Chapter 820: Chapter 819 Unexpected Joy_1
These barbarians, evenly split between men and women, only used enough cloth to cover the most critical parts of their bodies and carried primitive weapons, shouting wildly as they surged forward.
"It must be our presence that drew them here. With so many people, I’m afraid we won’t be able to break through,"
Yu Yourong murmured quietly.
The approaching crowd from all around was close to ten thousand. Judging from their stance, they were not as powerful as the warriors of the Fire Rat Tribe, but they were more than enough for the two of them to handle.
"Go!"
Shi Xiaole made a split-second decision, jumping down from the tree branch and charging towards the least populated east side. Yu Yourong gritted her teeth and hurried after him.
The howling wind bore down on them as the barbarians made their move, causing fluctuations that were clearly at the lower ranks of the Qi Absorption Realm. In the past, such power would have been no different from a tickle to them, but now, if handled poorly, it could be fatal.
Bang bang bang.
The destructive force of a lower-tier Qi Absorption Realm martial artist could also be tens of thousands of pounds. Shi Xiaole’s confidence soared as he weaved through the mass of people, using his limbs as his most powerful weapons. Along the way, numerous barbarians screamed in pain and fell to the ground, unable to withstand even a single exchange.
Yu Yourong watched from behind, her eyes wide with astonishment. She knew this guy was strong, but she had never imagined he could still be this fierce without his powers. Was there no justice in this world?
Her fighting spirit surged as a result, striking horizontally and kicking vertically, sending a group of people tumbling to the ground.
As one of the Saintesses, Yu Yourong’s talent and strength were beyond doubt. Among the younger generation of the Flying Horse Dynasty, she was among the top, her brilliance merely overshadowed by Shi Xiaole.
Like a sharp sword, the two cut a swathe through the crowd, quickly reaching the middle of the battlefield.
"Fall back, attack from a distance!"
A full-bodied and angry roar sounded.
The many barbarians promptly retreated, but Shi Xiaole wasn’t about to let them have their way. He clung to their heels tenaciously, forcing them into close combat.
Boom!
A surge of energy teeming with tremendous power struck, and Shi Xiaole quickly sidestepped. The spot where he had stood erupted into a large hole, from which a dense mist poured out.
"Outsider, you are doomed,"
The person who had attacked was the one giving orders, standing nine feet tall and covered in mysterious patterns. With both fists striking out in rapid succession, a series of blue energies shot towards Shi Xiaole like laser beams.
When Erta’s gaze landed on the snow-white-skinned, breathtakingly beautiful Yu Yourong, his eyes revealed a greedy lust, and he attacked with even greater fervor.
"High-tier Qi Absorption Realm."
Shi Xiaole felt somewhat helpless.
In truth, if he could employ his killing techniques, with the reward points and accumulation Shi Xiaole now had, not to mention escaping, devastating this troop would have been easy.
But just a moment ago, the system clearly informed him that the killing technique could only be used once in the short term, cutting off his path of retreat and forcing him to rely on himself.
As for the Spring Fury Sword, operating it was out of the question given Shi Xiaole’s current condition. He could barely wield even a low-grade Spiritual Weapon.
The silver umbrella could only block energy attacks; if the enemies became too numerous, he would inevitably be captured. So the situation had reached its most critical moment.
Erta’s offensive was terrifying, but Shi Xiaole’s movement was even more so. Yu Yourong could see clearly that ’Brother Shi’ was adeptly closing in on his opponent.
His timing and control over the situation were textbook perfect!
Boom boom boom...
The unexpected happened at that moment. It turned out that barbarians from the other directions had reinforced the east side, and upon hearing Erta’s command, swarmed towards Yu Yourong like a tidal wave of locusts.
If it had not been for Yu Yourong’s exceptional combat skills, rare in the world, she would have been captured long ago. But by the looks of it, she could only hold on for a few more blows at most.
Between her and Shi Xiaole stood hundreds of barbarians with more still arriving. Even someone with great equal-tier combat power couldn’t hope to rescue her.
"Shi Xiaole, thank you. Now go!"
Yu Yourong shouted with all her might, hoping he could hear her.
She feared death, but she didn’t want to survive at the cost of dragging someone else down.
In such an environment, escaping was as difficult as ascending to heaven, let alone rescuing someone else. She only hoped that Shi Xiaole would be able to escape, however slim the chance might be.
Shi Xiaole seemed not to hear, continuing to close in on Erta like a cheetah. The suppressed screams of pain from a woman resounded behind him, drawing sidelong glances. Yet Shi Xiaole didn’t miss a beat.
"Your woman will be mine. Tonight, I shall ride her and use all kinds of methods to play with her. And you will be there to watch, an outsider’s due. Hahaha..."
Erta continued to attack from a distance while agitating Shi Xiaole, bursting into joyful laughter as he got carried away with excitement.
With nearly ten thousand warriors, even ten men like him couldn’t escape, let alone Shi Xiaole, who was far inferior. Before this, their Water Witch Tribe had captured countless outsiders using the same method. This time would be no different.
When Shi Xiaole was within three yards of Erta, he suddenly charged forward. Erta laughed heartily, ready to strike with his left fist, having anticipated this all along.
In the face of absolute strength, the so-called equal-tier combat was nothing but a joke.
But his smile soon froze on his lips.
Because Shi Xiaole, halfway there, stopped abruptly in a way that defied the laws of human movement. Driving power from his waist and abdomen, he sidestepped, bypassing the unprepared barbarians and landing safely outside their ranks.
A shadow fell over Shi Xiaole.
It was a tall woman with attire even more sophisticated than Erta’s. Behind her stood three men: extraordinarily handsome and well-built, apparently her subordinates.
