Ever since hearing the news about Shi Xiaoleâs fight with Wudao Xuan, a fury had been smoldering in the heart of the Ghost Prison Blade Emperor, almost blowing his chest apart.
That heavily injured kid, who carried deadly poison in his system, not only survived, but his power had suspiciously increased a notch? And he stole the treasure that even the Fire Emperor coveted?
Anger, jealousy, and hatred gnawed at the heart of the Ghost Prison Blade Emperor, making him feel suffocated every second Shi Xiaole remained alive, wishing he could tear the heavens apart.
Unexpectedly, the heavens seemed to have a sense of humor, by bringing the kid right before him nowâwhen else to seek revenge if not at this moment?
"You seem to have forgotten, it was you who attacked me first."
Looking at the crippled Ghost Prison Blade Emperor, Shi Xiaole felt not the slightest pity. It was the surrounding Void Origin Realm Martial Emperors that put him on alert.
His spiritual power dispersed secretly, finding that everyone was a Human Realm Martial Emperor, and none had an aura that posed a clear threat to himârelieving Shi Xiaole.
It made sense, after all. Those two doorways were clearly selective, only allowing Human Realm Martial Emperors to enter this place; the strongest ones among them must have already entered the loft.
"Hatred is hatred, resentment is resentment, only your blood can cleanse it."
The Ghost Prison Blade Emperor, hobbling on one leg, floated in the air, stepping towards Shi Xiaole. With every step, the knifeâs momentum grew stronger, producing demonic shadows over his head that let out soul-shattering screams.
"Has the Ghost Prison Blade Emperorâs knife momentum grown stronger?"
The Mysterious Heart Blade Empress was startled and, looking at Shi Xiaole, she couldnât help but feel a hint of schadenfreude.
In the Void Origin Realm, the likelihood of a breakthrough during battle was extremely low. It must be due to the Ghost Prison Blade Emperorâs intense hatred that upon seeing Shi Xiaole, he unexpectedly broke through his limitations.
"Hehehe, Brother Ghost, donât kill the man, leave half a life for me."
The Dwarf Emperorâs resentful voice rose as he moved to another side, locking Shi Xiaole down with his aura. He did not forget to say to those around him, "Everyone, if this kid tries to escape later, I hope you can intervene. I, the Dwarf Emperor, swear to the heavens that I will remember this favor!"
Some peopleâs eyes began to flicker.
Even though the Dwarf Emperor had lost an arm, for a poison skill martial artist like him, the impact on his strength was just one aspect.
Poison and medicine are closely related. Void Origin Realm Martial Emperors face their own difficulties, such as poisoning or a lack of cultivation materials, and in such situations, a favor from the Dwarf Emperor could be very valuable.
Of course, people also had to consider the consequences of offending Shi Xiaole. If they couldnât kill him, the trouble would be endless.
No one spoke, and the air was filled with a strange tension.
"Ghost Head Strangle!"
When his momentum peaked, the Ghost Prison Blade Emperor laughed hideously. As he swung his double-handed grip down, the demonic shadows above his head surged, opening their mouths to engulf Shi Xiaole.
With demonic shadows reflected in his eyes, Shi Xiaoleâs presence became even more stable. When they were fifty paces apart, he drew his sword from its sheath and lightly tapped the tip forward.
Pop!
Like a bubble being pricked, the ferocious ghost shadow immediately fizzled out and shattered to pieces.
"Fierce Ghost Asks the Knife!"
The Ghost Prison Blade Emperor was taken aback and then overwhelmed by boundless fury. Keeping his knifeâs momentum at its peak, he swung his right arm, radiating out a pitch-black blade light.
This move had once left Shi Xiaole with no choice but to dodge and retreat to ensure his safety. But two months had passed, and everything was different now.
"Wind Fury!"
The swordâs potential continued to elevate. Standing his ground, Shi Xiaole met the blade light with a gentle swing of his sword. To the bystanders, it appeared that he struck later yet arrived first; his sword was faster than the blade.
Schlitz.
