Chapter 321: Chapter 320: Xuanyin Six Consecutive Strikes
Having advanced his cultivation to the eighth level of Xuan Qi, Shi Xiaole had finally hit a bottleneck, unlikely to enhance in the short term. Dodging idle moments, he decided to do some tasks for the Demon Alliance to test out his strength at the same time.
Through his previous experience of seeking Mr. Wuling, Shi Xiaole once again acknowledged the strength of the Demon Alliance. This organization was like a net; the higher you ascended, the more channels and resources you had.
Furthermore, it is said at the Incense Master level, one could receive a fixed Mystic Crystal Stone each month, which was exactly what Shi Xiaole needed at the moment.
The Demon Alliance was everywhere in the Flying Horse Dynasty. Having visually created about seven to eight cipher codes in the closest city, Shi Xiaole got a reply shortly.
At midnight, dressed in the red robes and face mask specific to the role of a minister, Shi Xiaole arrived at a certain place in the suburb.
"Codename."
"Wind Evil."
Shhh.
A piece of paper flew into Shi Xiaole’s hands.
"Xuan level task, kill the Sunhawk, a master of the Devil Path. Reward: One of the top-notch rare blades."
"Xuan level task, steal Devil Path Guardian symbol, the Guardian Bead. Reward: Two million taels of silver."
"..."
Looking down the list, the several tasks mentioned above weren’t considered toughed based on the rewards. However, the last task sparked Shi Xiaole’s interest.
The task was to eliminate the Xuanyin Sect hidden in the eastern part of the Great Cold State. The reward was a direct promotion to Incense Master of the Demon Alliance.
Rankings in the Demon Alliance don’t always equate directly to personal power, but they are not completely unrelated either. After all, the stronger you are, the more tasks you could perform, thus the quicker you could rise in rank.
A general minister usually had a cultivation level around the first level of the Spiritual-Passage Realm. The Incense Master was at the three-level bracket of the Spiritual-Passage Realm.
"I’ll take the first, second, and last tasks," Shi Xiaole said.
"Sorry, each person can only accept one task," replied the contact person coldly.
Shi Xiaole was slightly stunned, then he slightly understood.
The Great Cold State was not like Qingxue State, there were more than hundredfold masters in the Spiritual-Passage Realm. If everyone hoarded tasks, it would certainly cause many people without tasks to do, which would not be conducive to the development of the Demon Alliance.
Shi Xiaole shrugged helplessly and chose the last task.
...
In the eastern part of the Great Cold State, there was a farm. Nestled in the mountains and rivers, men tilled and women spun, it seemed very peaceful.
However, on this day, a person dressed in red robes and a red mask walked in.
"Who are you? Why are you dressed so strangely?" A man challenged.
Ignoring him, Shi Xiaole started moving around the farm. Leveraging his strong spiritual power and perception from Air Floating Skill, he found many men and women of the Martial World being held captive.
Xuanyin Sect walked the path of cultivation by extracting life essence from others, from Sect Leader Xuanyin Matriarch to ordinary followers. They all practiced this art, often kidnapping innocent young masters as their cultivators.
Unbeknownst to them, the people in the farm had all gathered around Shi Xiaole, their faces turning cold.
Being figures in the Devil Path, how could they not recognize the uniform of the Demon Alliance’s officials? Their earlier pretense of ignorance was merely a ploy to lure the enemy into their trap.
"Bastard, you are really bold." A burly man, weapon in hand, brimmed with killing intent.
While Shi Xiaole was using his Flying Skill earlier, his Xuan Qi eighth-level cultivation was exposed, causing many present to be doubtful and suspicious.
The Demon Alliance would surely know about Xuanyin Sect’s strength before sending anyone on a mission. Why would they send someone with only the eighth level of Xuan Qi?
"Step back."
As a delicate voice sounded, a mature woman in her forties with an alluring figure landed in the center of the ongoing fray. From the way people were looking at her, it wasn’t hard to guess that she was the Matriarch of Xuanyin Sect, the Xuanyin Matriarch.
