Chapter 135: Chapter 135: Treasures in the Stone Hall
"You, you dare touch me, the Whale Lake Gang won’t let you off the hook."
Seeing Shi Xiaole approaching, Xue Ang weakly threatened, his eyes still showed signs of lingering fear.
"If I don’t kill you, will the Whale Lake Gang let me go?"
Shi Xiaole retorted.
In Xue Ang’s eyes, he saw resentment and hatred. He knew that the other party would not let things go and was suddenly overcome with the urge to kill.
However, it was not the right time to strike.
Shi Xiaole suddenly looked to the left and asked, "Sir, how long do you plan on watching?"
"Hahaha, the Floating River Area has gained another talented hero. It is indeed a cause for celebration."
Amid the loud laughter, a yellow-clad youth with angular features stepped forward, an investigative look in his eyes.
"Xiang Mingzhen!"
Xue Ang was astounded. He had not expected this man to be hiding in the shadows.
Even amongst outstanding figures, there are different levels.
Due to his incomplete mastery of the Black Cloud Technique and the Unending Pursuit Technique, along with his low cultivation base, Xue Ang was only considered a low-ranking figure.
Xiang Mingzhen was different. He not only boasted of the third level of Qi Absorption but had also reached a high level in second-rate martial arts, placing him among the top figures.
It was said that even a high-ranking practitioner at the sixth level of Qi Absorption was unable to fend off his moves for long.
Xiang Mingzhen smiled effortlessly and looked at his opponent. "Junior Sister Ye, our whereabouts have already been exposed. It’d be embarrassing if we continue to hide."
A refreshing fragrance wafted in the air, followed by the emergence of a blue-clad beautiful young girl. Her slender figure was accompanied by a pair of swords on her back, and a gentle expression on her delicate face.
"Ye Linglong!"
Xue Ang’s face changed. However, his expression wasn’t one of fear but of wild jubilation!
Xiang Mingzhen was not one to kill, and while he wouldn’t prevent others from doing so, he wouldn’t stop them either.
Ye Linglong was different. Her master once had a rapport with the Master of the Whale Lake Gang. Given this relationship, she would definitely not sit by and watch Shi Xiaole acting against her.
As expected, Ye Linglong first gave Xue Ang a disgusted look, before turning to Shi Xiaole. "Brother, could you let this man off once for my sake?"
Xue Ang’s identity wasn’t as simple as a direct disciple of the Whale Lake Gang. He was the illegitimate son of Xue Ang’s master and the Master of the Whale Lake Gang. Even Xue Ang himself was unaware of this.
Ye Linglong had previously been entrusted by her master not to make things difficult for Xue Ang, to avoid pitting the master’s disciples and his son against each other. That’s how she came to know of this.
Even though her master had never asked her for help with Xue Ang, Ye Linglong could never stand by and do nothing.
"I must indeed respect Miss Ye’s wishes. Yet, while I can forgive him his life, he cannot be spared punishment."
After pondering for a moment, Shi Xiaole suddenly stepped forward and quickly slapped Xue Ang a few times, causing him to spew blood and roll on the ground.
Due to their positions, neither Xiang Mingzhen nor Ye Linglong saw that Shi Xiaole, in his final strike, had subtly swapped his palm for a claw.
The Blood Clotting Divine Claw.
This was a sinister martial art, and the signature technique of Chen Jinnan, the ’Master’ of the Heaven and Earth Society. Once hit by this claw, the victim’s blood would start to clot over the course of three days, eventually turning into a thick sludge, beyond any hope of cure.
In the two months when Shi Xiaole had been practicing the Purple Light Divine Skill, he had been secretly studying this technique and had already perfected it.
"You ruthless little bastard, once we get out of here, you’ll get what’s coming to you!"
Relying on the presence of Ye Linglong, Xue Ang continued to threaten Shi Xiaole while still spitting blood.
Shi Xiaole remained expressionless and did not respond.
Why should he take a dead man’s threats seriously?
"Sir, here’s the key."
Ye Linglong pulled up Xue Ang with a single hand, grabbed the bronze key that fell from him, tossed it casually to Shi Xiaole without even looking, and walked away.
If she were in his shoes, she could certainly understand Shi Xiaole’s feelings. After all, anyone would be annoyed if they were nearly ambushed. However, in Ye Linglong’s view, by offending Xue Ang, given the latter’s background, Shi Xiaole was likely to pay a heavy price.
"May I know your name, sir?"
"Shi Xiaole."
Xiang Mingzhen nodded, then suddenly said, "Earlier, I ran into Ling Tianyu. He was looking for the culprit who hurt his younger brother. Judging by his description, it seems it was you."
Remembering Ling Tianhua, who had lost an arm, Shi Xiaole smiled subtly but did not deny it.
"Brother Shi, I know you didn’t reveal all of your strength earlier. However, Ling Tianyu is not yet at Xue Ang’s level, so please be wary."
Giving Shi Xiaole a deep glance, Xiang Mingzhen also turned away.
Their meeting had been merely fleeting. He had warned as best as he could. Whether Shi Xiaole took heed was another matter.
Honestly speaking, Xiang Mingzhen didn’t think highly of Shi Xiaole.
Ling Tianyu was not much weaker than himself, and judging by the standard Shi Xiaole had just displayed, Xiang Mingzhen could easily defeat him.
A hidden card in hand? Doesn’t everybody have one?
"Ling Tianyu?"
An alarm bell went off in Shi Xiaole’s mind.
Given his current strength, he wasn’t really a match for these top-notch talents. However, if it came to a life-and-death struggle, he had confidence that no one in this palace was his match.
His trump card wasn’t merely his martial arts skills.
