Chapter 783: Chapter 782: A Deadly Situation with No Way Out
A month passed in just a blink of an eye.
During that time, Princess Miaoyan repeatedly requested to visit Sword King Valley, but was dissuaded every time by King Huan. The elders of the Sword Evaluation Elegant Mountain were naturally very grateful.
Of course, everyone was cunning like an old fox, how could they not see the subtle games played by this brother and sister? They could only silently endure in their hearts, while on the surface they had to express gratitude.
On the other hand, under the unbearable pressure, the elders had no choice but to inform Shi Xiaole about this matter.
However, knowing what kind of person Shi Xiaole was, he had long guessed the intentions of the siblings and in the end straightforwardly stated that he was in critical stage of cultivation, thus declining their requests.
The two parties tacitly understood each other; they engaged in these subtle exchanges, leaving Princess Miaoyan very frustrated as she was neither able to go forward nor retreat.
On this day.
After a long time of unbearable waiting, Niu Dali finally came out of the Sword King Valley.
"Let’s find a place to have a talk."
Niu Dali probably also sensed something odd, and he took the initiative to speak.
The two of them came to a concave part of a mountainside, and Shi Xiaole immediately said, "Elder Niu, could you tell me everything before and after you met that Young Master Shi? This is very important to me."
"Then you first tell me, what is your relationship with Young Master Shi."
"He, he might be my father."
Niu Dali stared with wide eyes, his mouth agape.
Shi Xiaole didn’t worry about the other party lying to him. Firstly, there was no point, and secondly, there were very few people who knew about Shi Xuanzhong, let alone knowing his appearance.
After a long time.
"I, old Niu, have seen many people in my life, but I have never come across anyone like Young Master Shi. At that time I was surrounded by my enemies, and it was him who saved me..."
After a series of narrations, Shi Xiaole finally learned the whole truth.
As it turned out, Niu Dali was a high ranking practitioner from the West Sea Sect. During his journey of experience in the Western Sea archipelago, he was besieged by three Divine Barrier Realm eighth tier experts and was on the verge of death when he was saved by the passing Shi Xuanzhong.
At that time it was exactly when the Rainbow Island was opening. After saving Niu Dali, Shi Xuanzhong left him with a name and disregarding any advice, resolutely went in, and has not been heard from since.
"Rainbow Island, it is one of the most mysterious islands in the West Sea archipelago. It is said to connect to the Mirage City, one of the Ten Great Dangerous Places in the world. No one who has ever gone in there has ever come out."
By the end, Niu Dali was sighing repeatedly, obviously worried about Shi Xuanzhong.
However, Shi Xiaole fell into silence.
The Shi Xuanzhong in Niu Dali’s mouth was very different from what he had known.
First, according to Niu Dali’s account, Shi Xuanzhong spent more than 300 moves to defeat those three Divine Barrier Realm eighth tier experts, and his own cultivation was only at the sixth tier of the Divine Border Realm.
Nevertheless, whether it was the Maple Forest Shelter Master’s account of his master, or the Snow Sword Lord’s description of his brother, or the Holy Monarch of the Ghost Lethal Sect, they are all unparalleled figures with extraordinary achievements, whose depths of skills are unfathomable.
Additionally, the knowledge he gained in the Hundred Flowers Cave made Shi Xiaole further confirm that Shi Xuanzhong’s martial arts definitely reached a shockingly profound level.
Second, even though he did not know Shi Xuanzhong’s character, it was strange that he saved a total stranger and left his name behind.
"Elder Niu, did you clearly see that person? Could he have altered his appearance?"
In the course of his speech, Shi Xiaole secretly exerted the Heaven and Earth Changing Great Method. If Niu Dali was lying, he would know immediately.
"Impossible. Old Niu does not boast about his martial arts being unmatched in the world, but in terms of eyesight, there are few in the West Sea that can match mine."
Pounding his chest, Niu Dali showed a green glow in his eyes and laughed, "Young Master, your muscle shape is pretty good, quite fit. Wow! You’re quite strong, not even inferior to Old Niu!"
