Chapter 1281: Chapter 1279: Father and Son
What happened?
The people from beyond the heavens didn’t have time to think before they were already reporting to Yanwang, while everyone on Heavenly Snow Mountain was utterly bewildered.
They were still arguing about whether to go or stay, to defend their reputation or save their lives, but a streak of sword light passed by, rendering the debate meaningless.
If all the enemies are dead, what’s there to argue about?
"Who was it?"
Ding Xuefu’s face was filled with shock as she looked around.
Among those besieging Heavenly Snow Mountain, there were at least six Forbidden Martial Emperors and hundreds of cultivators from the Void Origin Realm, a force powerful enough to easily obliterate Heavenly Snow Mountain and, in any other place, bring utter destruction.
Yet the one who came did not even show themselves; judging from that sword strike alone, it was launched from a great distance, effortlessly wiping out everyone.
It was nothing short of a miracle!
"I think I know who it was. Who else could it be but that person?"
Leng Donglai suddenly said, a complex smile forming at the corner of his mouth.
The others, sooner or later, almost instantly understood.
Indeed, even giants couldn’t effortlessly kill everyone from such a distance, unless that person took action, and being a swordsman, the answer was not hard to guess.
"Nephew."
The Flying Snow Sword Emperor looked up at the snowy sky, as if recalling something.
In the high skies, Shi Xiaole sped forward rapidly, quickly leaving the great snowy mountain behind him.
It wasn’t that he was intentionally aloof, disdaining to meet with the experts of Heavenly Snow Mountain; it was just that time was of the essence, and he needed to rush to the next location every second to save more lives.
Full-speed ahead, Shi Xiaole was like a streak of light, occasionally using the Ancestral Altar of the outsiders to travel through the void, easily traversing north and south across great rivers.
One place after another.
That day, many people in the East Victory world claimed to have seen a streak of azure sword light cutting across heaven and earth, gracefully brushing past to ultimately fade into the invisible.
Countless people who were being slaughtered and on the brink of death will never forget that day.
The sword light came from afar, in an instant reaching the ends of the earth, as if it could split open the heavens and annihilate anything in the world. Under this sword, those bloodthirsty and brutal Outer Heaven Demons, with their boundless powers, suddenly burst like bubbles, their spirits utterly extinguished.
"It’s Lord Sword Emperor! Only Lord Sword Emperor possesses such divine prowess in this world; it must have been his display of might!"
"Thank you, Lord Sword Emperor, for your life-saving grace!"
The cultivators cried out excitedly, kneeling in the direction where the sword light vanished. The common folk, even more so, were streaming tears, knocking their foreheads to the ground with utmost sincerity.
There was no Sword Emperor in the world, nor was anyone entitled to that name. But in the eyes of these people, Shi Xiaole was the Sword Emperor; he had saved their lives.
Even though, in the world of the Sword Emperor, he might never know of their existence.
Using the void channels of the Ancestral Altar, Shi Xiaole traveled across the East Victory world in one day, exterminating wave after wave of marauding outsiders and leaving behind an epic saga that echoed throughout the land of Shen Zhou.
Before Hero Mountain.
No fewer than nine Outer Heaven Giants, leading thousands of outsiders, were desperately attacking the mountain’s Array System.
For the outsiders, no place was more disgraceful than here. What Hero Mountain? It was clearly a mountain infamous for stepping on the bones of their kin to gain renown; everyone here deserved to die!
"Hurry up! The East Victory fools will soon arrive. We must destroy this mountain before they come, then we’ll massacre the city and kill all those ignorant trash. Years from now, the holy war will remember us!"
One of the giants bellowed coldly, attacking the front furiously.
With the emergence of ancient texts, the expertise of today’s Array System masters had also improved. Hence, on the day Hero Mountain was established, many Array System masters contributed their skills to set up layer upon layer of arrays outside the mountain.
Upon hearing the giant’s words, all the outsiders could barely contain their excitement. The thought of destroying the mountain and witnessing the furious yet powerless expressions of the East Victory fools thrilled them, and they exerted every effort.
In silence, a figure in blue appeared among the clouds; this was Shi Xiaole’s last stop.
The Cleansing Evil Sword was raised high, and the Vigorous Air surged like the sea through his meridians. Shi Xiaole pushed his powers to the limit and struck downward with his sword.
Schlitz!
Heaven and earth split apart.
The azure-black sword light was boundless, as if many sword edges had combined into one massive strike, carrying an indescribable sharpness that assailed the outsiders below, dyeing the sky an expanse of azure-black.
"No good, retreat!"
"We are under attack!"
Giant as they were, the nine figures were the first to shout and rush away. But the reaction of the rest was undeniably slow; by the time they thought to retreat, they were already engulfed by the sword light.
Pupupupu...
There was no cloud of blood; countless outsiders were simply ground into the air, with more than half dying instantaneously.
The sword’s momentum didn’t stop; in the wide eyes of the nine giants, it suddenly split into nine, firing from different directions at them, too fast for their spirits to even sense.
Sounds of agony echoed through the skies.
"Is this, people from Outer Heaven? They are indeed at Hero Mountain, moving fast!"
Group after group of masters from East Victory rushed over, some having heard the intelligence, others sensing the nearby commotion. However, they did not dare show themselves directly, because the battle ahead was too fierce.
