Chapter 924: Chapter 923 Subduing the Heavenly Divine Eagle (Part 2)_1
The Heart Thunder Sword could be called Shi Xiaole’s strongest sword technique, and if it were close combat, even the weakest Martial Emperor of the Void Origin Realm might not be able to withstand it. Yet, unexpectedly, it only made the Heavenly Divine Eagle shed a few drops of blood.
Shi Xiaole held its defensive power in even higher esteem.
The auras of Zhuo Wansheng and the Grand Elder were not just inferior to Han Yanfa’s, but even slightly less than Murong Chun’s; they must be the weakest among Martial Emperors of the Void Origin Realm, no wonder they were so wary of the Heavenly Divine Eagle.
"Grr!"
Angered and embarrassed for being wounded by a creature it looked down upon, the Heavenly Divine Eagle’s eyes shot out a chilling murderous intent. As its wings flapped violently, two invisible tornados, one on each side, charged towards Shi Xiaole. The ground instantly kicked up sand and stones before grinding them into flying ash, obscuring the sunlight.
Unable to see, this did not affect Shi Xiaole’s attacks in the slightest. After dodging with Crossing the River with a Single Reed, he did not counter with the Wind Tribulation Sword Technique, but instead employed the Illusion Martial Way and the Ten Residences Mahayana Skill because the spiritual consciousness of a beast is innately weaker than that of humans.
"Cease the illusions!"
"Cease the movements!"
"Cease the killing!"
As expected, under the spread of the illusions, the Heavenly Divine Eagle’s attacks were greatly affected, and each time this happened, Shi Xiaole would supplement them with the Heaven and Earth Changing Great Method, followed by wounding it with the Heart Thunder Sword.
Bang bang bang.
The unparalleled intense battle between man and eagle caused the wind to surge and clouds to move as the ground was plowed open with thick, deep marks resembling abysses. Golden feathers and fresh blood fell intermittently; some came from the Heavenly Divine Eagle, and some from Shi Xiaole.
Whether it was the Ten Residences Mahayana Skill, the Heaven and Earth Changing Great Method, or the Heart Thunder Sword, all were great killing moves that consumed a great deal of Vigorous Air and mental power. In close combat, Shi Xiaole could not always dodge in time and would inevitably get hurt by the remaining waves of attacks.
After a quarter of a 2-hour period, Shi Xiaole retreated far away, panting heavily, his face so pale it was frightful.
In contrast, the Heavenly Divine Eagle had about a dozen wounds on its body, but a closer look revealed they were not deep. The strands of Sword Qi could not penetrate its flesh and were shaken off after a few attempts, barely inflicting any damage on the Heavenly Divine Eagle.
"What a tough opponent!"
Shi Xiaole was deeply troubled. Seeing the other party swooping in, he hurriedly deployed the Heaven Transforming Earth Striking to widen the distance between them, unable to unleash the Heart Thunder Sword as his mental power was severely depleted.
The only option was to hide.
In the Heaven’s Intent Secret Realm, other than the plains, there were mountains. Shi Xiaole fled frantically, choosing remote and hard-to-find places, but the Heavenly Divine Eagle was about thirty percent faster than Shi Xiaole, relentlessly pursuing, shaking him off time and again, only to catch up again and again.
Lucky for Shi Xiaole he still had mental illusions, otherwise he would have been entangled long ago and met an imaginable fate.
"No good, I must think of a way."
Driven by the potential for both life and death in martial arts and the Enduring Humiliation Divine Skill, Shi Xiaole’s strength was always recovering, but it was nowhere near the physical stamina of the Heavenly Divine Eagle. After all, the greatest function of the martial way of life and death was to turn death into life. Continuing this way, at most he could hold on for half a 2-hour period.
"Right, the Vigorous Air Vortex!"
Eighty-six cyan beams as thick as thumbs suddenly shot out from Shi Xiaole. The Vigorous Air Vortex could gather the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, transforming it into Vigorous Air; theoretically, it could also replenish Vigorous Air.
And indeed, as the Vigorous Air Vortex rotated, strands of spiritual energy poured into Shi Xiaole’s body, becoming his Vigorous Air and rapidly replenishing the strength he had consumed.
