Chapter 1290: Chapter 1288: Mental Refinement Completed
The Second Battle.
The Third Battle.
The warriors of East Victory were almost thoroughly defeated, and even though they deliberately avoided that middle-aged man, over sixty percent of East Victory’s elite masters had perished, a more tragic outcome than the battle at the Heavenly Pit before the Supreme Lord took action.
It could only be said that the gap between ordinary people and the Supreme Lord was too vast.
Strictly speaking, that middle-aged man could hardly be considered a Supreme Lord, but with just his soul body, by summoning Vigorous Air, he still swept through all unbeatable opponents below the Supreme Lord level, without a single one capable of standing against him for more than a moment.
Under his leadership, the Outer Heaven Army advanced unstoppably, slaughtering their way forward without encountering any significant resistance; any that did arise were swiftly cut down by the middle-aged man with a single strike.
Both sides’ Supreme Lords could see it clearly, if this situation continued to develop, before long, East Victory would become unsustainable, and by then, even the "Seal Heaven Array" would not be able to stop the Outer Heaven Demons.
"We must find a way to stop this!"
Atop the city walls, the faces of the Supreme Lords from East Victory were extremely grim, and their emotions were conflicted beyond measure.
Sending out more ordinary warriors from East Victory was no different from sending them to their deaths, but if they didn’t send anyone, were they just going to let the Outer Heaven Demons attack as they pleased?
That would only hasten East Victory’s defeat.
"Someone needs to make a sacrifice. They’ve infiltrated our ranks with a Supreme Lord. Let’s send someone to abandon their physical body and kill that guy!"
The ancestor of the Fire Stiffs spoke with a sinister chill in his voice.
No one said a word.
This was far from a good plan. The Supreme Lords of East Victory were already few in number, and sacrificing another now, not to mention whether or not they could kill that middle-aged man, how could they be sure that the enemy wouldn’t do the same?
Fighting in this manner, one by one, the ones to suffer in the end would still be East Victory, a cure that didn’t address the root of the problem. Yet, without coming up with a solution, East Victory wouldn’t be able to hold out either.
No one had expected that merely a month into the war, they seemed to have been pushed into a corner.
The Supreme Lords were at a loss, and the stationed warriors of East Victory felt like the end of days was upon them, their hearts filled with a sense of desperation.
"He’s too strong, that man’s power is even greater than the Great Landlord. Aside from the Supreme Lords, who could be his opponent? Yet the Supreme Lords are restricted by the great array, unable to intervene."
"We’re not fighting, but going to our deaths. Hahaha, maybe we could take a few Outer Heaven Demons with us, and that would be a gain."
All over the city, people were discussing the situation, countless warriors readying themselves, prepared to face death. These were people who had taken part in the battle of the Heavenly Pit and were certainly not those who feared death.
In one corner of the city walls, Ding Yufang, one of the ten prodigies of the South Sea, with her arms crossed, said, "After tomorrow’s great battle, if I don’t come back, remember to offer incense to me every year."
Fan Shengnan said, "I can’t agree to your request, maybe, I’ll die even quicker than you."
There were others like the Phoenix Eye Goddess, Lu Caili, Abbot Nannan, and others who seemed to have thought of something, all showing a look of dejection.
This sudden war came unexpectedly and was the most dangerous one they had ever experienced. Even the Thousand Real Person, who had the strongest ability to protect himself, and Luo Zijiao, who had the most balanced comprehensive strength, had perished.
Nobody dared to say they could survive till the end.
Everyone had thought after the battle of the Heavenly Pit that the world of East Victory would herald an era of martial arts prosperity, but what awaited them here was a more brutal war.
In the distance, Liu Ruofei was slowly wiping down his sword. His left sleeve was empty, clearly he had lost his left arm.
With Liu Ruofei’s strength, it wasn’t difficult to reattach his left arm, but he didn’t do it.