After one sword strike, without pause, Shi Xiaole swung out the second sword, the sword light was severe.
Without any suspense, the remaining half of the Outer Heaven people shattered one by one, dying without having a chance to fight back.
And for those nine Outer Heaven Giants, the situation was not much better. After withstanding two sword strikes, three died instantly, five were severely wounded, and one, spitting blood and retreating, had a terrified expression on his face and fled for his life as if he wished he had more pairs of wings from his parents.
Too strong!
Such strength was simply beyond their comprehension and imagination. Apart from the Supreme Lord, no one could withstand the might of this youth’s single sword!
Subconsciously, the six scattered and fled, clearly betting on who would be luckier and not chosen by Shi Xiaole. As long as he struck a few of them, he was bound to miss a few others.
Soon, the six knew their fate.
Shi Xiaole stood above the clouds, his face unchanged, his eyes indifferent, pointing out six swords in different directions.
After six swords—
With a "pu" sound!
Six blood-colored fireworks bloomed at once.
From then on, the twenty-seven groups of Outer Heaven people who had been lurking and hiding in the East Victory world for 160,000 years were all eradicated. There might still be a very few hiding among the camps of the East Victory masters, but these people were doomed never to stir up any trouble again.
"This..."
All around, numerous masters from East Victory were dumbfounded, with the sum of shocks in their lifetime likely not equating to today’s.
Is this the strength of the great estate’s master?
To him, the nine Outer Heaven Giants were no different from ordinary martial artists, and he killed them effortlessly, as easy as flipping one’s hand.
The long sword was sheathed, and the figure in green robes walked leisurely among the clouds before disappearing into the vast sky, leaving only pairs of eyes filled with unspeakable admiration and almost fanatical worship.
...
Sword Emperor!
Within half a month after Shi Xiaole single-handedly annihilated the twenty-seven groups of Outer Heaven people, this title spread throughout the East Victory world.
It was said that only those who had entered the Sky Origin Realm and mastered the Supreme Sword Way were qualified to be called Sword Emperor, which was the highest praise for a swordsman.
Shi Xiaole had certainly not reached it, but to ordinary people, and even countless lower-class martial artists, what difference was there between the current Shi Xiaole and the legendary Sword Emperor?
Setting aside strength, he almost single-handedly turned the tide of the Pit Battle, saving the East Victory world from slaughter. Then, with supreme methods, he located the misdeeds of the Outer Heaven Demons, and in a single day, he exterminated them to the ends of the earth, rooting out this deeply embedded scourge.
It could be said that everyone in the East Victory world owed Shi Xiaole their life, and most owed him twice over.
This level of debt of gratitude could only be compared to the Holy Monarchs from history who lived in books and were as elusive as the dragon seen only in fleeting glimpses. Thus, even if his power was insufficient, a considerable number of people began to call Shi Xiaole the Sword Emperor.
Under this great trend, even if others inwardly disagreed, they did not publicly refute it because, at this point, Shi Xiaole had essentially reached a deified status.
Anyone who dared to publicly question or belittle him would be attacked by the masses, becoming the target of a multitude of arrows.
Thanks to Shi Xiaole’s prestige and strength, Nine Heavens Mountain leapt to become the top power in the East Victory world. Every day, countless people set out from all directions, crossing mountains and rivers, traveling thousands of miles to Nine Heavens Mountain to seek apprenticeship and learn.
So much so that for many years to come, talent and masters from Nine Heavens Mountain continued to emerge in an unending stream without Shi Xiaole, firmly occupying the top seat in the East Victory world, unshakable.
...
Nine Heavens Mountain, Divine Sword Villa.
By Jade Water Lake.
Shi Xiaole was practicing swordplay.
Not far away, a babbling infant was rolling about on the grass. The little one had extremely delicate features, bright eyes like autumn water, and with mouth agape, excitedly ran toward Shi Xiaole.
Though not yet a year old, Huer could already walk, his tiny legs moving faster and more steadily than those of a two-or three-year-old child. But his actions often frightened the two maidservants who took care of him.
This little ancestor was the treasure of Nine Heavens Mountain, and if he happened to bump somewhere, not to mention others, they themselves would feel heartache for half a day.
The little fellow was indeed too cute, and seemed to possess some peculiar magic that made people unable to resist wanting to protect him.
"Dada, Dada..."
Huer stopped, looked up with his head tilted back, and gazed with a pitiful face at the man in front of him.
Shi Xiaole stopped his movements, turned around, and as father and son’s eyes met, the surge of blood connection softened Shi Xiaole’s heart a bit. He then put away his sword on the stone table, squatted down with a smile, and said, "Huer, come here."
Huer broke into a big smile and scrambles over on his little chubby legs.
This man called ’Dada,’ who seemed to be feared by everyone and who didn’t play with Huer, was someone that Huer really wanted to be close to.
Shi Xiaole picked Huer up, occasionally lifting him high and then quickly bringing him down. Huer wasn’t scared, instead, he chuckled gleefully, kicking his arms and legs; father and son were thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Those around them were watching with smiling eyes.
The sunlight made Jade Water Lake shimmer with golden light, and along the lakeside, a row of willow trees swayed gracefully. A peerlessly beautiful woman—it seemed the world itself brightened upon her arrival—approached, her nobility and charm making the already pleasing scenery even more delightful.