At that moment, Shi Xiaole further understood the secret of the incredible strength of Martial Emperors of the Void Origin Realm; the presence of the Vigorous Air Vortex allowed their cultivation to transcend the common world, with a replenishment speed unparalleled.
Theoretically, as long as the consumption rate did not exceed the replenishment rate, they could almost fight forever.
That also led to a conclusion: the stronger the Vigorous Air Vortex, the better!
Shi Xiaole took a deep breath and swung his sword backward from time to time, using rocks and stones to create various chaos.
Time passed by the minute and second.
In the blink of an eye, three days had passed.
Shi Xiaole leaned half of his body against a boulder, not even wanting to move his fingers. He was covered in blood, his face sallow and smeared with bloodstains, his hair a disheveled mess, but his chest’s faint rising and falling indicated he was still alive.
After three consecutive days and nights of being hunted, there were thirty-six instances where he almost got his heart pierced. Although he narrowly avoided these events, he had wounds everywhere—on his arms, thighs, shoulders, back, abdomen—and some were so deep that even bones were poking out, with flesh rolled up in several layers, a horrendous sight to behold.
If not for possessing the martial way of life and death, which can turn death energy into life energy, Shi Xiaole suspected he would have died long ago.
Furthermore, his mental power was nearly drained, his mind throbbing with piercing pain, making him feel dizzy and unaware of the world.
At this point, he probably couldn’t even beat a mere child.
Before entering the Heaven’s Intent Secret Realm, the agreed-upon time was two days and two nights, but now three days and three nights had passed, and the secret realm had yet to show signs of opening; naturally, Shi Xiaole knew he had been tricked.
However, he was not worried because he could break the Array System of the secret realm at any time. The reason why he was in this situation was actually due to his competitive nature, just wanting to challenge his limits.
One 2-hour period.
Two 2-hour periods.
...
Five 2-hour periods passed.
Shi Xiaole’s strength had recovered by thirty percent, and his mental power by fifty percent. He suddenly discovered with delight that the recovered mental power was purer and more powerful than before.
Surviving a desperate situation brought about new life!
The importance of mental power to a warrior goes without saying. The strength of Shi Xiaole was rooted in the power of his mental strength, which was fundamental to him.
Now that he had found a way to improve it, his eyes lit up suddenly, occasionally flashing with a hint of madness.
Approximately sixteen hours later, the well-rested Heavenly Divine Eagle returned to the fray. Shi Xiaole didn’t dodge or avoid, entangled in combat with it, setting off another cataclysm within the secret land.
The eagle’s cries mixed with the strength of its claws and the brilliance of the sword light. At times, Shi Xiaole’s sword would pierce through the Heavenly Divine Eagle, and at others, the Heavenly Divine Eagle would wound Shi Xiaole. The two engaged in a desperate, bloody battle, feathers drifting down, blood scattering like flowers.
This battle was too tragic. Shi Xiaole’s belly was nearly torn open, countless ribs broken, not a part of him unscathed; his Vigorous Air and mental strength were depleted for the second time.
The Heavenly Divine Eagle, likewise, hadn’t anticipated that this being, whose aura wasn’t as strong as the previous two, could be so tenaciously terrible. It lost nearly half of its feathers, and had over two hundred wounds that forced it to return to its base to recuperate.
This time, the man and the eagle ceased hostilities for three days and nights.
Shi Xiaole’s power fully recovered, his wounds formed scabs, his mental strength improved by leaps and bounds—more formidable than ever before!
...
The residence of the Heavenly Will Sect.
"Grand Elder, it has been six days and six nights since then. That boy’s bones are probably already in the stomach of the Divine Eagle,"
said the middle-aged man who had suggested that Shi Xiaole subjugate the Heavenly Divine Eagle, his face wearing a sly smile, within a spacious hall.
The Grand Elder leisurely sipped his tea, blowing on the leaves in his cup without even a glance upward. "Such is the fate of those who overestimate themselves! As for him, thinking to subjugate the Heavenly Will Sect? It would have been more likely if the Sect Leader of the Divine Sect had come in person. By the way, have you found out the identity of that person?"
