Chapter 359: Chapter 358: Make a Move (5th Update)
Lu Lingxi’s own strength is not inferior to many formidable practitioners of the ninth echelon of the Spiritual-Passage Realm, but this was not enough to deter the ’Three Righteous Blades of Flowing Cloud’.
What truly made them apprehensive, was Lu Lingxi’s background.
If anything were to happen to her here, Lingjian Sect would definitively investigate, and at that time, whether they were involved or not, they would definitely suffer dire consequences.
Thus, after much consideration, the burly man decided to spare Lu Lingxi.
"You all may leave."
Lu Lingxi’s tone was cold.
The burly man squinted and said, "Miss Lu, don’t overreach yourself. You should know that I am only respecting your sect, not you."
Lu Lingxi was silent, but her feet remained motionless.
She had her pride; how could she abandon others and flee?
"Very well, then I look forward to experiencing the might of Miss Lu’s techniques."
The expression of the burly man cooled down. Though they could not kill Lu Lingxi, as long as they could keep her occupied, their remaining men would be more than enough to kill the people of the Heroic Escort Agency.
As for whether word of this would spread in the Martial World, heh heh, whether they acted today or not, the word would still get out. Is there any difference?
"Take this!"
The burly man leapt into the air and swung his sword at Lu Lingxi.
Clang...
Their swords collided, and both retreated three steps.
"Blade Shining Thousand Layers!"
His arm trembled, and the speed of the burly man’s blade suddenly increased. Layer upon layer of incandescent blade flashes rolled at Lu Lingxi, like waves crashing.
The sharpness of the blade made big men like Wang Dahuh terrified, as if facing this blade, they could only be cut in half.
This burly man had clearly trained his unity of man and blade to a profoundly high level.
"Cloud Piercing Sword Style."
Lu Lingxi, in no hurry, drew her exquisite sword as she soared, the Sword Qi was as if it was falling from the clouds, carrying the momentum of piercing through the top of the clouds, instantly shattered the blade flashes.
"I misjudged you, Golden Thunderbolt Slash!"
The burly man let out a deep growl, his blade transformed into a glowing golden piece, dazzling everyone present as it swept across the void.
He grasped the Golden Light Intent Realm.
This realm’s offensive power was not strong, but it was capable of blinding the opponent’s sight. Especially since the burly man had developed the Golden Light Intent to perfection, even the experts at the pinnacle of Spiritual-Passage Realm would have to slightly retreat from it.
Among the people present, only Shi Xiaole, whom was sitting on the carriage, kept his eyes wide open.
The Golden Light Intent was strong or weak depending on the situation. Against average individuals, it had excellent effectiveness. But for someone like himself, with extremely strong psychic power and sharp senses, there was hardly any difference.
Shi Xiaole’s attention was on Lu Lingxi.
On this journey, through the mouth of escorts, he had already learned about Lu Lingxi’s standing in the Fire Cloud State’s Martial World, so he wanted to take this opportunity to see how far this top female sword talent had progressed.
With her vision blazed by the golden light, Lu Lingxi simply closed her eyes. As the burly man’s blade was about to strike, her sword unexpectedly turned, sliced through diagonally from the left, and generated cloud-like Sword Qi that rebounded the blade.
"The Sword Heart Realm at the initial stage?"
The burly man was shocked, fortunately, Lu Lingxi only had 60 to 70% grasp of the Cloud Piercing intent; otherwise, he would surely be defeated. As the thought flashed across his mind, he laughed aloud, "What use is there in hiding your true strength, Shining Thousand Rivers!"
Holding the sword in both hands, the burly man launched an attack he had only recently mastered.
As the long sword was raised above his head, all the light in the surrounding area converged towards it. When everyone could finally open their eyes, they were just in time to see an image of the burly man furiously slashing down.
The dazzling blade light, more radiant than the sun, burst from the blade, causing pain in many people’s eyes, making them cry out involuntarily.
"Lingxi’s Single Stroke."
The burly man’s strength was beyond Lu Lingxi’s expectations. At this moment, she too utilized her own ultimate technique.
Infused with the Cloud Piercing intent at 60% and the initial stage Sword Heart, her blade was elusive, as if it could cross the distance in space, just like the piercing insight of a single point of enlightenment.
In a muffled sound, the two again reached a standoff.
"Miss Lu, you are truly a surprise. But it’s a pity that only you can barely put up a fight here. My brothers, on the other hand, are more than enough to kill anyone besides you."
The burly man was taken aback.
He was five minor realms above Lu Lingxi, and these were the minor realms of the Spiritual-Passage Realm, yet he was not at an advantage.
This level of talent was probably already at par with the universally acknowledged prodigy of Fire Cloud State, ’Lightning Blade’ Yang Feng.
Thankfully, they could still maintain control over today’s situation, as a single Lu Lingxi couldn’t stop them, the Flowing Cloud Bandits.
"It seems, we can only stake it all today."
Wang Dahuh pulled out his knife, looking determined.
