Chapter 726: Chapter 725: Kill
This was a massive ruin just outside the City of Spiritual Fortune, with charred tiles and faint glimpses of its past prosperity in some minor details.
To the north of the ruins lay a path covered by an Array System, indiscernible to outsiders. Following this path hundreds of meters underground led to a stone palace.
On the east side of the stone palace, dozens of young people were chained to the holes in the walls. Faces filled with resentment, anger, or despair among which, startlingly, was the figure of Yuan Yuying.
"Senior Brother Hua, how are you holding up?"
At this moment, Yuan Yuying looked nothing like her usual lively self. Were it not for her weak breathing, one might assume she had already died.
Ever since learning that this place was a branch of the Three Talents Association, Yuan Yuying had given up all hope of escape. Especially considering that her Divine Barrier Realm third tier master was effortlessly killed by the Separation Wanderer, rendered her to believe that this place was no different from hell.
The sole consolation was that Senior Brother Hua had managed to escape.
She believed that given his talent, with a few decades of hard cultivation, he would surely be able to avenge her. However, she realized she would never get to see that.
On the west side of the stone palace,there were several stone chambers.
In the largest of these stone chambers, the Separation Wanderer, Sorrowful Wanderer, and Sick Wanderer were sitting across from each other.
"In a couple of days, the courier will come to take those people away. Be careful, especially regarding the capture of the Kirin beast. Do not leave any trace behind!"
The Separation Wanderer looked laser-focused, uttering his words with gravity.
Their initial plan to chase down Shi Xiaole had not been reported to their superiors, naturally to claim all the credit for themselves. Now the mission had failed, revealing it would only result in a severe punishment for acting without permission.
"Relax, boss. Only the three of us brothers were involved. If we don’t say anything, no one will know."
The Sorrowful Wanderer gave a sinister smirk, but recalling something, he suddenly groaned, "Damn, we were so close last time! If I ever see that kid again, I’ll kill myself before letting him escape again!"
Just as he was about to speak, the Separation Wanderer suddenly stood up, his eyes shining, "Not good, someone is breaking the Array System!"
Swish, swish, swish.
The three of them rushed out serially. At the same time, the other experts in the stone chambers hearing the commotion, regardless of whether they were cultivating or resting, also rushed out one by one.
The Array System of the Spiritual Fortune Branch reached a medium level in the Divine Barrier Realm. Even a Divine Barrier Realm fifth or sixth tier Earth Immortal might not be able to break it, but this naturally would not be a problem for Shi Xiaole.
After easily striking a few vulnerabilities, Shi Xiaole led a shocked Hua Yiyun, swaggering into the underground tunnel leading directly to the stone palace.
"Brother Shi, isn’t this too reckless? Wouldn’t it be better to sneak in?"
Hua Yiyun couldn’t help but worry.
The Separation Wanderer’s impression on him was too deep. Also, aside from those three, there were quite a few Terrestrial Immortals in the Spiritual Fortune Branch, all were not easy to deal with.
"There won’t be any problem."
Shi Xiaole’s spiritual power had already sensed everything in the stone palace, and no one could pose a threat to him. Instead, he was pleasantly surprised to find that Yuan Yuying was still there.
In the same way, the Separation Wanderers inside the stone palace also sensed two familiar presences, each showing an expression of disbelief.
Are those kids got their heads stuck in the door? How could they dare to throw themselves in the net? They were so confused and shocked that they didn’t even think about how Shi Xiaole found this place.
"Everyone, catch those two kids!"
Just as Shi Xiaole and Hua Yiyun broke into the stone palace, the Sorrowful Wanderer yelled in fury, while he himself, together with the Separation Wanderer and the Sick Wanderer, retreated backwards.
Where things are abnormal, there must be evil. Although they didn’t know what Shi Xiaole was relying on, the Separation Wanderers, who had been mixing for most of their lives, wouldn’t let their guard down.
"Senior Brother Hua!"
Yuan Yuying, who had been looking ashen, suddenly saw Hua Yiyun, shivering with excitement. Her eyes turned red uncontrollably, crying, "Don’t come, go, go quickly..."
"Junior Sister Yuan, I’m sorry for your suffering."
Seeing his junior sister in such a miserable condition for the first time, Hua Yiyun’s heart ached. His initial worries were completely replaced by burning rage and killing intent. What would his junior sister become if he arrived a few days later?
Without time to think further, dozens of dreadful auras were under heavy pressure, overwhelming their field of vision. A layer of light appeared on the surface of the stone palace, greatly weakening the destructive power of the aura. Otherwise, the palace would certainly collapse.
"Three Divine Barrier Realm first tier, twenty-six Dragon Gate Realm cultivators."
Ignoring the three Wanderers who were watching at one side, Shi Xiaole exerted his strength, lunging forward with a move that stirs the wind and clouds.
Crack!
He dodged the Dragon Gate Realm Vigorous Air, and by utilizing his swift speed, he collided head-on with one of the Divine Barrier Realm first-tier warriors, kicking him to spit out blood, half-dead on the ground.
However, the other two Terrestrial Immortals were also formidable. Seeing the opportunity, they quickly attacked from the left and right, their berserk Aura leaving Shi Xiaole with no time to react.
"Unity of Heaven and Earth, Strength Breaking the Divine Land!"
A tornado blew up, with two sound cracks, those two Terrestrial Immortals were broken and tossed away like sackcloth. Their unrestrained momentum also killed the surrounding dozens of Dragon Gate Realm warriors on the spot.
"So powerful!"
