Chapter 432: Chapter 431: Meteor Demise, Qingfeng’s Transformation
In the forest, a man and a tiger were engaged in fierce battle.
A large swath of rock walls, trees, and even the soil were upturned and exploded. Within several dozen meters, with the fight at its center, no grass sprouted, as if the end of the world had arrived.
In order to protect Qingfeng, Shi Xiaole intentionally led the white tiger to a remote place. Yet, the white tiger was cunning. It seemed to detect Shi Xiaole’s plan, each time deliberately targeting the green cocoon.
As a result, Shi Xiaole, instead, was left compromised and restrained.
Roar!
Under the sunlight, a flash of white whizzed past, splattering droplets of blood.
Two claw marks appeared on Shi Xiaole’s face, and his sword viciously stabbed into the white tiger’s abdomen, only leaving a half-inch deep wound on the surface—the sword Qi was unable to penetrate through.
"Its body is harder than it was a few days ago."
A serious look appeared on Shi Xiaole’s face.
He was using the white tiger to enhance his sword skills. Now, it appeared that the tiger was doing the same, using him to quickly digest some sort of violent power within its body and convert it for its own use.
A puff of white breath suddenly sprayed out from the tiger’s mouth, as fast as a flash, reaching Shi Xiaole’s face in a blink.
Clang!
Shi Xiaole held his sword in front of him, retreating continuously.
This was a killer move mastered by the white tiger, whose destructive power was nearly as strong and speedy as Qingfeng’s Thirteen Moves, creating a no-win situation for Shi Xiaole: it would either kill him or leave him crippled.
The two sides fiercely fought eight hundred and ninety-four moves, ending with Shi Xiaole’s injury.
Day after day.
Shi Xiaole’s swordsmanship was improving, but the white tiger’s strength was also increasing.
The battles between the two went from eight hundred and ninety-four moves to more than nine hundred moves, even a thousand moves, then back to nine hundred moves, eight hundred moves.
The numerous life-and-death battles and near-death crises not only helped Shi Xiaole gradually comprehend the missing charm of the Destroying Star Flash, but also brought his understanding of swordsmanship to an unprecedented clarity.
A few times, he even failed to feel the sword in his hand. To him, everything, whether grass, tree, flower or stone, had become a sword.
The so-called Sword Heart refers to having a sword in one’s heart, the source of a swordsman’s strength.
When this power is fully established, it will expand outward, transforming everything it touches into a sword, making them a part of oneself.
This is the realm above the Sword Heart, in which everything in the universe becomes a sword. This realm is called the Heavenly Sword Realm!
In the battle against Tan Qingyan at the Ancient Land, Shi Xiaole had briefly touched upon the Heavenly Sword Realm, but later withdrew. Since then, he has never given up attacking this realm but always came up short.
Shi Xiaole knew that his foundation was still far from sufficient, so he needed to continually deepen his impressions through life-and-death situations, and experience it all through his own body!
After a long period of digestion, the white tiger’s power had increased dramatically from the start, and repeatedly sprung forward with puffs of white breath that startled Shi Xiaole into continuous retreat, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
With its green eyes filled with fierceness, the white tiger suddenly opened its huge mouth, spraying out a white liquid this time.
The white liquid enveloped the void like a cloth wiping a glass, making the void even brighter than elsewhere, devoid of any dust.
This was a killer move newly mastered by the white tiger, intending to put Shi Xiaole in a deadly situation when his guard was down!
Time seemed to slow down.
Shi Xiaole had no time to use the Fifteenth Sword of Death Claiming.
A white liquid filled his sight and his mind. In the whiteness, a glimmer of light emerged, like a shooting star in the sky, illuminating the world.
Shi Xiaole had never truly understood what the Destroying Star Flash was missing. Now he knew. It was neither the fleeting extreme speed nor the infinite brilliance, but the silence akin to death.
Isn’t destruction and death the result of a meteor crash?
Brilliance is only transient, and annihilation is its ultimate fate.
Holding the Hidden Edge Sword, Shi Xiaole himself seemed to become a meteor, with an unpredictable speed rushing into the sky, and then falling down rapidly.
Shi!
A man and a tiger brushed past each other, a linear splash of blood spurting from the blade.
"Roar..."
The white tiger let out a pained howl. On its neck was startlingly a two-inch deep and one-inch long sword wound, with fresh blood continuously gushing out.
"Concentrate all your strength on a single point, pursuing the destructive power of an instant."
The elevated Destroying Star Flash, under the blessing of the Wind True Intent, achieved a horrifying speed, over thirty percent faster than the Qingfeng Thirteen Moves.
And speed, to a certain extent, represents strength.
Perhaps in terms of destructive power, the Destroying Star Flash is inferior to the Fifteenth Sword of Death Claiming under the blessing of Demonic True Intent, but in terms of overall lethality, it seems even more powerful.
After all, how can opponents defend against a sword move that they can’t even see clearly?
"The name Destroying Star Flash it’s not quite appropriate for this move anymore. Perhaps it can be called, Meteor Demise."
Meteor represents the form of this sword, and Demise represents the effect of this sword. Anyone confronted with this sword faces Death Without Life.
Turning his body, Shi Xiaole once again used the Meteor Demise.
The sword light flashed like a meteor.
This time, a new wound appeared on the abdomen of the White Tiger. A hissing sound could be heard at the site of the wound, as the Sword Qi inserted itself, aiming to annihilate the tiger’s flesh and vitality.
