, their bodies chilled to the bone, their strength drained away.
Their deity, their faith had been killed, and could not even withstand ten moves. Could there really be such a terrifying swordsman in this world?
"Is that really Junior Brother Shi?"
A beautiful, blood-stained woman murmured to herself.
She was Mao Wenjing, once the third disciple of the Huajian Sect of Mountain Luyan, and one of the first people Shi Xiaole got to know after coming to this world.
"Former Junior Brother Shi was just a fairly noteworthy disciple of Mountain Luyan, whose fame and strength did not even compare to that of the four Young Masters, but now, he has reached the pinnacle of East Victory’s world, with no one matching him."
Xiao Yuanbo stood by her side. He was the second disciple of Huajian Sect, and remembering the scene when he first met Shi Xiaole, he couldn’t help feeling as if it were a dream.
Senior Brother Yuan Qiuwei laughed, "We’re lucky to have witnessed the very beginning of the rise of this myth of East Victory, and perhaps because of him, even the Huajian Sect and our names might become well-known by future generations."
This comment made the other two smile as well.
Indeed, compared to the countless beings who could only look up to Shi Xiaole, how lucky they felt to have fought side by side with him, to have walked a short part of the journey with him at the foot of the mountain, though it was very brief.
Some experiences are destined to be remembered for a lifetime.
"Zong Yue!"
The Saintess of the Ghost Lethal Sect, one of the top ten beauties in the world, Yun Chuoxi, had tears in her eyes.
Zong Yue was Shi Xiaole; it had long been an open secret of the Ghost Lethal Sect. There was a time when Yun Chuoxi was very angry, feeling that she had been toyed with, but now, her emotions were undoubtedly complex.
Aunt Mei pressed her lips together.
On the side, Xiao Jianyu, Mo Wan, Han Sen, and other Ghost Guards were even more emotionally turbulent.
Zong Yue was arrogantly limitless. It was really unimaginable that he and the youth in green robe, shining so brightly as to almost hurt one’s eyes, were the same person.
"Hahaha, you see, madam, my Brother Shi really isn’t dead, he’s not dead."
Niu Dali burst into laughter, hugging the barely conscious Qiu Mingyue in his arms tightly. Swords and blades of enemies surrounded them; just a moment ago, the couple was a hair’s breadth from stepping together into the Netherworld Gate.
Once again, Shi Xiaole’s arrival intimidated the enemy, just like back then when he descended like a divine soldier upon Xiyu Island.
Regaining some of his strength, Shi Xiaole drew the Cleansing Evil Sword and swung it twenty-eight times in rapid succession, sending countless heads soaring into the sky, including those of Sky Origin Realm Martial Emperors, Divine Barrier Realm Earth Immortals, Dragon Gate Realm Lords, and more.
His unmatched and terrifying strength caused even the most stubborn Outer Heaven warriors, whose resolve had crumbled, to feel a chill in their hearts. Seeing their cause was lost, they no longer harbored any delusions and turned to flee frantically toward the Overlapping Land.
"Kill!"
With a channel for their fury and hatred finally opened, the remaining East Victory warriors, led by figures like Che Renzhong, Spirit Ink Emperor, and Xuanyuan Di, pursued their fleeing enemies with all the strength they had. They slaughtered the Outer Heaven warriors in waves, shattering them utterly.
Shi Xiaole was even more efficient, his sword cutting down enemies from afar at a frightening pace. One swing from his blade could take the lives of hundreds, if not thousands, of Outer Heaven powerhouses, severely weakening their resistance and reducing the casualties among the East Victory warriors.
Despite the enormity of the pit, struggles persisted on the outer edges. But as news spread and throngs of Outer Heaven warriors fled, the tide of battle even at the edges began to turn.
The morale of the Outer Heaven side collapsed like a fallen mountain, with more and more turning to flee for their lives. As a result, the already tilted battle leaned even more towards East Victory’s favor.
After Shi Xiaole killed all the Sky Origin Realm Martial Emperors and most of the top-tier Earth Immortals, the main forces of the Outer Heaven Army were decimated, leaving them like lambs to the slaughter. They were routed entirely, suffering countless deaths and injuries.
