Chapter 957: 956
"Resolved with just three swords?"
"That simple?"
The scene on the bridge of light shocked the surrounding crowd.
One should know that at the Void Origin Realm level, killers moves are generally countered only with other killer moves, unless the gap in strength is too large, like between an ordinary Human Realm Martial Emperor and a top Human Realm Martial Emperor.
The terrifying aspect of Shi Xiaole was that one couldn’t see the extent of his power at all.
"The Gale Sword King’s move has great power, but even greater flaws, so even if the strength is similar, as long as one has excellent vision and control, it can still be easily broken," the Lotus Sword Emperor offered what seemed to be a reasonable explanation after thinking it over. After all, besides dual martial paths, the Kirin was most famous for its combat techniques.
"That makes sense."
"However, the ability to instantly spot the weakness also proves the Kirin’s talent," someone commented.
Emotionally and logically, people couldn’t, or didn’t want to, believe that Shi Xiaole’s strength far surpassed the Gale Sword King’s.
Otherwise, what were they? Hundreds or even thousands of years of hard training couldn’t match someone else’s few decades of effort?
Crack, crack.
Helian Duba clenched his fists tightly, his lips forming a thin line, and his expression was as gloomy as the deep waters.
Even though Shi Xiaole hadn’t shown much, Helian Duba had a very bad premonition, which nearly drove him mad.
"Skulking around, I refuse to believe that in just over half a year you could have soared to the heavens."
Helian Duba took several deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down.
If Shi Xiaole’s three swords sealing the killer move had both frightened and excited the crowd, then the entry of Wudao Xuan and the Mysterious Heart Blade Empress had continued this excitement, making everyone’s blood boil.
"Wu young hero, please."
In the eyes of the Mysterious Heart Blade Empress, Wudao Xuan was undoubtedly very steady which, to a certain degree, represented confidence. But she would not be intimidated by his demeanor; the true test was action.
Whoosh!
Although the Mysterious Heart Blade Empress was still gathering momentum, the blade light silently arrived at Wudao Xuan’s back, and very few could see how she made her move.
It was a shame that Wudao Xuan’s back seemed to have grown a pair of eyes; without turning his head or moving his body, a layer of faint energy easily shattered the blade light.
"It’s not that simple."
The words threaded out, fast, but faster still was the second streak of blade light, at the same position, with more concentrated power, piercing through the energy like silk and slicing towards Wudao Xuan.
"Sound combined with the blade?"
Shi Xiaole was slightly surprised.
How could he not see that the words of the Mysterious Heart Blade Empress were not just a show of strength but clearly another kind of sonic attack, aimed at disrupting Wudao Xuan’s focus and masking the lethal second strike!
Under everyone’s gaze, Wudao Xuan’s body looked as if it had frozen in time, perhaps unable to react in time, but around him, there instantly appeared swirls of energy, which the blade light entered and, after several impacts, was crushed into pieces by the swirls.
"Mysterious Heart · Silk Thread!"
The blade light was connected to the Mysterious Heart Blade Empress’ mental force, so even though the energy swirls were complex, within one hundredth of a blink, the Mysterious Heart Blade Empress still spotted the weakness, and her long-held blade swept out.
This was her improved killer move.
Swipe!
The blade light indeed plunged into the energy swirls, but before the Mysterious Heart Blade Empress could feel excited, a collision sound rang out by her ear, and in her pupils, a beam of light rushed forward.
This was the killer move she had just released.
Clang!
The long blade flew out of her hand, and the Mysterious Heart Blade Empress’ chest was pierced. She retreated over twenty-thousand meters before coming to a stop, her face showing thick fear. Had she not dodged fast enough, her entire body might have been cleaved in two.
Lifting her head, the Mysterious Heart Blade Empress looked at Wudao Xuan with an expression of shock, even more so than when she had seen Shi Xiaole break the Gale Sword King’s killer move.
The crowd too was speechless.
At least Shi Xiaole had made a move, but against the Mysterious Heart Blade Empress, who was stronger than the Gale Sword King, Wudao Xuan had not even shifted, defeating her with his natural essence, it was truly terrifying!
To what extent had this young man’s strength reached?
"They say the owner of the Selfless Sacred Bone is a child of heaven and earth; now, I believe it. Give him a little opportunity, and he can soar to the skies—such a person is incomparable to ordinary mortals."
"The affinity of the Selfless Sacred Bone with all things makes comprehending various essences as easy as flipping one’s hand for Wudao Xuan, and his natural martial path, even more, encompasses everything. Why do I feel like the opportunities here are as if specially prepared for him?"
"Such is a peerless genius!"
What more could they say? Everyone felt parched and tongue-tied. In this moment, the brightly shining bridge was incapable of outshining the brilliance of the handsome youth, instead serving as his backdrop.
Some people are born protagonists, and Wudao Xuan was such a person.
"There’s always someone better, there’s always a higher mountain. I thought the Kirin was strong enough, but there are those among his peers who are even stronger."
The Qizheng Martial Emperor shook his head, speechless for a long while.
"And we still have Mu Ling’er, Yan Jicheng, and Dark Night Proton, the three individuals Helian young hero mentioned. It’s too bad they’re not here, or I’d like to see their expressions," the Lotus Sword Emperor said with a faint smile.
Anyone faced with juniors outperforming them would hardly feel pleased. Speaking of which, it turns out that being a Void Origin Realm Martial Emperor isn’t as free and easy as people imagine; instead, it’s rather frustrating.
