Chapter 818: Chapter 817: Colorful Stone, Another Method_1
Mountain after mountain rose in succession, and as Shi Xiaole and his companions traveled on, they did not discover any ancient relics or places of serendipity. However, the Yellow-haired Monsters and Fire Stiffs began to increase in number.
What disturbed Shi Xiaole the most was that, later on, even the crippled blade puppets of the Blade Slaves Sect appeared!
"The Fire Stiff Palace was the first great terror in the history of the Martial World; the Blade Slaves Sect was the second. It is said that there is also a third unknown great terror—could it be these Yellow-haired Monsters?" (see Chapter 744)
Shi Xiaole couldn’t help but rise to this speculation.
Otherwise, it was just too much of a coincidence.
Moreover, if the Yellow-haired Monsters were the metamorphosis of the Red-haired Monsters, then beyond the Yellow-haired Monsters, there might very well be even higher-level monsters. The traces of the Undying Alliance they composed had yet to appear; who knows how terrifying they are.
With united efforts, the group repelled attack after attack, but their patience wore thin. Because every moment required utmost vigilance, constantly on edge would wear down even an iron man to the verge of collapse.
Shi Xiaole keenly observed that compared to the beginning, the others grew much more murderous, sometimes even flashing strange red lights in their eyes. Even he himself occasionally felt an inexplicable surge of violence.
"What exactly is the problem?"
Days passed, and half a month after leaving the palace, Shi Xiaole and his companions stopped outside a valley.
This valley was shrouded in a seven-colored mist, mysterious and dreamy, obviously not an ordinary place.
"In my opinion, there is deceit inside, it’s better not to enter."
Huang Dazhong said.
"Perhaps there are opportunities."
Su Yichen smiled.
Bai Ruiting, however, turned to Shi Xiaole first thing, asking with emotion, "Brother Shi, are you going in?"
After these days together, Shi Xiaole had more or less understood that Bai Ruiting might not harbor romantic feelings for him, at most it was just a fondness. Calling him "Brother Shi" so frequently was mostly in jest.
Shi Xiaole then said, "It’s unclear what’s inside, I should go in alone for convenience."
Sun Wei and the others dared not speak, seeming still to be in a state of shame. Yu Yourong snorted, almost with a hint of anger, "Does Brother Shi look down on us?"
Upon entering with the control of the Red Left sword and sensing with the Sword Heart Enlightenment, Shi Xiaole didn’t talk much and directly flashed into the valley.
"This guy!"
Yu Yourong puffed her pretty face with anger.
"Senior Sister, you’ve been opposing Brother Shi at every turn these days. What about him do you find so disagreeable?"
Yu Yourong was amused by the indignation, staring at Bai Ruiting, "You’re addicted to it, aren’t you? A big girl like you, don’t you have any shame?"
"I call him like that because it feels good."
"You..."
Following the colorful mist forward, it wasn’t long before the mist parted, and Shi Xiaole found himself in a depression surrounded by walls on all sides, with only a crevice between two mountain walls as the way back.
Looking around, the sight immediately made his skin crawl.
Bones—bones were piled up on all sides, yellow skeletons, blood-red limbs, and broken parts of half-human half-puppets could be seen, roughly numbering in the thousands.
Shi Xiaole examined the bones nearby and observed that they died in different eras, but some bones particularly drew his attention.
For these bones, from certain angles, occasionally emitted a faint dark glow, and the aura they exuded carried the distinct smell of burning wool.
"Netherworld Poison Palm!"
Two characteristics made Shi Xiaole think of a martial art, this particular martial art was the signature skill of the Thousand Dark Poison Emperor.
Combining the news that the Thousand Dark Poison Emperor had been missing for over a thousand years, Shi Xiaole easily formed some conjectures.
Could it be that he too had entered Rainbow Island?
After walking around the perimeter and finding nothing unusual, Shi Xiaole retreated to a distance and, controlling the Red Left sword, entered a cave that was clearly man-made.
Only after confirming there was no danger did Shi Xiaole carefully enter.
The cave was twenty-seven meters deep and from its entire outline, it looked as though it had been carved out by raw palm force.
At the deepest point, Shi Xiaole saw a pure white, crystalline skeleton, an immense aura hit him face-on, and it was evident that the skeleton had been an extraordinary expert during its life.
Moreover, it had been a supreme expert of poison.
For the skeleton exuded a highly toxic aura, resulting in not even insects inhabiting the entire cave. A low-ranked Earth Immortal coming in would surely die, clearly a fourth-grade extremely toxic substance.
Shi Xiaole sighed with disappointment.
This person was powerful, yes, but definitely not the Thousand Dark Poison Emperor. It was said that the skeletons of Void Origin Realm experts turned crystal-like upon death, and Earth Immortals of the Divine Barrier Realm could not come close.
His gaze fell to the inscription on the ground, causing Shi Xiaole’s heart to skip a beat!
"Poison Master, your unworthy disciple leaves before you."
"I heard that the Poison Master was forced to flee into Rainbow Island. After hurrying back from the Western Region, I wished to find you. By chance, I encountered the disciple of your enemy!"
"I secretly tracked him and laid many plans, but that fellow was prepared and his skills were not weak. Because of an old injury, I was not a match and had my heart meridian shattered. Heh heh, but that man also had a tough time, struck by one of the three greatest poisons you bestowed upon me, his end is nigh..."
The writing was sloppy, carrying much self-satisfaction, likely written in the moments before death. Shi Xiaole looked up to calm his surging blood.
From the intelligence in the Qin Building, he knew a very secretive piece of information, that the Thousand Dark Poison Emperor had three disciples, all of whom addressed him as Poison Master.
