Chapter 283: Chapter 282: Sudden Change
Leaving the lakeshore and traveling through mountains and valleys for several days, Shi Xiaole arrived near Iron Pass Town, only to realize that he was being tracked.
They were Qi Absorption Realm martial artists, cautiously following a hundred meters behind. Unfortunately, their nervousness gave them away.
"See, the one dressed in light green, isn’t it the ’Little Sword Marquis’?"
"His mannerism seems similar."
The few whispered amongst themselves.
Shi Xiaole’s portrait had long circulated within the Martial World of Qingxue State, so these guests of Iron Pass Town naturally had seen his likeness before.
How should I put it, they had not clearly seen Shi Xiaole’s face yet, but by observing his back, they could always connect him to the figure in the portrait, a truly bizarre phenomenon.
"Which way to the nearby towns?"
A voice startled them.
The guests turned as white as a sheet with fright, as unknown to them, Shi Xiaole had gotten close, standing in front of them. His face looked exactly like the one in the portrait, didn’t it?
"Young hero, we... we didn’t see you, please spare our lives!"
The plea nearly brought them to tears.
The battle at Yunfeng Domain had solidified Shi Xiaole’s ferocious reputation; he could kill even a Spiritual-Passage Realm expert at will, weren’t they easy pickings?
"Don’t be afraid, just take me to Iron Pass Town."
Shi Xiaole responded with a smile.
He wasn’t interested in killing them.
"Young hero, right now, the entire Martial World of Qingxue State is after you, especially Iron Pass Town, where many experts are stationed. It’s not safe to go there."
One pleaded earnestly, fearing that Shi Xiaole might begin a killing spree.
"Oh, what kind of experts?"
Shi Xiaole nodded, seeming not flustered, and questioned back.
He simply couldn’t keep hiding away at Hidden Lake Villa for decades, only to go eradicate a few clans afterwards. If cornered, Shi Xiaole might resort to such measures, but he didn’t believe that those faction houses could back him into such a corner.
Under Shi Xiaole’s gaze, they dared not lie, one of them confessed, "Young hero, Iron Pass Town is now a gathering place for outstanding individuals, including several Top Grade martial artists listed in the Dustwind Rankings."
"Like number fifty-seven in the Dustwind Rankings, the Bloodfiend Elder from Asura Mansion. Number sixty-two in the Dustwind Rankings, Guan Qingying, the ’Wuming Swordsmaster’ from Guan Family. Ranked 109th in the Dustwind Rankings is ’Scholarly Talent’ Ouyang Lei from Charming Spring Gardens..."
According to their descriptions, each of the seven factions had sent two Top Grade martial artists listed in the Dustwind Rankings to guard the city, totaling an astonishing fourteen.
Even Shi Xiaole was a bit surprised by this number.
You should know that being a Spiritual-Passage Realm expert and being able to be listed in the Dustwind Rankings were two completely different deals.
Only those who have reached at least 70% in the state of understanding, mostly cultivated top-notch martial arts to a high level, and even some experts carrying tools that touched the essence of the tools, could be listed in the Dustwind Rankings.
These people’s ranking in the same realm was far beyond the strength of the Spiritual-Passage Realm experts Shi Xiaole had previously killed.
"Are there only fourteen in total?"
Shi Xiaole asked.
Such a question was not out of arrogance but caution.
At least two-thirds of the 300 Top Grade martial artists listed on the Dustwind Rankings were from the top fifteen faction houses due to occupying most of the resources. The united seven factions only sent out fourteen, which could not be considered too many.
A few of them exchanged glances, feeling uneasy.
These were Dustwind Rankings experts, even those ranked at the bottom could easily kill regular Spiritual-Passage Realm experts. Fourteen of them were dispatched, and you still think it’s not enough?
In fact, Shi Xiaole had really taken it for granted.
Those experts on Dustwind Rankings were the ultimate power of the major top forces. A large number of them had left Qingxue State in pursuit of strength. The few who remained guarding the faction houses were usually in seclusion and rarely appeared.
Now to deal with him, sending out fourteen was already giving him ’face’.
"As far as we know, there are indeed fourteen on the surface. Young hero, why not take a break and keep a low profile for a few months, those few might leave by themselves."
The few earnestly persuaded.
"They won’t let go of me until they give up, this is a good chance. Please show me the way."
Shi Xiaole gave a nonchalant response.
"What?!"
The few deeply doubted their hearing. Seeing that Shi Xiaole was truly determined, they didn’t dare to refuse and led the way in bewilderment.
Iron Pass Town, being the only transportation stronghold of Qingxue State and other states, was full of characters of various sorts all year round. The streets were wide, and shops lined both sides, bustling even more than an ordinary city.
These days, Iron Pass Town was even more lively.
The seven factions directly booked all the inns near the town entrance, with a large number of expert patrols on duty every day and checks at the official roads.
A lot more guests from the Martial World were flooding to the scene to join the excitement.
"Big news, big news, Shi Xiaole has shown up and is headed towards Iron Pass Town."
The hustle and bustle in the packed tavern came to a halt at the shout.
"Really? Is it true?"
"Don’t tell me it’s a hoax, dare he show up?"
People did not believe it.
"How can it be a hoax? All seven faction houses received the news and are rallying their troops to go find him."
The person delivering the message said.
All of a sudden, the sound of the wind breaking resonates, leaving the hall suddenly empty. On the street, rooftops, there were figures rushing frantically everywhere.
"Shi Xiaole, I want to see where your courage comes from."
