Chapter 285: Chapter 284: Xuanfeng Town
Compare the Sword Heart to a person, and the sword techniques are his weapons.
The middling third-rate Eclipse Eight Forms can’t fully unleash 97% of the Sword Heart’s power. Hence, when Shi Xiaole switched to higher-level sword techniques, his power surged immediately.
A bloom in the void.
Shi Xiaole lunged with his sword, his chilly Sword Qi, like a runaway horse, devastated Guan Qingying’s sword momentum and forced him to retreat.
"Impossible!"
Guan Qingying’s face changed, that previous strike gave him a suffocating feeling. His indifference at least remained within that realm of emotion, but the dispassion of the other party seemed to have surpassed that level.
Clang dangling sound.
Shi Xiaole’s sword techniques can’t be described as fast or exquisite, the first reaction for anyone who sees it was a sense of hair-raising.
His every strike has only one purpose, to kill.
"This is definitely not the sword skill of Tian Bao Sword Marquis. However, when has such a resolute and indifferent sword skill ever appeared in the martial world?"
"Did Shi Xiaole have another serendipitous encounter? No, it’s impossible to train this kind of sword technique without years of hard work. Has he been hiding it until now?"
The swift change in the situation rendered everyone speechless.
"His sword techniques have improved much more than last time, how is his progress so rapid?"
The young man with a wooden crown clenched his fists tightly, he was completely blown away.
"Die."
No one saw how Shi Xiaole made his move. They only knew the word ’die’ just came out, a blue phantom bloomed towards the rear. In an instant, five people disintegrated into ashes, even their screams were too late to be uttered.
The remaining six high-ranking experts from Wind Dust List, including Bloodfiend Elder, who were preparing to ambush turned pale with fright. They took a step back just in time, narrowly saving their lives.
They couldn’t comprehend how that young man, who was in the midst of an intense duel with Guan Qingying, still managed to find the time and energy to use the Blue Witch.
No one felt worse than Guan Qingying.
His so-called advantage, the foundation he was proud of, was shattered bit by bit in Shi Xiaole’s strikes. What chilled him even more was the other’s indifference from beginning to end, like a seamless net, slowly crushing his will.
At this moment, Guan Qingying finally understood just how terrifying this sword prodigy was.
"I will not lose, all lives will be extinguished!"
Guan Qingying risked getting stabbed and unleashed the strongest strike of his life. Sword Qi burst forth like a flood, wherever it swept past, all trace of life was extinguished.
"Remember, this set of sword techniques is called the Death Claiming Fifteen Swords."
Facing this strike, Shi Xiaole just calmly thrust out his sword. His Sword Qi condensed into a point, quietly merging into Guan Qingying’s sword momentum.
Bang.
Like a glass shattering, Guan Qingying’s chest erupted like a fountain, blood spurted unstoppably from the opening.
"Death Claiming Fifteen Swords? Hahaha, in the end, it’s you who will die."
Guan Qingying’s eyes were fierce, retreating while pulling out a cylinder, it was the Storm Pear Blossom Needles of Tang Sect.
But how could his movements deceive Shi Xiaole, who was calm and composed, his sword momentum changed again.
If the previous thirteen swords were green leaves, then this sword was the red flower, embodying the essence and nature of claiming lives.
With a swish, an arm flew into the air, countless thin needles shot into the ground, some penetrated Guan Qingying’s legs and abdomen, causing him to cry out in severe pain and roll on the ground.
Without Shi Xiaole making a move, Guan Qingying was invaded by the poison on the needles and quickly lost his life.
The martial artists present were all dumbstruck.
When the experts on the Wind Dust List were young, which one wasn’t a unique genius? Moreover, with the boost from the Spiritual Passage Realm, it was like cheating. Yet, they were defeated by Shi Xiaole. This shocking force was beyond description.
Looking at the Martial World of Qingxue State, for decades, only Shi Xiale could create such a shocking force, only him!
"Sir, why the need for such stealth?"
Shi Xiaole raised his head to look at the top of the Iron Pass Town watchtower.
"You managed to spot me?"
A figure appeared above, dressed in a five-color robe, about fifty years old, somewhat refined in appearance, but his face was very gloomy.
"Five Flower Wanderer, the second-best expert from the Guan family, ranked twenty-eighth on the Wind Dust List, didn’t expect him to be here in secret."
Even if they were hundred feet apart, the martial artists’ perception was acute, and someone immediately recognized this person.
"Do you also want to try me?"
Shi Xiaole said indifferently.
Five Flower Wanderer sniffed coldly.
In terms of the same realm, he was stronger than Guan Qingying, but not by a tier.
Moreover, Five Flower Wanderer had a hunch that what was more terrifying about Shi Xiaole than his strength was his adaptability and combat ability. If he confronted Shi Xiaole, he was sure to lose. This young man’s terror had already exceeded the initial expectations of the Seven Major Sects.
Most intimidating of all, no one knew whether the Blue Witch in Shi Xiaole’s hands could still be used. Apart from Guan Qingying, seven top-ranking experts from the Wind Dust List had already met their unnatural ends. Who would dare to step forward rashly now?
"In that case, the journey of Martial World is long, we will meet again."
Seeing that no one stepped forward, Shi Xiaole left a sentence and walked out of Iron Pass Town without looking back.
After much hesitation, Five Flower Wanderer eventually did not make a move.
The representatives of the remaining seven factions didn’t act either.
Outside the official road was the Mist Forest; there was no use in pursuing him further, as they would lose his trail sooner or later.
"Hmph, even if we can’t kill you, others will. Shi, you’ll never make it back to Qingxue State alive," Five Flower Wanderer said fiercely, his face turning ashen.
"He just walked away?"
Madam Silver Flower said in disbelief, her lips slightly parted.