"Sir, there’s nothing good about being on the Righteous Path. How about staying here instead? Xuanyin Sect has a lot of beautiful women, all of whom are martial arts experts. You can have your pick. Satisfaction guaranteed," she teased, removing her clothes to reveal her tender and smooth skin.
"Your charm skills won’t work on me. The Xuanyin Sect can now disband," Shi Xiaole responded lightly.
Xuanyin Matriarch paused, her uneasy expression now evident. She was after all a master with the second-level cultivation of the Spiritual-Passage Realm. Why would she be afraid of a mediocre figure with eighth-level Xuan Qi?
Yes, Great Cold State had prodigies like Shi Xiaole and Xie Xiaofeng, but Shi Xiaole was only at the fourth level of Xuan Qi half a year ago. It’s impossible that he has advanced to the eighth level now, isn’t it? As for Xie Xiaofeng, he was a master of the Spiritual-Passage Realm. So that was even more impossible.
Smiling no more, Xuanyin Matriarch got back into her clothes and said, "Your pride without worry will lead to a dreadful end. Senior Brother, please lend me a helping hand!"
As her words dropped, a figure emerged from the crowd, landed next to Xuanyin Matriarch, his aura reaching the fourth level of the Spiritual-Passage Realm.
According to the information from the Demon Alliance, Xuanyin Matriarch, being at the second level of the Spiritual-Passage Realm, was the highest-ranking member in Xuanyin Sect. But evidently, it was not the case this time.
In reality, no intelligence organization holds 100% of the information. Ever since the inception of the Demon Alliance, in order to avoid being swept away, the Devils Path organizations have been hiding their power through various means.
In the past, there were many cases of Demon Alliance masters getting killed due to incorrect information.
The Xuanyin Matriarch was very cautious about Shi Xiaole, despite knowing that he was only at the eighth level of Xuan Qi, she exhibited no intention of risking on her own.
"Junior Sister, you are too cautious," said the man called Senior Brother who was a weak scholar with a feminine face and average stature. He shook his head in disappointment, grabbed Xuanyin Matriarch’s butt, and laughed, "how are you going to thank me for helping you?"
Xuanyin Matriarch coquettishly replied, "Of course, I will heed Senior Brother’s command, tonight whatever you want me to do, I will do."
If it wasn’t necessary, the Xuanyin Matriarch really didn’t want to ask the Weak Scholar for help. This senior brother of hers had a truly twisted nature, she had no clue what he might demand tonight.
But caution is the parent of safety.
With the senior brother’s cultivation in the Spiritual-Passage Realm fourth level, even if their opponent is Shi Xiaole, he would definitely not be a match. After all, there is a six-realm difference between them, including a major realm in the middle.
"Hahaha, good."
Seeing her consent, the Weak Scholar’s eyes brightened. He took a step towards Shi Xiaole with a strange look in his eyes and the eerie palm force shot out before him, slamming into Shi Xiaole’s chest.
This attack was so powerful that it could pulverise a giant rock weighing ten thousand jin. Not even most experts at the third level of the Spiritual-Passage Realm could withstand it easily.
The Sword Heart spurred on, Shi Xiaole’s sword swung out, a meteor-like sword light fiercely collided with his opponent.
The move he hadn’t used for a long time - Meteor from the Sky.
The Sword Qi and palm force collided against each other without pretense, like a spike on an iron plate. The Qi solidified for a moment before spreading out in all directions in an overwhelming surge.
Pu pu pu...
In an instant, the many high-level Xuanyin Sect members surrounding them at a distance spat out mouthfuls of blood, fell backwards, and chaos ensued.
"Senior brother?!"
The Xuanyin Matriarch’s face turned pale and she shouted out in surprise.
The Weak Scholar also looked shocked, and then incredibly furious. It must be a joke that he, a Spiritual-Passage Realm fourth level expert, couldn’t handle a guy who was only at the eighth level of Xuan Qi!
"Xuanyin Eight Styles!"
Using all his power, the Weak Scholar’s body looked like a shadow. The palm force from his hands was chilling and terrifying, sending a chill down one’s spine and bringing about an enormous sense of fear.
Truth be told, anyone at the Spiritual-Passage Realm was anything but mediocre, at worst they had unique talents.
