Chapter 859: Chapter 858 Clash_HARD_1
The mottled streaks of light, long or short, deep or shallow, seemed to all retract back into Shi Xiaole’s body as he opened his eyes, like clouds of cotton suddenly shrinking.
In the silence, the ground was covered with numerous crisscrossing scratches filled with Sword Qi, not bursting outward, but flowing back and forth like a gentle breeze.
If no external force were to interfere, these streaks of Sword Qi could linger for a long time. Should someone at the Dragon Gate Realm, or even a lower-tier Terrestrial Immortal with enough enlightenment enter this area, they might be able to grasp the essence of the Wind Sword Way.
Shi Xiaole introspected and saw that, having reached the initial phase of 80% mastery of the Wind Sword Way, the tip of his sword had begun to show its edge, and the small green sword radiated a thick aura of slaughter.
With his palm open, Shi Xiaole flicked lightly, and the Sword Qi shot out an unknown distance in the blink of an eye.
Within his detectable range of 7,500 meters, the power of this wisp of Sword Qi had hardly diminished, signifying an extreme condensation of sword power that, in some respects, surpassed top-tier martial arts!
Indeed, after absorbing the essence of the Sword King’s valley and merging it with the essence of martial power from eight Void Origin Realm Martial Emperors, the nature of the Wind Sword Way had significantly improved, reaching the halfway mark to Supreme Martial Arts.
Of course, this was probably the true limit, and advancing further would be difficult.
Every martial path has its limit, and surpassing it will result in the collapse of one’s martial way. From now on, what Shi Xiaole could do was continually elevate the state of the Wind Sword Way until it could rise no further.
"In terms of potential, the martial way of life and death is much more powerful. But that’s okay, the Wind Sword Way will be more than sufficient for a considerably long period," he thought.
Most Martial Emperors in the Void Origin Realm grasp just the top-tier martial arts, and only a select few have reached the half-Supreme martial way. As for the Supreme Martial Arts, worldwide only a few, such as the Martial Emperor and the owner of the Ghost Carriage, are known to have achieved it.
Standing up, Shi Xiaole smiled nonchalantly, and without moving his feet, he shot out tens of thousands of meters, coming to a stop directly in front of the Gloomy King.
"What, you again?"
The Gloomy King’s eyes bulged; he had seen only a blur before Shi Xiaole appeared. The speed was so fast he almost didn’t react in time.
A sense of unease washed over him, and the Gloomy King immediately spurred his full power, launching an Unstoppable Ghostly Demon Palm, retreating rapidly while also sending a message to the Ninth Void Ghost King and King Senluo.
Grasping the hilt with his right hand and applying slight pressure, Shi Xiaole’s sword-drawing motion was not fast, but the Sword Qi had already sliced through the palm shadow, and a grand beam of sword light swept across. By the time it was upon him, the Gloomy King only then became aware, struggling with all his might to defend and conjuring a black light shield.
Pop.
The black light shield shattered, and Shi Xiaole’s sword was already drawn, its tip magnifying infinitely in the Gloomy King’s eyes. Facing this sword thrust, his thoughts halted completely, his body wanted to dodge, but every muscle was stuck in stillness, unable to muster any strength.
"No, it’s the speed of this sword that’s too fast, surpassing the reaction capability of my body."
Sputter...
Blood spurted like a fountain.
The Gloomy King, staring at the hole in his abdomen, let out a horrified scream.
He suddenly realized that Shi Xiaole’s earlier slow motion was just his afterimage left in place, his real body had locked onto his target in the instant of the attack.
"Wind Sword Way at 80% initial stage?"
King Senluo, who had just arrived, was shocked.
He was shocked by Shi Xiaole’s rapid progression and even more astonished at the abnormal strength of the Wind Sword Way; a top-tier martial art at 80% initial stage could not be so strong.
"Senluo Myriad Paths!"
Seeing the Gloomy King grievously injured, King Senluo’s body bristled. Without a second thought, he retreated, his arm muscles bulging as he ferociously slashed thrice.
These three slashes seemed to have minds of their own, each derivative of the previous: the first slash evolved into six variations, the second expanded upon the first, creating thirty-six variations, and by the third slash, there were one hundred and eight in total, combining to one hundred and fifty slashing from sky and earth to Shi Xiaole, like a net of swords impossible to break free from.
"That was close, thankful I reacted quickly."
The Senluo Myriad Paths were not only powerful in offense but also excellent in defense; Shi Xiaole, no matter how strong, could not possibly break through easily. King Senluo couldn’t help but heave a sigh of relief, now just waiting for the Ninth Void Ghost King to arrive.
But before his thought was fully formed, he saw a sword light, unreasonably intense, shining through the web of blades.
Shi Xiaole had only one sword, and to King Senluo it seemed to take on countless forms, yet also appeared as the most ordinary strike. Amidst the hissing sound, the net of blades collapsed.
No sooner had the sound echoed, than the distance between Shi Xiaole and King Senluo was less than ten feet, the Sword Qi piercing through his protective Vigorous Air like an awl.
"Impossible!"
King Senluo was petrified, never before having seen or even heard of such a strong common Ninth Tier Earth Immortal; even in attempted evasion, he found it impossible to escape.
"You insolent pup!"
A roar from the Ninth Void Ghost King echoed from afar, as a terrifying surge of energy burst forth. Every time the Ninth Void Ghost King had shown up in the past, Shi Xiaole had always fled far away, and King Senluo could only hope this time would be the same.
However, the sword moved even faster, and a piercing pain enveloped King Senluo’s entire body. Then his head tumbled to the ground, his expression one of disbelief to the very end.
Why didn’t he flee? Could it be he thought that by becoming a common Ninth Tier Earth Immortal, he could compete with an ultimate Ninth Tier Earth Immortal?
