Chapter 274: Chapter 273: Shattering the Heart Demon with Your Own Hands
Walking down the side stairs, Shi Xiaole stops abruptly when he reaches the third floor.
He has spotted two familiar figures, a refined young man in a blue robe, and to his surprise, the Elder Rong of the Revenge Gathering is also present.
"Brother, we meet again."
The well-mannered young man flashes a shy smile.
"You can see me?"
"I’ve had a keen interest in the Array System since childhood. Given that the current array has weakened over centuries, I was able to perceive its core."
The young man lifts his head, praising, "Brother Shi is indeed Brother Shi, achieving the impossible. Among the countless heroes in Qingxue State, none can compete."
Elder Rong also smiles, "Xiaole, why did you come down?"
He cannot see Shi Xiaole, but he has heard his voice.
"I’m going to kill a few people."
"Ha ha, Brother Shi, would you mind taking me along? Maybe I can be of some help."
...
Mountain-adjacent building, first level.
"Ma Jun, you’ve acquired quite a bit."
Inside the forked path, two men are scurrying. One is the ’Sky Poison Dark Guest’ Ma Jun, and the other is a man with a waxen face dressed in a long robe. They seem quite friendly.
"Compared to what you, ’Empty Hand’, received, my gains are negligible."
Ma Jun chuckles.
He has grabbed many precious medicinal herbs, including several poisonous ones, enough to elevate his Ten Deadly Poison Palms to a higher level. To say he’s unhappy is an understatement.
"We’ve almost grabbed everything we could. We should leave quickly before we get attacked."
The man with the waxen face advises.
He has reached Xuan Qi Seventh Level. Although Ma Jun is at Xuan Qi Sixth Level, his mastery of the Poisonous Skill makes him as powerful as a Xuan Qi Seventh Level practitioner. Thus, they can safely operate in the first level together.
They once tried to take the second level, but everyone there was at Xuan Qi Eighth Level or above. They stood no chance and were almost killed for not escaping fast enough.
However, the situation has changed recently. High-level fighters have started to come down from the second level, likely because there aren’t any better items left and they’re preparing to prey on the first level fighters.
Under these circumstances, fleeing seems the best option.
Ma Jun looks around, suddenly grinding his teeth, "Where the hell did that mongrel go?"
Whenever he remembers that Shi Xiaole can neutralise his Poisonous Skill, Ma Jun’s heart burns with indignation. He wishes he could catch him immediately. However, he’s scoured the entire first level only to find no trace of him.
"Heh heh, based on your description, that guy sounds a lot like Little Sword Marquis. Given his talent, he may have gone to the upper level. But his survival chances there are slim; maybe he’s already been killed."
"What Little Sword Marquis? I can toss him around like a toy."
"Ha ha ha, Brother Ma, you’re fierce."
The two laugh heartily as they hurry toward the exit.
"Are you looking for me?"
Suddenly, a figure in a green robe emerges from the intersection.
"It’s you."
Ma Jun is stunned for a moment, then bursts into laughter, "Little bastard, you dare to appear before me? You’ve got some guts." As he speaks, his eyes remain fixed on Shi Xiaole’s hand.
He’s not a fool. If Shi Xiaole dared to appear openly, he must be relying on something. In less than a day, his strength couldn’t have improved much, unless he stumbled upon some powerful hidden weapon.
"So you’re the Little Sword Marquis. Good dogs don’t get in the way. Step aside."
The man with a waxen face smiles slightly, his Internal Power latent but focused on Shi Xiaole, especially his limbs. Clearly, he’s thinking along the same lines as Ma Jun.
"Would you like to take your own life, or shall I assist you?"
Ignoring the man with the waxen face, Shi Xiaole simply looks at Ma Jun and says flatly.
Not far away, the refined young man and Elder Rong stand facing each other.
"Shi Xiaole is anything but reckless, yet he insists on not accepting my help. Where does this confidence come from?"
Elder Rong is puzzled.