With years of grueling practice, the Weak Scholar’s chilling intent had long reached ninety percent completion. Coupled with the masterly second-tier mid-grade palm skill, Xuanyin Eight Styles, he could crush a crowd of experts.
Avoiding to the left and right, Shi Xiaole was unable to dodge the Xuanyin palm energy, leaving him helplessly thinking how much his flying skills sucked.
"Let’s see where will you run now, Xuanyin Destruction!"
Seeing that Shi Xiaole was in a fluster, the Weak Scholar sighed in relief and shot out a huge white palm impression with a swing of his hand. The palm impression pulled up a streak of eerie greenish lights as it passed by, even tearing apart the remnants of a battle in the air.
The Fierce Kill Intent Realm exploded; Shi Xiaole thrust his long sword forward, launching the Death Claiming fifteenth sword.
The ominous black Sword Qi constantly collided with the stark white palm impression, both eventually disappearing into the nothingness.
"Who exactly are you?"
The Weak Scholar was having a hard time keeping his composure.
"Dead men have no right to know too much."
Shi Xiaole answered.
"Do you really think I can’t handle you?"
The Weak Scholar gnashed his teeth viciously, his hands making a holding gesture, two balls of white internal power floating on his palm that looked like ghostly flames wavering uncertainly. The moment the ghostly flames appeared, Shi Xiaole seemed to hear a chilling wind blowing past his ear.
"Senior brother, have you mastered master’s Xuanyin Six Consecutive Strikes?"
The Xuanyin Matriarch retreated a hundred meters away, overjoyed.
The Xuanyin Six Consecutive Strikes was an improved ultimate skill based on the Xuanyin Eight Styles. Although it wasn’t as powerful as the top-tier second grade martial arts, it was very close.
"Die!"
The Weak Scholar’s left hand slapped three times rapidly.
In front of him, it seemed like a candle was flickering. With all the hair on his body standing up, Shi Xiaole launched the Death Claiming fifteenth sword thrice rapidly, surpassing his limits.
However, the next moment, the Weak Scholar showed a cruel expression and slapped his right hand down three more times.
The speed at which these three hits landed was no different from the previous three, but they posed a much greater threat. The ethereal space around them was filled with shadows of ghostly flames, blinding even the Xuanyin Matriarch. She couldn’t see clearly.
"This kid is finished."
The Xuanyin Matriarch breathed a sigh of relief. The power of this strike from the senior brother was at least thirty percent stronger than before.
Just as the ghostly flames were about to land, Shi Xiaole was undeterred. His sword style changed once again. It was a stabbing move, but this time, his sword Qi was like a raging wind, shaping up like a massive umbrella that covered all directions.
Bang!
Three white ghostly flames hit the umbrella-shaped Sword Qi at the same time, and instantly spread up. After three breaths of burning, the Sword Qi was extinguished. But the Shi Xiaole behind, other than a little disorder in his breath, was unharmed.
"What?!"
The Xuanyin Matriarch opened her mouth wide, too shocked for words.
The Weak Scholar’s everchanging expression finally settled into a grimace. "Bastard, I’ll spare your dog life today, get lost."
Xuanyin Six Consecutive Strikes were extremely draining on internal power, the Weak Scholar could only execute it five times at most at the moment. If he exerted himself to the max, he might have been able to kill Shi Xiaole, but he didn’t want to leave himself too weak in case of any unexpected circumstances.
This damn mutt got off easy!
"Wind Leaves No Trace, managing to block the attack of a Spiritual-Passage Realm fourth level expert."
What the Weak Scholar didn’t know was that the three ghostly flames had already broken through the Sword Qi. But because they were too few in number, they didn’t cause much harm to Shi Xiaole.
But for the effect to be like this, Shi Xiaole was already very satisfied.
Sheathing his sword, when Shi Xiaole’s right hand again stretched out, it held a chilling sword. On the sword ridge, a red line moved like a living thing, giving a feeling of constant shifting.
"With this sword, I will kill you."
With only forty percent of his internal power left, Shi Xiaole was even weaker than the Weak Scholar. Thankfully, the objective of testing his combat abilities had been achieved, it was now time to complete the mission.