A wave of fog rose from Shi Xiaole’s body, blocking the other’s voyeuristic gaze.
"Hehe, now you believe Old Niu."
Niu Dali was triumphant.
"Did you also use this trick to look at women?"
Niu Dali’s beard trembled and he said annoyingly, "I wish I could, but my master set a lifelong prohibition on me. If Old Niu uses it on women, I will instantly go blind."
The topic returned to Shi Xuanzhong.
Shi Xiaole repeatedly asked if there was anything strange about him. Niu Dali hesitated to answer then finally said, "There is one thing. Your father’s body had a faint scent. If Old Niu is not mistaken, he might have been poisoned, but it’s impossible."
His words were contradictory, and his expression showed disbelief. Seeing this, Shi Xiaole was anxious and quickly asked for the reason.
"Old Niu’s master was very learned, so Old Niu also has a bit of knowledge. The scent that your father carried resembled that of a certain poison. But that’s the signature poison of the Thousand Dark Poison Emperor. No ordinary person could survive such poison."
Niu Dali tightly gripped his hair.
"What exactly is the poison?"
"The poison is called ’Accompany You to Hell’. Even a Void Origin Realm powerhouse would die if he takes it."
West Sea and Central Plain are two different worlds. Shi Xiaole knew nothing about it before, but after learning about it from Niu Dali, he knew that the Thousand Dark Poison Emperor was known as the best poison expert in the West Sea, and he carried three ultimate poisons.
’Accompany You to Hell’ was one of the three ultimate poisons. Just half a pellet killed a Void Origin Realm expert, a feat that was notorious in the West Sea.
How could Shi Xuanzhong have been poisoned? And why did he go into Rainbow Island? And where is his wife?
A series of questions flooded his mind.
Ding!
"As a son, one should journey a thousand miles to trace back one’s roots and share the burdens faced by one’s father. Task Ten is given: The host is required to unearth the truth about Shi Xuanzhong’s poisoning within three years, and find a remedy for it."
"Task Difficulty: Four Stars."
"Task Reward: A reward value of 100,000 points will be given. The cost of learning martial arts will be halved henceforth. If a Four-Star Task is completed once, the host will be able to purchase top-tier martial arts upon the completion of the third Four-Star Task. Furthermore, the reward can be claimed in advance."
"Task Penalty: Paternal reproach, the advancement of the host’s cultivation will slow down by one percent."
"Host, do you accept the task?"
Upon hearing the voice in his mind, Shi Xiaole was in a quandary.
He didn’t expect that his first Four-Star Task would be so demanding. The Four-Star Task involved top-tier martial arts, and the difficulty could be imagined. But, the hefty reward also validated this.
But was he supposed to refuse?
Should he care only for himself, knowing that Shi Xuanzhong was severely poisoned and his mother was missing?
"Either way, I need to conduct this investigation. Three years is not a short period. Besides, the first Four-Star Task had finally appeared. If I wish to attain the top-tier martial arts, there’s no option but to accept this task. Let’s do it!"
With a determined resolution, Shi Xiaole made up his mind.
The very next moment, the system alerted him of a rise in his reward points from 2,000 to 102,000. Furthermore, from that moment on, his reward points required for learning martial arts were halved.
After accepting the task, Shi Xiaole did not hurry to embark, instead opting to return to the Sword Evaluation Tower first to comprehensively remember the martial arts secrets on the second and third levels, all converted into reward points.
The martial arts methods recorded in the Sword Evaluation Tower were undoubtedly extraordinary, as they were only a part of it. Shi Xiaole’s reward points rose from 102,000 to a staggering 653,200 points.
Considering that the price for buying was halved, with the conversion of points at hand, he could now afford up to 10 sets of top-tier martial arts!
As a visiting Elder, he needed to register before leaving the Sword Evaluation Elegant Mountain, but thankfully, the paperwork wasn’t cumbersome. By the afternoon, Shi Xiaole set out on his journey.