"Brother Shi, I won’t thank you for saving our lives. Liu will remember your kindness today."
Liu Mengse and his companions approached.
Even now, their expressions remained somewhat bewildered.
Xue Ang, who had single-handedly defeated them, was made quick work of by Shi Xiaole. Recalling the past meeting at the Cloud Sky Convention, they were dazed.
How exactly had Shi Xiaole been training throughout these times?
"Brother Liu, here’s your key."
Shi Xiaole handed over the bronze key.
Liu Mengse shook his head and said, "Since Brother Shi has obtained it, it naturally belongs to you, Liu cannot possibly accept it."
Before Shi Xiaole could speak, Liu Mengse gave a hearty laugh, continuing, "This place is too dangerous for me, I’ll leave now. Brother Zuo, Brother Ba, what about you?"
"Let’s go."
"I don’t want to die prematurely."
The three of them made a fist salute and went towards the exit of the cave.
Shi Xiaole chuckled and had to put away the bronze key.
He planned to go deeper. If there was no gain, he would leave as soon as possible.
...
Although the cave had only been discovered for two or three days, most of the sealed stone rooms had already been opened, and the sight of corpses and blood were everywhere.
This was just a corner of the Martial World, but it fully showed its cruelty.
In one of the stone rooms, an old man with gray hair excitedly opened the last sealed small stone room, and a sudden change happened.
Boom!
The entire cave suddenly shook violently, cracks appeared on the walls, and the ground seemed to be collapsing. Falling stones of various sizes crashed down like torrential rain.
"What’s happening?"
The gray-haired old man was incredibly horrified, ignored the items in the small stone room, and fled for his life.
Boom!
In the middle of the deafening noise, the ground suddenly split into two, revealing the abyss below.
Even with the amazing strength of the gray-haired old man, without any footing, he could only watch himself fall into the abyss.
At the same time, others were also horrified. Some fell on the spot, while others were halfway down, and none survived.
Whoosh.
The wind by his ears lasted for more than ten seconds, and Shi Xiaole used his flying skills to gently land on the ground.
The abyss wasn’t as deep as he had imagined. Looking around, the underground passage was several times wider, and he had no idea where it extended.
"Is the real opportunity hidden here in the cave?"
With this thought, Shi Xiaole cautiously ran forward.
About two 2-hour periods later, he saw a huge stone palace. From inside the palace, faint sounds of intense fighting and shouts of killing could be heard.
"Those who can come here must be experts. If I go in now, it may not end well."
Shi Xiaole had a game-changing trump card, but he could only use it once, so he needed to be careful.
"If I get it, I’m lucky. If I lose it, it’s my life. Let’s improve my strength first."
Shi Xiaole wouldn’t do anything he wasn’t sure about. He resisted the impulse, went alone to the end of the passage, and sat down cross-legged.
This place was secluded and few people came here. Even if there were any, he only needed to guard in one direction.
Taking out a porcelain bottle, a pale yellow pill fell into his palm, giving off a faint fragrance.
Purification Pill!
Each advancement in a martial artist’s state would result in many impurities in the body. If these impurities aren’t removed in time, they not only affect strength but also hinder future progress.
Originally, Shi Xiaole wanted to wait until he left to take this step, but time waits for no man. In this place, the stronger he was, the more protected he would be.
Without any hesitation, Shi Xiaole swallowed the Purification Pill, left a part of his consciousness to sense the outside world, and then started to work on refining.
Whoosh...
Almost instantly, black smoke rose from the white, radiating from all the pores of Shi Xiaole’s body, making his location hazy.
...
In the stone palace, the battle was in full swing.
Nearly a dozen experts were fighting, fists and palms intersecting, knives and swords colliding. The terrifying internal power and Qi gouged the hard ground full of scratches.
Ling Tianyu, Xiang Mingzhen, Ye Linglong, and other young prodigies were on the list.
Apart from them, the remaining martial world experts were at least at level six of Qi Absorption. Level seven Qi Absorption was the majority, and there were even three level eight Qi Absorption masters.
"You kids, for the sake of your sect, you’d better stay out of our way," a short, gloomy old man commanded Ling Tianyu and the others, swinging his hand and repelling Ling Tianyu with his overwhelming internal power.
Ling Tianyu compressed his lips, hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did not step forward.
These martial world experts were heartless and cruel, it was better not to provoke them too much.
Xiang Mingzhen and Ye Linglong also withdrew from the dispute.
Their strength was indeed strong, but compared to level seven or even eight Qi Absorption masters, they were still far behind.
In the center of the stone hall, three wooden boxes were neatly arranged, which seemed to contain the biggest opportunity this time.
"All of you, stay away, or I will start killing!"
The level eight Qi Absorption old man who had threatened Ling Tianyu before yelled, approaching the first wooden box.
Bang!
A surge of internal power forced him to retreat.
"Who do you think you are?"
The middle-aged man who attacked smiled coldly. He was also a level eight Qi Absorption master.
"Gentlemen, there are too many distractions here. In my opinion, why don’t we first kill the small fries, then divide the treasures. What do you think?"
Seeing the two about to start a big fight, the voice of the third level eight Qi Absorption master suddenly entered their ears.
The two of them had a flash of inspiration.
Indeed, three wooden boxes, exactly enough for three people. Why hadn’t they thought of this earlier?
Glances flickering, the three level eight Qi Absorption masters came to an understanding. They started to eliminate targets around them deliberately but discreetly. Of course, to prevent others from suspecting, they also occasionally ’fought’ each other.
An hour later, all the level six Qi Absorption masters were killed.
Two hours later, only six level seven Qi Absorption masters were left.