No one could have anticipated that the day’s affairs would end this way.
Fifteen experts from the Wandering Dust Ranking and hundreds of experts from the Spiritual-Passage Realm joined forces, only to suffer more than half of them falling or injured, while the man they surrounded walked away without a single hair harmed.
"With his abilities, he will certainly stand out once he reaches the outer states."
Madam Gold Flower was even more convinced of her judgment of destiny. As for Yuhua Lady next to her, she was too shocked to say anything.
" It seems that our actions were superfluous."
In a certain inn, a graceful woman withdrew her gaze, standing beside her astonishingly were Grand Elder Xiao Yutong of Queen City and a group of experts."
In the same silence were the members of the Revenge Gathering. Under the insistence of Chou Wuji and Elder Rong, they intended to assist Shi Xiaole, but it turned out that they were just watching a drama in vain.
Most of the other spectators in the Martial World dared not discuss recklessly, fearing to offend the seven major sects, but deep down, they were eager to spread the news of what happened.
...
When Shi Xiaole left the Qingxue State this time, he did not bring Qingfeng with him.
A man with precious possessions is always in danger. There were too many experts outside, and the Martial World was far more dangerous than Qingxue State. With his current strength, he couldn’t protect Qingfeng.
He crossed the official road and entered the mountains covered by white mist. With his eyesight and spiritual senses, he could only perceive things within a five-meter radius.
Fortunately, before he disbanded the Golden Phoenix Tower, he had anticipated this day and had brought the compass with him. Guided by it, he continued towards the East.
Elder Rong had already informed him that He Bugui had indeed visited the Revenge Gathering, but then he had left, and nobody knew where he had gone. With this, the clues about his parents once again hit a dead end.
Temporarily without a goal, after careful consideration, Shi Xiaole decided to head to Great Cold State, located east of Qingxue State.
In the fourth layer of the Heavenly Treasure Ruins, he had found a scroll that, when unrolled, turned out to be a travel record written by an anonymous monk. In it was a section describing various exotic fruits that he had discovered throughout his travels.
One of them was still in the seed stage and required a harsh environment to grow. The anonymous monk didn’t pick it so as to not disrupt its growth.
This exotic fruit was said to be in the Great Cold State and according to the timing, it should mature in the next few years. So, Shi Xiaole decided to try his luck.
In the dead of night, Shi Xiaole rested by a large tree, scrutinizing the Blue Enchantress in his hand.
"This is a good item. It’s a pity it can’t be used anymore."
If Five Flower Wanderer and the others heard this sentence, they would have coughed up blood in anger. The Blue Enchantress had six petals, but only those that could be plucked off were useful. The remaining three petals were purely decorative.
Besides the Blue Enchantress, cracks had also appeared on the Heaven and Earth Harmony Array Plate. When Shi Xiaole activated it, the yellow light noticeably weakened, hinting that its use was reaching its end.
"External objects can’t be relied upon for too long."
After mulling it over, Shi Xiaole hid the Array Plate and the Blue Enchantress under the tree he was leaning against as a sort of memento.
With the compass as a guide, five days later, Shi Xiaole emerged from the Mist Forest and successfully arrived at the Great Cold State boundaries.
Several warriors who had left the Qingxue State stated that compared to the outer states, the Qingxue’s martial arts standard was very low. Many who were aware of Qingxue State even mockingly called it a backward place.
In Qingxue State, those who reached the fifth-tier of the Spiritual-Passage Realm could qualify for the Wandering Dust Ranking.
However, in neighbouring states like Great Cold, even those who reached the ninth-tier of the Spiritual-Passage Realm couldn’t make it. Only those who had reached the peak of the Spiritual-Passage Realm, and had fully mastered their martial arts to the limit of this realm, could qualify for the Wandering Dust Rankings.
Of course, it didn’t mean that Spiritual-Passage Realm expert were worthless. In terms of proportion, the Spiritual-Passage Realm experts in the Great Cold State were about one in a hundred thousand. However, due to the large number of warriors, there seemed to be an oversupply of Spiritual-Passage Realm experts.
In fact, in some remote places, even Xuanqi Realm experts were revered.
Upon reaching the nearest city, Shi Xiaole immediately began to inquire about the whereabouts of East Wind Town.
East Wind Town was noted in the travel record as the place where an elemental fruit grew.
After a series of inquiries, dozens of East Wind Towns were found, but none of them matched the description in the travel record. If Shi Xiaole’s guess was correct, the East Wind Town mentioned by the anonymous monk had long ceased to exist.
Left with no choice, Shi Xiaole divided the detailed descriptions in the travel record into sections and asked local information organizations about the targets that met the requirements, then he screened and compared them himself to avoid any information leakage.
In the end, three suspicious targets appeared.
Huangshan Town, Xuanfeng Town, and High Stone Village.
Since he was out wandering in the Martial World, Shi Xiaole was not in a hurry. He decided to tour around and enhance his martial arts while exploring the three locations on his list.
On his journey, he encountered various characters from the Martial World and saw many duels; some were for prestige, some were robberies, some were for upholding justice, and some were for revenge...
His main observation was that there are far too many experts in the Great Cold State. Those below the Qi Absorption stage dared not venture alone, while only those at the Xuanqi Realm were eligible to roam in the Martial World.
Furthermore, to make a name in Great Cold State, one’s cultivation had to reach at least the Spiritual-Passage Realm; if not, the title that one claims will not be recognized.
After two months, Shi Xiaole had visited Huangshan Town and High Stone Village, but came up empty-handed.
Finally, he arrived at Xuanfeng Town.
Xuanfeng Town was a remote small town, with a population of fewer than thirty thousand. It had three factions within it, and usually appeared quite peaceful.