Before the dissolution of the Golden Abyss Alliance, some chose to live in seclusion, others continued their cultivation, unable to use their martial skills in the mundane world.
After a painstaking wait for the end of the Jin Yuan Alliance, a grand era had arrived once more. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth had surged dramatically, greatly easing the difficulty of breaking through to the Void Origin Realm, and various exceptional individuals vied to stand out.
One could catch a glimpse of the brilliant era just from this corner of the world. When the time came for a hundred boats to compete in a race, I feared that people like them could only become spectators, right?
The Lotus Sword Emperor suddenly felt a wave of disinterest and was so frustrated that he wanted to vomit blood. However, upon reflecting that he lived in this unprecedented and unmatched era and might witness several great legends yet to be validated, his mood improved somewhat.
"Interesting."
Shi Xiaole smiled.
The progress of Wudao Xuan was entirely within reason. If it were not so, he would have been greatly disappointed. Shi Xiaole never feared others becoming stronger; he only feared they weren’t strong enough because the stronger others became, the faster he would progress.
As Wudao Xuan defeated the Mysterious Heart Blade Empress with minimal effort, the first round of duels officially ended.
The twelve pavilions suddenly lost their luster, while another twelve shone even brighter as if they had absorbed the former’s power.
At the same time, the twelve masters who had previously lost were all expelled from the building. The twelve looked at each other, all silent, yet none left.
"The second round will proceed after two hours."
The cold, unfeeling voice spread throughout the entire space once again.
Two hours was but a flick of a finger.
Soon, the second round began.
In the first battle of this round, the Fierce Wind Martial Emperor faced off against Yan San of the Yan family.
The strengths of the two were roughly equal, their styles even quite similar. If one had to differentiate, the Fierce Wind Martial Emperor was wildly aggressive yet lacked stamina, whereas Yan San’s defense was stronger than his offense.
This battle was more intense than any before it. The two fought for three days and nights, suffering multiple injuries. Their cultivation in the Void Origin Realm only demonstrated the low-tier power of the Divine Border Realm, yet the victor was still undecided.
It wasn’t until the indifferent voice declared a tie that this intense battle was forcibly brought to a close.
"Once my wounds have healed, I want to fight you again!" the Fierce Wind Martial Emperor said with a cold laugh.
"I’m ready anytime," Yan San replied, matching him in sharpness without showing any weakness.
The second battle was Qingyuan Sword Emperor against Yan Si.
With one sword strike, Yan Si was miserably defeated, his right arm turned into a mist of blood by the Sword Qi because he could not dodge in time. But he clenched his teeth in silence, his eyes filled with bloodshot threads.
"Qingyuan Sword Emperor is too strong. Besides the Earth Destroyer Knife Emperor and the Yinyang Martial Emperor, I see no one who can compete with him, even surviving ten moves would be difficult."
"He was originally among the top Human Realm Martial Emperors. Now he has solidified that position even more. In a few decades, becoming an Earthly Realm Martial Emperor wouldn’t be impossible."
Not even five hundred years old, as a top Human Realm Martial Emperor, Qingyuan Sword Emperor’s talent was evident. With such a lead in strength, even Wudao Xuan had no hope of catching up with him in this short time.
The twelve-person elimination battle lacked any possibility of dullness; every match was highly anticipated.
The third battle.
Shi Xiaole was captured by the light and reappeared on the luminous bridge. His opponent, dressed in white surpassing the snow, slender, and fair, with eyes like a fairy, was none other than Yan Yuchai.
The two stood a hundred feet apart, one in green and one in white. The man was peerlessly handsome, and the woman of breathtaking beauty. Just by standing there, they seemed like a painting etched by the heavens, causing an intense sense of astonishment to arise in everyone’s hearts involuntarily.
"Junior Brother Shi, take this, Water Dream Triple Seal!"
A fog surged towards Shi Xiaole, within which were water, clouds, and beautiful dreams that one would willingly drown in.
Shi Xiaole remained unmoved and mercilessly slashed the fog with his sword.
Yan Yuchai’s momentum faltered. That sword not only shattered the first seal but also the following two seals.
As she was shocked by Shi Xiaole’s swordsmanship, she was forced to change tactics on the fly, her body twisting and vaulting through the air as she launched a succession of palm strikes. Eventually, her body became indistinguishable from her shadows, and the shadows seemed to exist in another space-time, impervious to the Sword Qi.
After dozens of unsuccessful strikes in an instant, Shi Xiaole paused briefly, but before Yan Yuchai could attack, he swung his next sword strike along the path revealed by his spiritual force.
Hiss.
A vast number of shadows were cut apart.
"Not good!"
Yan Yuchai’s face paled. She had anticipated that Shi Xiaole might break her Shadow Dream Body Technique, but she never expected it to be so quick and easy.
It was at that moment Yan Yuchai truly understood the terror of Shi Xiaole—his ability to calmly exploit your weaknesses was a kind of horror that probably no one would want to face as an enemy.
The Sword Qi did not continue to assault her, for Shi Xiaole had put away his sword.
"I’ve lost," Yan Yuchai said with a slight smile.
"Senior Sister Yan, actually, you could have made me concede," Shi Xiaole said, looking straight into her eyes.
"Why should I? The favor you owe me isn’t so easy to repay," she retorted, as Shi Xiaole watched in surprise, she rolled her eyes at him playfully and vanished into light.
"She really is troublesome."
At that moment, Shi Xiaole couldn’t help but recall Yan Yuchai, who had managed the intricacies and strategies in Qin Building in the West Sea archipelago. What exactly had happened to her?