As Shi Xiaole eliminated King Senluo, he sidestepped and landed on a large rock.
On the opposite side, the Ninth Void Ghost King was pale, a mix of astonishment, rage, and undeniable terror.
He was only half a step late, resulting in the Gloomy King wounded and King Senluo dead, all in the span of a few breaths. Could someone tell him what exactly had happened?
"Was it you who made the move?"
The Ninth Void Ghost King asked a rather foolish question, but from his perspective, it was an inevitable one.
"Is there anyone else here?"
Shi Xiaole said indifferently, his sword without blood.
If it was just the Wind Sword Way improving to the early stages of eighty percent, he could indeed easily kill the Gloomy King and King Senluo, but it wouldn’t be this effortless.
Everything was because the Wind Sword Way had become a half Supreme Martial Arts. The early stages of eighty percent of the half Supreme Martial Arts were equivalent to the early stages of ninety percent of top-level martial arts. Combined with his own combat strength, it would be odd if Shi Xiaole hadn’t killed the two in seconds.
Even now, he was eager to spar with the Ninth Void Ghost King to test his true combat strength.
His chest heaved violently, the Ninth Void Ghost King’s heartbeat missed a half-beat, and his scalp even began to tingle. This was the first time he had been intimidated by someone less powerful than himself.
Shi Xiaole was too calm, so calm that it made the Ninth Void Ghost King lose his confidence in victory. Facing someone like this, it was hard to believe he was bluffing.
"You have offended Ghost King Ruins and even alarmed the Ghost Emperor Himself, you are as good as dead."
The Ninth Void Ghost King sneered viciously.
"The Ghost Emperor? I understand."
Shi Xiaole nodded.
The sound of the wind suddenly became loud, yet the sword light was faster than the wind, pointing straight at the Ninth Void Ghost King’s throat. When the two were three zhang apart, the Ninth Void Ghost King finally came to his senses, covered in cold sweat and shouting as he slammed his palms repeatedly.
"The Ghost Hand of the Void!"
As soon as the move was released, the Sword Qi shifted to the right, and by the time the Ninth Void Ghost King responded, the original distance of three zhang had shrunk to two zhang and eight chi. This time, the Sword Qi fell from above his head. The transition was seamless, and even the Ninth Void Ghost King could only detect a faint hint of it.
But that faint hint was utterly useless at this level of competition.
"I’m not as fast as he is, I can’t fall into his rhythm."
Although reluctant and frustrated, the Ninth Void Ghost King hurriedly retreated. His hands alternated in furious flapping, slapping the void so hard that it formed folds. Each fold was powerful enough to easily kill an Eighth Tier Earth Immortal.
A meteoric sword light flared in the sky, slipping through the cracks in the folds.
"Encircled by shadows, demons run amok!"
A sneer appeared on his face, and the Ninth Void Ghost King’s palm movement suddenly stalled, retracting inward as a circle of light formed from ghostly mist suddenly enveloped the advancing Shi Xiaole. Inside the light dome were numerous demon heads with gaping mouths, ready to tear and bite.
It didn’t stop there. The Ninth Void Ghost King bit his tongue, spraying his blood onto the light dome, making it shine with a thick blood light. The demon heads seemed energized, attacking Shi Xiaole with even more ferocity.
"This is the price of overconfidence."
This technique was a new killing move developed by the Ninth Void Ghost King after he left the Mirage Mountain Range, originally intended for Madam Xi but now used on Shi Xiaole.
But it was even better this way; after all, Shi Xiaole was ten to a hundred times more terrifying than Madam Xi. In the Mirage Mountain Range, he wasn’t worth the effort, but now, he had almost pushed the Ninth Void Ghost King to his limits. Such a person should not exist in this world.
"He shouldn’t be able to block this, right?"
The Gloomy King could see how terrifying this move was and admired how the Ninth Void Ghost King took advantage of the situation. He didn’t believe that this move, which could severely injure most Ninth Tier Earth Immortals at their limit, could do nothing to Shi Xiaole.
"Bring it on."
Feeling the intense pressure, Shi Xiaole’s spirit had never been so focused, yet his actions were extremely composed. Integrating seventy strands of Heart Sword strength into the Wind Sword Way, he turned them all into a seemingly light and floating strike.
With that strike, countless sword shadows sprang into existence, flickering and shimmering as they split into layers of swords heading in different directions, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, akin to a ceaselessly spinning kaleidoscope.
Hisss!
Clang!
First came the sound of serrated friction, then a deafening explosion. The sword shadows were continuously annihilated, but by the time they neared Shi Xiaole, his second Wind Torrent had already been charged, dispersing the surrounding blood light and ghost mist.
"A succession of killing moves, I can’t believe it!"
The Ninth Void Ghost King almost crushed his own teeth.
How profound must one’s Vigorous Air be to sustain two consecutive major killing moves? No, even with enough Vigorous Air, the martial arts wouldn’t withstand it. This was taking a toll on the future, it had to be!
"This, this..."
The Gloomy King felt chills all over. His soul nearly scattered from Shi Xiaole’s onslaught. His only thought was to run. No matter the outcome of the battle between the two in the distance, he had to flee.
"Currently, my strength should be on par with most Ninth Tier Earth Immortals at their limit, but still not quite a match for those like Madam Xi."
Shi Xiaole had a clearer understanding of his own power.
Just relying on sword technique, he would have been injured just now. Without using Illusion Martial Way, it would have been impossible to consecutively use killing moves, but who said he could only utilize sword technique strength?
In fact, even Shi Xiaole himself hadn’t realized that he had not yet tapped into his true strength. The Illusion Martial Way had been dormant for years, the Demon Martial Way still at the Ghost King Temple, and yet, even so, he was already nearly invincible at his level.
