Chapter 269: Chapter 269: Sky Poison Dark Guest
Whoosh!
The biting wind like sharp knives scraped against his face, shattering flowers and leaves off the ground and whirring them into a cyclone around Shi Xiaole. At first glance, one would assume him buried within the chaos.
"Oh no, he indeed isn’t capable of striking back."
While looking at Shi Xiaole, Su Zhi’er cried out softly.
Being veterans of the Martial World, they targeted Shi Xiaole’s weakness from the get-go. How could Shi Xiaole oppose five Xuan Qi Fourth Tier masters if he could not draw out his inferior spiritual sword?
Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Meanwhile, Xu Canghai, who was initially incapable of countering the assault, finally saw Shi Xiaole make a move without drawing out his inferior spiritual sword. His hand had merely clutched the hilt of the Qingyang Sword.
Clang!
A crescent arc of blue Sword Qi abruptly burst forth. It was as effortless as a knife slicing through tofu, severally breaking the onslaught formed by the five martial guests. Splinters flew out from the center, scattering the Internal Power. The disturbance caused the five to change their form, evading the aftermath.
"Damn!"
"How is this possible?"
Each of the five was taken aback, but the situation didn’t permit them time to ponder. The first move having been thwarted, they quickly gathered their residual strength to execute the second.
"Too many weak points."
Shi Xiaole shook his head.
The onslaught formed by the five may easily best a Fifth Tier Xuan Qi master, but it definitely cannot defeat Shi Xiaole. His mental perception was too sharp, along with ninety percent Sword Heart, he could easily discern the flaws in the five’s collaboration.
Thus, their so-called Array System was a joke, scattered sand in Shi Xiaole’s eyes. If they were confronted with a Fifth Tier Xuan Qi master who was weaker than them, they might possibly have lasted a little bit longer.
Stretching his arm horizontally, Shi Xiaole lightly sliced through the air with his sword. The Sword Qi, like ripples in water, resonated a crispy slicing sound wherever it expanded.
Shiii shiii shiii shiii shiii.
All five men howled in agony, blood splattering everywhere as they miserably collapsed on the ground.
"You... You really are the ’Little Sword Marquis’? But even so, you shouldn’t be this strong."
The burly man in yellow had an expression of shock and fear twist his face.
The other four had similarly terrified expressions. They always say rumors of the Martial World grow exaggerated, but when it came to Shi Xiaole, they realized they had underestimated him.
"When abroad, remember not to show off skills too openly."
Without bothering to say more, Shi Xiaole dispatched of the five with a single slice of his sword, pulling out a stack of banknotes and several vials of elixir from each of them and storing it into his own pocket.
"All right, come on out."
Shi Xiaole turned to look at the bushes on his right.
"Brother Shi, it’s been a year since we last saw you, and you’re even more impressive than before, truly you’re enviable."
Xu Canghai and two others walked out, with Su Zhi’er, her face full of awe, speaking.
The three of them were genuinely stupefied.
He broke the combined attack of five Xuan Qi Fourth Tier masters in just two moves, yet any of the five individually could easily defeat the combined prowess of Xu Canghai and the other two.
No comparison meant no harm done.
If they had held onto a shred of confidence during the Heroes Assembly that they could catch up to Shi Xiaole, that confidence had now been abdicated into despair, realizing the gap between them had grown insurmountably large.
"So, it’s you guys."
Shi Xiaole smiled.
A blushing Wang Zuying then asked, "Young Master Shi, would you be okay with us taking the journey together with you?"
In such a hazardous place, having a master at your side meant an extra layer of protection. Shi Xiaole was undoubtedly a true master to the three of them.
Recalling their passivity from earlier, the three of them felt somewhat embarrassed.
"Of course, I’d be bored all by myself."
Catching sight of their embarrassment, Shi Xiaole did not hesitate any further. His magnanimity did not necessitate the three to risk their lives to gain his approval.
Their candor only added to the three’s embarrassment. Xu Canghai respectfully saluted and said, "Thank you."
And so the four set off together.
Initially, Shi Xiaole planned to head east, but Su Zhi’er suddenly said, "Brother Shi, when Zhi’er was at the Floating Rain Pavilion, she read about the Heavenly Treasure Sword Marquis in a book. It mentioned that he is somewhat partial to the north."
"Why so?"
"It is said that the name of his lover had a character that implied ’north.’"
The four people looked at each other in bewilderment. Is that considered reason enough?
After some thought, Shi Xiaole decided to head towards the north. Since his own heading was arbitrary, perhaps the north held even better prospects for them.
"’Little Sword Marquis’ Shi Xiaole, is truly worth his salt."
What the four didn’t know was that just after they set off, an elderly man with a goat beard wearing grey, trod forth from the scene. His triangle-shaped eyes that emitted a cold light seemed to bore into the back of Shi Xiaole.
"The three have extraordinary identities, and besides I am not confident of dealing with all four at once. There’s no need to provoke them. As for the Young Master’s order, only killing Shi should suffice. Looks like I’ll have to wait."
Concealing his aura, the old man continued to stealthily trail behind the four, maintaining a hundred meters’ distance. Thus, even Shi Xiaole with his mental presence could not detect him.
Along the way north, the four encountered many attacks. Xu Canghai and the others truly witnessed the strength of Shi Xiaole.
Mere Fourth and Fifth Tier Xuan Qi masters found it hard to ward off even a single sword attack while the slightly stronger ones lasted four or five strikes. There were even some Xuan Qi Sixth and Seventh tier masters that attacked, all of them defeated by Shi Xiaole’s inferior spiritual sword and forced to retreat in defeat.