In just the blink of an eye, nine crisscrossing sword lights engulfed the void, forming a grid pattern like a chessboard. At the center of the grid, the White Tiger let out continuous screams of agony as nine wounds appeared on its body.
Looking at Shi Xiaole in sheer terror, the White Tiger fled frantically. By the time it barged into the Array System in a pitiful state, twenty-six new wounds had appeared on its body, blood gushing out profusely, presenting an utterly tragic sight.
"The Meteor Demise move, it’s enough to counter most of the experts in the third layer of the Dragon Gate Realm."
Shi Xiaole was quite satisfied with his progress.
Despite his previous seeming ease in tackling those in the third layer of the Dragon Gate Realm, it was because he hadn’t encountered any real tough opponents yet.
According to the division of the Martial World in Xuanwu State, most of the lower-tier experts in the Dragon Gate Realm had only grasped one to three-tenths of the True Intent. Their martial arts realm was at the level of Perfect Palm Intent, and Perfect Sword Heart stages.
This was easy to understand. Those who could break through to the Dragon Gate Realm were all geniuses among geniuses, and these people were also categorized into different levels.
For ordinary geniuses, the low-level stage of the Dragon Gate Realm was basically the end point of their martial arts progression. The probability of comprehending profounder True Intent and martial arts realm was rather low.
For top-tier geniuses, one would inevitably not be very old when breaking through to the Dragon Gate Realm. Even with exceptional talent, their True Intent and martial arts realm wouldn’t be absurdly high.
However, even three-tenths of the True Intent was enough to give Shi Xiaole a run for his money.
But at this moment, the speed of his Meteor Demise had exceeded the reaction ability of most experts in the third layer of the Dragon Gate Realm, enough to kill them before they could make their move.
Of course, the above referred to normal situations and did not rule out some exceptional individuals who had received heaven-defying opportunities.
Looking up at the green cocoon, Shi Xiaole continued to sit cross-legged, consolidating the essence of Meteor Demise and digesting his swordsmanship epiphanies from the past few days.
In the following days, the White Tiger dared not to move again, and the deep parts of Peony Mountain regained their usual tranquility.
About half a month passed.
The green cocoon twitched a bit, then the movements became more and more noticeable. It was as if a force was trying to burst out from within, and each attempt was like deafening thunder.
After hundreds of attempts, with a loud crack, the green cocoon was completely shattered. An even more majestic and imposing horse emerged, raising its hooves high and letting out a neigh that resounded across a hundred miles.
"Little Wind!"
To Shi Xiaole’s surprise, the color of Qingfeng had changed from light cyan to a radiant platinum hue. Its robust skeleton and glossy coat looked as if they were meticulously crafted from the finest platinum jade. Basking in the sunlight, it radiated an unparalleled masculinity and magnificence.
As soon as Qingfeng’s crystal-clear eyes spotted Shi Xiaole, it trotted right up to him without making a noticeable move and affectionately lowered its head.
Shi Xiaole let out a hearty laugh and climbed onto its back.
Whoosh!
The speed of Qingfeng was so fast that Shi Xiaole couldn’t clearly see the blurry images of the surroundings. It seemed as if the entire world had blended together, even the wind had ceased to blow.
Qingfeng, which was already quite large, was now even more robust. Sitting on its back, one wouldn’t feel any bumping or jolting no matter how it galloped and lunged.
If he wanted to, Shi Xiaole could even lie down on its back and comfortably drift off to sleep.
"Qingfeng’s speed has surpassed mine."
Shi Xiaole couldn’t help but be amazed.
If Qingfeng had possessed such speed four or five months ago, the Third Elder of the Tianluo Sect would definitely not have been able to catch them.
After circling around Peony Mountain and returning to the starting point, only a few dozen breaths’ time had passed.
Dismounting from Qingfeng’s back, Shi Xiaole had a thought and asked, "Little Wind, the White Tiger can spit white liquid, do you have any special abilities?"
Qingfeng responded with a proud neigh.
Within hundreds of meters, countless insects, venomous snakes, birds, and even the White Tiger hiding in the distance, were all trembling uncontrollably. An instinctual urge urged them to bow down and worship the radiant divine horse bathed in the sunlight.
That was not all. As it ceased to neigh, the jade-like radiance on Qingfeng’s body disappeared. Although it still appeared ten times more majestic than an ordinary horse, it no longer possessed the previously extraordinary bearing.
"Little Wind, can you conceal yourself at will?"
Upon seeing Qingfeng nod, Shi Xiaole couldn’t help but feel overjoyed. Now, Qingfeng would no longer need to hide its tracks, making things much easier for him.
At his signal, Qingfeng suddenly carried Shi Xiaole in a specific direction. The White Tiger in the same direction was so frightened that it blanched and tumbled, desperately fleeing for its life.
In front of them, the void fluctuated for a moment.
The next instant.
Shi Xiaole found himself on a vast plain.
"Is this the Array System that the White Tiger entered earlier?"
Rapidly scanning the huge green rock at the center of the plain, Shi Xiaole instantly realized that its color was exactly the same as the Blood Battle Plains. He felt his heart pulsating intensely.
Next to the green rock lay several severely distorted, barely recognizable corpses.
The severed sections of these corpses were constantly being eroded by some strange atmosphere emanated by the green rock, the dried blood on them glowed green.
A few corpses, which had already lost a significant amount of blood, eerily moved a bit at the sound of a noise.