Ever since witnessing the death of his grandfather, Liu Ruofei had fallen into a strange state where he seemed disconnected from the outside world but was more responsive than ever.
Once he entered combat mode, the killing intent couldn’t stop flowing out of him. In the previous battles, the number of Outer Heaven people that Liu Ruofei had killed was second only to a few individuals like the Great Battles Emperor, the Spirit Ink Emperor, and Xuanyuan Di.
He naturally became the target of the middle-aged man. Fortunately, at the critical moment, the Holy Empress used her supreme means to pull him and a few others like the Great Battles Emperor back into the Array System. It was then that his left arm was grazed by the blade energy and thoroughly worn away.
"I cannot die, born in an era of prosperity, if I can’t witness the legendary Sword Emperor, then this trip would have been in vain," Liu Ruofei suddenly said. It was the first time he had spoken in a long while, which drew the attention of the other prodigies.
"What do you think Shi Xiaole is doing, why isn’t he taking action?" as soon as the words ’Sword Emperor’ were uttered, Ding Yufang blurted out a sentence.
In their hearts, Shi Xiaole certainly could not be considered the Sword Emperor, but at least he was the foremost among those below the Supreme Lords of East Victory. If he stepped in, perhaps casualties could be reduced.
"It’s useless, that middle-aged man may only be the soul body of a Supreme Lord, but he still possesses Supreme Lord methods; Shi Xiaole is strong, but not his opponent. As a son of the Holy Monarch, maybe he is receiving extra protection and cultivation," said the Phoenix Eye Goddess as she shook her head.
With different expressions on their faces, the group fell silent again. It was getting late, and one by one they sat in meditation, perhaps when they next opened their eyes, it would be morning; they rarely had such tranquil opportunities to cultivate in peace.
The next day, the early morning sun began to rise.
Drumbeats resonated, followed by a deafening uproar of slaughter.
The Outer Heaven Army surged in and the army of East Victory had no choice but to confront them.
"Another bunch of fools coming to die, hahaha, kill!"
The middle-aged man charged at the forefront of the Outer Heaven Army, slashing out with his sword, causing Heavenly Collapse and Earth Shattering; within the light of his blade, a scene of star galaxies being destroyed appeared, and instantly, a large contingent of East Victory warriors was shredded to pieces.
This wasn’t a fight, but a massacre, a one-sided slaughter.
"Slay the Demons with the Imperial Eight!"
Just as the middle-aged man was about to swing his second blade, a golden yellow fist of dominating power fiercely struck towards him, pulverizing a row of Outer Heaven warriors in its path, heading straight for him.
"How presumptuous!"
The middle-aged man sneered darkly, maintaining the high stance of his long sword, his blade’s momentum forming a barrier. The golden yellow fist of dominating power struck it, setting off countless sparks like scythes, which were then ground away into nothingness.
The next moment!
The middle-aged man cleaved with his sword.
Under the sword light, Che Renzhong at a distance seemed like an ant beneath a guillotine; as his exterior fist strength was just touched by the sword light, it immediately split apart like a thin sheet of paper, powerless to resist. The wild blade Qi surged in unrelentingly, enveloping Che Renzhong completely.
Spurt!
A mist of blood exploded, fanning out in a radial spread, extending for ten thousand meters. Along the way, whether they were Outer Heaven warriors or East Victory warriors, all who were touched perished.
...
Within a man-made deep hole.
Following a thunderous boom that only Shi Xiaole could hear, a heaven-and-earth overturning change took place in his sea of consciousness.
An indefinably strange power madly spread out, causing Shi Xiaole’s sea of consciousness to expand more and more, like a balloon being inflated, continuing until it reached twice its previous size and then barely stopping.
But this was not the most obvious change.
The size of the sea of consciousness depends on the quality of one’s spirit. At this moment, Shi Xiaole’s spiritual quality clearly reached another level, as if iron had been refined into steel, becoming more purified and durable.