He has heard from Chou Wuji that Shi Xiaole has advanced to Xuan Qi First Level. Even so, challenging two hardened fighters who survived the battle on the first level seems way too overconfident.
As for his cultivation breakthrough, it’s only been a short while, right?
"We’ll know when we watch."
Chou Wuji takes a deep breath and says.
"Little bastard, I haven’t even started to settle the score with you, but since you’ve come forward, don’t blame me."
Ma Jun laughs angrily, kicking a stone off the ground. Encased in a toxic force, it flies swiftly towards Shi Xiaole like a poisonous arrow. This first strike carries the power of his Ten Deadly Poison Palms and will easily test Shi Xiaole’s ability.
If Shi Xiaole is just posturing, he’ll teach him a lesson, but if there’s really been some growth, he can respond in time.
No doubt, Ma Jun is experienced and highly adaptable.
However, he has still underestimated Shi Xiaole.
Swoosh.
The stone, wrapped in poison power, hangs in mid-air. Suddenly, a green shadow appears in front of Ma Jun and the man with the waxen face, no more than a few feet away.
"So fast!"
The man with the waxen face is taken aback, instinctively stepping back.
"Ten Deadly Poison Palms, Heart Piercing Poison!"
In a roar, Ma Jun sends a palm engulfed in black mist with all his strength towards Shi Xiaole’s chest.
The green shadow is easily shattered by the poisonous palm, turning out to be a mere illusion. The real Shi Xiaole is on the left.
The current Shi Xiaole’s cultivation is at the Xuan Qi Third Level. Although it appears similar to when he possessed the low-grade spirit sword, the difference is enormous.
The low-grade spirit sword only allowed Shi Xiaole’s attack to reach the Xuan Qi Third Level. His style, speed, and depth of Internal Power remained at the Xuan Qi First Level.
Under the augmentation of his nearly half-acquired Wind Intent Realm, Shi Xiaole is like a clear breeze, a captivating shadow, so fast that Ma Jun can only see a blurry figure.
"Sun is at the Zenith."
In the blink of an eye, Shi Xiaole unsheathed his long sword. The dense Qingyang Sword Qi condensed into one, fiery and intense, resembling the blazing noon sunlight making a powerful and unstoppable attack towards Ma Jun.
It was the third move of the Eclipse Eight Forms, which bore the heaviest murderous intent.
"Ten Deadly Poison Palms, Heart Decaying Poison."
Ma Jun’s face distorted in panic, and he could only muster up sixty percent of his toxic power in time. However, to his astonishment, Heart Decaying Poison, acknowledged as the most terrible among Ten Deadly Poison Palms, had no effect on Shi Xiaole–as if it was totally ineffective.
"Stop, Empty Hand Plucks Peach."
At a critical moment, the wax-faced man suddenly rushed out from the side, trying to distract Shi Xiaole by lunging towards his shoulder.
However, without even sparing him a glance, Shi Xiaole pivoted his sword. Countless sword qis erupted, leaving Ma Jun’s body pierced with numerous bloody holes making his eyes almost pop out of their sockets.
Laid bare from his poisonous strength, Ma Jun at the end was a cultivator at the sixth layer of Xuan Qi. Against Shi Xiaole, he couldn’t withstand more than two moves.
"I, hate..."
Ma Jun fell backward, completely breathless.
"Little Sword Marquis, you are indeed the first recognized genius of Qingxue State. I apologize for the offense earlier. I shall take my leave."
The wax-faced man, seasoned by the winds and waves of the Martial World, was now deathly pale with fright.
Where did this monster come from? With a cultivation at the third layer of Xuan Qi, he almost instantly killed the poison skill practitioner, Ma Jun. How could anyone else survive?
"Just now, if my strength had been inadequate, I would be dead in your hands, wouldn’t I?"
Using the Bird Crossing Skill, Shi Xiaole instantly caught up with the wax-faced man. He used his body technique in conjunction with his swordsmanship, and along with the Soul Transfer Great Method, killed the man with a stroke of his sword after sixteen moves.