The strength of Lu Lingxi was extremely admirable to him, but the strength of the Flowing Cloud Bandit’s leader exceeded his imagination. It seemed, still, they could only fight till death.
The many escorts were silent.
Again, the burly man and Lu Lingxi clashed.
The twenty Flowing Cloud Bandits around them were slowly closing in with cruel and mocking smiles. Even though the air was charged with tension, all anyone could feel was a chill running down their spine.
"This is your last chance, leave."
Atop the carriage, Shi Xiaole finally spoke up, his words causing a uniform look of surprise from the escort masters. Wang Dahuh suddenly noticed, had this young man ever seemed nervous from the start?
"What did you say? Dare to say it again?"
The youngest of the ’Three Righteousness of Flowing Clouds’, the yellow-faced man, turned pale, but indeed stopped in his tracks. There’s something strange happening here, this boy seems unusual.
Clang!
Without a glance, Shi Xiaole drew his sword, swinging it left and right. The intersecting sword lights lingered in midair, but the sword was already back in its sheath.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Only at this moment, did the void react belatedly, resonating with two crisp cutting sounds. Then, the escort masters witnessed a scene they would never forget in their lifetimes.
Those twenty terrifying Flowing Cloud Bandits, like sluggish straw men, had yet to react before the slender sword light had cleaved through all of them.
Splutter...
Blood splattered, and ten on each side fell on the ground, their throats bearing a small incision, before they could even scream out in pain.
Hiss!
Everyone, including Wang Dahuh, sucked in a breath of cold air. Some even had their eyes popping out.
Who could have guessed this polite and gentle lad, known for his charming dimpled smiles, was unthinkably powerful?
"What just happened?"
The burly man fighting with Lu Lingxi glanced over and almost got himself killed by her due to the distraction.
What happened? In the blink of an eye, everyone was dead. Who did it?
"If there’s a superior here, please accept my apologies for failing to recognize you."
The burly man no longer had the heart to fight with Lu Lingxi and shouted around him.
It was the first time that Lu Lingxi’s calm face had shown surprise.
The sword Qi flashed past too quickly for her to determine its origin. However, from her angle, she had seen who had done it, which was even more unbelievable.
It was the miraculous control of the Sword Heart Perfection. But the other party did not seem to be even twenty-five years old. How was that possible?
"Evil actions will always suffer retribution. Take my sword."
Shi Xiaole flew forward, aiming a stab at the burly man.
"No!"
The burly man realized who the killer was, but it was too late. How was he to defend against a sword as swift as the wind?
With the breakthrough in Sword Heart Perfection and his cultivation, Shi Xiaole’s attack power had vastly improved. Coupled with his Wind God Leg which was as swift as the wind, his casual thrust was a fatal blow to others.
Of course, the previous two slashes that killed twenty Flowing Cloud Bandits might have exaggerated his strength. Mainly because they were caught off guard, creating such a staggering effect.
Returning to the carriage, Shi Xiaole smiled at Wang Dahuh, "Brother Wang, the trouble has been taken care of."
"Uh, uh, yes..."
Wang Dahuh swallowed hard,twice, not being able to articulate his words.
After a quick tidy up, the group continued their journey, but the atmosphere had noticeably shifted.
Many people stole glances at Shi Xiaole, secretly speculating about his identity and such unparalleled talents.
"Brother Shi, you really hide your abilities well."
Wang Dahuh laughed bitterly. The kind-hearted and gentle youth he had taken along had unexpectedly saved everyone.
While Wang Dahuh had been enthusiastic about Shi Xiaole from the start, he was a bit condescending. Now, his enthusiasm was even more genuine, with a trace of respect thrown in.
In the martial world, respect is earned through actions, not words. A strong person is destined to earn more respect than a commoner.
Especially someone like Shi Xiaole, so outrageously strong at such a young age. What would he become in a few years?
On the other hand, despite his decades in the martial world, Wang Dahuh had never seen a prodigy like Shi Xiaole, even superior to Lu Lingxi.
"This life of mine was saved by Brother Shi. In the future, if you ever need anything, just say the word, and I will not refuse."
Wang Dahuh pounded his chest.
"Brother Wang, you’re being too modest. If it weren’t for you, I’d still be wandering aimlessly in the mountains," Shi Xiaole replied, laughing.
"May I ask where Brother Shi is originally from and how old you are?"
Lu Lingxi, who had been quiet all this while, finally couldn’t curb her curiosity and asked. On hearing this, everyone pricked up their ears.
The escorts were very curious about the mysterious Shi Xiaole. Everyone was privately guessing about his origins and age.
"I’m from Qingxue State. This year, I guess I’m not yet twenty-two."
"Not even twenty-two yet?"
Wang Dahuh was flabbergasted, and so were the others.
Shi Xiaole looked very young, but people with deep internal power often look younger than their actual age. They had assumed that Shi Xiaole would be around twenty-five.
They never expected him to be just twenty-one. This was absolutely incredible!
Although there was only a four-year difference between twenty-five and twenty-one, for someone with Shi Xiaole’s talent, a lot could change in four years.