These four had been watching from the outskirts all along, but they could never escape Shi Xiaole’s eyes. Based on the positions of these four and the special relationship they displayed, Shi Xiaole had gambled on a risky move.
The crowd behind them seemed pacified by the tall woman’s presence and suddenly quieted down. Soon after, Yu Yourong was also captured and dragged before the tall woman. Glancing at Shi Xiaole by her side, her expression was one of utter despair.
"My lord, this lad is extremely cunning. Allow me to disable him first,"
Erta approached with great reverence, his gaze on Shi Xiaole filled with venom.
"Lift your head."
The tall woman didn’t pay him any attention, she simply ordered Shi Xiaole from her superior position.
Shi Xiaole slowly lifted his head, his expression shifting from fear, to astonishment, to a daze. Deep within those black, gem-like eyes, a glimmer flickered, momentarily taking the tall woman’s breath away.
Time seemed to stand still.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
The tall woman asked coldly.
"I, I just..."
Shi Xiaole gazed deeply into her eyes, the panic below the surface so acute, he couldn’t possibly fake the expression resembling someone hastily trying to hide their thoughts. Even Yu Yourong began to feel uncertain.
"I’m ashamed to say that although I’ve seen many women, I’ve never met one with legs as slender as yours, breasts as proud, and eyes as bright and captivating."
The three attributes he mentioned were indeed the most striking features of the tall woman. Paired with his expression, he didn’t seem insincere at all.
What was most astounding was that everyone present, including Erta, seemed to completely agree with him.
"Could you grant me one favor, my lady?"
"Let’s hear it."
The tall woman revealed a hint of a smile.
She always had more patience for handsome men, and the man before her was more beautiful than any other she had encountered. The adoration in his expression was particularly delightful to her, and she didn’t mind indulging him a little.
"My lady, might you gift me a strand of your hair? I know my life is not long for this world, but I hope, in the limited time I have left, on the days when I cannot see you, to remember today’s breathtaking moment!"
The deeper into his plea Shi Xiaole went, the more emotional he became, nearly convincing himself.
Yu Yourong next to him trembled with rage, nearly vomiting from disgust—this shameless, rotten creature!
The tall woman stood there, momentarily dazed, then her smile brightened like sunshine, and she walked toward him. Shi Xiaole’s face lit up with joy, but his mind was busy calculating the distance between them and the best moment to draw his weapon.
Suddenly!
His dan tian began to unravel its seal, his cultivation rising from nothing, to the First Tier of the Hidden Qi Realm, Second Tier, Third Tier... until it stopped at the Fifth Tier of the Hidden Qi Realm.
Shi Xiaole was inwardly shocked, his eyes scattering light. There was nothing extraordinary about her, except for an iron badge hanging on her chest.
Was it because of that?
What an unexpected fortune.
As Shi Xiaole rose to his feet, his nose almost touched the tall woman’s. With her silent consent, Shi Xiaole raised his hand, his elbow brushing against the iron badge.
The momentary contact released a surge of power from the badge, providing him instant rejuvenation, and his cultivation rapidly escalated from the Fifth Tier of Hidden Qi.
Sixth Tier of Hidden Qi.
Seventh Tier of Hidden Qi.
The speed began to slow, and Shi Xiaole forcibly suppressed his pounding heart.
Erta’s power was at the high levels of the Qi Absorption Realm, and the tall woman might be even stronger. Plus, with nearly ten thousand low-tier Qi Absorption barbarians, he would need to reach the peak of the Qi Absorption Realm to lead others in a breakout.
However, for Shi Xiaole, reaching the Ninth Tier of the Hidden Qi Realm would give him a sixty to seventy percent confidence. If he recovered to the Qi Absorption Realm, his chances would be close to a hundred percent.
So, he needed time.
"My Lord, this youngster is using you, intending to restore his powers through the totem!"
Erta noticed Shi Xiaole’s hand shape and almost snarled in warning.
The various tribes and outsiders were almost natural enemies.
Because the tribes’ inviolable totems could restore an outsider’s power, but at the cost of their own decay, which would affect the survival of the entire tribe. On the other hand, the blood of outsiders could strengthen the power of the totems, reciprocating to the tribe.
In recent years, the Water Witch Tribe had developed rapidly, and it was only a matter of time before they became a Fifth Tier tribe. Erta didn’t want the Water Witch to lose focus over a beautiful face.
A cruel smile spilled from the corners of the Water Witch’s mouth, and her hand behind Shi Xiaole’s back suddenly flexed two fingers. Erta felt a wave of relief, realizing that the Lord intended to toy with the youngster.
Indeed, restoring powers through the totem was not something that could be done overnight. In such a short span of time, an ant would still be an ant.
Crushing them underfoot at their moment of pride with the most humiliating method was the best gift to give to outsiders.
"You’re adorable. I’ll first cripple your power. As long as you behave, I might spare your life."
The tall woman whispered in Shi Xiaole’s ear, a dismissive laugh, cold and ruthless.
Yu Yourong’s mouth hung open, wanting to shout a warning.
Just a little more.
Shi Xiaole’s entire body was tensed to the limit, just a little more and his cultivation would be restored to the Qi Absorption Realm.
"My lady, may I pluck your hair now?"
The Water Witch paused, then chuckled, "You’ll have plenty of opportunities in the future." She thrust her two fingers towards Shi Xiaole’s back, aiming to shatter his dan tian.
Peak of the Ninth Tier of Hidden Qi.
First Tier of Qi Absorption Realm!
As the Water Witch made her move, Shi Xiaole got his wish.
