Chapter 440: Chapter 439: Trial and Kill
Despite the formidable power of Shi Xiaole and Crown Sword Marquis, they could not avoid being injured under the chaotic attack of so many experts present. Yang Feng was even more severely wounded, exuding a feeble aura.
At a distance of fifteen zhang from the Hidden Sword Hall, the gate constricted, and a large number of experts madly squeezed in. Like a meat grinder, some were crushed to death or maimed, with only a very small portion smoothly rushing in.
The two old men in the rear were still slaughtering madly, chasing after everyone.
"My friend, let’s rush in together."
The Crown Sword Marquis said through a voice transmission.
Shi Xiaole nodded, and his Invisible Gang Qi was fully activated.
"Willow Silk Drifting!"
The Crown Sword Marquis rotated, and countless Green Willow Sword Qi enveloped him, forming a green passage piercing through the void. The chaotic aura around collided with it, making crackling sounds.
"Wind Passing Without a Trace!"
Holding Yang Feng in one hand, Shi Xiaole used a long-unused defensive sword technique. Suddenly, a canopy-like Sword Qi expanded drastically. With Shi Xiaole and Yang Feng, it took shape of a cone and dashed forward rapidly.
After achieving a higher Sword Realm, the power of Wind Passing Without a Trace also ascended, making it difficult for low-level Dragon Gate Realm experts to break.
Crown Sword Marquis and Shi Xiaole joined forces. The two Sword Qi surged crazily, simultaneously colliding with the Vigorous Air around.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
There were terrifying explosions one after another, as if the void was shattered, and many experts vomited blood and flew sideways.
"Pfft!"
Shi Xiaole was also injured.
Compared with many Dragon Gate Realm experts, his cultivation was ultimately too weak.
"Willow Piercing the Sky."
With a long shout, the Crown Sword Marquis timely caught Shi Xiaole, and after warding off the residuals of the surrounding Vigorous Air with Sword Qi, he successfully took him and Yang Feng into the Hidden Sword Hall.
The first thing that met their eyes was a space about sixty zhang in length and width. Perhaps influenced by the jade screen, the whole space carried a sharp aura, causing one’s skin and flesh to prick and ache like acupuncture.
Shi Xiaole found that his cultivation seemed to be suppressed, unable to be activated, and it was difficult to sidestep. It was as if countless straight passages formed by Sword Qi were confining him and others.
In front of him, many experts were staggering step by step. Some were bleeding from open wounds, some were oozing blood from their pores, and some directly lay on the ground, seemingly unconscious.
Only a very few people remained unscathed.
"I have heard the legend of Hidden Sword Hall. It is the most important place of the Jade Sword Palace and fraught with danger. Each generation of disciples aspiring to the position of the Palace Master must enter and withstand the test to be acknowledged by the upper and lower echelons of Jade Sword Palace."
Someone said with curiosity and trepidation.
If not forced to a dead end, those who knew the inside story would never venture here. Fortunately, no matter what, they temporarily preserved their lives.
The belief was even those two terrifying old men would have their power suppressed by the Array System of the Hidden Sword Hall and wouldn’t be able to flaunt their power.
What the crowd didn’t know was that after driving away a large number of experts, the two old men stopped and had no intention of entering the Hidden Sword Hall.
"The amount of fodder sent in is enough. Now all depends on my disciple, your nephew’s ability."
The old man who had entered with the eyebrow-less boy looked at the cloak-wearing old man and said with a grin.
"Once the truth of this slaughter is discovered, I fear that your boy will be condemned by public opinion and lose his standing in the Righteous Path."
Said the cloaked old man.
"Don’t worry, the number of Jade Sword Orders I issued was limited. Only our pre-selected witnesses remain, and all those who entered Jade Sword Palace just need to be killed. Then the secret will not be leaked."
The old man said unchangingly with a smile.
Hearing these words, the cloaked old man also burst into laughter.
Behind the two, many experts who entered the palace were arranging the site, seemingly tinkering with a very complex Array System.
Inside the Hidden Sword Hall.
"My friend, we can only move straight ahead."
Crown Sword Marquis moistened his lips.
He had obtained a fragmentary map, which also mentioned the Hidden Sword Hall. He knew if he could pass the test, he could find another way out.
But the Crown Sword Marquis’s mood did not relax at all, for the fragmentary map clearly recorded that in the thousands of years from the establishment to disappearance of the Jade Sword Palace, only a mere three people had successfully passed the test!
Calculated by a generation every ten years, it’s imaginable how many geniuses emerged in these thousands of years. This shows how terrifying the test is.
"Senior Zhou, please go first."
Shi Xiaole’s face was determined, and he took the first step forward.
Chit...
In an instant, endless pain surged over. All 108,000 pores in his body felt like they were filled with sharp needles, brutally piercing inward. If his will was slightly weaker, he would have been suffered to death.
Shi Xiaole’s face turned pale, and others were also suffering immensely.
Luckily, everyone present was no ordinary person. Anyone who could advance to the Dragon Gate Realm was tough. One by one, they gritted their teeth and moved forward.
With each step forward, the pain intensified.
At the fifth step, someone finally screamed, their face twitching uncontrollably as specks of blood erupted from their body.
At the tenth step, 30% of the people knelt on the ground, too scared to step forward.
By the twentieth step, more than 70% of the people were on the verge of collapse, rolling uncontrollably on the ground.