The second disciple had traveled the Western Region over eight hundred years ago.
Putting together the Netherworld Poison Palm outside the cave and the timeline, the bones in front of him were very likely to belong to the second disciple of the Thousand Dark Poison Emperor.
So who was the enemy’s disciple he referred to?
With a thousand threads of thought swirling in his head, Shi Xiaole faintly guessed what might be happening but was not certain enough to disturb the skeletal remains. He turned and walked out.
Boom!
Just then, the valley suddenly began to shake violently. Large rocks and debris flew about, and the ground undulated like waves, akin to a super earthquake, threatening to topple the entire area.
Outside the valley, the expressions of the crowd changed dramatically.
"Junior Sister, what are you doing?"
Yu Yourong was the quickest to act, grabbing Bai Ruiting.
"What a stupid question, of course, I’m going to save someone. Shi Xiaole has saved me many times; I can’t owe him!"
"Miss Bai, please wait."
Huang Dazhong spoke up to stop her.
"You don’t need to worry; no one is asking you to go in."
Bai Ruiting said with a mocking tone.
Huang Dazhong shook his head: "Miss, you misunderstand. What I mean is, we go in together."
This caught Bai Ruiting off guard.
"Although Sun Wei is no swordsman, I know what’s right and wrong and where to draw the line. The incident last time is something I deeply regret; this time, even at the cost of my own life, I refuse to let Young Hero Shi look down on me!"
Sun Wei stepped forward, his face showing determination.
The young man in brocade, Dong Yiyi, felt the same, and as for Xu Fang, there was even less need to speak.
Bai Ruiting let out a laugh: "Then what are we waiting for?" She broke free from Yu Yourong and flew off, followed resolutely by Sun Wei and the other four.
"Su Yichen does not want to be inferior to them."
With a carefree smile on his face, Su Yichen also followed.
Yu Yourong, huffing in annoyance, was left standing in place. She hadn’t said she wouldn’t help! She quickly activated her Flying Skill, lest she lose touch with the others.
The scene of landslides and earth-shattering did not occur; the earthquake lasted only a quarter of an hour. By the time the nine people arrived, Shi Xiaole was standing in the valley, looking at a raised area on the east side.
"Brother Shi, you had me worried to death."
Bai Ruiting said in a coquettish tone.
Shi Xiaole was speechless: "Can you not talk like that?"
Yu Yourong automatically ignored her incompetent Junior Sister and looked in the direction of Shi Xiaole’s gaze, her pupils constricting slightly. It turned out that on the nearby raised ground, there were several chicken egg-sized, multicolored stones.
"Brother Shi, what are those?"
Yu Yourong asked, reminding herself it was only curiosity that made her speak to him.
"I don’t know either."
Besides their color, the multicolored stones seemed unremarkable. Unable to sense anything even with the Red Left sword and considering all the characteristics and events before and after, Shi Xiaole thought of an inexplicable answer in his heart.
Yu Yourong pouted, channeled her energy, and grabbed a multicolored stone into her palm. In the next instant, she disappeared from the spot, shocking everyone present.
"Could it be..."
After all, they were not fools. The group quickly thought of the Seven-colored Palace Lantern, and after carefully counting, they found sixteen multicolored stones, their eyes revealing a change in sentiment.
On one hand, they had long wanted to leave this dangerous environment. On the other, the second trial had been so difficult, who knew what they would face in the third.
"Retreating is not the solution, Brother Shi, I hope we meet again."
Su Yichen clasped his hands together, decisively picked up a multicolored stone, and disappeared from sight.
Sun Wei and the others didn’t avert their gaze, holding back their words.
Shi Xiaole smiled: "Old Sun, aren’t you going to take one?"
The words "Old Sun" made Sun Wei and the others jolt, their chests boiling with emotion. An invisible barrier seemed to melt away with that utterance.
"Young Hero Shi, thank you, thank you. I look forward to meeting you again."
Sun Wei suppressed his excitement.
At this point, it was clearly impossible to stand still. Moreover, if they stayed behind, Shi Xiaole wouldn’t either. They picked up the multicolored stones without delay.
One by one, everyone said their goodbyes, including Bai Ruiting, who was visibly reluctant to leave.
What they didn’t know was that Shi Xiaole did not pick up the multicolored stones. Instead, he buried them in thin air and then left the valley.
This was indeed the opportunity to enter the next trial, but Shi Xiaole had to verify another conjecture first.
In the following days, Shi Xiaole continuously fought against the Yellow-haired Monsters, Fire Stiffs, and broken Blade Slaves, his homicidal urge growing stronger and stronger to the point where the Red Left sword at his waist unsheathed on its own, as if it sensed its master’s mood.
An intangible force was transforming Shi Xiaole; he was turning into a monster!
"As expected, if a martial artist stays here too long, they’ll assimilate and turn to attack others. This is the secret of Rainbow Island. But if it is a testing ground, it shouldn’t be down to luck to pass the trial."
With the strength of Shi Xiaole’s spirit, he shouldn’t have been affected so quickly, but he voluntarily gave up resisting! Because with Sword Heart Enlightenment, Shi Xiaole vaguely saw another path.
He transformed into a monster, holding on to only a sliver of consciousness, daily struggling between muddiness and clarity, fighting against himself and the will of this space.
Invisibly, Shi Xiaole’s mental strength became purer, as if he had undergone a spiritual purification, improving in quality by leaps and bounds.
Three months later, one day, a bright light flashed in his eyes, his body hair receded, and he suddenly disappeared into the void.