The dozens of young people trapped revealed a strong hope. Could this young man save them from this dangerous situation?
"Now’s the time, kill!"
Unexpectedly, at this moment, the tide abruptly turned.
Having watched for two rounds, the Separation Wanderers finally couldn’t hold back.
At this moment, Shi Xiaole was precisely at his weakest, regardless of whatever tricks, ploys, or hidden weapons he had up his sleeve, there was no opportunity for him to employ them.
If not now, then when?
"Breaking Zen in Ten Steps, the Strikes of a Cane!"
"Grief is in my hands!"
"Sickness in my silk-drawing leg!"
The unspoken understanding between The Three Extraordinary Wanderers was not to be underestimated. Almost as soon as Shi Xiaole exerted his powerful force, the trio’s attack arrived, encompassing Shi Xiaole like a triangle.
The dazzling Vigorous Air hadn’t even fully spread yet, but it already caused severe pain to the other young people, including Hua Yiyun. Fortunately, the trio had no intention of killing them and targeted the Vigorous Air specifically at Shi Xiaole.
"Overconfident idiots, if you insist on courting death, I’ll gladly accept it."
The Sorrowful Wanderer burst into mental peals of laughter, the thought of exchanging Shi Xiaole for a hefty amount of resources rendered his blood boiling with excitement.
"What a shame!"
A fleeting look of regret flashed across the eyes of some unfortunate victims.
Just as the phenomenal triple-pronged onslaught was about to strike Shi Xiaole, an astonishing event unfolded.
Shi Xiaole, who appeared to be at his wit’s end, suddenly side-stepped at an unbelievable speed. He appeared behind the Sorrowful Wanderer so swiftly that the latter hadn’t even managed to react.
"Gale Blade!"
With a clang, Shi Xiaole drew his sword, its flash briefly illuminating the void.
Splat!
A scream echoed, the severed head of the Sorrowful Wanderer tumbling about, before being obliterated by the rampant Vigorous Air.
"What?!"
The Separation Wanderer and Sick Wanderer stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
They couldn’t believe the circumstances just now. Even if Shi Xiaole was to forcefully utilize his capabilities, he simply couldn’t have dodged it. Moreover, they couldn’t believe that he possessed such astonishing speed.
Was he concealing his true abilities a month and a half ago? Impossible!
"Today marks the end of your lives."
With ease of movement, Shi Xiaole launched repeated sword attacks, putting both the Separation Wanderer and the Sick Wanderer into desperate straits without depleting his Vigorous Air much.
With the assistance of the unparalleled Flying Skill, his mental advantage was fully realized. The two Wanderers couldn’t even touch his sleeves, while he counterattacked impeccably.
"How is this possible?"
Hua Yiyun was dumbfounded.
He had retreated into the passage at the earliest opportunity, using the Array System of the cave walls for protection from most of the backlash. At this moment, he was completely astounded.
No wonder Brother Shi had been so confident. He had mastered an unrivaled Flying Skill. But to master such a skill in just a month and a half? That was simply monstrous.
Although he had already acknowledged Shi Xiaole’s extraordinary abilities, Hua Yiyun was nonetheless shocked to his very core, admiration flooding him.
Those dozens of trapped victims had also protected themselves using the Array System outside the cave. Even the calmest of them displayed a mixture of shock and joy at this point.
As for Yuan Yuying, she had completely lost her composure, shouting out excitedly: "Brother Shi is invincible! Kill...kill those two bastards!"
"Wind of Lingxi!"
With a single sword strike, the invisible flash of the blade pierced the Sick Wanderer’s throat in the blink of an eye.
Seeing his two comrades easily killed, the Separation Wanderer was terrified and furious. Overcome with fear, he turned tail to run, blurting out, "How dare you practice the secret techniques of Buddha..."
"Thousand One!"
In a split second, Shi Xiaole closed the gap between him and the Separation Wanderer. His sword slanted to strike, the latter swung his cane to counterattack. However, his speed was far slower than Shi Xiaole’s, and his panic didn’t allow him to execute his typical strength.
After a few exchanges, Shi Xiaole seized the opportunity for a lethal strike. Not until this moment did the Separation Wanderer manage to finish his sentence.
Shi Xiaole suspected that the opponent might have deduced the origin of Crossing the River with a Single Reed. After all, there are only a few unparalleled Flying Skills in the martial world, each with distinct characteristics.
Recalling the strict supervision of the Buddhist sect, particularly Shaolin, over their secret tactics, Shi Xiaole knew he had to be prepared. If someone extern learns their secret tactics, they will thoroughly investigate and even send high-level warriors to pursue the interloper.
It seemed that he would need to disguise Crossing the River with a Single Reed in future.
Having successfully killed all his strong opponents, Shi Xiaole began to untie the trapped victims, reminding Hua Yiyun as he went about this task.
"Junior Sister Yuan!"
Hua Yiyun broke the chains binding Yuan Yuying, carefully examining her to confirm that she was unharmed apart from her suppressed power. His heart eased, he hastily embraced her gently.
He wished to say something consoling, but his mind was a blank, and he only repeated her name.
"I knew it, Senior Brother Hua, you wouldn’t abandon me. Yuying is so happy."
Yuan Yuying’s eyes filled with tears as she cried for joy.
"Today, we are privileged to meet the Kirin. We are truly fortunate. Please accept our humble respects!"
The trapped victims were promising individuals who recognized Shi Xiaole’s identity promptly, immediately attempting to kowtow.
"We are all comrades in the Martial World, we should help each other. There’s no need for such formalities."
Shi Xiaole quickly intervened.