As for the martial artist above the seventh tier of Xuan Qi, it would just be three days since the Heavenly Treasure Ruins came into the world. Judged by the proportion of masters, in a few days, there would be an explosive rise.
Seeing Shi Xiaole unfold his divine power, Su Zhi’er and Wang Zuying felt something different in their hearts.
No woman doesn’t like a powerful man. Especially, a man who, with the cultivation of tier one Xuan Qi, defeated a tier six Xuan Qi master in a battle, no matter how you look at it, he appeared majestic.
"If this man were to become my Xu family’s son-in-law in North, he might elevate the Xu family to the next level."
Even Xu Canghai expressed his admiration secretly, considering whether he should persuade his little sister after returning home.
For those from a large family like them, they always prioritized the interests of their families and then personal feelings. Shi Xiaole was indeed the most amazing person Xu Canghai had ever met. If he didn’t seize this opportunity, it would be a shame.
As Shi Xiaole killed more and more people, the treasures he received were not few. There were high-grade elixirs, medium-grade weapons, and even accidentally found three third-rate secret books. His gains were plentiful.
The only problem was that there were too many possessions, and he couldn’t carry them all.
"System, can you provide me with a place to store these things?"
Shi Xiaole suddenly asked the system inside his mind.
This question didn’t come out of the blue.
Why do most Martial World travelers spend their money so quickly? Because many things can’t be carried with them, and even if they could carry them, they wouldn’t be conducive to roaming the Martial World, so they could only purchase once at a place.
But how about valuable items? They can’t be thrown away. As for hiding them in a secluded place, it can’t guarantee a hundred percent safety. This caused great inconvenience.
Shi Xiaole had a long time to think about this but couldn’t find a solution.
Of course, he was just asking casually.
Unexpectedly, the system actually answered, "Yes."
A surge of indescribable joy rose in Shi Xiaole’s heart. With his state of mind, he couldn’t help but reveal his joy. The system’s response had solved a super troublesome problem that had long troubled countless Martial World people.
With an excuse, Shi Xiaole took his spoils and went deep into the forest. It was a long time before he came out.
"Eh, Brother Shi, where are your belongings?"
Xu Canghai’s party of three looked puzzled.
"I’ve hidden them and will take them when I leave."
Hearing Shi Xiaole’s words, the three nodded in understanding.
The old man with the goatee in the back was shifty-eyed, secretly noting down this location. He was thinking that once he took down Shi Xiaole, he could score big.
To the north of the Heavenly Treasure Ruins, there was a clear creek, with a curved stone bridge spanning the creek.
At this moment, a middle-aged man who had combed his hair into countless braids, knocked down two Martial World travelers with one palm. Visibly, two gloomy black gasses were escaping from these two people.
There were many martial artists of varying cultivation levels nearby, all looking at the man with braids in fear.
"Two more prisoners, not bad."
Man with the braids smiled in satisfaction.
’Sky Poison Dark Guest’ Ma Jun, although he doesn’t understand the Array Systems, his Poisonous Skill is unparalleled. This time he came to the Heavenly Treasure Ruins, not solely for the treasures within, but also to use the masters as specimens for his poisonous study.
Normally, where could he meet so many masters above the fifth tier of Xuan Qi all at once.
"Four more prey."
After continuously applying his Poisonous Skill onto a group of Martial World travellers, torturing them until they wished to die, Ma Jun slightly halted his actions, and with a grin, he dashed towards the opposite bank.
"Not good, go."
In front, the forest was dense, Shi Xiaole’s heart was pounding. As soon as the word ’go’ left his mouth, he swung his sword forward violently and retreated. Xu Canghai’s party of three also wasn’t slow and followed close behind.
"Where do you think you’re going?"
In the eerie laughter, the rank odor of palms bent the branches. A figure darted out and aimed a palm at the four.
"Blade Stacked Brilliance."
Shi Xiaole drew out the Qingyang sword, erupting countless sword Qi, and under the collision with the poisonous Qi, it made horrifying sizzling sounds.
"Got some strength, not bad."
Ma Jun’s cultivation was only tier six Xuan Qi, but he was a Poisonous Skill martial artist.
What was terrifying was that Shi Xiaole found that his body, which was immune to hundreds of toxins, was somewhat ineffective under the other party’s poisonous Qi. This caused the power of his low-tier spirit sword to decrease significantly.
"It’s absolutely a second-tier Poisonous Skill, and he has even comprehended the corresponding poisonous skill realm."
Shi Xiaole’s face grew stern.
The so-called immunity to all kinds of poison also had its limits. The Emerald-eyed Golden Toad inner dan he swallowed back then only had less than ten years of potency, making it difficult to resist a truly powerful poison.
"Split up and run."
Swinging his long sword again and again, Shi Xiaole chose a direction to run. Seeing this, Xu Canghai’s party of three gritted their teeth and scattered.
"Everyone else can run, but you can’t."
Ma Jun was very interested in Shi Xiaole. He continuously released poisonous palms, creating terrifying stinking gusts, refusing to engage him in a frontal fight, trying to slowly wear him out.
His eyes lit up with an eerie glow, and Shi Xiaole used the Soul Transfer Great Method. But this time, Ma Jun only paused slightly and then attacked even more violently.
Ma Jun was dealing with poisonous creatures every day, and he had done many disgusting things. His mind was far more stubborn than average people.
A sound of crack.
Shi Xiaole felt chilled to the bone. At this critical moment, the low-grade spirit sword in his hand, unfortunately, reached its limit and turned into a pile of scrap metal.