Amidst the crisp slicing sound, the pitch-black blade light was as if it were mere paper, easily split in two, and the spent eighty percent of Sword Qi actually accelerated forward, so swift the bystanders couldnât react in time.
"No good...ugh!"
With years of experience, the Ghost Prison Blade Emperor blocked some of the Sword Qi with his knife in front of him, but only part of it. The rest pierced into his body fiercely, spewing out three sprays of blood mist like arrows, his body uncontrollably retreating at high speed.
"Impossible!"
The Ghost Prison Blade Emperorâs face was ashen, disbelief etched on his features.
Even if his strength was not at its peak, he was close to first-rate among Human Realm Martial Emperors. Wasnât this kid also at the same level? Why, why couldnât he withstand even one strike?
While his mind was still in chaos, the Ghost Prison Blade Emperor felt a tingling on his scalp. Unbeknownst to him, Shi Xiaole, as calm as a virgin, had appeared above him. In those spirited eyes was an icy calm and indifference, devoid of any emotion.
The Ghost Prison Blade Emperor wanted to kill Shi Xiaole, and Shi Xiaole wanted to kill him just as much. Had it not been for good fortune, he would have nearly died at the hands of the Ghost Prison Blade Emperor and the Dwarf Emperor. Thus, he would not let either of them off!
Without giving his opponent time to react, Shi Xiaole executed the Fearless Wind, striking swiftly, causing many onlookersâ eyelids to twitch.
The Ghost Prison Blade Emperor blocked the direct hit with difficulty, inevitably injured by the Sword Qi, his chest exposed down to the bone. Before he had a moment to catch his breath, Shi Xiaole followed up with three continued strikes, not with finishing moves, but ordinary techniques.
But to Shi Xiaole today, even ordinary techniques were not to be underestimated.
In a brief moment, the Ghost Prison Blade Emperor managed to muster seventy percent of his power in a futile attempt to destroy the three sword strikes with his ultimate move. Still, he underestimated Shi Xiaoleâs swordplay. Just after blocking the first strike, the next two swords surprisingly turned, attacking him from different sides.
Thud! Thud!
Blood splattered as the Ghost Prison Blade Emperor shuddered violently, his eyes filled with burgeoning blood vessels. Yet he was ruthless and seized this opportunity, gathering all his strengthâtenfold.
"Dao Emperor Questions Heaven Slash!"
Amidst a hiss and a sinister laugh, the Ghost Prison Blade Emperorâs face twisted grotesquely. Carrying endless murderous intent and fury, he brutally slashed at Shi Xiaole, who had just completed three swords and had not yet regained his strength.
To exchange injury for life, this was his full-powered strikeâa strike to behead, to send this mongrel to his death!
"Wind Wound!"
Facing the desperate slash that came out of nowhere, Shi Xiaole seemed unaffected. To him, unleashing three swords was just a regular move. If he wanted, he could even perform nine swords in succession without losing any powerâhis previous strikes were merely a ruse.
The momentum of his sword surged. Shi Xiaoleâs Spring Fury Sword, due to its rapid trembling, became a mass of sword shadows, exuding destructive power as they overwhelmingly advanced forward.
Clang!
Under the impact of the sword and the blade, the sky shook continuously.
Following that, the brilliant blade light, which had only lasted for a moment, suddenly emitted a smashing sound like rupturing glass, scattering in all directions. Sword Qi pierced through the gaps and created hundreds of bloody holes on the body of the Ghost Prison Blade Emperor. The blood spraying out was thousands of meters long, dazzling yet mournful.
"I donât believe..."
The Ghost Prison Blade Emperor let out a wail, with a look on his face as if he had seen a ghost.
By now, how could he not see that Shi Xiaoleâs strength was almost on par with him at his peak? Even if there was a slight difference, it was negligible.
He couldnât believe someone could improve so rapidly. It must be a trick. The Ghost Prison Blade Emperor roared, "Shi, you must have swallowed some treasure to have advanced so far. I refuse to accept this!"
The sword light was faster than his voice, vowing to obliterate him.
Yet at the same time, a palm strike whistled through the air, which Shi Xiaole casually cut off. An invisible breath passed by his body.