An adult’s stride is approximately 60 centimeters. Twenty steps equates to 12 meters. Yet the entire open space was nearly 19 meters. The remaining 7 meters became an insurmountable chasm for many.
"Argh..."
The scream came from Fan Donglai, who was drenched in blood. He lay on the ground, staring begrudgingly yet admiringly at Shi Xiaole, who was alone and calm at a distance.
He and ’Beauty Sword’ Yu Meiren were fortunate. They had previously encountered two experts, who had connections with the Water Moon Sect and the Pink Gang, and entered the Hidden Sword Pavilion with them.
The other genius, Zhan Shuo, was unlucky and fell in the melee, reduced to ashes.
After the twentieth step, each subsequent step increased the pain tenfold. Despite Shi Xiaole’s iron will, he felt like he was being dredged out of the water, his body soaked in sweat.
"What a peculiar Array System. If one is deceived by pain, they get truly hurt. The more they get hurt, the more the pain intensifies — a vicious cycle," he mused.
Shi Xiaole believed that others might not necessarily be oblivious to the intricacies of the Array System. However, there are some pains that simply cannot be endured by merely willing it.
At the twenty-fifth step, Crown Sword Marquis grinned bitterly, looking at Shi Xiaole with awe, then stopped advancing. Yang Feng, however, surprised him by continuing to crawl forward despite his critical predicament.
Half a 2-hour period later, when Shi Xiaole stepped out of the enclosure of the Array System, his body suddenly disappeared from the sight of the people behind him.
"Brother Shi is indeed extraordinary."
Yang Feng greatly admired him, pressing his hands to the ground to continue moving forward.
Perhaps due to the shared roots from the Eight States, he subconsciously wanted to prove himself before Shi Xiaole. Even if he was covered in wounds and blood, he would not stop as long as he still had breath in him.
On the other side, ’Beauty Sword’ Yu Meiren ground her silver teeth after looking at Yang Feng. She was resigned to be outdone by Shi Xiaole, but there was no reason for her to lose to a nobody.
"Where is this...?"
Looking at the crisscrossing roads ahead, Shi Xiaole realized that he had entered a maze. What was more extraordinary was that the maze was blocking his spiritual power.
Every few meters along the Jade Jade, a glowing gem was embedded, lighting up the maze. After walking around for a while, Shi Xiaole was still puzzled. He couldn’t understand what the test was about.
Was it to find the way out of the maze?
"The Array System is gone?"
"Hahaha, I am free."
Within the vast hall, the piercing sense of delicacy suddenly disappeared, reinvigorating the fallen warriors.
The injuries they had were superficial. With a slight revving of their powers, they immediately stopped the bleeding.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Before they could catch a breather, numerous iron arrows shot out from the Jade Jade, flickering with a dark light which evidently was mixed with poison.
Everyone acted quickly to defend themselves. However, they soon realized that the iron arrows seemed to be endless. With no other choice, they all ran into the passageways, entering the maze like Shi Xiaole. Now, every one of them was in the maze.
Outside the Hidden Sword Hall, a flash of light.
The cloaked elder said, "It seems, all the nutrients are in their places."
Another elder smiled faintly and launched a palm strike towards a particular part of the Hidden Sword Hall.
At the same time, a cold voice resounded in the maze. "Blood forges heroes, slaughter births the strong. Of all who enter the maze, only thirty can walk out. The time limit is two 2-hour periods. If the number exceeds thirty, everyone dies!"
Shi Xiaole and the others were the last to enter the maze. Those who had entered earlier had already bumped into each other and were discussing how to form alliances to tackle the challenge. Upon hearing this command, everyone shivered inwardly.
"Scam! This place is the testing ground set by Jade Sword Palace to select the palace lord. Those eligible to enter here are all geniuses. Why would the Jade Sword Palace do something as stupid as making geniuses kill each other?" spoke one from a group of seven people in a passage.
"Indeed, it doesn’t make sense."
Immediately, someone agreed.
The seven people’s eyes flickered, and they suddenly retreated while secretly attacking the others. The Vigorous Air exploded on the spot, causing a loud bang.
By typical reasoning, the demands voiced in the maze were indeed unusual. But who would dare to bet? They only had two 2-hour periods. The others weren’t their friends, so their survival was the priority.
"My cultivation level has been suppressed?"
During the sneak attacks and fights, many people realized that their cultivation had been suppressed to the first level of the Dragon Gate Realm, which made them believe the maze trial a bit more.
The scene included people of all age groups. Competition within the same realm was undoubtedly relatively fair. It could reveal talent, aligning with the Jade Sword Palace’s original intention of selecting a palace lord.
As soon as Shi Xiaole turned a corner, a subtle ripple in the air alerted him to an incoming spear from the side. The attack came from a gray-haired old man.
He drew his sword and blocked it, then retreated several steps.
The old man’s Gold True Intent was at a full 30% and, combined with his robust Vigorous Air, was clearly no weaker than Shi Xiaole.
"You should be proud to die by my spear, boy," stated the Silver Spear Marquis. A sixth-level cultivator of the Dragon Gate Realm, he was over two hundred years old. Despite being suppressed, his years of cultivation still made him superior in many aspects to Shi Xiaole.
With a flash of white light, Silver Spear Marquis advanced, his spear dancing like a dragon, attacking Shi Xiaole.
