Chapter 604: Chapter 603: Opening of Mount Wanxiang (Part 1)
The sword technique Shi Xiaole demonstrated was the same one he had fused with the Seven Style Wind Extreme Sword Technique that night. This move sought to achieve the ultimate speed, killing the opponent before they even had time to react.
As it turned out, the effect was strikingly evident.
Under the joint efforts of five Limit Supreme Lords and ten top-rated lords, they not only failed to even touch Shi Xiaole, but also nine of them were killed by him, defeated completely.
At some point, the Wolf Head Man’s mask had shattered into several pieces, revealing a gaunt face with sunken eyes that now conveyed endless terror.
"Double Wolf Break!"
Seeing Shi Xiaole turn his gaze towards him, the Wolf Head Man swung his fists at the fastest speed in his life. Two feral wolves intertwined and charged forward, their gaping jaws spewing out a nauseating stench.
Shi Xiaole only had one sword.
What kind of sword was it exactly? As the Wolf Head Man felt his scalp prickle with fear at the approaching Sword Qi, Shi Xiaole’s sword had just begun to swing. He desperately wanted to evade it, but found his body uncontrollable.
Boom!
A spray of blood burst from his chest.
"I... understand now..."
The Wolf Head Man’s pupils dilated rapidly. As it turns out, the Sword Qi he had sensed earlier had already invaded his body. His so-called sensitivity was nothing more than hindsight.
This was the fastest sword he had ever seen in his life.
"Shi Xiaole, your viciousness knows no bounds, the more you kill, the sooner will you meet your end!"
Seeing Shi Xiaole’s gaze fall upon him, one of the masters’ heart pounded wildly as he blurted out what he passionately believed to be the most powerful curse.
The next moment, a flash of swordlight decapitated him.
"Idiot."
Shi Xiaole did not spare another glance. At this moment, including the wounded Master of North Forest, only four people were left. They panicked and fled in all directions, not even caring about using Sun Wei and Li Changde as threats against Shi Xiaole.
From the moment the opponent released their deadly sword to this moment, although it felt like a long time, it was actually only a few breaths’ worth. The four of them finally escaped from Shi Xiaole’s aura and bolted a hundred meters away at top speed.
"Wind Kill."
Standing still, Shi Xiaole stabbed his sword toward the distance.
Swoosh!
Unable to even scream, one of the masters exploded into a mist of blood. His mental fortitude had long been shattered, and after suffering extreme blows, his power greatly diminished, how could he stand a chance of blocking?
After killing the thirteenth man, the other two had already escaped miles away, hiding in the alleys of the city, all of them covertly let out a sigh of relief, but they dared not slacken their pace.
"Once I’ve escaped to the heavens, I must report this matter to the branch, and summon the super experts to execute this scoundrel!"
The face of the Master of North Forest twisted grotesquely, as he thought to himself.
However, he obviously underestimated Shi Xiaole’s killing intent. What’s more, he didn’t know that Shi Xiaole had long since secretly released two spiritual seeds, which could sense his existence and that of the other master from far away.
"No!"
A scream suddenly resounded from far away. The Master of North Forest was so terrified that his heart trembled. Not too long after, a figure descended from the sky and punctured his energy core with a sword.
"Go ahead and kill me, even as a ghost, I won’t let you off."
The Master of North Forest wasn’t just trembling with his voice, his body was also shaking. He had killed countless people in his life, but when facing Shi Xiaole who was like the Grim Reaper, he showed no difference from the ordinary people he had always despised.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
Striking like lightning, Shi Xiaole thrust his sword a hundred times, each strike barely missing the Master of North Forest’s body, yet not piercing him. However, this constant fear of death made the Master of North Forest’s knees go weak, even wetting his pants.
The next moment, a strange gleam shone in Shi Xiaole’s eyes, as if sucking the soul of the Master of North Forest right out of his body, plunging him into an abyss of despair.
"Where are the secrets and treasures of the North Forest branch hidden?"
"In the Zheng Garden on the eastern outskirts of North Forest City."
In addition to the resources for cultivation, Shi Xiaole also inquired about many internal matters of the Three Talents Association.
Only now did he learn that the Three Talents Association had branches in each realm, and every three branches were subordinate to a sect. According to the Master of North Forest, there was at least one person of Divine Barrier Realm strength in many of the sects.
"The hole is getting bigger."
Shi Xiaole gave a bitter smile but had no regrets.
The Three Talents Association wanted to arrest him, he could hardly give up without a fight, could he?
Unfortunately, even the Master of North Forest did not know the location of the sect. They always communicated through special secret codes. Otherwise, he only needed to leak some information, and he believed the sects of the Three Talents Association wouldn’t have a good time.
The other party had a mental restriction placed in his brain, making it impossible for them to leak their martial arts knowledge. Shi Xiaole swung his sword and killed him, then returned to the Fan Residence, firstly freeing Sun Wei and Li Changde, and then using the same technique on the Wolf Head Man.
Although the Wolf Head Man had been stabbed in the chest before, Shi Xiaole had secretly held back and did not take his life. After obtaining the information he wanted, the Wolf Head Man also met his end.
"I apologize for dragging you two into this."
Shi Xiaole said apologetically.
"What are you talking about? If anything, we dragged you into this."
Sun Wei and Li Changde both felt as if they were in a dream.
Today was clearly a deathtrap. But who could have imagined that the outcome would be Shi Xiaole single-handedly annihilating the fifteen impressive forces, with not just a tragic victory, but an almost overwhelming victory.
"Young Hero Shi, are you... are you really a Limit Supreme Lord?"
Sun Wei simply couldn’t keep it to himself anymore.