Shi Xiaole did not take action again.
On one hand, he had used too much of his strength.
On the other hand, he could not possibly kill everyone; he could only try to eliminate the most threatening, leaving the majority to be exterminated by the other East Victory warriors.
As for casualties, after all, Shi Xiaole was not a savior and could not ensure that everyone would emerge unscathed. In a flash, he appeared in front of the Nine Profound Mountain people.
"Leader!"
The severely injured disciples of Nine Profound Mountain, unable to join the pursuit, looked at Shi Xiaole. Their eyes were no longer just filled with admiration; they were close to worship, brimming with a fervent adoration that came from the depths of their hearts.
Shi Xiaole first approached Niu Dali and his wife, activating his life-and-death martial arts and infusing a vast amount of life-giving aura into their bodies.
Niu Dali was gravely wounded and on the brink of death, while Qiu Mingyue was barely clinging to life. Without a miraculous cure, they would soon take their places in the underworld before the King of Hell.
In fact, if Shi Xiaole had been even a moment later, the two would have perished.
Fortunately, Shi Xiaole’s life-and-death martial arts were even more effective than any miraculous cure. After some treatment, he managed to pull the couple back from the brink. He instructed them to rest well before turning his attention to the others.
In the distance, Xia Yunxi smiled, as beautiful as a blooming begonia. Shi Xiaole walked up to her and took her hand, "You shouldn’t have come."
"I didn’t die, did I? From the brink of death back to life. Now I realize how wonderful it is to be alive. I think it was worth coming here," she said.
Xia Yunxi gripped Shi Xiaole’s hand more tightly, her eyes full of affection, "Go and heal the others first. My injuries are not serious."
Shi Xiaole nodded, and despite the Crown Sword Marquis’s refusals, healed his right arm and wounds. Then, he personally treated the severely injured experts and disciples of Nine Profound Mountain.
He was not aiming to fully restore them, merely to stabilize their conditions. They would heal over time by themselves. This way, he could work more efficiently, striving to save as many lives as possible.
Days and nights went by as he worked tirelessly.
By this time, all pursuing armies had returned, rejoicing over their sudden, overwhelming victory that made the entire battlefield surge with joy like the sea.
Perhaps when things quieted down, they would grieve for their lost friends and relatives. But for now, everyone was laughing, basking in the joy of winning a great battle.
This struggle had not only forged bonds of life and death among strangers, but it had also extinguished old feuds between enemies who had once harbored only shallow enmity. After fighting side by side time and again, they could no longer bring themselves to draw swords against each other.
All the survivors would not forget this experience.
...
Shi Xiaole could not save everyone, and he had his biases, inevitably choosing to help those close to him first. Yet even so, several rounds of treatments took nearly a month.
There were still countless people queuing, hoping for his aid.
Except for some critically hanging by a thread, Shi Xiaole refused the rest. He could not set such a precedent; otherwise, word would spread, and innumerable people would come to Nine Profound Mountain, and he would spend every day treating illnesses.
What others thought, Shi Xiaole did not care. He never considered himself a saint; he only provided support where he could, to the extent he could.
Whether others were grateful or resentful, what did it have to do with him?
"Leader, please save her," came a plea.
What surprised Shi Xiaole was Ci Xin Yao, the current lord of Pudu Peak, holding a beautiful woman who had obviously practiced demonic arts before him.
"Junior Sister shares an extraordinary connection with you. Please believe me, Leader, if you don’t save her, you will regret it one day," Ci Xin Yao said urgently, transmitting her voice, "Junior Sister’s daughter, Ren Mengzhen, recently gave birth to a child of prophecy, your very own bloodline."
What?
Shi Xiaole’s ears rang with the revelation.
Zhen Meng?
Ren Mengzhen, so that’s how it is. The third woman from that day was her!
Ren Xiaoxiao’s condition was worse than Qiu Mingyue’s; she was on the brink of death. Over the past month, she was barely kept alive by Ci Xin Yao’s daily infusion of vast amounts of martial strength.
After a moment’s hesitation, Shi Xiaole finally acted. Three days and nights later, Ren Xiaoxiao’s life was saved.