Despite the overt disdain in his words, the Grand Elder was still shocked by Shi Xiaole’s strength. Such individuals were rare in the world, and he anticipated the identity would not be difficult to ascertain.
The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes, "In recent years, the Flying Horse Dynasty has seen the rise of nine Heaven Kings, each said to be exceptionally talented. But the most eye-catching among them is a youth called Shi Xiaole, known as the Kirin Young Emperor, recognized as the number one genius in the entire Flying Horse Martial World. More than half a year ago, this person took on a Martial Emperor of the Void Origin Realm head-on, without losing ground."
"The Kirin Young Emperor?"
The Grand Elder scoffed instinctively, but his expression underwent several rapid changes, finally saying, "Mu Sheng, dispatch a few people to secretly enter the Heaven’s Intent Secret Land. That fellow has a great secret on him."
Mu Sheng’s eyes lit up, praising the Grand Elder for his wisdom, and then hurriedly left to make arrangements.
"Grand Elder, how should we deal with the Sect Leader?"
A shadow emerged from the dark.
Six days ago, Zhuo Wansheng was suddenly bedridden with a serious illness. With his power at the level of the Void Origin Realm, falling ill was impossible—thus, anyone but a fool could see that the Sect Leader had been secretly harmed.
Who could have such gall, such power?
The answer was obvious, but since all the Sect Leader’s loyal followers had been controlled, with the remains being the Grand Elder’s men, the Heavenly Will Sect remained calm.
"He is under my control, do not kill him yet, we’ll keep him to attract those stubborn fools,"
the Grand Elder waved his hand, and the shadow retreated to one side.
...
Heaven’s Intent Secret Land.
This was the third hard-fought battle.
Unlike the previous two times, Shi Xiaole had the absolute upper hand. Whenever the Heavenly Divine Eagle swooped down, his powerful mental strength plunged it into an illusion, unable to extricate itself.
Thanks to the growth of his mental strength, the power of the Heart Thunder Sword rose exponentially, causing the eagle to scream in pain and shed blood time and time again.
In the end, the Heavenly Divine Eagle had no choice but to flee in defeat.
The fourth time, the fifth time.
Shi Xiaole’s mental strength grew stronger and stronger, he began to dominate the battle, chasing after his opponent. As he grew more in tune with it, he sensed an invisible bottleneck that, once broken through, would lead to boundless opportunities.
Shi Xiaole pursued the Heavenly Divine Eagle even more frenziedly, eventually almost sitting on its back, continuously attacking with his mental strength, causing the mountains in their path to crumble one after another.
He too paid a heavy price, his shoulders torn, legs nearly severed; but in this life-and-death moment, Shi Xiaole finally touched the thin layer of the bottleneck.
"Divine Eagle, become my mount."
Shi Xiaole spoke calmly, a sharply intense glint shining and then quickly receding in his eyes. At that moment, his mental strength finally broke through to the peak of the Void Origin Realm.
Two sharp talon lights were the response he received.
Boom!
The talon lights silently collapsed, the Heavenly Divine Eagle plummeted, screaming as it stared at Shi Xiaole in shock.
"You are no longer my match."
His eyes vortex-like, Shi Xiaole’s gaze seemed to encompass the cosmos, and as soon as the Heavenly Divine Eagle’s gaze met his, its staunch will only struggled for a few moments before it uncontrollably sank into the never-ending cycle of reincarnation.
As if experiencing a hundred lifetimes, each life had the same master.
After a while, the Heavenly Divine Eagle, awakening from the cycle, bore no trace of hostility in its eyes, only reverence. It flew respectfully to Shi Xiaole, bowed its body for him to mount, then took to the sky with a loud cry, soaring across the heavens.
"Look, there seems to be someone on the back of the Divine Eagle."
Far away, several experts from the Heavenly Will Sect, sent by the Grand Elder to search for Shi Xiaole’s body, were stunned.
The next moment, a fierce wind blew, obliterating them into dust. At the far end of the storm, the Heavenly Divine Eagle, carrying Shi Xiaole, shrank to a small black dot.