Shi Xiaole tried it out, and in his eyes, the surrounding darkness seemed to break down into many elements. The mud and pebbles also shed their original appearance, being merely collections composed of different tiny substances.
"Into the microscopic!"
Shi Xiaole marveled at himself.
The Supreme Lords utilized their souls indeed, but if one must judge their spiritual quality, they’re all roughly similar. A slightly more outstanding one could see the trajectories of energy, but the most exceptional no doubt is entering the microscopic level.
This level of spiritual quality could almost penetrate the true essence of the world, easily see through any problem, any illusion. Throughout ancient and modern times, few Supreme Lords have possessed it.
If the present Supreme Lords knew that Shi Xiaole, not yet a Supreme Lord, already possessed this level of spiritual power, they would go mad.
"My comprehension has increased significantly, and my spiritual techniques have also reached a new tier. If I take them by surprise, perhaps I could restrain a Supreme Lord."
Recalling the Supreme Lord battles observed in the past few days, Shi Xiaole secretly compared them, realizing that if he fully activated his spirit, he would not be inferior to a Supreme Lord, and was even slightly stronger than some.
"At last, I have a bit of confidence. Next, I shall fully enhance my martial path, so that I may have the chance to enter the Sky Origin realm in the shortest time possible."
Enhancing the martial path is not something to be achieved overnight. Shi Xiaole planned to rest for a day to adjust his state. With a thought, he stepped out of the cave, only to be immediately submerged by a thunderous shouting of battle cries.
...
"Che Renzhong!"
"Swordsman Che!"
In the battlefield, a series of mournful shrieks rose up.
Since the battle at the great pit, Che Renzhong had already become a representative figure of the East Victory world. Moreover, on several occasions, he had bravely come forward to save many masters, and many were indebted to him.
Seeing Che Renzhong being cut down by a sword, his life hanging by a thread, the eyes of the nearby crowd reddened.
"Hmm, you actually survive my sword strike."
The middle-aged man’s cold smile briefly stalled, then became even more cruel and cold.
At the edge where the blade Qi passed, more than half of Che Renzhong’s body was blasted apart, narrowly protecting his head, but the surface was also covered in many cracks, like fine porcelain on the verge of shattering.
There was neither joy nor sorrow on Che Renzhong’s face, but he simply said, "If I were a Supreme Lord, I could kill you with one punch."
As his life approached its end, Che Renzhong was not afraid. Before this battle, he had made a special request to the Holy Empress not to save him again.
Because Che Renzhong knew that the "Seal Heaven Array" was incredibly complex, and each time the Holy Empress used Array techniques to save him and other masters, she was essentially disturbing the Array, which was extremely detrimental to the battle situation.
As for dying, who could not die? Some are light as a feather, others heavy as Mount Tai. He could not claim to be greatly heroic, but at least in this life, he had never wronged anyone, which was sufficient.
Che Renzhong raised his head and looked at his Master fighting against many on the silver light barrier, suddenly bursting into hearty laughter.
The laughter, filled with tragic heroism and fearlessness, deeply moved every person on the battlefield, and the Supreme Lords on the city walls were silently observing.
"Mother, let me go out, I can save Senior Brother and kill the opponent."
As the Holy Empress was in the midst of deep sorrow, a voice full of urgency reached her ears. She turned her head and met a pair of deep, pond-like eyes.
The profound confidence in those eyes greatly astonished the Holy Empress. Almost instantly, with no time for thought nor room for consideration, she subconsciously opened the passage.
Shi Xiaole rushed out.
"Just you? Maybe in your next life," the middle-aged man retorted upon hearing Che Renzhong’s words, not furious but chuckling. Invisible trajectories in his eyes perfectly aligned Che Renzhong, Great Battles Emperor, Spirit Ink Emperor, Xuanyuan Di, and others in a straight line before he forcefully swung two more blades.
He aimed to kill the remaining elites of East Victory, to bury everyone here once and for all.
East Victory people, you made me lose my body; I will make you live in hell forever!