Niu Dali’s master was indebted to Sword Evaluation Elegant Mountain. Originally, he had planned to stay longer, but upon hearing Shi Xiaole’s plans, he immediately volunteered to accompany him.
In Niu Dali’s words, it was to pay a debt of gratitude to Shi Xuanzhong for saving his life.
...
"Elder, they have left."
"Pursue them!"
...
"Brother, the Kirin dared to leave us behind intentionally. Quickly, let the Golden Armor Guard chase them... The Golden Armor Guard isn’t here? Do you really think your sister is a fool? Could we have escaped safely without the emperor’s silent approval?"
"My dear sister, you are too cunning!"
...
Sword Evaluation Tower, the fifth floor.
"Grand Elder, as expected they have set out. Looking at their formation, without a doubt, Kirin won’t be able to resist them. Should we lend them a hand?"
"We don’t need to get involved, nor can we. Otherwise, we will ruin His Highness King Huan’s chance to sell his favors, and we might be resented for it... Ah, everyone says that the strong are so free and comfortable, but who can really be at ease? Ultimately, there are many considerations. However, we might as well go and see what’s happening so that no accidents happen."
...
Three months after the Sword Evaluation Convention ended, contending top-tier forces have already left, as have the martial artists who gathered from different towns to catch the spectacle. Consequently, the journey was rather quiet.
But this silence, strangely, gave Shi Xiaole a bad feeling.
He projected his spiritual power out of his body, and shortly after, his face showed a frosty expression.
Niu Dali also seemed to know a secret method, although he was just a moment slower than Shi Xiaole. He stopped in his tracks and shouted all around him, "Those who hide their heads and reveal their tails, if you have guts, roll out in front of Master Niu!"
For a moment, it was silent. Suddenly, the sky darkened, and a giant purple-black hand descended from the sky. It attacked from above, aiming to grab the heads of Shi Xiaole and Niu Dali.
Judging by the overflowing aura, the perpetrator was a Ninth Level Divine Barrier Realm expert!
"Looking for death!"
Niu Dali drew out the heavy sword on his back and slashed upwards.
Bang!
The scarlet sword’s brilliance and the purple-black hand collapsed at the same time. The unknown individual gasped in surprise, as he seemingly wasn’t expecting Niu Dali’s combat prowess.
A gigantic, silver-white bladed light, following the purple-black hand, was slashing downward, as if splitting heaven and earth into two.
Even before the slash could land, the vegetation started to decay, and cracks appeared on the ground similar to a spider web, stretching thousands of miles away.
Another Ninth Level Divine Barrier Realm expert appeared! Moreover, the power of this strike astonishingly reached the Seventh Tier Level!
It is important to note that cultivation and attack power are not equated.
The Seventh Tier represents the attack power that could be released by constant progress in cultivation for four hundred and twenty years after reaching the Divine Barrier Realm. However, many Earth Immortals reach the later stages where there’s no growth achievable in martial arts and martial studies, and they can only work on their cultivation.
This resulted in their cultivation grades being higher than their attack power grades.
Naturally, Earth Immortals who could increase their cultivation to the Ninth Level of the Divine Barrier Realm were not of the run-of-the-mill kind, thus their fighting strength isn’t much different, all nearly at the Seventh Tier.
If they reached the Eighth Tier, they would fully be qualified for a place on the Earth Immortal list. Therefore, Seventh Tier Earth Immortals were eminent top-tier experts, and there won’t be too many in the entire Flying Horse Dynasty.
A silver-colored blade’s light had barely been launched when a dazzling spear light shot from the distance. Initially only a dot, it bloomed all of a sudden blocking heaven and earth, effortlessly covering Shi Xiaole and Niu Dali within it.
Three Ninth Level Divine Barrier Realm Earth Immortals were jointly launching an ambush on Shi Xiaole. It showed how fully prepared the perpetrators were, leaving no path to survival, a deadly martial arts showdown!