"Shi, it seems you have forgotten about me."
The Dwarf Emperor appeared a hundred yards away from Shi Xiaole, a mocking smile on his face, "Iâve been waiting all this time. That palm strike just now was called âIncurable.â Anyone struck by it is beyond saving."
Incurable, one of the Dwarf Emperorâs deadly techniques, ranked twenty-ninth among the human realm. Many martial emperors of the Void Origin Realm had only heard of it, never witnessed it. Every time Incurable was used, it drained half of the Dwarf Emperorâs poisonous power.
The Dwarf Emperor had originally planned to join forces with the Ghost Prison Blade Emperor, but Shi Xiaoleâs strength had genuinely alarmed him, even more so his talents, thatâs why the Dwarf Emperor had held back, waiting for the perfect opportunity.
Fortunately, everything had gone smoothly.
Even an ordinary Earthly Realm Martial Emperor poisoned by Incurable was doomed to die.
"You are wrong; how could I forget you?"
After all, the poison of Incurable was just a more concentrated form of the Zi Wu Heart Slaying Poison. But how could that trouble Shi Xiaole, who had already become immune to this poison? As his Life and Death Martial Path circulated, he had the poison under control after just a few breaths.
In fact, had Shi Xiaole not been interested in testing its effect, the Dwarf Emperor would never have hit him.
"Illusion Foam!"
His body flickering in and out of visibility, Shi Xiaole unleashed a sweeping sword strike. Countless bubbles appeared and spontaneously shattered, leaving many drops of blood in the void.
"How is this possible?!"
The Dwarf Emperorâs face almost froze with shock and disbelief, ignoring even his wounds. His once flawless poisonous skill had failedâwhat kind of joke was this?
And it was not just the Dwarf Emperor who was taken aback; other spectators were equally shocked.
Especially the Mysterious Heart Blade Empress, Thunderbolt Martial Emperor, Yan San, Yan Si, and the like, who could not have imagined that in just a few days, Shi Xiaoleâs strength had grown to such an extent that it made them question their own lives.
"Gentlemen, please lend your aid!"
Under Shi Xiaoleâs continuous assault, the Dwarf Emperor felt immense pressure and was soon at a disadvantage, forcing him to call for support from the others.
While some hesitated, they heard Shi Xiaoleâs cold voice, "Whoever intervenes will become my enemy, Shi Xiaole. Even if I canât kill you today, I will surely kill you in the future!"
Shi Xiaoleâs right hand executed the Wind Tribulation Sword Technique, trapping the Dwarf Emperor, while his left hand flicked in the air, incessantly injuring the fleeing Ghost Prison Blade Emperor with the Great Illusionary Formless Sword. Both emperors were already injured, especially the Ghost Prison Blade Emperor, whose strength was less than half what it once was. Shi Xiaole had no trouble suppressing them.
Hearing Shi Xiaoleâs words, many people huffed with discontent in their hearts but in the end, no one intervened.
The fact was Shi Xiaoleâs strength had exceeded expectationsâwithout assurance of defeating him, everyone had to consider the consequences of becoming his enemy.
"You wouldnât dare kill me. My Senior Brother wonât let you goâhe is..."
The Dwarf Emperor continually incurred injuries, finally feeling the fear of death, especially since moments before, he had witnessed with his own eyes the Ghost Prison Blade Emperor being sliced to death by Shi Xiaoleâs illusory sword techniques. This sent chills down his spine.
However, after his loud shout, the Dwarf Emperorâs reactions slowed for just a moment, giving Shi Xiaole the opportunity he needed. With one stroke, he cut off the Dwarf Emperorâs head.
Truth be told, had the two Martial Emperors joined forces from the start, Shi Xiaole would not have had an easy time of it. Unfortunately, the Ghost Prison Blade Emperor was severely injured, and the Dwarf Emperor had lost his poisonous power threat, leaving their capabilities severely impaired.
After doing all this, Shi Xiaole sheathed his sword and searched the two corpses briefly. Finding nothing, he then stood up and walked toward the far distant sword-shaped tower without so much as a second glance at the others.
However.
No one disputed his victory.