The person speaking was the crowned teenager who had appeared in the Heavenly Treasure Ruins.
He had originally left Qingxue State a long time ago, but because of Shi Xiaole, he stayed a few more months. Logic told him that the opponent would never be able to survive such a show of force, so he wanted to watch it with his own eyes.
A crowd gathered in front of the archway at Iron Pass Town.
"Shi Xiaole!"
"It’s really him!"
Among the many complex gazes, a young man in a pale green shirt walked straight towards them, a long sword hanging from his waist, his demeanor extraordinary. A few timid failed scholars followed behind him.
"Sir Shi, the seven major factions have joined forces to besiege you, you cannot escape your doom. If you know what’s good for you, surrender immediately!"
Immediately someone shouted, it was a middle-aged man in a brown robe with a cold expression.
This time they, the seven major factions, had altogether brought hundreds of experts from the Spiritual-Passage Realm, along with fourteen experts from the Wanderer list, as well as even more martial arts practitioners from the higher Xuan Qi Realm. If Shi Xiaole did not appear, that would be fine, but if he does, they will not let him escape.
Shi Xiaole ignored them and walked straight towards Iron Pass Town.
"You young whelp, it seems you are a pitifully deaf."
The middle-aged man in the brown robe didn’t get angry, he just sneered. A dead man was not worth his anger.
People seemed to be wary of Shi Xiaole and backed away to both sides.
As the man in the brown robe continued to insult him, the moment Shi Xiaole stepped into the archway, he signaled - immediately hundreds of experts from the Spiritual-Passage Realm flew out from all directions, some on the ground, some on the rooftops, blocking all his escape routes.
One of them was particularly passionate, it was none other than Uncle Guan from the Guan Family.
"You’re definitely going to die this time."
Seeing Shi Xiaole fall into the trap, the middle-aged man in the brown robe sighed in relief, his eyes becoming cold and ruthless.
There had been tutored space analysis experts who curated all sorts of information, confirming that the array disk in Shi Xiaole’s hand can only emit light up to thirteen feet radius when driven by the internal Qi of the Xuanqi Realm.
Moreover, the array disk couldn’t completely block attacks, so they merely had to keep a certain distance and continuously attack Shi Xiaole. If they couldn’t kill him, they could still exhaust him to death.
Of course, based on the various pieces of information collected, the middle-aged man in the brown robe wouldn’t underestimate Shi Xiaole. With a wave of his hand, thousands of martial arts practitioners from the high Xuan Qi Realm gathered, ready to take over from the experts of the Spiritual-Passage Realm and attack Shi Xiaole at any time.
The sight of such an enormous force scared countless Martial World guests.
For many years, top factions had never mobilized such a large force to deal with a single person. Even if Shi Xiaole were to die tragically today, he would still have been worthy of pride.
"This man, so arrogant, really doesn’t know heaven from earth."
In the distance, three beautiful women were watching the scene closely, it was the Three Flower Ladies who had once met Shi Xiaole.
The one speaking was Yuhua Lady.
No one could deny Shi Xiaole’s excellence.
But Yuhua Lady always had a problem with him. At first, she thought it was because of Pan Yue, but then she realized, it wasn’t the fact that he had defeated Pan Yue that she hated, but rather, she hated that he wasn’t Pan Yue.
But now, everything was meaningless, he was going to pay for his arrogance with his life.
Yinhua Lady sighed.
Only Madam Gold Flower’s beautiful eyes were profound.
A person’s face is not always the same.
She couldn’t see Shi Xiaole’s fortune back then, and she couldn’t see it now either. Did this mean that he wouldn’t meet his end here? But how was that possible?
On the street.
"You really think highly of me."
Looking around, Shi Xiaole finally spoke. His tone was neither cold nor hot, calm to an extent that made countless people admire his composure.
"You bastard, I can’t stand your pretentiousness."
The middle-aged man in the brown robe’s expression was slightly savage, he shouted: "Everyone hear my command, kill him!"
Boom!
Vast and boundless Inborn Gang Qi erupted simultaneously, sweeping across the sky, ripping through the air, fiercely heading towards Shi Xiaole.
Many people had a sense of illusion, as if the air had even stagnated.
There were people in the dark about to take action.
But -
The movements of one person were quicker than anyone else’s, it was none other than Shi Xiaole. His left hand was holding the iron plate, the long sword was hanging at his waist, but his right hand had pulled out a flower.
The flower wasn’t big, but it exuded a dazzling metallic blue shine. When it felt the Gang Qi around it, it exploded automatically and expanded into a blue flower shadow of ten feet in size.
The petals slowly unfolded. In front of everyone’s incredulous gazes, it neutralized the Gang Qi of hundreds of experts from the Spiritual-Passage Realm. The heart of the flower was aimed directly at Shi Xiaole, and a strange fragrance spread across a thirty-feet radius.
"No!"
In an instant, hundreds of experts from the seven major factions screamed in despair. Their skin showed a strange blue color, and amidst the hissing sound, they were turned into blue water from head to toe.
Some people took drastic measures by amputating their discolored arms or cutting off their discolored legs, but it did not stop the spread of the poison, it just delayed the process of death, making it even more painful.
Ghostly screams echoed through the streets. In just a few moments, hundreds of experts from the Spiritual-Passage Realm were dead. As for the martial practitioners affected by the wave from the Xuan Qi Realm, even larger groups were disappearing.
The situation changed so quickly that everyone was stunned into silence.