At the moment of his death, the wax-faced man suddenly remembered his own words mocking Shi Xiaole with Ma Jun. It turns out the true laughable ones were them.
By the time Shi Xiaole had finished ransacking the two men’s bodies, both Chou Wuji and Elder Rong stepped out in silence.
They were stunned, utterly stunned.
Two martial arts experts whose strengths were at the seventh level of Xuan Qi were effortlessly slain by Shi Xiaole. Especially considering his age, the two were simply too shocked for words.
Since the war between good and evil six hundred years ago, such an extraordinary talent had never appeared in the Martial World of Qingxue State.
"If this child is given enough time to grow, the situation in Qingxue State may undergo a significant change."
Elder Rong thought to himself. He admired his keen foresight in having roped Shi Xiaole into the Anti-Demon Alliance.
"Elder Rong, the person you were looking for is on the third floor."
A martial expert from the Revenge Gathering came running over, saw Ma Jun and the wax-faced man lying on the ground, assumed it was the work of Elder Rong, and thought nothing more of it.
"Shi Xiaole, you’ll soon have your revenge."
Elder Rong smiled.
The third floor.
Qiu An withdrew his hand from the chest of an expert, it was covered with liver and flesh. What was disgusting was that he actually licked it with satisfaction.
"The fight here will soon come to an end. It’s time to join the rest."
Whoosh!
A sword qi streaked across, cutting Qiu An’s sleeve.
"Whoever the rat is, show yourself."
Qiu An roared with anger, his eyes suddenly focused.
"I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. What do you think, how will I kill you?"
Step by step, Shi Xiaole walked over, his face cold as ice, like the god of death himself.
Images from the past appeared one after another in his heart. The hatred and anger affected his sword, causing it to snap several times, eager to taste blood.
When he killed Ma Jun, Shi Xiaole could still control his emotions, but at this moment, just watching Qiu An, his killing intent was like a raging storm in his chest, boiling over, as if it would explode if not released.
"You piece of trash, do you think that by breaking through the realm, you can show off your prowess?"
The sword just now fully exposed Shi Xiaole’s true cultivation. Qiu An tried hard to demonstrate an attitude of contempt, but his heart contracted uncontrollably.
An iceberg under a volcano. Nothing could better describe Shi Xiaole at this moment. Even Qiu An, a man from the Devil Path, felt the air was filled with an oppressive sense of impending explosion.
"I could kill you in the past, and I can do the same now."
In the midst of his palpitations, Qiu An retreated, while throwing a fist like pushing a mountain. The fist power was extremely compressed, as if it could break mountains and rocks.
It was this very move that once pushed Shi Xiaole into a state of life and death, even shattering Su Yanru’s bones.
Now—
Gripping the hilt tightly, Shi Xiaole drew his sword. The terrifying strength and speed in an instant, actually scraped sparks from the air, producing a lingering sword qi lit by sparks.
The sparks scattered on both sides, and a flash of sword light streaked through the centre, fleeting like a meteor at the end of the horizon.
It was brief, but dazzlingly brilliant.
"Ah..."
Blood sprayed out; an arm was bisected and thrown out. Along with it came Qiu An’s incredulous, hoarse screams of desperation.
"Why did you come here?"
Employing the Soul Transfer Great Method, Shi Xiaole asked casually.
"To spy on you righteous ones."
"Where are the others?"
"In a moment, we plan to meet at the southeast corner."
Qiu An lost consciousness, becoming like a puppet.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
Shi Xiaole’s sword moved as swift as the wind, severing Qiu An’s limbs. The unceasing sword qi bored into his pores, turning his bones into powder.
"Death is too cheap for you. Being worse than dead is what you deserve."
A mound of bloody flesh lay on the ground, faintly hissing. Without a closer look, one would not dare to believe this was once a person.
At this moment, something in Shi Xiaole’s heart shattered with a bang. He felt a sudden lightness in his body and an indescribable sense of relief.
It was the heart demon that had been accumulating for a long time, crushed by his own hands.