He had never met a Limit Supreme Lord as formidable as Shi Xiaole. Shi’s feats were so impressive they were nearly equivalent to wiping out all his contemporaries.
"By the standards of the Martial World, I suppose I am," Shi Xiaole said, rubbing his nose.
Every family knows their own business: his ability to eliminate other Limit Supreme Lords was largely due to him creating a top-tier, mid-level True Sword Technique. Without that, his combat efficiency would have been reduced by at least 30%.
Of course, even without the True Sword Technique, he was confident he could still dominate other Limit Supreme Lords; however, it wouldn’t have been as easy, and he might have not been able to escape unharmed.
After hearing Shi Xiaole’s words, both Sun Wei and Li Changde were even more astonished. They were at a loss for words to describe him.
"I need to go and save my son and daughter!"
Fan Wuqian suddenly broke into a run, laughing and crying alternately within the confines of the residence. His heart pounded in his chest, fearing Shi Xiaole’s wrath but masking his dread with external hysteria.
Even after Fan Wuqian left, Shi Xiaole did not make a move.
"Young Hero Shi, thank you very much!"
Li Changde suddenly bowed deeply.
When Shi Xiaole interrogated the Wolf Head Man, he had also asked about the reasons for Fan Wuqian’s betrayal and managed to find out the whereabouts of Fan’s children.
Having spent some time together, Li Changde understood that Shi Xiaole was not a meddler. Most probably he asked about these things for Li’s sake.
Time reveals all. Li Changde did not harbor resentment towards Fan Wuqian, but after this incident, it will be difficult for them to remain friends.
"To be frank, I did play a part in involving Fan Wuqian into this. From his perspective, it is right for him to resent me," said Shi Xiaole, looking into the distance.
About an hour later, Fan Wuqian returned to the Fan Residence with a young man and a woman. Seeing Shi Xiaole and the others still present, his heart gave a violent jerk.
However, having some foresight, he considered that since Shi Xiaole did not prevent him from leaving earlier, it was unlikely he would take Fan’s life now. He hastily approached, bowing his head, "Young Hero Shi, all this was my fault. Please don’t blame others for it!"
Shi Xiaole didn’t respond but just asked, "Aren’t you going to claim the Vitality Locking Vine back?"
"No, no! This artifact was taken by the Heavenly Twin Swords Sect. Since you have managed to retrieve it, it naturally belongs to you."
Fan Wuqian was so frightened that his heart almost jumped out of his chest.
He was no fool. At such a time, how could he possibly demand the Vitality Locking Vine back? Moreover, to put it bluntly, he merely liked to collect curiosities. The Vitality Locking Vine wasn’t of much use to him.
Nodding, Shi Xiaole strode away.
"Fan, your children were first kidnapped because of Shi, but then again, he rescued them - this evens it out. However, your act of betrayal is another matter. Considering your life was spared in exchange for a Vitality Locking Vine, it seems worth it," said Li Changde with a hollow laugh, hinting at his bitter sorrow, "Had you sought Shi’s help from the beginning, things would have been different. Farewell."
Li Changde passed by Fan, walking away with Sun Wei.
Fan Wuqian stood frozen on the spot, his face changing from pale to greenish. He too was full of regret. Who would have known that Shi Xiaole was so powerful?
Choosing family over friends is something anyone can understand, but did it have to come at the expense of betraying a friend?
"If I had it to do over again, I might have had a more cautious approach," muttered Fan Wuqian, his figure slumping.
...
Having learned the whereabouts of the resources held by The Three Talents Association’s Yundai Sub Gang and the North Forest Sub Gang, Shi Xiaole led Sun Wei and Li Changde in a nocturnal raid, completely pilfering everything valuable in those two places.
The two sub-gangs had many secret manuals. There were thirteen second-rate secret manuals, thirty-two third-rate secret manuals. Unfortunately, there were no first-rate secret manuals.
The martial arts techniques used by the North Forest Gang master and the Wolf Head Man had been learned from The Three Talents Association Headquarters, so naturally those secret manuals would not appear in the sub-gangs.
In fact, even the secret manuals that were found were personal private property, confiscated from various places over the years by the two sub-gangs.
After the secret manuals were all exchanged, they earned a total of 61,200 reward points, thus boosting Shi Xiaole’s reward points from 29,620 to 90,820.
Sun Wei and Li Changde also recorded these secret manuals. Although their level was low, each had its own distinctive characteristics, which can greatly enhance their understanding of martial arts.
After all, not everyone was like Shi Xiaole, having a system providing an ample source of martial arts resources.
Aside from the secret manuals, some of the herbs used for cultivation and Sun-Moon Crystals were also given to Sun Wei and Li Changde. Shi Xiaole was already at his power limit, would not be able to increase any further. Therefore, he let Sun Wei and Li Changde take them.
This gesture deeply moved the two.
"Xiaole, we have caused two branches of the Three Talents Association to collapse. It is likely to provoke their retaliation. Please be careful," Sun Wei said with a serious look.
"Let them come if they dare," said Shi Xiaole, laughing carelessly.
When one is part of the Martial World, it is impossible not to offend others. As long as one is at peace with oneself, imminent crises or difficulties mean nothing.
Although they knew the secret signal of the Three Talents Association, Shi Xiaole didn’t plan to infiltrate it. After all, a Divine Border Realm expert resided in the Headquarters. He was not sure if his disguise technique could fool such powerful people.
Furthermore, with his mental power, if a Divine Border Realm expert tried to assassinate him, he might be able to detect it beforehand. There was no need for unnecessary trouble.
The news of the obliteration of two branches of the Three Talents Association had not yet spread in the Martial World. Meanwhile, the Martial World was distracted by another big event.
The once-in-a-year event, the opening of Mount Wanxiang, was about to commence.
